novelraw Chapter 174 : Chapter 174
Chapter 174 : Chapter 174
Chapter 174 - Hardeon (6)
The temple of Roland Village.
This place, which worshiped a god named Palkaon, had a rather large garden attached to it.
The temple was built to match the characteristic of being a god who presides over plants.
All sorts of trees here were trimmed into unique shapes like sculptures, and the flowers that bloomed in various colors adorned the entire garden.
It felt like I had come to a well-tended amusement park rather than a temple.
A man who appeared to be a priest was strolling through the garden, carefully recording something.
He was around twenty years old, with long blond hair and blue eyes that stood out.
‘That's the one.’
The White Code I was looking for.
Although the amount of his mana was not large, I could tell he was a mage just by looking at the way he operated it.
Of course, only I could recognize it.
In this world, the existence of a mage was a target for extermination.
As we approached him, the priest bowed his head to show respect and asked.
“How may I help you?”
“I heard there is someone skilled in divination here, so I came to have my fortune told.”
According to Renoi, this man's divination skills were at a considerable level.
Hearing my words, this man must have immediately recognized that I was talking about him.
But his reaction was just very blunt.
“You’ve come to the wrong place. This is a temple that serves a god, not a fortune-telling house.”
With that, the man gave a slight bow again and turned his head away.
Although I had approached him abruptly, he did not seem flustered at all, so he did not seem to be an ordinary person.
“Priest Miruel. I’m talking about you, right? The person who is good at telling fortunes.”
“You’ve come to the wrong place.”
A firm tone that came out instantly.
His expressionless face was also unchanged.
For a moment, Miruel was so composed that I wondered if I had really come to the wrong place.
“I came on Renoi’s introduction, as I was told I could meet the White Code if I came here.”
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
I did not know he would feign ignorance so flawlessly.
“You’re quite the fortress.”
It would have been easier if there had been a set password.
“The temple garden is available for outsiders to use as well, so please feel free to stay and leave as you wish. Then, I’ll be on my way.”
Miruel turned his head again and resumed his task of recording something.
‘Hmm.’
Miruel was not someone the Gwangun Sword Family warrior had passed through.
There was no information about him in the report either.
But according to Renoi, that fiend was a White Code.
Even if he was feigning ignorance like that, it was a clear fact.
In that case, there was no reason to hesitate.
I even thought that if he continued to feign ignorance, I would have to secretly drag him away and torture him.
The moment I had that thought, Miruel slyly approached me again.
“Did you say you came to have your fortune told?”
“Yes.”
With that, Miruel stared intently at me.
His eyes moved from left to right, examining every corner of my face.
Perhaps he was reading my fortune from my face.
“Wanting your fortune told means you are anxious about something in the future. If you follow me, I will offer a prayer for you.”
“Thank you.”
I looked at Miruel and my lips curled up slightly.
It seemed my facial features were not so bad.
He led us into a narrow stone chamber inside the temple building.
“Please have a seat.”
Sitting opposite him, Miruel looked even younger.
Although he was a priest, he was barely of age.
‘He seems to be quite recognized.’
Both in the organization and at the temple.
He took something out from his bosom and placed it on the table.
A brick-shaped stone.
“Could you place your hand here for a moment?”
“What kind of object is this stone that you’re asking me to put my hand on it?”
“It’s nothing special. It’s an item used for divination.”
I knew it.
Prayer, my foot.
“What’s the reason for suddenly revealing your true colors?”
“It wasn't sudden. From the moment I first saw you, I felt something was unusual. I was only able to be sure after reading your face three times.”
“White Code. Miruel.”
“That’s correct.”
I had heard the ideological verification would be tough, but it turned out I had gotten a free pass with just my face reading.
If I were them, it would be an unacceptable method, but it was none of my business.
“I’m fine with the fortune-telling. I came here to receive a request.”
“Why not have it read while you’re here?”
“I’m not one to believe in such things.”
“You are as stubborn as your face suggests.”
I could not help but chuckle.
Seo Ji-han’s facial features had nothing to do with my actual self.
“Alright, then let’s have a look. Should I place my hand on this stone?”
“Yes.”
As I placed my hand on the stone, Miruel also placed his hand on top of it.
Then, a period of silence followed.
It was a few minutes later that Miruel spoke again.
“This is strange.”
“What is?”
“You are a person who wouldn’t be strange if you had died long ago. I don’t know what happened, but it feels like your given fate is continuing on?”
For a moment, I could not help but be impressed.
If I had not reincarnated as Seo Ji-han, he might no longer be a person of this world.
Also, through reincarnation, I, Johan Raven, was also living a life extended beyond my original fate.
“Is there nothing more than that?”
“The path of an emperor is in your fortune. This is a first for me as well.”
“Hoo.”
I did not believe in such things, but hearing plausible stories twice made me feel it was strange.
If Miruel’s fortune-telling was truly accurate, then this fiend was a genius among geniuses.
It meant he had read the faint traces of mana created by the contact between the stone and my hand in a way I could not understand, and whatever it was, it was clearly an amazing ability.
Moreover, he was only around twenty years old.
If this ability was not just a convenient interpretation or a coincidence, then he was not a person who should remain in the White Code.
“Is there anything you’re curious about? As you know, fortune-telling is a very vague thing, but I can tell you in general terms.”
In fact, there was no need to think about this question.
“There is a great undertaking that I must achieve. When can I accomplish this?”
Of course, I was talking about revenge against the Red Dragon.
Miruel was silent for quite a long time again, lost in thought, before he opened his mouth.
“I don’t know exactly what that great undertaking is, but I can feel that it is beyond the realm of humans.”
“So?”
“This great undertaking, must you really do it?”
I felt a somewhat negative nuance.
“Why?”
“Because it is too uncertain. To be honest, I cannot declare that you will be able to achieve this.”
At these words, I felt a strange sense of reliability.
If he had only said flattering things, I would have been more distrustful.
“However, the time when you approach that great undertaking is quite near.”
“How near?”
“I don’t know that either. But it feels much closer than you think? This is just my guess.”
The decision of when to take revenge was ultimately up to me.
Although the completion of the map was still a long way off, I had the means to go to the Red Dragon's lair in my hands.
Even if the map was completed, I would not challenge it right away.
The chance at life I had gained again was precious.
‘But he said it’s closer than I think?’
It was an ambiguous wording.
In fact, I still had a long way to go to recover my past level of skill.
Moreover, my past level of skill was not enough.
I had thought it was still a long way off until I saw the true ultimate of the sword, but Miruel’s words just now had created a ripple in my heart.
“Ah-yeon, you get your fortune told too.”
“I’m fine.”
“Just do it if I tell you to.”
“...I understand.”
I wanted to verify.
Whether Miruel gave plausible fortunes to other people as well.
“You are complicated.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m talking about the emotions you’ve been experiencing recently.”
“...That’s right.”
However, this was something that could be interpreted in various ways.
“The emotion of impatience is something you must always keep at a distance. It is important not to lose your own pace regardless of the surrounding environment.”
“I admit that.”
Although Shin Ah-yeon had said she was fine with fortune-telling, she now had an engrossed expression.
“The feeling of jealousy is also not a good emotion.”
“I have not been jealous!”
Shin Ah-yeon immediately flared up.
I thought I knew what the fiend was thinking right now.
Choi Ho-joong, who had recently started to pull ahead noticeably.
I did not know about jealousy, but it was a clear fact that she had been stimulated.
“You have lived your life using your emotions in a wise way, so you just need to keep doing as you are.”
“Yes.”
“And I feel a deep affection for someone. That feeling, could it be...”
“I’ll stop here!”
“I understand. We’ll stop the fortune-telling here.”
It felt somewhat miraculous yet ambiguous.
As Miruel had said, fortunes were inherently vague, so perhaps the interpretations would fit one way or another.
However, one thing he had said continued to circle in my head.
It feels much closer than you think?
The achievement of swordsmanship involves gradual progress, but the sudden enlightenment of the mind is greater.
In fact, it would not be strange if that happened today.
After hearing the fortune, my mind became even more complicated for no reason.
“Then, will you receive the request now?”
“Let me ask one more thing.”
I took out the volcanic rock I had received from the boy.
It was certain that it was an object with some mysterious power, but it seemed that no one knew about it.
No matter who I asked in the town, everyone had a new reaction.
“...A volcanic rock? To be honest, this is the first I’ve heard of it.”
“It seems your fortune-telling can only read people.”
“That is a matter of course.”
Miruel smiled slightly and continued to speak.
“However, I will try to read what kind of energy it has with mana. Though I don’t know if I can do it.”
This would be something impossible for anyone other than a mage.
A period of silence began again, and I just waited.
He carefully opened his mouth.
“At my level, I cannot know what the source of the power contained in this stone is.”
“I see. It’s alright. It’s only out of curiosity.”
“However, I briefly felt a dark power. Did you say this was a volcanic rock?”
“Yes.”
“The volcano erupted on the very day 400 years ago when the world of mages ended and the world of gladiators opened. It might be natural to feel a dark power.”
It might just be a convenient interpretation again.
“Then, may I give you the request now?”
“Please do.”
“It is assassination.”
Assassination.
It was something that seemed easy yet was not.
“Of course, the assassination target would be a gladiator.”
“Naturally.”
“Is it someone who deserves to die?”
“I believe so.”
“Who is it?”
“The Legion Commander of the Hardeon Empire's 3rd Legion.”
“It’s a much grander request than I thought. An assassination of a legion commander from a request received in a rural village like this.”
Anyone who heard it might laugh.
“Didn’t I tell you? The path of an emperor is in your fortune. Before an emperor, a legion commander is nothing. I gave you this request thinking it would be fully possible.”
“I’ll accept that request.”
I looked at Miruel and my lips curled up slightly.