Chapter 34

"Jessica, is this the place you wanted to come to?"

Standing in front of Madame Medanie's Fortune-telling House, after the initial shock, Ifia immediately turned her head to look at Jessica beside her.

While Ifia wore a bewildered expression, Jessica was incredibly excited. She brought a fan for nobility, promptly opening it to cover half of her face and simultaneously conceal the ecstatic smile at the corner of her mouth. However, it couldn't hide the excitement in her reddish-brown eyes that seemed like searchlights.

Suddenly, Jessica vigorously nodded, indicating that she was right!

This left Ifia quite speechless. She never expected Jessica's hobbies to be so unique.

"Ifia, I heard Madame Medanie's Fortune-telling House is very effective. A while ago, a noble heiress was suddenly enchanted, and it was only Master Medanie who exorcised the demon and restored her to normal."

"???"

Ifia was puzzled. How could someone suddenly get possessed by a demon for no reason?

As far as she knew, gods and demons in this world were merely products of theology, akin to humans' fantastical creations, and didn't actually exist.

[System, are there demons in this world?]

[Please explore and discover on your own, Host.]

The system was not as accommodating as before. Ifia pursed her lips. If it didn't want to answer, then so be it. She had only asked on a whim.

Compared to the physical attacks of Western-style devils, she was more afraid of the psychological attacks of entities like Sadako.

If the system had expressions, it would probably be →_→.

Say too much, the host gets scared and plays dumb.

Say nothing, the host is reassured and doesn't treat it seriously.

So, it had to be vague and leave it to luck.

"Jessica, how was the noble heiress enchanted? Did she have a taste for fresh blood and raw meat, or did she spit out black ink from her mouth… black blood, eyes turning blood-red, then breaking through human limits and crawling on the ceiling using both hands and feet?"

Almost saying the wrong things, Ifia corrected herself in time and began seeking information from Jessica.

However, Jessica, upon hearing this, looked at Ifia with a mix of confusion and astonishment. "Ifia, the demon you're imagining is too terrifying. But that noble heiress's symptoms weren't that severe, she was just in a deep sleep."

"Deep sleep?"

"Yeah, it's said that she fell in love with a commoner, but her parents disapproved. So, she bought a forbidden book to summon a demon, hoping the demon would help her convince her parents."

"..."

Summoning a demon because parents disapproved of a relationship???

What kind of bizarre thought process was this?

Ifia was baffled!

As they continued their conversation and entered the fortune-telling house, the atmosphere inside was quite different from the bright sunlight outside. Each window was covered with heavy curtains, making it feel like they had entered directly into the night.

Fortunately, there were some objects emitting a faint glow, lighting the way forward, preventing them from fumbling around in the darkness. However…

Ifia looked at the skull decoration with glowing eye sockets and glanced at the owl-shaped clock that ticked away, occasionally emitting eerie sounds. She felt that it shouldn't be called Madame Medanie's Fortune-telling House.

It should be called Madame Medanie's Haunted House!

Although Jessica displayed an appearance of longing for Madame Medanie's Fortune-telling House, she was, after all, a girl. Being in such a dark and eerie house, she was now trembling with fear.

With one hand tightly holding onto Ifia's arm, Jessica's reddish-brown eyes widened uncontrollably.

As fear increased, it felt as if she was holding not an arm but a plank thrown to a drowning person.

But to Ifia, Jessica in this state was scarier than a demon… Ah, don't hug so tightly, my arm is going to break.

Compared to Ifia's slender arms and legs, Jessica's healthy physique was enviable.

At the same time, her strength was astonishing, completely unlike a fragile noble miss. Even demons would turn and run when they saw her.

Fortunately, the fortune-telling house wasn't an excessively large mansion, it was just a two-story building. The terrifying atmosphere gradually dissipated as they ascended to the second floor, and upon seeing the floor covered with candles, it diminished even more.

After pushing open the only door, a strange voice echoed, "Welcome to Madame Medanie's Fortune-telling House~"

This room also continued the haunted house style, heavy curtains blocking out the sunlight. However, there were many burning candles, making the room brighter than downstairs.

Various strange objects were arranged around the room, and Ifia couldn't name them. In the center, surrounded by these objects, was a black stone table with a crystal ball the size of a head placed on it.

Behind the table sat a person in a cloak, gender indistinguishable. A large, exaggerated hood covered the face completely. In the dim light, they seemed to be a wandering spirit in the mortal realm.

Perched on the shoulder of the cloaked figure was a black bird, occasionally emitting a cackling laughter.

"Oh, lost travelers, please have a seat. I am the witch Madame Medanie, and I can help you with all your troubles."

The cloaked figure's voice sounded like a woman, and as soon as she finished speaking, the black bird chimed in, "Great Madame Medanie, the Demon Slayer~"

Ifia stared at the black bird. Although it looked like a crow, it was probably a myna bird. This was the source of the strange voice they heard when entering.

On the other hand, Jessica seemed to forget her fear at this moment. She released her tightly held hand and eagerly sat down, her hands gripping the fan tightly. Her face was filled with anticipation as she stared at Madame Medanie.

Although she couldn't see Madame Medanie's face clearly, under the atmospheric setting, Jessica felt that Madame Medanie exuded the aura of a witch master!

"Madame Medanie, hello. I would like to seek your blessings."

However, the excited Jessica went straight to the point, wasting no time, and directly stated her purpose. At the same time, she took out a black wallet from her pocket, a weighty one, and placed it on the table, producing a crisp sound of coins colliding. This immediately diverted Ifia's attention.

"Beautiful young lady, state your request!"

Unlike Ifia, who envied the appearance of the money pouch, Madame Medanie didn't even flinch. She maintained a calm tone as she spoke to Jessica.

She raised her hand and gently stroked the crystal ball. The originally transparent sphere immediately underwent a transformation. Purple lightning began to leap and flicker inside, following Madame Medanie's moving fingertips.

An air of lofty and mysterious expertise immediately emerged!

[Wow, look at this, system, it's magic!]

[Host, this is just a small magic trick.]

After showcasing her skills, Madame Medanie immediately drew admiration from Jessica and Ifia. However, once Ifia mentioned it to the system, the sense of amazement was instantly diminished.

It became dull in an instant.

It's fake…

She got excited for nothing, thinking about whether she could apprentice and become a charlatan in the future. If she encountered someone like Jessica, she could make a fortune in one go!

"I wish Miss Barlen all the best, eternal happiness, free from danger, the ability to choose an excellent marriage partner, always maintaining her beauty, and…"

Jessica's blessing was somewhat unexpected. However, before she could finish her words, the crystal ball on the table suddenly exploded. Madame Medanie, without any warning, began to convulse uncontrollably and collapsed to the ground.