Ch.3Chapter 3. The Fortune Teller Who Sees the Future

I want to live a life that I myself can find satisfying and worthwhile.

That wasn’t something I could achieve just by living a stable and comfortable life, like owning a house or preparing for retirement.

Having experienced all sorts of things traveling across the country in a truck with my dad in my previous life, a smooth and uneventful life wouldn’t provide the stimulation needed to satisfy my desires.

But unless I was recognized as a Wizard Hero, it would be unreasonable to expect much with an ability that merely makes people remember my name.

“Ah~ How much longer do I have to keep being a porter~”

Well, complaining while wandering the night streets with a buzz is pretty much my routine, but being a porter isn’t all bad.

Even though these so-called heroes are all nasty jerks, their combat power is real, so joining their party guarantees a certain level of safety.

Within that safety, following them around gives me an indirect taste of adventure.

Compared to stable manual labor like repairing city walls or cleaning sewers, these were rare experiences for someone like me.

Well, if you don’t have abilities, you can save money and try your luck, right?

I’ll work as a porter for about one more year, and with the money I save, I’ll finally go on my own adventure!

For that reason, after soothing my exhaustion with cheap liquor today, I took time to deposit my money at the bank, keeping only the minimum living expenses I’d need for a while.

“Yes, Mr. Hyoseong Woo from the labor union. Your regular deposit has been confirmed.”

Even in a collapsing world, there are still things we can call civilization.

Though the methods are analog due to the fantasy setting, it’s a place you can trust with your money, operating under the support of the empire and various guild unions.

When you deposit money, they even give you a small interest bonus, making regular deposits an excellent means of securing your future.

“Hmm, quite a sum has accumulated here.”

As I smiled contentedly at the amount recorded in my bankbook, thinking I’d taken another step toward my dream, the bank clerk who was looking at the record with me spoke up with an admiring smile.

“Looking at your records, you’re depositing quite a substantial amount for someone from the labor union. Are you perhaps saving for marriage?”

“…Pardon?”

“That’s usually why young people save money, you know~”

The bank clerk spoke so casually about something I hadn’t expected at all.

Unsure how to respond, I eventually gave an awkward smile and quietly answered.

“…Haha, that would be nice if I could.”

Romance or women.

For someone who’s merely a Foreign Laborer, this world was far too harsh to chase both rabbits.

***

Of course, I’m a man too.

My longing for relationships with the opposite sex has continued from my previous life to my current one.

Because of that, I often felt a yearning for marriage and spending time with women who matched my ideal type.

Especially when I see couples flirting shamelessly on the streets, even in this collapsing world.

“Honey, honey~ Do I look different today?”

“Hmm~ Did you get a pretty haircut?”

“I changed my pedicure color today! Don’t you know me at all?”

I mean, if you painted your toenails, at least take off your shoes when you mention it.

But even that man getting grabbed by the collar and punched by his self-centered girlfriend seemed incredibly enviable to me.

Damn, even while being manhandled like that in public, they probably do all sorts of things in private.

Touching each other everywhere, kissing, and then thinking about making babies with a grin on their face, while I’m just single…

“Thinking about it again, it’s ridiculous. Even that trash Dukhun Oh has a girlfriend.”

Of course, that idiot got his comeuppance despite receiving amazing special privileges, but if the lady accepts what he does without resistance, wouldn’t that be considered true love?

I let it slide today, but watching couples being lovey-dovey on the streets made me feel real-time hatred rising for people close to me.

That bastard, next time I see him, I’ll stab him in the gut first.

“Sigh, when will I ever date someone?”

But burning with hatred like this would only result in dragging someone down as a loser.

No matter how much I, as a lifelong single, hate the lovebirds spread throughout the world, I still can’t achieve what I want.

And since romance isn’t something you can achieve by throwing money at it, I don’t want to break into my savings meant for adventure…

Damn, even with the world collapsing and a baby boom in full swing, why do I only attract twisted women who’ve had their limbs cut off by tentacles?

Am I setting my standards too high?

I don’t need someone perfect in looks, figure, and personality—I just want to sit across from an older woman who listens well to what I say.

“Excuse me, passerby. Could you spare me a moment of your time?”

As I was muttering these complaints aloud while walking down the street, a voice called out.

I paused and turned toward the source of the sound to examine who was there.

A tent pitched in a deserted, dark alley.

But its presence was clearly felt thanks to the dim candles lit here and there.

The mysterious atmosphere emanating from a woman dressed in attire closer to Asian—more specifically, Indian or Mongolian rather than Korean or Japanese—style.

“…A fortune teller?”

“Yes, exactly.”

Soon, the woman pushed back her braided hair that hung beneath her hood, clearly revealing the smile on her face to me.

“I called out to you because I sensed worry as you passed by. Would you like to consult with me, if you don’t mind?”

Yes, she’s an extremely beautiful woman.

So beautiful that it’s hard to believe she’s running a street stall in such a secluded alley…

And she was a mature, quiet older woman at that.

“Uh, well…”

Facing such a woman, I couldn’t help but feel conflicted.

Even though this place is civilized enough to have banks, it’s still rightfully called a collapsing world.

Without mincing words, highway robbers run rampant in places beyond the reach of institutions.

In such a world, someone setting up shop in a dark alley like this must have something suspicious about them.

“Hehe, you seem to find me suspicious.”

Seeing me on high alert, the woman smiled refreshingly and spoke to me with a relaxed attitude.

“But you need not worry. I am one who can see the past, present, and future… The reason I do business in this alley is because I foresaw that no particular danger would befall this place today.”

“…You foresaw that there’s no danger?”

“Yes, at least I’m confident I’ll safely leave this place today, which is why I made this offer to you passing by without hesitation.”

The woman jotted something down on a note she held.

Then, with half-lidded eyes, she quietly asked me.

“Let me ask you something. Are you the type of person who would lay hands on a woman doing business alone late at night?”

“No way, why would I? Life’s hard enough without becoming a criminal.”

It was half sincere.

The other half was that my wariness made me want to run away rather than reach out.

“Hmm, is that so?”

After hearing my words, she smiled slyly and showed me the note she had written before I answered.

It read:

[No way, why would I? Life’s hard enough without becoming a criminal.]

“…Huh?”

What is this?

Why is what I just said written here?

“Name: Hyoseong Woo. A reincarnator summoned at the Empire of Tares’ ritual site.”

But that wasn’t all that was surprising.

The woman, who had now taken out a crystal ball, placed her hand on it and began reciting information about me one by one.

“Unfortunately, you weren’t recognized as a hero, so you only received minimal welfare before being abandoned by the imperial family. Now you’re indebted to the empire’s labor union, barely making a living by attending to heroes… It seems you’re getting uncomfortable looks at the union after one of the heroes you served recently died. Am I correct?”

“……”

“Hehe, you look surprised.”

Yes, I couldn’t help but be surprised.

Not only my personal information but even recent events came out of her mouth.

If she wasn’t a con artist deliberately trying to deceive me, it meant my opponent was an “even more frightening existence” than a mere criminal.

“There’s no need to be surprised.”

As I felt goosebumps rising, she stroked the crystal ball in her hand as if trying to reassure me and continued.

“I was simply born with the ability to read the movements of the stars, allowing me to read the flow of past, present, and future… I already anticipated that this place would be safe, and that you would pass by me.”

The movement of stars…

I don’t know what that means, but I could immediately understand that she was no ordinary person.

Well, in a world where people awaken tremendous powers through otherworld summoning, it wouldn’t be strange to have a fortune teller who can see the future.

“But it’s not absolute. Without facing the subject directly, I can only gauge approximate information and the immediate future… For proper divination, I need to exercise my power while directly facing the person.”

After explaining her ability, she spread both hands with the crystal ball placed in front of her and spoke calmly.

“Now, an opportunity to know the future has come. What follows is your choice… Whether you live in anxiety unable to see even a step ahead, or hear about the future that awaits and adapt to it, please decide with your own hands.”

She’s not forcing me.

Whether to have my fortune told or not is entirely my choice.

But if she truly is a prophet who can see the future, she probably already knows what choice lies in the “immediate future” ahead.

“…Do you also know that I don’t have money?”

“Of course I knew that when I made this offer. I’ll do the first reading for free, so if you’re satisfied with the answer, please visit again occasionally, or recommend me to your acquaintances…”

Well, it would be a loss not to accept when she’s properly demonstrating her ability and offering a free service.

Especially when the person making the offer is the “older woman who seems like she’d listen well to me”—exactly the type I was thinking about earlier.