“I happened to see this child passing by, and how could I ignore the misfortune that has befallen them for three generations? Although I am just a humble shaman, it is not just one person, but three who are on the verge of falling into despair, so I had no choice but to intervene. You may think of me as a nosy shaman, but listen to my words.”
[Three generations? Three people?]
Jinseong spoke in a tone that suggested he had intruded without selfish intentions.
“Even if it were due to the will of the heavens, I would have simply walked by; however, with misfortune befalling a person, how could I turn a blind eye? If I were to ignore this, the Ksitigarbha’s staff would surely scold me after my death, and if I were to look away after seeing, how could I possibly enter the narrow gate of heaven? Thus, I have come forth, witch. You must not harbor any doubts.”
His whisper held a clever charm.
“I have seen the traces of the evil shaman. It moves like a twisting snake in the sky, and its pattern is reminiscent of a monster that rolls its eyes like the sun moves in the sky. It is a sign that I once observed on a narrow island, where terrible offerings were made. Its name is Crom Cruach; you likely are unaware of it, aren’t you?”
[No. This is the first I’ve heard of it… ]
“I do not blame you. After all, who would expect a witch to know such things? Moreover, you are familiar with those who wield the symbols of runes that once enveloped the world in fire and iron, so you likely hold a strong aversion to such symbols. Not knowing is not unusual, just as it is entirely natural for a tree to bear fruit according to the nature of the soil it is planted in.”
Jinseong’s tone was low and somber, yet it bore a sound that stimulated the brain.
As though a tiger’s roar was laced with sub-bass frequencies below 20Hz that influenced the mind, his voice too was tinged with a mesmerizing quality.
Although it wasn’t a sound with a shamanistic effect, it certainly had an impact on the human brain.
“Crom Cruach is the god whose symbol demands human sacrifice, and this child has become its target. And it shall not end with just this child; misfortune will eventually reach their master, and after that, it will then extend its grasp to you, the Great Witch. The selfish and horrific ritual of one person affects three, how could that not be deemed a horrific affair?”
[Human sacrifice?! What kind of sewage-hole…!]
“You, Great Witch. You may love your disciple dearly and may not wish death upon this unsatisfactory child who has not properly advanced, but it surely does not come to wishing for their death, let alone a gruesome sacrifice for human offerings. Moreover, that horrendous death would also reach your beloved disciple and ultimately you, bringing you to a dreadful despair and an unspeakable, painful demise. You must put all your effort into helping me protect this child.”
Jinseong continued to enchant the Great Witch.
He would elongate his words depending on the situation or speed them up to keep her from regaining her senses. Additionally, he articulated certain words clearly into her ears while mushing some pronunciations as he subtly widened the distance with his smartphone, embedding specific phrases and words into her mind.
Thus, he obtained everything he aimed for.
He compelled her to spend a fortune to aid Ella.
He ordered her to dispatch people for Ella’s help.
He had her contact Ella’s master to visit Russia.
And then.
[…To be honest, I still can’t fully trust you. However, if everything happens as you said, and Ella, Ness, and I can avoid this misfortune, I will grant you whatever I can offer.]
He received a blank check.
“You wouldn’t want anything beyond your capabilities, would you? What could a wandering shaman desire that is so grand?”
He could only hope to save Ella and thoroughly cut off the sprout of calamity, but Jinseong accepted, appearing content with that.
Thus, the conversation between Jinseong and the Great Witch came to an end.
Now, what remained were Ella and Iserin, who were looking at him with startled eyes.
And Iarin, who was sleeping obliviously.
“Whoa….”
The first to break the prolonged silence after the call was Iserin.
She stared at him, dazed, then gasped and finally asked,
“O-Oppa… What on earth have you been doing…?”
Her gaze was akin to the expression of a long-lost relative who returned as a scam artist.
No, it might have been worse than that.
What Iserin witnessed was an extraordinary spectacle.
Her brother, who had been merely on a short trip to Japan, had just smoothly charmed Ella at an elite level right in front of her, and now he was captivating the Great Witch while adopting the voice of an old man.
“My brother isn’t like this….”
It had escalated to the point of escapism.
“What exactly… What is this Herr Park doing?”
But Ella wore a different expression of shock as she stared at Jinseong with amazement.
The emotion reflected in her expression was wonder.
Being nihilistic and hysterical, and distrusting others, she was quite surprised to see him effortlessly manipulating the notoriously obstinate and nasty Great Witch.
Additionally, as he recounted details about the Great Witch’s past that even Ella didn’t know, it gave him a prophetic appearance, amplifying her surprise.
Of course, she couldn’t help but harbor some suspicion about prior investigations, but given the profession of shaman that Jinseong held and the secret that only the Great Witch knew, most of that suspicion faded away.
Jinseong smiled back at Ella, who was looking at him with a shocked face.
“I’m just a shaman. Please don’t mind me.”
He leaned closer to Iserin, who was confused by the stark contrast between the Jinseong of old and the Jinseong she saw now and whispered,
“So, how does it feel? Do I look like a proper shaman?”
His words were subtly thrown to allow Iserin to conclude that it was just ‘the effort of a brother obsessed with shamanism.’
After tossing out those words, he left the room.
However, before he exited, he earnestly instructed Ella.
“Frau Winter. Until the Great Witch sends you support and ensures your safety from the evil shaman, you must not leave this place.”
“When… How long will that last?”
“Hmm. Well? But it shouldn’t take too long.”
He smiled.
“Turns out I’m luckier than I thought, and things seem to be going smoothly.”
*
“How peculiar.”
Jinseong returned to his hotel room.
“The ties from before my regression transcend time and continue to intertwine like this. Truly strange, even more so.”
He felt a strange sentiment.
He had met Ella B Winter, the original owner of the body once used by Danbi, and he had seen Anastasia Alexandrovna Vesna, who barely existed, sharing nutrients from within her chest as they remained alive. He had also encountered the shaman who was the cause of their swapping.
Moreover, he was also linked to Jinseong, whom he had killed in the past.
How could one not call this peculiar?
“Odilia A Reich.”
The Great Witch is a sort of title.
It is a title given to witches who have lived long lives and wield great power.
The Odilia who had just spoken with him had lived from around the time the Nazis began to gain power in Germany until now, and although she was more than old enough to be called a grandmother, she still maintained a delicate appearance of a mighty witch.
However, just because one has lived long and possesses strength doesn’t mean their personality is kind.
Odilia was a woman with a wicked, vile disposition akin to that of an evil witch.
She was stubborn, unwilling to listen to others, loathed the things people loved, and believed that anything could be resolved with money.
Furthermore, she treated those she deemed beneath her with utmost disdain, and if she perceived something unbecoming, she would mercilessly torment them to the point of causing nervous breakdowns among mercenaries.
Moreover, she believed she deserved to be worshiped and that everyone who worked for her had to comply with her demands, to the extreme that she babbled nonsensical drivel about ‘working for me should be regarded as an honor’ without providing proper compensation.
The worst flaw of this horrendous Great Witch’s nature is that once she trusts someone, regardless of how stubborn she is, she trusts them without question—a personality that could lead to dire situations if she falls for a typical cult or scam artist.
Before his regression, she had been entangled with some religious fanatic, and she was so devoted that she had sacrificed every bit of money to that woman. She even took money meant for mercenaries and employees and handed it over, only to face wrath from everyone as she continued her nonsensical rants intending to belittle them.
Because of that, Odilia met a dreadful end before his regression.
The only silver lining was that the one overseeing her was a woman as well.
However, saying that her overseer was a torture specialist could be labeled a misfortune.
Well, as it goes, fortune and misfortune are two sides of the same coin.
Perhaps Odilia’s death was sandwiched between a ‘good death’ and a ‘bad death.’
“The timing is very fortunate, indeed.”
Jinseong smiled reminiscing about Odilia’s voice, which had reacted violently when he mentioned Hans, and then thought of his younger sister.
Iarin.
The sister who had not shone brightly before his regression, who had not bloomed in comparison to the talent she possessed.
“Since she didn’t meet the conditions, she probably wasn’t a target for human sacrifice even before my regression. Perhaps she might have received the benefit of the sacrificial ritual.”
However, Danbi’s appearance was synonymous with Ella’s death.
Maybe Iarin was affected profoundly by Ella’s death, and that hindered her path to elevation as a Heart Demon.
“If there’s even a slim chance of being a boon, I can’t leave it be.”
However, he could not toss aside Danbi either.
After all, Anastasia had been his old companion who traveled across the world, bringing shamanistic knowledge to him.
Whether considering destiny or use, Danbi had to exist.
It’s hard to say she is truly alive; one could only express that she barely exists.
How could he enable Anastasia to walk on two feet, to think for herself?
How could something that failed to become a fetus or a child be born?
“Originally, I was going to draw in Ella’s master, but things turned out much better.”
Jinseong was filled with pleasant misconceptions, delighting in the notion that everything was turning out splendidly.
“If I’m lucky, I might save Danbi, save Ella, and see Iarin thrive far more than before! I might perform a ritual far greater than the one I initially intended, gaining higher-quality divine objects in the process.”
All he wished was to share blessings with his family before reaching adulthood, and yet good fortune like this appeared.
Isn’t it truly remarkable?
This is the fitting reward for virtuous acts, truly a blessed occurrence.
Moreover, the cost of all this blessings would be borne by another who has accumulated virtues.
What could be better than this!
“Good, all good. Truly good!”
