(EP-183.1) And Take #2
183 – Give and Take #2
"Well, what do you think? I believe this is a sufficient price. This Highness may not know much about magic, but don't you think this power up is enough to see the future?"
As I felt different emotions reading through the system prompts, Serazade spoke to me in a soft voice.
Only then did I realize that I had fallen into a trade.
This was troublesome…
People usually lived in groups.
Beyond families, they created villages or societies, and eventually, nations.
When the scale became larger, I thought it might be tangled with the zeitgeist of humanity.
But if I had to pick one important point in human relationships, regardless of age, I would choose the principle of 'give and take'.
Give as much as you take, take as much as you give.
Perhaps a significant part of the issues between people in society arose because this fair relationship was not established. At least, that was what I dared to think.
In that sense, I had now received a kind of significant payment.
I must repay Serazade with something equivalent to the stalaktos dew I consumed.
[T/N: stalaktos dew *previously gongcheong petroleum]
The problem was that Serazade was now seeking knowledge about the future, but I lacked the satisfactory information.
Originally, I intended to refuse.
But when I saw the pure white droplet that Serazade offered, I couldn't resist, as if bearing witness to a gift I had been waiting for all my life.
Just like how a person with a protein deficiency craved meat, my body seemed to crave the magic power it lacked, compelling me to devour the elixir without much thought.
It was just information about the future, so I'd just give her what I knew. Holding onto the weight of the situation, I spoke with seriousness to make it sound significant.
"Doesn't Tureuki have a lot of walls around?"
"That's right, long walls surround the outskirts of Tureuki. When our ancestors built these walls, everyone called them crazy. However, they have benefited from it greatly in the past war."
Around the small kingdom of Tureuki were walls with magic energy. When the old king erected these ramparts, many questioned its necessity.
But when the Demon King Angmar led his army and invaded Tureuki, he was stopped several times by these very walls.
It was only then that the wisdom of the old King was finally acknowledged.
"There won't be many who can breach this fortress in the future. It is a symbol of Tureuki's pride."
"That's right. Unless it's from the sky."
"Yes, it's better not to rely too much on the perfection of the walls."
"Is that a prophecy?"
Serazade's question reminded me of a brief description of Tureuki from the original, devastated in ruins by a flying monster.
Could it be considered a prophecy, given that it might happen someday?
"It's the future I've already observed. It may change based on this starting point, but it is something that may happen someday."
Serazade rested her hand on her sharp and elegant chin, appearing momentarily lost in thought. In a world without fighter jets, this might sound like a far-fetched tale. РаƝОＢЁ§
Being able to fly probably meant that they were a high rank mage.
As far as I knew, flight magic required complex calculations, and one needed to reach at least Rank 6 to do so. Hence, there was unlikely to be a presence capable of invading from the sky.
I wouldn't have found it strange even if Serazade just laughed at me like, "Funny story!" Yet surprisingly, she seemed to take my bizarre advice seriously.
Perhaps it was because of my reputation?
If I, who was rumored to be the Demon Monk, said something seriously, I guessed everyone would have no choice but to believe it.
Even if someone didn't put much weight in prophecies, if a reputed shaman warned, "Beware of the sky!" even those who usually ignored such words might start paying subtle attention to what lied above.
I could smoothly move past this.
"What specifically is with the sky? Can you tell me that?"
"Well, not to that extent…."
"I see. So it's the sky… I've never paid any attention to it. Now, let me ask you one more question. In fact, this is more important."
"Yes. And it would be wise not to disclose anything about what we discussed."
With such weight placed on this matter, I couldn't help but feel nervous. I just wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.
Finally, Serazade asked.
"When does this Highness grow taller? Surely this is not the end of my growth, is it? It would be better to tell the truth."
I felt relieved and empathetic at the same time. For her, height was important. It seemed like Serazade was curious about whether there was still room for her own growth.
"Aren't you already beautiful enough now? Why would you ask about such a thing?"
"In Tureuki's stern ancient laws, only women who have grown to a certain size can marry and form a family! This Highness is just on the precipice."
"Is there no way to grow just 3cm more? If it stays , it might come to a point where one of Kasim's children will be this Highness' successor!"
Serazade seemed desperate. Well, she barely got the throne so it was only natural for her to desire a marriage, have children, and pass on the legacy.
But I didn't know how to grow taller.
If I did, I would have done it already…
However, Serazade's attitude was so serious that I decided to think about something that might help alleviate the guilt from devouring the elixir earlier.
"… How about drinking a lot of milk and going to bed early?"
***[T/N: I tled stalaktos dew as gongcheong petroleum previously as a temporary measure (as I noted). After asking for help with Korean native speakers, the original meaning is more like a phrase than a noun in English hence I took the liberty to simply name it stalaktos (*Greek for stalactites) dew because it's a drop that comes from stalactites. Also, the petroleum part is a wordplay with the Korean characters]