With my eyes covered, I couldn't gauge time well, but my aching feet told me we'd covered a fair distance.
From my perspective, the farther we walked, the more anxious I got.
The farther we went, the deeper into the Demonic Cult we were heading—and the deeper we went, the higher the status (and danger) of the person I'd meet.
After walking for what felt like ages, the man finally stopped.
"We've arrived. You can take off the cloth now."
I hurriedly removed the cloth at his words.
Part of me had been paranoid that these lunatics might lock me up in some deep, dark place, but thankfully, it wasn't a prison.
On the contrary, it was a rather luxurious-looking place.
I'd been to all sorts of spots, but locations with interiors this refined were few and far between. The Sword Queen's residence, being part of the Taoist Huashan Sect, was surprisingly modest despite her reputation.
"Let me warn you in advance: if you show any disrespect in front of that person, my sword won't forgive you."
Back in the day, that might have scared me, but now it just felt cliché.
I gave a fist-and-palm salute to show I understood, and the man stood in front of the door and spoke.
"I've brought the fortune teller you requested, Cult Leader."
Oh, so the Cult Leader summoned me.
If it's the leader of the Demonic Cult…
Wait, hold on a damn second.
"Come in."
No, wait, seriously, hold on—
The Cult Leader for real?
The Cult Leader is the Heavenly Demon, right?
No, wait, this isn't right—
I'd figured it'd be a bishop at best, maybe an elder if it was someone high-ranking. Why the hell would the Heavenly Demon call for me?
"…"
As my mind spiraled and my face paled, the door opened, revealing the scene inside.
A woman in black martial robes sat cross-legged with her back to me.
"You've worked hard, Black Wind Bishop. You may leave now."
"Understood."
The man who'd brought me here responded to her words.
Wait, that guy was a bishop? I thought he was just some grunt!
Creak.
The man shoved me into the room, closed the door, and disappeared.
Get a grip, Dan Yuseong.
They say if you keep your wits about you, you can survive even in a tiger's den.
Well, except this opponent could probably kill a hundred tigers with a flick of her finger—other than that, it's basically the same.
"Are you nervous?"
As my body stiffened, the Heavenly Demon turned around and spoke to me.
I'd heard about her, but she really was a stunningly beautiful woman.
Of all the women I'd seen in this world, my master and the Sword Queen had been the most beautiful, but now there was one more to add to the list.
"…This lowly fortune teller greets the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult."
"Oh, no need for that. I don't intend to force the title of Cult Leader on someone who isn't even a member of this cult."
Is this what you'd call kindness?
No, don't be fooled.
This is the monster who, twenty years ago, single-handedly slaughtered 3,200 members of the Blood Cult in their war.
It happened before I transmigrated here, but I'm not ignorant of how insane that feat was.
And since that was twenty years ago, she's probably even stronger now.
No wonder the Martial Alliance keeps blabbering about the Demonic Cult but can't do anything about it.
"Then… may I address you as the Heaven of the Divine Cult?"
The Heaven of the Divine Cult.
It was a title I'd racked my brain to come up with in that short moment, trying to figure out how to avoid offending her. Out of the countless options that flashed through my mind, this was the last one standing.
"The Heaven of the Divine Cult, huh…"
The Heavenly Demon tapped her arm lightly with her fingertips.
Gulp.
I was inwardly tense, worried that she might react negatively.
"It's not a bad ring to it."
"Phew."
I could finally relax once she spoke.
"I assume you already know why I called you here."
"…As a lowly person, the only thing I can boast about to others is my modest skill in fortune-telling. If you tell me what you desire, I'll do my best to perform my craft. However, since this involves reading the will of the heavens, there's always a chance…"
"That it falls under the leakage of heavenly secrets, so I should keep in mind it might not come to pass?"
"…My apologies."
It can't be helped.
This applies not just to me but to other diviners and spiritual beings as well. Unless you're an ascended immortal, perfect foresight is impossible within the realm of humans.
In fact, I've gotten things wrong plenty of times myself. It's just that, unfortunately, the really important predictions I got right ended up spreading my reputation as some great seer.
"You don't need to worry so much. I didn't plan to blindly trust your words anyway. I only called you out of curiosity because rumors of a skilled fortune teller have been spreading through the martial world lately."
"…That's an undeserved compliment."
I want to cry.
If I'd known this would happen, I should've just stuck to reading trivial fortunes or love luck instead of wandering around and letting my reputation grow like this.
"Then… what exactly should I divine for you? Should I look into the future of the Divine Cult?"
"That would do."
"…Understood."
…
…
…
"The results are in…"
I spoke as I gathered up the eight wooden tablets scattered on the floor.
Explaining the principles of fortune-telling or the Eight Trigrams would be too complicated and tiresome, so I decided to skip it.
"What did you see?"
"No particular dangers stood out. At least, whatever you're currently planning seems likely to be resolved without significant risk."
"…Is that all?"
The Heavenly Demon's brow furrowed.
This is always the tricky part.
They ask me to read their fortune, but when I say, "No problems here. Looks like you're fine as is," they get upset and ask if that's it.
Of course, with all the experience I've accumulated surviving this long, I don't just leave it at that.
"If you happen to be sending a group of people somewhere, add twenty more to the number."
In this land of blood and steel, surviving without martial prowess means you've got to be quick with your words.
To be honest, I don't even know what that means myself.
Yes, I'm just making it up on the spot.
What if I get caught?
No need to worry. Even someone in the same trade wouldn't catch on.
Gulp.
'Don't tremble, don't tremble, don't tremble, don't tremble.'
I held my breath, watching the Heavenly Demon's reaction closely.
Surely, even someone like the Heavenly Demon wouldn't see through this.
As long as I don't give myself away.
"Somewhere, huh… Could you be a bit more specific?"
"The more I say, the more it risks leaking heavenly secrets. I'll only say that it's a place where much blood is expected to be spilled. Please forgive me for not being more specific, as saying too much could render my words meaningless, O Heaven of the Divine Cult."
"Hmm…"
The Heavenly Demon tapped her arm with her fingers again.
I was incredibly nervous inside, but thanks to the cloak covering my entire body, it probably didn't show.
This cloak isn't some ordinary item, after all.
The problem is, I'm not confident it'll work against the Heavenly Demon.
"Very well. I'll keep it in mind."
"Phew."
Thankfully, it seems I managed to fool—er, persuade—her.
"You've worked hard. It must've been tough coming all this way, so I'll make sure your reward is generous."
"Oh, no, it's fine. I didn't do much, and if I take too much, I might be struck by heavenly retribution."
"Nonsense. If you receive something, there should be something given in return. No need to refuse."
…Maybe she's a better person than I thought.
I've met plenty of people who haggle over the price, saying, "What's so hard about reading a fortune?" or insist, "This is for justice, so you shouldn't take payment, right?"
"…If I refuse too much, it'd be rude, so I'll shamelessly accept."
I gave a fist-and-palm salute, sincerely thanking her.
Honestly, I'd been secretly worried that the Demonic Cult might send me off empty-handed after all the trouble I went through to get here.
"But if it's alright with you, could I ask one more favor?"
"…Please, say whatever you wish."
A client who pays well is king.
How could I say no to a king's request?