Chapter 18: 18

-18- Suspicious Fortune-telling

At the clothing shop where Alme stopped with Ena, she bought several new blouses and dresses.

The gray dresses she had been wearing had long sleeves and closed collars, but all the clothes she bought this time were of a cooler design with open collars.

According to Ena, the collarbone is something that needs to be shown.

However, if a strange guest comes by, she would quickly put on a jacket to hide it. She also bought a shawl and a light cardigan for this purpose.

She also stopped at a nearby shoe store and bought a new pair of white leather sandals that tie at the ankle, and she fell in love with their cuteness at first sight.

It’s a design that Mrs. Beatos would be the first to scold, but Alme doesn’t have to worry about it anymore. The feeling of liberation was irresistible, and she bought it on the spur of the moment.

By the time she had finished all her shopping, the large cloth bag on her shoulder was already bulging.

Her heart felt as full as that bag. She wanted to thank Ena for inviting her out.

The dismay she felt when she was confronted by Campbellina at lunchtime had cleared up completely.

“Thank you so much for today, Ena. It was a very nice change of pace. I got a lot out of it!”

“You’re welcome. –Oh, by the way, if you still have time, can I stop by one last place?”

As evening approached and there was talk of leaving soon, Ena suddenly spoke up.

“It’s a shop in the underground mall, but it’s just a short walk from here.”

“It’s still bright out, it’s okay. Let’s go. What kind of shop?”

Alme asked her as they walked toward the entrances to the underground malls that dotted the streets. Ena answered with a suspicious smile.

“It’s a fortune-telling shop with a reputation for being very accurate.”

“Fortune-telling…?? Is that okay?? Are you sure you won’t get ripped off?”

Suddenly feeling uneasy, she stopped unexpectedly in the middle of the underground staircase.

“It’s okay. The fee is 3,000 G and the first time is half price. It’s a shop where you won’t be forced to buy anything.”

“Well, I hope so…”

While still feeling a little uneasy, she followed Ena down to the underground mall.

Compared to Alme’s previous life, fortune-telling is more popular in this world.

Gods, spirits, and magic do exist and are rooted in people’s lives, so there’s a certain amount of trust in the act of “fortune-telling by listening to the voices of non-humans.”

People rely on fortune telling as if they were looking at the weather forecast, to use an analogy from a previous life.

However, the accuracy of such fortune-telling services varies widely. Among the many fortune tellers in the city, there are many bogus ones that rip off people by saying random things.

That’s why Alme had never relied on fortune-telling in her entire life. Well, from her current life experience, it might be good to visit once.

“I’ve never been to a fortune teller before. Does Ena come here often?”

“Yes, sometimes. I only sneak in when Aiden is on expedition. He doesn’t like fortune-telling, so don’t tell him about it.”

Ena laughed bitterly and annoyed. Alme somehow guessed it by the look on her face, that Ena is divining Aiden’s safety. Aiden hates it and hates divination.

One is the feeling of relying on fortune-telling because you are worried about your loved one, and the other is the feeling of not liking the idea of having your safety determined by fortune-telling. Since neither of these feelings is easy to understand, Alme had no choice but to return a wry smile.

“I’ve never talked about it before because I thought maybe Alme didn’t like fortune-telling either. But the other day, I heard a lot of things about Julio that I hadn’t heard before, so I thought I’d also reveal my secret to you.”

The secret that Ena heard was that Julio tried to kiss Alme in the carriage on their first meeting and she had refused, a part of the story she could not tell even to Ena and kept a secret until now.

Since she heard Alme’s secret story, Ena revealed her own secret story instead, and also the fortune teller she secretly goes to.

“You don’t have to worry about that… But I feel happy, thank you. Of course, I’ll keep it a secret from Aiden.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

As they talked, they descended the stairs and stood on the second floor of the underground mall.

The underground mall has a system of air circulation using wind magic stones, so it feels much cooler than the surface exposed to direct sunlight.

The ceiling of the passageway is dotted with fire magic lamps, and the orange dim light is swaying. The atmosphere is both fantastical and mysterious, and the underground mall is a fascinating sight to behold.

Incidentally, a tour around the underground city of Luorio is a standard tourist route. Deep inside the city, there is an underground palace, which has become a popular spot.

Weaving through the crowds, they walk along the streets lined with shops. A moment later, Ena pointed to the corner of the street.

“The triangular tent shop over there is a fortune teller.”

“Wow, it’s got atmosphere.”

A little further on, there was a small fortune-teller under a glittering canopy. It seems that this is the shop that Ena likes.

The appearance of the building is suspiciously and strangely beautiful, matching the atmosphere of the underground mall.

The dark blue cloth of the canopy is embroidered with stars in gold thread and has a triangular tent-like roof.

When she rang the large bell hanging at the entrance, she heard a hoarse voice from inside the canopy, “Come in.”

Slipping through a gap in the cloth at the entrance, Alme and Ena went inside.

Inside the tent was a round table and three chairs for guests. On the table were a dozen or so palm-sized stones, and on the other side of the table was an old woman who looked like a witch.

Her long white hair was loosely parted in two, tied in a knot and hanging down. The backs of her hands were painted with strange patterns in blue ink, and her fingernails were also painted blue.

The old woman guided the two while cackling.

“Please, sit down. Lost stars.”

“Hello, nice to meet you. Ah, this is my first visit to this shop.”

“Oh ho, is this a new star?”

Apparently, this fortune teller calls her clients “stars”. Alme didn’t know what it meant. She guessed it’s like a setting to create an atmosphere.

The old woman put her hand on her chest and introduced herself in a hoarse voice.

“My name is Tatakuku. It’s my job to guide the lost stars. For the first time, I’ll tell you three things you like, and let’s see the overall luck. It’s 1,500 G, so what do you say?”

The price was as Ena said. Alme didn’t know the market price of fortune-telling, but since she could have three readings and also have her overall luck checked, it seemed like a pretty good deal.

“I understand…Please continue.”

“Good. What about you, star?”

“Me too, please tell me one of your usual fortunes–whether my lover will return safely.”

“Good.”

Alme paid the old woman – Tatakuku – and the fortune-telling began immediately.

“Then, let’s fortune-telling from the usual star over there. Choose two stones that you like.”

“Yes.” 

The first to be divined was Ena, who looked around at the stones on the table, selected two and pointed to them. The stones were of different colors and shapes, and the one she chose was a beautiful green stone and a rugged silver stone.

Tatakuku took the two stones in her hands and smashed them together in front of her with all the force she could muster.

At that moment, a glowing smoke billowed up and disappeared in an instant.

Alme’s eyes fluttered as she wondered what had happened, but Tatakuku was still and staring at the smoke trail.

After a moment of silence, Tatakuku began to speak.

“Hmmmm, the spirit says this. The warrior star will return without incident. However, you look a little tired. Rest easy.”

“Thank you, thank goodness!”

Ena let out a sigh of relief at Tatakuku’s words. Apparently, according to the fortune-telling, Aiden will return safely. Alme also smiled at the good result.

Ena’s fortune-telling is over, and Tatakuku turns to Alme.

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“Next, let’s tell the stars for the first time. What do you want to know?”

“Uh, three, right??……Yes, money and health, I guess. And the other one is …….”

The words “luck in love” flashed through her mind. These are the three most common types of fortune telling.

But there is something a little embarrassing about divining love. She wondered if she is allowed to do such a maidenly thing, it’s a mysterious embarrassment.

In place of the hesitant Alme, Ena spoke plainly.

“What are you hesitating about? The only other thing is love luck, right? Let’s have your next partner read up. “

“Next partner… I wonder if I have a next one… Yeah, then please…”

“Hehehe, financial luck, health luck, and love luck. Good luck.”

Tatakuku laughed and pointed to a stone on the table.

“Let’s start with your luck in money. Choose two of these stones that strike your fancy.”

“Stones that I fancy…?”

Looking at the stones strewn on the table. Black, red, green, yellow…rugged and smooth. There are stones of all colors and shapes lying around.

After looking at all the stones, Alme chose two stones with such a light feeling as “I kind of feel like I should choose this one.” She wondered if she could choose them with such a vague feeling.

The old woman held the two stones in both hands and smashed them together again with gusto.

Gazing at the trail of smoke that rose up, she began to tell the result of the fortune-telling.

“Hmmm, the spirit is saying, You are going to be swept up in money matters from now on. Be careful of the financial difficulties that will befall you.”

“Huh?! financial difficulties!?”

Alme was taken aback. It’s not that she’s paranoid about fortune-telling, but when someone says something like that to her, she just can’t help but be up front about it.

“What should I do!?”

“You should work hard and diligently as you have always done. Don’t gamble even if you’re strapped for cash. It’s not for a star like you. It’s better to get money from work.”

“Huh, I see…”

She made a firm resolution in her mind. She will work hard and save hard.

Tatakuku puts the stones back on the table and asks again.

“Next is health. Choose your stones.”

“Yes…then this one and this one.”

Pointing at the two stones, Tatakuku began her divination. A thud and a sound of stone resounded, and a burst of light smoke rose.

“The spirit says this. You will soon be injured.”

“What, injured!?”

After financial difficulties came injuries. Her luck is too bad.

Tatakuku nodded while communicating with something that seemed to be a spirit.

“If you give up your greed, you can avoid it, but… well, it must be difficult.”

“Um, what is the extent of the injury… how bad is it?”

“Hmmm, so-so, a reasonable injury, says the spirit.”

“Isn’t this Spirit, being a bit vague…?”

Alme looked at her with quizzical eyes, but Tatakuku didn’t care and just grinned.

“Well, the last one is love luck. Choose your stones.”

“Yes…”

If she has come this far, she must be desperate. She randomly selected a smooth, transparent blue stone and a shiny, pure white stone, which she thought was the most beautiful and expensive.

A bang and the stones were struck, and the smoke of light rose again.

Ena and Alme looked into Tatakuku’s face while she was in front of them. Tatakuku recounted the results of her fortune-telling.

“The spirit says this. Enjoy love.”

“Does that mean that I have another love that I can enjoy?”

“Yippee, the star’s next love is a big, deep hole in the ground.”

“Eh, what is that…”

“When you realize it, you’ve already fallen deep into the hole. That’s the kind of love you have to be prepared for.”

“This is scary…”

Alme held her head involuntarily. The image of falling into a large hole in the ground crosses her mind. It’s no longer love, it’s an image of falling into hell.

Ena, perhaps imagining the same thing, asked Tatakuku with a twitch of her face.

“Um, but wouldn’t it be nice to fall deeply in love if it’s a good person?? What kind of person is Alme’s partner?”

“The star of the other party is–Hmm. A man who swings his staff single-mindedly while being stained with black dirt, according to the spirit.”

“Wow, he’s such a strange person…”

Ena also held her head. Alme and Ena huddled together, trembling at the terrifying result of the fortune-telling.

“The man wielding a staff, could my partner possibly be…an elderly person…”

“What do you mean by “black dirt,” …… doo-doo, or ……?”

“An old man waving his staff madly in a ditch…What should I do…I wonder how I can avoid it…”

Apparently, according to the fortune-telling, her next partner seems to be an outrageous person. She never thought she’d meet someone more difficult than the unfaithful Julio.

Aside from the two who shrugged with sour faces, Tatakuku closed the fortune-telling with a smile.

“Well, this is the end of the three fortune-tellings. Finally, let’s see the overall luck. Choose only one stone.”

“Um…yes.”

She did as she was told and chose one stone that was supposed to be used for the last divination. The last stone was black, the same color as her hair.

“Come on, put your hands on the stone…”

As Tatakuku guided her, she put her hands on the black stone. She placed her hands on top of her own. The blue ink pattern on the backs of her hands appeared to be dimly visible in the darkness.

Tatakuku looked her straight in the eye and hoarsely told her the result.

“The spirit says, a wonderful life awaits the star. Be brave and keep stepping forward. Remember the love you have for your loved ones. The love you give to others will always be returned.”

When she finished recounting the final results, Tatakuku greeted the audience by placing her hand on her chest.

“Well, that concludes my fortune-telling. If you are lost again, come to me. Come again, stars.”

“Yes, thank you very much…”

“Um… I’ll come again.”

Alme and Ena returned their farewell greetings and left the fortune teller’s tent with complicated expressions on their faces.  As they left the shop, Ena tapped her on the shoulder.

“Um… I’m sorry… It’s all just fortune telling, so don’t worry about it.”

“Yeah… Oh, but it seems that overall luck is good, so I’m going to believe in that. As for the other results… well, I think I’ll be careful.”

With fortune-telling, she only has to believe in the good parts. –She’ll leave it at that.

She was concerned about her money, health, and love life, but being worried sick will never change the outcome.

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