Chapter 20.1 : Sword scroll

Yuna is somehow grateful that she still remembers the line on the novel.

Thank goodness, at least the thing she remembers is correct and still hold true. With a grateful heart, Yuna stops and Austin stop along as well.

Yuna nudge Austin who was staying quiet the whole time and Austin who was enjoying the close proximity of Yuna finally react at Yuna nudging. It seems the old man was saying something to him and Yuna stop because of that.

He does not believe in such kind of thing and felt that fate and destiny are ridiculous however looking at the expectant eyes of Yuna; Austin helplessly addressed the old man "Are you referring to me?"

"Yes…hmmm…." The old man squint his eyes at Austin, he caress his beard and point out two scroll, he look like a charlatan with such gesture "It seems you practice sword, if it is so, choose one from this two scroll, because it is destiny that led you here to me, I will give you for free"

Austin looks down at the two dirty and old scroll, his lips twitch and simply choose the scroll on the left without much care. Anyway, the one on the left somehow attract him more; it is relatively cleaner.

Yuna look down at the scroll that Austin choose, the novel does not mention which left or right Austin choose so she could only wait for him to choose and then counter choose the other one after he is done choosing.

"Austin, choose the right one instead"

Yuna command hurriedly.

Austin barely hesitated before shifting his hand and pointing the one on the right.

"That can't do, that can't do, the one on your left is already your destined one" The old man wave his hand in denial.

'Psst….destiny my ass!'

Yuna past anger flare up and said disapprovingly "You didn't say we can't change our choice, if the one on the left is his destiny, then I will let him defy destiny, we want the one on the right!"

"No. This is his destiny" The old man is adamant, he picks up the scroll on the left and shove it on Austin.

The old man does not pay attention to those he have no destiny with but the young girl strong defiance have let him finally pay attention to her.

Once he has a clear look of the girl, the old man eyebrow jump.

"….What a peculiar destiny….if it's her…maybe she can" He mumbles incomprehensible.

Yuna who was looked at by the old man feels as if the old man was not looking at her but something through her. It gave her a very weird feeling.

'Damn! This mystical actors…' Yuna always have extreme dislike for this kind of people in a novel. Always with their half-ass phrase, their secret of heaven thing annoyed her to no end.

'The secret of heaven cannot be spilled', 'you will understand when the time comes' and all frustrating nonsense irk Yuna to slap them across their annoying mysterious expression.

A short while later, the old man expression settles and revert back to a scammer looking old man, he raise his eyes and said provokingly "You can take this scroll too..." he stretch and Yuna eyes brightens, but his next word make Yuna face to quickly darken "…But you have to pay me 11 gold coins"

One gold coins could feed a family of six for roughly six month.

This is outright scamming! Extorting the hard earned money of the poor!

Yuna even have an urge to scramble the old man things in anger but she refrain herself. One should not vent their anger on objects. Her mother year of teaching to respect object refrain her from bashing the old man thing.

If she had known, she will secretly asked Austin what he will choose and then vetoed him to choose it and let him choose the other one instead of waiting for him to actually choose it.

Her brain is not braining a while ago, damn!

"Are you taking us for a fool? This is daylight robbery" Yuna quibbled although she clearly knew that true value of the scroll.

Still....money is money, scroll is scroll.

The old man also knows that it was not a prize a poor town people could afford or maybe even if they could afford, they will dare not spend such a ridiculous amount on a mere tattered and old scroll.

The old man spread his hand and said "I'm just stating a price; you don't have to buy it"

"…Yuna, its' okay, its' just a worn out useless scroll, let's go" Austin placate with a smile in his eyes, at a time like this, she resemble a child, representing her age and she look incredible endearing.

'If it's just a useless scroll, will I fret this much?! Silly son, this daddy is trying to obtain something good for you!'

Yuna simply hate iron for turning steel and even have an urge to slap the amiable face of Austin who look like he is coaxing a child.

Placating a child her ass, this daddy is not leaving until she got the scroll!

Isn't it not spending a few money? It is not every day that they can come across an opportunity.

Yuna is adamant on witnessing the splitting sword technique and change the rotten destiny of Austin that was filled with thorns. Fuck, if she cannot even do that, than her being a reader is just in vain! A reader transmigrate inside a novel, their wish was to help out the poor main character. If she cannot even help the main character, then she will be ashamed to even call herself a fanatic reader!

.....albeit Austin novel not her favorite...

Money comes and goes, opportunity come only once!

With a cold face, Yuna count the gold coins, and throw it at the old man.

She bends down and tightly holds the scroll before the old man change his mind "Take your shitty coin old shit"

"Yuna!" Austin didn't expect Yuna to actually fork out 11 gold coins just for an old dusty scroll, even the old man did not expect it.

Austin try to snatch the scroll and put it back, he didn't understand why Yuna is stimulated easily by the old man. Normally, she is quite a mature and level-headed person, not taking people words to heart.

Yuna forcefully push it towards Austin and said threateningly "If you put it back, I promise I won't care you anymore"

She is speaking the truth.

She don't care if Austin simply did not know the goodness of the scroll is and was in disapprove of her spending money on 'useless' thing, Yuna felt the pain of spending a whoop of 11 gold coins, her liver felt like it was burning.

She was here desperate to change the tragic fate of the main character and all he has to do is to just follow her along! She may sound domineering but she is DOMINEERING!

If he cannot follow her along, then she won't care about him anymore.

She only has to care about her grandfather but she goes out her way time and time again to care about him, she didn't owe him anything.

Yuna complain unreasonable, she also know that her complain is simply ridiculous and Austin who does not know anything is not at fault, it was not like she was force to care for him and was doing everything out of her own accord.

Human in anger and vexation like to blame things on others and she is no exception.

Humans are emotional creatures and it is not easy to remain reasonable all the time.

She is not the cool and awesome main characters who can remain level-headed and reasonable all the damn time!

Yuna suppressed her urges to cry at spending 11 gold coins.

Austin froze at Yuna threat, the scroll that he plans on keeping back pause then he tightly holds the scroll "Yuna...don't say…something like that"

Austin eyes tremor, he walks forward and grabs Yuna hand tightly, his eyes darkening little by little at the thought of Yuna ignoring him.

He cherishes her care so much, her pure care, he like her attention on him so much, what will he do if she stop caring him???

For someone who has never receives such selfless care, once they receive it, they become obsessed and could not let go. They might even go to great length to hold on to such care, even forcefully.

His mother care, most part is because he was her son but Yuna care does not have anything attached.

She was like something, someone, a person just for himself that he desperately wish everyday in his previous life.

The person he wish for, he won't let go...

...It seems, he has truly become addicted and is not willing to extricate himself anymore, the infatuation he willingly let himself indulge of, he will not let go.

Yuna was not aware of the ever increasing darkening thought of Austin, she ruffles his golden hair a bit forcefully as if venting her emotion and said "Be obedient and just do as I say"

If she could read his mind, Yuna would spat and labelled Austin as a 'Psycho' and 'Yandere' and will decisively get away from him ASAP, too bad she can't or she might be able to avoid the kind of person she is scared of the most to have contact with in real life.

She may simp for psychopath in novels but in real life, Yuna want to stay 100,000m away from them.

Red flags are attractive because they are fantasy, in real life...well....real life always sucks so red flag in real life suck as well.

"…..Then you won't ignore me?" Austin asked inaudibly.

Yuna who has a great hearing sense, taking light of the matter answered "Yeah…" just be obedient son, daddy is doing everything for your own good.

The old man who watch the push and shove between Yuna and the destined boy complicatedly pick up the gold coins and said "You are trying to defy his destiny and defying it used to leads to heavy consequences, do you know that?"

Even if he said so, the old man has no intention of interfering it just as he always does. The child may be young and didn't know anything better, but, whatever age or person, he won't interfere in their decision.

Yuna then suddenly thought of the pain and the near death experience she encounter with the dimension stone and shuddered.

Old man! Don't scare me! Don't you know that scaring children can let you get beaten? QAQ

Trashy novel! No wonder she don't like the novel that much!

Taking a deep breath, Yuna look down at the old man and said solemnly "Destiny is meant to be defied" Yuna look at the distance, pretend to be mysterious even though her heart quivered in fear and quote out a famous line from a movie "I am in control of my destiny and not the heaven"

The old man was stunned at the arrogant word, he chuckled bitterly and said "…You young people and your hot blood fearlessness"

Yuna deflated hearing the 'hot blood fearlessness' from the old man.

She is not, if its' not because she knows the goodness of the scroll, will she still buy it with her stinginess? She don't know whether it will be strong enough to go against the so called destiny, they have to try right?

Aiya… the future is uncertain, her lazy brain refuse to think about it.

She only ever want to think about the present and don't want to lost brain cells thinking about the future.

In her past life she was forced to consider her future in everything she do and choices she made because she has to bear her parents expectation, now, in this other world, Yuna don't want to be troubled with future events anymore. All she ever want is to live life at her own pace, live life unrestrained.

Why entangled with the past? Why desperately trying to grapple the future?

In the new life she gain, Yuna also gain a clear heart.

"Are the other things in your stall for sale?"

Yuna asked, the old man with mysterious background other things will be good things. She already defies one destiny, another two or three didn't make a difference. Bleuh.

She will do whatever she want, if not, what's the point of getting another life?

The old man shake his head "It's not for sale, each of this thing are meant for their destined person"

"It is because you are still young, ignorant and valiant but the foolish courage is still commendable" The old man rummages his patches bag and took out a box "A present for the brave one with peculiar destiny"

The old man said something incomprehensible once again and gave Yuna the box. After that, he packs up his things inside his tattered bag, whistling, he walk away, never turning his back.

"..."

He look like he is afraid that Yuna will forcefully snatch his things. Seriously, is she such a person?

'What an NPC like grandpa, I bet you won't have any other scene after this hmph!' Yuna deride, the main character Austin encounter with the mysterious old man arc is finally over.

"Let's go back"