LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 70
And on the opposite side of the goat, a fluffy baby goat was munching on some hay. Beside the baby goat, a rodent was sitting close to a wheel in the spacious corner, staring intently at Jinseong.
With a blank expression, the rodent twitched its nose and watched the newcomers approach, then scampered up to them and sniffed at their faces.
Iserin, charmed by the cute sight, gently reached out to pet its head, and instead of biting or being hostile, the rodent closed its eyes and accepted the gentle touch. Iserin kept mumbling “so cute” as she stroked its bristly fur, almost as if she were enchanted.
Meanwhile, Jinseong locked eyes with Iarin, who was looking at him as if to inquire about the goat and guinea pig he rescued.
Then he uttered a shocking statement to Iarin.
“That’s not a guinea pig, it’s a baby capybara.”
“Huh?”
Startled by his shocking statement, Iarin looked to the barn.
“I bought that saying it was a guinea pig!”
“It’s a capybara. If we’re talking about value, it’s much more expensive and precious, though… sigh.”
Until just recently, the rodent had been called a guinea pig, and now it appeared to be enjoying Iserin’s petting, fluffing its bristles adorably.
“Are you saying that’s not a guinea pig?”
Ella, clearly shocked as well, gazed at the capybara being petted in Iserin’s arms.
“I can’t believe I didn’t recognize it….”
What shocked Ella further was that she was the one who had purchased that capybara. Concerned about leaving a creature in the hands of someone who couldn’t even tell a goat apart from a capybara, she had confidently asserted that she would retrieve the rodent herself, and what she brought back from the Russian market was indeed that capybara.
Its plump body, clearly resembling a rodent, had led her to purchase it without a second thought…
To proclaim with confidence that she’d brought back a guinea pig only for it to actually be a capybara; she felt like hiding in a rat hole.
“The capybara carries symbols of water and fish, unlike typical rodents; it’s supposed to be used in special situations. How could I make such a mistake…!”
She had recently scolded Iarin for missing the same symbolism and now had made the exact same blunder. She couldn’t hold her head up in shame.
“How embarrassing….”
Perhaps Jinseong could read Ella’s mind.
He smiled at her and expressed his gratitude.
“Thank you for taking such good care of my sister. It seems you’ve managed the goat and capybara very well, and they appear to be loving it. Even though they’re just animals for a brief period, you’ve really put in the effort.”
“N-no… It’s nothing like that.”
“Not at all. Both animals look plump and healthy, and since they’re indoors, they seem to have no illness. Plus, the way they don’t shy away from human touch and instead show affection indicates they’ve been well-loved. It feels like you’ve put in a lot of care.”
“Y-yes….”
“Hmm. Since you’ve put in so much effort, I truly want to repay you….”
Jinseong stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment before speaking.
“I didn’t prepare a gift since I visited unexpectedly, but I will bring you a good one next time.”
“Huh? A gift? Oh, no! You don’t have to!”
“Haha, please don’t feel burdened. Frau Winter is a friend of my sister and has helped her gather materials while caring for the animals so lovingly. If I can’t even give a proper gift to such a person, what would my honor amount to?”
Jinseong smiled brightly as he locked eyes with her.
“For now, I can’t take the animals with me, so please take care of them a little longer. I assure you, when I come to retrieve them next time, I’ll bring a gift. Please don’t refuse it, Frau Winter.”
“Y-yes….”
Having received her approval, Jinseong stepped outside from the barn.
“Haha, I originally came just to see the animals, and here I am, losing track of time. It was truly a wonderful time. I hope it hasn’t been an inconvenience.”
“Not at all. I enjoyed it too.”
“I’ll take my leave now. Next time, I’ll… um. It seems I startled you by contacting you suddenly today. I will be sure to notify you in advance on my next visit. Until then, have a good day.”
He put on his coat and stepped outside, bidding farewell as he started to head back to the hotel using the same path he arrived.
“Hey, big brother. I didn’t know you were so good with words!”
“I-I didn’t either. This is the first time….”
As they moved away from Ella’s house, Iarin poked Jinseong with her finger, and beside her, Iserin shot him a somewhat awkward yet incredibly curious glance.
“Did you fall for him? Huh? Is that your type, big bro?”
With a slightly playful expression, Jinseong shook his head.
“No, it’s nothing like that.”
“But you were oozing honey from your voice! Have you tried charming any girls? Huh? Give us an answer!”
“That’s correct….”
Iarin’s face was playful, but there was a hint of discomfort in the firm jab from her finger, as if she was slightly annoyed.
“It’s not like that! I was just being polite since she’s your friend.”
He stammered a vague response to their curiosities and subtly glanced at the fortune teller’s house.
The area around the fortune teller’s house was impeccably clean.
Not a speck of dust in sight.
—
“Ah~! Seriously, what did that big brother do in Japan?!”
Upon returning to the hotel, Iarin flopped onto the bed and screamed.
She began thrashing around on the bed like a child throwing a tantrum.
“Hey! Can’t you use your ability to find out? I’m sure that big brother was doing something in Japan!”
She spoke in an annoyed voice to Iserin, who was leaning against the backrest of the bed.
“…No way.”
Iserin was curious about what Jinseong had been doing in Japan, and for a moment, she almost got tempted, but remembering how she’d gotten caught up in Spirit Vision trouble recently, she firmly refused her request. However, even if she gave up on figuring it out herself, her curiosity hadn’t disappeared, and she stared at the camel sitting next to her like it was baking bread.
‘What about it?’
If she couldn’t check herself, couldn’t she at least hear indirectly about Jinseong’s changes from her demon?
Hoping that the grimoire would provide her with answers, she awaited a response.
And as if to meet her expectations, the grimoire replied about Jinseong’s changes.
However, it wasn’t what Iserin or Iarin had wanted.
[ He has changed. ]
‘Huh? Really? How has he changed…?’
The grimoire frowned slightly.
[ He now resembles other humans in appearance. ]
‘Huh?’
[ Yes. Do you remember what I previously mentioned? The metaphor about the kitten? ]
‘Uh, yeah. Of course I remember. It was quite shocking….’
Previously, when explaining karma, the grimoire had likened human karma to a kitten to make it understandable for her. During that moment, Iserin realized how the grimoire viewed her, what kind of kitten feeling she embodied, and completely understood why the Transcendent Beings were friendly toward humans.
[ I once explained about your brother. ]
‘Yeah. I said he looked the same from any angle, which felt uncanny…’
[ That uncanniness has become more pronounced. It remains uncanny, but now his form closely resembles other humans. ]
‘Then isn’t that a good thing…?’
At her question, the demon slightly shook his head.
[ Well… ]
The grimoire closed its mouth with a reluctant expression.
It was hard to voice what he couldn’t say to his contractor.
Because her brother felt like something wearing a human form like a shell.
So he simply remained silent.
—
The night in Russia was cold, lonely, and dark.
At least the city center was not as dark thanks to the streetlights shining brightly like stars in the sky, but even stepping outside the city’s edge, the chill was palpable, casting a shadowy gloom all around. The darkness was so cold and eerie that it evoked images of an evil spirit trying to lure one into a world filled with shadows.
The alleyway between the hotel and the mansions was no exception.
The alley, akin to a forest full of thin, spiky branches, was drenched in darkness, and the streetlights erected during the Soviet era had begun to flicker out, failing to illuminate the eerie paths.
Fortunately, a tent stretched out on one side of the alleylet out a dim light that served as a substitute for the streetlights, though that light had a more ominous, cold vibe rather than warmth, and it was too dark to be considered bright.
Especially the unnaturally clean floor inside the tent amplified this chill, to the point where an ordinary person might feel overwhelmed by the atmosphere and wouldn’t dare approach the tent. Moreover, even if one were courageous enough to approach, seeing the bizarre sights inside would surely send even a robust person retreating in shock.
“Ugh~.”
Inside the tent, a mirror hung on the wall.
As if it were a modern art exhibition, the inside of the tent was filled with mirrors. Silver plastic mirrors were attached to the cloth, and dark wooden tables had glass tops reflecting their surroundings like makeshift mirrors. Additionally, the ceiling was filled with mirrors hanging from strings like a mobile, and mirror walls were erected all over.
Mirrors.
Countless mirrors.
Creating a bizarre scene reminiscent of a maze made of mirrors where clowns could frolic.
In the center of all this, the diviner was preparing to welcome guests.