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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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“What kind of fortune telling? Surely not something trivial like palmistry… Astrology? Numerology? Or perhaps that recently popular card reading?”
Eleanor’s ears perked up, almost flapping like wings.
I didn’t have a chance to stop her. Like a child captivated by sweets, Eleanor, lured by the old woman’s words, entered the alley.
‘She’s like a child wandering near a river.’
Due to her ability, Eleanor rarely experienced misfortune and, having never ventured outside before, was incredibly naive.
Even now, in an era where clothing denoted social status, for an old woman to casually lure a well dressed couple into an alleyway?
If I were alone, I would have drawn my sword and removed her hood, revealing her face.
Yet, I silently followed Eleanor into the flimsy tent because, unlike the pickpocket, the old woman’s gaze had been fixed on Eleanor from the start.
This meant Eleanor’s ability wasn’t functioning and that the old woman was a witch.
‘The Star Witch.’
It had to be the Star Witch, the mastermind behind the Seven Witches’ Gathering. Her long, hooked nose and the wrinkles around her mouth were likely disguises.
What did the Star Witch want? Even my memories from my past life didn’t reveal why she helped other witches. I saw this meeting as an opportunity to find out.
“You could say it’s a branch of astrology.”
The witch chuckled and drew seven orbs from a leather pouch, placing them on the table. They were beautiful orbs, shimmering with an ethereal light, as if containing entire universes and galaxies within them.
“Wow… Pretty! Sell them to me. Okay?”
They were far too extravagant for a mere street fortune teller. Eleanor, recognizing their value, immediately made an offer, not even considering the possibility of refusal.
“What kind of fortune teller would sell the tools of their trade?”, She Chuckles.
The old woman refused, as if it were obvious. However, to Eleanor, accustomed to acquiring anything she desired, it wasn’t obvious at all.
“Huh…?”
Eleanor, finally realizing something was amiss, turned to me and grabbed my hand. She no longer seemed to find it strange to rely on me, her rival.
“It’s alright. I’m here.”
“N-No one said anything! Hmph!”
Eleanor, realizing she had been gripping my hand too tightly, quickly turned her head away. However, while her grip loosened slightly, she didn’t let go.
“oh, heh, hehehe…”, She chuckles again.
The Star Witch watched Eleanor with an amused smile.
However, her gaze turned cold when it fell on me, reminiscent of Eleanor’s demeanor when we first met.
I had a suspicion.
“I was just kidding, so don’t worry about it. So, astrology, you say? How does it work?”
“huhuhu… You’ve probably heard that the number of people is equal to the number of stars in the sky. If you can find the star that represents you among the stars in the heavens, you can see both the past and the future.”
“And these orbs are the tools for that?”
“Hehehe… Would you like to try?”
The witch pushed the orbs towards Eleanor, and they rolled across the table. Eleanor, mesmerized by the galaxies within, carefully picked one up.
“Doesn’t seem like much.”
“Hee… It’s meaningless for someone who isn’t a seer to touch it.”
The witch placed her hand over Eleanor’s, which was still holding the orb. Eleanor, startled, tried to pull her hand away, but the witch’s grip was surprisingly strong.
“Allen…!”
Eleanor, Panic, looked at me for help.
“It’ll be alright.”
“You’re up to something again, aren’t you?”
“Not this time.”
“I don’t believe you.”
As Eleanor continued to accuse me suspiciously, the witch, her eyes closed in concentration, finally spoke.
“Huhuhu… What a cruel fate. Born with everyone’s blessings, yet destined to become increasingly isolated. The unfortunate thing is that you neither desired this nor acted in a way that would bring it about.”
Eleanor’s grip on my hand tightened.
“That’s… too obvious, isn’t it? It’s something anyone could guess just by looking at me. You can’t fool me with that.”
The witch raised her head slightly, revealing one eye, which gleamed with a faint red light. A smirk played on her lips.
“You, of all people, should know that appearances are deceiving…”
“How did you…?”
Her words carried a knowing tone. Eleanor, truly bewildered, asked again,
“D-Do you know how to lift the curse?”
“It’s not a curse. Nor is it a blessing. It’s simply a cruel fate.”
“Fate…”
“The only consolation is that you’re not alone. If you meet someone with the same fate, you’ll surely find solace.”
The Star Witch was referring to the other witches. Before Eleanor could think of Anya, I subtly traced her palm with my finger.
I grinned and shrugged at her, as if to say that I was the one she was destined to meet.
‘There’s no need for a Witches’ Gathering.’
I wanted Eleanor to rely on me, and me alone, not the other witches.
Eleanor, however, still naive, scoffed and turned away.
“You said you could see the future, right? What about my future? I’m especially curious about whether I’ll end up with the one I love.”
The Star Witch paused, as if taken aback by the unexpected question. She looked at me disapprovingly.
“Unfortunately, it’s an unrequited love. While you might form a strong bond as lord and vassal, you are not destined to be together.”
Eleanor frowned slightly, then chuckled.
She had been referring to Anya, but the Star Witch had mistaken her question as being about me. Eleanor dismissed the accuracy of the fortune-telling as mere coincidence.
Trust, after all, is easily lost, even if it takes time to build.
“Really? How bad is it?”
The Star Witch, sensing the lighter mood, tilted her head curiously. She couldn’t possibly understand Eleanor’s reaction without knowing the complexities of our relationship.
“A marriage should be a complementary relationship. However, your love will consume and control you, turning you into a mere puppet.”
“Then I should stay away.”
Eleanor said, glancing at me, a playful smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Yet, she didn’t release my hand.
The Star Witch continued, a hint of disapproval in her voice,
“As I said before, your relationship as lord and vassal is ideal. Therefore, it would be best to maintain a professional distance.”
One thing was clear: while the Star Witch disapproved of me, she wanted me to help Eleanor.
“Hehehe, is that so?”
Eleanor grinned and looked at me, as if trying to convey her continued dislike and wariness. However, she seemed unaware of how much softer her demeanor had become compared to our first meeting.
Before I could respond, she turned back to the Star Witch and asked,
“What about this man?”
“I can’t reveal his past or future without his consent.”
“That’s unfair.”
The Star Witch simply smiled. She seemed eager to speak with me privately.
“Eleanor, would you mind stepping outside for a moment? Ah, don’t go too far. You might get lost.”
“Do you think I’m a child? Hmph.”
Eleanor stood up and left the tent. I wondered why she was being so obedient, then noticed her shadow pressed close to the tent. She was clearly eavesdropping.
“Sigh…”
The Star Witch, as if anticipating this, took a pinch of powder from her pouch and blew it towards the entrance of the tent. Eleanor’s shadow abruptly retreated.
“Aren’t you concerned?”
The Star Witch asked, her voice now carrying a strangely androgynous allure instead of her usual raspy tone.
“Eleanor is safer alone. You must have made arrangements as well.”
“It seems you haven’t lost your memories. Then why didn’t you fulfill the contract?”
As the Star Witch finished speaking, another image of her overlapped with the current one. However, the background was a hospital room from my memories of the modern world.
Simultaneously, memories, as if a lock on a hidden vault had been opened, came flooding back.
Yes. I had met the Star Witch before.
Or rather, the owner of these memories had.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Wasn’t the contract to receive a new life in exchange for saving the witches? I believe I’ve fulfilled my end of the bargain.”
I spoke as if I knew everything, driven by the instinct to hide the fact that my modern self had taken over.
While the contract had been made with my modern self, I was now closer to Allen Tolbatz
For some reason, the contract hadn’t been fulfilled properly.
“Nonsense! You broke the contract! You endangered Eleanor with your greed!”
She was referring to the fishing rights, which had led to Earl Dressten’s involvement in the war. If it weren’t for me, the Earl would have been ruined by Eleanor’s ability.
This meant the Star Witch was aware of that future. Well, she was the one who had, albeit imperfectly, managed to possess this body.
“I believed sending Anya to Eleanor was the safest course of action. I simply needed a connection to Eleanor to achieve that.”
“Are you claiming you had no ulterior motives?”
I shrugged.
“Ultimately, I succeeded in protecting Anya.”
“But you endangered Eleanor in the process. The outcome is worse than doing nothing.”
“If you don’t like my methods, why don’t you try it yourself?”
“Who says I haven’t?!”
This was the answer I wanted. Why would someone capable of possessing another person, even imperfectly, rely on an agent to save the witches?
Judging by our encounter in the modern world, she couldn’t possibly know how events would unfold in this world.
The question that had plagued me since regaining my memories was finally answered. She hadn’t refrained from acting; she couldn’t act.
“So, you tried to intervene directly, but it didn’t go well? That’s why you’re using me. Right?”
That made sense. She had to minimize her actions to prevent further deviations from the known future. That way, she could fully exploit her superior knowledge.
‘However, she’ll intervene if the situation deviates too much from her plan. This meeting is proof of that.’
The Star Witch remained silent. She had realized she had fallen for my probing.
“You’ve changed.”
Her gaze was openly suspicious. I scoffed.
“What? Did you expect me to remain the naive, bedridden child, oblivious to the ways of the world, for the rest of my life? How ridiculous. You threw me into a world where I have to change to survive, and yet you expect me to remain the same?”
The Star Witch wouldn’t harm me, as she needed something from me. Conversely, I was curious about what she was capable of.
That was why I had provoked her.
“Fulfill the contract…!”
“I’ve always been faithful to the contract. Unlike you, who watched safely from the sidelines, I risked my life to save Anya and Eleanor.”
-Bang.
The Star Witch slammed her hand on the table.
“Stay away from Eleanor! Do you still not understand? Your greed is ruining everything!”
“Are you adding another condition? Without offering anything in return?”
Not yet. Not yet, Star Witch. What are you hiding? You wouldn’t have chosen me, a complete stranger from the modern world, as your agent without a good reason.
The Star Witch, for the first time since I met her, smiled. It was a mocking smile, much like my own.
“Human greed truly knows no bounds. Did you think I wouldn’t anticipate this?”
“What…?”
Her smile widened as I feigned a grim expression.
“Your ambition is a sign that you want to live this new life to the fullest. However, without my permission, your life is incomplete. I’ve placed a leash on you.”
“What have you done to my body?!”
This time, I slammed my hand on the table and stood up. The Star Witch calmly placed the orbs back into her pouch, ignoring my glare.
“All living creatures instinctively seek to procreate. Especially you, who spent half your life bedridden.”
That explained why I hadn’t gotten anyone pregnant despite not using contraception.
“Surely not…?”
“My body? Don’t be ridiculous. That body doesn’t fully belong to you yet. Now, I’ll give you one last chance. Fulfill your assigned role. If you want your reproductive abilities back, that is.”
“…!”
Having said her piece, the Star Witch stood up and left the tent. I grabbed at her robe, but my hand closed on empty air; the Star Witch was gone.
The street outside was still crowded. Finding the Star Witch, whose face I didn’t even know, in this crowd was impossible.
“Yawn…”
I dragged the sleeping Eleanor into the tent, stretched, and leaned back in a chair.
“Does that seem urgent enough?”
Would things have been different if my modern self had remained in control? Unlike the Star Witch’s assumption, I wasn’t particularly attached to having children.
In fact, I was rather pleased with the leash. I could fuck as much as I wanted without worrying about pregnancy.
“Though it is a bit… unsettling…”
I unfolded the robe the Star Witch had been wearing. It wasn’t a man’s robe. And it didn’t have that musty old-person smell. Instead, it carried a familiar scent.
Moreover, judging by her voice, she was within my acceptable age range. Considering the average appearance of witches, she was likely beautiful. Greed stirred within me.
“I won’t let you go so easily next time.”
I had made this decision after confirming that Eleanor’s ability didn’t affect me. I would take all the witches for myself.
Of course, I wouldn’t bother asking for their consent.
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Let’s goooo!!
How bro’s gonna explain his infertility to his girls: a witch took it because i didn’t complete the contract she wanted 🤣
Thanks for the consecutive chappie!
Yeaah, I mean, I feel like for a scummy playboy that wants to sleep around with a ton of women a built-in contraceptive isn’t exactly a huge downside. I guess it’d be an issue in, like, ten years or something?