Chapter – 11
Let the Sacrifice Take Care of It
I quickly admitted it. Ever since the contract, my mental state had cracked, leaving me no space to think about formalities like titles.
Maybe pretending to show respect could even raise their favorability.
I placed my hand over my chest and spoke dramatically.
“Hmm, hmm… Well, for example, ‘Oh, great and omnipotent Prophet, please hear this human’s question!’—would requesting like this bring down an oracle?”
The Celestial ‘Prophet of the Sun’ laughed.
Celestial ‘Prophet of the Sun’ grants title to contractor ‘Kim Eun-sol’: Quite a cute girl
Celestial ‘Prophet of the Sun’ favorability +8.33%
Gross.
At that moment, I felt a faint movement near my leg and flinched. Maybe it looked weird for me to be talking to myself, because Chilseok raised his tail and brushed past me.
Celestial ‘Prophet of the Sun’ refuses to deliver an oracle to this mortal.
“Even if I offer a sacrifice, it won’t work?”
The Celestial ‘Prophet of the Sun’ firmly rejected it.
Then, one line from the Celestial enraged me to the extreme.
Celestial ‘Prophet of the Sun’: If I really want to deliver an oracle to that mortal, how about using that cat as a sacrifice?
“What? Are you talking about Chilseok?”
I may be awkward with the cat, but this is not okay.
“Why come to an F-rank being for help and act like this? Even if I try to be generous, why the attitude? Does being omnipotent mean you can treat humans like ants?”
The Celestial ‘Prophet of the Sun’ got angry at my bitter words.
“I’ll go to a different Celestial if you’re that rude. We were doomed from the start. I don’t know what kind of Celestial you are, but your worldview doesn’t suit me. Humanity’s extinction—good luck! I’ll find a Celestial who can quickly kill me.”
The Celestial ‘Prophet of the Sun’ was shocked and tried to calm me down.
“Suddenly?”
What is this nonsense.
“Suddenly? Are you crazy? Can’t you read the room?”
I couldn’t hold back my slowly rising anger.
“Seriously, what kind of insane thing is this?! You forced me into a contract, so you should’ve handled the sacrifices yourself! Do I have to kill something every time I deliver an oracle? No! I’m not doing it! Stop!”
I jumped up, leaned out the window, and yelled at the sky.
“You are seriously out of your mind. I’m just a tiny human, so my mindset is different from yours! I won’t adjust! No! I won’t do quests! Forget it! Let Earth be destroyed! Both Celestial and humans die! Die, dieee─!”
Then the Celestial rushed in desperately.
Celestial ‘Prophet of the Sun’ is deeply flustered.
Celestial ‘Prophet of the Sun’: I was wrong. These days, mortals think differently from before, and I sometimes forget. It was just a joke, I went too far.
“Even with gates and everything, humans today don’t even have the concept of offering chickens or sheep by hand! And you dared to mention Chilseok, even as a joke! Cute Chilseok!”
Eventually, the café owner, Park Il-sook, couldn’t stay silent.
“What on earth are you talking about that involves Chilseok?!”
“Hurry and apologize to the owner! It’s not my fault!”
“Who on earth are you talking to?!”
The Celestial ‘Prophet of the Sun’ complained, asking why I had to apologize to this mortal.
“Do you want to break the contract? This person might be crucial for future quests, and you almost used their precious cat as a sacrifice! You ruined it!”
I quietly shouted at them. The notification slowly appeared as the Celestial hesitated.
Celestial ‘Prophet of the Sun’ admits fault.
“Fine!”
Celestial ‘Prophet of the Sun’ will deliver an oracle without a sacrifice.
They warn that without a sacrifice, the accuracy might be lower.
“Handle that yourself!”
The Celestial ‘Prophet of the Sun’ pouted.
Celestial ‘Prophet of the Sun’ wishes to give an oracle to the important mortal, Park Il-sook, who nearly lost her precious cat, as a small apology.
“This isn’t a bad idea….”
The Celestial seemed to regain composure, so I returned to using honorifics.
Meanwhile, Chilseok seemed startled by my sudden yelling.
He ran and hid behind a Monstera plant that had survived near-death, only his black tail peeking out. I sighed.
I looked at the man staring wide-eyed at me and the café owner Park Il-sook and said,
“Sorry. Did I scare you? I sometimes talk to gods like this when I… lose my mind.”
“…Are you a shaman?”
“No. I don’t receive divine possession. I just act like this when I lose it sometimes.”
“You said you weren’t crazy before.”
I took big steps toward the man sitting at the table. He was shrunk back like a turtle, terrified.
I grabbed his cold yuzu tea and drank it in one gulp.
“Yelling made my throat hurt. Sorry, owner.”
“Why, you crazy kid.”
“The god upstairs said sorry for scaring Chilseok, and they’ll answer your question.”
“You really want to?”
For a brief moment, the owner’s expression was strange.
Then, as if nothing happened, she fixed her usual calm, sharp gaze on me and asked,
“You mean… like a shaman?”
“I’m not a shaman exactly, but yes, something like that.”
“Then… go ahead, tell me.”
“You must be bored. It’s rare for you to even listen to the ramblings of a crazy kid.”
“Ah, fine. Sorry. What do you want to ask?”
She was silent for a moment.
I became curious. What could a woman of such experience and age be curious about? I couldn’t even guess.
“…Can I ask about my granddaughter?”
“You have a granddaughter? Of course.”
So maybe she had a runaway granddaughter. I cleared my throat for the divine calling I had to do.
“Hmm, hmm… Oh Prophet, please hear this mortal, Park Il-sook’s question!”
Celestial ‘Prophet of the Sun’ provides a tool necessary to deliver the oracle as a divine proxy.
Tool: Ancient Three-Legged Stool
Do you accept it? Yes / No
A stool?
‘Do we really need this?’
Still, there must be a reason. I took the tool offered by the Celestial.
As I accepted the stool, it registered automatically as a primary tool.
Then, a pungent smoke began to fill the area around me.
“What… is this working?”
The man looked worried, so the smoke must be visible to others too. I inhaled it and felt strangely lightheaded.
‘Like being drunk… without drinking. Good cost performance.’
Celestial ‘Prophet of the Sun’ delivers an oracle without a sacrifice.
Caution: Oracle without a sacrifice!
The content of the oracle is limited.
Deliverer ‘Kim Eun-sol’ → Subject ‘Park Il-sook’
Loading… 2%… 39%… 72%… 100%
Oracle (C-rank) delivered.
Clarity: 60.3.2%
Once loading finished, a surreal scene unfolded before me.
Countless children crouched around me.
“So many children… Long hair, a beauty mark under the left eye, no parents. This child is in a remote city near the western sea, trapped in a shabby warehouse with other children… New children come and disappear… Open the thick iron door and the horizon of the sea is visible….”
I recited the scene frantically as it appeared in my mind.
“This child will soon be forced west. If you search now, you can meet them. Go immediately! Otherwise, they will never return to this land!”
My mind felt dizzy. It was like wearing fogged glasses, barely able to see clearly.
Then, suddenly, my mind cleared.
I exhaled roughly, inhaling deeply.
“Hah…!”
I must have been so still that my heart started racing, my pulse fast and strong. I was almost out of breath.
When was the last time my heart raced like this?
I ignored the breeze outside. The smoke dissipated instantly.
“…Is that it?”
The Celestial noted that the lack of a sacrifice and insufficient training meant limitations.
! Favorability work in progress: Clarity and accuracy grade increased!
“Not in this lifetime!” I muttered.
I noticed Park Il-sook’s expression had become serious, so I flinched.
“Western sea, you say?”
“Yes… it seemed like the western sea.”
“Don’t say ‘seemed.’ Be sure.”
“The moment I saw it, I thought of the West Sea. Definitely not the South or East. There were many children, but it didn’t feel like a managed facility… My ability couldn’t see further clearly…”
Before I finished, the owner started dialing urgently on her folder phone.
Was my ability too weak to be of real help? Feeling embarrassed, I held my chest to calm down.
Then I realized that the call was serious. I and the patriotic old man quietly listened.
“What? Incheon? Check all the orphanages in the Incheon area again… If something suspicious shows up, gather hunters immediately…”
She must be dealing with something serious. She went to the supply storage room to continue the call.
So it was just me and the patriotic old man left in the café. He glanced toward the storage room and asked,
“She must have something important going on, right? And was your vision accurate?”
“I… think so.”
I nervously fiddled with my bangs.
It was the first time I had given an oracle, and no feedback came, so I wasn’t sure if it was right.
“Do you want to ask now?”
“No. I’m scared.”
“Scared? You’re calling a grown-up scary now?”
“My parents aren’t here.”
“….”
While the man said nothing, I sipped the last of the yuzu tea.
Park Il-sook emerged from the storage room with a terrifying expression.
