Chapter 112
Translator: uly
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: If You Do as Chris Says, It'll Work Out for Now (1)
Chris said to do it this way, and it'll work out for now.
Morning—what is it, really?
Traditionally, you greet the morning with your fatigue washed away, feeling light and refreshed.
But as a shaman, my mornings are different.
"Argh..."
Lately, my dreams have been getting noisier and noisier.
I'm seeing things I shouldn't have to see.
People like Count Nordin, for instance.
"Let's take a look..."
Scatter.
Scatter the seeds, and visions appear.
Good fortune in travel luck.
Misfortune tangled in document luck.
And then, the Falling Well Gate Omen.
A dire portent of drowning in a well or river.
For someone like me, right by the sea, it's an extremely bad sign.
"We need to leave soon, huh?"
Elder Closel sidled up next to me, looking intrigued.
"What do those seeds show you?"
Now I couldn't avoid explaining even if I wanted to.
This guy had become a lich, after all—something tied to spiritual powers. Least I could do was help out.
"Orc shamanism can't see it. It's more like divining the flow of the world?"
"Oh ho?"
"The world turns according to certain laws or principles..."
Honestly, explaining it was a hassle.
It was morning, after all.
I hesitated, then pressed on.
"That's what it shows."
"...Feels like you're skipping a whole lot."
Explanations could wait, but action couldn't.
When the divination came out like this, you acted on it right away—that was the smart move.
"Anyway, we should head out today."
"And what about that one?"
Drzant was groaning in pain since morning.
I waved him off like it was no big deal.
"It's my possession anyway—it'll come to me."
"Mysterious stuff."
The elder suddenly turned serious and asked,
"Could you possibly bind a soul to something like that?"
"...Probably?"
"Even a mage who's reached my level?"
A gem of decent size? Yeah, that should work.
"For your research?"
If the elder needed it, I was willing to hand over the other half.
Sounded important.
The elder shook his head.
"We've got a small one back in our territory. I'll let the Magic Tower know. The orc books too."
"Just let me know if you need anything."
The elder gave a small nod.
He had a lot on his mind, no doubt.
"Today looks like good luck for traveling. Don't think we'll see fortune like this for a while."
This wasn't just talk—the timing was perfect right now.
A smooth trip without any incidents.
"I'll get ready quick."
Gullak and Luna, who'd been doing something, came running over right on cue.
"Ppa! Piggyback, Luna!"
"Piggyback? You sure you won't fall?"
"Yeah! Tired now."
Serena naturally wrapped her in the carrier.
Elder Closel asked,
"How're we traveling? Flying? Or warp?"
"Warp seems best."
We'd walked or flown until now, but this time felt different.
"Crossing the sea could mean drowning."
"Hm? The waters near Harp Kingdom are famous for being calm."
I'd heard that much on the way here.
Made sense why orcs could reach this place like they did.
Word was, sea monsters were rare too.
"Falling Well Gate Omen is heavy on it. Hate to drown."
Our group wasn't normal, so maybe it'd be fine...
Still, best to dodge bad omens.
Couldn't go against shaman pride knowing it and ignoring.
"I'll prep my magic circle."
"Straight to the capital. Count Nordin showed up in my dream, and there's stuff bothering me."
Drzant approached me, hammer in hand.
"I'll finish this and catch up."
"You okay?"
"Doesn't matter."
Maybe that's why Drzant was following me in the first place.
The divination before departure mentioned making something for me.
"Chwiik... Human Shaman! I still have much to learn."
I worried about Gullak.
I'd only taught him one major branch.
Couldn't properly instruct him.
"Practice what I showed you for now. Mastering that's over half the battle."
Reaching trance state and invoking possession.
Honestly, that was the biggest part.
Seemed to hugely impact sorcery too.
"Know Aster territory? Where we first met."
"I remember."
"I live there. I'll swing by before heading home."
"Chwik, thanks!"
I exchanged goodbyes with that orc Bark too.
Surprisingly, the orcs bid me farewell with friendly vibes.
They had better personalities than expected.
Why had they been treated like monsters all this time...?
Elder Closel called me over.
"Ready? Let's go."
The warp magic circle was already drawn.
But warps like this...
"This okay just popping into another country's capital?"
"Hm? Oh, right."
The elder nodded readily.
"Absolutely not."
"...?"
If it's absolutely not okay, what're we doing right now?
"Warp into another country—let alone their capital—without permission? Instant diplomatic incident."
"We got permission?"
"Of course not."
Why's this elder so brazen?
Doesn't that mean our warp's illegal trespassing?
"Capitals usually have anti-warp magic barriers. Very dangerous."
The more I heard, the crazier it got.
Warp might not even work.
"But it'll be fine. You'll see."
Even seeing the elder's confident face, could I trust it?
"Let's go."
Scratching my head, I stepped onto the magic circle and was enveloped in bright light.
Waving goodbye to Gullak in the distance.
"Greetings, Lord Closel and Lord Parmon."
A man bowed politely.
First person we saw after warping.
Deep underground, from the looks of the dim surroundings.
Torches lit the area.
"You're Chris, correct?"
"Yeah, but..."
"And behind you must be Saintess Luna and High Elf Serena."
He seemed to know plenty about us.
"As for your companion Drzant...?"
Elder Closel stepped forward.
"Had some business, so we split up temporarily."
"Understood."
The man bowed to me.
"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Nigel, dispatched to Harp Kingdom."
Locking eyes and scanning his face, I knew instantly.
Thief.
Information broker.
I glanced at the elder for confirmation, and he nodded.
"This is where the Empire's agents gather."
"...Pardon?"
"Top secret—don't breathe a word."
Agents in the capital?
I figured the Empire had spies abroad, but...
This was next-level.
Scale was impressive even at a glance.
Nigel handed the elder a paper.
"Recent movements summarized. Just in case..."
He glanced at me.
The elder gestured.
"It's fine. Can't hide it from this one anyway."
"Then I'll begin the report."
Nod.
"Knights will be dispatched to the supply depot you destroyed on the way."
"Scale?"
"One knight order each for resupplying, plus soldiers."
"Plans?"
"Delayed departure as much as possible."
Mysterious exchanges flew back and forth.
And the more I heard, the less trivial they sounded.
"Investigation on the king?"
"Harp's king remains intact."
"Dig deeper. This one asked if the country even has a king. Can't gloss over that."
Then they looked at me.
"Yours was probably offhand, but it's a major clue."
I'd just shared my gut feeling, yet they took it this seriously...
"From that face, you're wondering why go this far."
"Honestly, yeah."
"But we can't ignore it. Things have gone south every time you've said something like that."
The elder went through examples one by one.
Elven forest incident.
Church entanglements.
Northern meet, and now the orcs.
Hearing it laid out, yeah, my words warranted attention.
My divinations never missed.
"Necromancers everywhere you go, right? Bear with us."
Nigel's report continued.
"Checked the sea as mentioned—no issues."
"Situation's shifted a bit. Or rather, we learned something new."
This side of Elder Closel was new to me.
A seasoned noble, maybe?
Orders flowed naturally.
"Reinvestigate from when sea monsters vanished. He warned of sea danger right before warp—be thorough."
"Yes, sir!"
Glancing at Nigel's map, my path was marked.
From Empire border to this capital, a line drawn...
"Hold on... this can't be..."
The line to the capital.
And the depots I wrecked along the way.
What else could it mean?
The elder nodded.
"If Harp's royals are tied to the necromancer..."
"..."
"Empire's army wipes this place off the map."
The elder's face was stone-hard.
Elder Parmon's expression had vanished.
"We don't want that. But preparing for the worst is our duty."
Better uproot the source than let greater sacrifices happen.
Rational, no doubt.
"This isn't personal friendship talking—it's Empire nobles speaking."
"..."
"Help us avoid needless bloodshed."