Chapter 102

As a yokai deeply interconnected with fate, Hekbi occasionally engaged in fortune-telling. Sometimes, the subject would be a human, and sometimes it would be a yokai.

However, Hekbi did not particularly enjoy fortune-telling.

To her, it was merely a pastime.

Even if a bad omen were to appear, she believed it should be dismissed without any significant concern.

Yet, those who knew of her abilities would incessantly beg her to turn their misfortunes into good, causing her to tire of fortune-telling altogether.

The fact that Hekbi was doing a reading for Carami did not stem from a mere whim. When she read fortunes, she could vaguely see the path a person had walked and the path they would take.

One might call it an investigation.

“There are twelve cards. Each card carries its own meaning. We draw three cards in order and combine them to decipher one’s fate.”

Hekbi set up the twelve cards on the table.

“First, here’s the first card. Please select one that catches your eye.”

“Um….”

Carami pondered as he looked over the laid-out cards.

He did not believe in fortune-telling.

He had no faith in it.

Even if a particularly bad fortune were to arise, he did not worry too much. However, when a good omen appeared, it undeniably lifted his spirits.

“Hmm.”

Swallowing his saliva, Carami tilted his head. After deliberating, he came up with a desperate tactic. He pointed with his index finger and moved it as if he were pressing keys on a card.

“Coca-Cola is delicious. If it’s delicious, eat more. If you eat more, you’ll have a stomachache. Ding-dong-ding-dong….”

“…What are you doing?”

“I’m asking Doctor Know-It-All what to choose. Ah, I forgot where I left off. Please don’t interrupt. Starting again. Coca-Cola is delicious.”

Hekbi stared at his antics blankly.

Asking Doctor Know-It-All?

What kind of doctor was that? It was apparent there were only two here, so how could he ask someone else?

Could he possibly know some magic?

Yet, she felt no sense of mystery, and above all, he seemed to be a person with no connection to magic at all. Hekbi quickly dismissed that thought.

“Ding-dong-ding, do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-si-do-si-la-sol-fa-mi-re-do~”

Carami, borrowing the power of Doctor Know-It-All, selected a card with his finger, pressed down, and drew it.

It was a cow.

“Now, please draw the second card.”

Carami once again pulled out his desperate finger.

As he started searching for Doctor Know-It-All again, Hekbi squeezed her eyes shut.

Good grief.

He was going to chant that ridiculous incantation again.

He was likely to do so for the third time as well.

Listening to that monotonous tune felt as if a strange annoyance was bubbling up from deep within her chest. She could hardly remain still.

Unable to endure it any longer, Hekbi opened her mouth.

Her brows were knitted together.

“Regardless of how many times you do that, the outcome won’t change. Please draw the card.”

If this were a game, her reaction would surely trigger the achievement [Angering Hekbi]. It was an incredibly difficult feat to achieve.

“Tsk.”

Reluctantly, Carami had to draw the second card without the help of Doctor Know-It-All.

Second card.

It was a rat.

“…Now, choose the last card.”

Carami drew the third card.

It was a chicken.

“This is…….”

Hekbi narrowed her eyes as she looked down at the animal cards. Then she glanced at Carami once. Hekbi’s peculiar reaction made Carami suddenly feel uneasy.

“Is something wrong?”

“No matter how you draw, you end up with such things. I suppose it could be called remarkable if you consider it so.”

Hekbi slid the card of the cow forward.

“Firstly, this is a cow. It symbolizes wealth and abundance. Its leisurely actions also represent peace. Additionally, it is simple-minded and steadfast, so once it holds a meaning, it cannot be bent.”

“Wow~ How timely, as I am a merchant. Wealth for a merchant? This can be seen as already settled.”

Carami exclaimed.

As expected, he had chosen well.

Doctor Know-It-All was always right.

However, Hekbi calmly recited the latter part.

“Being steadfast means being stubborn, and not knowing how to give up is akin to foolishness.”

Could it really be like that?

Wasn’t it somewhat unreasonable?

While Carami tilted his head, Hekbi presented the next card.

“This is a rat. Rats are known to be diligent and reliable animals. Diligence is closely related to wealth, as one must work hard to accumulate riches.”

“This is truly for me. I can confidently say there is no one as diligent as I am.”

Hekbi, seemingly unable to stand Carami’s insistent pride, proceeded to explain the remaining details with ghostly precision.

“However, the term ‘diligent’ can also imply greed. Just like how a rat might nibble away at the farmer’s fields, inflicting harm upon those toiling to fill their own bellies.”

“Hmm….”

“Moreover, it can transform into its owner’s likeness and bring harm, and it can act as a catalyst for spreading disease.”

The interpretations heavily outweighed the negatives. Carami’s previously rising spirits plummeted.

Hekbi felt a small thrill at that.

Yet she concealed her inner delight and presented the final card.

“The last one is a chicken. Chickens are auspicious creatures that signal the end of a long night with their crowing and herald the dawn’s arrival. When a chicken crows, even demons and spirits that roamed the night are said to retreat.”

“And?”

Carami rested his chin on his hand, wearing a smirk that implied he wouldn’t be fooled so easily.

“However, it’s not always good. If a chicken crows at the wrong time or crowing out of turn can invite ill fortune. If it crows around dusk, it brings bad luck. If it crows at midnight, unfortunate events may occur, and there are sayings that if it crows after sunset, the household will fall apart.”

As expected, it ended with bad predictions again.

“Summing it all up, it goes like this.”

Hekbi organized the reading.

“The desires you hold are vast compared to your meager abilities. Recklessness leads to failure. Ignoring the words of those around you and stubbornly pushing forward will have its consequences.”

A major omen from within an even greater omen.

It couldn’t get worse than this.

“If only I’d received the help of Doctor Know-It-All….”

Hekbi secretly delighted in Carami’s discontented expression. She had seen this coming from the moment his antics began.

“You mentioned that you are an acquaintance of Seongho. When it comes to fortune-telling, his would surely be more accurate than mine. Why, then, did you come to find me?”

“I consulted Seongho as well. He said that if it’s stained black, it means imminent death.”

Hekbi’s eyes widened slightly at Carami’s lament. The fortunes of Seongho were different from hers. She was a celestial lion of fate; her readings could easily be mistaken for prophecies.

If Seongho is to die, then he will die. That would make the content of the reading just now seem very plausible.

‘Now it makes sense.’

It was curious why he chose to seek her instead of Seongho. He was already aware of his fate. He must have come to her seeking a change to his morbid destiny out of fear of dying.

What on earth was Seongho thinking?

She, who knew better than anyone that yokai should not interfere with fate, introduced herself to him.

It was clear that being around a gumiho affected him in some way.

“Do not be too discouraged. If you strive, there will surely be a breakthrough.”

Her words weren’t genuine advice, but rather filled with sarcasm.

No mere mortal’s struggles can defy a fated destiny. It was just a way of instilling false hope in Carami.

Carami was fiddling with the drawn cards, perhaps unwilling to let go of the fortune’s content.

“Is there any fortune that is considered the best?”

“There is no ‘best.’ The content of the fortune varies greatly depending on who, when, and what is drawn.”

“But there must be something, right? In general, what represents a good omen?”

“It’s not completely nonexistent, but….”

“If it exists, may I see it?”

Hekbi wasn’t particularly eager to oblige, but considering it was a last request from someone on the brink of death, she decided to grant it.

She selected three cards from the flipped-over set, as if she already knew which was which without needing to check.

When she flipped them over, they revealed a dragon, a monkey, and a rabbit.

“The dragon represents all endeavors undertaken this time; the monkey signifies a life partner; and finally, the rabbit embodies health and longevity. It symbolizes peace, tranquility, and a harmonious family.”

If Carami were to change his fate, this was likely how it would unfold; it was a composition far removed from death.

“Oh, this is good.”

Carami displayed a hint of interest.

Hekbi viewed him with cold, indifferent eyes.

Of course, he would request to reverse his destiny.

But there was no way.

Hekbi had no intention of changing Carami’s fate, for personal reasons and certainly not for public ones.

Just as Hekbi thought this, Carami said,

“Well, I prefer the cards I drew more.”

“…Excuse me?”

As Hekbi cleared away the cards she had drawn, Carami retrieved his own. He shuffled them and switched their positions.

The cow, rat, and chicken were changed to chicken, rat, and cow.

Hekbi’s eyes widened as she saw the arrangement.

The content had completely flipped.

The chicken card, now positioned at the front.

A good omen signaling good fortune.

The chicken’s crowing, which once symbolized destruction, now banished the night and heralded the arrival of dawn.

The rat remained diligent and reliable.

For the sake of achieving its goals, it uses any means necessary.

The fruits of that labor yield wealth, abundance, and peace.

It wasn’t just any lazy cow lounging in peace. It was only after enduring to the very end that true peace could be obtained.

The rat’s diligence served as a sturdy bridge during the journey. A tower built on honest labor cannot easily collapse.

The card, which initially held a dire omen, had merely swapped its front and back but transformed into a great omen.

“How’s that? Isn’t this good too?”

Carami grinned at Hekbi, almost as if to show off.

To someone else, it might seem trivial and forced, but not to Hekbi.

She was a fox that could reverse destinies.

She had seen countless people request changes to their fates after reading the fortunes, but never had she seen someone attempt to turn their fate around themselves.

Not someone else, but before the code.

Without the help of the code.

Even when a better fate lay before him, he did not deny the path he had chosen. He did not give up, striving to reverse it in a positive direction.

Hekbi found herself unintentionally muttering.

“A reverse heavenly being….”

One who does not conform to destiny but turns it around.

The world refers to such a rare individual as a reverse heavenly being.

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