Are MZ Shamans In Trouble In Romance Novels? - Chapter 99

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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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99.

Calisia’s pupils turned golden, and the Stone Spirit’s memories came flooding into her mind.

“What brings Your Excellency here!”

At Aneul Village’s government office, the Magistrate who was about to go to bed rushed out of his quarters in his socks. The Minister of Finance. It was because of the unexpected appearance of this powerful figure.

“This person is…?”

The Magistrate looked puzzled as he saw the middle-aged woman who had come with the Minister. Everyone knew that he had recently taken a young bride who had just turned eighteen.

“I am Myeonghyeon, a disciple who serves the heavenly spirit.”

The Magistrate’s lips pursed petulantly. It was well past midnight. What on earth could be the reason for the Minister to come looking for him with a shaman?

“I’ll escort you inside for now.”

The Magistrate led the midnight visitors into the inner quarters. Whatever the reason, he couldn’t keep someone of the Minister’s stature standing outside for long.

“Wine made from Young Imugi?”

The Magistrate’s face turned pale yellow as he heard the whole story. It was so absurd.

‘Has the Minister gone senile? Or am I having a strange dream?’

If he had been asked to catch and offer the biggest snake in Joseon, it wouldn’t have been this perplexing.

“Well…”

The Magistrate stammered and trailed off. He couldn’t figure out how to refuse this preposterous request.

“Don’t worry. Everything will be handled by our Myeonghyeon here! You just need to provide a few people and turn a blind eye.”

The Magistrate clenched his fist under his sleeve. His palm quickly became damp with sweat. He knew that “a few people” meant lives.

“…”

The Magistrate’s silence grew long. It was a world where even killing a slave was hard to escape punishment for. No matter how much he was the head of a county, murder was difficult to cover up.

“Oh my! Why are you being so frustrating! Do you think this is my personal wish!”

“Yes! Yes?”

The Magistrate’s shoulders flinched at the sudden fierce scolding.

“You need to look above! My dear man! Above!”

“…Su-surely not!”

The quick-thinking Magistrate covered his mouth. The omnipotent power that could make flying birds fall. He remembered that the Minister was the Left Minister’s right-hand man.

“How long will you stay buried in this narrow place? You should be looking toward the central government now.”

“When you say central government…”

“Don’t you think it’s time for you to come out to the royal court?”

In that moment, the Magistrate’s eyes gleamed with greed. What the Minister was asking for was merely slaves or commoners. Yes. If he could go to Hanyang with just a few lowly lives, wasn’t it a gamble worth taking?

“…I will order quarters to be prepared for Myeonghyeon. Your Excellency.”

Thus the Magistrate stepped into a dangerous game.

“I need to see the population registry. Magistrate.”

The village people’s names, status, ancestral homes, birth years. This was the first thing Myeonghyeon requested after settling into the government office.

“Excluding those who are too young. Hmm-. Those born in the 29th year, Year of the Snake, and the 41st year, Year of the Snake. Those born in the year of the snake on the land of the Imugi…”

Myeonghyeon’s long fingernails swept across the yellowed paper. She needed young and sturdy ones among those born in the year of the snake.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Dry fingers struck the table like flicking an abacus. The Magistrate felt an inexplicable chill at the sight and turned his gaze away. He knew that many lives came and went through those hands.

“I must step out for a moment.”

Human Snake Wine, Myeonghyeon who had decided on the offering closed the Population Registry. Several months later-.

“Open it.”

In the dark cave, the Magistrate and Myeonghyeon looked down at a clay jar covered with talismans.

Creak-

The heavy poison jar lid opened, revealing a prisoner coiled like a snake.

“Ugh!”

The Magistrate covered his mouth and nose at the indescribably terrible stench. The Government Soldiers also couldn’t bear the nausea and began retching.

“The Human Snake Wine seems to have aged well.”

Myeonghyeon, holding a torch, illuminated the inside of the jar. Under the crimson firelight, reddish cracked and swollen skin was visible. It looked like a snake beginning to shed its skin.

“…What, what on earth is this!”

The Magistrate recoiled in horror. The prisoner with blackened eyes stuck out his tongue long. A continuous hissing sound leaked from between his parted lips.

“Neither a snake ghost nor a human ghost. Just a lowly living spirit.”

Myeonghyeon let out a faint sneer and then withdrew her gaze.

“But tell me. What exactly do you intend to use the Young Imugi Wine for?”

The Magistrate, who had been calming his chest, casually asked the question.

“Wine made from a newborn Imugi is the world’s greatest medicine. Enough to revive even someone whose life has ended.”

Myeonghyeon turned her head as if to say ask no more.

“Now we must go catch the young one. Ah, but first we need to blind the village guardian spirit.”

Her lips painted with red rouge split into a long grin.

Whoooosh-

Deep in the night, Government Soldiers holding hoes and shovels stood before the Sacred Village Tree. Thud! Thud! Thud! Following the Magistrate’s orders, they relentlessly struck and dug the ground. With several strong men attacking it, a large pit was quickly formed.

“Bury it!”

The Government Soldiers buried cloth inscribed with red letters deep beneath the Sacred Village Tree.

Blinding Magic .

It was a talisman to blind the Tree Spirit’s eyes.

“Move quickly! Quickly!”

The hour of the ox when ghostly energy was strongest. Government Soldiers carrying torches hurriedly climbed the mountain. They were searching for the pond where the Young Imugi had made its lair.

“…Huh, ugh.”

One Government Soldier trembled violently. It was because of the straw rope gripped in his hand. At the end of the Sacred Rope twisted with yellow talismans, Human Snake Wine was bound.

Hiss- Hissss-!

The Human Snake Wine with Sacred Rope wrapped around their necks flicked their tongues.

“Kneel down.”

The Government Soldiers surrounding the small pond forced them down to the floor one by one.

“It will soon be the hour of the ox. Magistrate, please come closer.”

Myeonghyeon smiled coldly as she looked at the Magistrate standing far from the pond.

“N-no, I’m fine!”

“How unfortunate, it would be quite a sight to see.”

Myeonghyeon didn’t ask twice and turned her head. With such cowardice, it was obvious he wouldn’t last long even if he went to Hanyang.

“Begin!”

The Government Soldiers raised forked sticks into the air. These were tools used by snake catchers to pin down serpents’ necks.

Thwack-!

The long sticks pressed down on the necks of the Human Snake Wine in one swift motion. Their heads plunged into the pond water as their bodies thrashed violently.

Clang! Clang! Claang! Clang!

Meanwhile, Myeonghyeon holding a wooden drumstick began mercilessly striking the gong. This was to lure out the Young Imugi.

“Young one dwelling in the pond! What use is enduring purification! Though I cannot open Heaven’s path, I shall open a path to life!”

Fierce and sharp sounds continued, painful to the ears. The Government Soldiers tightened their grip on the forked sticks. As the bronze’s resonance grew stronger, the Human Snake Wine’s struggles became more violent.

-Kraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

The living spirits submerged in water let out cries of agony. Scales sprouted on flesh that was once human, and their tongue tips split and elongated.

-Comehereletusgoletusgocomeherecomeherecomewithustogethertogetherletusgoletusgo!

The living spirits’ forms repeatedly changed from snake to human and back again. Along with their anguished screams, evil energy burst forth in all directions. It was corruption and terror too vile for a newborn Imugi to endure. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, the young one leaped above the water’s surface.

“…Got it!”

Greed and ecstasy filled Myeonghyeon’s eyes as she snatched the tender body.

“Hahahahahahahaha!”

Myeonghyeon arched her back and burst into laughter toward Heaven. Having blinded the divine spirit’s eyes and grasped a precious spiritual creature in her hands, she felt as if she had the entire world beneath her feet.

-…Foolish and arrogant thing.

The rock beside the pond that had been watching everything trembled its massive body.

Kraaaaash!

Shortly after, the Stone Spirit’s rage fell as lightning.

“Aaah! Aaaaaaaah!”

In a dark room, a woman wrapped in cloth from head to toe let out agonized groans. It was Myeonghyeon.

“…Ugh, urgh.”

With her melted hands, Myeonghyeon gripped a brush and wrote strange patterns and characters on the floor. It was dark magic for spirit possession.

“…”

Calisia’s eyes, which had been glowing golden, darkened.

-To think that something that cannot even recognize me right before its nose would act so triumphant about blinding a divine spirit’s eyes!

The Stone Spirit erupted in fury. Myeonghyeon was not a divine disciple but a false shaman who had received empty teachings. For such an inadequate being to learn vicious dark magic and act like a great spirit was truly detestable.

“…Does this disciple wish for Myeonghyeon’s divine power to be severed?”

Calisia swept her palm across her face. Severing divine power meant cutting the divine cord of a disciple. It was blocking the path so they could no longer communicate with the gods.

-Even after being struck by lightning and having his entire body burned and crushed, he shows no remorse. He still thinks it was the Tree Spirit who punished him and keeps running his wicked mouth, telling people to kill, spare, or appease that Tree Ghost.

“….”

Calisia pressed her lips together and fell into thought. From the way he spoke, it didn’t seem like he would easily lift the frozen land. As she had said before, the condition for escaping the Demon Realm was to bring the story to an end.

‘Even if we save the Young Imugi, if the Stone Spirit keeps being stubborn, the story won’t end.’

The central elements of Aneul Village were the ‘Imugi’ and the ‘Frozen Land’. If they failed to resolve even one of them, it would all be for nothing.

“If we save the young spirit creature and punish Myeonghyeon, will you lift the frozen land that has fallen upon the village?”

-Good. If you punish Myeonghyeon and her party, I will lift the frozen land. However, I have a nature that demands twofold retribution for what I have suffered.

He was telling her not to plead for them with half-hearted and shallow compassion. All those so-called Divine Disciples had soft spots. The Stone Spirit’s voice carried cruel anger.

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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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