Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: I Accumulated Something Other Than Mana (1)
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Truthfully, this was an incredibly dangerous world.
I'd already encountered monsters twice near the count's territory.
Orcs were one thing, but the goblins had been genuinely perilous.
If there hadn't been spirits nearby to help, I would've been seriously hurt.
Even with my experience as a hunter, I'd only caught wild beasts, never fought monsters.
In other words, I needed some means to protect myself.
"That's why. Why do you keep saying no?"
Gismond, standing before me, shook his head.
Gismond kept shaking his head without offering any other explanation.
"Argh..."
Imperial combat techniques, was it?
They'd seemed incredibly efficient when fighting the goblins.
The sensation from that time still lingered, too.
It felt perfect for self-defense, so at dawn, I'd headed straight to the graveyard.
Among the elders here, there were soldiers and even knights. I figured if I asked nicely, I could learn from them.
But...
"Um... excuse me, elder over there?"
Gismond slid in, blocking my path.
"Haa... This is frustrating."
It had been like this the whole time.
Whenever I tried asking someone, Gismond would get in the way.
"Instead of just blocking me, at least tell me why."
For the first time, Gismond's head stopped shaking at my exasperated words.
This time, he didn't even answer, just smiled.
And then he extended his hand, as if urging me to leave quickly.
He looked frustrated, like there was some urgent reason he had to send me away right now.
"Haa..."
Staying here any longer was a waste of time.
The surroundings were brightening; it was time to get to work.
"Sigh..."
Normally, I could empathize with spirits' emotions and get a rough idea of the reason, but the spirits here were too strange.
They hid so much, as if determined not to show anything.
I'd even tried shaking my rattle to find out, but every time, the elders just quietly shook their heads no.
"What on earth are they hiding? Why don't you all just move on?"
I didn't sense even a shred of resentment.
That meant they had some lingering wish...
"Sigh... I'm supposed to help with that! Why won't you tell me...!"
Grumbling, I returned home, slung on a large bag, and headed out again.
"Let's see... I wonder what today will bring."
There's a method called rice grain divination.
You scatter rice grains and predict fortune or misfortune based on the energy they reveal.
Depending on the shaman's style, the way they read omens varies.
Some shamans who vibe well with grains do it this way.
In my case, it worked whether I did it like this or that.
"Let's go with this today."
I yanked up a handful of seeds from a grassy plant.
Whish—
Clatter.
Flicking my hand, the seeds scattered chaotically across the ground.
"Hmm..."
Some people ask, 'What exactly do you do with this?' or 'Does anything really show up from scattering rice?'
It's not about the patterns of the scattered seeds.
It's about the energy within them and the flashes of scenes in your mind.
"Hmm... Today, watch out for metal energy, and there's some bad luck with hands... Huh?"
A scene flashed in my mind.
It was the figure of someone with a deep hood pulled over their robe.
"A noble benefactor?"
A benefactor for a shaman.
Someone who helps those who help others.
"What's this?"
I headed toward the spot where I'd laid out my mat yesterday.
And the moment I slightly turned my body, the image of the benefactor vanished from my mind.
"Well, now? Does that mean I won't meet them if I go this way?"
When I turned back to the direction I'd been walking, the figure sharpened again.
"This is something. Is this fated?"
The only way to know for sure was to meet them in person.
If it was a fated connection, that meant more work.
How did jobs keep popping up without even a day's rest...
"What a rotten fate."
But what could I do?
If it was given, I had to go.
Shaman life was tough, but unavoidable.
Following the image in my head, I soon reached a main road.
"Hey! Doing divinations here today too?"
People who'd quickly recognized me greeted me warmly.
"Haven't decided yet."
"We've been waiting for you since morning."
Unfortunately, I still couldn't lay out my mat.
"I have something I'm curious about..."
Uncle kept following me.
Talking to me while I was clearly distracted.
"Uncle."
"Y-yeah! Gonna read me again?"
Read what?
Divination wasn't just about guessing...
This guy didn't come for a reading; he just found me fascinating.
"Uncle, be careful what you eat today."
"Huh?"
"You'll chip a tooth. Why's it so hard?"
Looking at Uncle made my own teeth ache like I'd bitten a rock.
"Got it? I'm busy right now, so come back later."
"A... alright."
Uncle touched his cheek with a dissatisfied look and walked away.
"Argh... It's fading again."
In that brief distraction, something had changed.
The clear image of the benefactor was fogging up like mist.
Meeting this benefactor was ridiculously hard.
"Here... This is it..."
The image grew clearer as I walked.
Probably around this corner, I'd spot them from afar.
But then someone else called out to me.
"Chris!"
"Huh? Uncle Hans?"
"I've been looking everywhere for you!"
This wasn't the time to meet Uncle Hans.
If I didn't hurry...
It faded again.
"I brought the reward fee we agreed on yesterday!"
The image was growing fainter by the second.
If I didn't catch up soon, I'd lose them for sure.
"Uncle! I'm kinda busy right now...!"
As I tried to move again,
Uncle Hans grabbed my arm.
"If you keep refusing like this, it's a problem for me too...!"
"No, it's not refusing, just later!"
"You say that, then refuse again. I know."
Hans clung stubbornly.
Damn it, I really needed to go!
"I already know what kind of person you are, so please take it for my sake!"
"Fine! Fine, so let go! Or hand it over quick!"
I snatched the pouch from the grateful Hans and bolted.
"Chris! Thank you!"
Thanks? What could I even say?
I knew his intentions, so I couldn't blame him.
Just feeling it, it wasn't five silvers lightly given.
He'd probably scraped together every coin at home to make five silvers.
Tap.
Tap.
I sensed the benefactor was quite close now.
A narrow alley wafted all sorts of smells.
Smell of dirt.
Smell of water.
I'd thought a benefactor aiding a shaman would be extraordinary, but how could a person smell like this?
"Hey, wait!!"
I dashed deep into the alley calling out, but it was no use.
"Is this magic too?"
The person I'd been seeking was already gone.
All that remained was a thicker scent and tangled energies.
"This isn't a barrier?"
I pulled out my rattle, but the mental image had completely vanished.
"Argh... Never relied on others anyway."
No point now; time to start business elsewhere.
The moment I turned, I realized.
The bad hand luck from the divination earlier.
This was it. These guys were the cause of my loss.
"Hey."
A familiar scene.
Worlds apart, but thugs shaking people down used the same tricks.
"We're a bit hungry. You know what that means, right?"
Three burly men.
They should work honestly with those builds, but look at those smirks.
Textbook sleazy thugs.
"Haa... Out of all things, they catch me."
"Huh? Hear that?"
One thug shrugged and approached me.
"Was gonna let you off with the pouch, but circumstances changed."
The three burly men closing in gave off real intimidation.
Of course, to me, tempered by ghosts, it was laughable.
But this was still a bit dangerous.
Could I take all three?
Couldn't shake my rattle and use divine power just to catch thugs...
As I thought that, a fist flew at me sneakily.
Whish—
"Huh?"
"Should've taken the hit nicely."
My body moved naturally.
Whish—
The swung fist passed by my face again.
"What's going on?"
I knew this movement.
I'd used it myself against the goblins.
The weird part? Back then, it was possession; now, it was just me.
Whish—
"This bastard!"
The one targeting me finally called the other two.
"Hey! Grab him!"
Yeah.
Thugs always ganged up.
My rattle drew a graceful arc toward the charging three.
Crack!
Thud!
Smack!
Crisp sounds echoed from their heads.
They kept swinging fists, and I dodged.
While striking their heads.
"H-head only!"
"Dirty bastard!"
Not just heads.
It was just that the moves I knew only hit heads.
"Tsk... Kids, misunderstanding."