This Is Divine Punishment! (2)
Since he was capable of casting a curse, that shaman wasn't entirely incompetent.
He was the first other shaman Noel had encountered in this world, but he had never expected to meet one under these circumstances.
"A... a god. A god is..." the man mumbled.
"Pardon? I can't quite hear you. Ah, shall we move somewhere else first?"
People were starting to stare.
Noel glanced at the onlookers holding up their phones. A wisp of black smoke drifted over and lightly tapped their screens.
Zap.
Since they were inanimate objects, it didn't matter what happened to them.
"Huh?"
One or two people noticed something strange, but they were only a few among many.
The curse was held firmly in Asin's grasp.
She tossed it up and caught it repeatedly, like a small ball.
The man really should have witnessed how effortlessly she crushed and deformed the curse. Unfortunately, it seemed he couldn't see Asin at all.
With eyesight that poor, no wonder.
Noel suppressed the urge to click his tongue and offered a bright smile instead.
"Do you feel a bit better now?"
"Just... what kind of deity do you serve?"
"Then tell me, why don't you have a deity with you?"
There was no one above the man's head, nor anywhere near him. Could an enshrined deity actually run away?
"I... I didn't summon them," the man replied, his face hollow.
Perhaps from days of sleeplessness, his responses had been strangely sluggish for a while now.
"Ah, so they only come when summoned? Go ahead and call them, then. I'd love to see what they look like."
"My deity is not so idle as to answer on a whim."
"If your deity is so wise, why did they let you make such a foolish choice? Did they just stand by and watch?"
"...?"
Caught completely off guard, the man was left speechless.
"Well, anyone can be blinded by money. But why dabble in Dark Magic? Didn't you know it would backfire? Were you just overflowing with unearned confidence?"
Noel asked out of genuine curiosity.
Where did one even find a real shaman? Most shamans were frauds, or they enshrined low-level spirits that didn't even make the cut, calling them 'gods.' Since he had heard this directly from Asin, it was bound to be true.
"..."
The man remained silent, but his eyes were practically screaming curses.
"You're the one in the wrong, so why are you acting so stubborn? I'm asking if your deity knows about this."
"Why... do you want to know that?"
"Well, I wanted to see how shameless you had to be to pull this off."
"Are you mocking me right now?"
"Why would I? If you don't like it, you can just say so. Can't you even manage that?"
The man clenched his fists at the relentless sarcasm. He had to endure. His opponent was young. If he played his cards right and coaxed him, he could get through this.
Pity is always the cheapest way out.
The man quickly let out a heavy sigh.
"To be honest... I did it because I was afraid."
"Ah, afraid of being abandoned by your god?"
"...Yes. It is true that my actions were lacking, but it was difficult to turn away from such a desperate situation. I will continue to beg my deity for forgiveness. Every day... I will pray and pray again."
The man hung his head like a sinner and took another long, trembling breath.
"Please... spare me just this once. It was truly an unavoidable situation. I will surely repay this debt. I will pray every day and let my deity know of your benevolence."
He even clasped his hands together, trembling.
He's practically on the verge of tears.
Noel barely held back a snort.
What a pathetic act.
"I'm so touched I could cry, but let's be realistic here. First of all, I was attacked because of the curse you cast. There needs to be separate compensation for that, right? And shouldn't you return the money you received from your client back to them in full? Since you couldn't even cast the curse properly, it's basically fraud."
"What did you say?"
The man looked beyond shocked; he was utterly flabbergasted.
"I highly doubt there's anyone else besides me who can lift that curse."
"..."
The man's lips pressed into a tight line.
"You couldn't do it, so you tried to transfer the curse to someone else. I see your hands are still working fine. Send the money back to your client and show me the confirmation. It's only fair, logically speaking."
"Are... are you planning to take that money?"
"What does it matter to you how or how much I receive? I'm doing this out of the goodness of my heart, so should I just leave?"
"N-no! Absolutely not."
Griting his teeth, the man pulled out his phone. No matter how blinded he was by greed, nothing was more precious than his life. That was the absolute truth.
Fine. I'll deal with him later. Much later.
Some wet-behind-the-ears brat had probably lucked into a powerful deity, but how long would that last? He, too, had once been powerful. But as time passed, his divine energy had waned. This kid would end up the same way soon enough. He could just intervene then.
-Noel.
Asin called out, staring at the man. When Noel turned his gaze to her, she squeezed the curse in her hand with a displeased expression.
-He is a most unpleasant human. Even now, his hostility toward you is immense.
Well, I'm telling him to give up the money he tried so hard to protect even in that state, so of course he's pissed.
-I shall summon his deity. There is a familiar trace left upon him.
...Huh?
Noel's eyes widened in surprise. That was possible?
Ah, so that's why that side dish shop did so well.
The taste was excellent, of course, but he had heard the shop had been thriving for generations. It wouldn't have been possible without the protection of a Guardian Deity.
Without hesitation, Asin stepped up to the man and tapped his shoulder.
-Come and punish your child. See with your own eyes what he has committed.
Did he feel something from that gesture?
In an instant, the man shuddered violently and dropped his phone. It was a symptom of Possession. His eyes rolled back slightly, and when he opened them again, the light in his eyes had completely changed.
-Have you come?
"My, sister, I can never tell if you're impatient or just laid-back."
The man's expression and gestures shifted entirely. He behaved like a woman. A wide grin stretched across his face as he looked at Asin.
"Ah. Is this why you called me?"
All sorts of memories were flooding into his mind.
-Indeed.
-...Is he really possessed?
Yeong-hyeon swallowed hard, his hand still resting on Kkamang-i's belly.
In movies, shamans would suddenly undergo a complete change in expression. Aside from Noel, this was the first time he had seen it in person, and it was fascinating.
"Yes, it's possession."
At Noel's confirmation, the man glanced at him sideways, then adjusted his posture, placing both hands on the table and staring intently.
"My, what do we have here? You're quite the catch. Why are you sparkling so much? And it's not just a simple sparkle—it's brilliant, pure, wow, wow. You could do absolutely anything, couldn't you?"
-Do not entertain useless thoughts.
"Sister! You're so mean. You said you'd live as a Guardian Deity. Where did you find such a darling thing to claim? I want to claim him too!"
-Cease this nonsense.
"...So stingy."
The man pouted slightly and rested his chin on his hand.
"Aren't you going to deal with him?"
At Noel's question, the man's eyes slowly grew fierce.
"Ah, right. Today is not the time for this. How insolent of him. I must punish this fellow. Don't worry, I'll make sure he never does anything like this again."
-See to it thoroughly.
"Trust me. And you, kid."
"Yes?"
"Thanks for making sure he didn't die, at least. I did claim him, but that doesn't mean I want him dead. He needs to live a long, miserable life before he comes to me, doesn't he?"
"I'm fine as long as I get paid. As for the rest, you can handle it as you see fit."
"So sharp, I like you even more. You really are a covetable one."
The man gazed at Noel with greedy eyes. After looking regretful several times, he picked up the phone.
"How much do you need from this guy? No, wait, I'll decide. For your information, this guy has a lot of money. That's actually why I started to dislike him. His eyes used to be so clear in the beginning. What a shame."
"Are you sure you can just give it away like that?"
"It's not like he earned it honestly anyway, right? I'm going to donate all the rest. I can only hold out for about seven minutes, but that's plenty of time to take care of everything. Give me your account number."
Noel recited his memorized account number.
"Okay, sent. Now, to donate the rest. Ah, I'll leave him a little bit for living expenses as a special favor."
The man hummed a tune.
-Is that truly acceptable?
Asin asked as she watched. The man smirked.
"What is he going to do about it? Can he catch me? Or report me? All he can do is resent me. If this guy truly cared about me, he should have begged for forgiveness the moment he first chose the wrong path. Did he think I lent him my power for free? If he lived in luxury using that power, it's only right that he pays the price. There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world."
The man smiled brightly.
At that strangely chilling smile, Kkamang-i snuggled deeper into Yeong-hyeon's arms.
"Take care. I'll ask for your name next time. Bye-bye. Goodbye to you too, sister. Stay well."
The man waved cheerfully. Soon, his head drooped, then snapped back up.
I'm so dizzy...
Grimacing, the man noticed Noel smiling strangely, and the frown between his brows deepened.
Noel was smiling. Why?
"I've received my compensation from your deity."
"...?"
The man froze. His divine energy had faded so long ago, yet his deity had actually descended?
Noel looked at Asin. She crushed the curse completely.
-Phew.
With a soft blow, the remnants turned to dust and vanished into thin air.
"Ah..."
The man exhaled a long breath reflexively. As the suffocating pressure on his neck vanished, he scrambled to find his phone. Strangely, it was sitting neatly on the table.
...Huh? I'm sure I dropped it.
Something was off. Pushing down his unease, he immediately opened the camera app to check. The black line etched around his neck was gone.
"Ha... Hahaha."
The man laughed hollowly. It was the same no matter how many times he checked. That damn curse was truly gone. The kid's skills were disgustingly impressive.
Before the man could even offer his thanks, Noel stood up. The man's gaze followed him.
"Let's never meet again. Ah, though I suppose you'll be too busy dealing with that anyway."
"What... are you talking about?"
"Divine Punishment."
Noel pointed toward the ceiling with a smile and walked away.
...What?
The man sat frozen until Noel disappeared. He had left without even taking any money. Why?
Is he an idiot?
His confusion lasted only a moment before he raised an eyebrow. No way. With a growing sense of anxiety, he checked his phone. His banking app was open.
...Huh?
His brain seemed to short-circuit. He couldn't believe his eyes. He blinked once, twice, repeatedly. But the balance displayed on the screen remained unchanged. Ninety percent—no, ninety-five percent of his money was gone.
With trembling fingers, he checked the transaction history. Seeing the unmistakable name of a charity organization, he let out a choked gasp and collapsed onto the table, completely knocked out.
Noel was strolling through the shopping mall when he checked his phone to see the amount sent by that god-level spirit. He froze on the spot.
...Huh?
-What's wrong?
Yeong-hyeon, who had been looking around, approached Noel as he suddenly stopped. He peered at the phone screen and froze just like Noel.
-What is the matter?
Asin, with Kkamang-i draped around her neck like a scarf, also approached. She tilted her head as she looked at the figure on the screen.
-Is that not the amount you deserve to receive?
"The... the unit is in the tens of millions?"
Noel stammered, clutching his pounding chest. He couldn't help but look around warily. Between the amount sent by the god-level spirit and the money from Jang Yul, his mind was going completely blank. He had done one job but got paid twice over.
-Calm yourself.
I've never experienced such luxury before...
Noel took a few deep breaths and immediately dialed a number. Jang Yul picked up right away.
"...Hello?"
Jang Yul answered cheerfully.
"Did you perhaps send this by mistake?"
"Well, it sounds like you think I paid you well, which makes me feel good, but you can't change your mind later."
"Don't worry. This call is being recorded," Noel replied, making Jang Yul burst into laughter.
"It's been resolved. I'm sure Shin Jang-yul's father will find out soon enough."
"Are they really on such bad terms?"
...What a dysfunctional family.
-Truly a dysfunctional family.
-Exactly.
-Is bean powder tasty?
At Kkamang-i's innocent question, Yeong-hyeon and Asin chuckled and stroked its head. Since it was cute, nothing else mattered.
"Is that so?"
"Is it really okay for you to tell me this?"
"Well, I get the gist of it."
"And... there's more?"
They really have... a lot of money.
Noel had heard about it from Kkamang-i, but experiencing it firsthand felt entirely different.
"I will. Goodbye then."
Feeling relieved, Noel hung up.
Wow. So that's what a rich person in this world is like.
It was a fascinating realization. In his original world, the wealthy were either nobles or royalty. Nobles were arrogant bastards, and royalty was absolute trash.
Bzzzz.
Noel looked down at the vibration. It was Shin Hyeon.
Noel paused at the messages, then slowly turned to look at Yeong-hyeon. Yeong-hyeon was smiling warmly.