Little Pink Starfish

“Are you a magician?”

“Yes, Sha.”

Lan Gwen, who had come in the form of a doll, smiled gently. Even the pink hair was astonishingly similar to his own. Curious about how it had been made, Nyne spoke.

“If you’re a magician, wouldn’t it be better to become a priest rather than a Resha?”

There were many types of priests. Those with physical aptitude became battle priests, those with intellect handled administrative tasks. Those with talent for magic were especially valued and enjoyed success and wealth in many fields.

“But I could only meet Sha up close if I became a Resha.”

Hearing Gwen’s flattery, Nyne fell into brief thought. Was Lan Gwen a dangerous person? He had repeatedly come and gone from the bedchamber guarded tightly by battle priests. Among all the humans Nyne had met so far, he might be the most dangerous.

Even so, Nyne still didn’t feel the urge to summon the battle priests. If he had intended to kill Nyne, he would have done so long ago. Or even if he tried—so what? The situation was interesting and fresh, so it didn’t matter much.

“What exactly is your purpose in repeatedly approaching me? If you wanted to meet Sha Amon, you would’ve been better off becoming a priest who manages Amon’s sanctuary.”

He couldn’t understand why Gwen was trying to approach him instead of Amon. Was it to get close to Amon through him? Nyne knew well that the ultimate goal of all priests and Reshas was to gain Amon’s favor. But Gwen’s words were different.

“The Sha I desire is not Sha Amon. You are also a Sha, Nyne-nim. I wanted to see you.”

“Me? Why?”

He still couldn’t understand. Unlike Amon, Nyne himself didn’t hold much value. He could grant some treasure, perhaps, but it wouldn’t compare to the splendor Amon could bestow. Or maybe that was exactly why. Maybe Gwen thought it more realistic to win favor with Nyne than with Amon. Some Reshas behaved that way.

“I have no interest in transcendent beings like the gods of Trastasa. Like many of the barbarians outside Trastasa, I’m more interested in people than gods.”

Nyne, who had always lived surrounded by priests who revered Sha, had never heard such blasphemy. Lost for words, he merely opened and closed his mouth when Gwen’s doll looked up at him with oddly sparkling eyes.

“I’ve been interested in the consort of Amon Ensar for a very long time, Sha. You have no idea how happy I was to meet you…”

Unable to endure Gwen’s arrogant words any longer, Nyne jumped to his feet. His face flushed red with anger and embarrassment. Clenching his fists, he glared at the small doll.

“How dare you utter Sha Amon’s sacred name out loud!”

Amon’s full name, “Amon Ensar,” was only written in books and forbidden to be spoken. Nyne almost called the battle priests, but barely held back.

“I can’t bear to hear your blasphemous words any longer. Leave now before I summon the priests!”

“I apologize, Nyne-nim. My careless words have disturbed your heart. I will take my leave for today.”

Nyne stared at Gwen without blinking. The doll hesitated briefly, then bowed politely. Just like when it entered, it flew out the terrace, attached to four quickly spinning leaves.

Even after Gwen had left, Nyne wandered restlessly, swallowing down his roiling emotions. His heart pounded all night, and only later did he realize that Gwen had spoken his name without permission.

“A devout servant greets Sha Nyne.”

Two priests prostrated themselves, bowing their heads to greet Nyne. Unlike ordinary priests, they wore white, ornate crowns. They were called divine priests and all had the ability to use magic. In Trastasa, magic was considered a gift granted only by the Sha, so they were treated with honor.

Nyne usually had little interest in them, so the priests seemed flustered at being summoned so suddenly. Nyne looked between Iu, a battle priest, the divine priests, and an ordinary priest. It was obvious they couldn’t compare physically to the battle priest, but they were even smaller and weaker than the average priest—likely from always sitting at desks. Strangely, they weren’t tanned despite the constant sunlight of the region.

“I summoned you because I have some questions about magic.”

“Ask anything, Sha.”

Nyne unconsciously compared the priests before him to Lan Gwen. Since they worked at the great temple, they were probably more skilled than the average magician, right? Nyne wanted to know whether Gwen only had a pretty face and body, or if his skills were just as impressive.

“Can you turn a cat’s fur pink?”

At Nyne’s request, the two priests looked slightly puzzled, but relied on their experience dealing with whimsical Reshas and answered faithfully.

“Of course, Sha. If you command it, we will bring a cat with pink fur.”

“Can you do the same for birds or lizards?”

“If it has fur or scales, we can turn it pink, Sha.”

So pink animals weren’t that rare after all. Nyne moved on to the next question.

“Can you tame or control animals however you want?”

“Y-yes, Sha. It might take a few days, but if it’s simple commands, it is possible.”

What exactly counts as simple commands? Nyne tilted his head and continued asking.

“Can you move a small doll using magic?”

“We beg your pardon, Sha. It is possible, but it will take some time.”

Nyne made a thoughtful hum and sipped palm wine. Since everything was technically possible, maybe Gwen wasn’t such an exceptional magician after all. Finally, he asked,

“Can you sneak into a building undetected by battle priests?”

With this question, the divine priests began to sweat nervously. They couldn’t guess the purpose behind Nyne’s sudden inquiries. Seinca Hoan raised an eyebrow, while Iu let out a mischievous grin. A priest wiped his sweat with a handkerchief and replied.

“It depends on the battle priest’s capability, Sha.”

“What if it’s Priest Iu?”

“We cannot guarantee success, but if you command it, we will do our utmost, Sha.”

Until now, Nyne had thought of magicians as technicians who fixed broken light or magic tools. But now he was starting to find magicians intriguing.

“I’ll give you a week. Prove what I’ve asked you today as best you can.”

“Yes, Sha. We will do our utmost.”

The divine priests left, dripping with sweat.

A week later, they returned before Nyne, who was filled with anticipation. This time, there were six of them, each carrying something in their arms. They began laying out what they had brought.

First, they placed small cages containing a pink-colored cat, bird, and lizard. The magicians carefully took out the animals, but none of them were in good condition. The cat kept tearing up and its fur was coarse. The bird had lost most of its tail feathers, and the lizard barely moved. Nyne frowned at the unexpected sight.

“Aren’t they in too poor a condition?”

“We apologize, Sha. The dye used to turn the fur pink was rather harsh.”

As Nyne examined the ailing animals with a grimace, one priest placed a large collar around the cat’s neck and gave a command.

“Sit!”

The cat gave a weak meow and slowly sat down. It seemed more like it had collapsed from the heavy collar than obeyed a command. The priest then threw a ball and commanded again.

“Fetch!”

The cat slowly stood, staggered over, and brought back the ball. Whether it was due to magic or simple training was unclear. Sighing, Nyne ordered the collar removed and the pitiful pink animals taken to the sanctuary to be treated and cared for. The divine priests, sweating heavily, moved on to present the next item.