SWNOVELXO Chapter 207: Naru (3)
“Don’t couples usually seek love fortunes together?”
I’ve never done it myself, but I’ve heard couples often get tarot readings or love horoscopes when bored.Apparently, fortune tellers charging exorbitant fees spout plausible nonsense?When faced with a strong-willed woman and a meek-looking man, they say, “You should listen to the woman!” The woman then turns to her partner, saying, “Honey! Did you hear that? Listen to me well!” effectively putting the man down.That’s the gist of love fortunes as told by a college friend.But among those lined up at Casablanca’s tent, only three couples, including us, were present. The remaining 30 or so were all women.As I pondered this, Brigitte whispered to me.
“What if a couple enters together and the fortune teller says, ‘You can’t marry this man. Your soulmate hasn’t been born yet.’ Wouldn’t that be awkward?”“I see your point.”
There was certainly a chance of that happening.Of course, couples passionate enough to come here on their day off might storm out, exclaiming, “Hah, you fake charlatan! We’re soulmates and we’re going to get married!”But couples do fight and fall out of love. In those moments, one might say, “Remember when the fortune teller said we couldn’t get married…”If they break up, they’d claim, “See, we were destined not to marry.”Even if they do marry, during times of marital strife, they might wonder, “Were we punished for forcibly marrying when we weren’t destined to?”
So, it didn’t seem wise for couples to seek marriage fortunes together.Now I understood why so many women came alone.
Lost in these idle thoughts, it was suddenly our turn.We were given 10 minutes.Just 10 minutes for the hefty sum of 200,000 rene.I wondered about the fortune teller’s earnings as I observed the old woman before us.
She was elderly, draped in a purple robe adorned with various jewels.Her back was hunched, her teeth sparse.Her hands, wrinkled like an old tree, were laden with thick jewels, giving an impression of extravagance.
Overall, she exuded a mysterious and strange aura.She truly embodied the image of a ‘fortune teller’.
“A couple, I see.”
The old woman chuckled and instructed us.As Brigitte and I sat down, she spread out some curious cards and told us to pick one each.“You must choose only one card each.”
Cards, huh.The layout looked like this.ㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁ
From this arrangement, I chose the bottom left corner.It just appealed to me.When I flipped it over, it revealed a wheel and a skeleton holding a scythe. Like the Grim Reaper? The card was crafted with great attention to detail.
“This is the ‘Death’ card. Now, young lady, your turn.”“Let’s see…”
Brigitte selected the top right card. When flipped, it showed a crowned woman holding a staff amidst sheep.
“This is the ‘Queen’ card. Your love fortune is quite poor. Arithmetically speaking, the probability of you two marrying is less than 1%. It’s lower than the chance of a meteor striking Freesia today.”
I see.She was clearly a fake.But, in a way, could it be considered accurate?What were the odds of me, a 21st century Earthling, and Brigitte, a mage from the Pangea continent, meeting and marrying?How many light years separate these two planets anyway?Then Brigitte asked.
“Then who will my husband be?”“Let me see, I’d like to examine the young lady’s palm.”
Swoosh—As Brigitte extended her hand, the old woman closely studied her palm lines. Can one really glean information from palm lines?After a moment of intense scrutiny, the old woman spoke.
“Your childhood must have been quite challenging, but from a certain point, everything will improve and you’ll achieve great success. Your spouse’s fortune is favorable too. Young lady, you will marry a king’s grandson.”
Brigitte marrying a king’s grandson, what an intriguing notion.What about my fortune, then?
“Old lady, examine my hand as well.”
I offered my hand to the woman.Clicking her tongue and muttering, “We’re almost out of time, tsk-“ she peered at my palm.After a seemingly thorough examination, she blurted out.
“You’re destined to die away from home. Your palm lines indicate you’re fated to die while stealing!”“Is that so? Then how about this?”
Swoosh—I altered my palm lines and fingerprints.It was a thief secret skill ‘Fingerprint Manipulation’. Thieves of my caliber could freely modify their fingerprints and palm lines.However, the old woman appeared genuinely shocked, as if she’d never encountered this technique before.
“H-How is this possible? Just who are you? You’re no ordinary barbarian!”
Swoosh—Instead of answering, I presented the ‘Death’ card I had picked earlier to the old woman.Our business here was concluded.
# # #
“How was it?”
I inquired.Brigitte burst into laughter.
“They claimed she was a skilled fortune teller, but it’s all nonsense!”
Brigitte seemed convinced the fortune teller was a fraud.Wiping tears of laughter from her eyes, she said.
“Well, someone truly naive might be fooled. It’s common for mages to struggle in their youth and find great success later in life.”“Is that so?”“Also, my attire is expensive. We’re carrying numerous shopping bags too. It’s not unusual for wealthy and skilled mages to marry nobles or royalty. In the end, the fortune teller’s words were predictable.”
Now that she mentioned it, that was true.Ultimately, the fortune teller Casablanca was a charlatan.But perhaps not everything was a lie.
“Speaking of my grandfather. They say he somehow evaded the prosecution’s encirclement. There’s talk he might actually become president now. Then I’d be the president’s grandchild.”
A president’s grandchild is quite comparable to a king’s grandson in the grand scheme of things, right?In that sense, the fortune teller’s prediction wasn’t entirely off the mark.
Swoosh—Just then, a breeze swept by.Looking up, I realized evening had fallen, the moon already rising.The sun sets early in autumn, after all.We headed to a nearby inn called “The Adventurer’s Garden” for dinner. It was a popular spot among adventurers, evoking fond memories and putting me at ease.
“I feel most content when I return to an inn after completing an adventure and sit down to eat.”
Brigitte remarked with a chuckle as she ordered drinks and food.I think I understood what she meant.
Our dinner consisted of 2 sets of the inn’s signature “Gold Adventurer Set”.We reminisced about our days as adventurers.Perhaps due to the alcohol, Brigitte’s face was flushed and her hands trembled slightly.She kept glancing at the time.
8 o’clock.9 o’clock.And 10 o’clock.As the tavern’s noise reached its peak, Brigitte said.
“Isn’t it about time now?”“Not yet.”“How about now?”“Still not yet.”“Then, now?”
Brigitte seemed a bit anxious.Was it the alcohol’s effect?That’s when it happened.Clatter—The sound of shattering glass pierced the air.A fight had erupted in the tavern.
“A brawl really broke out.”
Clank— Bang— Clutter—Suddenly, there was a thunderous crash.A beer mug flew from somewhere, drenching both Brigitte and me, leaving us soaked in cheap beer.
“At this rate, we really need to change upstairs.”
Brigitte examined herself, surprised yet amused by the turn of events.I nodded in agreement.
“Go change.”“…Judas, want to join me? Upstairs. You need fresh clothes too. You look like a mouse that fell into a beer barrel.”
Brigitte’s face was as red as it could be. How about mine? My face felt burning hot too.Perhaps due to the alcohol we’d consumed, or the black snake-snake strawberry, my body was feverish and I could barely maintain composure.Brigitte added.
“Maybe, originally, I would have said, ‘I’m just going to change clothes, so don’t get any ideas.’ I’m certain I would have.”“I probably would have replied, ‘Okay. I promise.’ too.”
We entered the same room together.Up to this point, everything aligned with the diary’s account.But nothing more was written beyond this.I was at a loss for what to do next, and Brigitte seemed equally uncertain as we awkwardly turned our backs to each other and changed clothes.
What should we do?I was deeply conflicted.It was a pivotal moment in many ways.That’s when Brigitte, having finished changing, retrieved something from her bag.It was a beautiful lily.Said to be from the desert with abundant vitality, it’s reputed to have a definite effect in treating infertility.Brigitte began chewing on the lily petals.She appeared to be steeling herself, but I suddenly imagined goats or sheep munching on flowers and felt like laughing.Struggling to maintain a straight face for the sake of the mood, Brigitte spoke first.
“Chewing on flowers makes me feel like a goat, doesn’t it?”“……”
If I laughed even slightly, it would ruin the atmosphere.I exerted superhuman control to keep my expression neutral. Then I said to Brigitte.
“Brigitte, you seem quite composed for being alone with a man. Was that unicorn truly angry earlier?”
“What are you saying? That unicorn was fake, remember? You saw it too. It was just a narwhal tusk glued to a horse’s head!”“I don’t believe you. Prove it.”
Swoosh—I placed my hand on Brigitte’s waist.Startled, Brigitte exclaimed.
“…Didn’t we agree we were just changing clothes?”“I’m not one for keeping promises.”“Hey…! Hey…! Wait, I’m not mentally prepaaared…!”
That night, Brigitte became someone who could no longer ride a unicorn.The same was true for me.When morning came, Brigitte and I awoke in the same bed. Opening our eyes beside each other was more awkward than anticipated.I wondered if we’d ever grow accustomed to it.
“……”“……”
I felt oddly embarrassed and struggled to speak.Brigitte seemed to share the sentiment.We ate breakfast as usual and returned to the mansion.Salome and Cariote glanced at us but remained silent.That’s when Naru, watering plants in the mansion’s garden, spotted us and waved enthusiastically.
“Mom! Dad!”
Seeing Naru’s radiant expression, both Brigitte and I felt immense relief, as if we could finally breathe easily.—The future remained unchanged.It felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from our shoulders and chests.Warak—Naru embraced me.
“Dad! Naru was good and didn’t cause any trouble yesterday!”
Naru’s body temperature was slightly higher than other children’s, as always, making her feel warm.Naru consistently smelled of wildflowers.She possessed a genuinely cheerful and kind personality.How could such a child have come from me?
Swoosh—When Naru pulled away, she was crying profusely.I asked.
“Naru, why are you crying!”“…Naru wanted to say goodbye with a smile! I’m so happy to meet Mom and Dad, but I can’t stop the tears!”
Sobbing heavily, Naru shouted.
“…Mom, Dad! Naru is sorry for causing trouble every day! From now on, I’ll be good, I’ll become an SSR princess, so you have to wait for me!”
Naru then rushed into Brigitte’s arms.
“Also, Naru will study hard…! I’ll listen well to Mom and Dad, get along with Cecily and Hina, be nice to Sifnoi too, and take good care of Molumolu! You have to wait for me…!”
Brigitte also hugged Naru tightly, their cheeks pressed together as they both burst into tears.
“…You don’t have to study hard! It’s okay if you cause some trouble! Just stay healthy. You don’t even need to become an SSR princess or anything, as long as we can meet again in good health!”
Glow— Wave—Naru’s body began to glow.
“Naru, we’ll definitely see each other again! Definitely…”
The weight in Brigitte’s arms gradually disappeared. When she came to her senses, Brigitte was embracing empty air.
“Definitely again…”
Something very small had vanished, but its presence was so significant that we momentarily forgot how to speak.
“……”
Suddenly, I found myself pondering.What is life?…When does a person truly become a person?In my view, Naru was already Naru.She was a daughter, a friend, and a sister named Naru.At least, that’s what I believed.