“The Prophet. The Prophet. Knowing the past and foreseeing the future, such a being reads the celestial secrets and receives the will of the heavens. Then if this is indeed a Prophet, a true Prophet, what should I do? Rather than merely finding a burden to carry, wouldn’t it be wiser to maintain connections if they possessed a level of prophecy capable of forecasting events? However, being in the barren land of Unified Korea, their shamanic skills might not be remarkable, and as a minor, perhaps they would be naive to the ways of the world? In that case, it would be better to test the waters when offering a price, negotiate the payment, and utilize their abilities for oneself.”
Jinseong placed his hand upon Odilia’s neck.
And with a light touch, he pet her neck, soft enough to tickle.
Yet Odilia felt no urge to resist that touch; instead, she froze under Jinseong’s gaze and accepted his hand. Even if that touch felt like it might constrict her neck at any moment, even if it felt like the teeth of a ferocious beast about to bite down.
She was overwhelmed, left with no choice but to accept Jinseong’s actions.
“El-la. The underperformer, Ella. She spoke of the shaman who saved her from a human sacrifice. Yet that story was poorly conveyed, as she lost consciousness. Nor was Anastasia, born from within her, able to witness her true salvation. Thus, you would have thought. You inspected the future and prepared thoroughly to save her, yet the skills in that shamanism must not be all that impressive. For seeing the future is a tremendous power, yet surely there must be lacking in other areas.”
Jinseong acted as though he could read her mind.
Moving like a prophet who guides the future.
He made ambiguous statements, leading Odilia into misunderstandings, embellishing her perception with vague expressions. He caused her to misinterpret his role as a prophet, casting a mystical glow behind him, and casually tossed fragments of her past into his self-assertion.
With a mind transcending physical age, and a spirit that surpassed time and space, his words carried an incredibly heavy weight.
The power of those words was so great that even she, who had lived through countless years, could not reject them.
“Why did you shake your benefactor? Why did you not humbly pay the price you mentioned and instead seek more? This arrogance has been cultivated by a life lived as a noble without ever tripping over a stone. It is the greed typical of witches who desire to grasp more, and the belief that I am to be underestimated is merely a misjudgment created by your own blindfold.”
He halted the hand that had stroked the Great Witch’s neck.
Then he lightly grasped her neck with one hand.
“Ugh.”
But was it due to the atmosphere created by Jinseong?
The Great Witch made a face as if she were being choked, even by that gentle touch.
“This is truly an unforgivable sin itself. One might say it bears little difference to the appearance of the wicked witches whom the holy sorcerers suppressed while succumbing to past rage and madness. At least the holy sorcerers went through a minimum of judgment, so I too must see your face and assess your nature.”
So he approached her.
And in conversing with her, he wore a look of strangeness multiple times.
Because she bore no resemblance to the person he knew.
Though her capricious and troublesome demeanor remained intact, compared to the future, she seemed infinitely softer.
In the future, she wouldn’t even spare a room for her cleaning staff to rest and would have hung a rope for them to lean on while sleeping. She had threatened her staff, torturing them out of fear that they might relay her words to someone else, and for company employees, she reserved only water gruel made with leftover meat scraps for those ranked low in her service.
Moreover, the treatment of mercenaries she had hired was dreadful. Meals were tossed at them with expired or barely edible canned goods, and they were lucky to be offered food even twice a day. They were even dismissed from the company to arrange their own lodging, and there were no supplies provided, forcing the mercenaries to gather and procure their own.
And every time they met, she belabored them with demands to adhere to a certain religion, threatening them with curses as if they were under the spell of a cult, claiming they would die during the operation if they did not believe.
Truly, she was the very embodiment of an irredeemable human being.
Yet that irredeemable person had once been redeemable.
Realizing that the expression of a decrepit mind before her regression bore an undeniable trace of that religion’s influence.
And she understood that she could guide the witch into a rightful path in place of that religious figure.
Furthermore, she comprehended that she could greatly aid in the gathering of shamans.
“Yes. Witch. You have been coddled and perhaps missed proper education. Though you may have received guidance on noble etiquette, you were never trained on the right attitude of a noble, and while you grew as a child, you knew nothing of raising children. All these are the absence of education, a tragedy destined to fall upon those swept by the times.”
Jinseong spoke with an authoritative and stern voice.
“Preventative charms, preventive! Witch, things must not have been going well for you lately. So let’s see. You went to the fortune teller and heard tales about misfortunes, right? But such is of no use. No matter how much perfume you add to rotting and foul water, will it yield a pleasant aroma? Will a few drops of detergent make a painted-over floor any better? Spending a fortune to buy a divine object, paying ten thousand for a preventive ritual. Yet still, it would have been of no use.”
He gazed intensely at the witch.
“This misfortune came because of your life and your attitude.”
“Uh….”
With words that hit like a hammer, the witch’s eyes widened.
And this moment was the most opportune time to strike back.
In a state of shock, unable to voice a rebuttal.
When her mind turned blank as if painted white, marking the perfect moment to imprint his words.
“You’ve caused a grudge with those beneath you. For you have never stood below, ignorance of their tribulations has left you with nothing but the habit of whipping them—how could you not incur their resentment? Moreover, in the eyes of superiors, your humble origins would only lead to jealousy and spite, and among your peers, you have likely incurred grudges with your unbearable arrogance. Thus, enemies abound, and you scarcely have anyone with whom to share a heart. Only those graced by the mercy of the Spirit and your disciple Agnes may have offered you kindness, allowing you to avoid significant misfortunes thus far.”
“U-avoid misfortunes…?”
“But even that respite is insufficient to stave off the accumulating backlog of sins and grudges as time goes by. Therefore, it will be your path to survival to gradually change what you can, shedding the accumulated evils and grudges, allowing you to pay me in full. You must follow the methods I speak of without skepticism and pay the price due.”
Jinseong skillfully oscillated between a stern and gentle tone, completely captivating the witch’s soul.
And when the witch was about to question the term ‘payment,’ he seamlessly continued and dispelled her doubts.
“However, Witch, the count must be precise. You owe me countless debts. Do you acknowledge this?”
“Y-yes…?”
“I saved your one and only beloved disciple, Agnes, from the threats of a shaman, and I made a ritual using the human sacrifice to spare the child held within her. Moreover, by saving Ella, I averted misfortune for both you and your disciple; therefore, the cost for that will be heavy indeed. I also foretold part of your future, so there is a fee for that as well. Additionally, you attempted to deceive me, which must also be compensated. And the method I am revealing to you now is included in that price. Oh, truly the cost is steep and burdensome.”
With a gentle smile, Jinseong regarded Odilia.
Yet the firmness in his tone was palpable, akin to a silent query, ‘Surely, you wouldn’t refuse, would you?’
“W-what is the… cost…?”
Odilia found herself unable to utter that she would refuse to pay.
Perhaps it was the oppressive atmosphere Jinseong exuded, or perhaps she genuinely understood and accepted his words. Or it might even be that she was enchanted by him as she had been by that religious figure long ago.
Jinseong chuckled softly as he stroked the Great Witch’s hair.
“What will knowing help you? Whether you know or not, you won’t be able to pay anyway. The right time will come for you to settle.”
He picked up strands of her hair stuck to his hand and placed them on the Malewis Maleficarum. Instantly, a blank page tore out of the book, wrapping around the hair, as it and the paper twisted about, forming a strange divine object.
It took the shape of a sphere as if serpents were intricately entwined.
He placed it firmly in the Great Witch’s hands and said.
“Witch, you must remember. I am favorable towards you, and the great rudeness you’ve shown me will be forgiven merely through payment. However, there are musts: with arriving, there must also be departing. You must not betray my goodwill and must follow through with my methods unquestioningly; you must trust and obey me. Can you do that?”
That whisper was soft.
Unlike the authoritative tone that had previously frozen her, this voice seemed to melt her body and enchant her. Under that voice, the witch nodded vacantly, and Jinseong, satisfied, gently grasped the Great Witch’s hand that held the divine object, smiling brightly.
“Yes. Well done. How wonderful this is. It shan’t be difficult. The divine object in your hand will block your misfortunes, and if you faithfully follow my guidance, the evils embedded within will dissipate, leaving behind blessings. What could be better than this?”
And the cost would only grow.
Later on, even if Jinseong asked for a building over 100 meters high, she would not be able to refuse.
In exchange, she need not face the terrible deaths she had encountered before her regression.
Isn’t a life worth the price?
“Yes. First, follow my instructions. It won’t be difficult. Once you return to your room….”
Jinseong imparted the ‘method’ to the witch.
Then, he took the gun she had placed on the table and shot towards her neck.
BANG!
*
Returning to the suite with Jinseong, the Great Witch exhibited strange behavior.
She would make vacant expressions, yet startled when brushing against Jinseong’s form, and then timidly lower her head, glancing at him as if seeking approval.
Moreover, she would caress her neck and stroke her own hand, fiddling with the peculiar item she held. She seemed to be lost in thought, occasionally flicking her fingers at the vase, even without using witchcraft, and shifting awkwardly in her seat.
After a while of this bizarre behavior, the Great Witch appeared resolute as she glanced at Jinseong before speaking to Ella, who sat on the bed.
“Uh, Ella. I think I’ve been too neglectful… I-I’m sorry. And life in Russia must be hard; if you… need anything… please let me know.”
Seeing this, Ella stood frozen, her expression one of disbelief.
“Uh… uh?”
