“Chi, it’s an intruder, Your Majesty!”
Yvette pointed her finger at the unexpected intruder. Then she realized that Lasilia was changing her clothes, so she screamed and covered Lasilia with her body.
“And of course, while I was changing my clothes…!”
The intruder raised his hands and turned his head to the side.
“There is no need to be on guard. I didn’t come with malicious intent.”
It had an appearance and a voice that she couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman.
“The Empress of the Empire is looking for me, so I just showed up on my own feet before I was forcibly captured. Isn’t it better for both of us to do this quickly?”
“Uh, like that… Is that so, Her Majesty?”
Yvette looked back at Lasilia with her eyes wondering what she should do. Before that, an intruder hit the bow.
“And if I came here with malicious intent, wouldn’t Her Majesty have known long ago? She must have had the abilities of the first companion. You must have sensed my malice.”
“Ah…? Is that really true, Your Majesty?”
Lasilia stared at her intruder. She felt like she knew who he was. He said he came because he called her. There was only one person who could say such a thing.
“You must be a shaman from Trinidad.”
“That’s right.”
“It was today that His Majesty promised to know your whereabouts. Are you listening to the imperial palace?”
“Ah, there is a shaman who works for the empire. He’s not as talented as me, but he’s quite talented.”
“Are you saying it responded to Lord Horsed’s spell?”
“Well, something like that.”
“There must be a reason why you came to see me directly instead of through His Majesty.”
The Trinidad shaman grinned.
“A person who has been involved in witchcraft for a long time like me inevitably becomes sensitive to other forces. The Emperor of the Empire is overflowing with magical power… On my part, it is much better to deal with Her Majesty the Empress.”
“Then.”
Lasilia removed her doubts. What the shaman said seemed to be true. Above all, she could sense that there was no malicious intent. Listening to his words, she had a vague idea in which cases she could sense the other person’s feelings.
‘When you have thoughts that are different from the words you say. I think I saw it then.’
The time when she saw Yvette’s heart was when Yvette was thinking in her mind something she would not say to herself.
“How about changing seats? You came as a guest, so I will welcome you as a guest.”
The shaman smiled and bowed at Lasilia’s words.
“The Empire’s companion is someone who can communicate well. Thank you for your hospitality. I am willing to follow you.”
Yvette brought the shaman to the parlor first. Then Lasilia, after changing her clothes, sat across from the shaman and tipped his tea cup.
* * *
“Doesn’t tea suit your taste?”
“No, I dare not. It’s just because I don’t drink anything other than alcohol. Instead, I will enjoy snacks.”
As he said, the Trinidad shaman diligently swept the sweets into his mouth. Yvette thought he must have been hungry and offered to bring more snacks.
“You have a good soul. It must be your strength to find someone like that.”
The shaman said this.
“You’ve seen the Empress before, haven’t you?”
Lasilia asked after she took a sip of tea.
“Oh, that’s right. I chanted a spell over her body.”
“But you don’t find me strange. Even though the way they speak will definitely be different.”
The shaman grinned. Even though he was the same shaman, he was the exact opposite of Decan. Decan feels like quiet and mysterious water, but the shaman of Trinidad was like a wind that could not tell where it would blow.
“I recognized it at first sight.”
“What?”
“That the previous empress was a fake. I know that the person in front of me right now is real.”
“…”
The shaman munched on a cookie filled with raspberry jam, swallowed it, and brushed away the crumbs from the corner of his mouth.
“Any shaman would know. The most elaborate and greatest spell since the continent was created is the spell that created the first companion. Perhaps that’s because magic is added to the spell. In any case, there is no human in this world who can create a magic that surpasses that. So, if the markings are gone, it can’t be a real companion.”
“Are you saying that even though the Empress knew it was fake, she completed the spell to return the mark?”
“Hmm… I have to say this. There is no shaman anywhere in the world who can master a companion’s magic, Your Majesty.”
“Then that means you committed fraud against Duke Piellion.”
“Yes? Oh, that’s too much to say. This life is all about making money, but it’s a scam. I know Trinidad may seem like a lawless land, but we have some strict rules, Your Majesty. Those who do not know witchcraft will never be able to set foot there.”
“I don’t know how you could touch a magic that I couldn’t touch with my own words.”
“I can’t touch it. Instead, I did my best as requested.”
“How?”
“This was the client’s order. Return the markings to their original state. So I also completed the orders I could. Make sure the markings are real. That is what the client agreed to.”
“…”
Make sure the markings were real. At first glance, it seemed similar to returning a mark, but it was different. If the mark was disappearing because Cartagena was fake, there was nothing the shaman, who could not touch the companion’s magic, could do. But if it meant making the mark real again. It was possible to bring the real one with a marked body.
“I… Is that how you came here?”
Lasilia muttered softly.
‘Ah!’
The shaman nodded, chewing the cookie again.
“I guess so. The spell I wrote is complete. As you know, if a spell fails, it is indicated somehow. Either there will be a backlash against me, or I will go to the victim.”
“I have one question.”
Lasilia put down her teacup and looked at the shaman. The shaman hurriedly sucked the jam from the corner of her mouth and straightened up.
“Please speak.”
“Do you know why I was born with the fate of a companion?”
“Are you curious about that? Since you know it’s a companion, it doesn’t matter, right?”
“I would like to know. I heard that companion are born from five families involved in witchcraft. But I had nothing to do with the Empire. So some doubts remain. Why does it have to be me?”
“I know what you mean. I think of myself as a shaman, but Her Majesty the Empress may not.”
“So, what is the answer?”
“I don’t know, Your Majesty. I have absolutely nothing to do with the empire.”
“Ah…”
As Lasilia let out a small sigh, the shaman quickly added.
“But I can cast a spell for you. I know the magic of the answer.”
“The magic of the answer?”
“Yes. It will lead you to the answer you want. Instead…”
The shaman grinned. Strangely enough, that light laugh didn’t seem very frivolous. It seemed like a device that showed the fact that he had a lot of things in him.
“I hope you pay the price. You can pay a reasonable price, a little generously.”
“What do you want?”
“First, please ask the emperor of the empire to stop looking for this body. It’s difficult to receive requests if the tail is attached.”
“It is possible because the reason for looking for you has been resolved. And?”
“Oh, it’s money.”
The shaman made a circle with his thumb and index finger.
“Money is the only reason shamans receive requests. Even though I walk around with this body broken, I always live a life of deficit… The more you give, the better.”
Crunch, crunch.
No sooner had he finished speaking than the shaman swept the remaining snack into his mouth. When Lasilia looked at him, he grinned and added that since there was not much chance of eating such high-quality snacks, they should be eaten while they were still available.
‘It seems to be true that there is no money.’
Lasilia nodded her head.
“I may be an empress in name, but I don’t have much. What I can give you is…”
“Can’t I wear that hairpin?”
The shaman pointed to Lasilia’s headdress. It was sent by the emperor some time ago. There were so many jewels that the emperor sent her that she couldn’t remember the shapes of them all, and she thought she could use at least one of them at her discretion.
“If this is worth it.”
Lasilia pulled out her hairpin and handed it to the shaman. The shaman’s eyes lit up and he politely took the hairpin with both hands.
“Don’t be like that. I am in despair, Your Majesty.”
He put the last snack in his mouth and got up. He sat down on his knees at her feet and asked for her hand.
“Because it works better this way.”
Lasilia placed her hand on his palm and her spell began. She felt the movement of an unknown force, like when she once returned those who had been robbed of consciousness.
“…That’s enough.”
After finishing her spell, the shaman kissed the back of Lasilia’s hand before letting go of her hand.
“Is this also part of the spell?”
When Lasilia asked, he shook his head.
“No. This is my tribute to the companion. You may not know it now, but the first companion was the greatest shaman.”
He was fiddling with a jewelry pin with a smile on his face and said this while tucking it into his sleeve.
“Ah, since you paid generously, I’ll give you a bonus.”
“I hope it’s a good one.”
“Yes. This came to mind while I was casting the answer spell, so it must be one of the things the companion was looking for. Let’s see… Looks like it’s around here… Ah, it’s like this.”
The shaman raised a finger covered in patterns all the way to the tip and pointed at the table.
“It’s that book. That book will probably have the answer you’re looking for.”
It was a book that recorded the movements of Yvette’s companion.
“Thank you for letting me know.”
“You’re welcome. Oh, and there’s one more thing. Why do I keep opening my mouth like this? …Do you know how the answer spell works?”
“No, I don’t know.”
“I thought so.”
The shaman nodded his head once, erased his laughter and opened his mouth again with a serious face. Perhaps because his expression changed, what he said sounded like advice that could not be missed.
“Don’t pass anything by. And rely on your heart rather than your ears. You never know when or with what face the answer will come. What is important is that the companion thinks it is the answer. If your heart moves, that is the answer. Remember that answers can come in any form.”
After speaking, the shaman bowed politely. After completing his business, the shaman disappeared into the shadows beneath his feet.
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
If you like my work please support me with Ko-fi or Patreon. Next post will be released on May, 12.
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