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Leviticus 24 states:

“Anyone who strikes a person and causes their death shall be put to death (Qui percusserit et occiderit hominem, morte moriatur).”

“Anyone who kills an animal must make restitution—life for life (Qui percusserit animal, reddet vicarium, id est animam pro anima).”

“Anyone who injures another is to receive the same injury they inflicted (Qui irrogaverit maculam cuilibet civium suorum, sicut fecit, sic fiet ei:).”

“Fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. The one who inflicted the injury must suffer the same injury (fracturam pro fractura, oculum pro oculo, dentem pro dente restituet; qualem inflixerit maculam, talem sustinere cogetur).”

“Anyone who kills an animal must make restitution, but anyone who strikes a person and kills them shall be put to death (Qui percusserit iumentum, reddet aliud. Qui percusserit hominem, morietur).”

“There shall be one law for the foreigner and the native-born among you, for I am the Lord your God (Aequum iudicium sit inter vos, sive peregrinus sive civis peccaverit; quia ego sum Dominus Deus vester).”

The law is a solemn thing, and those who harm others must pay the price.

In essence, an unknown someone was saying this:

William must pay a price.

Jinseong could understand to some extent the entity that intervened with William’s situation.

“A Shaman.”

Given their obsessive nature for payments, they didn’t seem to be a contractor.

“If it’s a shaman, considering the earlier drawing, they must be a necromancer.”

And if a non-contractor shaman was targeting William, it was highly likely that this shaman was primarily using necromancy.

The booklet he brought showed four ghosts.

Of course, one couldn’t draw a conclusion too hastily. After all, Jinseong had summoned Seitani too.

The title given to a shaman usually derives from their primary specialty; it does not mean they can only use that.

A necromancer could ignite flames through magic, and a fire sorcerer could conjure curses instead of purification spells they usually practiced.

However, there was undoubtedly a gap between expertise and mere knowledge.

“Let’s see. Four ghosts, each bizarre enough to convey speech. They can’t possibly be summoned by someone who has only dipped their toes into necromancy.”

Dead persons easily lose their ego.

This is because they lack the flesh, which serves as a coordinate, anchor, and scaffolding.

The body roots itself in the world, imprints its existence, and provides stability for the soul and spirit, serving as both armor and home. Moreover, the body fixes the soul and spirit to its likeness, preventing easy disruption, and even if shaken, it stands resilient.

But ghosts do not possess this vital flesh.

Therefore, being embodied might still lead to mental upheaval, causing their minds to shatter and their souls to scatter. Emotions that rise and fall become extreme.

And if this cycle continues, the spirit and mind wear down rapidly, becoming akin to beasts devoid of reason. Alternatively, they might transform into malevolent spirits or evil ghosts, caught in frenzied emotions as they wander and cause harm.

To avoid this demise, most evil spirits cling to human forms.

As they can morph into any shape, they become obsessed with their past. Much like flowing water longs for the cup it once occupied, the melted, useless metal yearns for its solid past.

And based on this longing, they obsess over the shape of the flesh, using that obsession to maintain their soul and spirit. This is why even in death, evil spirits resemble humans in form.

However, conversely, being further away from human form indicates a closer resemblance to beasts, which means lower skill levels for necromancers who find it difficult to manage.

But the ghosts depicted in the drawing William brought were beginning to lose their human shapes, making them somewhat difficult to handle.

They were beings that would be hard to control without some knowledge of necromancy. If this shaman could command them and make them speak, it was highly probable that the shaman was indeed a necromancer.

“Tsk. What the heck did they do to earn the wrath of a necromancer?”

Jinseong looked at William with keen interest.

He was immensely curious about what William had done to provoke a necromancer to the extent of releasing ghosts to do harm.

Shamans aren’t known for their short tempers.

Especially those of higher caliber.

As they use magic and deteriorate their bodies, their threshold for pain rises boundlessly, naturally amplifying their patience compared to ordinary beings. Plus, simply using magic becomes a form of endurance.

Much like a master who has gained enlightenment through years of training does not get angry at a puppy barking, they also rarely express rage at trivial matters.

At least not at trivial matters.

“Let’s see. Touching fate seems like a shaman technique related to black magic….”

Shamans are often meticulous about their relations of reciprocity. Over time utilizing magic, they become sensitive to the concept of ‘cost’.

If they receive something, they must give something.

If they give something, they must receive something.

Their experiences of living while paying costs for using magic become their way of life.

Thus, they pay exactly as much as the cost.

If they have received grace, they pay back that grace. If they’ve earned enmity, they pay back the enmity.

However…

No matter how one looked at it, this magic afflicting William required an enormous cost.

“Hmm… This looks like no ordinary black magic; what on earth did they sacrifice as payment?”

Black magic that can directly harm a person typically demands a tremendous price.

To kill a person usually requires at least one life as a basic cost, and using it to inflict harm means one must be prepared for significant bodily damage. Furthermore, if black magic fails for some reason, the cost doubles, and the curse’s effects fall squarely upon oneself.

Even in success, a tremendous cost awaits, and failure leads to horrifying ruin; that’s the nature of black magic.

Yet, using a very high-level black magic?

That indicates he must have really irked someone to warrant such vengeance.

A deadly grudge that requires him to proceed with great risks to eliminate this nuisance!

“Hmm.”

Jinseong nodded thoughtfully, considering another shaman who must collect a price from William.

With this level of risk for vengeance, he had no choice but to respect the shaman.

“I can’t give you a proper reading with my skills. So let’s end it here.”

Jinseong told William that he couldn’t provide a clear fortune.

Then he neatly packed away the tarot cards and gathered the Bible that had been laid out before William. Naturally, the watch William offered found its way into his pocket, as if that was the least he could do.

“What? Ha, sure. Got it. I wasn’t expecting much anyway.”

William looked incredulous as if about to argue, but seeing Jinseong’s youthful face made him think it was just a lack of skill, and he accepted it.

Additionally, tossing the watch as payment wasn’t out of any expectation from Jinseong’s reading, but more a casual offer turned excuse when Jinseong didn’t accept it properly.

“I’m truly sorry it turned out this way due to my lack of ability.”

Jinseong extended his hand for a handshake, looking somewhat regretful.

William regarded this and, with a condescending tone, said:

“Yeah, well. You’re young; it’s understandable. Just try harder, alright?”

With that, he offered a mix of praise and scorn and accepted Jinseong’s handshake.

He felt a slight sting in the process, but—

“Ow! There’s static electricity, damn it!”

William brushed it off as mere static, cursing under his breath.

He seemed annoyed as he lifted his beer bottle to have another drink, but—

“Oh, it’s empty. Damn.”

The beer bottle was completely drained.

It seemed that was his last one, and William didn’t conceal his irritation.

He was about to command his bodyguard to fetch more beer, but after checking a message on his smartphone, he glanced at Agnes.

Then, as if making a life-changing decision, he stroked his chin and said to Agnes,

“I think I have a pressing matter to attend to. I’ll get in touch later. Make sure to answer.”

William abruptly bid farewell and left the shop without any further arrangements.

Agnes muttered in astonishment,

“A pressing matter? Looks like he’s off to drink with some woman….”

“…Sigh. It feels like a storm just passed through. I’m so tired.”

Agnes and Ella, perhaps exhausted from dealing with that dreadful miscreant, left the shop looking weary.

Then Jinseong followed suit, departing after the two.

“I wonder what kind of magic they’ll use; I’m so curious.”

He left with a faint sense of anticipation.

 

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