Chapter 87: Astrology (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 87: Astrology (2)
Astrology is a ritual of sorts, one that predicts a person's fate and future by observing celestial phenomena.
By tracking the movements of the sun, the moon, various planets and constellations, and even comets and meteors, one can glimpse fragments of the future or predict the fortunes, both good and ill, of others.
In simple terms, it is a form of prophecy.
For this reason, astrologers have been revered as prophets since ancient times, but there were also periods of humiliation when they had to endure all manner of scorn and insult.
A prophecy was merely a glimpse into one of the countless possibilities that could become the future, so it was not uncommon for unforeseen variables to twist the outcome.
For instance, if someone prophesied that a great storm would strike tomorrow, causing numerous casualties, but another person prophesied that no such storm would come, whose prophecy would come to pass?
Prophecy was only a peek at a possible future; it held no power to confirm it.
“Could you please tell me your names and ages?”
“Choi Hyena, I’m 21.”
“Kang Hyun-woo. We’re the same age.”
But what if the scope of the prophecy was limited not to the entire world, but to an individual?
Of course, if that ‘individual’s’ decisions could alter the futures of too many others, then that prophecy, too, would become uncertain.
‘The chances of that are slim...’
Lumina Hircus, the sixth daughter of the Hircus Tribe’s chief, had no doubt about her own beliefs.
Her father had warned her to refrain from reading others’ fortunes, but she wasn't an official astrologer yet anyway. Besides, she couldn't understand her father's view that simply reading someone's fortune could negatively impact the future.
‘If he was going to be like that, he shouldn't have taught me astrology in the first place...!’
Lumina took pride in her astrology, but due to the opposition of her father and the tribe's elders, she rarely had the chance to practice it.
Helping out at her grandmother's shop and occasionally reading a customer's fortune was one of her few simple pleasures.
‘I’ve done this several times before, so there won’t be a problem...’
Moreover, reading the fortunes of couples who sometimes visited the shop was the greatest joy for Lumina, who had never been in a relationship herself.
Of course, the results weren't always good, so in those cases, she tended to embellish the results a little.
She wasn't so tactless as to bluntly tell them everything she saw—that they would break up in a few days, or that they were ill-fated in a past life.
She read fortunes for the happiness of others, so Lumina always tried to give answers that would make everyone happy.
“I’m going to read your fortunes now, is that alright...?”
“Yes.”
“Yes, but is it really okay with just our names and ages?”
Typical fortune-tellers asked for not only names and ages but also birthdays, occupations, and even the time of birth.
“It's fine...! The important thing is that you both consented...!”
Glimpsing the future through the celestial bodies.
Deeply personal information was unnecessary for the process.
“Then... I’ll begin...?”
The three of them placed their hands on the crystal ball that sat on the small table. It was so dark it reflected no light, almost appearing ominous. Beyond the crystal ball…
Flicker—
A small light wavered.
It was a light invisible to Kang Hyun-woo and Choi Hyena, but for Lumina, it was the signal. Her consciousness flew to the far side of a deep, dark, colorless universe.
Even though she had experienced this many times before, Lumina felt an indescribable sense of suffocation.
She felt she could understand, just a little, why her father had told her not to read fortunes. Of course, once she returned to reality, she would forget all about it, as always.
As her consciousness plummeted through the darkness, Lumina’s vision suddenly brightened.
A vast universe unfolded before her eyes.
‘Wow...’
As always, the beautiful scenery left Lumina speechless. Though she had seen it many times, it was still so vast and mysterious that she couldn't tear her eyes away for a second.
A human is a microcosm.
Astrology allowed one to glimpse an individual's past and future precisely because it could read the celestial bodies of that microcosm.
Planets and constellations glowed red even in the dark universe. This was likely the universe of the woman named Choi Hyena.
‘She was very pretty...’
Her every word and action, her aura, and her stunning looks. Her appearance, reminiscent of a noble lady, filled Lumina with joy as she observed the universe.
Each person's inner universe takes a different form. The one she was looking at now had several planets orbiting a small sun, much like a solar system.
People like this usually had firm convictions and weren't easily swayed by others. However, a few of the constellations making up the celestial sphere were extremely murky.
In such cases, it was highly likely that the person was secretly hiding a painful story.
‘...And it seems quite old.’
[When you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.]
Just as a certain philosopher had said, the longer an astrologer gazes into another's microcosm, the more deeply they come to empathize with that person's emotions.
Lumina immediately shook her head. If she became too immersed in another's feelings, her own mind could suffer considerable damage.
In the worst-case scenario, her consciousness could become completely trapped within the microcosm, but she had prepared thoroughly for that possibility, so she didn't need to worry too much.
‘Still, that’s a relief...’
Amidst the murky constellations, a few brightly shining ones made their presence known. However, their complex forms suggested she was likely in a love she couldn't express openly.
‘Could it be... not a real couple, but a one-sided crush...?’
For such a beautiful person to be secretly harboring a crush.
Lumina recalled the face of the man who had come with her. He was tall and had sharp eyes, but other than that, his appearance was plain, with no particularly distinguishing features.
It was a bit strange, but Lumina didn't believe that looks were the entirety of a person's charm, so she just accepted it and moved on.
‘Hmm... I think that’s enough...’
To see a couple's compatibility, she had to observe and compare both of their microcosms.
She had a good sense of Choi Hyena's microcosm now, so it was time to observe the one belonging to the man, Kang Hyun-woo.
Quietly closing her eyes and thinking of him, Lumina felt her consciousness begin to move somewhere.
Like a bird flying through the sky, like a fish swimming through the water.
She quietly surrendered to the flow.
‘I wonder what the man’s microcosm will look like...?’
Contrary to what people might think, the form of a universe was not bound by gender. In fact, a woman's microcosm was often more violent and chaotic than a man's.
There had even been times when the microcosm of a large, bear-like man felt smaller and gentler than that of a petite, squirrel-like woman.
Observing the diverse universes of different people—in a way, couldn't this be considered one of Lumina's few hobbies?
Feeling that she had arrived, Lumina, half worried and half expectant, cautiously opened her eyes.
‘......Huh?’
No matter how different each person's microcosm was, there were certain laws that were never broken.
Some people might lack constellations, or comets and meteors falling like raindrops.
However, at least one star and one planet.
There couldn't possibly be a 'human' who lacked even those.
Even with her eyes open, all that entered Lumina's vision was an endless darkness.
Nothing could be seen.
Nothing moved.
Are my eyes even open right now?
I can't see anything, but...
‘...Why do I feel like I'm making eye contact with someone?’
[When you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.]
Why on earth did those words come to mind?
Staring into the endless, empty darkness, Lumina's eyes trembled pitifully, like a lost lamb.
The darkness, which seemed unreachable no matter how far she stretched her hand, felt as if it were drawing closer.
‘Is... is anyone there...? Please, help me...! Please...’
Her cries, unable to form into words, swirled in her throat, dissolving again and again.
She thrashed about and screamed her lungs out, but the only response was a dreadful silence.
‘...Ah.’
The moment the reality that no one would come to help her sank in, an indescribable anxiety and terror engulfed her.
“Enough.”
Lumina's consciousness, sinking into the darkness, was saved by a warm hand covering her eyes.
The air on her skin, the slivers of light seeping between the fingers of the palm.
This was undoubtedly reality.
“It seems it's still too soon for my child to handle this.”
The tension finally breaking, Lumina fainted.
*
Today is a weird day.
A stalker shows up in the middle of a date, and then a shop employee offers to read our fortunes, even though it's not a fortune-teller's shop.
Fine, whatever. I can let that much slide.
My date isn't just any ordinary girl; it's Choi Hyena, who's pretty enough to put celebrities to shame, so I guess a stalker isn't out of the question. And running into an employee whose hobby is fortune-telling is something that could happen once in a lifetime.
But what kind of situation involves the employee who offered to read our fortunes suddenly getting a nosebleed and screaming "Ah, ahh..."?
Just as I was about to frantically call an ambulance…
“Shh.”
An old woman appeared from nowhere, covered the employee's eyes with her hand, and gently caught the girl in her arms as she collapsed, unconscious.
The fine wrinkles on her face, her somewhat worn goat horns, and her drooping ears.
Is she the goat-girl's family?
“My granddaughter has caused you trouble.”
“Not at all. More importantly, shouldn't we take her to a hospital?”
Choi Hyena pointed at the goat-girl, her voice filled with concern. I agreed; it didn't seem right to just leave a girl who had been convulsing with a nosebleed.
“It's nothing serious, so you needn't worry. You are a kind customer.”
Her voice was a low monotone, but it felt gentle. With a brief "excuse me," the goat grandmother carried the goat-girl into the back of the shop.
Left alone in the now-quiet shop, Choi Hyena and I looked at each other, bewildered.
“I hope it’s nothing serious.”
“...Yeah.”
She still seemed upset, giving a short reply before looking away from me. As I secretly watched her back while she looked around the shop, the goat grandmother reappeared.
She was holding a small pouch in her hand.
“Thank you for waiting. This is a token of our apology for the trouble my granddaughter caused. Please, don't feel burdened and accept it.”
We both took the pouch she offered with both hands.
Inside were several small candies, so tiny and pretty you could mistake them for jewels.
“Um, is your granddaughter okay?”
“Hm?”
The grandmother's half-closed eyes turned toward me. Her gaze seemed gentle, yet it also made me feel vaguely uneasy.
“...How curious.”
After observing me for a moment, the grandmother abruptly turned, walked over to the counter, and brought back a small notebook.
“I heard from Yeong-ok. You wanted to commission me for a task?”
“...Are you, by any chance?”
“Mm.”
The goat grandmother gave a short nod.
“I am Marna Hircus, a 1st Grade Alchemist of the Gray Magic Tower.”