My Desertion Would Be Faster Than Heros' Obsession-Chapter 13Vol 2.

"So then, was there magic in the past?"

I turned to Winter, the most knowledgeable person here, but before he could answer, the black magician pounded his chest dramatically and cut in.

"Kids these days! None of you study history! Back in the day, only the bad parts of black magic were called black magic. The harmless parts were just called magic! But now, everything is considered black magic!"

I looked at Winter for confirmation, and he, maintaining his usual calm demeanor, finally spoke.

"He’s not entirely wrong. In the early days of the Adolph Empire, there was a recognized concept of magic. Among the powers black magicians wielded, only those that harmed others or required sacrifices were classified as black magic. Everything else was simply magic."

That explanation finally started clearing things up. It made sense. If black magic existed, then naturally, magic should have existed too. My prior understanding of the world wasn’t entirely wrong, after all.

Winter continued his explanation.

"But from the reign of Emperor Aison onward, all magic began to be labeled as black magic. Magicians were rebranded as black magicians and started getting arrested."

So originally, what was just magic eventually got lumped into black magic. No wonder the black magicians felt like they were being treated unfairly.

I pondered Winter’s words carefully. If magic had initially been neutral but was later rebranded as black magic...

‘That means some of the black magic we know today might actually be useful.’

I had used black magic before, through artifacts. But even so, after everything I had heard about how black magicians treated Arkons—and after nearly dying inside that black magic subspace—I had completely rejected it.

In my mind, black magic had been cemented as an entirely evil force.

But if black magic wasn’t inherently evil, then maybe it wasn’t so bad to use it when necessary. In truth, black magic was incredibly useful.

‘That means...’

We might not need to treat every black magician as an enemy. Somewhere out there, there could be black magicians who had never harmed anyone.

"Hey."

I turned to the black magician kneeling in front of me and asked with a smirk,

"Are black magicians born that way?"

"Yes! Some people are born with magical power! Becoming a black magician was inevitable for me! If I don’t release my magic, I feel like I’ll suffocate!"

I had always wondered why people insisted on practicing black magic despite it being forbidden. So that was why. If they didn’t release their magic, it harmed them physically.

"But there are some types of black magic that non-magicians can use, aren’t there?"

"There are a few. But most require an innate magical ability, so the majority of spells can only be used by those born with the power."

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So even if I learned magic, I wouldn’t be able to use it.

Black magic was undeniably useful, but I couldn’t wield it. The ones who could were already set from birth.

And yes, many of them had committed crimes, but there had to be exceptions.

‘In that case...’

After listening to the black magician’s explanation, I came to a conclusion.

‘It might not be a bad idea to enlist the help of a black magician.’

If we could find a black magician who had never harmed anyone and hadn’t joined the Second Prince’s army, we could recruit them to our side.

Black magic, as I had just realized, was an extremely practical tool. It could definitely be an asset to our revolution.

But since others might disagree with me, I decided to keep this thought to myself for now.

The black magician, noticing that my expression didn’t seem too displeased, spoke up again in a hopeful tone.

"Hehe, so does that mean you’re going to let me go?"

...Of course, we dragged him straight to prison.

Fucking bastard.

And so, my first mission, after countless twists and turns, finally came to a close.

Oh, but there was one other thing I realized through this mission.

I now had an even clearer understanding of just how obsessed these male leads were with me. Their emotions were so intense they could even override black magic. And Ishina—though her way of showing it was different—clearly valued me just as much.

Of course, in the end, I was the one who won.

But this was something I needed to deal with eventually.

‘The question is, how?’

The problem was, I had no idea what I was supposed to do. I had spent so long simply following orders in the military that thinking for myself wasn’t exactly my strong suit.

So, I decided to seek out someone who could give me advice.

***

The person I thought of was a tarot reader.

And the reason was simple—there was a tarot reader near my house.

That tarot reader had set up a small tent, just like the ones I had seen on Earth, and was running a fortune-telling business. Judging by the long line of people in front of it, it seemed to be quite popular.

On the tent, a sign read: "100% accurate tarot readings. Any problem solved, any question answered."

If this were my previous world, I would have scoffed at such blatant false advertising. But this world was different.

Because this is a romance fantasy world!

Here, fortune-telling wasn’t just some gimmick—it actually worked with 100% accuracy. It was practically on the same level as prophecy.

After a long wait, I finally made it inside the tent, watching as the previous customers left.

"Hello."

Inside, a skinny man with a tired expression sat at a table. His face almost reminded me of Taro from my old days in the Border Defense Army.

"Hoho, welcome."

The man greeted me with an oddly sly chuckle that didn’t match his exhausted face.

"My name is Victim, the tarot reader."

"Alright, Mr. Victim. I have a concern I need help with."

"Oh? I see... I see it clearly... Your troubles are visible to me...."

Victim suddenly pulled a strange face, staring at me as he murmured those words.

What the hell...?

Is he a shaman?

What kind of tarot reader was this? He claimed to read tarot, but now that I was looking at him, he seemed more ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) like a fortune-teller who dabbled in shamanism. Maybe that’s just how tarot worked in this world.

With a strangely solemn expression, Victim handed me a yellow slip of paper. It looked eerily similar to the talismans shamans made.

"Here, dear customer. I can uncover any secret, any concern. You said you had a problem, yes...?"

"Yes, that’s right."

His mystical aura made him seem strangely convincing, and I found myself nodding along.

Then, before I knew it, he had pulled out a folding fan, flicked it open with a dramatic gesture, and let out an eerie chuckle.

"Write your concern on the back of this paper. Focus all your thoughts on a single issue, let your soul resonate with it, and write with an earnest heart... Only then can I divine your troubles."

I had no idea what the hell he meant by "letting my soul resonate," but whatever. It seemed like the idea was that if I wrote my concern down, he would be able to figure it out without me actually telling him.

He handed me a red pen, and I carefully wrote down my concern.

"Men keep clinging to me."

To an outsider, this might seem like some narcissistic nonsense, but this was a real problem! Just take one look at my face and tell me this isn’t a serious issue!

As soon as I put down the pen, Victim smirked.

"Yes... Your concern has been transmitted. I can feel it... I can feel it...."

"Is that so? Then—"

But before I could finish my sentence, his hand shot out like lightning.

Fwoosh!

He snatched the paper right from under my nose.

"What the—?!"

Then, with a perfectly serious expression, he read what I had written.

"Your concern is that men keep clinging to you. Am I correct?"

"Of course you’re correct, you just read it!"

"Hoho, I see. It seems my prediction was accurate. I can truly divine anything."

This crazy bastard.

100% accuracy? Well, no shit, if you do it like this, of course you’ll get everything right, you damn fraud!

As I fumed, Victim maintained his mystical act and continued speaking.

"Now, the reason why men keep clinging to you..."

He widened his eyes, staring at me intensely.

"It is because of your face."

"Anyone could figure that out!"

"And also because of your personality."

"Huh?"

"Because you have an alluring charm."

"...That’s just common sense!"

If men are clinging to me, obviously it means I have charm! What kind of bullshit fortune-telling is this?

I was about to storm out in frustration when Victim held up a hand, gesturing for me to calm down.

"But isn’t it true that your face and charm are the reason?"

"Well... I mean, yeah...."

"Then that means I was right again. Hoho."

Even though I was annoyed, he technically hadn’t said anything incorrect. So, begrudgingly, I sat back down.

Fine. Even if this had been a mess so far, I couldn’t just dismiss the tarot of a romance fantasy world. Maybe his actual divination skills would be legitimate.

"There are several men clinging to me, and it’s getting exhausting because they keep getting into power struggles with each other."

"Hmm... How many men are we talking about?"

"Three? No, wait. Four."

"...So your concern is that too many men are obsessed with you, and you find it exhausting?"

"......."

Hearing it phrased like that out loud made me sound ridiculous. This was the kind of thing Dalin would say without realizing how oblivious she sounded.

Feeling my face heat up, I fanned myself and added hastily,

"But it’s different when you actually experience it! It’s not like in novels—reality is completely different!"

"Of course, I understand your perspective. Hoho."

Victim chuckled, but I saw that moment of disbelief flash across his face, you little shit.

Then, he spread out a set of tarot cards in front of me, smiling brightly.

"First, let’s determine your current emotional state. Please pick a card."

I did as he said, drawing one from the deck. But the tarot card looked completely different from the ones I had seen on Earth.

Do tarot cards work differently in this world?

The card I pulled depicted a person being crushed under a massive rock.

When I handed it to him, Victim nodded knowingly.

"Ah, yes. This represents burden. You feel overwhelmed by the attention of multiple men."

"...Well, obviously!"

"Now, let’s look into your past emotions. Draw another card."

I could tell he was trying to change the subject, but since I had already paid for this, I might as well see it through. Only rich people storm out in a huff after wasting their money.

This time, the card I drew had a massive shining star in the night sky.

"This card means that in the past, you admired something deeply. Tell me, did you ever admire these men?"

"No."

"...Then, perhaps you once admired the idea of being loved?"

At that, I furrowed my brow slightly, tilting my head in thought. Hmm... I had envied heroines who were the subject of obsessive devotion, so I guess that counted?

"Yeah, I suppose so...."

"Exactly! You once admired it, but now that it’s actually happening, you don’t know how to handle it. Now, let’s look into your future."

The next card I drew showed a lone figure floating in the night sky—almost as if they had become part of the constellations.

"This card suggests that in the future, you will learn how to manage them. In other words, you will find your own answer."

"...And my actual problem resolution?"

"Ah, well, you’ll figure it out on your own. Hoho. If all else fails, you could always go for polyandry."

"You fucking scam artist!"