The Freed Slaves Are Obsessed

Lin and Mirabel walked along the main avenue of Bestia, their hands tightly clasped together.

This was Mirabel’s precautionary measure, ensuring she could immediately deal with any mischief Lin might try. She made it a habit to hold Lin’s hand whenever they went out.

Lin didn’t refuse.

After all, both Lin and Mirabel had always held tightly onto Karami’s hand whenever they wandered around somewhere.

Now, regardless of who it was, not holding someone’s hand felt empty and strangely unsettling.

By chance, the two were of similar height, making it easy to hold hands. Their hands were equally small and delicate, and their body temperatures matched. Though different from the sense of stability that came from holding Karami’s hand, this brought its own kind of comfort.

It was mutually beneficial.

“You said you’d do fortune-telling, but how exactly are you planning to do it?”

Mirabel, being a witch, had some knowledge of fortune-telling.

There were many methods of divination.

In the West, people often used tarot cards or astrological readings based on celestial alignments.

Others used a witch’s crystal ball or drew cards inscribed with runes.

In the East, there was divination using hwatu cards or fortune-telling based on the Five Elements (eumyang oheng) and the Ten Celestial Stems and Twelve Earthly Branches (saju palja). Added to that were physiognomy and palm reading. The possibilities were endless.

“Lin doesn’t know any of that!”

Lin disliked anything complicated.

The childlike Lin preferred simplicity.

“Then how are you going to do it?”

“Lin will use eye-divination!”

Lin didn’t need tools. With her Il-yeong-an (All-Seeing Eye), she could discern a person’s fate just by looking at them.

Thanks to having absorbed the power of the Celestial Fox, she could even determine the most likely outcomes of someone’s destiny.

Without any preparation, Lin spread a mat on a busy street, sat down, and began setting up shop. On a signboard provided by Heukbi, she scribbled some words and hung it around her neck.

“Today’s Fortune by a Gumiho – 1 Silver per Reading.”

“Lin will read your fortune! Come one, come all!”

Sitting cross-legged with her arms folded, Lin called out boldly to draw in customers.

Mirabel, watching this scene, quietly stepped away, putting some distance between them.

I don’t know this person.

Time passed.

As expected, no one approached for a reading.

Despite Hilde and Yuhwa’s efforts to post flyers and deploy people to minimize the perceived danger of a gumiho, fostering goodwill was a separate matter entirely.

Lin wasn’t seen as an outright plague to be avoided, but people wondered, “Is it really necessary to get involved?” Glances were cast her way, but no one took genuine interest.

With no customers, Lin’s confidence quickly shrank. She glanced at Mirabel, silently asking for help.

“What should Lin do? No one’s coming.”

“Did you seriously think someone would?”

“Master said that a beautiful woman is the best advertising all by herself.”

“If Master said so, then the approach isn’t wrong...”

Mirabel was just as clueless about the world.

How could they attract customers?

The two began a serious discussion.

“Couldn’t we use magic?”

“Lin also knows enchantments to charm people!”

If they used such spells, they could attract people not only in Bestia but all over the world!

As the two girls enthusiastically plotted something that would have made Karami faint had he heard it, a shadow loomed over Lin.

“Oh, our first customer? Ah. Seira.”

Lin’s bright face instantly fell. It wasn’t a customer but Seira, a werewolf and their current landlord.

Her attire had changed considerably since her days in office wear. Now, she donned an expensive mink coat, a luxurious fur scarf, and sunglasses.

She looked every bit like the picture of a wealthy lady.

“Hello, Seira,” Mirabel greeted politely, bowing slightly. Although she spent most of her days with Lin in the Dreaming Garden, they were indebted to Seira for providing them a place to stay.

Having no other suitable residence and needing to monitor Lin, Mirabel had agreed to live in Seira’s house. There was also the connection to Karami—while the house was under Seira’s name, it was Karami who had purchased it.

Owing a debt to Karami, Seira was willing to take care of one of his slaves. Unlike some people, she was quite accommodating.

Lin, however, narrowed her eyes, scanning Seira’s outfit from head to toe.

“This isn’t the Seira Lin knew.”

“This is the look of a successful person.”

Now the manager of the cat café Karami had left behind, Seira was rolling in wealth. She had even opened a second branch.

Staying up late and dealing with unruly customers?

Goodbye to that.

“What are you two doing here?”

“Lin decided to do fortune-telling to earn money.”

“Lin wants to work and make her own money!”

“But no one’s coming.”

“No one is coming!”

“Why aren’t they coming?”

“Why aren’t they coming?”

“Even if you ask why...”

This wasn’t quite a street stall, nor was it a proper shop. The two cute girls drew plenty of attention, but that was all.

If it were a café in need of charming staff, maybe it would work. However, when it came to fortune-telling, people expected an old grandmother or someone with a mystical aura.

A fortune-telling shop run by young girls felt like a mismatch.

“How about working as staff at our café instead? I think you’d be popular. You’re not a cat, but you could shapeshift.”

Seira’s sharp eye had spotted Lin’s potential.

However, Lin’s mood instantly darkened. The temperature around her plummeted, freezing the air.

Passersby froze like statues.

“Seira, are you telling Lin to sell herself like those stray she-cats?”

“Sell yourself? That’s an over-exaggeration—”

“Lin’s smile, her scent, even her breath all belong to Master. Lin won’t give them to anyone else. I won’t forgive remarks like that, not even from you, Seira.”

Lin’s emotions surged, so intense that even her usually flawless shapeshifting faltered. The ominous pressure she exuded was unmistakably that of a gumiho, making Seira gulp nervously.

“My apologies. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

“You’re right. Asking us slaves to cater to anyone other than Master is inappropriate. This time, Seira, you were in the wrong.”

“...I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, Seira! Everyone makes mistakes! Lin understands everything!”

Lin returned to her cheerful self with a bright smile and resumed scheming with Mirabel.

Seira let out a belated sigh of relief. At some point, her tail had become damp with nervous sweat.

Watching Lin and Mirabel crouched on the ground and earnestly discussing their plans was an endearing sight... but the earlier threat to her life was unforgettable.

“Do you have another plan in mind?”

“Yes. We’ll cast a spell to make people unconsciously come here.”

“We could create an infinite maze they can’t escape unless they get a fortune reading!”

“Absolutely not. That would turn the entire country upside down.”

“Eh.”

Seira sighed.

She could understand Lin behaving this way, but Mirabel too? Perhaps they were still just kids after all. Where had their caretaker gone, leaving them like this?

Of course, Mirabel had a mother, but to Seira, Karami felt like their guardian.

With Karami gone, Seira felt she had to take some kind of responsibility. Leaving the two of them alone would surely lead to disaster.

“Here’s what we’ll do. Let’s head to my café.”

“Seira...”

“It’s not what you think. As you know, my café is always packed with customers. We’ll set up a special area just for Lin there. It’s much better than trying to do this on the street.”

Lin’s ears perked up at the intriguing suggestion.

“All work requires a foundation. Start small, and once you gain some reputation, people will come to you wherever you are.”

“Ohhh.”

“If you’ve made up your mind, let’s pack up and go. And please take down that sign.”

The sign hanging around Lin’s neck made her look like a beggar. Meanwhile, Seira, dressed so extravagantly, drew murmurs from passersby who saw her as some kind of evil stepmother.

“Got it!”

Lin shot up, folded the mat, and yanked off the sign, tossing it aside. Not wanting to leave trash behind, Mirabel used magic to make it vanish.

With a triumphant stretch of her arms, Lin shouted, “Let’s go!”

++++

Lin set up a small fortune-telling stand just outside the cat café.

To create a mystical atmosphere, a purple tent was erected. Inside, they placed a table where Mirabel and Lin sat cozily together.

“Don’t you need some tools for fortune-telling?”

“Lin doesn’t need anything like that!”

“Even if you don’t, having something helps. People can gain trust from even the smallest details.”

“Ohhh.”

Lin summoned her fox orb onto the table. Glowing gold and navy blue, the orb exuded an ethereal and mysterious aura.

“In that case...”

Mirabel summoned a skull—her own deceased father, no less—and placed just the head in a corner of the table. She tapped its crown lightly, causing a soft blue light to seep from its hollow eyes and mouth.

“And what’s with this skull...?”

“That’s my dad.”

“...?”

It was odd, but it did help enhance the atmosphere. Seira completed the setup by draping a black veil over Lin’s head.

The fortune-telling business officially began.

As expected, visitors to the cat café started to take interest in the tent—not in droves, but more than before.

“What’s this? A fortune-telling shop just popped up? Was this always here?”

A couple approached the tent, curious.

Seira hadn’t anticipated this, but fortune-telling booths were popular among couples seeking insights into their romantic compatibility. Especially with women, they tended to be quite a hit.

Given that the cat café was already a prime date spot in Bestia, the two attractions harmonized perfectly.

“I don’t think this was here before. Should we check it out?”

“Yeah, let’s give it a try.”

The Fantastic Fox Fortune-Telling Booth got its first customers—a beastman couple.

“Excuse us, we’d like a reading on our romantic compatibility.”

“You’ve come to the right place!”

“Huh? The voice sounds a little... young?”

Lin nearly blew it with the first customers. She quickly adjusted her voice.

“It’s... it’s just your imagination. Ahem. So, you’re here for a romantic fortune reading?”

“Yes! We just passed our 100-day anniversary and were curious about what lies ahead. Will our future be smooth sailing?”

“Smooth sailing, huh...”

Lin waved her hands over the fox orb dramatically. It wasn’t necessary, but appearances mattered.

Underneath the veil, she used her All-Seeing Eye to analyze the couple’s fate.

Even though they were interacting with a gumiho, their fate appeared surprisingly mundane—thanks to Lin’s improved control over her power.

And the couple’s destiny that Lin glimpsed was...

Flash!

Lin’s Wolyeong-an (Moonlit Eye) flashed for a moment. The fox orb on the table emitted a navy glow in response. The couple, who had been intently watching the orb, suddenly lost focus in their eyes.

It was Lin’s illusion magic at work.

“Wait, emergency.”

“What is it?”

Mirabel, who was watching from behind with her face hidden under a veil, tilted her head in confusion.

“This woman... she has another man.”

“Wow... what an extraordinary customer to start with.”

To encounter a cheating woman right off the bat... unlucky for the man.

“But that’s not all. She’ll lay eggs sired by another man in this guy’s nest and then run away. He’ll raise them with utmost care.”

“How could anyone do such a thing!”

“And that’s still not the end of it. After he’s raised the children, she’ll take them away and raise them in the other man’s nest. This poor guy will continue to send her money without knowing the truth.”

“Unbelievable...”

The beastman couple...

The woman was a cuckoo beastman.

The man, a goose beastman.

What a maddeningly toxic match.

“W-what should we do?”

“I feel bad for the man.”

“Should we... twist fate a little?”

“Let’s do that.”

It wasn’t using their powers for harm. It was for good. Surely Karami would praise them for this.

The two exchanged glances and nodded.

“Lin was also saved by Master.”

“Let’s share the blessings Master gave us with those in need.”

They would spread Master’s greatness far and wide.

The two troublemakers, perfectly in sync, set to work. Lin twisted the couple’s fates.

She shifted the woman’s misfortune to the man and imbued the man’s good fortune into the woman.

After completing the adjustment, Lin dispelled the illusion magic.

“Huh? What just happened?”

“Yeah, what just happened?”

Before the couple could feel anything was amiss, Lin interrupted smoothly.

“Let me tell you your fortune.”

“Oh, what is it? Our future is full of flowers and happiness, right?”

“Full of flowers, right?”

“It’s simple. Do good, and fortune will come your way. Act poorly, and misfortune will follow. Live a good life.”

“That’s perfect for us! We’re destined for happiness!”

“P-perfect...”

The couple left.

More customers came after them.

“Emergency. This one’s going to develop an incurable disease!”

“An incurable disease is too tragic... Let’s tweak it a little?”

The visits kept coming.

“Oh no! Their arm is going to be eaten by a monster!”

“An arm is essential... Just a small tweak, then.”

Lin and Mirabel worked diligently.

“They’re going to fall down the stairs?”

“Falling hurts... Better adjust that a little?”

Each time a customer came, they twisted their fates.

By the time the day ended, Seira returned to check on them.

“How was it today? Was business good?”

“Ah, it was perfect! Lin is truly a saint.”

“It was such a fulfilling day. Now I understand Master’s heart when he saved us slaves.”

“...?”

Saints? Salvation? For a fortune-telling stand?

Seira was uneasy but had no way of knowing exactly what they’d been up to.

The next day.

“Is this the fortune-telling shop? The one where your luck improves after getting your fortune told?”

“Yeah, I heard about it! Yesterday, a hound wolf almost bit my arm off, but it must’ve had a toothache because it ran away crying!”

“I slipped on the stairs, but my clothes got caught on the handrail, so I was fine. I almost tumbled all the way down!”

The streets were packed with people, so crowded they were practically spilling over.

Even when the cat café had been at its busiest, it wasn’t this chaotic.

Seira stared at Mirabel and Lin, who stood side by side.

“What exactly did you two do?”

“Good deeds...”

“Lin only spread kindness...”

The mischievous girls avoided Seira’s gaze, turning their heads away innocently.