Chapter 70: The White Witch of Rumpelstiltskin (9)

Opposite the mountain goats, a baby goat with soft fur was eating hay. Next to the baby goat was a rodent, sitting quietly with its bottom on a wheel in the corner of a spacious area, staring intently at Jinseong.

The rodent, which had been looking at the newcomers with a dazed expression and twitching its nose, waddled up to them and stuck its face close.

Lee Serin gently reached out her hand to stroke its head, charmed by its cuteness, and the rodent accepted the touch quietly with its eyes closed instead of biting or threatening. Lee Serin kept murmuring "cute" as if entranced while stroking its stiff fur.

Jinseong met Lee Arin's gaze, who was looking at him as if to ask how the goat and guinea pig she had procured were.

Then he said something shocking to Lee Arin.

"That's not a guinea pig, but a baby capybara."

"Huh?"

Startled by his shocking words, Lee Arin looked at the barn in surprise.

"I bought that thinking it was a guinea pig?"

"It's a capybara. In terms of value, it's much more expensive and precious... Hmm."

The rodent, which until recently had been called a guinea pig and was now called a capybara, was acting cute by raising its stiff fur, seemingly enjoying Lee Serin's touch.

"That's not a guinea pig?"

Ella, also shocked, looked at the capybara being stroked while cradled in Lee Serin's arms.

"I can't believe I didn't recognize it..."

What shocked Ella even more was that she was the one who had bought the capybara.

Thinking it would be unsafe to leave it to Lee Arin, who couldn't distinguish between mountain goats and goats, she had boasted that she would get the rodent herself, and this capybara was what she had procured by going directly to the Russian market.

She had bought it without doubt because of its chubby body and appearance that anyone would recognize as a rodent, but...

To think that what she had boastfully procured was not a guinea pig but a capybara.

She felt like she wanted to hide in a mouse hole.

Unlike common rodents, capybaras carry both water and fish symbolism, so they're used only in special situations. To make such a mistake...!

It wasn't long ago that she had scolded Lee Arin about symbolism, and now she had made the same mistake.

She couldn't lift her head.

How embarrassing...

As if reading Ella's mind, Jinseong smiled brightly and expressed his gratitude to her.

"Thank you for taking such good care of my younger sister. I can see that the goat and capybara are very well-managed and have received a lot of love. To take such care of animals that are only temporarily in your care."

"What? Oh, no... It's not that much."

"No, it is. Looking at them, both animals have gained weight nicely, and they seem very healthy without any minor illnesses, probably because they're in a warm house. Moreover, seeing how they don't avoid human touch and even act cute, it seems you've taken care of them with a lot of affection. I can feel that you've paid attention in many ways."

"Yes, yes..."

"Hmm. You've taken such good care of them, I really want to give you something in return..."

Jinseong stroked his chin as if pondering for a moment, then said:

"Since I visited suddenly, I couldn't prepare a gift, but next time I come, I'll bring you a nice gift."

"What? A gift? Oh, no! You don't have to!"

"Haha, don't feel burdened. Frau Winter is my younger sister's friend, and you've helped my sister get ingredients, and even taken such good care of the animals. If I can't give a proper gift to someone like that, what kind of person would that make me?"

Jinseong made eye contact with her and smiled brightly.

"I can't take the animals right now, so I hope you can take care of them a bit longer. Instead, I'll bring a gift with me when I come to pick them up next time. Please don't refuse, Frau Winter."

"Okay..."

After getting her consent, Jinseong came out of the barn.

"Haha, I originally intended to just see the animals and go, but look how time has passed. It was truly an enjoyable time. I hope I wasn't a bother."

"Not at all. I enjoyed it too."

"I'll be going now. Next time I come... Ah. It seems you were surprised by my sudden contact today. Next time I visit, I'll make sure to contact you in advance. Well then, I'll be going now. Have a good day."

He put on his coat again, said goodbye, and left the house, starting to return to the hotel through the same path they had come.

"Hey, brother. I didn't know you could talk so well."

"Me, me too. It's my first time seeing..."

As they moved away from Ella's house, Lee Arin poked him with her finger and spoke. Beside her, Lee Serin was sneakily looking at Jinseong with a somewhat awkward but dying-to-know expression.

"Did you fall for her? Huh? Brother. Is that your type?"

Jinseong slightly shook his head at Lee Arin's slightly mischievous face.

"No. I neither fell for her, nor is she my type."

"But your voice was dripping with honey! You must have seduced a woman before? Huh? Answer me?"

"That's right..."

Lee Arin's face was mischievous, but the strength in her finger poking Jinseong suggested she was feeling some discomfort or annoyance.

"It's not like that. I was just being polite because she's your friend."

He casually brushed off their questions like that and glanced at the fortune-telling booth.

The area around the fortune-telling booth was swept clean.

Clean to the point where not a speck of dust could be found.

*                     *                     *

"Ah~! That brother, really, what was he doing in Japan!"

As soon as they returned to the hotel, Lee Arin threw herself on the bed and screamed.

Then, like a child throwing a tantrum, she thrashed about on the bed.

"Hey! Can't you find out with your ability? I think our brother definitely did something in Japan!"

She said in an annoyed voice to Lee Serin, who was leaning against the bed's backrest cushion.

"...I can't."

Lee Serin was also curious about what Jinseong had done in Japan and was almost tempted for a moment, but remembering the trouble she had gotten into recently for using spirit vision, she firmly refused her request. However, while she had given up on finding out with her ability, her curiosity hadn't disappeared, and she looked at the camel sitting like toast next to the bed.

What do you think?

If she couldn't find out directly, couldn't she at least indirectly hear about Jinseong's changes from her demon?

Lee Serin expected Gremory to give an answer that could satisfy her curiosity.

And as if to meet her expectations, Gremory answered about Jinseong's changes.

However, it wasn't what Lee Serin or Lee Arin wanted.

[ He has changed. ]

Huh? Really? How has he changed...?

Gremory slightly frowned.

[ He has changed to a form similar to other humans. ]

What?

[ Yes. My contractor, do you remember what I said last time? The conversation where I compared him to a kitten. ]

Y-yes. Of course I remember. It was so shocking...

When explaining about karma last time, Gremory had compared human karma to kittens to explain it to her in an easy-to-understand way. At that time, Lee Serin learned how Gremory viewed her, what kind of kitten-like feeling she gave off, and could perfectly understand why transcendent beings were friendly to humans.

[ At that time, I explained about your brother. ]

Yes. You said he looked the same from any angle, so he was heterogeneous...

[ That appearance has become more distinct. He's still heterogeneous, but his form has become similar to other humans. ]

Isn't that good...?

To Lee Serin's question, the demon slightly shook its head.

[ Well... ]

Gremory closed its mouth with an uneasy expression.

Because it was too difficult to say to its contractor.

To say that her brother–

Felt like something wearing a human form like a shell.

It just kept its mouth shut.

*                     *                     *

The Russian night was cold, lonely, and dark.

At least in the city center, it wasn't completely dark because streetlights shone brightly as if the stars in the sky had been brought down, but as soon as you went to the outskirts of the city, darkness settled as if the cold had taken on color. That darkness was so cold and chilly that it reminded one of an evil spirit trying to pull you into a world full of only shadows, sticking to your skin in a sticky manner.

This was also true for the alley between the hotel and the residential area.

The alley was full of darkness like a forest full of bare branches sticking out like thorns, and the streetlights that had been erected during the Soviet era had reached the end of their lifespan one by one, unable to properly illuminate the eerie path.

At least a faint light was leaking from a tent spread out on one side of the alley, serving as a substitute for streetlights, but that light was too eerie to be cozy, and too similar to darkness to be bright, holding a cold atmosphere.

Especially the floor of the tent, which felt unnaturally clean, was doubling this chilliness, so it was clear that an ordinary person would be overwhelmed by this atmosphere and wouldn't even think of approaching the tent. Moreover, even if someone had the courage to approach the tent, even a strong man would probably step back in surprise if they saw the bizarre scene inside the tent.

"Hmm~"

There was a mirror hanging inside the tent.

The inside of the tent was full of mirrors as if it were a modern art exhibition.

Silver plastic mirrors were attached to the cloth, and glass was attached to the dark-colored table, reflecting the surroundings like an improvised mirror. Not only that, but mirrors hanging from strings were abundant on the ceiling like mobiles, and mirror walls were set up here and there.

Mirrors.

Numerous mirrors.

A bizarre scene reminiscent of a mirror maze where clowns frolic.

In the center of it all, the fortune-teller was preparing to receive customers.