Chapter 21

Inside the dim shop, the proprietress offered me a chair. We were in the shop of the village’s fortune-teller, Soketto. Just when I was starting to think everything had been neatly tied up, she personally asked me to come over. “…Well. Things have been a little rough for you, huh, Megumin?” Soketto smiled from behind her table. I still didn’t know why I was there. What did she mean by “rough”? Was she talking about me being chased around by the servants of the Dark God? “…Be sure to buy your little sister a proper toy.” “?!” I quaked with shock, eliciting a giggle from Soketto. “Don’t worry—I won’t tell anyone. Fortune-tellers know how to keep a secret. I didn’t call you here today about that.” I let out a breath of relief as I looked at Soketto, who had her hand on her crystal ball. “Then why did you call me here? Oh, is it Bukkororii? Has that man done something again? Yes, I have been acquainted with him for quite a long time, but I’m afraid complaining to me about him will not do you much good.” “That’s not it, either. I see him hanging around outside the shop sometimes, but he hasn’t caused me any trouble.” Soketto beckoned me to come closer. “Today…I wanted to tell your fortune.” She smiled. “Tell my fortune? About what? So you know, I don’t have much interest in love.” “Well, isn’t that a shame. But it is what it is. I just wanted to see where you would go in the future. Call it a fortune-teller’s intuition. I think you’re going to do big things.” “So you’re driven by simple curiosity? Very well, I don’t mind. But if it turns out I will have an unhappy future, I don’t want to know too many details.” “Ah, but the future can be changed, you know. Giving advice on how to avoid an unhappy outcome is my job.” Soketto placed her hand happily on her crystal ball and began channeling magic into it. “…Hmm. First, it seems you intend to leave this village and go to a town called Axel, yes? I see, I see. And there, after many trials, you will meet wonderful companions. They will be extremely intelligent… Well…hmm…intelli…gent……? A-anyway, they’ll have wonderful personalities… H-huh…? This boy, he… Ugh…” “What is it?! Tell me—I must know! What do you see about my companions?! Are they brilliant, diligent, kind people?!” Soketto looked away and didn’t say a word. “Helping people avoid unhappy fates is your job, is it not?! Out with it!” I was shaking her shoulders by this point when suddenly, her expression changed. “…Now, this. Huh, Megumin, you will be blessed with good companions.” “Which is it?! You said the future can be changed! Now I’m starting to have second thoughts about going to Axel…!” Soketto smiled bitterly. “It would be troublesome if this future changed. I think I’ll keep quiet.” “Tell me! Now I really want to know!” Her smile changed to one of amusement, but that was all I seemed to get out of her. “…Mm, you certainly will do big things together. A catastrophe looms over this village, and when it comes, you guys will be involved somehow.” “This fortune seems very open-ended… I had heard your fortunes were very specific and frequently accurate, Soketto.” Soketto just shrugged and smiled. “The catastrophe in the village is going to have something to do with me, too, and fortune-tellers can’t see things that involve themselves.” She ran her hand gently over the surface of the crystal ball. I guess her point was that life wasn’t so easy as to allow someone who could see the future to simply manipulate their own. A catastrophe that would involve Soketto… From all the recent fuss to the various dangerous things sealed away in this village, the possibilities seemed nearly endless. “I suppose it could involve an assault by the Demon King’s army,” she said. “Though I hear Bukkororii is getting together some weird group just in case that happens.” She must have meant his “Red-Eye Dead Slayers.” ………Huh? Come to think of it, when Bukkororii had asked about his future girlfriend, the crystal ball hadn’t shown anything. And apparently, Soketto couldn’t see anything involving herself, so…? “I guess Bukkororii isn’t that bad a guy, if he would just get a job. And if he could stop stalking people and doing all that weird stuff, I’m sure he’d find someone nice… Are you okay, Megumin? What are you grinning about?” “Oh, nothing. I was just thinking sometimes it’s difficult to strike a balance.” Balance? Soketto seemed to be thinking as she cocked her head. “Anyway, the only thing I’ll say is to look forward to your time in Axel… You want advice? Stay strong, no matter how much sexual harassment you may endure.” “I’m going to be sexually harassed by someone?! You mean one of my comrades?! Are you sure these are good people?!” I left the shop, Chomusuke’s claws digging into my flesh where she was perched on my shoulder. It hurt a little, but that wasn’t what was bothering me most at that moment. Here I hadn’t even set out on my journey, and I had already received some troubling news. Maybe I should just shut myself away in this village… “Anyway, I guess I have to save up enough money to get out of here first. I will worry about it after that,” I told myself, then took Chomusuke from my shoulder into my arms. Even if my companions turned out to be good-for-nothings, I simply had to support them. I have two goals. One was to show that woman my Explosion. And the other… This world crawled with monsters. With bounty heads and demons. I had something to prove to such ruffians. I would show them that now that I knew Explosion, it was I who was the strongest. Be my opponent a Dark God or even the Demon King himself— For some reason, I felt Chomusuke tremble in my arms. I hugged her tighter, my red eyes shining. Yes, I would let loose an explosion on the bosses of this world—!