Chapter 118
"A prophet. A prophet. Knowing the past and knowing the future, this is a being who reads the heavenly secrets and directly receives heaven's will. Then if this is a prophet, if truly a prophet, what should I do? If not just a simple fortune-teller but a prophet capable of prophecy, wouldn't it be good to continue the connection beyond just saving a lump of baggage? But being in Unified Korea, a barren land for sorcery, his sorcery skills themselves might not be excellent, and being a minor, wouldn't he be ignorant of the ways of the world? Then wouldn't it be good to test him when giving the price, gauge him, cut down the price, and bring him into my fold to use his ability for myself?"
Jinseong brought his hand to Odilia's neck.
And he stroked her neck very lightly, softly enough to tickle.
But Odilia accepted that touch without even thinking of rejecting it, her body frozen by Jinseong's gaze. Even though that touch felt like it might strangle her neck at any moment, even though it felt like the teeth of a beast about to bite her neck.
She was overwhelmed and had no choice but to accept Jinseong's actions.
"El-la. Inferior student Ella. She told the story. The story of the sorcerer who saved her from human sacrifice. But that story wasn't properly conveyed because she lost consciousness, and Anastasiya, born inside her, didn't properly witness the salvation either. So you must have thought. He saved her by seeing the future and making thorough preparations, but his sorcery skills might not be that excellent. Since seeing the future is such a great power, there must have been deficiencies in other areas."
Jinseong acted as if he was reading her mind.
Like a prophet moving after seeing the future.
He made Odilia misunderstand him with ambiguous words, and inflated his image by adding vague expressions. He created a halo behind himself by making her misunderstand him as a prophet, and planted authority in himself by reading her mind and casually mentioning her past that no one else knew.
Moreover, his mind transcending physical age, and his soul transcending time and space, gave those words infinitely heavy power.
The power of those words was so strong that even she, who had lived for many years, couldn't resist.
"How could you try to manipulate your benefactor? How could you not try to pay the price you calmly mentioned and instead covet more? This is arrogance created by your life that hasn't properly stumbled over a stone despite living like nobility, the greed unique to witches trying to grasp more things, and your underestimation of me is only a misjudgment created by you blinding yourself."
He stopped stroking the Grand Witch's neck.
Then he very lightly wrapped one hand around her neck.
"Hic."
But perhaps because of the atmosphere Jinseong had created.
The Grand Witch made an expression as if her breath was cut off even at that light touch.
"This is truly unforgivable sin itself. It's no different from the evil witches that divine sorcerers who gave themselves over to anger and madness in the past oppressed. However, even divine sorcerers went through at least a minimal trial, so I too should see your face directly and grasp your temperament to be right. Therefore, I approached you."
And Jinseong had made strange expressions several times while talking with her.
Because she was completely different from the woman he knew.
While her picky and troublesome aspects were still visible, she was infinitely softer compared to the future.
The future her would give cleaners just a rope to lean on and sleep instead of providing bedrooms, saying it was a waste, or burn the ears and pulling out the tongues of servants fearing they might repeat what she said to others, or only give gruel made with cornmeal and leftover meat fat to lower-ranking company employees, saying their treatment should differ according to performance.
Moreover, her treatment of mercenaries who came on her request was terrible. She would throw them expired or nearly expired canned food for meals, and even that was barely provided twice a day, let alone three times. She even kicked them out of the company, telling them to find lodgings and rest on their own, and of course didn't provide necessities, so the mercenaries had to procure and use them themselves.
Moreover, every time they met, she would nag them about having to believe in a certain religion, or curse at them like someone bewitched by a cult, saying they would die during this operation if they didn't believe in that religion.
She was truly an irredeemable human being.
But this irredeemable human had been a redeemable human in the past.
He realized that her behavior before the regression, which could only be described as senile, was due to that religious person.
And he also realized that he could guide her on the right path instead of that religious person.
He also realized that she could be of great help in gathering sorcery.
"Yes. Witch. You must not have received proper education while being revered by everyone. You might have been educated in noble etiquette, but not in the proper attitude of nobility, and although you grew up as a child, you probably didn't know how to raise a child. All of this is due to the absence of education, and a tragedy that could rightfully come to someone swept up by the times."
Jinseong spoke in an authoritative and stern voice.
"Warding off misfortune, warding off misfortune! Witch. Things must not have been going well for you recently. So let's see. Fortune-teller, yes. You must have gone to a fortune-teller and heard about misfortune. But that's useless. How can a fragrant smell come from dropping a few drops of perfume into already rotten water? Can dropping a few drops of detergent on a floor colorfully painted with paint do anything? Spending a fortune to buy cursed objects, spending a fortune to perform misfortune-warding rituals. Yes, even if you do all that, it would have been useless."
He looked at the witch with force in his eyes.
"This is because it's misfortune that has come due to your life and attitude."
"Uh..."
The witch's eyes widened at Jinseong's words that hit like a hammer.
And this moment was the best time to drive in words.
When she couldn't raise objections due to shock.
When her mind was blank like white paper, good for engraving his words.
"You've earned resentment from those below you. Having never been below, you don't know the hardships of subordinates, and thus only know how to use the whip, so how could you not earn resentment? Also, you've received jealousy and envy from those above for rising despite your lowly origins, and you've earned resentment from your peers for your arrogant attitude. You're in a situation where enemies are all around, and there is almost no one to share your heart with. However, there are those who owe you the grace of saving their lives, and you've been incredibly kind to your disciple Agnes, so you've had some breathing room and haven't experienced major incidents until now."
"B-breathing room...?"
"But even that breathing room is insufficient to block the misfortune accumulated and solidified with time. So listen to my advice and gradually change what you can change to lessen the bad karma and resentment accumulated in your body, which will be your way to survive, and it will be the way you can pay me the full price. You must follow the prescriptions I tell you without doubt to pay me the price."
Jinseong alternated between stern and gentle tones, making her unable to think straight.
And when the witch was about to ask about the word 'price', he naturally continued speaking, resolving her curiosity.
"However, witch. Calculations must be accurate. You now owe me many things. Do you acknowledge this?"
"Y-yes...?"
"I saved Agnes's only disciple, whom you love so much, from the threat of a sorcerer, and by reversing the human sacrifice and performing the ritual, I also saved the child in her body. Also, by saving Ella, I blocked the misfortune that would have gone to you and your disciple, so that price too will be heavy, and you should also pay the fee for me seeing your future and telling you part of it. Also, you tried to deceive me, so you should pay the price for that too. And the prescriptions I'm telling you now will also be included in the price. Ah, the price will truly be great and heavy."
Jinseong looked at Odilia with a gentle smile.
But there was firmness in his tone, which was like silently asking, 'Surely you won't refuse, right?'
"H-how much is the price...?"
Odilia couldn't bring herself to say she wouldn't pay the price.
It might be because she was overwhelmed by the atmosphere Jinseong was showing, or she might have understood and accepted his words, or perhaps she had been bewitched by Jinseong just as she had been bewitched by that religious person long ago.
Jinseong stroked the Grand Witch's hair once at her question and then smirked.
"What good would it do to know now? You won't be able to pay even if you know, and when the time comes, you'll be able to pay, so why try to know in advance?"
He picked up some of the Grand Witch's hair that had come off on his hand and placed it on the Malleus Maleficarum. Then a blank page tore out of the book and wrapped around the hair, and the hair and paper moved around to create a strange cursed object.
It was a cursed object that looked like snakes tangled messily to form a sphere.
He firmly placed it in the Grand Witch's hand and said.
"Witch. You must remember. I am amicable towards you, and I am so favorable that I will forgive even the great disrespect you committed against me just by your receiving the price. However, if something is given, then there must also be something in return. You must not betray my favor, and you must follow and believe only in me, carrying out the prescriptions I give you for your sake without doubt. Can you do that?"
That whisper was soft.
Unlike the authoritative voice that had froze her earlier, it was a voice that seemed to gently relax her body and enchant her. The witch nodded with a dazed expression at that voice, and Jinseong, as if satisfied, firmly grasped the Grand Witch's hand holding the cursed object with both hands and smiled brightly.
"Yes. Well done. What. It won't be that difficult. The cursed object in your hand will block your misfortune, and if you faithfully follow my prescriptions, the misfortune lingering in your body will disappear and be replaced by good fortune. What could be better than this!"
And the price would gradually increase.
To the point where she wouldn't be able to refuse even if Jinseong asked her to build a building over 100 m tall later.
Instead, she wasn’t going to have to suffer a terrible death like before the regression.
Wasn't that cheap for the price of life?
"Yes. First, do as I tell you. It won't be difficult. When you return to the room like this..."
Jinseong told the witch the 'prescription'.
Then he picked up the gun she had placed on the table and shot it at her neck.
Bang!
* * *
The Grand Witch, who returned to the suite room with Jinseong, showed strange behavior.
She would have a dazed expression, but when she was about to touch Jinseong's body standing next to her, she would startle, and then she would slightly bow her head as if apologetic and observe Jinseong's reactions.
Moreover, she would stroke her neck, caress the back of her hand, and fiddle with the strange object in her hand. She would also repeatedly snap her fingers while looking at the flower vase without even using witchcraft, sit down and change her posture awkwardly as if uncomfortable, and engage in other strange behaviors.
After doing such strange things for a while, the Grand Witch looked at Jinseong once with a face that seemed to have made a decision, and then spoke to Ella sitting on the bed.
"E-Ella. Um. I think I've been too indifferent... I-I'm sorry. And life in Russia must be tough, so if th-there's anything you n-need... I'd like you to tell me."
And seeing this, Ella.
"Uh. Uh...huh?"
Froze with an expression as if she had seen something unbelievable.