Volume 1 - CH 3

I see strange things that represent other people’s emotions and the near future. It appears as lines of various colors above people’s heads.

(… don’t look at the color of injuries today…)

Among the people walking in front of the shop, one out of every ten people is predicted to be injured. Injury is a color that indicates an event, so its length indicates a high probability.

The fact that you see many people with a stretched injury line above their heads means that. Will there be a big accident somewhere in a few hours, or will there be an attack?

Something is going to happen that is likely to injure a lot of people anyway. Whatever it is, it is disturbing. I would like to call out to each person who might be injured and warn them, but what should I do? As I was standing in front of the shop, I was wondering what I should do, when a voice called out to me from the side.

“Hey, Cyril, how’s your fortune-telling going?”

“Ask me how the pharmacy is doing, Mr. Jean…”

I turned around to answer the familiar voice, and the colors that stretched over the familiar face solidified.

A middle-aged man with a strong, well-tanned body who still looks young even though he should be of a certain age. He is a town official, a carpenter, and once a close friend of my father. This person is Jean Dobac.

With an innocent child-like smile on his rugged face, a bright red line of anticipation was firmly present above his head.

“Master, please don’t run so fast! Ah, Miss Cyril. Hello.”

“Hello…”

The same thing can be seen above the head of the young apprentice who ran up behind Jean. It means that both of their future plans include actions that may cause injury.

Today, when it comes to places where a large number of people, including them, are headed – the port where the big market is held once a month is suspicious. Will something happen there?

“What’s the matter, does your stomach hurt?”

‘No, it doesn’t hurt anywhere…can I have a moment of your time?”

It seemed that my brows had wrinkled without me noticing, and Jean peered over to me worriedly. I responded by shaking my head and lightly beckoning him to come closer so I could whisper in his ear. He is a large man, so if I wanted to whisper, I would have to ask him to lower his head.

“Where are you going and what are you planning to do? You may get hurt there…Today, there are many people who are likely to get hurt.”

“…I see, that means the port is dangerous today. Okay, I’ll be careful.”

“Please do.”

A young apprentice looks at me and Jean curiously. He must not have heard our conversation, but he said, “Perhaps it’s called fortune-telling! Me too, please!” I did not listen to him as he started to say something like, “I’m asking you too!”

Jean is a friend of my father’s and someone who has been taking care of me since before I can remember. We have known each other for a long time, and he knows what it is that I see. He is one of the precious few people who understand me.

“The knights are also on patrol, so don’t look so worried.”

“Oh, no, please stop!”

Large, hard hands ruffled my white hair. I’m eighteen now, so please stop treating me like a child.

I looked up at his face in frustration, fixing my disheveled hair with my hand. I looked away from him gently.

He and his family have taken care of me a lot since I lost my parents. I know he has always cared about me, even though I have taken over the shop and live alone. He is like a second parent to me.

“Well, I’m off. Good luck at the shop.”

“Yes, you too. Good luck with your work, Mr. Jean.”

I am a little relieved to see that the line of injury for the two people I saw off is getting shorter. The longer that line is, the more likely it is; conversely, the shorter it is, the less likely it is. Jean is a town official, so he will be able to guide the townspeople. Something is bound to happen, but I’ll just pray that everyone is as safe as possible.

(Just in case, I should replenish the shelves with more wound medicine.)

Today, a big market is being held at the port. A big monthly market where anyone can easily open a stall. The prince of the country was also there to visit the market on his own.

“Hey, what ship is that? I didn’t hear of any big ships coming in today.”

Many ships are already moored in the port. Most of them are merchant vessels that have received permission to dock in advance, and they came for today’s market.

However, what came from the sea was a large ship that could hold dozens of people, and had no sail markings to indicate its affiliation. No one had heard of such a ship coming, and those who saw it shook their heads.

A suspicious, unregistered ship approaching a crowded harbor. Upon receiving the report, one of the town officials face changed color and immediately began evacuating the townspeople.

“A pirate ship is coming! Everyone, immediately evacuate into town!”

Because he was a trustworthy man who shouted so, people believed his words and fled from the port.

Why did he think the approaching ship was a pirate ship? When the knight, who had been mixed in with the townspeople to protect the prince, asked why, he was told by a certain person that there was a possibility of danger and that he had only evacuated everyone because he was suspicious of a ship coming toward the harbor.

“I heard the port seems dangerous today. If nothing else, it’s just a simple misunderstanding. Just in case something happens, let everyone escape from this place.”

What kind of nonsense, thought the knight. I wondered who could have predicted the sudden arrival of pirates. From what I heard from the man in charge, it didn’t seem like he had any reliable information, but he believed that danger was coming, and he continued to guide the evacuation without hesitation.

“… I heard that the knights are staying by your side today, so if something really happens, they’ll probably handle it. The prince will have no choice but to leave if things turn out like this.”

Judging from the way he said this with a firm look in his eyes, he seemed to know that the person in front of him was a knight, not a townsman. After saying this, the man who was a town official headed toward the line of fleeing people.

Since a member of the royal family was present, there was no reason not to inform him of the possible danger that the citizen had told him about. When the knight reported what he had heard from the town official, the prince also made the decision to cancel the incognito visit, and only those who belonged to the knighthood remained on the spot. The prince ordered to ascertain what the ship was and to deal with it if it was dangerous, since the appeal from the citizens could not be ignored.

As the ship arrived at the harbor where the knights awaited with an air of absurdity, a burly man yelled out: “Hey there, nice to see everyone, if you don’t want to get hurt, be quiet and give us your money.”

The only people there were trained knights disguised as townspeople. The pirates were quickly captured and all the citizens were safe and sound.

There was no damage to the citizens at all. An unprecedented pirate attack incident in which the Knights, who had no need to fight while protecting the common people, were able to capture pirates with plenty of time to spare.

I too was curious about what had happened at the port. I was curious, but I had no desire to hear about it from the man in front of me. Jean would have told me the details the next time we met, or I would have been able to get a reasonable understanding of the situation from the rumors in town.

“Well, after that, there was a lot of commotion about who was the one who predicted the coming danger of pirates.”

Glittering golden hair. Eyes the color of sweet honey. A gentle voice that melts the ears, a flower face that seems to be draw in the eyes.

Why is Hector Alderde, the flower knight, in my shop, smiling at me and telling me the details of the incident–I couldn’t understand this situation at all.

“It was you, wasn’t it? You’re the one who said the prophetic words…How did you know the pirates would attack?”

I’m sure women who like him enough to visit fortune-telling will be pleased with this situation where he asks kindly with a sweet smile from the other side of the counter. Even a maiden who isn’t in love with anyone might be a little excited.

In front of a man who seems devilish, all I could do was keep an expressionless face.

It’s not that I don’t like beautiful faces. It’s just that the expression on the beautiful face is completely different from the color of the emotions that I see, and that’s why I feel bitter. People whose faces do not match the color of their hearts are generally liars. It’s natural to feel bitter.

(How did he know…?)

comic version added/omitted/changed dialogue or scenes compared with the novel version