The New Semester (3)
In a world where real prophets walk around as if it's the most natural thing, saying something like this feels a bit off, but the truth is, pretending to be a prophet isn't all that difficult.
Just grab someone on the street and tell them, "You! A major event will strike you in the near future, so be careful!" Congratulations—you've already prophesied the future.
Words are strangely flexible. "Near future" could mean tomorrow, or a month from now. If you push it hard enough, you could even stretch it to ten years. The same goes for "major event." It could be a sudden car accident, a breakup with your lover, or even the appearance of a super virus that shakes the entire world.
It's basically like pulling a card from a deck and shouting, "I'll guess what this card is! It's either red or black, and it'll have a number between 2 and 9, or maybe an A, K, Q, or J!"
What if they draw a Joker? Simple. Just tell the person questioning your failed prophecy, "See? You followed my advice perfectly! Thanks to that, the disaster passed you by!"
Pretty easy to play prophet, right?
Of course, that alone won't fool everyone. But there's a surefire way to make this scam far more convincing: have a trustworthy person deliver the message.
If timid little Loto suddenly shouted at students, "A huge disaster is coming tomorrow! Everyone be careful!" they'd probably suspect he was mentally ill. But if Princess Lyla Everblaze Barhart said the exact same thing, everyone would panic and take it dead seriously. After all, an imperial princess wouldn't spout nonsense without reason.
The same words, the same content—the credibility changes completely depending on who's saying them.
Obviously, Frelia Magnus doesn't have that kind of influence. But if you don't have it, you can always create it.
It started with a bit of ventriloquism using Fiore. I touched on details that were specific enough to surprise the other party. Once they grew wary of Frelia Magnus, they'd start reading too much into every single thing she said. From there, it was smooth sailing.
If she said, "It feels like things will get noisy," I just needed to create some buzz at the academy. If she warned, "Take care of your health," I'd arrange something that required them to do exactly that.
Since I was already working hand-in-hand with Alphonse—the real power behind the Old Royal Family faction—manufacturing a plausible prophet or strategist was easier than it sounded. It wasn't exactly a piece of cake, but it wasn't particularly difficult either.
I didn't specify exact events. I just provided enough "bait" to match her vague, ambiguous statements. At first, people might dismiss it as coincidence. But what if it happened several times? What if the people around them started sharing similar experiences?
Eventually, I wouldn't even need to manipulate things from behind the scenes. No matter what Frelia said, they'd interpret it themselves and marvel at her insight. Even if things didn't match perfectly, they'd blame their own interpretation rather than suspect her.
And even if someone eventually caught on, they wouldn't dare speak up. By then, they'd all be tightly bound together under the name of the Frelia Magnus faction. If the core figure herself turned out to be a klutz, the only thing they'd be admitting is, "I've been an idiot this whole time!" Who would willingly say that? The others would probably stop them from confessing anyway.
As a result, Frelia Magnus quickly gathered forces. Alphonse was able to eliminate the New Royal Family members who refused to fall in line under her. Marquis Magnus, delighted by his daughter's achievements, gladly agreed to my requests.
Everyone ended up happy—except for that damned family head, who got kicked to the curb by his last remaining allies in the New Royal Family faction and was now getting thoroughly beaten by Theo while completely isolated.
Even within the merchant guild, people were slowly switching their allegiance to Theo. It wouldn't be long before the owner of the Midas Merchant Guild changed as well.
The bestowal of my peerage was proceeding steadily on the imperial side, and the southern army's reinforcement project was going smoothly—at the cost of the southern legion commander's sleep.
The mysterious gluttonous young lady, Joy, who had nearly blown all her assets into the sky, recovered 500 gold from Duke Mars and then vanished without a trace. Dorf, who kept losing his targets during tailing operations, looked ready to establish an entire new intelligence department.
I had given her a communication magic tool before she left, but she wasn't picking up. Just what is that girl's true identity?
Most of the damage from the terror incident has been restored, but the culprit's identity still hasn't been officially announced. In the original story, those bastards were so elusive they even got protected by plot armor, so I guess it can't be helped. Still, if I just had a single hint, I'd track them down and crush them immediately.
Other than that... I suppose I missed out on a power-up event. But considering I gained a noble title and territory, it might actually be more beneficial in the long run.
Anyway, most of the chaotic events that happened during the break have finally been wrapped up.
So what now?
What does a student do after the break ends and the new semester begins? Obviously, it's time to study...
"Come take a look, everyone! The Midas Cube is back after the break!"
"Aaaargh! Give me everything! I'm buying it all!"
"Get out of the way, you crazy bastard! Can't you see the line behind you?!"
"I saved up during the break! Take it! Hurry up and take my money!"
"Everyone, please calm down! Thanks to the stock we prepared during the break, we have quite a plentiful inventory today! One thousand! We have a full thousand in stock, so there's no need to fight! Hey, new students over there! Don't just watch—try buying one! The dream of striking it rich is waiting for you!"
......Study......
"Um, senior? Can I really get a magic sword with a high-tier spell engraved on it here?"
"Of course! And that's not all! The legendary knight armor set from Thunder Mountain! The Andromeda Hair Shield! Even the greatsword of the wandering knight Python! Come witness weapons and artifacts straight out of myth and legend!"
"Then is the rumor true that the first edition of Master Pietà's book from the last imperial auction is also sold here?!"
"Ahem, customer. It would be troublesome if you spread such confidential information so carelessly. See? Look at how the eyes of the people behind you have changed."
"I'll buy it! Three Midas Cubes!"
"Give me four!"
"Ahem, could you spare some for me as well? Two should be enough..."
......It was supposed to be study time, right?
"And for those who seek the stability of modern civilization over ancient mysteries, please rest assured! At the Midas Cube, we proudly offer only the highest quality items through collaboration with top artisans in every field! We currently have fifty different types of premium weapons from the Mars Workshop sealed away—the very same ones that the hero Ligret, who saved countless lives during the recent massive terror attack, praised highly! Now it's your turn to become the protagonist of a new heroic tale!"
I finally couldn't take it anymore and stepped in.
"Hey, Loto? I appreciate the enthusiasm, but maybe tone it down a little..."
"Boss."
The terrifying glare radiating from Loto's eyes pierced right through me.
"If you're not going to help, could you please just go away?"
"Y-yes, sir."
The 'headhunter'-level pressure I felt from our first meeting in Black Mountain left me speechless. I had no choice but to slink back to my original spot. At this rate, even the Second Prince of the Wild Boar would probably hesitate before trying to talk to him.
I approached Pino, who was standing near the stall, shaking her head and sighing.
"What's up with him? Did something happen?"
"Wow. You're really asking me that?"
What did I even do? The only crime I committed was grinding like crazy during the break!
"You were the one who introduced him to the Midas Merchant Guild before the break, saying he should find something to do, right?"
"Ah..."
Now that she mentioned it, that did happen. There had been so many incidents lately that I'd completely forgotten. I was too busy with the Alphonse and Shadow Lady manufacturing project to pay attention to the Cube even after the semester started.
"Apparently he only stayed home for a week before the scale of his 'something to do' became clear. The rest of the time was all work."
"......"
"He said he realized the greatest secret of life. Want to know what he said? 'Pino, people die if they don't sleep.'"
"......"
"He got attacked by some demonic beast while following a merchant caravan, and he even got lost in a strange forest."
"......"
"He somehow succeeded in a mid-tier spell he thought he'd never be able to use in his lifetime. He was muttering with half-dead eyes, 'I did it because I'd die if I didn't,' and giggling. I almost cried just watching him."
"......"
"Do better. Or at least watch your back at night."
"Y-yes, ma'am."
With the intense realization that I needed to repair my human relationships before even thinking about studying, I quickly opened my wallet. After several rounds of financial therapy, Loto transformed from a horned demon back into an innocent lamb.
Let's be more careful from now on....