Chapter 17: Diviner (P3)

Morning came quick. More because I spent majority of the night talking to dead people than the bubbling nervousness in my stomach. Or was that just hunger?

Even after I sent the ghosts their way, although I could feel some of them linger around- the sinking feeling in my stomach that I'd be found out, thrown out, attacked by the Cult, the ghosts would suddenly hate their families and not want to see them anymore, just something would turn up and ruin this for me.

Ever since I woke up in this world my luck has been upturned so badly, I've begun to expect bad things to happen. So, I spent the night staring at the sky. Not admiring the stars or anything wistful, no, I spent that time throwing various wrenches in my plan and picking it all apart.

And so far, I've succeeded in throwing it all to shit, and quite logically too. The most simple and prevalent wrench to any business is not having paying customers.

And my target audience for this was limited and generally regarded as piss poor. Worse is I've only got eleven families to target, what are the chances these eleven have fifty copper tokus lying around?

It brought me to a depressing conclusion. I might have to reduce my price. Reduce my bottom line to accommodate for the lack of a large pool of customers.

"So long as I don't starve." I mutter to myself. At this point anything was better than rats.

I let my mind rest a bit but I don't have to force sleep any longer because the sun peeks over the horizon, its rays piercing through my shut eyelids and pulling me up from my baseless attempt at sleeping.

I look around and notice only a few people crawling out of their homes and setting up their wares, yawning greetings and waving sleepily at their neighbours.

I'd slept out tonight despite the invite from Elsa. Although I'd taken a bedroll, I simply couldn't bring myself to enter their home despite unwittingly promising to fill their stomachs and mine. So, I slept out, embarrassed, ashamed and driven to make things work this new day.

And the first step to that is knocking on a door.

I bang three times on the door and call out a cheerful, annoying greeting bound to stir anyone up from their slumber. I initially wanted to wait a bit until the sun had taken a comfortable place over head, I find myself feeling a bit too excited to wait any longer than the crack of dawn.

I give the door three more bangs and whistle cheerfully as I hear stumbles and cursing on the other side. I don't wait long before the door swings open and a furious face greets me.

The man before me stood wearing nothing but a thin brown trouser tied at his waist with a string of white cloth. His face is grizzly with his full beard and overflowing hair and his build was buffer than mine, no doubt having done his fair share of ploughing at the fields or perhaps even serving in the military.

This man is my sure-fire.

There were definitely doubts about the other families, specifically whether they had the funds required to purchase six minutes with the spirit of a dead relative. But this man is the exception. The one in eleven jackpot. I held no doubt of his wealth, after all, Garland Ioina is the grandson of the founding Mayor of Ioina Village.

He might as well be a prince.

"Who are you and what do you want?"

His voice matches his size and overall demeanour. Plain and simple annoyance radiates from the words and I got the feeling if I didn't cut to the chase, he might pick a fight with me just to wake himself up.

I give a sheepish grin and raise my hand up in a pre-emptive defence, "What I want is simple but what matters is what you want."

"You…You're just a beggar, aren't you?" he scoffs, the anger and annoyance in his eyes fade away into pity, "I suppose a few coppers will satisfy you for now." He starts to walk back in but stops the moment I utter these words.

"Have you ever wondered what it would be like to meet the founder of this beautiful village?"

He turns setting a glare at me. My sheepish grin widens and I set my hands behind my back. "I am so much more than a beggar, young prince."

"Who are you then?"

He is wide awake now. His grandfather's intel was good it seems, "I am someone who can grant a single time of wish. The wish of the dead and the wish of the living."

He raises an eyebrow at me, "Should we take this inside?"

"No, if you are curious, if you are ready to make your wish come by the far side of the village, just by the river there you will find me." I quickly turn away from him answering none of his calls.

He is different. Unlike the others that I planned to tell them straight up what they were in for, he had power and wealth and those two things were the necessary ingredient for the comfortable life I pursue.

I have faith that I baited him sufficiently enough, in fact, I can guarantee he will come by, searching for me to grant his wish. And I will. With great fanfare and little commission…for now.

***

It's noon the time I'm done alerting all families of the chance to see their deceased loved ones again. Conversations ran long despite my meaning to be as cryptic as hell.

Their reactions are…strange. For the most part half of them give the expected surprised remarks and ask the same old surprised questions. 'How is this possible?' 'Who are you and what do you know of my family treasure!' but the other half…Well, as long as they end up paying it doesn't matter.

I head out to my makeshift Diviner stop; the makeshift tent that covered well enough to block the sun out but not the bugs. Already, it seems there are people searching and there is way more than eleven people.

My approach is soon noticed and a path is made, there's mutterings and murmurings of things that threatened to split my face into a grin. I'd barely done any advertising and already there was a crowd forming.

Although I did hear some bad things. Bad like testimonies from my would-be customers of yesterday, it would seem that they were the seeds of doubt within my field of rice.

I ignore it and make my way into the tent. With a single performance all doubts would be clear and they would see that the problem wasn't me.

It was them. Yes, why didn't I think if this sooner? I could blame my inability to bring back their ghosts on their 'sins' just like every religious organisation ever. If you aren't doing well and things aren't just going your way, you must be sinning or not believing hard enough. There is no other explanation.

"Is there something amusing you?"

The question lets me realize a grin had split open over my face, the realization distracts me and it takes me a second to come again realize that no one was meant to be here.

In front of me is my honey pot. The veritable prince of the village. I let out a snort but quickly compose myself. "Ah, Young prince. Securing first in line, are you?"

He ignores the amusement in my voice and jumps to the point, "I have come for my wish."

I set myself at the table and cross my fingers. I stay silent for a bit whispering the lord's prayer in English. Garland shifts uncomfortably and I can feel he wants to interrupt, but he stays silent, watching me cautiously.

Finally, I say in this world's language, "This wish is not free nor will it last forever. Do you still wish for it, despite its fleeting nature?"

I could be a crook and simply ask straight up for as many silvers as he had, but I'm trying to build a powerbase. Wealth without power is like an imbalanced diet and I'm all about being healthy.

"Yes! I do!" He slams his hands on the table, leaning forward. "I'll pay anything! Just let me see my Grandfather."

"Very well, Garland." I stand and lead him out of the tent. "This will be the second time I have performed this miracle for someone, best to let the people's faith in my abilities swell, no?"

He doesn't answer but I feel he understands fully. We get out and the crowd seems to have doubled in size, they all gather around, asking each other questions about why someone like Garland was with a likely charlatan such as myself.

I ignore them all and clap three times to silence them like an annoyed kindergarten teacher. "The Young Prince, Garland Ioina of the Ioina Village seeks to see his grandfather once more. Garland the first of Ioina. His wish shall be granted before your eyes and you all shall bear witness to the power I wield."

There are even more murmurs but they quiet down on their own, as if they were shutting themselves up. I raise my hands to the sky and activate Sense Death quietly. Above me I find Anselm and the other eleven ghost I intend to bring back to the physical world.

"Summon Spirit of Garland the first!" With some exaggerated movements and shaking I shoot out a bolt of green mana into the sky where my target waits, it strikes and fills him, slowly he begins to descend.

There are loud gasps everywhere, the adults and elderly no doubt recognize the man as they all exclaim his name in praise and kowtow. Others shout about a great mage and I smirk.

I look to the two Garlands untied on the ground, embracing each other and proclaim. "Behold! Garland the first treads the land once more." I snap my fingers and he disappears in a mist of green, eliciting another round of gasps, "But only at my whim."