Memoirs of the Returnee

[Castrology]

Card astrology, Castrollogy.

It had been quite some time since I welcomed my second customer.

“Um…”

The woman who faced me, first off, had goddess-like hair. The hair split so evenly, that if a woman wasn’t confident in her own appearance would style as such.

“Firstly, this is my sincerity.”

She handed me something with a slightly anxious face. It was a luxury item, but not just any luxury item.

It was a necklace artifact from the high-end brand ‘Algoro’.

“…Hmm.”

I hadn’t expected such an offering, but I took it anyway.

It’s always good to have a little extra income.

“…”

I looked at her with drooping eyes.

She was a celebrity. Known to the public even before my regression.

This meant she was one of the few people I could actually perform a ‘future reading’ for.

“Um…”

The woman, hesitant to speak, was named ‘Yerain’. A cherished jewel of the prestigious Rodman family.

I spoke to her.

“Is it about a lover?”

“!”

Yerain gasped and covered her mouth.

“H-how did you… hear about it, perhaps?”

“Hear? I saw it.”

I had actually seen her fame.

A terrible end that was widely publicized across the continent.

“Saw… my boyfriend?”

“Your future.”

She had tried to break up with her knightly lover, but he murdered her. The murderer tried to dispose of her dismembered body by the lakeside but was caught.

“My future?”

“Yes.”

Indeed, she should be thankful for her past life now.

Saving someone simply because they ‘died horribly’ is not without its risks for me either. Who knows what kind of butterfly effect might return.

However, she is a good person.

Born the sole daughter of the Rodman family, she was neither violent nor arrogant; rather, she loved welfare, volunteering, children, and animals.

“T0 see the future…”

She looked at me with a somewhat skeptical gaze.

Snap!

I pulled a card from my hand. It was a rather ominous crimson card.

Perfectly drawn.

“Run.”

“… Pardon ?”

“He’s a dangerous man.”

“lf he’s dangerous…”

Whoosh!

I tossed the card upwards. The card stuck to the ceiling and bathed the entire tent in a crimson hue.

“Aah!”

Startled, Yeraine screamed.

I told her,

“lt seems you are trying to end things with him, but he will not accept it.”

In an instant, Yeraine’s complexion changed. She made a choking sound and placed her hand on her nose, her expression speaking volumes.

“How do you know?!”

“He has a soul that is red.”

I pointed to the color of the tent. Yerain swallowed hard.

“His soul… is red?”

“lf you’re thinking of breaking up with him.”

“Thinking of… breaking up?”

She leaned forward.

I answered briefly.

“Be sure to have an escort.”

“An escort…?”

“Yes.”

I nodded and continued.

“A strong guard to protect you.”

“…”

Yerain listened intently with a serious expression.

Three days after she visited the fortune-telling shop, breaking news exploded in the media.

[Yerain of the Rodman family attacked by an unidentified man… Life saved thanks to accompanying knight]

[Shock! Active knight attacks the cherished gem of the Rodman family]

I sat on a bench near the Castrollogy building, reading the article.

Yerain had survived, and conversely, the man had died. Fortunately, she had heeded my advice.

The future had changed, but it was a fitting twist of fate.

“…S h i o n ”

Soliette appeared behind me. She plopped down next to me.

“ls the fortune-telling shop plan going well?”

“Yeah, m ode rate ly.”

“Aren’t you out here because it's not going well?”

“lt’s going fine. What about you?”

“Backlogged assignments, internet research, qualifying exams for the article… I have a lot to do.”

For the record, it’s university break. However, Soliette was busy trying to salvage her messed-up grades.

Meanwhile, I had scored enough to challenge the qualifying exam, and I planned to do so at the end of the year.

“Looks like I’ll be taking the end-of-year exam alone?”

At my words, Soliette frowned.

“ITI join you, even if I have to get a recommendation letter. So…”

Suddenly, Soliette’s eyes widened.

“lsn't that Miss Yerain?”

“Hmm?”

I looked in that direction too. Yerain, the subject of the breaking news, had just gotten out of a car with her knights.

“Do you know her?”

“Yes. I saw her during the volunteer activities at the knight academy, but Miss

Yerain!”

Soliette waved at her. Yerain was startled, and the knights quickly drew their swords.

“…Soliette?”

Having recognized soliette, Yerain patted her chest in relief. Soliette asked back.

“What’s going on?”

“Ah… You haven’t seen the news, I see.”

“The news?”

I tapped soliette’s shoulder and showed her my phone. Her expression widened in an instant.

“Wow. Are you alright?”

“Yes, as you can see… By the way, did you two come to have your fortunes told as well?”

“No, we're just sitting here.”

Soliette answered casually. I glanced at Yerain and her escort knights.

Now that I looked, they were carrying something wrapped up.

It seemed like an offering of some sort.

“What is that?”

Just then, Soliette asked.

“Thankfully, thanks to the fortune teller, I was able to avoid disaster. I’ve brought a gift… though I’m not sure if he’s here.”

I whispered to soliette.

Ask what the gift is.

“What gift is it?”

Soliette parroted like a parrot.

Yerain smiled bitterly.

“lt’s a mana nucleus. I thought it might help with his abilities…”

Mana nucleus.

I discreetly moved away and slipped into the tent to get ready.

A mana nucleus is a higher version of a mana core. It’s a treasure that can’t be bought with all the money in the world, but the Rodman family, having amassed wealth through trade, could certainly afford a mana nucleus.

I sat in the tent and messaged soliette.

[Tell her to come in.]

Not long after, there was a knock.

“Come in.”

The tent flap slid open, and Yerain entered.

“Ah, fortune teller.”

I looked at her. Yerain cautiously approached and sat down.

“…Thank you so much. Because of you…”

She almost teared up.

“From now on, develop an eye for people. Don’t assume everyone is like you.”

Yerain nodded with a somber face.

“Yes… I’ve decided to always have an escort knight from now on. This is… a token of gratitude from my father.”

Mana nucleus.

I swallowed inwardly.

With this, the capacity of the [Notepad] would increase by hundreds.

“Leave it here.”

“Thank you.”

“One more thing.”

As Yerain was about to get up, I added another piece of advice.

“Tell your father to be wary of someone with auburn hair.”

“…Auburn hair?”

Soon, the Rodman family would be defrauded by a man with auburn hair. I felt compelled to warn them because.

“Yes. A vile and dangerous soul is lurking near your family.”

I had been conned by that bastard before, too.

“No gains at all.”

On a secluded mountainside, I had been searching the abandoned research facility all day with soliette, but today was another bust.

“Exactly.”

All we gathered as evidence were scraps of metal, glass, and broken artifacts.

We arrived at 10 PM, and before we knew it, it was 10 AM.

“Jelly, let’s head back.”

At that, Soliette scrunched up her nose.

“…Can you please change that name? What kind of name is Jelly?”

I ignored her and picked up my smartphone.

[Breaking News: The controversial company ‘New Frontier’ has announced the successful pioneering of the Arctic Crystal Cave.]

“Oh.”

This was the second piece of breaking news in two days. A very good piece of news that made me smile. Soon, there would be chaos at the Intelligence Agency.

Gedley’s influence would diminish, and Derek would suffer a major blow.

“You seem pleased?”

Soliette asked, scratching her pink hair.

“Well…”

I shrugged.

“Just the breaking news.”

…

The entire Intelligence Agency paused. Everyone was silent as they watched the suddenly soaring charts.

It was a situation no one had predicted or even imagined.

['New Frontier’ has announced the successful pioneering of the Arctic Crystal Cave. At the same time, they refuted claims that New Frontier is a slush fund company owned by CEO Vern Everett…]

The tone of all media and articles across the continent changed, and even the Knights were dispatched to verify the existence of the crystal cave.

Its value was in the billions of Ren.

However, more critical than its direct value was the fact that they were not a fake company.

Moreover, the existence of short positions had already been confirmed, attracting not just individual investors but hedge funds as well.

The buying pressure exploded.

It was on a scale that was impossible to respond to.

…

Gedley was just dazed. This moment felt like a dream to him.

Even for someone who had experienced all sorts of battles over decades, this was the first time he faced such a chaotic scenario. It was a war of numbers only, and there was no manual on how to respond. It wasn’t like he could pull out a gun and shoot at the numbers.

He just stared blankly and then suddenly checked his account.

“Ah… damn.”

His entire fortune was dissolving like salt in water.

…

[New Frontier has successfully pioneered the Arctic Crystal Cave…]

[Shedding the disgrace of being called a slush fund company.]

Zia watched these breaking news broadcasts on TV, resting her palm on her cheek.

“…Fascinating.”

“lt’s truly fascinating. This situation, the process, and even the outcome—all of it.”

Why was it fascinating?

She opened the drawer of her desk and pulled out a nearly completed report.

[New Frontier]

New Frontier. It was the card she had personally prepared to inflict losses on Derek.

In other words, the series of events currently unfolding were actually a setup that Zia had already meticulously planned from A to Z in her mind.

However, Zia herself had never activated this card.

Yet, the operation proceeded astonishingly just as she had envisioned.

Zia seemed to know the reason.

Shion Ascal.

ln some way, he had acquired and created a report about New Frontier and ensured Gedley would get his hands on it directly.

Afterward, he leaked specific ‘information’ to New Frontier, shattering Derek’s short-selling scheme.

“…Could it be that we’re alike?”

Zia muttered quietly.

It was possible that Shion and her thoughts were similar. Zia felt this inwardly.

But this operation was too identical, even the crystal cave discovered by New Frontier was at a location Zia had previously scouted herself.

—It's still unclear who provided the information, but Derek’s losses are estimated to be at least several billion Ren.

HR Manager ‘Jean’ spoke from the other end of the phone.

Zia raised her eyebrows and changed the subject.

“S0, how’s sister doing?”

—She’s completely secluded herself. She’s handed over all official duties to her subordinates and hasn’t left the mansion.

“Hmm…”

Zia’s mouth watered.

If what Shion said was true, and Johanna gave up all her business to her, the thought was delicious.

—Also, there’s been a rather strange rumor circulating at the Round Table recently.

“A rumor?”

—Yes. It’s about a fortune teller.

Fortune teller.

Zia didn’t really believe in shamans, psychics, or prophets. They were just experts in fitting things together.

—Do you know Yerain of the Rodman family?

“Yes… the woman from yesterday’s breaking news.”

—She was saved from disaster thanks to a fortune teller.

“HOW curious…”

That was the end of her remark.

“ITI hang up now. Get back to work…”

—Yes.

Click.

After ending the call, Zia fell back into thought.

Her [New Frontier] and Shion Ascal’s [New Frontier].

About the astonishingly identical two operations, whether it was because she and Shion were similar, or if there was another reason.

She tapped her desk pensively but—

“ITI have to ask him directly.”

The conclusion was surprisingly simple.

At Aventagher, Sheron’s villa.

“Here are the items brought from the lab.”

We presented Sheron with the evidence. It was a bag filled with all sorts of trash and discarded Artifacts.

“Ugh, how filthy.”

Sheron flicked at them, unnecessarily fussy.

Soliette asked earnestly, “Can you make anything out of these?”

“I don’t know. If there are any soul frequencies left, I might be able to find something.”

Sheron’s brow furrowed suddenly.

“Ah, I’m tired. It stinks! Didn't you clean these?”

“…I thought cleaning might erase the frequencies.”

Soliette pouted her lips.

“What’s going to be erased? My nose is about to become obsolete!.”

She clutched her nose.

“Anyway. I do feel some frequencies.”

“Is that so?”

Soliette’s eyes widened. Sheron, having stepped a few paces away from the discarded Artifacts, continued irritably.

“Yes, but… I can’t distinguish which of these trash has the frequency. I don’t even want to do it.”

“Why, why not?”

“Because it’s filthy, that's why!”

Sheron seemed upset and picked up her phone.

She’s quite uncooperative today.

“ITI clean them!”

Soliette grabbed the discarded Artifacts and dashed to the bathroom.

“…Really. No sense at all. Talking about finding soul frequencies, as if they'd be erased if cleaned.”

I asked her as she grumbled.

“ls something bothering you?”

“…Tch. Hey.”

Sheron turned to me as if she had been waiting.

“Do you know about the Yerain incident?”

“Yes, I saw it on the news.”

Indeed, rumors spread much faster from higher places.

When training monkeys, it’s said to be two thousand times more efficient to teach the highest-ranking one rather than the lowest.

“But. That Yerain is someone I know. From the Rodman family.”

“Yes.”

I nodded intermittently.

If I don’t show gestures that I’m listening, she gets angry.

“The knight who was killed was originally Yerain’s boyfriend.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. She acted all prim and proper, but she was dating a madman. Anyway, she was just about to break up with him, right? But some fortune teller told her that guy was dangerous.”

“Really?”

“Yes! The fortune teller advised her to bring guards if she was going to break up with him. So she brought guards along. At first, it seemed excessive, but then that madman swung a sword when she tried to break up with him.”

“Wow.”

“A mazing, right? That fortune teller nailed it completely.”

“And then?”

“Yerain won’t tell who the fortune teller is, really stingy! It’s so annoying. If she’s not going to tell, she shouldn’t have said anything in the first place.”

Bang! Sheron stomped her foot irritably.

I asked cautiously, “Do you… want to see the fortune teller or something?”

“No~ If they’re that good, there’s no harm in seeing them, right? I have some business dealings going on anyway.”

“…”

I naturally crossed my arms and tilted my head slightly, looking down at her with a serious gaze.

“What’s with you? You suddenly got serious.”

“I know about them.”

“…Huh?”

Sheron’s expression turned curious at my words.

“That fortune teller. I know them.”

“Bullshit.”

“lt’s true.”

“Really?”

She chewed her lip, her voice heavy with skepticism.

“How?”

“lt’s called Castrolology, they’re someone I have personal connections with. I can arrange a meeting as soon as tomorrow, but…”

“Set it up!”

Sheron beamed a bright smile.

“But.”

I pointed towards where soliette had gone.

“Clean those discarded Artifacts youself. Let's finish the frequency analysis today, and then I’ll consider it.”

“What? Are you insane? Do you want to die?”

Her face contorted— her right eye narrowed sharply while her left eyebrow furrowed deeply, a rather cartoonish expression.

“lf you don’t like it, forget it. I’m also dealing with someone who needs to be handled carefully. Do you know how hard it is to arrange these meetings?”

“…”

Splish-splash- Splish-splash-

Just then, the sound of something being cleaned came from the bathroom. Sheron glanced over before glaring back at me.

“Are you serious? Can really arrange it?”

“Yes, of course.”

There really was no reason not to. Aventagher is also a family of the Round Table, and Sheron holds a significant position in social circles.

“Alright. If you fail to arrange it, we’re done. Hey! Soliette!”

She shouted loudly and entered the bathroom.

—Huh, what? I’m cleaning.

—Move aside. I’ll do it.

She hurried the bewildered soliette out and began cleaning the discarded Artifacts herself, splashing water around.