Are MZ Shamans In Trouble In Romance Novels? - Chapter 31

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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31.

“…D-Desert Army?”

Calisia stammered, unable to believe this situation. She hadn’t expected the ambush of military enlistment to be hiding behind one mountain after another. And the Western Desert, notorious for its deadly heat at that!

-Calisia, if you truly have an interest in the military, I won’t stop you. But since you’d be starting as a low-ranking soldier rather than an officer, you’d better steel yourself.

“Hmm….”

Calisia, who had been momentarily stunned, came to her senses and organized her thoughts. There were still four months left until the Academy exam anyway, and she planned to leave Valus before then under the pretext of travel. There was plenty of time to escape.

-Looking at your expression, you’re thinking of running away. Wake up from that dream. The moment you don’t appear at the Academy exam venue, Valus will dispatch search parties.

The Previous Head of House clicked his tongue, asking how she could be so ignorant and simple.

-Fire Ritual, Execution Order, Western Army. Even after hearing all this, you still don’t understand? Valus would rather kill than ever let go of children born with the family’s power. Having grown up in the Castle of Ash, you should know this better than anyone.

Valus’s obsession with bloodline and power was unparalleled. That’s why they built the Gray Tower in the middle of the desert to confine the bastards.

“….”

Escape was impossible. Realizing this reality, Calisia’s complexion gradually turned pale. At this rate, forget returning to her original dimension, even wandering would turn to nothing.

“…Hehehe.”

Slap-! Slap-!

Calisia, who had been giggling, struck her own cheeks hard. Damn household. I should pick a day and perform shamanic rituals for everything. Hahaha.

“Hahahaha. Haa….”

The place is definitely cursed. The laughter that had been echoing for a while suddenly cut off.

“This fucking shiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!”

Calisia clutched her head and wailed loudly toward the sky.

***

“Blockhead. Do you know one way to boost immunity? It’s deliberately exposing your body to germs to build resistance.”

And here’s today’s germ specimen, ta-da! Calisia pushed Thomas, who was nervously watching, in front of Ian.

“What are you scheming?”

Ian, who had been dragged out while his wrist was grabbed during sword training, spoke in a grumpy tone.

“Scheming! This is all training. Training.”

Calisia launched into a long speech about how they needed to prepare for situations where possession might inevitably occur. Then she boasted that having herself as a safety device nearby was fortunate.

“How much did you receive this time?”

“Receive? Receive what?”

“Don’t play dumb. I saw you demanding payment from that Spotted Man in Tiger Disaster Village.”

Faced with undeniable eyewitness testimony, Calisia scratched her nose with an embarrassed expression. Did they install CCTV throughout the entire village? When did he even see that?

“Lakies. Everything in this world requires a down payment. First of all, these materials all cost money. Look. I used wood to carve the guardian post, and I used bowls and needles to bring back the spirit.”

Calisia folded her fingers one by one, emphasizing the necessity of payment.

“Is there even one thing among those that you bought with your own money?”

“Of course there is! Naturally! Not a single penny of my precious money was spent! But my knowledge and experience went into it! And I didn’t even receive much!”

Calisia spat as she argued that intangible value was also wealth.

“Mouth.”

Ian pulled his head back and waved his hands dismissively.

-E-Excuse me! Miss! Young Master! Aren’t you going? We need to see the market too….

Thomas, who had been watching the two anxiously, mustered his courage. It was because the grocery store he frequented for its good ingredients was closing early.

-It’s…, been several years since I’ve been there, so it might have changed.

Thomas added an excuse.

“Why are you being so cautious? Once you’ve paid, you’re a customer from that moment. Demand what you need to demand, clearly!”

Only as much as you paid, of course. Calisia patted Thomas’s back while explaining proper rights advocacy.

“So you did receive payment.”

Ian crossed his arms and looked at Calisia as if daring her to make excuses.

“…Split it in half.”

Though it probably wasn’t money. Swallowing her latter words, Calisia quickly pushed Ian’s back, saying they should just go. First, she needed the Previous Head of House’s help to avoid being drafted into the Desert Army. And even if she had to run away, wouldn’t the Academy be better than Valus crawling with soldiers?

‘I’d like to just ask them to remove me from the family register entirely.’

Calisia looked down at the seal ring on her finger. She had actually considered asking for permanent expulsion many times. But no matter how much she thought about it, the probability of rejection was high. Moreover, seeing the Head of House’s temperament after turning Cain into a bloody mess, she’d be lucky to just get rejected.

‘I’d be fortunate if my head doesn’t fly off.’

Calisia got goosebumps on her back and grabbed her neck, stroking it. A dilemma. In the end, for now, she had no choice but to follow the Previous Head of House’s words and lay low.

“So how much did you receive?”

Then, Ian, who had been pushed forward unexpectedly, turned his head. With one eye half-closed, he quietly interrogated Calisia. Then he felt the small palm pressing more firmly against his back. Along with the sensation of fidgeting fingers. Ian, who had been deliberately frowning while looking down at Calisia, let out a small laugh. It was because that soft touch was oddly ticklish.

“Why are you laughing?”

“I wasn’t laughing. And your pushing strength is pathetic. I’ll increase your training amount starting tomorrow.”

Ian completely changed his expression and looked down at Calisia with a stoic gaze.

***

Having left the Duke’s Castle, Calisia and Ian went around various parts of the market to look around. Fresh fruits and vegetables, various cheeses and milk, dried meat and ham, freshly baked bread and desserts. Thanks to the food lined up along the streets, everywhere was filled with delicious aromas.

“This isn’t just any ordinary skewer! It’s a special seasoned giant grilled scorpion skewer! The meat is plump and sweet, a delicacy! A delicacy!”

Calisia and Ian looked down at the street vendor’s grill with serious faces. Giant scorpions bigger than two fists were cooking while giving off the rich aroma of spices.

“Want to try it once? There’s no desert in the Northern Region.”

Calisia started by saying that when you travel somewhere, you should eat the local specialties. Then she readily took out her money pouch, saying she’d pay.

“I didn’t come here to travel. And scorpion skewers aren’t a Western specialty either. If I had to define it, it would be a delicacy as the merchant said.”

Ian grabbed Calisia’s wrist as she was about to pay.

“Look how your words are getting longer. Just say you’re too scared to eat it.”

“Northerners aren’t afraid of scorpions.”

Ian glared at the scorpion skewer intensely.

“Then take a manly bite.”

“What does being manly have to do with scorpion skewers? It’s just personal preference.”

“How can you know your preference without trying it?”

Calisia and Ian had a war of nerves over the scorpion skewer.

“Good grief! Are you going to buy it or not?”

Finally, the street vendor owner, unable to watch anymore, intervened. He pretended to cry, saying his arms would fall off waiting for them to pay.

“Give us one of the big ones.”

“A big one! As you wish, Miss!”

The good-natured owner who had joked around selected a scorpion with particularly plump pincers and handed it over.

“The smell isn’t bad? Try it once.”

Calisia held the scorpion skewer in front of Ian’s eyes. His eyebrows twitched very slightly.

“You eat first. Ladies first. That’s how I was educated.”

“Ladies first, my ass. For something like this, the man should eat first.”

The two bickered for a while, pushing the grilled scorpion toward each other. By the time they finally found a compromise, the skewer had completely cooled down.

“So when I say one, two, three, we eat simultaneously? Oh, and just in case, don’t sneakily pretend to eat without actually eating.”

“Look who’s talking.”

Calisia and Ian revealed their mutual distrust.

“Alright, then one, two, three!”

The two lunged toward the scorpion in unison. They glanced at each other sideways. Smooth pincers without a single tooth mark – neither of them had opened their mouth.

“I’m disappointed in you today. Northerner.”

“…Same here. Westerner.”

The two glared at each other. Then a cold silence descended between them.

-Excuse me! So when are we going to see the market…?

What broke the suffocating silence was Thomas, who was trembling beyond just stamping his feet.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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