Harold has seen many weird things in his past live, whether its in real life or from the movie, anime, novel, manga, manhwa, or manhua that he read on his free time. he never was a picky reader. as long as the story attracted his attention, he will read it until he is satisfied, no matter the genres of stories that he reads.
Applying the 'logic of fiction cliches' on daily basis already become habit when he decide that he definitely reborn in fantasy world. strangely his guess was rarely wrong when contemplating the situation with this method.
As such, in unassumming morning when he suddenly see a girl literally drowning in river near his cottage while yelled for help, he can't help but getting sudden forbiding feeling.
"Damn it-" the fake brown haired kid then jump on river, swim and dragging the girl who look older than him to the river banks.
curse his inability to let people die recklessly in his presence. Harold get headache as he see the girl who flopped on the ground and look like a dead fish.
the young lumberjack then sighed before shake the girl up and guide her to his cottage, hopefully this girl didn't trigger some troublesome 'event' flag-
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"im May, seventeen years old, a wandering fortune teller from Holy Kingdom of Vreya" the red haired girl proclaimed in confident tone inntroducing herself.
The girl wearing the cloths of Harold's adopted mom which is slightly bigger than her lithe frame. She just finished munching on the left over breakfast that Harold offer to her to lessen her shivering cold body and growling tummy.
Harold raised his eyebrow in return. "sure- Im Harold a lumberjack, twelve years old" the boy drawled. "also that bread toast and tea is one silver coins" he added.
"wait, aren't you too ruthless, that price just a plain robbery- im just saved from dead- my money pouch is lost-" Mary replied indignantly.
Harold gruntled in disatisfaction-
"I know, its just i don't need free loader in my home- also, im not such a good guy to let you just get away before paying back." The violet eyed boy said "can you cook, cleaning, gardening, or any other skill that isn't fortune telling, other skill you can use?"
May look side way with a nervous look "Ahaha.....nope?"
Harold give deadpanned stare at the girl.
"'So- basically you are useless-" he concluded.
The girl expression morph into stunned one as if her very being are getting prickled with sharp needles. but she can't reply since its basically the truth-
Mary then wriggled her eyebrow and confidently said "This big sis can pay you in another way-"
"Not interested you pedophile old hag, ew you aren't even my type-" Harold fastly interjected with disgusted voice.
"No- i don't mean like that, im not pedophile, neither im old nor a hag, you little barbarian- and why did you know these things- isn't this mean you're pervert" Mary face reddened in anger and shame at the implication of Harold's reply.
"i just read and observe peoples a lot, im not blind to see when some flirt their way out. its your own fault for making questionable gesture, now that i think of it- you are hella shady-" the boy huffed. "no matter tho, i doubt you can scratch me- also you are not worthy of being called big sis" he added cruelly.
"Heuuuk-" Mary can feel more imaginary needles stab her conscience from the boy's poisonous tongue.
"i think i can find a way for you to pay back somehow- for now you can rest. i have task to do" Harold said in contemplative manner before picking up his axe.
"Wait- Harold- " Mary call out to the boy which is on his way to the front door.
Mary's golden eyes start glimmering as a weird voice errupted from her mouth.
["Your existence is an abnormality!"
"Your life will full of thorns and bloodied war path either if you prepared for it or not"
"You will attract obsessive love from the beings around you!"
"For your existence and your counterpart will turn the world upside down!"]
The glimmering in the girl eyed then subsided as the girl come out of her trance in shock "Ah-"
"Did you just jinxed me-" Harold say a bit speechless at Mary's sudden outburst.
"Eya, its not my intention- its prophecy, randomly triggered out of no where, please don't harm this lovely messenger of divine message, kind sir-" the girl shamelessly pleaded mercy at her supposed to be savior who look like ready to squeeze the life out of her.
Harold smile turn colder and colder with slight twitch of irritation, slightly regretting on saving the suspicious young woman.
[what a scam of divine messenger- you just cursed my already questionable future-]
the young lumberjack sighing in exasperation."if i didn't know better i'll call you a bard instead of fortune teller you know-" he said in lifeless tone "anyway- what's your intention to crossing over the sea and Moria kingdom to this place from far away place like Vreya Holy kingdom?"
"Ah! well-" the girl drawled- "have you heard about the legend of King of spirits? apparently one going to born soon in this Starlight empire according to Vreya Holy Kingdom's most pretty and beloved highpriestess"
[what a high ranked cliche theme]
Harold humming as he heard May start rants how wonderful it will be if she manage to see the birth of 'King's' herself before said girl passed out of exhaustion in mid rants.
A very positive minded when the said girl didn't know who the spirit king candidate is, or where the person she seek is. its practically like browsing a tiny needle that piled up under hay stack.
yes, Harold now very sure there are some marbles missing from the girl's common sense-
Harold can only rub his forehead at the additional headaches and a new living baggage, Mary. He will have time to interroggate later, he have better things to do for now.