Just as Allen's eyelids were about to meet in a long-awaited embrace, a gust of wind blew, and a striking flash of color suddenly appeared in his narrow field of vision. Then, a rectangular object completely filled his view, and at the same time, a confident, lazily amused female voice spoke right into his ear.
"A donation? Is this devotee here to donate?
Today is a good day, donate, and you can enjoy special services! Not just Divination, but receive divine talismans blessed by the gods themselves, and even get your luck changed!"
When Allen opened his eyes, he realized what was shoved in front of him: a massive offering box.
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Heh. Donation?
This was clearly a plan to make him hand over Galleons from his own pockets.
In your dreams!
If she weren't a professor at that exact moment, he'd probably already be shooing her away, cute looks don't give you that much authority!
Of course, one reason he didn't resist was that she was a shrine maiden serving the gods, she had backing.
Though "slaying gods" sounded badass, Allen still felt justified in rejecting her first.
"Uh… sorry, I'm a traditional wizard. I only believe in Merlin."
He offered an excuse while giving a sly side-eye glance, and froze.
This witch, who so casually demanded donations, wasn't very tall, and had even added a butterfly bow to compensate visually. But when Allen glanced at her feet, he silently thanked the heavens he hadn't immediately kicked her.
The reason? She wasn't standing on the ground. She was hovering a centimeter or two off the floor, barely noticeable.
Perhaps a trick to compensate for height, but it wasn't cute, it was terrifying.
At least Allen couldn't fly midair yet. Sure, Dumbledore and Voldemort could, but that's Voldemort chasing Harry at high speed.
Maybe she had a skill or a magical item, but it didn't reduce her intimidating presence.
Weirdos are everywhere, but today there were too many. Maybe the pay here was absurdly high, attracting skilled recluses.
Cough cough, dear Mahoutokoro principal, allow me to introduce myself: I'm a wizard from Hogwarts, here applying for a job. Like them, I'm satisfied with just some pocket money.
Before Allen could let his imagination run wild, she couldn't wait, suddenly producing a pile of talismans and placing them in front of him.
"Look, this one, this one, and this one, all yours if you donate. What are you waiting for?" The offering box shook magically alongside the talismans, asserting its presence.
Her movements reminded Allen of TV salespeople shouting "Only 998!", but by his senses, these talismans were genuine. Each contained powerful magic, definitely not weak spells.
Maybe I should buy one for research…
Tentatively, Allen asked: "Uh… how much for these talismans?"
"Very cheap! Only 837 Galleons, plus 5 Sickles and 6 Knuts."
What?! Robbery in progress!
This wasn't just a rip-off; it was outright robbery!
Wait… something's off.
Allen checked his pockets, and his expression changed. That sum represented all the cash he had.
Compared to a bank like Gringotts, Allen trusted himself more.
If someone could truly snatch money from him… well, he'd have to respect that. His stash also served another purpose: in emergencies, he could forcibly purchase Heroic Inheritances. Not powerful on their own, but in certain situations, potentially lifesaving.
From the fact that this witch instantly knew his cash, she probably had a power to sense how much money a person carried.
Although Allen's personality naturally resisted her, he still asked:
"Uh… just talismans? Nothing else?"
"Of course there's more! Ten thousand Galleons, and you can get everything." She nodded, the giant butterfly bow swaying like it had a life of its own, making him want to punch it.
Ten thousand Galleons?
Heh. With that, he could buy every Heroic Inheritance, retreat to a hidden mountain for ten years, and come out invincible. The only downside? Anyone he knew would probably have grown up by then.
Wait… this greedy shrine maiden must be backed by an equally greedy god. Once I'm unbeatable, first thing I'll do is push her aside and buy a full set of gold talismans with her savings.
Allen's smile didn't change.
"Uh… may I ask, which god do you serve?"
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A brief pause. Allen read awkwardness on her face.
"The great deity is everywhere. The divine form may be all things. We don't need to be bound by form. As long as we believe in the god, blessings will come." She spoke earnestly, though a slight panic lingered.
Allen's mind raced with a blasphemous thought, is this woman just scamming money? Is the god entirely made up?
But that didn't make sense either. For wizards, magical items could be sold without invoking a deity. Claiming divine favor was unnecessary. Yet this added layer made people more likely to "believe", and she had indeed offered talismans, not just nonsense.
Seeing Allen had no intention of paying, the witch looked conflicted, but quickly made a decision.
"Uh… to demonstrate the god's blessings, I'll perform a divination for you first. You'll understand the greatness of the deity, and then you'll willingly donate."
This trick looks familiar, if she says I'm doomed, I'm smashing this stall myself!!!