Chapter 188

Hye, the Witch, performed the task of foretelling the future of humans at the shrine.

It was to predict the short-term future using the abnormal power called mana.

For the Source of Gray, who possessed the most special power among the Demonic Beings, seeing a short-term future would not have been difficult.

The income she earned through fortune-telling supported the village where the Demonic Beings resided.

In the 1950s, shamans and similar spirit-mediums were more active, so her divine power, utilizing real mana, must have been quite famous.

But now, she was being despised by the people of the shrine.

The reason was that she was not a pure Demonic Being but a half-blood with a human.

Though it was not revealed on the surface, she herself was conscious of and feared the gazes of those around her.

As a side note, a half-blood of a human and a Demonic Being has no family.

In the settings, the moment a Demonic Being loves a human, they covet desire and can no longer go out under the sunlight.

The curse of the light attribute.

Thus, most vanish without anyone knowing, and the human who loved a Demonic Being is ostracized by other Demonic Beings and always meets an unfortunate end.

It was an very absurd setting, even in my own opinion.

However, such a setting was inevitable due to the nature of the Demonic Being race.

In the first place, the Demonic Beings were a race created based on vampires.

Since the invention of paper, I have never heard of or seen a love between a vampire and a human reaching a complete conclusion.

Well, anyway, if I were to describe the Witch’s current situation, I could say she was a kind student who suffered from school violence but had to attend school nonetheless.

A being in a cage who had to be exploited by the Demonic Beings of the shrine until death.

Normally, the original Head of the Shrines like the Witch would receive treatment like gods.

After all, they were chosen beings who possessed overwhelming abilities and had led the Demonic Beings for a long time.

But that was strictly the case beyond the rift.

Those who crossed the rift due to conflicts with other Demonic Beings needed to hide their power and blend into human society, and the Witch fell to the status of a nuisance who had to be forcibly protected and monitored.

They likely could not allow her to be discovered by the Demonic Beings who caused the conflict, nor could they allow her to be suspected and targeted by humans.

One fortunate point was that she had friends who supported her.

"Hey, is no one inside?"

"...?"

The Witch heard a suspicious voice from the back window.

Soon, she saw two boys of her age peeking through the window, and when the Witch approached and opened the window, the two quickly entered the shrine.

"Kim Yuseong, Cha Jaehee? What are you doing right now?"

The two names the Witch mentioned.

They were names and faces that were too familiar.

Of course, I had never met Kim Yuseong in person.

"I went to the Jongno market with Yuseong earlier today. I thought you might be alone, so I brought some things."

Young Cha Jaehee spoke with an excited face.

When he untied a worn bundle on the floor by the window, items bought from the market were spread out.

Among them, the thing that made the Witch’s eyes shine was a chocolate bar about the size of an adult’s palm.

Kim Yuseong recognized the look in her eyes and picked up the chocolate to hand it to her.

"...Take it."

"Are you giving this to me?"

"Yeah..."

His voice was low and deep.

He also appeared to have a somewhat introverted personality.

"Thank you."

"There is nothing to thank me for. You are working hard in our stead."

"Yeah..."

"..."

An awkward atmosphere and silence suddenly flowed.

Cha Jaehee, unable to watch, cut in.

"Listen, the man at the Western confectionery shop tried to overcharge us today. He wanted a whole dollar for that one chocolate bar."

"What? A whole dollar?"

"Yes! So... No, but do you even know how much a dollar is?"

"I don't know."

"Sigh... You and Yuseong are exactly the same. How are you going to live without knowing the ways of the world like this?"

At Cha Jaehee’s question, Kim Yuseong and the Witch blinked their eyes widely.

Truly, they were children who were so pure they were almost foolish.

Cha Jaehee spoke resignedly.

"Anyway, that human was calling a ridiculous price. So I stepped forward, saying I would call a policeman if he blabbered any more nonsense. Western confectionery shops are all illegal, anyway, aren't they? Not only do they not pay taxes properly, but renting a shop is also prohibited, so if I set my mind to it, making them close the shutters is a piece of cake. Well, the policemen probably also receive Western sweets and pretend they don't know behind the scenes, but who am I? Am I not Cha Jaehee, who has the Jongno market in his grip? If I just wag my tongue well while roaming the alleys, making one Western confectionery shop close is as easy as eating cold rice."

Cha Jaehee talked at length as was his personality.

Simply put, it was a boast about how great he was.

However, Kim Yuseong and the Witch listened to his words with interest.

Should I call this birds of a feather flocking together?

After a moment, the Witch pointed to a new item and asked.

"What is this? Ink?"

"Tsk tsk, have you not even tried this? This is what they call yangtang-guk."

"Yangtang-guk?"

"Yes, in professional terms, they call it coffee. It's originally a tea that American soldiers drink, and I got a bottle while threatening that Western confectionery shop owner earlier."

Cha Jaehee smiled gloomily.

As expected of the founder of Hyeonseong, he was frighteningly obsessed when it came to matters related to money.

While Cha Jaehee was smiling, Kim Yuseong cautiously cut in.

"But Jaehee, you haven't tried yangtang-guk either."

"Uh...? S-Since when?"

"Last time, you said you wanted to try it while watching the American soldiers drink it."

"Wh-What are you talking about? I can buy and drink it as much as I want if I just go to Jongno."

"You always went with me when you went to Jongno. I never saw you drink it once."

"N-No, I tell you! I really have tried it!"

"I didn't see it, though..."

A meaningless bickering.

Watching that sight, the Witch let out a playful laugh.

"Pfft! Hahaha!"

"...?"

"What's wrong, why are you laughing?"

The sound of her laughter echoed through the shrine.

For Kim Yuseong and Cha Jaehee, it was a welcome sound of laughter they had not heard in a long time.

After the Witch inherited the Source of Gray, the face they could glimpse from her was always a shaded expression.

"Ah, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Ahem, so was that yangtang-guk bought because of me?"

Kim Yuseong replied.

"I heard it helps one regain energy."

"Energy?"

"Yes, because you seemed to have no energy lately."

"Thank you, always. If it weren't for you two, I would have been truly lonely."

"It's the same for us."

The Witch cautiously tasted the chocolate and coffee.

"Mmm!"

She soon smiled as if satisfied.

Simultaneously, the sound of someone tapping the glass was heard from the window.

Furthermore, there was even a voice whose puberty had not yet arrived.

"Brothers! The adults are coming!"

The owner of the voice was unmistakably Kim Shinwoo.

Kim Shinwoo, the younger brother of the Sword Saint Kim Yuseong.

"Damn it, already?"

"Oh dear."

Cha Jaehee hurriedly handed several items of food to the Witch and packed the bundle.

And then he left the shrine with Kim Yuseong like experienced thieves.

As if it were not the first or second time they had come to find her.

With that sight, my vision darkened again, and the Elf’s voice continued.

—How does their relationship look to you?

—They are relying on each other, at a young age. They must have been about high school students.

—A human mixed with the blood of a Demonic Being is also a mortal cursed by the earth. In human terms, your opinion would be correct.

—More importantly, what answer do you want from me?

The Elf shook her head.

—Nothing. It is just that the mana of the hat dwelling in your consciousness is constantly weighing you even now.

—Weighing what?

—Whether you are suitable to dominate the hat.

—...

Without any leisure to continue other questions, my vision brightened again.

This time, it was inside a forest where the sun had risen.

However, almost no sunlight entered due to the dense forest.

Like the Geumgorae Village I had visited before, the entire village where the shrine was located was likely a place where shadows were cast.

Even if it was a village of Demonic Beings who did not covet desire, they never knew when they might receive the curse of the sunlight.

"So what do you want to say?"

The voice that followed was Cha Jaehee’s.

He was facing Kim Yuseong, and he appeared to be telling something quite important.

"I am going to become a warrior of the shrine."

"...What?"

"I heard they are picking warriors to protect the shrine and the Head of the Shrine before this autumn comes. I plan to apply for that."

Cha Jaehee’s mouth moved for a long time.

He had much to say, but he seemed to have realized that Kim Yuseong’s resolve was firm.

I also understood at once what Kim Yuseong was talking about.

Becoming a warrior of the shrine.

In this forest village where the Demonic Beings resided, a half-blood could stay only until before they had their coming-of-age ceremony.

They were about to turn twenty soon, and unless there was a big variable, they had to leave the village.

That was the only condition under which the Demonic Beings had taken in the dirty human blood.

Of course, there were exceptions.

Becoming a Witch with the Source of Gray or a member of the shrine serving the Witch.

In the case of Kim Yuseong, who had been practicing the sword, it was a warrior of the shrine.

The reason Cha Jaehee stopped speaking was because he had intended to leave the village and travel with Kim Yuseong.

He would be separated from the Witch, with whom he had spent time since childhood, but he did not dare to think of going against the fate given to them.

Until Kim Yuseong said he would become a warrior of the shrine and stay by the Witch’s side, that is.

"Becoming a warrior, you've thought deeply about it, haven't you?"

"Yes."

"I see. Actually, I thought you might make such a choice."

"Really?"

"Yes, I have no combat talent, but you were born with it. Surely, you will be able to protect Hye in any crisis."

Regret could be heard in Cha Jaehee’s voice.

Because he was still young, he could not hide his emotions.

He said with a feigned lively voice.

"Alright, then I will travel the world, experience many interesting things, and come back to the village to tell you about them. It's hard to leave the village once you stay at the shrine, right?"

"Then I... I will protect the place where you will return. And when the time comes..."

Kim Yuseong did not finish his sentence, but Cha Jaehee nodded as if he knew.

I could also read the look in their eyes.

It was obvious that they were talking about taking the Witch and running away together once they gained the power to handle the Demonic Beings someday.

With that sight, my vision darkened again.

Following that, the Elf’s words continued.

—The Sword Saint, the Phantom Thief, and the Witch have begun to face an unreasonable fate.

—...It seems so.

—However, black clouds have been cast over the sky in the future. This means it can only become a tragedy.

—I suppose so.

The Elf looked at me.

—Next is the future a few months later. That is, the autumn of 1959.

—When the Great Rift opened...

—Do you know why the Great Rift opened?

I knew all too well.

But I pretended not to know and shook my head.

—A little.

—That is a lie.

What?

—Your mana is speaking. That you know the incident of that time better than anyone else.

Can she feel my thoughts or emotions through having assimilated with my consciousness?

As expected of a race of communion, she has a frightening ability.

—Now, the light will brighten again. Let us watch the tragedy of the Sword Saint, the Phantom Thief, and the Witch.