Chapter 173
Chapter 173
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 173
Chapter Title: Reality
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"..."
What the hell was going on here?
I'd definitely made it back to reality safe and sound, but...
"Um..."
"Hm?"
"This is... reality, right?"
"Reality?"
"Ah, no... yeah... it must be..."
Of course. Was I still inside the orb?
I'd clearly felt the space collapsing, and the flow of heavenly secrets around me had returned to normal. This had to be reality.
-Squish
Which meant this soft sensation against my cheek from her thigh was...
"...???????"
My foggy mind cleared in an instant.
So right now, in reality, I was lying with my head pillowed on the Heavenly Demon's lap...
"S-Sorry!"
I rolled away at a speed I couldn't believe was my own and flung myself flat on the floor.
A motion loaded with panic, terror, and pure survival instinct.
"No need to apologize like that."
"N-No. How could I dare..."
"You didn't do anything. I offered it myself. What's there to be sorry for? Just a thigh. I can spare that much for someone who collapses out of nowhere."
"..."
Sure, a knee pillow wasn't anything too scandalous, and you could do that much for someone who'd passed out. I had nothing to say to that...
-Drip drip
'It's too much pressure!'
But the one involved made all the difference.
If it'd been anyone else, I'd have just apologized and thanked her. But this was the Heavenly Demon.
The same woman who'd ravaged me mercilessly inside the heavenly secrets just moments ago.
"Or do you want something more...?"
"...You're too mischievous with your jokes."
"Am I? It's not entirely a joke."
-Chill
I couldn't take that subtly seductive demeanor at face value.
Just moments ago, I'd learned the hard way what happened if you fell for her looks.
"...If it's all right, could I ask what happened that made me collapse?"
I carefully steered the conversation elsewhere, avoiding pointless back-and-forth.
Engaging with that kind of talk was a losing game.
Accepting it spelled disaster. Outright refusing spelled disaster. Best to deflect entirely.
"Well, nothing too special. You were bowing your head at first, and after a long while with no sign of you coming to, I gave you a little nudge. You just toppled over, so I watched to see if something was wrong."
"I see..."
"Doesn't seem like a normal case, does it?"
"Mm... There was a little trouble while I was reading the heavenly secrets."
Fortunately, nothing much had happened in reality during that time.
Anyway, I'd made it back safely, and nothing else had gone wrong, so now I was in the clear...
"So, did you see my fated partner?"
-Thunk
'...Ah.'
The most important part was still ahead.
In a way, it was the crucial final step, more vital than everything before.
"..."
-Drip drip
'H-How should I answer?'
This was make-or-break. My words could mean a safe exit... or a straight trip to a bad end.
I racked my brain, running through the options.
First off, the truth was right out.
Saying something like, 'Actually, I'm your fated one,' would've been ridiculous on its own, but I hated the idea anyway.
If she took offense, disaster. If she liked it... still disaster. Absolute no-go.
Next: say I hadn't seen anything.
That might actually work.
An accident during the reading meant I couldn't get a proper look at the heavenly secrets. Sorry about that. Muddle through like...
"You're taking quite a while to answer. Must be a lot to sort out."
"Y-Yeah?"
"I waited alone for quite a stretch while you were out. I'd like an answer entertaining enough to make up for it."
-Smile
The Heavenly Demon gave a meaningful smile as she said it.
"Ah... haha..."
As if she'd read my mind ahead of time, cutting off my escape. I swallowed a curse and scrapped that option too.
Only one choice left.
"...A tall, sturdy-looking young man."
"Hm?"
A straight-up lie.
"He had long white hair and looked quite fit from martial arts training. Handsome fellow, too."
The total opposite of me.
No way anyone could link that description to me, even if the sky fell.
I'd hastily thrown together an excuse from completely contrary traits.
Not tall, not burly, short black hair, delicate features. Even if my looks got exposed somehow, no one would peg it as me.
"...Never seen anyone fitting that in my life."
"You might meet him someday. New encounters can turn into good ones, right?"
"Hmm..."
"Heavenly secrets are just possibilities anyway. If it bothers you, just let it slide and forget. Time marches on regardless."
-Drip drip drip drip
Unlikely as it was, the thought that my bluff might get called had cold sweat pouring inside. I forced my voice steady.
Really unlikely, but if it did...
'I'm done for.'
It'd be worse than anything I could imagine.
Especially if she found out it was me.
"Never given much serious thought to a man... but do I have a type like that...?"
"Ahaha. You never know with people's fates."
"I tend to value personality over looks."
"...Pardon?"
"If I ever take a partner, I'd want someone whose hobbies match mine, fun to spend time with."
Her lips curved up, but her gaze pierced right through me. I turned my head without thinking.
My face was veiled anyway, but it felt guilty somehow.
'...This isn't actual flirting, is it?'
We'd only met today in reality, but the intensity inside the heavenly secrets made it impossible to tell if she was joking or genuinely interested in me.
I might've accidentally stepped in it and matched her ideal type perfectly...
'...The veil should've kept my face safe.'
I'd unknowingly racked up three wives before without realizing, so it wasn't easy to dismiss outright.
And every time her eyes met mine, memories of that ordeal flooded back, forcing me to wrestle down a second ego trying to rise again. It was hell.
Like navigating a minefield in search of an exit.
One wrong step—or even a bad breath—might set off a massive explosion. Breathing properly was a chore.
'...What do I even say?'
Deep down, I wanted to say I'd shown her everything worth seeing and take my leave, but with mines everywhere, rash moves were off-limits.
The difference from minesweeper? Numbers to guide you. Here, it was pure gut instinct.
And the stakes weren't game lives—they were my real one.
As I pondered which way was safe, or at least less risky, my mind going blank—
"By the way, shouldn't you be heading back about now?"
"Eh?"
Salvation dropped from the last place I expected.
"You were planning to leave after the final reading anyway, but that unexpected accident caused quite the delay. Don't you have somewhere to be?"
"Ah, no?! Yes! I do! I have to go!"
"A bit regrettable to part ways. Nice drinking companion after so long."
"M-Me too. Regrettable."
"Good. Then come again next time."
"Yes! Perfect!"
......................Huh?
After the Faceless Golden Ghost departed, the Heavenly Demon Cult's strategist visited their leader's room alone.
It was almost the first time she'd ever shown interest in an outsider, she who always passed the time in boredom confined to her chambers.
He wasn't someone she particularly fancied, but he couldn't help hoping the encounter had stirred some change in her heart.
After all, he'd grown utterly weary watching over her apathy for decades.
-Knock knock
"Greetings, Cult Leader."
"..."
No answer came.
She seemed lost in thought, her head half-buried on the desk, idly rolling an empty liquor cup in her hand—that was all he saw.
"...Cult Leader?"
"Ah. You're here."
"Was the meeting not to your liking?"
"No, I quite enjoyed it. Just..."
-Roll roll
A liquor bottle scattered around the room tumbled to her feet.
"...Waiting again is so tedious."
"...Waiting for what, my lady?"
"He promised to come again. Within half a year."
"...I see."
He didn't know the details, but a promise to return suggested the meeting had gone well. A relief.
"If I may, could you tell me how it was?"
"More entertaining than expected. Decent drinking buddy, and even as a simple conversationalist, quite good."
"A... companion."
The idea of some mere fortune teller becoming buddies with their cult leader sat uneasy, but if it was her will, he had no plans to interfere.
He only hoped it'd change her, somehow.
And perhaps his long vigil was finally rewarded.
"...Been a while. Time to go sightsee outside."
"?!"
For the first time in ages, she began to rise.
"Where to, my lady?"
"Northern Ice Palace. Something came up that I need to check."
"...Related to that fortune teller?"
"Could be. Could not."
She twirled a half-full cup, flashing a meaningful smile.
"If he's there, then unrelated. If not... related."
"...I see."
"I hate liars."
-Chill
A fleeting killing intent flashed in her eyes.
"Suspicious, but I'll trust him once."
He had no idea what she meant, but a sense of foreboding crept in.
"...Then I'll take my leave."
Something told him not to linger, and he was busy anyway—or was about to withdraw when she stopped him.
"Ah, wait. One thing I want to ask."
"What is it?"
For all his appearances, as the cult's strategist, he'd studied vast knowledge and military tactics.
Most questions, he could answer in a flash...
"Has the Central Plains' standard of beauty changed recently?"
"...Pardon?"
Even he had to double-take.
But duty as retainer demanded an answer.
"...Not that I'm aware of, no."
"Hmm... I figured."
"Did something happen?"
"Been away from the Central Plains so long, wondered if beauty standards had shifted in the meantime."
"What do you mean, ugly face?"
The strategist still couldn't make sense of her words,
but seeing their leader so spirited after so long, he took it as a good sign.