I Became a Fortune Teller in the Game My Little Sister Made – Chapter 234

“Just stay still. Wrapping bandages is tough.”

“What kind of artifact is this?”

“Hey, do you really think I would go as far as calling this a bandage an artifact?”

“Ah, I see.”

“It’s an artifact.”

“…Ah, I see.”

“Well, whatever, it’s done.”

Thump!

With a few hard taps on the tightly bound arm, as if to ensure the blood flow was restricted, Liu stepped back.

The wound wasn’t serious, but a simple wave of pain washed over me.

There was no visible injury, no broken bones or torn muscles, yet this subtle agony was still making its presence known.

It wasn’t excruciatingly painful, but it was annoyingly distracting enough to demand my attention.

That damn Namgoong Jisoo.

“What the hell, you charge in like that and then just get broken? At least everyone knows you’re just a blabbering fortuneteller.”

“…Still, I did contribute a bit during the event.”

“That contribution got drowned out by the political battle with the collateral royalty. You brought it on yourself, dumbass.”

I had worked hard preparing for the battle royale event, yet I was the first to get eliminated.

And by the second-year representative at that!

Of all people, my little sister!

“That damn strong girl…”

“Well, I heard she was a former <Hero>, right? Of course, she’s strong.”

“Now that she’s free, her true colors are starting to show.”

“What can you do, she’s my sister-in-law.”

“…Huh?”

“Forget it. Your agreement isn’t necessary anyway.”

Huh? Excuse me?

Liu?

“Don’t worry, fortuneteller! I’ll definitely win and come back!”

“Uh… okay.”

“And what about that wicked girl and the Violent Crown Princess, the middle school syndrome Saint?”

“They came and went already.”

“Everyone said pretty much the same thing, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“That’s how it is. Just accept it.”

“………….”

“I’m leaving first.”

With that, Liu left the base, her expression serious.

I could guess what she was up to, but even if it turned out to be true, there’s nothing I’d be able to do about it.

It was the fate of a wishy-washy man. I wasn’t some protagonist from a web novel, nor had I ever imagined choosing one of the girls…

Well, anyway.

“…The sky is clear.”

Though the base was on the underground floor, I could see outside through the window.

It was a peaceful, serene day with a clear, transparent sky.

“………….”

Saying goodbye to everyone, I crossed over to the developer’s room to kill the former god three months ago.

I had become a second-year student at the Romance Academy.

*

Coming back was a big deal.

Not joking, it was a serious matter.

‘Everyone welcomed me happily, so…’

But it was a bit too intense for my liking.

Rain splashed me with her psychic powers, and Lucas used magic to assist her.

Kim Sung-il was pushing me to hurry up for the coronation ceremony while Eun-ha physically invited me to sit next to her.

The Saint and Eileen were too tired from their interference with the developer’s room, so I went to the church to meet them. I must have thanked Eileen and the Saint repeatedly.

Abel too… I thanked him, but he just smiled back. It was quite moving to see that corpse-like guy starting to smile properly.

Liu’s reaction was the most dramatic.

As soon as we met, she started with lip-locking.

No kidding; if Lucas and Abel hadn’t used all their strength, it would have just gone there…

Let’s not think too hard about it.

Slurp.

I stirred instant coffee powder into boiling water, savoring it lightly.

This cheap flavor. The optimal coffee that had been fine-tuned to my tongue from drinking it at the labor site.

But right now, it was also a taste of escapism.

Anyway.

‘Second year, huh.’

Typically, it would mean I had to stay in second year and then graduate in the fourth year to clear all the character events.

But somehow, I managed to solve all everyone’s character events in just this one year.

I’d even sorted out any events or artifacts that could be met later on.

‘Not that I don’t need them.’

It felt like, unlike last year… I didn’t need to dive in headfirst anymore.

The malice and crises aimed at me and Jisoo had all been resolved, and the problems of the others had cleared up long ago.

What should I say?

‘Burnout?’

It’s something I felt I read about in a book. It seemed that this is what I was experiencing.

These past twelve months have been a non-stop, wild ride.

The next three years of resolving everything would be rather cozy.

“This kind of daily life…”

Might not be so bad after all.

Days where I didn’t have to worry about character events, academy exams, or various threats.

Even if I said I had burnout, if what I gained was this daily life—

Bam!

“Hey! Namgoong Min!! The stocks you saved have doubled!!!”

“Yay!!!!”

—Daily life is bullshit.

Dopamine is a god, and stocks are invincible!

*

“What about our Min?”

“I had him inform you about the stocks. They’ll probably have fun together in the base for a while.”

“Well, I’ve bought us some time.”

It was a bit concerning that it was about stocks, but… still, what could I do if our Min was happy.

Not long ago, leaking out confidential royal information seemed to make my husband happy.

‘No, I should say I received it legitimately with my older brother’s help.’

What could be impossible for my older brother, who became the Emperor of the Daehan Empire three months ago? Telling our Min about the inner workings of the royal family was probably an easy task.

“By the way, Crown Princess, how did you let Namgoong Min know about that royal information? If you told him directly…”

“I don’t make the same mistake twice. It’s simple; I just let it leak as fragmented information through newspapers and information sites he often reads, people he meets. Our Min has fantastic talent in piecing those fragments together.”

“…I know Namgoong Min is smart, Crown Princess.”

“Oh, did it seem like I was bragging? My apologies.”

Click.

Rain finished her emotional expression by distorting her teacup with <Superpower> and gave Eun-ha a chilly stare as she smiled brightly.

Though we were still using honorifics due to social class at the start of the semester, I had already bitten my tongue several times over.

Back then, she was just Rain Arthur, one of the marriage candidates, but now she was Rain Arthur, a powerful figure with the maximum faction within the family.

It had become somewhat acceptable to step over certain lines.

‘My brother truly…’

He instructed me to procrastinate while holding onto Namgoong Min, but he never suggested we fall into stocks together.

Yet, at least they were just playing while investing only pocket money, so if they hadn’t touched the family’s public funds, he would have been beaten long ago.

Hector, who had retired from household duties, and Gregor Arthur were probably enjoying the most comfortable lives out there.

If it weren’t for that promise to convince Namgoong Min to marry me…

“By the way, Rain, you seem to be in a pretty good mood.”

“…Crown Princess, did it look that way?”

“Oh, I was just comparing you to three months ago. Back then, you had an air around you that I couldn’t even approach.”

“……Yes.”

The day Namgoong Min left.

I had been somewhat calm while saying goodbye with a kiss, but naturally, Rain had been in a panic until he returned.

She had been breaking things around her with her <Superpower> and throwing tantrums, losing control over her emotions…

In fact, that was nearly identical to the Violent Crown Princess, approaching self-destruction.

Did she really dare to do that?

“I heard it was tough for you too, Crown Princess. Yet, I’ve heard you nearly killed someone, making His Majesty quite troubled.”

“Ho ho.”

“………?”

“Thanks to that, I was able to express our Min’s existence to the royal family. Of course, my brother and I will have your back, but the hearts of the underlings can be vile.”

Oh, so that’s what it meant.

If Namgoong Min wasn’t around, the Violent Crown Princess was out of control and rampaging, thus making it clear that she was essential to the royal family.

If it were merely Kim Sung-il…the Emperor of the Daehan Empire pushing for Namgoong Min’s necessity, I wouldn’t be able to predict what those so-called loyalists were really thinking.

While I understood that she had helped establish the need for Namgoong Min at the expense of her own image,

‘It’s quite unpleasant.’

That mindset, which assumed Namgoong Min would definitely join the royal family, was quite sickening.

Winning against the former head of the household and having the current head’s closest male friend, naturally it would make sense for him to join the Arthur family.

‘Most importantly, has this girl had a kiss yet?’

Rain, who had maintained her composure when Liu kissed Namgoong Min, could perhaps look cutely upon the Violent Crown Princess who just yells about love all the time.

That day’s deep kiss with Namgoong Min still lingered on in my mind.

‘Her tongue… it was so wild.’

On that day, Rain instinctively realized. Perhaps when it came to the night-time, it would be impossible for her to win against Namgoong Min for the foreseeable future.

Now that I had resolved matters regarding the sister-in-law, the principal, the emperor, the pope, and other Namgoong Min’s matters, I figured there wouldn’t be any issues if I made a move.

Until now, I had put up with it due to Namgoong Min’s past and goals, but isn’t everything resolved now?

…That feeling made me attempt to invade Namgoong Min’s bedroom a few months ago but was stopped by my sister-in-law.

With the mindset that if I couldn’t do it, she couldn’t either, I teamed up with my sister-in-law to fend off the mental patient, the Violent Crown Princess, and the bizarre Saint.

What resulted was the current standoff. I couldn’t have Namgoong Min as long as my sister-in-law didn’t acknowledge me—an exquisite cold war.

Therefore, the four girls were desperately attempting to win over my sister-in-law.

‘Well.’

There hadn’t been any yields at all.

“By the way, Crown Princess, have you heard anything about the Saint?”

“Well, it’s hard for the Special Class because they can’t publicly disclose their jobs… Don’t you meet Rain more often?”

“Even if I do, how could I have a conversation since all she does is talk about nonbelievers?”

In fact, the most suspicious individual was the Saint.

For whatever reason, my sister-in-law was particularly gentle in her dealings with the Saint compared to the other girls.

It was obnoxious malfeasance, while she was just the lowly tycoon, the Crown Princess, and the Psychic.

Therefore, the Saint was such a touchy subject that mentioning her would sour the discussion immeasurably. Yet Rain had her reasons for bringing it up.

She likely knew about the Violent Crown Princess’ assumptions.

“Recently, the frequency with which the Saint visits the base has increased.”

“………Hmm.”

“If we continue like this… there will be a war.”

That wasn’t any sort of metaphor or joke.

According to Rain, the girls aiming for Namgoong Min were all a bit… off-kilter.

A blatant tycoon.

A crown princess who strikes first and talks later.

A Saint suffering from middle school syndrome babbling about nonbelievers.

It was only natural for the only sane person to wrap her head around it all.

Would those women simply accept not being chosen by my sister-in-law?

‘No way.’

Rain herself had been pondering how to pour all of Arthur’s strength into a response, and the other girls wouldn’t think any differently.

And with all of them holding the strongest familial ties, worldly power, and backing of the church and Saint…

A war was practically guaranteed.

Even if it wasn’t a war deploying soldiers and fighter jets.

But a war utilizing all sorts of schemes, threats, fraud, jealousy, seduction, economic pressure, and political machinations.

If a battle were to occur, we must secure victory, although not yet. My sister-in-law hasn’t selected anyone yet.

So.

“So you’re suggesting we join forces.”

“Well, it’s obvious you would be the best ally, Crown Princess.”

Rain simply chose the only person who could somewhat communicate with her, the Violent Crown Princess.

Compared to a tycoon she couldn’t even converse with, and a Saint she couldn’t talk with at all, this felt far better.

“Ho ho, I’m just as reassured if you’re cooperating, Rain.”

“Seems we were on the same wavelength.”

And that went for Eun-ha too.

If things went awry and forced Namgoong Min to the palace, the only one who could challenge her among the other girls would be the Psychic.

The tycoon would ultimately need to rely on artifacts, and the Saint would just come along with brute strength.

In that regard, making an ally out of Rain, who was a threat, would yield insights into the situation.

With our true thoughts concealed, Rain and Eun-ha shook hands lightly and left.

On the way back to the Arthur mansion.

Holding the contact artifact, Rain spoke up.

“Hey, it’s me.”

<What's the Violent Crown Princess saying? >

“I think I fell for her. I think she felt threatened when I mentioned the Saint.”

< Tch, that girl seems like she’s at an advantage after all. >

“Well, either way, this should lessen the Crown Princess’s suspicion. Although I can’t measure up to you.”

< I can't believe I'm teaming up with that fiend. >

“I’m disgusted too. Let’s not forget our promise.”

< You too. >