I Became a Fortune Teller in the Game My Little Sister Made – Chapter 87

On a night when stars floated in the sky.

Even at such a late hour, the city was lit up like a major festival, and the Arthur Mansion was no exception.

The grand mansion, home to numerous residents, bustled with activity, regardless of day or night.

But just today, an unnatural silence had descended.

“……….”

Tap, tap.

Lucas Arthur was no exception as he nervously drummed his fingers against the desk.

Normally, this would have been the time he had returned to his room, but today he sat in the reception room of the main building, dressed in a formal suit.

A steaming cup of black tea sat on the table across from him.

“……….”

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

The servants moved about quietly, maintaining a hush, with no sounds to break the stillness.

As a result, all Lucas could hear was the ticking of the clock.

How long had he been tapping his fingers in rhythm with that ticking?

“Are you worried?”

“…Yeah, of course.”

When Lucas opened his eyes again, he found Namgoong Min savoring the prepared black tea.

Dressed in a black suit, red dress shirt, and white gloves, he wore a relaxed smile.

He was the same always, unchanging, the fortuneteller.

…Although today’s outcome might differ, who knows?

“I’m saying this as a friend, for the last time…”

“I’ll win.”

“………….”

“That’s all I have to say.”

“……….”

Yeah, it was too late to try to stop him with nagging words.

Above all, Lucas himself harbored a vague belief that perhaps winning would truly resolve everything, mixed in with his concern for Namgoong Min.

Words weren’t something to share with a friend on the brink of a duel.

With his mind set, Lucas stood from his seat.

“I wish you good fortune.”

“Hey, speaking of which, who are you rooting for? Your friend? Or your father?”

“…Don’t be tongue-in-cheek in a dire situation like this.”

“Alright, alright.”

Clenching his fist, Lucas faced Namgoong Min, who also stood.

He couldn’t shake the worry over whether this choice was the right one, or if he was about to lose a friend who could truly understand him.

But the arrow had long since left the bowstring.

“………….”

“…………….”

After some lingering time in their handshake, Lucas was the first to let go.

His eyes reflected not anxiety, but a firm resolve.

“I’ve done all I can. Once the duel starts… no one will be able to interfere.”

“Well, it should be that way.”

“…Right, you’re still smiling even in this situation….”

And thus, was he able to trust Namgoong Min as a fortuneteller, to become his friend?

When he first entered the academy, he could scarcely imagine forming friendships, let alone with such a capable person.

This fortuneteller, with meritocracy as his standard, even inspired some competitive spirit in him as a friend.

Lucas didn’t linger on lengthy words.

The results would bear witness to everything.

“I’ll see you later.”

“…Yeah, see you later.”

May he meet this delightful friend again, alive.

For the first time in his life, Lucas prayed to the gods.

*

“You’ve arrived.”

“Yes, I’m here.”

On a small mountain within the grounds of Arthur Mansion.

Though small, it was a densely forested area filled with all manner of underbrush and trees.

At the summit, where nothing obstructed the view, aside from grass up to the ankles, Hector Arthur awaited me, gripping a longbow under the stars.

A place filled only with the desolate moonlight and the wind.

Hector and I faced each other.

“One minute until midnight.”

One minute until the duel begins.

Pointing out something I already knew was not to ease the tension; it was simply a final warning.

A notice that in one minute, there would be no turning back.

‘Perhaps, if I kneel here, I could withdraw from the duel.’

But in return, I would have to become Hector’s pawn in various ways—which was not impossible.

Of course, even realizing this didn’t mean I would back down from the duel.

“I see.”

“…Yeah, is that your decision?”

Hector confirmed my steadfast will until the last moment, then fell silent.

No more words were needed.

I had no desire to say more either.

Loosening my arms and legs, I checked the necklace, ring, and earrings.

Activating <Observation> in advance, I kissed the ring on my left hand’s pinky.

“…….”

At that moment, Hector’s brow twitched, but soon he only caressed his longbow one last time, showing no signs of disruption.

He checked the quiver strapped to his back and touched the bowstring once more.

A minute was up.

It was midnight.

And then.

“──Hu!!”

In an instant, Hector shot off ten arrows and glared at me.

But I had no luxury to meet his gaze or smile casually.

‘This is far more than I expected…!’

Not a single one of the ten arrows had the same trajectory, and not a single one missed its target.

I hastily dodged the moment the clock struck midnight, but it was as if Hector had predicted my movements as he unleashed a barrage of arrows directly at me.

Three arrows flew straight, five arched, and two soared into the sky.

Arrows came flying at me from all angles: above, beside, and straight ahead.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

“Urgh!?”

Of course, I had no means to evade them.

While <Observation> allowed me to read their trajectories, that was all I achieved.

My frail body, rated ‘catastrophically deficient in physical aptitude’, found itself impaled by all ten arrows.

Arms, legs, waist, abdomen, and back.

Had I not protected my head with both arms, an arrow would have pierced my brow; in less than a second, I was transformed into a pincushion.

Yet, that wasn’t the end.

“Ugh……!!”

Ping, ping, ping, pingpingping!!!

Even after witnessing my helplessness, Hector showed no hesitation or mercy in his hands.

Drawing the abnormally large longbow, as if it were a machine gun.

With arrows flying in every direction and trajectory, he even fired extra arrows anticipating movement.

Like a bombardment, he covered the entire area around me with arrows.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths.

The hero of Europe, known for shooting the stars, unleashed hundreds of arrows in just three breaths.

“………Huff.”

Perhaps four breaths were too many, or he deemed it sufficient.

The seemingly never-ending barrage of arrows finally ceased.

Hector’s gaze sharpened at that moment.

“You.”

“………….”

It was a rare occurrence to speak during a life-or-death duel.

However, my condition was so dire that Hector paused his assault.

Not a single part of me was untouched by arrows, the sheer quantity left my appearance and attire unrecognizable.

It wasn’t just the front, but arrows covered every inch—up, down, left, and right, a horrifying sight.

Looking at me, Hector continued speaking.

“How long do you plan on acting?”

“………….”

“If you’re deceiving me, then do it properly. If you’re hit by arrows but don’t bleed a drop, that’s merely trickery.”

“…I didn’t intend to deceive you.”

Thud!

As I moved in response to Hector’s taunt, the arrows that had embedded themselves in me clattered to the ground.

Well, none had genuinely pierced me.

“That ring….”

“Isn’t it wonderful? It’s a rather splendid artifact.”

A little shake, and all the arrows fell to the ground.

Though hundreds of arrows hit me, not even one succeeded in lodging itself properly.

Needless to say, it wasn’t due to my skill.

“It was a gift from a friend.”

The artifact <Maiden's Breath>.

An artifact that boosts physical abilities for ten minutes when a pure maiden breathes upon it.

Fortunately, being a virgin deemed me eligible for its use.

Naturally, it was given by Liu.

Was that all?

“That earring and necklace too.”

“All are artifacts. Every single one.”

The left earring <Protection in Darkness>. An artifact that deflects five unnoticed surprise attacks.

The right earring <Light's Guardian>. An artifact that reduces impact to the user by half.

The necklace <Eating Artifacts>. An artifact that absorbs the power of other artifacts and fortifies the user’s body based on the absorbed artifacts.

The first surprise arrow was halted by <Protection in Darkness> before it penetrated my attire.

From there, I withstood the onslaught using <Light's Guardian>, <Maiden's Breath>, and <Eating Artifacts>, which I had already consumed.

‘Damn, my insides are definitely wrecked now.’

Of course, I hadn’t emerged entirely unscathed. Though the shock had been lessened and my body fortified enough to resist the arrowheads, being hit was still being hit.

The blows kept jarring my brain and internal organs, and I had spat blood multiple times already.

Thanks to <Cleanliness>, I looked fine enough on the outside.

“………That’s not honorable.”

“Better than dying, isn’t it?”

Naturally, such acts were taboo in a duel.

If one could wrap themselves in artifacts for a duel, the outcome would be a foregone conclusion.

Hector had come prepared with only a regular longbow and arrows, despite the countless artifacts at his family’s disposal to maintain honor.

Had he wanted, he could’ve postponed the duel, claiming that I sullied the honor by using artifacts, and we could’ve re-fought under the witness of a notary without artifacts.

“Besides, it seems our lord doesn’t particularly mind.”

“………….”

Hector remained silent.

His thoughts were rather easy to discern.

‘After all, Hector’s objective is to kill me.’

To eliminate me, who knew the full truth, and sweep everything under the rug—this was the reason Hector accepted the duel.

If he protested against my use of artifacts for a rematch, both he and I would have to engage in political manipulations once again for the duration until a new date could be set.

In that regard, Hector was wary of me.

‘I have Liu and the Crown Princess on my side.’

So rather than create unnecessary variables, he would simply seek to kill me in this duel, using whatever artifacts he desired.

That was also the reason I boldly brought and used artifacts.

‘Is he confident?’

In the end, Hector had conviction that he could win and kill me, even if I wore endgame artifacts and utilized them to block his arrows.

Was that arrogance? Perhaps not.

‘Hector Arthur is one of the few who could hold his own against Scarlet Redfield for over a minute in terms of power.’

Could a fight manifest against the strongest elder in that world? He had every reason to take pride in his abilities.

The problem lay primarily with the fact that this was based on his ‘prime time.’

How strong could Hector Arthur be, after over ten years without touching a bow and his physical form deteriorating?

That was a mystery even to me.

All that remained was to find out starting now.

“Then let’s do this again── here I go!”

“………!”

Bang!

The physical abilities enhanced by <Maiden's Breath> and <Eating Artifacts> far surpassed my expectations.

Even though both have a ten-minute limit, this felt overly excessive.

I might not be an equal to a hero or a crown princess, but I could at least match Sasaki Ito’s speed as I charged with a punch──

“You’re unskilled.”

──Lightly evading my punch, Hector swung his longbow against me.

Though I negated the impact with the artifact, the shock left me feeling dazed for a moment as he jabbed an arrow into my waist.

“Ugh!?”

“With callused hands and abysmal fighting skills, did you think of tackling me?”

“Of course… I must have some sort of plan!!!”

<My Own Little Fortune Teller's Shop>.

“………What’s this?”

Suddenly, the battlefield transformed from a meadow into a dark fortune teller’s shop.

Hector, momentarily startled by the abrupt transition, soon regained his composure and distanced himself from me with a cold gaze.

“…An interdimensional teleportation skill? The area isn’t wide… and there are no singularities in sight.”

“Cough, cough! Hah… but observing your retreat, it seems you must be trembling in your boots?”

“Indeed. I once underestimated seemingly trivial skills and ended up with a nasty surprise.”

Both in games and this reality, <My Own Little Fortune Teller's Shop> and other forced movement skills were exceedingly rare.

Even in the academy, using it would leave anyone bewildered.

Yet my opponent was a man hailed as a hero of Europe, one of the archers who routinely traversed through the Gate.

Naturally, he would have encountered skills of this sort and would be cautiously vigilant.

‘In truth, it’s nothing special…’

<My Own Little Fortune Teller's Shop> bore no effect within. Exiting was as simple as stepping out from behind a blackout curtain.

Thus, inexperienced students found it easy to combat by merely swinging their blades or charging.

But seasoned veterans, having seen many traps, wouldn’t be so easily moved.

Typically, skills that summon players into an interdimensional space grant some advantage or are set traps.

Such skills in games were all incredibly powerful, save for <My Own Little Fortune Teller's Shop>.

“…Since you’re making no move, it doesn’t seem like an offensive ability. What strange decor or table exists within? Is it some sort of altar?”

“………….”

“Well, it matters not. I’ve got all the time in the world.”

Hector’s demeanor was languid. He could afford to be relaxed.

After all, in a duel, it could only end when one side either died or surrendered.

During that time, he could leisurely look for ways to break <My Own Little Fortune Teller's Shop>.

“More than that, it’s incredible. At your age, possessing such a skill… if I’d known, I would’ve convinced you more before the duel.”

“………….”

“But now it’s too late. There’s no turning back now; I will begin to pry into your secrets.”

His eyes sparkled, morphing into a crosshair shape resembling a reticle.

The archer job skill <Sniper's Eye>.

Hector’s longbow gleamed momentarily, as a shimmering arrow, blue as water, formed without shape, writhing.

The archer job skill <Formless Arrow>.

The muscles in the arm drawing the bow surged. One arm swelled, and his suit tore from the sheer power.

The general skill <Giant’s Right Arm>.

Hector held his breath. With a held breath, he notched <Formless Arrow> to his bowstring, gazing at the ceiling through <Sniper’s Eye>, pulling the string back using <Giant’s Right Arm>.

With painstaking accuracy, he held his breath and activated the last skill.

The general skill <Concentration in Breathlessness>.

With focus far beyond the normal range while holding his breath, he scrutinized the ceiling hidden beneath a blackout curtain.

And then, he released.

Boom!

With a sound comparable to a missile, the arrow shattered <My Own Little Fortune Teller's Shop> with sheer shockwave, vanishing into the vast night sky.

Finally exhaling, Hector looked at me.

“Use every skill, every ability, every artifact you possess. I am ready to receive it all, and I’m prepared to dismantle every single one.”

“……….”

“As a sign of respect to a capable young man, I shall observe everything you possess and convey it to Rain.”

──The Duel Proxy known as Namgoong Min was truly a remarkable one. It was you who killed such an individual.

“Of course, you will be returned as a corpse.”

Hector declared.

As a powerful archer, as the head of the Arthur family, as the duelist who had accepted this duel.

Without a hint of carelessness, he declared his intentions.

“………That statement.”

It mattered little how you chose to present yourself.

“I’ll return it to you, lord.”

I would exert every effort to win.

For Liu, for the Crown Princess, for Lucas… and for Rain.

For the promise made with my friends.

“…Ha, how amusing.”

“………….”

“The more I see you, the more I admire you.”

From the skies above, an arrow descends.

The <Formless Arrow> that Hector had sent skyward moments ago was now returning to this very spot.

…Yes, the duel was just beginning.

And it was far from over.

The arrow has fallen.