Chapter 51: Change (6)

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The sound of cards being shuffled echoed rhythmically.

“You really made the right decision. I hate to boast, but my readings are truly accurate. Just like a needle.”

The masked woman hummed lazily, almost as if she were singing.

Sitting across from her, I watched her hands skillfully shuffle the cards.

Thin, slender fingers.

They were not the hands of someone who wielded weapons or trained for combat.

In truth, whether she was a warrior or a sorcerer didn’t matter much to me.

‘What mattered was….’

The brand.

She bore the same brand as I, Cecilia, and Rahma.

Right, up to this point, I could let it slide.

Cecilia had once said that brands attract other brands.

So even if another one showed up now, or if one of them recognized me and came to meet me like this—it wouldn’t be so strange.

But then why?

Why, and for what purpose?

“…….”

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The shuffling sound teased my ears and muddled my thoughts.

And as if aware of my unease, she let out a soft giggle.

“Since you’re my first customer today, I’ll give you a very special reading, just for you.”

With a flourish, the cards spread out like they had a will of their own.

Her lips beneath the mask still wore that relaxed smile.

“So, what are you curious about? Love? Studies? Money? Business? Health? Or perhaps…”

“You probably already know what I’d be curious about.”

At my response, she smiled slyly and said,

“Isn’t it proper to be invited first before visiting someone’s house?”

“…….”

“Well then, let me ask again. What are you curious about?”

I nodded and replied.

“…Health.”

“Alright~ Just a moment~”

To my answer, she gathered the cards she had laid out and began shuffling them again.

As I watched her carefully, a realization suddenly struck me.

It was the fact that I couldn’t feel any kind of energy from her at all.

No mana, no divine power… nothing.

‘Hah.’

A hollow chuckle escaped me before I realized it.

That could only mean she was skilled enough to completely conceal her own energy.

Which meant, there was an overwhelming gap between her and me.

“You’re more eager than I expected, customer.”

In that moment, the woman shuffling the cards let out a small laugh.

Through the narrow slit of her mask, golden eyes sparkled.

There was a murky light in those eyes, and the way they pierced through me was enough to send chills down my spine.

“You’ll make me blush. Stare too hard, and you might burn a hole through the face behind the mask.”

“…Your eyes are beautiful. Like gemstones.”

I responded with a faint smile.

At some point, I had been staring at her without realizing it.

“So I just ended up staring without thinking. I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable.”

“Oh my, even if it’s just flattery, I appreciate it. But your way of speaking is a little… no, a lot old-fashioned.”

As she giggled, I gave an embarrassed smile.

“It wasn’t flattery. I meant it.”

“Ahahahaha!”

She laughed out loud and nodded.

“You really shouldn’t do that. Someone who serves a god shouldn’t be flirting with just anyone.”

“Haha.”

At her words, I forced a laugh, trying to ease the tension.

…Right now, I wasn’t wearing anything that would indicate I was part of the Holy Sun Church.

Which meant she either already knew about me, or had already investigated this side thoroughly.

Either way, it wasn’t something to be thrilled about.

“And…”

As she continued laying out cards one by one on the small round table, she added,

“It might sound strange coming from the one who invited you here, but wouldn’t the one you serve disapprove of you sitting face-to-face with someone like me?”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m a demon.”

She whispered it in a hushed tone, as though revealing a great secret.

To that, I smiled again.

“I don’t think so.”

“Hmm?”

“The ones Ilionel told us to reject and avoid were those who harm and hurt others—not simply those who are demons.”

At those words, her murky golden eyes seemed to waver slightly.

She let out an exaggeratedly long sigh and said,

“…That’s quite the textbook answer.”

“But it’s the truth.”

“Despite your cute face, you’re a strict traditionalist? Or perhaps part of the progressive faction? Either way, it’s not a popular stance in the Holy Sun Church right now… If you're not careful, you might get mobbed somewhere.”

“Haha.”

“Oh, that wasn’t a joke.”

She tilted her head as she spoke.

“Isn’t it still the case that most of the Holy Sun Church believes demons should be exterminated? I mean, even when I came into the capital this time, it was incredibly difficult. Though for some reason, they suddenly changed their attitude and let me in like this.”

“Well…”

At that moment, a few pieces in my head began to click together.

‘Did the imperial side strike some sort of deal in exchange for not disclosing the incident?’

Maybe the merchant group that entered the capital was just a decoy, and a secret delegation had come in under the radar.

If that were the case, what exactly were they trying to gain with such effort?

‘I have a rough idea…’

Demons.

According to the Holy Sun Church, they were cultists of the Evil God, minions of demons, and an utterly wicked race.

…But that definition was far too narrow and twisted.

Demons weren’t a race that could be so simply defined with just a few words.

To be precise, the story was far too long to explain in detail, so let’s just point out a few characteristics…

Unlike humans, elves, or orcs, demons weren’t a single race—they were a collective term used to describe various species.

They too had different factions and power struggles—some opposed each other, others cooperated.

Rather than mana or divine power, they mainly used an energy known as demonic force.

And finally, they excelled not only in metallurgy for forging weapons, but also in the creation of magic tools.

In fact, most of the legendary swords and artifacts in history had been made either by dwarves or demons.

‘Relations with the dwarves haven’t been restored yet.’

Then could it be that they chose the demons instead?

It was just a passing thought, but I found the theory quite convincing.

After all, the Empire as it stood now had its eyes on many regions—Garusol to the east, the snow-covered northern mountains, even the archipelagos where the Free City Alliance was located across the sea.

Though those plans were scrapped before any war could begin—thanks to the demons declaring war first.

‘Pre-emptive contact to build strength for the upcoming war. That’s a reasonable interpretation.’

Settling on that answer, I slowly nodded and looked ahead.

Because something far more important than all that was right before my eyes.

“To answer in order…”

I paused briefly, then looked at her again.

The eyes within the mask still held a murky light, unreadable in their thoughts.

“If I had to say, I belong to the doctrine of divine origin.”

“Hm, to be honest, I don’t know much about the religion of Oppaya. Is it that different?”

“It’s similar, but also different. Embarrassingly, I haven’t studied enough to explain the differences clearly.”

To begin with, I hadn’t immersed myself deeply enough to align with a specific sect and devote myself fully.

I smiled again.

“I haven’t studied long enough to understand those differences clearly. Maybe six months, give or take.”

“Oh my, that’s unexpected.”

She tilted her head, as if genuinely surprised.

The bell hanging on the ear of her mask jingled softly.

“And for the second answer, well… how should I put this.”

I hesitated briefly, and when the moment came to speak, I couldn’t think of a refined answer.

So, without dressing it up, I simply spoke what came to mind.

“It’s not like all demons are constantly plotting to kill humans, right? And it’s the same on the human side. If we go around doubting and blaming each other for things that haven’t even happened, it’ll just be exhausting.”

Of course, for things that were sure to happen, it was right to question them repeatedly.

Because of that mindset, I had been suffering from chronic fatigue lately.

“…….”

At my words, the woman in the fox mask remained silent.

But her golden eyes definitely sparkled.

“Shh.”

She slowly raised a finger to her lips.

Jingle.

The bell rang a beat later.

“If you say any more, something bad really might happen to you.”

She whispered in a quiet voice.

“It’s not wrong, and it’s not dangerous to say… But it’s not something others will take kindly to hearing. Especially not someone from the Holy Sun Church.”

“…It’s fine. This level of discussion is allowed. We often debate topics like this.”

“But still, just a little… um, what I mean is…”

She seemed flustered for the first time, choosing her words carefully before nodding.

“There are people with radical views who could easily twist your words, you know? Like those who believe all demons do is plan how to kill humans.”

And more importantly, the reading is ready.

She began laying cards out again on the table.

“Now, please choose four cards from here. Don’t overthink it—just pick whichever ones you feel drawn to.”

As she said, I casually picked four cards.

Each time I chose one, she reached out and gently caressed the card like she was stroking it.

Tap. Thump.

The cards flipped over one by one, revealing their faces.

Each card displayed a picture and symbol I had never seen before.

“Not good.”

The moment she saw them, she murmured those words.

“Something bad happened recently, didn’t it? A danger that nearly cost your life.”

“…….”

…I had expected the kind of vague, comforting words most readings offered.

But I stayed silent and listened to her words.

“The future won’t be any different. Your path ahead is filled with nothing but trials and hardship. Even if you endure those moments, they’ll slowly erode your body and mind. And in the end, you’ll collapse, fading away. Never able to rise again.”

But then—

She whispered quietly.

“There’s a way to avoid that future.”

“What is it?”

“It’s simple. Let it all go.”

The fox mask stared straight at me.

Jingle.

The bell rang again.

“To be more specific, it’s this.”

As she finished speaking, she stuck out her tongue again.

The brand carved on her tongue glowed with a faint light, more clearly now.

Just at a glance, I could tell it was somehow different from the brand I bore.

“Don’t try to dig deeper into this matter. For your own sake.”

She spoke in a voice that could be taken as earnest.

“Leave the academy and return to your hometown. It’ll be difficult and painful at first, but only for a moment. After that, a peaceful and comfortable life will await you.”

Without a word, I pulled out a silver coin from my robe and placed it on the table.

She stopped talking and stared at the silver coin.

“Thank you for the reading.”

“…….”

“But that wasn’t what I came to hear.”

I slowly pushed the silver coin toward her as I spoke.

“To be honest, I can’t even begin to measure your capabilities. If you had wished to, I could’ve lost my life without knowing how or why. But you didn’t. Instead, you approached me like this.”

“…….”

“Was it really just to warn me and tell me to go back home?”

At my words, the woman in the fox mask gave a faint smile.

“If I said that’s what the reading foretold, would you believe it?”

“The reading?”

“It’s said that diviners must never divine their own future. A common taboo.”

She lightly tapped the table, and all the scattered cards gathered themselves into a neat pile.

All except one.

The card face depicted a priest holding both a sword and a staff.

“That reading—which broke the taboo—told me to meet you.”

Then she slowly lifted her finger and pointed toward my collarbone, right where the brand was.

“That person with the brand.”

She said.

“The one who bears the Brand of Harvest.”

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