Chapter 157
Chapter 157
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: That Person
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"Right now, my little sister is watching me too?"
Rishir repeated Tilla's words with a surprised expression as he gazed at the crystal orb.
The orb, infused with the power of astrology, emanated a mystical glow.
Soon, he brought his face close to it and spoke.
"Can you hear me?"
"...Rishir? What are you doing?"
Tilla, who had been concentrating her power on the orb, asked in bewilderment.
"Oh, aren't we connected right now? You said my little sister is watching me too—"
Tilla panicked.
Felix spoke up on her behalf.
He had burst into laughter at Rishir's actions.
"Pfft. Rishir, you idiot. What do you think astrology is?"
Of course.
Pocena continued.
"...Ah, I get it. So, even if we're watching each other, we can't just wave or chat like that."
"Sorry, Rishir. That's definitely beyond my abilities. My knowledge of astrology is quite shallow—"
"Hey, no need to apologize. Just knowing my little sister is watching me right now is more than enough."
Rishir looked at the orb again.
A pleased smile spread across his face.
"Looks like she's doing well, at least."
"She's doing well? How can you tell—"
Tilla's eyes darted between the orb and Rishir in surprise.
What Rishir had said was information even she hadn't gleaned.
"...Ah!"
Then.
Tilla nodded as if she understood.
"You saw something in the orb!"
"What? Didn't you say Rishir was clueless about astrology?"
Felix asked in shock.
"Not anymore!"
"Aha."
"?"
Rishir's head tilted sideways.
The flow of the conversation?
"Not anymore? What does that mean?"
"Huh? You mastered astrology and read something from the orb—"
"Mastered astrology... in that short time?"
"..."
Tilla and the others stared blankly at Rishir.
Wasn't that the case?
As if to say so.
"..."
Rishir was dumbfounded.
"Everyone. What exactly do you think I am?"
"What do we think? Just what we see?"
"Look at what you normally do. Mastering astrology on the spot isn't a big deal for you."
"No..."
Rishir was flustered.
Their faith in him.
It seemed to go beyond absolute trust into aggressive territory.
'Should I be happy about this...'
As Rishir pondered, Tilla asked.
"If you didn't master astrology, how did you know? That your little sister is doing well—"
"Oh, that. My little sister is just as far from astrology as I am."
Just like me.
Rishir emphasized that part.
"So I thought. Maybe she's in the same situation as me right now."
"Same as you?"
"Yeah. Like me, maybe she's finished dinner with her companions and gathered around a friend who knows astrology—"
"Ah."
They nodded in understanding at Rishir's explanation.
Meanwhile, Rishir turned his attention to the orb once more.
"So, is that all astrology can reveal? That she's watching me right now?"
"...Want to see more?"
Tilla concentrated her power on the orb in response.
Then, the orb, placed under the moonlight streaming through the window, began to shine even brighter.
Tilla stared intently at it, as if deciphering a difficult book, and spoke.
"She's... watching you... and..."
Tilla's brow furrowed, as if it was straining her.
She continued with effort.
"Perhaps... you two might meet soon."
"She and I might meet?"
Whew.
Tilla, catching her breath, nodded.
"Yes. Of course! It's just a possibility. Since it's the whimsical astrology of a hack astrologer, I wouldn't put too much stock in it."
"No, don't call it hack astrology. It was plenty meaningful. It was fun, and now I'm looking forward to it."
Rishir stared into space, reminiscing.
A pleased smile graced his face.
A smile like he found her utterly adorable.
Who knew he could make that face.
Even greater interest bloomed in the expressions of those watching him.
"Master?"
At that moment, Dwyn whispered something into Jane and Felix's ears.
"Uh... Rishir? Master wants to know what your little sister is like?"
Dwyn nodded solemnly.
Avoiding eye contact with Rishir, of course.
'How long will this last...'
Pushing aside his inner worries, Rishir thought of her—
Roera.
"Well, as for what she's like..."
A genius.
He murmured softly.
"A genius?"
"Yes. For now, I'll just say she's an incredible one, incomparable to a guy like me."
Rishir's gaze, thinking of his little sister, drifted into the past.
To the time when he was nothing but a worthless bastard.
Roera had been an object of envy then.
The legitimate daughter who received all the family head's recognition and favor.
But at some point, she became an object of pure admiration.
After discarding the family head's recognition and favor like old rags, proving herself with her own strength.
From being treated as the family's disgrace, she proved her genius and earned everyone's acknowledgment.
Pride oozed from Rishir's expression as he spoke of his little sister.
"…!"
The faces of those watching him turned to shock.
Rishir didn't know.
To him, it was just a doting brother bragging about his sister.
But how it came across to others.
The word "genius" from his mouth.
'A genius incomparable to Rishir...?'
How that phrase was received by others.
Not only the two hero parties—
Even the Swordmaster couldn't recover from the shock.
"Like Tilla said, if we can meet, that'd be great."
The brother, eagerly awaiting a reunion with his sister, smiled contentedly.
Oblivious to the expressions and thoughts of those around him.
Under the night sky.
The bonfire that had been illuminating the surroundings had now died out coldly, emitting only smoke.
Roera's hero party, who had gathered around the bonfire.
Now encircled something else.
The crystal orb.
It belonged to Hamun, the beastkin girl and astrologer of Roera's hero party.
Absorbing the faint light of the moon and stars, it produced a new, mystical glow.
"..."
The sparkling eyes of the beastkin girl perfectly reflected the glowing orb.
A mystical aura enveloped her youthful appearance, mismatched with her innocence.
"How is it, Hamun? See anything?"
The girl's intense concentration cracked momentarily, as if unbreakable.
The hero Roera.
The cynical hero asked impatiently, uncharacteristically anxious.
Her companions' expressions watching her were like those possessed by an evil spirit.
Those icy eyes could shine like that.
That cynical face could produce such varied moods.
The hero stamping her feet restlessly stirred complex emotions in her companions.
For the beastkin girl—
She drew even more power to meet the hero's expectations.
The item from "that person" that Roera had given her.
She gripped it tighter.
The orb emitted a clearer light, imprinting visions in Hamun's eyes.
"...!"
At that moment.
Hamun's eyes squeezed shut.
As if unable to bear the strain.
"Hamun, you okay?"
Returning to her pure beastkin girl self.
She looked at Roera cautiously and spoke.
"Hero... I'm sorry... It failed..."
Failed?
The senior knight beside her, Rotna, asked in surprise.
"Your astrology failed? Impossible."
Then, the middle-aged man from the Crimson Tower, the party's Red Tower Master, said gravely.
"Rotna. Don't say it like that. Won't that burden Hamun?"
"No, Gelrad. Am I wrong? Has Hamun ever failed at simple astrology like this?"
"..."
Agreeing with Rotna's point.
They all turned to Hamun.
Hamun stared at the orb with a similar expression.
All life leaves traces.
Tracking them was Hamun's greatest strength as a shaman and astrologer.
Sometimes magical beasts.
Sometimes criminals.
Sometimes the missing.
Hamun had tracked countless beings, aiding the party.
Even in a hero party full of talents, the beastkin girl's ability was special.
Of course.
Even that ability had limits.
Specifically, accuracy dropped sharply against those with great power.
"The last failure was tracking the Face Thief who killed the Sword of Promise, right?"
Gelrad, the former Red Tower Master, murmured.
Rotna agreed emphatically.
"Exactly! Hamun's astrology only fails against something like a hero killer!"
That was why they panicked.
Hamun's astrology lost accuracy at 6th circle or above—
But was astonishingly precise otherwise.
Yet.
Why.
Fail to track a target whose power lingered around the 3rd circle at best.
They recalled Roera's prior words, reviewing the target's info.
'Last met months ago, at early 3rd circle then—'
The hero's "that person."
His current level should be around 3rd circle.
That was the consensus excluding Roera.
Thus, no reason for Hamun's failure.
Even conceding they were wrong and Roera right!
-Early 3rd? By now, probably 5th circle at least.
Even assuming the absurd—that he reached 5th circle—he was still within Hamun's range.
Yet the astrology failed.
"Sigh."
The hero's sigh sounded.
All eyes turned to Roera.
She had returned to her usual cynical demeanor.
"So, even arriving at Bondales, we might not meet him?"
"...Well, yeah?"
Rotna blurted, gauging her mood.
Beyond the target's power (realm), other factors affected Hamun's astrology.
Like distance between caster and target.
"Let's see, to Bondales now..."
Thanks to Roera taming the wind spirit blocking their path, travel time shortened dramatically.
They'd arrive in about a week.
A week away.
Well within Hamun's capability.
Thus.
With failure now, two possibilities.
First.
Roera's "that person" in Bondales, but too powerful for Hamun to track.
Second.
Too far for Hamun's astrology.
No need for long thought.
Their minds leaned to the second.
After all.
First required him to be 6th circle or higher.
From early 3rd months ago to 6th+ now?
"Ha."
Rotna let out an incredulous laugh unwittingly.
Impossible.
"Hero..."
Hamun cautiously checked Roera's face.
She'd shown immense anticipation for meeting "him" lately.
"Whatever. If we don't meet, we don't."
Roera said nonchalantly.
But her expression clearly wavered.
"..."
Hamun watched her silently.
Soon, she nodded with resolve.
"Hero! Let's try again tomorrow!"
"Tomorrow?"
"Yes! With full preparations! And tomorrow's weather looks much clearer!"
The beastkin girl's earnest encouragement.
The others watched bitterly.
Knowing Roera's personality, she'd never accept.
"...Sure?"
"...!?"
But what was this.
The hero brightened and accepted Hamun's suggestion immediately.
"Yes!"
"Fine then—"
A fresh smile bloomed on the hero's face as she gazed at the orb.
"My god..."
Rotna murmured blankly.
What kind of person could make the hero show such an expression.
The party's doubts deepened.
The next evening arrived.
"Definitely. Better weather than yesterday?"
Roera murmured in an oddly excited tone, looking up at the sky.
She asked Hamun, full of anticipation.
"How about it, Hamun? Ready?"
"..."
Why was she so tense?
Determined to meet the hero's expectations!
The beastkin girl nodded vigorously.
"Yes, ready...!"
Yesterday, only the extinguished bonfire sat at the site.
Today was different.
A magic circle drawn around the astrologer's orb to concentrate star and moon energy.
"What's this? What's going on?"
"Hamun's... doing astrology?"
"All this for astrology prep? Never seen before."
"What are they looking for?"
"...No way, the hero's that person?"
"Ah!"
The knights following Roera's hero party crowded around.
"Gives me a headache. Is investing this much, with all these treasures, really worth it?"
A magic circle using many of Hero Roera's treasures.
Gelrad, master of the Crimson Tower, complained of a headache examining it.
Then.
"Ooh...!"
The area filled with gasps.
"Ugh, gonna attract every bug around...!"
Rotna shielded his eyes with his hand.
Hamun's orb began emitting unprecedented brilliance.
Its light hard to stare at even from afar.
"..."
Hamun stared straight at it from close range.
"Hero."
She murmured calmly.
"What's that person's name?"
"Rishir."
"Rishir..."
"Unique name, right?"
"Yes, first time hearing it."
Rishir.
Hamun repeated the unusual name.
Then, the vague glow took shape.
Stars rose in the beastkin girl's eyes.
The target's traces manifested as stars.
"...I see it."
"Huh?"
"I... see it!!! His traces, his star...!"
"Yes!?"
The hero brightened, onlookers cheered.
"What is it? Tell me details!"
The hero pressed excitedly.
The beastkin girl nodded eagerly, thrilled.
"Right now, Lord Rishir is—..."
Huh?
Hamun's words halted midway.
Stars rose in the beastkin girl's eyes.
One.
Another.
And another.
And—
"..."
Stars kept appearing.
Her eyes spun as if trying to contain them.
"Hero...?"
She asked cautiously.
"Which Rishir are you looking for...?"
"?"
Roera tilted her head.
What kind of question was that?
Hamun didn't know what she was asking either.
Because she didn't know what she was seeing.
A star walking the path of the sword.
A star walking the path of magic.
A star walking the path of divinity.
A star walking the path of spirits.
Even a star walking the path of black magic.
All bearing the name Rishir.
Hamun thought.
'Surprisingly common name...!?'