TNZKMA 29

29 Saine

 

When the news about the Ceremony arrived, he just discovered that his name was on the list.

 

Saine hesitated for just a moment. Nobody doesn’t know just how important the Ceremony is to this world. He has money and his turn has come. Then he should take it.

Fifteen priests dressed in white clothes with white hoods on their heads traverse the dark stone room while reciting spells. Saine was in the corner of the room and was only watching the situation. For 7 days without drinking, eating, or sleeping. The priests were visibly weakening, but it was nothing to Saine. If one works as a guard, he has overcome countless situations like this. If he only has to sit then it’s nothing.

 

Divided by a large road extending from the Central Square, the town is largely divided into 4. Saine lives in the Eastern Section. There are 5 Ceremony locations in the Eastern Section. Saine’s Ceremony was held in one of them.

The Ceremony Room is made of stone. The floor, walls, and ceiling are all covered in black stone.

There were evenly spaced shelves in place of candle stands on the wall, all of which had candles. There were 27 in total. Replacing the candles when it’s about to go out during the Ceremony was Saine’s only job.

 

In the center of the room, there was an emblem drawn with white lines. This is the priest’s emblem. Many priests live in houses on the Central Square. The big houses that surround the square are the priests’ houses.

But not all priests live in the Central Square. Some of them live in their respective Sections. Saine’s Ceremony is currently being held by the Priests and their relatives in the Eastern Section. These relatives are probably from Central Square.

The Ceremony is performed by priests who inherit the same bloodline. So right now, these 15 people present are relatives. The depicted emblem represents their origin and this place is under their control.

He simply has to sit for 7 days and nights but as expected, it gets boring. Saine hears the priests’ chantings without listening to it. He understands absolutely nothing of what it means.

 

Each priest holds a silver vessel in his hands. Inside it is water. It’s sprinkled on the floor while reciting the spell. That’s why he thinks it’s made of stone, and for that reason, it becomes penetratingly cold, 

There are large water jugs in the four corners of the room. These are also made of silver. When the water in the priests’ vessels is used up, they will draw water from the jugs. The 15 priests sprinkle water and also run out of water together.

The 15 priests cast the spell in a double circle, sprinkle water, softly move towards the four corners of the room like a blooming flower, and draw water.

 

Saine was blankly watching the priests’ movements. In a room without any window, it is hard to tell what day it is. No, you probably will end up being unable to, if you’re a normal person. A sensory illusion like this won’t happen to Saine. 

It was the seventh day. Saine accurately sensed that it’s now the seventh day. His heart throbs with the expectation that it’s about time.

 

He discovered that the emblem began to shine. A faint grain of light emerges, begins to dance, and eventually expands to emit a bright light.

But there are no indications that the priests notice the light. Can’t they see it because of the hood, or is it because they can’t see it in the first place? The light is clearly caught in Saine’s eyes and he stares inside it.

A figure is born in the white light.

So this is a Reincarnator? Is this who he’s going to live with? He remembers his mother with a faint memory. When talking about women, he only knows his mother. Reincarnators are basically kept hidden. They’re hidden inside the house, and when going out, they’re stuck closely to their husbands. They’re not a presence you can see so easily. 

The faint shadow slowly darkens, and then a person appears. He(M) looked over with a dazed expression, and he(S) could tell from his(M) eye’s expression. He(M) was shocked. It was natural. He(S) doesn’t know about the Reincarnator’s previous world but it should be different to this one. It’s understandable to be shocked. (TN: S- Saine, M- MC)

The Reincarnator came out dressed. It’s the clothes from over there. But it’s obvious even with clothes on. This is a man. Saine’s Ceremony partner is a man.

The Ceremony failed.

 

It was good that I tossed the money that I had at him. If I had left him alone like that, I would have had to return at least once to keep him from starving.

He doesn’t know how much money he had, but he should be able to live for the time being. There was also a priest in the place, as well as an official below. Then there should be no problem with absconding himself.

 

Saine enters the familiar bar and gulps down his alcohol.

 

Of course, he’s informed about the Ceremony. He knows that over 30% of Reincarnators are women and less than 10% of them are men. His own Ceremony was a failure.

Nobody knows why the Ceremony fails. There are some who blame the priests, but many believe it’s attributed to the receiver of the Ceremony. In other words, it becomes Saine’s fault. There were reasons like he didn’t desire it wholeheartedly or that he dozed off.

However, he can confidently say that he absolutely didn’t fall asleep. Rather, he didn’t feel sleepy at all. Where is there a  weak guard who gets tormented by drowsiness in merely seven days?

 

He violently slams the cup. The shopkeeper came to ask what’s wrong but closed his mouth after a single glare.

 

[Yo~. I heard that you had a Ceremony.]

 

When he looked up with drunken eyes, his fellow guard, Dole, was standing there.

They met at an unpleasant time. Ignoring Saine, whose displeasure is showing on his face, he sat on the chair uninvited.

[With this, you’re also a married man, huh……. But, I heard that it was a failure?]

 

Kukuku, he laughed.

 

He became a guard at the same time as Dole. They worked competitively against each other and became Heroes at the same time. But it was Saine who got the Ceremony first. Maybe he can’t accept that Saine was specially chosen but he has recently been picking fights with him(S).

 

[Let’s toast. Male Reincarnators are usable depending on how they’re handled.]

 

He strikes his fist towards the face of the man holding the cup. However, he may be a bastard but he’s still a guard. He lightly parried Saine’s fist and returned a punch as payback. He catches Dole’s fist with one hand. A slapping sound rang out.

 

[Introduce him to me. Your Reincarnator.]

 

He barely managed to push out his hand while being caught by Saine. Saine grabbed it as if he were trying to crush it.

 

[Do you want to see the man?]

 

When he was laughed at, he(D) also laughed back daringly.

 

[Even a man can conceive, can’t he? A male Reincarnator who has given birth sells expensively.]

[Then I’ll sell him to you.]

 

Suddenly loosening his(S) strength, Dole withdrew his hand. And then, he roaringly laughed his head off. 

 

[Good. Sell him to me before your hands dirty him. I’ll buy him for 10 ales.] (TN: Fuck you, man! Fuck you!)

[……It’s 200, 000 ales.]

[10, ales. And I’m not talking in tens of thousands here. A male’s worth is just that much.]

 

Upon saying that, Dole turned his thumb down.

Male Reincarnators are worthless. Naturally. Whatever his preference is, he must hold the man. Even if he’s going to sell him, 100 000 ales should be a good starting price. He(S) heard that if he(MC) manages to birth a child then he could be sold up to 600 000 ales but he(S) didn’t want to do the act before the conception.

On the day he took the Ceremony, Saine greeted the morning at the bar. He continuously drank throughout the night, and headed to the Guards Guild with a hazy head. Dole conscientiously kept him company until the end and even followed him towards the guild.

 

[Don’t follow me.]

[Isn’t it fine? I also have some business in the guild.]

[I’m telling you now, job’s mine.]

[Don’t say that. You should go home for now.]

 

A guard’s job is seasonal. Time-wise, work right now is scarce. The day is short and the number of peddlers trying to pass the monsters’ lair is reduced.

That’s why he thought he was done when he received the notice for the Ceremony. Now that work is rare, with the Reincarnator…….

 

[What are you thinking?]

 

He murmurs and looks at Dole.

 

[If that’s true then you would be doing it like crazy by now……. Or something like that?]

 

His face showed a vulgar smile.

 

[Well, it can’t be helped, can it? That’s all we can think about. Once the Reincarnator arrives, we’ll do it like crazy until a kid is born. That’s it.]

 

Dole said so and suggestively grabbed his own cr*tch.

 

He consciously suppresses his cr*tch that’s about to ache. It was needless for Dole to say. Saine also only had that in mind. If that was the case, he would have been embracing a woman by now. Despite that, for whatever reason, he was given a man.

 

[That guy, will he sell?]

 

When he muttered that, Dole consolingly patted Saine’s shoulder.

 

[He will. You have to spray him, okay.] (TN: I’m guessing that Saine must impregnate the MC)

[You need 1 000 000 ales for the Ceremony, you know.]

[It’s fine, I tell you. A Hero’s market price is from 10 000 to 20 000 ales. If you defeat a few more monsters and become a Champion, earning 20 000 ales at once will be definite. Or rather, isn’t it about time for you to become a Champion?]

 

Dole’s face is just beside Saine. Saine glared at that face and quietly said.

 

[I won’t become a Champion.]

 

The sneering Dole also nodded.

 

[That’s right. That’s not something you can just become.]

 

He put his head on Saine’s shoulder and laughed ’ kukuku’ suggestively.

 

[Heavy.]

 

When he raised up his shoulder, Dole obediently withdrew.

 

[Don’t worry. I’ll buy your man even if you don’t sell him.]

[With 10 ales?]

[That’s right. With 10 ales.]

 

He heard that there’s a job at the guild, but there was none in the end. It couldn’t be helped. It was a bad time. But he didn’t feel like going home so he barged into Dole’s house directly. Although he was(D) saying that he was(S) a bother, he didn’t chase him out. Dole was unexpectedly meticulous and the house was in order.

Saine also cleaned the house. Before the Ceremony. Thinking that a woman would come, he also renewed the bed. He made it into a big one and pushed the tools scattered all around the house into the vacant room. He felt lethargic now that he found that all of it had been useless. 

 

He drinks alcohol with Dole, complains, and finally decides to go home. Even if he’s(S) going to sell him, nothing will begin unless he goes home. When he came out of the Ceremony location, he made a booking for the next Ceremony with the priest watching over from below. If he got on the list again as a Hero, he should be able to get another Ceremony. Hopefully within a few years.

 

[1 million ales is indeed too expensive, but there’s nothing we can’t afford. If push comes to shove, we can even borrow from the guild.]

[You’ve never received the Ceremony, have you?]

[Yeah, I’ve already made preparations. It can come whenever.]

[…….I sure hope it’s not a man.]

[Don’t say something unpleasant. If you’re a miss and I’m also a miss, it’s going to be a joke.]

 

The two ‘kukuku’ laughed and left Dole’s house.