TFJB 01

Chapter 1

I stared blankly at the golden letters floating above the man’s head.

「10,000,000 Gold」

‘One, ten, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand… just how many zeros is that?’

Counting carefully, it came out to a full ten million gold.

In other words, that man’s bounty was ten million gold.

It was a jaw‑dropping sum.

‘What on earth do you have to do for a ten‑million‑gold bounty to be placed on your head?’

To someone like me, who usually only dealt with small fry worth a few copper coins—or at most a few silver—he was far too big a catch.

My mouth went dry on its own.

Right around then, the man spoke.

“You’re the most famous astrologer in the western part of the Empire, aren’t you?”

“Pardon?”

“If you’re not, I’ll kill you.”

Gah—listen to that murderous tone…!

Faced with his deadly sincere threat, my tongue started wagging on its own.

“Y-Yes! Absolutely! You’ve found the right person! I am none other than ‘Esmeralda the Mysterious’!”

“Good. Esmeralda the Mysterious, I have a job for you.”

The ten‑million‑gold man narrowed his eyes and looked me up and down.

His ice‑blue eyes were so cold that it was obvious he didn’t quite trust me.

I did my best to pretend I didn’t notice his scrutiny.

Then I carefully steadied my vocal cords so my voice wouldn’t tremble like a goat’s…

“If it’s something you’d entrust to me… then it must be no ordinary matter.”

Phew. I barely pulled that off.

“Indeed.”

The man didn’t seem to notice how tense I was.

“Th-Then what about the payment? As you know, my abilities aren’t exactly cheap.”

“Would letting you leave this place alive suffice?”

“Well… that’s not a particularly tempting condition.”

I was responding calmly, one point at a time, but inside I was in complete turmoil.

‘Aaaah! If a ten‑million‑gold criminal can’t do it, how am I supposed to?!’

I felt like I might collapse and burst into tears if someone so much as poked me.

Swallowing a deep sigh, I clenched my trembling hands into fists.

‘But if I tell the truth, I’m a dead woman!’

For a moment, my life flashed before my eyes—but surely that didn’t mean I was actually about to die, right?

‘Damn it. I started this business just to live comfortably—I never thought it’d grow this big! Oh no, my half‑baked fortune‑telling is going to get someone killed!’

Screaming inwardly, I reflected on my reckless past.

Yes.

This whole situation began with a stroke of bad luck that befell me half a year ago…

The emperor indulged in wine and women, neglecting his duties, while the nobles tore each other apart in power struggles.

The imperial family had long since turned a deaf ear to the cries of the people.

It was an age of chaos—one where no hero even emerged.

…and unfortunately, I was a reincarnator born right in the middle of that turmoil.

What’s more, I was reborn as a poor orphan!

—Crash, bang!

Just as I was lamenting my fate, a commotion broke out in the plaza.

I’d finally found the time to complain about my life, but the surroundings refused to leave me in peace.

“Geez…”

Pouting, I pushed through the crowd toward the center of the disturbance.

—Kraaash!

The moment I poked my face through a gap, a street stall was smashed to pieces.

“Oh no! My shop!”

The vendor hopped around in distress.

But the ones causing the ruckus didn’t care at all.

“You bastard! You dare insult me?! I won’t let this go!”

“When did I ever?! I’ll show you hell first!”

Two rough‑looking men started shouting and fighting. I squeezed into the crowd to watch the spectacle.

“Mercenaries?”

“Yeah. And see those glowing markings on their bodies? They’re ‘Awakened.’”

“Tsk. Awakened folks are always brawling! When are the soldiers coming?”

“Hah. Even if they did come, could they really stop them?”

For reference, “Awakened” is the term used for people with unique abilities different from ordinary folk—abilities that cause special markings somewhere on their body to glow when used.

Nowadays, it refers to people with special talents, like mages, swordsmen, or spirit callers.

Anyway, in a world where the law doesn’t carry much weight, fists tend to do the talking. Awakening an ability was basically the same as turning your life around.

“Sigh. If only I’d been born with power like that.”

Grumbling under my breath, I busily scanned my surroundings, planning to swipe something while everyone was distracted by the fight.

‘There, there! I see an opening!’

I quickly got to work, picking pockets.

Thanks to how fierce the Awakened mercenaries’ fight was, it was easy money.

‘Fighting and property damage are bad, sure, but thank you kindly for helping me make a living.’

Offering heartfelt thanks in my mind, I skipped away from the plaza.

With my pockets heavy, my steps felt light too!

“Well, isn’t this a lucky break.”

Clutching a weighty pouch, I walked through the filthy back alleys.

‘With this much, I won’t have to worry about starving for a while, right?’

It was a pitiful thought for someone who’d once been a modern person from 21st‑century Earth—but what could I do?

This was my life after reincarnation.

‘At least my mind’s sharper than most thanks to reincarnating—that’s how I’ve survived this long.’

Thinking back on a past that had been nothing but struggle brought tears to my eyes.

“Hmph. Still! If I keep earning like today, I’ll escape these alleys someday, won’t I?”

My goal was to escape the very bottom of the back alleys, live like an ordinary commoner, and close my eyes peacefully one day.

It sounded modest, but it was incredibly hard.

‘Most people born in the back alleys either starve, get beaten to death, or die of disease right here.’

Dying naturally? That was something only someone who worked relentlessly—like me—could hope to achieve.

Anyway, to accomplish my life’s greatest dream, I had to keep moving diligently every single day.

I needed money to survive today—and money to save for the future.

‘Today’s earnings are good, so I’ll put everything in the secret spot.’

Humming to myself, I walked through the grimy, gloomy alleys, never letting my guard down.

After weaving through a few narrow alleys and filthy tunnels, then squeezing between two walls, a small empty lot appeared—my secret place that no one else knew about.

I hummed cheerfully.

“My beautiful home. Well—my once‑beautiful home.”

Everything here had burned down, replaced by new shacks, leaving only this tiny patch of land. But more than ten years ago, this was where I’d lived with my parents.

If you remove one brick from the wall here…

My true “treasure vault” was revealed.

Inside were the money and jewels I’d carefully saved up my entire life—a literal treasure trove.

If someone asked what the most valuable item was among them, it would be…

‘That handkerchief.’

I glanced at the purple handkerchief hidden deep in the secret spot.

It was worthless on the market, but it was the last thing that reminded me of my mother.

So, embarrassing as it was, it more than deserved a place among my “treasures.”

“The handkerchief’s safe… hehe. And my dreams and hopes are all shining brightly today too.”

Smiling thinly, I laid out today’s stolen goods next to my possessions, one by one.

“This is stolen property, that’s coins… huh? Wait—this is a jewel?!”

From a small velvet pouch came a green gem no bigger than my pinky nail. My eyes widened.

It was small, but beautifully cut and sparkling—anyone could tell it was valuable.

“…Am I really going to escape the back alleys?”

I was trembling with emotion, my eyelashes fluttering, when—

“My luck is especially good today—!”

Before I could finish—

—Thud!

A heavy pain exploded at the back of my head.

I’d been hit so hard that my body reeled and my vision blurred.

“Ugh…”

As I staggered in place, someone snatched the green gem from my hand.

“Hey!”

I’d been gripping it tightly! No—more importantly, where did this bastard even come from?!

“W‑Who…?!”

I turned too late to see their face.

Their second blow came first.

—Smack!

Stars burst before my eyes.

“Eek!”

I collapsed to the ground.

My body was thrown onto the damp earth, and I felt hot blood trickle down from my temple. I bit my lip against the spreading pain.

‘It hurts…’

But what hurt more than my body was my heart.

‘My gem…!’

I tried to shout at them.

“U‑Ugh… th‑that… that’s… m‑mine…”

But my voice was barely more than a mumble.

The last thing I remember was the attacker muttering quietly,

“To think a rat would crawl into a place like this.”

‘A rat?! Hey, if we’re being precise, this is my territory, you son of a—!’

At the same time, my vision went completely black, and I lost consciousness.

I shot upright, roaring in outrage.

“My jeweeeeel!”

But only for a moment. I quickly calmed down and took in my surroundings.

“This place is…”

It was the only cheap inn in the back alleys.

‘The last thing I remember is getting hit from behind in an alley… who brought me here?’

There was even a bandage wrapped around my head.

Still dazed, I left the room and went downstairs—only to stop short.

Something strange was floating above people’s heads.

「32 Copper」

「1 Silver 2 Copper」

「20 Copper」

「89 Copper」

「2 Silver 31 Copper」

“Good heavens—what on earth is this?”

Large and small sums drifted aimlessly in the air.

I was staring in disbelief when a heavy weight settled on my shoulder.

“Ash, is your head okay? I bandaged it, but you lost quite a bit of blood.”

It was Pinch—quick with his hands.

Above Pinch’s head, it read:

「92 Copper」

‘Just eight more copper and that’d be one silver.’

As I stared absentmindedly at the number, shimmering letters appeared after it.

「92 Copper (Pickpocketing, fraud, etc.: 100+ cases)」

‘…Huh?’

Pickpocketing, fraud, over a hundred cases?

To my eyes, it looked exactly like Pinch’s criminal record and bounty were being displayed above his head.

That was the instinctive feeling I got.