I Became a Fortune Teller in the Game My Little Sister Made – Chapter 174

The task was easier than I expected.

“Honestly, I didn’t think I’d kneel down right there.”

“Isn’t that the Art of Survival for royalty?”

“…I want Arthur to learn it too.”

With Lucas’s help, I was able to teleport here from the conference hall without meeting the angry second-years.

This is also a magic spell that is extremely inefficient unless you’re a Spatial Wizard, but the Master of Magic really is overpowered.

‘The Art of Survival for royalty, huh.’

To be honest, I didn’t think everything would be resolved with today’s meeting.

Even if Kim Woo-sung took the first strike to tarnish my reputation with accusations of a poisoned arrow and blackmailing my parents, it was still pretty lethal.

I thought about soothing and appeasing the furious Kim Woo-sung, or perhaps even threatening him in return, but—

‘He was quick on the uptake, for sure.’

It had been less than a day since the finals, and only a few hours had passed.

In that brief time, he gathered as much information as he could and recognized that Kim Sung-il was backing me, so he came to me in a subservient manner.

While it’s one thing to notice my backing, I never thought he would kneel to someone younger than him, in a much lower position, and only a Fortuneteller!

That’s certainly the optimal response, but how many people can act on such knowledge?

For a person, especially someone like Kim Woo-sung from royalty, pride and face are almost everything.

“Lucas, could you do that?”

“…Well, it’s important not to fall into a situation like that, but… if it were me, I’d be looking for another way instead of kneeling.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s not just a matter of pride, but unlike that branch royalty, I’m a legitimate member of the Arthur family. For me to kneel would mean something entirely different.”

“And the result?”

“That branch royalty is quite impressive. Given time, everyone would ultimately kneel, but he minimized damage by making a quick judgment and acting.”

As a result of today’s meeting, Kim Woo-sung faced various penalties from the royal family, and his originally led faction was diminished.

But that was just the beginning. From then on, he’d only be my servant until graduation, and after that, he was allowed to grow his faction again.

It was a very lenient measure, considering he had disturbed the Crown Prince’s mood while also being a friend of the Crown Prince’s Meritorious Retainer.

‘Moreover…’

Kim Sung-il had quietly settled the somewhat chaotic political landscape after the faction conflict with the Emperor, while naturally keeping the brilliant branch royal Kim Woo-sung under his wing and sending a warning to the Emperor’s faction.

According to Kim Sung-il, Kim Woo-sung’s mother, the Emperor’s fourth concubine, was still one of the very few forces loyal to the Emperor.

‘It’s not that she’s genuinely loyal to the Emperor; she’s probably just desperate to get a piece of the pie of the Emperor’s power, or something to that effect.’

But ultimately, it means she follows the Emperor and not Kim Sung-il.

Of course, Kim Sung-il wouldn’t view this favorably. However, attacking the last remnants of the defeated Emperor himself could lead to backlash.

This troublesome issue was simply resolved through me… though I received a corresponding price for it.

“Namgoong Min, was what you said to the branch royal before really true?”

“No?”

“…What? Can you handle the aftermath? You seem to have a plan, but…”

“The Crown Prince said as long as I don’t cross any lines, it’s fine to say whatever I want.”

“A blank check, huh… you and the Crown Prince are something else.”

Had I heard a pre-set message, my response would have been fixed as well, but as I was pondering how to act until I met Kim Woo-sung, Kim Sung-il readily offered me a blank check.

It was practically like handing over an absolute command right limited to the royal family.

‘This is Absolute Power.’

Indeed, choosing connections over skills was a masterful move.

Although I wouldn’t be able to use it again, if the time comes, I should at least bow deeply in front of Kim Sung-il.

Just as I was singing praises to the greatness of connections, Lucas, grinning, spoke up.

“So, you’ve managed to bring the branch royalty into line, so is it just a matter of wrapping things up now?”

“Something like that. Can you tell me in advance what you’re going to do?”

“Haha! You know, after watching you for almost a year, I’ve noticed something. The best time to watch you is when I’m oblivious to what you’re doing. Knowing the content of a Fortuneteller’s predictions beforehand is just no fun, right?”

“So that’s why the Crown Prince and you aren’t asking me this time?”

“Rain, Liu, the Crown Princess, they’re all behind the scenes munching on popcorn, so I’m looking forward to it.”

“Man, come on.”

Aren’t you trusting me a bit too much?

From someone who knows everything, such antics might seem entertaining, but—

“Namgoong Min.”

“…Huh? Eileen? What are you doing here?”

“I can find out anything. That, unbelieving magic user? From here on out, I’m going to stick with you, Namgoong Min.”

“What? That unpleasant title aside, no way—”

“Your younger sister allowed it.”

“—Then there’s no problem. If you leave a scratch on my friend, think of your life as forfeit.”

Suddenly, Lucas, who had been joking around with burdensome words, disappeared. He must have returned to his base using teleportation magic.

In the sparsely populated night streets, only Eileen and I stood under the streetlight.

“By the way, how did you know I was here? I deliberately moved to a remote location.”

“Just a hunch. I can tell where you are instinctively….”

“I see.”

What, is it a side effect of Water Divination? Still, Eileen wouldn’t stalk me or anything, so it wasn’t that troubling.

As I walked with Eileen for a bit, she began to gently stroke her blonde hair while looking at me.

“Namgoong Min, how did your meeting with that royal unbeliever go?”

“It went well. He was quicker on the uptake than I expected. Are you curious about what will happen next?”

Among the popcorn munchers Lucas mentioned, Eileen wasn’t one of them.

It might be similar, but out of courtesy, I asked once, and Eileen, facing me, quietly shook her head.

“…No, I’m not curious about that.”

“Is that so?”

“What I’m curious about… is Namgoong Min’s heart.”

“………What?”

Eileen’s blue eyes, which had been meeting mine, were now focused somewhere beyond my face.

It wasn’t just a simple matter of looking into each other’s eyes, but rather she seemed to gaze past them.

Reaching out her hand towards me, Eileen gently caressed my cheek.

“What do you mean….”

“You look troubled.”

“………….”

“Although you smile as if everything is fine, just like always… what about Namgoong Min’s heart?”

“Well, who knows.”

“Are you dodging the question, or have you truly lost touch with your own feelings?”

………Who knows.

For some reason, all I could say to Eileen, who was sympathizing with me, was that.

As a Fortuneteller who only knows how to cheat and lie, that was all I could tell this kind-hearted girl.

“Who knows.”

That was the end of it.

Eileen withdrew her hand from my cheek and took my hand instead. Knowing our physical capabilities well, I offered no resistance.

Eileen, holding both my hands with her own, quietly spoke.

“…Are you warm?”

“I am warm.”

“Just think about that for now… Namgoong Min.”

Since I wasn’t feeling great, I decided to heed Eileen’s advice.

I held her hand and felt her warmth.

Simply that was enough for me.

“………….”

“…Namgoong Min? Is something wrong…?”

“No, it’s just that Eileen’s smiling face seems to be the best.”

It might be a bit superficial, but Eileen was just my type from her face to her body.

Closing my eyes while feeling Eileen’s warmth.

The view before me was nothing but pitch dark.

‘…It’s warm.’

For some reason, Eileen’s slightly trembling hands were warm.

It lifted my somewhat gloomy mood.

*

In Jo Kyung-jin’s view—today was undoubtedly a good day.

Though I ultimately couldn’t go to the martial arts competition finals, I received an even better permission.

“Heheh, that Fortuneteller brat…!!”

Today, Kim Woo-sung finally nodded after thoroughly stopping all legal ‘education’ toward the once worthless Fortuneteller.

This had been something I’d been looking forward to ever since that foolish Fortuneteller entered the Romance Academy.

‘It seems the Academy was a bit reckless for a moment.’

Isn’t the Romance Academy celebrated for its over a hundred years of rich history and tradition?

That’s why even an excellent Swordsman like me considered attending this Romance Academy, but a Fortuneteller as a new student?

‘I can understand the non-combat types being annoying, but…’

Unlike combat jobs that venture out beyond the Gate, facing danger, those non-combat types just hide in safe places.

Jo Kyung-jin thought that there was no need to open the gates of Romance Academy to such people, but it was also true that it would be inconvenient without them.

Even the Painter who had overturned my tray yesterday, and the Explorer I playfully hit a few times.

They were useful to combat jobs, so I could tolerate them.

‘But a Fortuneteller? Ha!’

Those guys prattle on about nonsensical things and are, by nature, the weakest physically amongst job holders!

To be fair, they are job holders, but Fortunetellers are practically semi-discriminated against. They don’t do anything productive at all.

And yet, that Fortuneteller enrolled in this Romance Academy. Initially, I thought the news was nonsense even to the point of disregarding it.

But now that I’ve heard about the feats that this first-year Fortuneteller has accomplished, I can’t help but believe it.

‘This is necessary education.’

Who am I? A nephew of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport in the Daehan Empire.

Born into the Jo family, which had monopolized the high positions of the Ministry, I lived without any shortcomings.

In fact, being born as a job holder, I was treated as if it was the entire family’s blessing, which only made it better.

Yet, even for someone who had the privilege of being a young master with no need to care about others, there was one thing that irked me.

And that was the non-combat jobs.

Can a sword swing break down buildings? Can a fist stop a train? Can one leap to the rooftop of a building?

In comparison to the dedicated efforts I’ve made as a Swordsman, non-combat jobs are like living in paradise. Is it fair to treat them on the same level as combat jobs when they do nothing and are not that strong?

Now I know that those thoughts from my childhood were a bit radical, but it was also because of this mindset that I could make friends with Kim Woo-sung.

A member of royalty who held the correct thought that combat jobs must stand above non-combat jobs, just like Jo Kyung-jin.

After gathering around him, their intimidating aura only grew. No longer does it feel like they’re just throwing their weight around; as a superior to me, Kim Woo-sung was stronger and held a higher status, so I didn’t worry about it.

I viewed him as a truly good friend, and he probably thought the same about me too.

‘Woo-sung! Thank you!!’

In truth, I had felt some resentment or annoyance towards Kim Woo-sung, who had been preventing legal education until now.

But now that he had allowed it today, there was no problem!

‘Okay, I have to start by breaking one of his arms.’

Drawing the sturdy sword at my waist, I swiftly dashed between buildings.

For job holders, especially combat jobs, this was an ordinary feat, so no one paid it any mind.

As Jo Kyung-jin was using his job skill, Combat Insight, to locate his target, a smirk appeared on his face.

‘Look who’s walking with a girl?’

The figure was obscured from the back, so I couldn’t see the face, but more likely than not, it was a pathetic non-combat job girl. A combat job wouldn’t be walking with a non-combat type like that.

Coincidentally, the students were walking not along a prominent street, but rather in a secluded alley. Surely the heavens must be aiding me in dealing with that Fortuneteller brat.

‘First…!!’

If they scream the moment I start, that would be a problem, so I better shut them up first.

I was accustomed to harassing non-combat types, so I always kept some sort of mouth cover with me.

First, I’ll take care of the Fortuneteller, and along the way, I’ll deal with that girl too.

Waiting until the Fortuneteller and the girl completely entered the alley, I moved.

Now!

“Haha! A combat job is here to give you a lesson—”

Brrk! Wham! Boom!!!

“Yikes. Are you okay, Min?”

“Ah, I’m fine.”

“What was that all of a sudden…?”

“Just—well.”

“A foolish fish caught by bait.”