I Became a Fortune Teller in the Game My Little Sister Made – Chapter 135

“Of course.”

“Um?”

“We can’t say that everything is over with this, you know?”

The afternoon after a night full of ups and downs passed. After a restless night and mentally exhausting experiences from <Water Divination>, I woke up with a sigh, already in this time frame.

Perhaps due to the mental strain of this ordeal, I had a rather strange dream. In the dream, I lost my mind and became completely swallowed up by <Water Divination>…

“Well, it’s just a dream anyway.”

No matter how horrifying a nightmare is, if you forget it, it was just a dream for a night.

Since Kim Eun-ha’s matter went well, that strange nightmare was merely a dream.

Anyway, after waking up, I found myself sitting across from Kim Eun-ha, who was oddly decked out, enjoying tea.

Thinking back, I’ve had tea time with Liu, Rain, and Eileen several times, but it’s been quite a while since I had tea with her.

“Are you talking about the cleanup?”

“That’s part of it, but there’s still your father… Dad’s matter left.”

“You just call him Dad like that?”

“Having recovered my <Desire to Kill>, I’m whole now. After all that struggle, I don’t think I can be scolded for calling him that.”

“Um…”

“Anyway, what we need to discuss is what Dad did.”

“What are you referring to?”

“Of course, the order to kill you.”

Ah, right. I had pretended to be a cultist on purpose because of that, didn’t I?

I had completely forgotten about it due to the headache from <Water Divination> towards the end.

Certainly, managing that part is crucial for a proper conclusion.

“Right now, His Majesty…”

“You don’t need to call him that.”

“…Huh?”

“There’s no need to show respect to someone who tried to kill you, right? Call him informally.”

“No, even so…”

“Emperor brat, that emperor bastard, emperor guy—any of that is fine. You have my permission to call him whatever you’d like.”

“…I’ll just call him the Emperor.”

“Do as you wish.”

What’s going on? Kim Eun-ha also seems to have changed quite a bit.

It was already acknowledged that her personality would shift once she recovered <Desire to Kill>, but she feels strangely more lively.

Anyway, the important thing is the Emperor’s matter.

“So, where is the Emperor right now?”

“…? Didn’t you meet him before he went to sleep?”

“I did see him in the office.”

“He’s confined there. The Oppressor and the Shadows are also locked up separately. My brother acted quickly.”

Reflecting now, the Emperor must have forcibly escaped using the power unique to <Royalty>.

If the business was finished, it was naturally the sequence to be caught and confined by the Crown Prince faction again.

However…

“You can’t just keep the Emperor locked up indefinitely.”

“…That’s true, and because of last night’s incident, the citizens are making a fuss. The only one who can calm them down… is Dad.”

It’s essential to remember that regardless of factional struggles, the overwhelming support of the people is directed at the Emperor.

The Emperor had elevated the Daehan Empire to a superpower through predictions of future events, gaining widespread support from the entire empire in the process.

Of course, that doesn’t mean the people oppose the Crown Prince, but if that Crown Prince were to forcibly elevate the Emperor to the throne, it would be a different story.

Numerous citizens, councils, and organizations would attack the Crown Prince.

Thus, even if the Crown Prince defeated the Emperor, he would have only one option to choose from.

“You plan to solidify the heir declaration, don’t you?”

“…You really know well. It’s quite impressive.”

“Anyone with political insight could make that guess.”

Stopping the animosity between the Emperor’s faction and the Crown Prince’s faction, ensuring the Emperor undeniably acknowledges the Crown Prince.

Even now, the next Emperor is undoubtedly Crown Prince Kim Sung-il. However, he is not the official heir, as indicated by the title ‘Crown Prince.’

It’s about to change to a clear ‘Crown Prince’ status, slowly absorbing the Emperor’s faction and, in the future, ascending to the throne.

Essentially, ensuring the Crown Prince’s victory.

And though it’s a bit embarrassing…

“Well, I guess you should thank Namgoong Min the most for this situation.”

“…Hmm.”

“That’s for the best. Had it not been for my brother’s intervention, even resolving that issue would have led to a tragic end.”

As Kim Eun-ha said, thanks to the Crown Prince’s intervention, I somehow survived.

No matter how much I cleverly deceived The Oppressor and the Shadows, they are not fools and won’t be fooled for lifetime. Just a proper investigation would reveal my identity as an impersonator.

The aftermath would be apparent.

Deceiving high-ranking officials and entering the Royal Palace at will.

If I threatened the Crown Princess (though in a good way) and the Emperor…

What would the price be for that?

“Death penalty…?”

“You could even face dismemberment.”

“…I guess I should be really grateful to the Crown Prince.”

Of course, Kim Eun-ha, having resolved <Desire to Kill>, would help me, but the politically neutral Crown Princess cannot exert much influence.

At most, it’d just be lowering the penalty from death to life imprisonment, right?

In summary, luck was on my side in many ways.

The Crown Prince, who decided right after witnessing the mess I caused in the Royal Palace.

And me, believing the Crown Prince would notice and making a mess in the Royal Palace.

It’s as if both of us had perfectly matched each other’s hints.

“But isn’t it good that it was resolved well?”

“…That’s not wrong. However, you must remember that it was reckless.”

“Of course.”

“You have a way with words. Now that you’re not alone, please take care of yourself.”

“…? What do you mean?”

“…………………….”

“Crown Princess?”

“…………Now that I’m with my brother, there’s a political alliance, so be cautious. I mean no other meaning.”

“Aha.”

There seems to have been a brief silence, but it’s not inaccurate.

With this character event cleared, my rapport with the royal family reached the maximum, and I’m effectively growing into a ‘power behind the throne.’

In essence, I’ve become a kingmaker who solidified Kim Sung-il as an undeniable Emperor, so I’ll receive that much appreciation.

Conversely, this also means that I’ve become inextricably linked with the royal family, which implies I need to be careful about my actions.

‘The high society likely heard the full story by now.’

On the surface, I can fit it all together, but those at the highest levels in other countries would be aware that ‘the Crown Prince faction has defeated the Emperor faction, with Namgoong Min at the center.’

And that means…

I’ve gone from being just a common fortuneteller of the Daehan Empire to a de facto fortuneteller backed by the imperial family!

…What’s with this? Why does ‘de facto fortuneteller’ sound so ticklish…?

“Ahem, anyway, it may take a while for my brother to deal with the aftermath.”

“Well, that’s to be expected.”

“I’ve already given a heads-up to the Academy, so there shouldn’t be any issues for the next few days. Once the compromise between my brother and Dad is wrapped up, it’ll be your turn.”

“…I see.”

I feel as though my matters have been pushed to the back burner, but given Kim Sung-il’s personality, he wouldn’t treat me like a disposable tool or as the forgotten one.

It’s just that the commotion from last night in the Royal Palace is so deafening that he needs to align with the Emperor as quickly as possible and get any announcement out there.

If things are delayed while I resolve my own matters, the entire Daehan Empire could explode.

After all, it’s ultimately about the conflict between the Emperor and the Crown Prince, a civil war of sorts.

…Should I have listened to everything the Emperor said when I spoke with him yesterday?

‘…No, I was just too tired at that time.’

And I received the shocking information that another version of me had disappeared.

Anyway, once the official response wraps up, I’ll be able to leisurely talk with the Emperor, so it’s not a big deal.

But…

“Um, Crown Princess?”

“What is it?”

“…How’s <Desire to Kill>?”

“………….”

Now, while she’s laughing and enjoying tea time, I wonder what Kim Eun-ha’s inner feelings are like.

I haven’t eliminated <Desire to Kill>; I’ve merely made the pain of loss greater than the urge to kill.

In other words, within her heart right now, the urge to ‘want to kill someone’ and the pain of ‘if I kill, I will lose that person forever’ co-exist.

Naturally, this is not a permanent solution.

Knowing that well, Kim Eun-ha closed her eyes for a moment before speaking.

“Well, I could deceive others, but not you.”

“That means…?”

“Honestly, it’s a bit… dangerous. Each time I meet someone, my fists involuntarily clench, you know? Luckily, I’ve been able to rein myself in.”

“………I see.”

Damn, it really is as I thought.

The original solution within the game was to ‘crush <Desire to Kill> with sheer combat power.’
So, defeating Kim Eun-ha, the boss consumed by <Desire to Kill>, would have naturally solved it.

‘As a <Fortuneteller> like me, that’s absolutely impossible.’

Knowing this, the quest did prompt gathering allies, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

In a game, if an ally dies, you can simply try again.

But this is reality.

‘Liu, Rain, Lucas, Kim Sung-il, Abel, Raphael… I have plenty of people I can call on, but…’

The Kim Eun-ha consumed by <Desire to Kill> is strong enough to kill all those powerful figures in the imperial family.

In a game, once you win the battle, things sort themselves out automatically, but subduing Kim Eun-ha in reality is… nearly impossible. It’d be even harder than killing her.

What are the chances that none of my allies would die in that situation?

At that point, it just becomes a delusion.

And that’s why I stood alone.

Relying on <Water Divination>, believing in my mental strength made it possible.

‘Had I made a slight mistake, I might’ve ended up in that nightmare.’

My mental state breaking down, believing the disordered reality within <Water Divination> to be true…

My actions last night weren’t all that different from what I did in the nightmare. The only difference was how long I could endure it.

Honestly, I can reflect on it now because I succeeded, but it doesn’t change the fact it was reckless.

‘…Who cares?’

If I could have lived rationally like that, I wouldn’t have lived with Ji-soo like this.

Learning under that cultist bastard who killed my parents, even going so far as studying criminal justice to catch him wasn’t a rational choice.

This is just who I am.

The nature of a person is insurmountable.

…I digress, but anyway.

Let’s focus on Kim Eun-ha’s <Desire to Kill> for now.

“How long do you think you can endure?”

“……Not long. But.”

“………?”

“Strangely, when I’m next to you, those impulses just disappear… I feel at ease.”

“Is that so?”

What’s this? Do I have some hidden effect? Maybe something like peace of mind?

I don’t know the reason, but the fact that <Desire to Kill> can be suppressed is good news.

“Then I’ll do my best to stay by the Crown Princess’s side──”

“So, you just need to stay close to me 24/7.”

“──Huh?”

What?

“No way around it, right? If I’m away from you and <Desire to Kill> resurfaces, it would be disastrous.”

“Well, when it comes to sleeping…”

“We can just sleep next to each other.”

“………Still.”

“Oh, do you mean the bathroom? We’ll just signal each other. I can wait just beyond the partition, right?”

“………….”

“That might sound irresponsible, but thanks to you, I’ve been able to coexist with <Desire to Kill>… so you’ll have to shoulder that responsibility, too.”

As she said that, Kim Eun-ha’s touch as she held my hand felt strangely greedy and seductive.

But without a moment to push her away, I broke out in a cold sweat from a foreboding feeling.

‘If I go back to the Academy and Liu sees this…!’

A Crown Princess hanging around a guy who confessed to her?

Even if I’m a total newbie at romance, the result is obvious.

‘But I can’t just say we should be apart…’

What if I stay away due to being cautious around Liu, and <Desire to Kill> resurfaces?

That would be absolute calamity.

…It’s like facing a fork in the road while climbing a mountain, both left and right lead to death.

What should I do? Just roll down the mountain?

‘Please…!!’

Save me!

“…Eun-ha, really…”

“You agreed to this, right?”

“Well, yes. I did say yes, but…”

“Then isn’t there no problem?”

“…The world would call this a kidnapping marriage, you know.”

“If we’re going to stick together anyway, it’s basically the same as being married.”

“What about the Psychic and the Rich Tycoon? I heard that the daughter of Instructor Teddy Bear is also hanging around Namgoong Min.”

“Hoho, brother. From now on, I’ll show Namgoong Min what it means to share destiny with the royal family.”

“Uh…huh?”

“What it means to be in an ‘Absolute Power’ together.”

“…So, you’ll buy power?”

“Men are naturally attracted to capable women, you know.”

“………….”

“So just focus on countering for now. Namgoong Min… I’ll take care of that myself.”

“…Sorry, Namgoong Min.”