Shaman (2)
‘What… Why is she crying?’
Her eyes were basically nonexistent. I wasn’t sure, but I had a feeling that she was blind. Nevertheless, she was looking in my direction.
I could no longer comprehend the situation at hand. Seeing the tears streaming down her face, I felt confused and distraught. I looked around me anxiously, but it was obvious that she was heading towards me.
‘What…
She furtively avoided her gaze and stopped for a bit.
Seeing her quietly wiping her tears with a handkerchief, it seems she didn’t even realize she was crying.
More than anything…
‘It’s hard just trying to read her expression.’
Of course, this might also be because I was trying my hardest not to look at her. It was hard to grasp the concept of her having the propensity of a fallen seeker, and I didn’t even know what kind of crazy trait was the eye that could see through the essence, the future, and the past. All I knew was that her eyes could see way further than mine would ever do.
In other words, I met someone I wouldn’t be able to understand at all.
‘Fuck…
There was nothing as annoying as meeting someone unpredictable.
I knew Cha Hee-ra felt uncomfortable, as she did not know how this particular woman would behave. At least Jung Hayan was honest with her feelings. How this shaman chose to react in front of me was already way out of my expectations.
No wonder I couldn’t understand her. As I stepped back, Cha Hee-ra took a step forward.
Ah, Cha Hee-ra…”
“What are you doing?”
“It’s been a long time, Cha Hee-ra.”
“Yea, it’s been a long time, whatever… What brought you here all of a sudden? And with tears scattering like that….”
“Ah, it’s nothing. I just came to say hello.”
“To whom? We weren’t close enough to do that. No, it seemed like you had some business with my baby rather than me… I’m not wrong, right?”
“It’s not like that. I just… I really just came to say hello, Cha Hee-ra.”
“You know we’re a bit sensitive because of those motherfuckers in Celia right now, right?”
She fell silent.
“I don’t know if you’re involved or not, but honestly, the junk over there doesn’t look very good. I should know what kind of rubbish you’ll be doing again. You came to say hello to me in this situation… You stupid woman. If it wasn’t for a strong castle, you’d be dead.”
“I don’t know what’s going on… exactly….”
“If you don’t know, shut up and get out of my sight. I don’t know if you really don’t know or if you’re pretending not, but my baby seems to be a little uneasy.”
I didn’t feel anything negative from Yuno Kasugano, so I felt like Cha Hee-ra was too harsh. However, I supposed it was only right to feel sensitive from the attack on Lindel.
Of course, assuming that the shaman is showing a different behavior than usual, Cha Hee-ra’s reaction makes sense.
Considering the conversation between Cha Hee-ra and Victor, the shaman herself didn’t seem very passionate about this meeting. However, she still arrived early and had even come to ‘greet’ us, which was already quite suspicious when assessed logically.
Soon enough, the people who stood close behind Yuno Kasugano did not take to Cha Hee-ra’s words very kindly.
“You’ve always been so harsh, Cha Hee-ra.”
“Yuno-sama is always…”
“I said shut up, trash.”
As the situation escalated, magic power began to form in the atmosphere. It was then that Yuno, who had been silent for some time, opened her mouth.
“Oh, no. Everyone, you can stop. I guess I really did act too abruptly.”
“To Cha Hee-ra, as well as to everyone else. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience we have caused. And if Celia has done anything wrong, then we apologize on their behalf.”
As Yuno bowed down, her calm voice rang out towards us. Even Victor was silently staring at Cha Hee-ra as if telling her to respond to the sincere apology.
I could understand him. After all, a fight breaking out between two powerful fighters right in the middle of the empire would not look good.
“I accept your apology.”
‘Not bad, Hee-ra.’
“Then I’ll take that as my cue to leave. Please have a good time…”
The Mercenary Queen nodded, and the shaman quietly began to go back the way she had come. That was when a voice drifted into my ear.
-Please come to my room when you have the time. It is located on the 2nd floor of the West Building.
‘What…’
As I looked around, I realized I was the only one who could hear the voice.
-I hope you come.
‘What a shitty situation…’
Nothing about this made sense at all. Why was she looking for me? Did she actually shed tears for me?
Why would she invite me to her own room, feels like everything is shrouded in a veil.
‘It isn’t to spend a heated night….’
I would have enjoyed receiving such an offer if this were at a bar in some random hotel.
Obviously, I needed more information. At that moment, I heard Cha Hee-ra looking here and whining.
“I can’t figure out what you’re thinking, it’s creepy.”
“Do you know her, Hee-ra?”
“This is our second conversation. It’s really amazing to see her talking like that… It’s the first time she’s spoken so long.”
“I heard she entered this place about five years ago before establishing a guild in Celia. She is the owner of Yozora, an emerging guild that is very successful now. We don’t know much about her, to be honest. Some people say that she can see the future and the past or see things that others cannot. It sounds like bullshit, but from the way she acts… Well, I can’t exactly say she’s lying, can 1? I hardly know a thing about her.”
“Don’t look at me like that, honey. My fellow Red Mercenaries and Black Swans are sure to be familiar with them. Once they arrive, we can ask them.”
“Okay.”
“Oh, I know one thing about her for sure, though.”
“What’s that?”
“That woman is blind.”
“Um, yeah, I could tell that much…”
I felt like I wouldn’t be able to rely on Cha Hee-ra, information-wise. In the first place, I should have prepared myself for this a little more accordingly.
“That woman is a little strange, Oppa.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. There’s something weird about her… Something I can’t explain.”
Jung Hayan didn’t really talk to people in the first place, but she already appeared to harbor a deep dislike for Yuno Kasugano.
It felt embarrassing to see her sticking closely to my side.
“Old man, can we just go in?”
“Sure, sure. Now, where should we eat…”
“We’ll just grab a bite at this restaurant today. No, just have people send it to the room. After two hours…I’m a little tired after a long distance flight.”
“You were saying something about dueling?”
“I’m not in the mood.”
“Well, do whatever you like. As I always say, making useless trouble…”
“I know, I know, I shouldn’t start fights. I couldn’t help but feel a little sensitive, though… Do you even know what happened back at Lindel?”
“I know, but Hee-ra, if you have anything to protest, it is only right to make a formal complaint through the agency. You are too hotheaded…”
“I know.”
“Tsk. Let’s go upstairs.”
“I’ll see you again tomorrow.”
Seeing how casual Cha Hee-ra felt as she moved within the place gave me an idea of just how good the people here treated her.
“The food here is not bad. It’s a little greasy, but it’s fine eating once in a while. Let’s go to the room first.”
Seeing as it was our first time, Jung Hayan and I had no choice but to rely on Cha Hee-ra. I was sure we looked like two puppies chasing after our mother.
After going down a flight of stairs, we soon arrived in front of Cha Hee-ra’s door.
When I opened the door, a colossal area greeted me.
The area looked so spacious, It could accommodate four or five people. I had never been to an expensive hotel, but I knew none of their suites could compare to this.
“I have a lot of rooms anyway, so just pick one. There are also two toilets.”
“It looks great.”
“That’s because this was the room I got from the empire… Isn’t it a bit useful? Actually, it’s okay to stop by occasionally and stay for a while. I don’t like these things very much, but it’s good to feel luxurious every now and then. Help yourselves while waiting for the food. We have about two hours. I have something to do now, so I’ll be going out.”
“Alright.”
“If you’re bored, you can roam around as well. No one will try to hurt you anyway. It’s not dangerous in these parts.”
“Yes. Okay.”
Maybe there’s a reason why Cha Heera came so early. I don’t know for sure, but she must have an urgent work-related thing. She seems a little preoccupied while taking her stuff out and closing the door.
As soon as she left, Jung Hayan jumped onto one of the fluffy beds, reveling in its comfort. I thought of taking a breather but stopped myself.
‘I might as well do something now.’
I couldn’t afford to pay attention to Jung Hayan for the moment, and the reason for this was obvious. It was because of the shaman.
‘I would like you to come to my room when you have time. It is located on the 2nd floor of the West Building.’
The voice that had whispered to me so earnestly kept repeating itself in my head.
It could be a trap, but I doubted that someone would dare harm me being this close to the capital.
More than anything, when I thought she knew about my mind’s eyes attribute, it was inevitable that I should go find her.
No matter what happens it’s right to have a conversation at least once.
It’s no exaggeration to say that my mind’s eye is actually my breadwinner. It was the only weapon I could use with various low stats, I honestly don’t like the idea of people knowing the existence of such a weapon.
Since Cha Hee-ra went out…’
If I had a chance, now would be the best timing. In the worst case scenario, I had to find a way to get rid of her somehow.
“Hayan.”
“Yeah?”
“I think I should head out for a while.”
“Oh, sure!”
“Can you wait for me here?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon.”
Though she looked reluctant, Jung Hayan did not try to stop me. I left quickly before I could take in the sight of her looking like an abandoned puppy.
As I went on my way, I made sure to ask the numerous servants for directions, leaving as much of an impression as I could. I needed them to be informed of where I would be going in case I really was headed right into a trap.
‘If it’s a trap…’
I felt anxious, but I knew this was unlikely. If something went wrong, I knew a signal would be sent to Jung Hayan right away.
As I headed towards the shaman, I slipped a hand into my bag and stroked the quiet Juliana.
‘Even Juliana didn’t react…’
It hadn’t judged Kasugano as an enemy.
Still, I refused to let down my guard. If I died now, all my work with Lee Seolho would be for nothing, and the problems back in Blue would only become bigger.
Eventually, I caught sight of members of the Yozora Guild guarding the area. As if they were told to wait for me, they greeted me as I approached them.
‘What the hell is this…’
“You can go into this room.”
“Oh, alright.”
“However, that weapon…”
One of the men looked warily at Juliana, but he couldn’t seem to get the words out. It was at this moment that a voice rang out from the door they had been guarding.
“It doesn’t matter. Please let him in.”
“Yes, shaman-nim.”
The moment they opened the door for me, I could see Kasugano Yuno kneeling down, her eyes closed. I wondered if any danger awaited me, so I gripped Juliana once more. Still, she was unresponsive.
“I have been waiting for you.”
“What’s going on?”
“My…”
“…”
“Oh, Master.”
‘What bullshit is she talking about?’
It’s a spectacle seeing her slowly bowing to me with her outer clothes off.
Tears once again poured down Kasugano’s face, which exhibited pure joy. It didn’t seem like she was lying, but this whole situation just seemed bizarre to
me.
“Ah, my Master. I have been waiting for you for a long time.”
Oh no, she’s a crazy bitch.’
“Peal and punish this bad servant… My master.”
‘Fuck…
As I glanced around, I caught sight of the strange tools that I had never even seen before.
“Please punish me… My Master, my Master.”
“This is crazy!”
I tried to open the door behind me again, but it refused to budge open.
“Please punish this lowly pig…”
“Get me out of here!”
In this crazy situation, I had no choice but to scream.