I Became a Fortune Teller in the Game My Little Sister Made – Chapter 193

“……That’s how it turned out.”

Plop.

I set the cup of prepared black tea down after gulping it down in one go. I knew that chugging fine black tea was rude, but I was too anxious to care about that.

The other party had taken enough care to serve the tea at a lukewarm temperature for me.

“You’ve had a tough time, junior.”

“I’m always grateful to you, Senior Samuel.”

It was Samuel Lipson, an Arab student who listened to my worries in the Student Council Room right now.

As Lily White Rose’s subordinate and the vice president, he was the one really running the Student Council behind the practically face-value Lily.

Even if the Student Council didn’t do much, his competence was unquestionable; however, he was also someone who genuinely followed Lily and hence had a particularly tough time.

After all, he was the only one left in this vast Student Council Room.

“Um, where’s President Lily…?”

“Hmm… as expected, she’s busy with that Daehan Empire historical drama you mentioned…?”

“Eh?”

“Something about an undercover inspector? Anyway, she went to do that. Even though it’s a private matter, it’s hardly different from what she usually does…”

Sighing, Samuel picked up one of the documents piled up beside him like a mountain.

His eyes darkened as he read the densely written text.

“This is… a damage compensation claim for property destruction. This one is a lawsuit for violence… and this one is for emotional damages? There’s a variety.”

“…Are you handling all of that alone?”

“Well, yeah. It’s not that hard, really. Legal issues are smoothly managed by the White Rose Family, but the White Rose doesn’t support property damage compensation…”

True. Lily had cut off her living expenses from the White Rose and was relying on the scholarship as the Student Council President.

Though lawsuits could potentially escalate involving the entire White Rose, they were being left to figure out personal damage compensation on their own.

So Samuel was probably managing Lily’s finances while paying that off.

“…Do you have debts?”

“Sort of. How much can a scholarship cover? Neither I nor the others have money since we’re all orphans taken in by President Lily… We mostly borrow a lot from your side.”

“Eh? From our side?”

“The Rich Tycoon. They’re well-known in the loan industry. They lend huge amounts without caring about credit info, collateral, or the borrower’s circumstances. They’re confident they won’t get scammed, and in reality, they don’t.”

“Ah…”

“But still, I’m managing somewhat with stocks, so I pay back the interest regularly… Ah, sorry.”

“No, it’s fine, Senior.”

Stocks, huh.

Sure, if managed well, you could build wealth like Samuel and maintain a positive cycle of repaying debts.

…I felt a bit ridiculous about my situation.

“Isn’t it my fault?”

“…Well, receiving all your wealth and pretending to lose it is definitely not your fault no matter how you look at it.”

“More than that… trying to pay off the debt quickly was where the trouble started.”

I didn’t tell Samuel everything.

About coming from another world, or seeking a way back.

I had shared a suitably edited version of that to him, but…

“That’s not it.”

“…Senior?”

“2700 trillion… Um, that’s indeed astronomical debt. It’s pretty much impossible to repay that, but you know how it goes; when someone has debt, they want to pay it off quickly, right?”

“Uh…”

“I haven’t heard the full details of what happened at the Church, but clearly, it was an event worthy of that much debt, wasn’t it? Right?”

“……….”

That was true…

Had I not gathered 2 trillion dollars to sway the Pope’s heart, all of Eileen’s interventions and the Former God’s debates would’ve been useless.

It had been the needed amount to sway the utilitarian Pope’s heart in a short time, and the most appropriate place.

Even now, I didn’t regret being in debt. But…

“But still, debt is debt.”

“What’s wrong with wanting to pay it off quickly? Normally, a creditor aims to keep the debtor in debt, while the debtor wants to settle it as fast as possible. There’s no need for you to blame yourself.”

“………Yes.”

Samuel’s words… were truly sincere.

Could he say that only because he didn’t know the whole story?

‘That’s not it, right?’

In the first place, what was I even thinking?

Did I really think it was my fault? Was I blaming myself for being betrayed by the friends I had first made? Or was it pointless meddling and self-sacrifice?

Suddenly, I realized how indefinite my state was.

‘I hate fortune-telling, yet I’m a fortuneteller, and all I know how to do is deception and tricks, which I self-loathe while using.’

It was the same this time. Living amidst such contradictions, I couldn’t even be sure of what my feelings were, what my emotions were.

‘Am I… angry?’

Or had I resigned?

Fortuneteller, Namgoong Min, fortuneteller, Namgoong Min, fortuneteller…

‘…How funny.’

If I was going to end up like this, why didn’t I just accept the <Hero> in America at that abandoned city hall?

The confusion over my identity, the anguish of contradictions, the self-loathing about myself.

It was all… so intricately entangled.

“…You seem to have a lot on your mind, junior.”

“Well… it does seem that way. Initially, it was a matter regarding my wealth and debts, but it’s gradually evolving into questions about myself.”

In the end, it was all my own doing.

The burdens I had pushed aside, deciding to focus on the immediate issue of debt while harboring thoughts I had all along.

Look at what I had built until now. Was there anything among it that wasn’t tainted with instigation, deception, or trickery?

…There was nothing. And I had been ignoring that fact.

It was just the time to fully face that ignorance, that consequence, and that backlash.

‘Well… I could postpone it again.’

Just let this slide with a smile, receive a casual apology, and push it back once more.

But how long would I keep doing that?

Until meeting Jisoo, until I could return to my original world?

──Isn’t it just, that I can’t go back…?

…Leaving behind Liu, Rain, Eun-ha, Eileen, the Saint, the Hero, Lucas, Kim Sung-il, and all those I’ve built connections and memories with?

To that original world?

“Ah…”

My head hurt. Hurt and throbbed.

From the beginning… why did I have to face all these worries?

‘Because I crossed over as a fortuneteller?’

Was it simply that the only remaining job had been fortuneteller?

Then, in the first place.

Why did Jisoo summon me into this world?

For what reason?

‘What was I… doing before I crossed over?’

I think I might have just been going to my part-time job.

I had worked laboriously all day, so I was a bit tired and struggled but kept walking… right?

I couldn’t remember very well. Was it because it happened a year ago?

…Eventually, I was back on the path leading to Jisoo.

Right, I needed to meet Jisoo. I had to use the developer’s room key I got this time for him.

And for him…

I had to settle the debts and attachments I still had in this world──

“…Ah, this is the beginning again.”

──Remember me, Older Brother Namgoong Min.

──That I, this person, owe my life to you.

‘Eileen.’

It seems I’m not as strong a person as you thought.

…Quietly, I rose from my seat.

“Going already?”

“I’m still a bit confused, but I can’t keep imposing here… I need to think things over slowly again.”

Though I doubted whether I could come to a conclusion.

Swallowing the words that lingered, I tried to leave the Student Council Room with a wry smile when Samuel, with his lips curved slightly upwards, stopped me.

“Well, junior.”

“…Yes?”

“You talked about your worries regarding yourself earlier, right? Usually, such worries don’t lead to conclusions when you think alone. Instead, they tend to drag you deeper into a quagmire.”

“……….”

“So that’s why you need someone else’s advice. Defining who you are is up to you, but it’s also how others see you.”

“But even if it’s advice….”

“I’m not talking about those who deceived you. I also had someone I received help from when I was struggling with similar worries.”

“Huh?”

“Ah, it’s starting to come back.”

Bam!

Before Samuel could finish, Lily White Rose barged in, kicking the door open, grinning widely.

She was wearing somewhat crumpled and damaged pure white full-plate armor.

“Ha ha! The knight among undercover inspectors, the highest mountain’s Lily White Rose has returned!”

“Welcome back, President. What about the other two?”

“If they’re seeds, they’re still too weak, so I left them at the hospital to become true knights! They were not badly hurt, so it will serve as a good foundation for becoming knights!”

“…President Lily?”

“Oh! The fortuneteller junior among external advisers! I, Lily White Rose, welcome you as an external adviser!”

Having declared that, she laughed heartily.

For a moment, my ongoing worries flew away due to her shocking entrance, leaving a rather peculiar expression on my face.

Samuel was chatting with Lily as naturally as if he was used to it.

“Your armor has taken quite a beating.”

“Yeah! There was a jobholder among the nasty bandits. How dare they, with the job of <Knight>, plunder civilians! Not able to accept that sight, I judged them personally as a true knight would.”

“Bandits in the Gate, huh. Well, it’s not like there aren’t any.”

I wondered where she had been to mention bandits, but had she been inside the Gate?

I had heard there are many criminal jobholders and scams hiding in the Gate to avoid investigations and startling villagers or those entering the Gate.

‘But, was she really an undercover inspector…?’

It sounded more like she had just been acting as a knight.

“By the way, our external adviser, the fortuneteller junior, is here for something! Are you perhaps here to become a knight!?”

“Ah, no. I was just here to consult Senior Samuel about my worries…”

“Consulting worries! Listening to and resolving others’ concerns is also a knight’s virtue! If it’s a smart person’s worries, like our fortuneteller junior, it must be quite difficult! I, the highest mountain’s Lily White Rose, will solve your worries!”

She was indeed a bit overly energetic and obsessed with chivalry, but Lily was a good person.

She was leaning in a bit too closely while speaking, but…

‘Since Samuel also said to hear out other opinions…’

Well, it couldn’t hurt more than not listening at all.

I shared what I had told Samuel with Lily, too.

About the 2700 trillion debt, my efforts to promptly repay it, the friends who pretended to have lost all my wealth, and my subsequent questions about myself that arose from that.

Even with quite a few omitted portions, Lily listened with an extremely serious attitude rather than her customary boisterous laughter and high-energy vibes.

Was it because of her unexpected demeanor? I found myself speaking a bit more earnestly.

“…So, ultimately, I don’t know who I really am, and it’s all very contradictory…”

“………That’s completely natural, junior.”

“Yes?”

“Who in this world can clearly define themselves? People change due to time and minor incidents.”

“……….”

“This knight among knights was all too weak as a child. I was a <Fighter>, but I was the weakest among my peers and lacked confidence, and I didn’t even love myself.”

“…Is that true?”

“Of course. When I was ridiculed for being the disgrace of the White Rose family, I picked up a dusty knight novel by chance… that became my dream. It’s through even that trivial incident, or just a single book, that a person can change.”

“………….”

“Now, what about me? The knight among knights, and the highest mountain’s Lily White Rose? Is that really my identity? Will it last until I die? I’m already a different person from the child I was back then.”

“………Ah.”

“It seems like you’ve omitted some parts of your story. Given that it’s about yourself, that’s only natural. But even so, I could tell you’re earnestly contemplating your identity. That alone deserves my praise for you.”

With a gentle smile that stretched across her usual boisterous laughter, Lily looked at me with an enchanting grin.

At this moment, she wasn’t the chivalry-obsessed person or the Student Council President I had seen in the game.

She was merely a senior a bit older than me, who had gone through a bit more of her fair share of worries.

She didn’t refer to me as an external adviser but called me junior and offered her own words of advice.

“Junior, life is composed of worries. At least that’s how I see it. It might seem to someone else that you’re wandering aimlessly and wasting time on trivial worries.”

“……….”

“But at least as far as I’m concerned, you’re moving forward quite splendidly.”

“………….”

“There will come a day when you find your own answer. That answer could be a guiding light for your life or just a brief waypoint.”

“………Yes.”

“But the process of finding that answer will never become pointless. So don’t worry, junior. You’re not doing anything wrong right now, and you will find your own answer someday.”

“So until that day…”

“Keep on pondering and pondering away.”

“The longer it takes you to ponder, the more valuable that answer will be.”

“So until the day you find it, Lily White Rose will be cheering for Namgoong Min.”