I Became a Fortune Teller in the Game My Little Sister Made – Chapter 211

The preparation is complete.

The Emperor wiped the sweat off his forehead after finishing the final checks of the ‘ritual’.

“With this…”

All that remained was to wait.

After confirming the corpses sprawled around, the Emperor sat down anywhere.

“…I’m sorry.”

They were innocent souls. In fact, they were the last remnants of his beloved.

Loyal retainers who stayed by his side until the end, isolated by defeat at the hands of his son.

They ultimately devoted their lives to the Emperor in loyalty.

…Though they probably did not wish for such an end.

“Isn’t it just another life given to me?”

Therefore, it wouldn’t be a problem to use them as I please.

It was a clear insanity, a crossing of the line, but the Emperor was, after all,

mad since the day he lost her.

When he lost her, just like that day six years ago, the Emperor’s eyes sparkled in the darkness.

…It was still a time to wait.

*

Though everyone was asleep in the early dawn, the Royal Palace of the Daehan Empire was bustling like daytime.

Lights from every corner illuminated those working overtime, and numerous documents and people moved about, supporting the Daehan Empire.

Naturally, as the most important facility in the Daehan Empire, its security was also tight.

But at least it wasn’t for me.

“Namgoong Min, if you feel uncomfortable at all, please let me know immediately.”

“…The lighting is a bit dazzling.”

“Understood. Hey, over there! Lower the lights immediately! Adjust to a proper brightness!!”

“Thank you, Vice Minister. I feel like I want to praise you in front of the Crown Prince.”

“Oh dear, I absolutely did not wish for that…”

Oh, but of course.

Mentioning Kim Sung-il made his eyes sparkle immediately, suggesting he was quite thirsty for promotion.

‘After all, since the seven ministers sided with Kim Sung-il, it’s unlikely there will be ministerial replacements during his reign.’

Unless one commits some strange blunder, the positions of the seven ministers are stable, akin to that of meritorious retainers.

Thus, from the perspective of the Vice Minister, whose path to promotion was blocked, drawing Kim Sung-il’s attention was likely the only solution.

So, it was naturally expected for this elder, who could be my father, to bow to me, a close friend of Kim Sung-il and someone known within the royal family.

…The bright lights were dazzling but also somewhat comfortable.

‘Is this what power is?’

It’s no wonder people fall from grace. I need to be careful.

Upon arriving at the airport on Liu’s private jet, I boarded the prepared limousine, and with strict security, we headed straight to the Royal Palace.

It seemed they already knew I was coming, so Eun-ha must have already caught wind of it.

‘The GPS wasn’t confiscated…’

Considering that bringing such devices into the royal palace is strictly prohibited, this was a tremendous privilege.

Now that I think about it, did Kim Sung-il even pardon treason? Goodness, I didn’t realize how important one’s connections could be.

As I was showered with the utmost hospitality from the Vice Minister while strolling through the Royal Palace, I soon arrived at my intended destination.

“…But Namgoong Min, are you really going to meet that person?”

“Is there a problem?”

“Oh no, no! While there’s nothing impossible for you in the Royal Palace… isn’t the Oppressor a bit dangerous?”

<The Oppressor>.

An elderly minister who was loyal to the Emperor and one of the three regents.

Since <The Mediator> went missing and the <Dictator>, once on Eun-ha’s side, gained even greater power, his position had become quite precarious.

Despite maintaining his position as one of the regents, he had lost all the power he once wielded, as well as the forces like the Daehan Imperial Intelligence Unit.

Right now, he had bowed down to Kim Sung-il, but still, the royal family regarded him with caution.

The Vice Minister looked like he wanted to talk me out of it urgently.

If the Oppressor were to harm me, all responsibility would fall onto this Vice Minister.

…Thus, I had no choice but to apologize in advance.

“I’ll let the Crown Prince know. The decision to meet the Oppressor was entirely my own. The Vice Minister desperately tried to stop me.”

“…Thank you for your consideration. The Crown Prince considers you a true friend, Namgoong Min. That fountain pen you carry proves everything.”

“Just believe me.”

“…It would be rude to stop you any further. Please be safe.”

It might sound childish to make such a fuss about meeting just one person, but thinking of the Oppressor’s special skill <Oppression> makes it quite abnormal not to be concerned.

A skill that robs the senses and physical control of the opponent, making them do as one wishes.

Indeed, a skill that could be called special like <Water Divination>.

However, there was a reason I acted so recklessly.

Creak.

In the palace, at the end of the corridor, in a secluded room.

That place, filled with a unique foul smell, had a frail old man sitting there.

Without any documents or work, he just sat there all day.

“Oppressor, it’s been a while.”

“…Fortuneteller.”

“Were you not longing to see me?”

“Fortuneteller…!!”

Special skill <Oppression>.

Once a rational and intelligent old man, perhaps he couldn’t withstand a moment of emotion.

The Oppressor, who fell and was ruined at my hands, immediately activated his special skill and let out a roar.

In response to that clear hostility, my reaction was simple.

I activated the same ‘special skill’.

Special skill <Arthur>.

The special skill I obtained by fully clearing Rain’s character event in “Dream Within a Dream.”

Its effect was extremely simple.

“…!!”

“What’s the matter? Go ahead, try killing me.”

“You little…!!”

A skill symbolizing Arthur, originally an unassuming executioner.

Special skill <Arthur> was a type of self-destruction.

It inflicted all kinds of damage I received back onto the attacker, a reflection of death.

If the Oppressor, who had gained control of my body through <Oppression>, wanted, he could kill me in an instant, but at the cost of his own life as well.

He would feel the sensation of shared senses thanks to <Arthur>, so he must have realized what skill I employed.

However, as the Oppressor, this elderly man pretending to be a loyal retainer might very well try to kill me, even at the cost of his own life.

Nonetheless, I was confident.

“That fountain pen… oh my goodness.”

“You recognize it.”

“Who wouldn’t know the five great treasures of the royal family? It seems the Crown Prince… greatly trusts you.”

“After all, you are the meritorious retainer who brought down the Emperor.”

“The fortuneteller is a meritorious retainer, how absurd.”

Thud.

The Oppressor released a long sigh, dropping his arms limply after deactivating <Oppression>.

…What is this? Why are you giving up so quickly?

‘I thought we were going to continue this chicken game.’

Of course, it was natural for the Oppressor to harbor resentment towards me. I intended to use that resentment to pressure him and gather the information I sought.

But the old man, who was a regent and claimed to be a loyal retainer, looked like he had aged several years in the meantime.

“…I see you came because of the Emperor, right?”

“You know well.”

“Yes… yes, you must have a reason to come.”

What?

In the Oppressor’s eyes, there was

deep despair.

“The Emperor… has gone mad.”

“…You speak such words, Oppressor.”

“No, no. I was wrong. I was wrong… The assassination attempt six years ago? It wasn’t from that moment. It was from the moment I sent away that person, the Empress.”

──The Oppressor.

──Your Majesty, the apostasy against divinity has brought you to this state…

──The Oppressor.

──…Command me, Your Majesty. For you, I will do anything…

──Sacrifice.

──…What?

──All loyal retainers, citizens who support me, the concubines… and everything else.

──…

──Everything… for her.

“Haha, I was foolish. So foolish.”

“……”

“Six years ago, at the time of the assassination attempt, the leader of the Shadows lost all his family. I merely looked down upon him as he wailed. I thought he could sacrifice anything for the Emperor. But…”

“……”

“After sacrificing my son… I came to my senses. I realized my madness. And the Emperor who commanded me to sacrifice my son has gone mad too.”

“…You were foolish, Oppressor.”

“Yes. I was an idiot. A fool obsessed with a hollow title of loyal retainer. But… my children are not.”

The Emperor the Oppressor swore loyalty to no longer existed.

He gradually went mad after losing the Empress, and now only a monster that had completely crossed the line remained.

What he had disguised as foresight through prophetic visions now only masked his madness.

For the Emperor, there was nothing left.

“What do you want from me?”

“…My grandson, my grandson… has gone to the ritual chamber. He should still be alive.”

“The ritual chamber?”

“The place where the Emperor… performed that mad act of trying to revive the Empress repeatedly. Do you know how many lives have been sacrificed there? Do you know how many times I’ve participated in that act?”

“……”

“The Emperor sees this as his last chance. He plans to devote all who remain loyal to him. My grandson, my loyal retainers, all the concubines… and even me.”

“………….”

“I will… head to the ritual chamber shortly.”

Knowing he would die.

He still intended to go there.

“I no longer know any other way to live. The days I spent loyal to the Emperor, the days I lived as the Oppressor are far longer than the days I lived as myself. If the Emperor commands me to die, I die. If he commands me to live, I live.”

“…Will you remain a loyal retainer until the end?”

“Loyal retainer? No, I was a traitorous minister. A fool who adhered to blind orders, failing to capture the Emperor correctly… The end of a traitorous minister must be grotesque, but please. Please.”

The Oppressor.

Now an old man who could no longer even think of escaping the Emperor.

Kneeled before me helplessly.

“Please, save my grandson.”

“……”

“If you do, I will give you <Oppression>. If you wish, even more. Anything!”

“Where is the ritual chamber?”

“Haha. You already know well. The place where the Empress passed away. Where the tragedy began…”

…The Crown Princess Palace.

Below it, the underground prison.

‘So it’s finally there.’

In the very place where Eun-ha’s tragedy began.

I would tie up everything with the Emperor.

Absolutely.

*

“…He has left.”

“Yes, he left. If that cocky brat is indeed… he can save my grandson…”

After Namgoong Min departed, the Oppressor, still on his knees on the floor, raised his head.

There stood a man.

Someone who had been there from the start but whom Namgoong Min never noticed until the end.

The leader of the Shadows.

“How pathetic, Oppressor.”

“…I came to understand you. The pain of losing a blood relative…”

“I never liked you. Even six years ago, when you pulled the Shadows into your schemes to find a way out. When my family was ripped apart under the pretext of rebellion. Even now, seeing you strut about shamelessly.”

“………….”

“Yet, the reason I granted your final request… is that you understood my pain.”

The Oppressor’s final request.

That was to wait until this newcomer arrived to relay a last message.

He and the leader had anticipated Kim Sung-il, but it was the fortuneteller from that time who arrived at this place.

“I wished for you to maintain that arrogance until the very end. To struggle until your last breath. To scream until the very end.”

“……If you desire, I can grant that.”

“I don’t seek a performance. I longed for your neck to be severed while you boastfully claimed you wouldn’t care about the pain of losing a loved one, without having ever experienced such loss, not a frail old man who understands now.”

“………….”

“Is this where it ends, Oppressor? Do you have any last words?”

“If I die here… I won’t be able to go to the ritual chamber. Your Majesty, please forgive me for my betrayal…”

“……Is this the end?”

“Lastly, if my grandson returns alive… will you take care of him?”

With a slice,

the Oppressor’s final words were cut away by the leader’s sword.

“I refuse.”

Only the response, absent of a listener, echoed in that room.

The head of the self-proclaimed loyal retainer lay on the ground.

…With an expression that was utterly beyond description.