The Silent Miko (2)
‘What the hell. Why are you crying?’
I couldn’t see her eyes.
I wasn’t entirely sure, but she looked blind. And yet, she was staring straight at me.
It was only natural that I found myself glancing around, suddenly aware of everyone else’s eyes on us in this absurd situation. The tears streaming down her face were so relentless that even I was starting to feel flustered.
I tried desperately to look away, but the moment she seemed to take a step toward me, a strange unease tightened in my chest.
‘What…’
The instant I averted my gaze, she seemed to freeze for a moment.
Quietly wiping away her tears with a handkerchief, she didn’t even seem to realize she’d been crying at all.
I couldn’t begin to understand what she was thinking.
More than anything…
‘I can’t read her expression.’
With her eyes closed, her face was genuinely impossible to decipher.
I couldn’t make head or tail of what kind of personality a “fallen seeker” was supposed to have, and I had no clue what kind of insane trait it was to see through essence, future, and past alike.
All I knew was that those eyes of hers surpassed the very eyes I possessed.
In other words, I’d met someone I couldn’t understand at all.
‘Shit…’
There’s nothing more irritating than someone you can’t predict.
That’s part of the reason Cha Heera is so damn bothersome, too. You can never tell what she’ll do next.
At least Jung Hayan is honest about her feelings, so she was a different matter.
The shrine maiden standing in front of me had already moved beyond the limits of anything I could calculate.
Her inexplicable behavior put me on guard, which was only natural. The moment I took a cautious step back, my sweet Cha Heera appeared in my field of vision, moving to block my way.
‘At times like this, all I can rely on is Heera noona.’
“You. What the hell are you?”
“It’s been a while, Cha Heera.”
“Yeah, it has been a while, but that’s not what I’m asking. What brings you all the way out here all of a sudden? And while making such a damn mess of tears…”
“It’s nothing. I simply came to greet you.”
“Me? We weren’t close enough to exchange greetings on a regular basis. No, actually, it looked more like you had business with my guy than with me… I’m not imagining that, am I?”
“That isn’t the case. I only… truly came to offer my greetings. Cha Heera.”
“You do know we’re in a pretty sensitive situation because of the bastards in Celia, right?”
“……”
“I don’t know whether you’ve got something to do with them or not, but frankly, I don’t have a good feeling about any of the garbage over there. Who knows what kind of dirty trick they’re trying to pull again? And in a situation like this, you come here just to say hello… You stupid woman. If this weren’t the royal palace, you’d be dead already.”
“I’m not sure what it is you’re referring to, exactly…”
“If you don’t know, then shut up and get out of my sight. I don’t care whether you’re really clueless or just pretending to be, but our guy’s starting to get a little uneasy.”
She was reliable, sure, but she also seemed a little sharp-edged today.
Just from her reaction when she heard the name, I’d assumed they weren’t on bad terms, but it seemed the Lindel terror incident had made her more sensitive than usual.
Of course, if I assumed the shrine maiden was acting differently than normal, then Cha Heera’s reaction made sense.
Thinking back to the conversation Cha Heera had with Old Man Victor, it didn’t seem like the shrine maiden had been especially enthusiastic about this whole gathering in the first place.
She had shown up early, and now she’d come under the guise of paying her respects, so it was only natural to suspect she might have other motives.
Once the verbal abuse started flying, the shrine maiden’s attendants began chiming in as well.
Of course, them getting worked up didn’t do much to help their case with Cha Heera.
“That’s far too harsh, Cha Heera.”
“Lady Yuno was only ever…”
“I told you to shut up. Trash.”
She’d even started circulating mana discreetly.
It was right then that Yuno, who had been silent for a moment, finally opened her mouth.
“Ah, no. Everyone, please stop. I think I may have been a little abrupt.”
“……”
“Cha Heera. And everyone else… if I made this place uncomfortable, I sincerely apologize. And if we have done anything wrong in Celia, then… I would like to offer my apology in their stead.”
She bowed her head slowly and spoke with striking composure.
I could see Old Man Victor staring fixedly at Cha Heera.
He was telling her to respond to the apology in earnest.
For someone tied to the Empire, a fight between two powers was hardly something to welcome. All that remained was Cha Heera’s choice.
“I’ll accept it.”
Not bad, Heera noona.
“Then I’ll take my leave now. I hope the rest of your time here is pleasant…”
The Mercenary Queen gave a nod, and the shrine maiden quietly turned back the way she had come.
And absurdly enough, it was then that a voice reached my ears.
—If you have the time, I would be grateful if you would come to my room. It is located on the second floor of the west wing.
Oh…
There was no doubt that it was meant only for me.
—Please, I ask that you come.
What the hell kind of situation is this?
I was so dumbfounded I could’ve walked right out of my own body.
Not a single thing about this made sense. Why was she looking for me? Had she really been crying because she saw me?
And why invite me to her room? It felt as though everything was hidden behind a curtain.
It’s not like she’s asking me to come over for a one-night fling or anything…
If she’d made this kind of proposal at a hotel bar, I might have even enjoyed it.
It was only natural that I concluded I needed more information. Just then, I heard Cha Heera whining while looking at me.
“It creeps me out when I can’t tell what she’s thinking.”
“Do you know her, noona?”
“This was only the second time I’ve talked to her. And the way she’s talking now is really weird… I’ve never seen her talk this much before.”
“……”
“She came here about five years ago and founded a guild in Celia… and now she’s the owner of Yozora, a new guild that’s doing incredibly well. But even her movements aren’t all that clear. Some people say she can see the future or the past, and others spout nonsense about her seeing things no one else can, but when you look at what she’s done, it doesn’t seem like a lie. Honestly, I don’t know much about her either.”
“……”
“Don’t look at me like that, babe. Our subordinates and Black Swan will definitely know more, so ask them once we get there.”
“Okay.”
“Ah, but there is one thing I do know.”
“What?”
“That woman’s blind.”
“I could tell that much myself.”
As expected, relying on Cha Heera for this sort of thing was hopeless.
I should’ve asked for a report or something first.
I should’ve come prepared instead of half-assing it.
“That woman’s kind of strange, Oppa.”
“Is she?”
“Yes. She’s a little strange. Something about her is… strange…”
To be honest, Jung Hayan wasn’t exactly great at reading people, but it seemed that woman had already gotten on her bad side.
Seeing her cling even more tightly to my side, I felt a little embarrassed.
“Grandfather, can we go in now?”
“Of course. As for dinner…”
“We’ll just grab something simple here. No, actually, send someone to have something brought up to the room. In about two hours… I’m a little tired after the long flight, you know.”
“Didn’t you say something about a sparring match earlier?”
“I’m in a bad mood.”
“Well, do as you please. And as I always say, there’s no need to stir up trouble for no reason…”
“I know. No fighting. But you know why I’m on edge. You know what happened in Lindel, don’t you?”
“I do, but Heera, if you have a complaint, the proper thing is to make it formally through the proper channels. You’re far too hot-blooded…”
“I know.”
“Tsk. Go on upstairs.”
“See you tomorrow.”
The way she moved around as if this were her own home, roaming the vast palace with complete familiarity, gave me some idea of how this Holy Empire treated Cha Heera.
“The food here is actually pretty decent. A little greasy, maybe, but it doesn’t get old if you only eat it once in a while. Come on, let’s go to the room.”
For a first-timer like me and Jung Hayan, there was no choice but to rely entirely on Cha Heera.
The sight of us trailing after her like a puppy chasing its mother was, even by my own standards, a little ridiculous.
Apparently she’d been assigned her own room here as well.
After descending the stairs for what felt like forever, we eventually arrived at Cha Heera’s room.
When she opened the door, a huge space came into view—too large to describe simply as spacious.
It was a room within a room.
There looked to be four, maybe five rooms inside. I’d never stayed in an expensive hotel, but I doubted any hotel in the world could compare to this place.
“There are plenty of rooms, so just settle in wherever you want. There are even two bathrooms.”
“Nice.”
“It’s a room the Empire gave me, so… pretty usable, right? Honestly, it’s not bad to stay in once in a while. I’m not usually the type to like this sort of thing, but every now and then it feels good to indulge a little. Just hang around until the food comes. We’ve got about two hours. I have some business to take care of, so I’m going out for a bit.”
“Got it.”
“If you get bored, go wander around a little. It’s not like anyone’s going to give you a hard time. And it won’t be dangerous either.”
“Okay.”
Her face was bright and brisk as she looked my way.
Cha Heera probably had her reasons for arriving this quickly.
Even without knowing the details, it had to be something urgent for work.
After gathering what she needed, she left with a hurried motion that made her seem busy.
As soon as Cha Heera was gone, Jung Hayan looked delighted and threw herself onto the bed, reveling in how soft it was.
I considered giving her a few warnings, but in the end I decided not to.
She is doing a good job so far, after all…
And I didn’t exactly have the spare capacity to worry about Jung Hayan right now.
The reason was obvious.
That shrine maiden had been bothering me.
—If you have the time, I would be grateful if you would come to my room. It is located on the second floor of the west wing.
The voice that had spoken in such earnest tones kept echoing in my head.
I’d considered the possibility that it might be a trap, but I didn’t think she was stupid enough to pull something incomprehensible inside the Holy Empire’s castle.
More importantly, if she knew I possessed the trait known as Mind's Eye, then going to see her was inevitable.
Whatever the case, it would be right to talk to her at least once.
The trait known as Mind's Eye was, frankly, no exaggeration, my lifeline.
The one weapon I could use despite my inferior stats, and knowing that someone else was aware of that weapon honestly didn’t sit well with me.
And Cha Heera’s gone now, too…
If there was ever a chance, now was the best time.
If the worst-case scenario I was imagining came to pass, then I’d have to eliminate her somehow.
“Hayan.”
“Yes?”
“I think I need to step out for a bit.”
“Ah… yes.”
“You can wait here for a little while, can’t you?”
“……”
“I’ll be back soon.”
Though she looked reluctant, Jung Hayan didn’t try to restrain my freedom.
She nodded, staring at me with the eyes of a discarded puppy, and I was out the door in an instant.
It was only natural that I’d ask questions or make my face known to the servants and maids working in the castle.
I needed someone who could explain my movements in case something unexpected happened.
If it is a trap…
I was uneasy, but I didn’t think the odds were very high.
If anything happened to my body, Jung Hayan would be alerted immediately.
And since she was not far away, I had more than enough time to endure.
I touched the potions packed into my bag, then absentmindedly laid a hand on the quiet Yuliena at my side as well.
Come to think of it, when she approached me…
Yuliena didn’t react either.
She didn’t regard the shrine maiden as an enemy.
On the surface of it, the sensible conclusion was that she wasn’t targeting me.
Now that things with Lee Seolho were all wrapped up, there was no reason for her to kill me. If she harmed me, the problem would only grow larger.
Eventually, after I began walking slowly, the people from Yozora Guild waiting outside came into view.
As if they’d been expecting me, they all greeted me the moment they spotted me approaching.
What the hell is this…
“You may go into this room.”
“Yes.”
“Your weapon…”
The man who glanced at Yuliena made it clear he wanted to hold onto her for a moment, but there was no chance I was handing her over.
Luckily, a voice came from inside.
“It’s fine. Please let him in.”
“Yes, shrine maiden.”
He nodded and opened the door slightly, and what I saw beyond it was a blind woman kneeling with her eyes closed.
Wondering whether there might be danger, I touched Yuliena once, but there was still no reaction.
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
“What is this about?”
“My…”
“……”
“Master.”
What the hell is she talking about?
The sight of her slowly removing her outer robe and bowing before me was a spectacle and a half.
Her face was trembling, and tears were spilling from her in rapture, so it didn’t look like she was lying—but the whole situation was so ridiculous that my brain seemed to stop functioning for a second.
“Aaaah… my master. I have waited for you for so long.”
Th-this crazy woman…
“Please, punish this wicked servant. Punish me… my master.”
Shit, what the hell…
My eyes drifted to the side, and that was when I noticed the bizarre tools I’d somehow missed until now.
“Please, punish me… my master, m-my master.”
“You insane woman!”
The door had already shut behind me, and no matter how hard I yanked at it, it refused to open.
“Punish this lowly pig—”
“Get lost!”
There was no way I could stop the scream that tore out of me.