《The Fortune Teller Sees the Love of the Flower Knight》 Volume 1 - CH 1 The Fortune Teller Sees the Love of the Flower Knight Uranaishi ni wa Hana Kishi no Koigokoro ga Mieteimasu Õ¼¤¤ŽŸ¤Ë¤Ï»¨òTÊ¿¤ÎÁµÐĤ¬ÒŠ¤¨¤Æ¤¤¤Þ¤¹ I can see the color of that person¡¯s sorrow, the color of joy, pain, and love. Cyril Vedito, a pharmacist, can see things that other humans cannot. Colors appear above a person¡¯s head that represents their emotions and future. With her white hair and red eyes, she is often treated as a rumored ¡°fortune teller¡± in town. Hector Alderde, the ¡°Flower Knight¡±, is the most handsome bachelor in town. The man with many loves, is actually not in love with any of his followers. In fact, he even seems to be a misogynist. By chance, Cyril sees an ominous color above Hector¡¯s head and unintentionally saves him. Hector, who is supposed to hate women, has taken an interest in her, and he comes to visit Cyril¡¯s shop incognito. Behind his handsome face, Cyril finds out that Hector actually has a big secret. One day, she finds the color of ¡°love¡± above Hector¡¯s head. And that is¡­ A clumsy ¡°first love¡± fantasy of a fortune teller and a beautiful knight! The light shining through the shaded windows is weak, and the shop is dimly lit even in the daytime. The rows of shelves are filled with medicines, but they do not smell medicinal, and there is a faint, gentle fragrance in the air. This is a pharmacy. The reason why the shop is kept out of the sun is to prevent the medicines from deteriorating. Incense is burned in order to make the sight of the medicines lined up in the dim light less eerie. This is ¡°Vedito Pharmacy¡±. This is the shop that I, Cyril Vedito, have protected since my parents died, and it is my precious home and a memento of my parents. The townspeople call this pharmacy a ¡°fortune-telling shop¡±, but I don¡¯t like that at all. Ding Ding. I heard the doorbell at the entrance of the shop ring, and I turned my smile in that direction and said, ¡°Welcome.¡± ¡°Um, I¡¯m sorry¡­I heard that if you buy something here, you can have your fortune told¡­¡± A timid-looking woman stood at the entrance of the shop with a troubled, embarrassed look on her face. I kept smiling and simply told her, ¡°Please take your time to browse¡±. I looked at her puzzledly as she began to look at the shelves lined with merchandise, or more precisely, I looked at the top of her head as I pondered. (What you want me to tell you is¡­ well, maybe it¡¯s a romantic relationship.) I see things that other humans cannot see. My family is a lineage of healing wizards, and as a result, from time to time, someone is born who can use magic. Furthermore, among them, there are rare ones who can see something special. I am just such a person. Currently, what I see above her head are thick lines of pink, orange, and indigo. I see these lines above everyone¡¯s head. And these lines are apparently colored to indicate the feelings a person is having and the things that will happen to that person in the future. For example, if you¡¯re surprised, you¡¯ll see a light yellow line, and if you¡¯re sad or something sad happens, you¡¯ll see a blue line. That¡¯s what it means. The length of the line can be used to determine the magnitude of emotion or the likelihood that something will happen, but it took me a long time to figure it out. Since only I can see it, I cannot ask anyone how to tell them apart, and since there are few people I can talk to, it is only natural that it will take time to understand it. (If there were any memoirs of that brave man left behind, I might have been able to refer to them.) A long time ago, when there were still many monsters in this world. There is a legend that a hero who came from another world died after saying, ¡°The death flag has been raised!¡± I think that maybe the hero saw something similar to me. Well, since it¡¯s called a flag, the hero must have seen it in the form of a flag. However, it is not possible to talk to people who died a long time ago, and even if there were memoirs, they would not be available to the general public. Since there was nothing to refer to, color judgment was based on the accumulation of experience. When I was a child, I had no idea which color indicated what, but since I¡¯ve lived for eighteen years and looked at it every day, I¡¯ve been able to distinguish most of the lines. Now I can predict a person¡¯s approximate future by color, length, and combination. (Thanks to that, I ended up being treated as a fortune teller¡­) It all started when I inadvertently gave advice to someone who seemed to be in danger, and since then my name has become a bit known as a ¡°fortune teller¡±¡­I am a pharmacist, definitely not a fortune teller. It is completely unintentional. ¡°I¡¯d like this tea, please.¡± ¡°These tea leaves cost 200 bells.¡± A soothing herbal tea is placed on the counter timidly. It¡¯s a pharmacy, but it also sells these kinds of daily necessities. Women who come for fortune-telling often buy one cheap item such as tea leaves. As I received her payment, I looked over her head again. The lines that extend overhead¡ªI call them anticipation lines¡ªthere are a mix of events that indicate what will happen and those that indicate emotions. She now has three colors: love pink, joy orange, and indigo anxiety, all of which express emotions. Of the three colors, only the joy color is translucent. The semi-translucent emotion color indicates emotions that have not yet occurred and are likely to occur in the future. However, only emotions that are very large and can last for hours can be seen as translucent. I¡¯m sure something very pleasant will happen to this woman later¡­ However, the woman doesn¡¯t seem to know how to discuss the matter, and she shyly looks down, rubs her fingertips fidgety, and doesn¡¯t say anything. At this rate, the packaging and delivery of the product will be finished¡­It can¡¯t be helped, I¡¯ll decide for myself and speak. (A future of love, uncertainty, and joy¡­I think it¡¯s before confession. Or maybe asking someone out on a date.) That would be successful. This is the expected line for such a combination. The long indigo line, which is the color of anxiety, is probably due to the unpredictable outcome of the confession. That¡¯s why she came to this shop, putting her trust in such things like fortune-telling. I can¡¯t leave people like this alone, and I end up giving them advice, which is why they treat me like a fortune teller. ¡°What you¡¯re thinking now, I¡¯m sure it will go well. Have a good future.¡± I smiled and offered her the tea leaves in a paper bag. The woman¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, but when she accepted the paper bag, she gave a small smile, as if relieved. I could tell from her reaction that the consultation was not out of my imagination. ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything to me, I can tell¡­just like the rumors say, you¡¯re an amazing fortune teller, thank you very much! I¡¯ll do my best!¡± My smile almost hardened. I¡¯ll say it again and again (no, I haven¡¯t actually said it), I am not a fortune teller. She headed for the exit with a lighter step than when she came, bowed her head lightly at the end and mouthed ¡°I¡¯ll be back¡± as she left. After the customer disappears from sight, I let out a small sigh. It¡¯s my long-cherished desire to be known as a pharmacist, but I feel it is different to be spreading rumors as a fortune teller. In the first place, I wonder if what I see is that certain. If I try to change my planned behavior, this line of expectation will easily change. What I see is not necessarily absolute. It can easily change if I change just a few choices. I suppose I could say the wrong thing if I don¡¯t want to make a name for myself as a¡­fortune teller. I can¡¯t help but answer when someone looks at me with hopeful, expectant eyes. Rather, I can¡¯t lie. I am aware that I am a little meddlesome. It seems that I have a nature that I can¡¯t just leave things alone when there are things I can do. ¡°Kyaaa!¡± A woman¡¯s scream from outside made me rush out of the shop. However, the sight outside made me weak. It seems that the voice I heard earlier was not a scream, but a shrieking cheer. I see a certain very famous knight, who belongs to the knighthood of this country, surrounded by women. A knight is a commoner¡¯s dream. It is a kind of existence between nobility and ordinary citizens. It is a dangerous job, but it pays well, is dignified, and if you make achievements, you can even receive a title as a nobleman, although only for one generation. It is a popular profession that women want to marry into. He is the most famous of all such knights and the one who attracts the most women. He is called the ¡°Flower Knight¡± in the street, and the reason why such a name has been established is¡­. ¡°Hey, you butterflies look beautiful today.¡± A gentle voice that melts your ears and a sweet smile that makes you want to sigh unintentionally. His softly curved golden hair is tied loosely to one side, which makes him look somewhat sexy. His honey-colored eyes turn to the women who blush uniformly. It probably all started when someone likened his gorgeous appearance to a flower, but there is also a sense of ridiculing him as a knight of flowers, since he is a man who attracts women. I guess it¡¯s called that because he refers to women who come close to him as ¡®butterflies¡¯. I would like to tell them that they are probably just treated as insects by this man who is happy to say, ¡°Oh my, a beautiful butterfly.¡± (Above the head of the Flower Knight, there are no colors of love, no colors of joy. Only the color of pain and disgust. Hardcore misogyny.) Rumor has it that he is a soft-spoken man with many loves, and there are quite a few women who claim to have a relationship with him, but they are probably all lies. I have never seen him¨CHector Alderde¡¯s line of anticipation of love grow. Whether it¡¯s because of his eye-catching appearance or because of the crowd of women who flock to him, he¡¯s the sort of man you can spot at a glance. Six years have passed since he appeared in this town as a young, beautiful knight of sixteen years old, and not once during that time has he shown the color of love. Maybe I¡¯m the only one who knows that Hector, who is said to be a man of many loves, has never been in love with anyone. (Well, it doesn¡¯t matter to me.) If there is one matter, it is only to give love advice in the name of fortune-telling to women who are flocking around him and extending the colors of love. None of them have a chance, though, so I have no choice but to advise them to give up. I came out of the shop thinking something untoward had happened, only to find that the Flower Knight had passed by and caused a commotion. I immediately returned to the shop, thinking that it had nothing to do with me. I don¡¯t want to get close to such a beautiful person. I don¡¯t want to get into trouble. And above all, he is a knight. That¡¯s more of a reason not to get involved. (I don¡¯t want the high-ranking people to know that I¡¯m a wizard¡­. Knights have connections with nobles.) It¡¯s good enough if you can do something with little credibility called ¡°fortune-telling¡± that women like. There are dubious fortune-telling shops all over the place, and it¡¯s not uncommon¡­In the first place, my shop is not a fortune-telling shop. But it is better not to let it be known that I am a descendant of a wizard ¨C and that I can use healing magic. Because it¡¯s a useful power. If it¡¯s found out, I will be taken to the castle and locked up. That¡¯s what my deceased parents said. As a child I was just afraid and thought I had to hide my power, but now I understand. This is the power that the ¡®powerful¡¯ want. They might even try to keep me in their custody. Even so, the medicine I make, which has the power to heal, has a high recovery effect. I have a reputation for being skillful, but for some reason, it is a problem that only the reputation of fortune-telling skills is rising. In any case, I have no desire to get involved with the country¡¯s knights. If it¡¯s a beautiful knight, all the more reason. I am sure that I will never get involved with him. That was what I thought. T/N: A new series~ Okay, real talk. I know this novel is not going to be accepted by everyone and there might even be some negative ratings or comments but I wanted to try something different. A male character with an slighty androgynous appearance and the premise of misogyny. This is not the usual fluffy clich¨¦ storyline and that¡¯s what makes it interesting for me as a translator. So if this isn¡¯t your own vibe, please don¡¯t throw shade on it. Thanks~ Volume 1 - CH 2 The shop closes three hours before the sun sets. Thanks to the appearance of Flower Knight Hector, tea leaf sales were very good today. Well, in other words, there were many women who came for fortune-telling. I don¡¯t know how many times I¡¯ve repeated the words that their love won¡¯t bear fruit. I hope the maidens understand that there is nothing more barren than falling in love with a flower knight. After changing the open sign posted at the entrance of the store to ¡°preparing¡±, I went out to buy something. I go around to buy groceries, daily necessities, and ingredients for medicines. The shopkeepers everywhere I go ask me for advice, and when I answer something based on the expected line, they give me a freebie or a discount as a thank you. Then, by the time I get home, my hands are full of extra items. I intended to buy just a little bit, but for some reason this happens every time and my reputation as a fortune teller rises again. This is not what I wanted at all. I want people to compliment me on how effective my medicines are. (Since I¡¯m home early¡­I think it would be nice to go to the forest.) I was able to finish my shopping relatively early today. It would still be two hours before sunset. Usually, I prepare dinner and then mix the medicines, but sometimes, when I have spare time, I head to the forest to gather ingredients for the medicines. This town faces the sea and forest, making it an ideal place to live for those who make medicines. Thanks to the ocean, trade is flourishing, and there are many plants that can be used as ingredients for medicines growing in the forests nearby, making it a convenient place to buy or gather them on your own. (I¡¯m running out of ingredients for the ointment, so I¡¯d better get some.) There are materials that can be purchased, but there are also ingredients that will not work unless you collect them yourself. It probably has something to do with my magical powers. Grasses that are useless to other humans are good ingredients for medicine for me. I have to gather these things myself. I packed a pouch on my waist with medicines that can provide first aid and are useful in case I am attacked by something, and carried a bag with many compartments for gathering. Time is short, so I won¡¯t go into the forest, but will likely forage around its entrance. In truth, the materials are more plentiful in the forest, but there are magical beasts in places where the sunlight is difficult to reach. If something happens and I can¡¯t leave the forest until after sunset, the chance of being attacked goes way up. (I can¡¯t see my own prediction line, so I have to take all possible safety measures.) The creature called a magical beast was originally just an animal. Then over time, they mutated and reproduced. It is said that until a long time ago, monsters with magical powers called ¡°demons¡± existed in this world, and when they mingled with animals, demonic beasts were born. The children born from these monsters do not revert back to animals, and the number of monsters continues to increase. Animals and magical beasts look almost the same, but they are recognizable because they always have twisted horns. Above all, they are ferocious. Hungry monsters and beasts are always ready to attack. One of the important tasks of the knights is to exterminate these magical beasts, and although they must be hunted quite often, their numbers do not seem to be decreasing. However, if left unchecked, the number of these beasts will continue to increase, the number of animals in the forest will decrease, and if the animals that provide food disappear, human towns may be attacked, so there is no choice but to continue hunting them. However, since magical beasts dislike light, most of them do not come out from the depths of dark forests where trees grow thickly. There are rare cases where they appear near the town as if they got lost, but the knights deal with such magic beasts immediately, and there is little danger even if they go into the forest for a little while. Just in case, I try not to enter the forest when the sun is about to set. Plants that are treated as weeds can be collected in abundance around the forest. It means that you can take as much as you want if there is no one else who uses it. (¡­Yeah, well done. That¡¯s enough for today.) I was on my way home before the sun turned red, but by the time I arrived back in town, the sky had already turned indigo. The houses were lit and the streetlights were shining, so it did not feel dark, but night was near. The aroma of soup wafting from some house whetted my appetite, and I was just about to go home and have dinner when someone wandered up from a side street. A man with a slightly dirty cloak and a hood covering his eyes. His hunched back makes it hard to tell, but he is quite tall. At first glance, he looked like a vagrant, but the clothes peeking out from under his cloak were clean, and I guessed that he was just pretending to be a vagrant for some reason. He is a very strange man. However, the reason why I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off him was not because of his clothes or because he looked suspicious. Above the man¡¯s head, there was an astonishing line of anticipation. (That¡¯s the color of death¡­!?) I remember the first time I saw it. On the day my parents went out together, what stretched above their heads was a black, somewhat eerie line of anticipation. I didn¡¯t know what the color was showing when I first saw it. Without knowing it, I sent off my parents who said, ¡°Be a good girl and stay at home¡±¨Cthe two of them came back as mute corpses. So there is no mistaking it. That man will die if he continues like this. (Why is he dying? Is there any way to help him?) Each time the cloaked figure takes a step, the expected line of death grows. More than twice as fast, the expected line of injury also grows. He must not go that way. He will die, or if not die, he will be badly injured. Then he should stop. ¡°Wait!! Stop!!¡± Of course, even if I call out, it won¡¯t stop him. He probably didn¡¯t even think he was being called out to by me. He didn¡¯t seem to respond to my voice, and his line continued to grow. So instinctively I ran over to the man, grabbed his arm and pulled hard. ¡°You can¡¯t go there! You¡¯ll die!¡± In hindsight, a woman who suddenly grabbed his arm and said something like that would have been very suspicious. The person she had forced to stop had a surprised look on his face under a deep hood. And I was very surprised when I saw his face¡­because it was so beautiful that it could be likened to a flower, with wide, honey-colored eyes. (Flower Knight¡­!?) Both he and I froze in confusion, and after a few seconds, I heard the sound of a neighing horse and loud thump, and my gaze was drawn in that direction. A horse pulling a carriage on the road suddenly went berserk, throwing the driver onto the road, whereupon the carriage lost control, veered off the road, and plunged with great force into a stone wall. To the place where this man, Hector, would have walked if I hadn¡¯t stopped him. Perhaps this accident would have been the cause of his death. The best evidence is that the colors of death and injury have disappeared from above his head. ¡°You¡­Who on earth are you?¡± ¡°First aid is needed!! Please call for support!!¡± Staring blankly at the accident, and realizing that he might have been involved in it, Hector called out to me with suspicion, but I interrupted him. I may be a suspicious person, but saving lives comes first. I am a pharmacist and a healing wizard. I had some medical knowledge, and I rushed to the scene of the accident thinking that if I had to, I would have no choice but to stealthily use my powers. ¡°Are you okay!?¡± The horse was tragically crushed between the carriage and the wall, but fortunately there was no one inside, and the man who was thrown from the driver¡¯s seat by the rampaging horse apparently only suffered bruises. If there are no immediate injuries, the rest can be handled by experts. After confirming that no one was in serious condition, I dragged the man off the road to the edge, told him not to move too much until the Knights came and saw a doctor, and gently gave him a handful of medicine to help with his bruises. Then I left the place as if to run away. Or rather, I actually ran away. It¡¯s unbearable to leave an injured person behind, but I wanted to disappear before the knights arrived to deal with the accident. I don¡¯t know if the knight disguised in a dirty cloak went to call for help or didn¡¯t want to be found, but he was already gone. I slipped past the onlookers and ran all the way to the shop. While out of breath, I returned to my shop, closed the door and locked it, and sat down on the spot. I feel awfully tired. (Of all people, I can¡¯t believe I ended up helping someone I didn¡¯t want to get involved with today¡­) I didn¡¯t expect to see a man who is the epitome of glamour roaming the streets wearing a dirty cloak. I don¡¯t know what he was doing, and I don¡¯t want to know, but I hope I won¡¯t inadvertently get involved now. (¡­ I just acted a little suspicious after seeing his face for a moment. I¡¯m sure, maybe, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll never get involved with him again¡­) That was how my encounter with Hector Alderde, the Flower Knight, came to an end. I told myself that this would be the last time I would be involved with him, but my words were quickly shattered. 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 ¨C 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¨CI 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 Volume 1 - CH 4 How did this happen? In the morning, after cleaning the shop, I went out to put up the ¡°open¡± sign out front, feeling refreshed and happy to start my day. As soon as he came into view, my face was taken by surprise, and I¡¯m sure my emotions were on full display. I thought to myself, ¡°¡­this is bad¡±. I¡¯m not sure what to do. That kind of feeling. Beneath his hood, the man had a faint fake smile on his face. After flipping the ¡°Open¡± sign back over to ¡°Preparing,¡± he pushed forward into the doorway which forced me to step back, while blocking any change of escape, and locked the door behind him. (This is a bad situation¡­) If a man broke in on me, I would probably feel that my chastity was in danger, but I didn¡¯t feel that kind of danger because I was dealing with this man. However, I feel a different kind of danger, and I keep my distance from the cloaked figure, breaking out in a cold sweat. I would like to accuse him of trespassing or breaking and entering, but since the person I am accusing is a knight, I am sure the charges will be dismissed. What an unreasonable world we live in! (Is there no way out of this¡­?) Of course I can¡¯t use the entrance of the shop, and even if I run towards the back door, I¡¯ll be caught in the middle anyway. It¡¯s not a situation where I can escape. I have no idea why this person came to my shop, but I can¡¯t understand it, or I didn¡¯t want to understand it. ¡°Hi, thank you very much for the last time. I came to express my gratitude.¡± He gave me a radiant smile as he bounced off his hood, and I gently averted my eyes. His face is sweet and gentle, but the color above his head is honest, with a stretch of gray that indicates distrust and wariness. I can still see the pain in his eyes, so I guess he hates female creatures even more. I can see people¡¯s emotions, so I am not fooled by any expression on their faces. Or rather, there is no way I could be deceived after he forced his way into the shop. Only a few people would forgive everything from just one look at that too-perfect, devilish smile. I think I could be forgiven if I have a good face like this. It is a headache. ¡°I asked the ¡®butterflies¡¯ if there is a famous prophet in town.¡± Again, I¡¯m not a fortune teller, much less a prophet. I am just an pharmacist¡¯s daughter and the descendant of a wizard, who can see a few special things, nothing more, nothing less. But still, when the women of town hear the word prophecy, they think of fortune-telling. And most women would have remembered me¡­involuntarily. ¡°Everyone told me that there is a woman named Cyril who can tell fortunes. She has hair as white as snow and eyes as red as apples. I remembered you, so I came to visit.¡± My hair and eye color are both unusual. After such an impressive encounter, there was no way he would forget me right away even if I wanted him to. It was an unbecoming act for a shopkeeper, but I averted my eyes, even my face, wishing that the dazzlingly smiling customer would leave. It¡¯s not because I¡¯m embarrassed or ashamed. I am afraid because what I see are a parade of negative emotions such as gray (distrust), bluish purple (pain), and dark blue (loathing), despite the sweet and gentle smile on his face. His expression and emotions don¡¯t match at all. ¡°¡­This is a pharmacy, so if you¡¯re shopping, please take your time.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll buy something. If I do that, you¡¯ll read my fortune, right?¡± Is it a declaration that I had been thoroughly investigated? It is unlikely that I will be able to ignore it. Hector, also known as the Flower Knight, walked around the shop and after a while comes to the counter with a painkiller in hand. Then, with a sweet smile on his face, he begins to talk about the incident at the port, ¡°It was you, wasn¡¯t it? He asked the question he had just posed. ¡°You¡¯re the one who said the prophetic words, right?¡±¡­How did this happen? I don¡¯t know. ¡°It was the same when you stopped me before, I wonder if you can see the danger. Listening to the butterflies and the others, it doesn¡¯t sound like that¡¯s all there is to it.¡± The other party has a kind face, but because I know he distrusts me, I feel as if I¡¯m being interrogated. No, in fact, this may be an interrogation from the Knights, but I have done nothing wrong. So even if they wanted to interrogate me, they couldn¡¯t take me to the guardroom, so he had to come here incognito. ¡°Can I take your silence as affirmation?¡± ¡°¡­ I didn¡¯t know the pirates were coming. Even if you were about to be crushed by a carriage, I didn¡¯t know.¡± I am not lying. I can¡¯t know exactly what is going to happen. I can only see the general future and emotions of others, and I make predictions based on what I see. Perhaps, as a knighthood that often confronts danger, they wanted my crisis-sensing abilities and came to solicit me? Even if that is the case, I would like to decline. My ability is not that reliable. (I don¡¯t know what you came here for, so how should I respond¡­) Both the interrogation and the solicitation are only my imagination, and I don¡¯t know what Hector really came here for. I am sure he is investigating my power, but I don¡¯t know what his purpose is. If it is for personal reasons, fine, but if he is trying to uncover something for the sake of the country ¨C I have to hide the fact that I am a healing wizard. Perhaps the tension and anxiety were showing on my face, but he showed a more gentle and warm smile as if to reassure me. It¡¯s obvious that his smile is fake because I can¡¯t see that gentle emotion above his head¡­ normally I might have been fooled. It was a perfect expression that didn¡¯t feel unnatural. ¡°So, what do you know?¡­Can you tell me?¡± Surely, most women in town would. With that sweet face, whispered in a gentle voice, and an outstretched hand caressing her cheek, she would talk about anything. The man in front of me is so violently charming that it was enough to convince me that he uses enchantment magic. Hector must have used his charm to gather information, and I think he tried to do the same with me. However, my eyes were drawn not to the left hand that was extended to me, but to the right hand that was placed on the counter as he leaned forward, and I involuntarily grabbed the hand. The other person was frozen with a smile on his face because of this unexpected action, but I was too surprised to care. Thanks to this, my anxiety and nervousness were all gone. (¡­¡­How can you smile in such a condition? This is the reason why there has always been a tinge of pain in your eyes for the past six years.) I stare at his right hand. It¡¯s an amazingly beautiful hand. No sword calluses, no small scars, no thick skin on his hand. The hand, which is so beautiful that it would be impossible for a knight, has invisible scars on it. The most important thing to remember is that the hand is not only beautiful, but it is also very well protected. It was injured by a¡­demonic beast, and the injury was so severe that it received a magical handicap. (I was distracted by the color of death, but come to think of it, I think the color of pain was there at the time of the accident,¡­¡­ I never thought it was a magic handicap.) He is always surrounded by women and there is always the color of pain. So I thought he hated women and that it was painful to be in contact with them. I assumed that spending time with women was mentally painful because mental pain and physical pain are the same color, so I just assumed that spending time with women was mentally painful for him. I couldn¡¯t believe that he was enduring the pain all the time with such a natural smile on his face. (Even though it shouldn¡¯t be such a pain that you can make a natural face¡­ anyway, where did you meet the demon?) Unlike animals and magical beasts, demons have no fixed form, no intelligence or reason, they are just monsters that attack any other living thing. Because of their unique birth, no new demons are born, and as a result of continuous hunting, their numbers have dwindled to the point of near extinction. However, since they don¡¯t have a long lifespan, there must have been very few individuals that weren¡¯t subjugated¡­Unless you are very unlucky, you won¡¯t meet them in the first place. Wounds inflicted by monsters can be imbued with magical power, and even after the wound has completely healed, the magical power remains in the body, causing various harms¨Cthat is called magical handicap. His right hand still has those magic remnants. In his case, the magic power seemed to cover the nerves in his right hand. Therefore, his right hand is difficult to move, and he has a beautiful hand because he cannot even hold a sword. And the demonic obstruction that harms the nerves must also continue to cause strong pain all the time. The first time I saw Hector was six years ago, and by then he was already tinged with pain. There is no doubt that it has been left in this state for more than six years¡­There is a limit to patience. ¡°To leave it like this¡­ that medicine isn¡¯t what you need, so please wait a moment.¡± ¡°Eh, ah, yes?¡± ¡°If it hurts, make a painful face. It¡¯s hard to tell.¡± I said something that sounded like I was taking it out on him, but if he had expressed his pain, I would have noticed it earlier, and I wouldn¡¯t have allowed him to leave it for more than six years. But still, I couldn¡¯t help but say it like that. This is something that the doctors probably didn¡¯t know the cause of, and nothing was done about it. Well, it is natural. It can not be helped because the magic obstacle is not something that an ordinary person can see and understand. Only a wizard with a keen sense of magic would have been able to recognize it. Thinking it was just an after-effect, he must have been taking painkillers all the time. It¡¯s a misguided symptomatic treatment. There is a medicine that removes the magical power that remains in the body as a foreign substance, although it is not lined up on the shelves of the shop. I¡¯m glad that I followed my parents¡¯ advice to make any kind of medicine that I might need suddenly. I had wondered if I would ever use such a medicine of limited use, but it seems that my father was right when he said, ¡°If you are prepared, you will never be afflicted.¡± I took such a medicine from the back shelf and applied it to Hector¡¯s hand without his approval, who was frozen with a smile on his face, unable to understand the situation. Taking advantage of the fact that he remained confused and motionless, I carefully bandaged his hand. It would be a shame if the medicine I had applied came off. ¡°It¡¯s an expensive medicine, but I¡¯m sure a knight can pay for it. Apply it once a day like this, and wrap the rest in a bandage or something. A week¡¯s supply will cost you 10,000 bells, and you should keep using it until the pain goes away.¡± ¡°¡­Is this medicine 40,000 bells for a month supply? It¡¯s not impossible to pay, but isn¡¯t it expensive?¡± Considering that 50,000 bells is enough to live on for a month, it is no exaggeration to say that it is an expensive medicine. However, knights are highly paid. They should be able to afford this amount of money. Since this medicine also includes hazard pay, it is impossible to make it any cheaper. If I am not careful, I have to gather materials that could kill me. Besides, a demonic obstacle is something that takes longer to treat as time goes on. The more medicine needed, the more expensive it would be. ¡°It¡¯s your fault for neglecting it¡­If it hurts, you don¡¯t need to force yourself to smile.¡± That was the first time he removed the smile he had pasted on his face and looked at me as if he was truly surprised. I just told him the obvious, but why was he surprised? If he had looked like he was in pain, I would have noticed it sooner, too, so I shouldn¡¯t have said anything strange. ¡°It will take a year for the pain to completely go away, and after that you will need functional recovery training and rehabilitation. Please persevere.¡± ¡­The truth is, with my healing magic, he will heal faster. I am a little sorry to hide it from him. But still I don¡¯t want people to know that I am a wizard. Hector, who silently offered me 10,000 bells and received the ointment, looked at me in confusion and gave me an awkward smile. ¡°¡­Thank you. But please keep my right hand a secret.¡± ¡°Only if you keep my secret.¡± ¡°¡­I will. Yeah, I promise. I¡¯ll come by again.¡± I won¡¯t tell anyone about his right hand and he won¡¯t tell anyone about the fact that I know something. I was sure that he will keep the mutual promise. Hector put his hood back on and walks out of the shop, looking shabby, not like the flower knight that all the women long for. As soon he left, I plopped down on the counter. It¡¯s not that I could have fooled him, but it¡¯s not like he¡¯s going to let the Knights know my best kept secret either. I¡¯m sure, maybe¡­in exchange, the Flower Knight will be a regular customer for a while. (¡­but just I couldn¡¯t leave it alone¡­) I don¡¯t know if he has gotten used to it or what, but his right hand, should be in constant and strong pain due to the demonic interference. He is known as a knight with a sword in his left hand, not because he is left-handed but because he cannot hold the sword with his right hand. While he is applying my medicine, the pain should ease and the magic that is causing it should gradually disappear. It is a right hand that has been inhibited in its movement for many years, so it will take some training to regain the muscle strength it is losing ¨C but it is something that can be cured. There was no way I could see that and leave it alone. (A limited-time relationship between a shopkeeper and a customer until he heals. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary until training, and it should only be for about a year.) In the meantime, would he be able to keep the women in town from knowing that he frequents this shop? Thinking that, I let out a deep sigh. Volume 1 - CH 4.5 As many women as the stars in the sky, I have made them all cry. A flirt, heartbreaker, and a philanderer, that is what the world thinks of me, Hector Alderde. It¡¯s only natural, since I act that way. (I really hate women, though¡­) Ever since I was a child, I¡¯ve been chased by women. My food was drugged or my personal items were stolen. It seems that women really like my face. They are not interested in what¡¯s inside me, but only in how beautiful I look, and they pursue me. I was afraid of women until I learned how to roll them around in the palm of my hand, not how to run away from them with their ferocious beastly eyes. I still don¡¯t like them at all. (They¡¯re a bit of a source of information, I guess.) Women loved to gossip. However, only rumors, and many of them are miscellaneous and meaningless. But they can be useful. In order to hear what they have to say, it was convenient for me to be a soft-spoken man who could easily persuade anyone. I was aware that my appearance was attractive to women, so when I tried to use it, the effect was tremendous. Thanks to that, I can no longer show my true face and go out freely, but I have no regrets. Well, anyway. My face and voice were powerful weapons against women if used consciously. If it¡¯s a maiden, it¡¯s especially effective, and no matter how stout they were, they would blush and become compliant if I whispered sweetly to them. Then they tell me whatever I want to know. (This was the case for me up until¡­the investigation was canceled.) It seems that there is a person who foresaw such a future in which pirates would attack a bustling port. There was a lot of talk in the Knights about a person who foresaw the attack of pirates. If there is someone who can foretell the danger approaching this country and town as foretold, the Knights would like to have that person¡¯s power to confront the danger. There may be a wizard who can foretell the future. Then they should seek out the person of prophecy. However, the investigation that had begun was soon abandoned. Because as soon as they started looking into it, they heard that it wasn¡¯t a prediction of danger, but a statement by a recently popular fortune teller. There was a fortune teller who is often accurate, and that she was particularly successful when asked for advice on love, that the town official had been told that he might get hurt that day, and that he was also very right. It¡¯s not a prophecy, it¡¯s just fortune-telling, it¡¯s ridiculous. In that case, the pirates¡¯ appearance must have been a coincidence or something, and in the meantime, I remembered a girl I had just met the other day. A young girl with white hair and red eyes stopped me while I was walking around town in disguise so as not to make a fuss. Her hair and eyes had an unusual color, so it left quite an impression on me. She shouted something like ¡°You can¡¯t go there, you¡¯ll die!¡± and grabbed my arm and forced me to stop. She was surprised to see the face under the hood, so it¡¯s not like she knew my true identity and detained me. And right after that, a runaway carriage rushed into the place where I would have walked if I hadn¡¯t been stopped. That was certainly a warning of danger. I am also almost convinced that she must be the fortune teller who advised the town official on the day of the pirate attack. The Knights seem to have been fooled by the word ¡°fortune telling¡±, but that power is something different from what women like and just have fun with. The formal investigation was canceled, but there should be no problem if I personally investigate. ¡­so I decided to do a little research. ¡°Hello, beautiful Butterfly. May I have a word with you?¡± ¡°Sir Hector¡­¡­!?¡± It¡¯s easy to find the fortune teller I want. All I have to do is smile and talk to the young ladies on the street and ask them about the fortune teller who is often accurate. I said ¡°The next mission is in a dangerous place, so I¡¯d like to ask if there¡¯s anything I should be careful about.¡± After saying that, the location of the shop, the appearance of the fortune teller, her name, her reputation was all eagerly told to me. I was able to get so much information just by asking one person. Cyril, a mysterious woman with snow-white hair and apple-red eyes, is a frequent fortune teller. That was all I needed to know. Thinking it convenient that my appearance can easily make a woman¡¯s smile lit up, and at the same time somewhat disdainful of women who allow their hearts to be touched only by outward appearance, I put a smile on my face and said my goodbyes. I repeated this research two or three times. I had obtained the necessary information. All I had to do was disguise myself so as not to be seen, and visit the shop at a time when no one would be around. After that, it was business as usual. It was a young girl, so it was not difficult to get her to talk. (All I have to do is smile and talk softly to her. I am the flower and she is the butterfly gathering for nectar. It¡¯s¡­simple.) Even though I¡¯m using my own appearance to my advantage, is it a contradiction that I despite those who are lured by it? It makes me want to distort my face when I am dealing with women who only look at me skin-deep. It is harder to bear the pain I constantly feel in my right hand, as if I am being pierced by a sword, and smile than it is to bear the smile that is about to be peeled off the smile I have made at their attitude. Rather than enduring the pain in my right hand that feels as thought I am being pierced with a sword, it was more painful to smile at those superficial women. ¡­but this is the path I chose. Since my sword hand was no longer functional, I wanted to at least use something that I was good at and be of some help. (Reactions from the public, gossip, and so on. Because he likes that kind of thing, that prince.) Until one day when I was 15 years old, I was a friend and escort knight of the first prince, Kaios Sigi Ditotonix. I was a knight who had built a trusting relationship with the prince since he was a child, and would continue to protect him for the rest of my life. The role is chosen from among the children of the knight families who are the same age as the prince, and who excel in military arts the most. Kaios and I were introduced to each other when I turned 5. The day we met, we had a big fight and became best friends that day. I don¡¯t know when I began to take it for granted that I would support him as his friend and protect him at all costs. So I have no regrets. I don¡¯t regret protecting Kaios and having my right hand pierced by a demon. (I can¡¯t be an escort knight anymore, but I don¡¯t intend to stop being his best friend.) After that incident, even after the wound on my right hand healed, the pain remained, and I could no longer grip a sword because I could not use my strength properly. I was dropped as an escort knight because I could no longer hold the sword with my dominant hand, and even though I tried to use the sword with my left hand, I could not return to where I was before, and I ended up joining a knight¡¯s order. Even so, I have absolutely no regrets. Kaios has been worrying about me ever since. I didn¡¯t want him to realize the pain that wouldn¡¯t go away because he was feeling guilty about my immobile right hand, so I pretended to smile. I have endured this pain for a long time, taking painkillers, and have become quite accustomed to it. Even now, I still meet with Kaios from time to time and talk about the reactions of the public or rumors, because that is what the prince is interested in. It¡¯s been more than six years since I was dismissed as an escort knight, but neither Kaios nor anyone else has noticed that my right hand continues to hurt. But that¡¯s fine. (A fortune teller whose fortunes are often accurate and has some kind of special power¡­I¡¯m sure Kaios will be interested in this story.) I thought my best friend would be interested in the story of the fortune teller. That¡¯s why I felt like looking into it, thinking it would be a conversation piece. I went to see the fortune teller really lightly. I approached the fortune teller who came out to open the shop, and when she noticed me, instead of being happy, she distorted her face as if she was really annoyed. I was surprised at her reaction, but she was only a young girl after all. I thought I could do anything, so I tried to talk to her as if I had broken into the shop. (Hmm, that¡¯s strange. It might be the first time I¡¯ve been treated like this.) She did not respond as I had expected. Instead, she¡¯s being rather curt, and she¡¯s not talking to me at all about what I want. Or rather, to begin with, she barely looks at my face. Sometimes she seems to be looking not at my face but at the air above my head, but I wonder if she is looking away from me on purpose. (I see, everyone gets excited when they see my face, so if she doesn¡¯t try to see it, it won¡¯t work¡­ huh?) This reaction was fresh because women usually look at my face as if their eyes were drawn to it. So if I forced her to look at me, would she blush like the other women? Thinking that, I reached out my hand to her white cheek, but before I could touch her, she grabbed my right hand. The pain was not intensified by the touch, but the smile peeled off my face for a moment, startled by the fact that she had grabbed my aching right hand. She was staring at my right hand and didn¡¯t notice it though, so I immediately smiled again. I couldn¡¯t even say out loud, ¡°¡­¡­ what are you doing?¡± because the red eyes staring at my right hand were so serious. ¡°If it hurts, make a painful face. It¡¯s hard to tell.¡± How did she know? I had never shown it to anyone, not even on my face, and no one had noticed it for years. I was frozen in various shocks, and she deftly applied medicine and bandaged me up. ¡­Strangely enough, the pain suddenly lightened after the medicine was applied, and I was surprised again. (The pain has eased considerably, but what is this medicine?) A medicine that relieves unexplained pain just by applying it. Expensive, but worth it. I was surprised at the effectiveness of such a medicine, but more than that, I was most surprised by her words, which she spoke without expression and in a matter-of-fact manner. ¡°It¡¯s because you left it alone¡­.If it hurts, you don¡¯t need to force yourself to smile.¡± If it hurts, there¡¯s no need to force yourself to smile. Hearing that, I forgot to smile again. I thought I had to smile, but those words strangely permeated through my mind. Who in the world is this person? I wonder, not out of disbelief, but out of curiosity. Even after I left the shop, my mind was filled with thoughts of her mysterious power. (There is no doubt that she possesses some kind of special power¡­.It¡¯s unlikely, but maybe¡­a wizard or something.) Just as demons, creatures with magical powers, are on the verge of extinction. Just as the wizard, a human being with magical powers, is on the verge of extinction. Wizards were special people who could use magic that differed from one family to another, but their power was only passed down through their bloodline, and their children did not always inherit their power. Their numbers were gradually decreasing, and they were captured and imprisoned by those in power who wanted to use their power. Therefore, they did not flaunt their power, but lived quietly among ordinary people, and by mixing with ordinary people, their bloodline was further diluted and they rapidly lost their power. For more than a hundred years, no wizard has been found. It is believed that the power has ceased to exist. (But whether or not she¡¯s a wizard is not important at this point. I just¡­) Since we have to hold each other¡¯s secrets, I can¡¯t even tell Kaios about the power she seems to have. But I¡¯ll still go see her again while I¡¯m buying medicine. I just want to know what this strange girl named Cyril sees and thinks about in her life. What could make her blush like the women of the town? I want to see what she looks like when she does. It¡¯s pure curiosity. On this day, for the first time, I was curious about a woman, instead of hating her. I didn¡¯t think such a day would come, so it¡¯s a strange feeling. But it¡¯s not unpleasant. (If I am a flower and the women I gather are butterflies¡­ what will she become?) When I think of this, a smile naturally breaks out under the deep hood of my cloak.