That Suspicious Fortune Teller Sure Is Reliable
The day after my legitimate negotiation with Liu Yen, I spent the night at a suitable inn and took a leisurely stroll along the main road of the shopping district. I ran my hand over the inner pocket of my still-thin suit jacket—one I couldn’t even begin to guess the contents of—and a smile naturally slipped out. ‘She did end up giving me a bit more after all.’
What rested in that inner pocket was a check bearing Liu Yen’s rough signature. Perhaps embarrassed at getting caught trying to openly deceive me, the amount written on it was 1.1 million yuan instead of one million. Honestly, it felt a little dizzying that this single flimsy slip of paper was worth roughly two hundred million won.
I had scraped through university on student loans and national scholarships. When you added food, living expenses, and the money I sent to my little sister, saving anything had been a distant dream no matter how many part-time jobs I juggled. Now that two hundred million won had landed squarely in my hands, I felt the strange urge to hide it and couldn’t shake the worry that someone might come after it.
‘Stay… calm.’
In the game, two hundred million hadn’t been all that large a sum. Even in the early stages, diligent grinding could net it quickly, and establishing a base outside the academy would have swallowed two hundred million like it was nothing—hell, a billion would vanish just as fast. But what I carried now wasn’t data in a game inventory. It was real money I could actually live on.
When I realized I had unconsciously hunched my shoulders to protect the check, a small chuckle escaped me.
“I think I can somewhat understand how Liu feels now.”
Suspecting people is truly exhausting. Doubting, verifying, and staying wary of everyone who approaches you is a perfect recipe for driving a person insane. She might have had the luck of the Great Wealthy class on her side, but for Liu to have climbed so high while suffering from such severe paranoia, she truly was an extraordinary individual.
‘So I need to change my mindset too.’
When I considered my ultimate goal, this… mere two hundred million wasn’t even worth calling money. To reach the ending I would have to handle far greater sums, far more expensive artifacts, and far rarer opportunities. If I let myself get shaken by just two hundred million, the road ahead would be hopeless!
Right. Let’s walk with confidence! I, Namgung Min, am not the kind of man who would rise and fall over this much mo───
Thud.
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
“──Don’t come near me!”
“…Pardon?”
“………Ah.”
Ah. This is embarrassing.
Lane Arthur was the young lady of the Arthur family, Europe’s oldest and most prestigious noble house, and simultaneously a chosen individual who possessed the rare Special Class known as Psychic. Yet she held neither the arrogance nor the self-confidence to believe in her own power. The Arthur family’s education was that merciless, and above all, there existed someone superior to her in every conceivable way.
The Mage Lucas Arthur, and the Great Wealthy Liu Yen.
Having grown up in the shadow of her biological brother and childhood friend, she had lived under constant oppression despite her clearly blessed talent. It was more than enough to twist her, even if it never sent her completely astray.
“Hey, take this and go already.”
“Ah, yes ma’am!”
“What about the cosmetics I ordered last time?”
“I’m sorry, miss. Delivery is currently delayed…”
“If you knew that, you idiot, you should have gone and fetched them yourself! I have tea time with my brother tomorrow—if you ruin it, you’ll take full responsibility, won’t you!?”
“I’m sorry. I’ll go right away!”
“If you’re late, consider yourself fired. Remember that.”
She treated the Arthur family servants like slaves, always looking down on them from a position of superiority. An evil woman who knew her status well, used it without hesitation, and never thought twice about causing others pain. Lane Arthur was strong against the weak.
“What’s on today’s schedule?”
“Yes. First we will inspect the potential bases the family has selected, and you may choose whichever you like. Afterward you have meetings with young ladies from various European families, and in the evening a dinner with the shopping district association leaders has been prepared at the grand banquet hall.”
“I’m in a bad mood today, so cancel everything after that.”
“Understood.”
Even when she casually canceled meetings that had been set weeks in advance simply because of her mood, her attendants obeyed without question, as if they were used to such tyranny. An irresponsible act that went beyond evil woman and into the realm of despot. And yet she could behave this way because the promises she trampled were not merely personal—they involved the Arthur family’s prestige and influence.
“Instead, arrange meetings with academy students from the European side. Mainly Germany or Britain. Exclude France since the imperial family clashed with our house last time.”
“Should we exclude every French house?”
“Obviously. They’re in the middle of a civil war with the revolutionary army, aren’t they? If we get dragged into their mess and the conflict swings this way, it’ll be a disaster.”
“Understood.”
“And reschedule the association leaders. Who do those small fries think they are, inviting an Arthur to their headquarters? Are they trying to test us? Make sure all meetings happen at our family estate.”
“Yes.”
This was possible not only because of her tyranny and arbitrary decisions, but because Lane herself was exceptionally capable. She might fall short compared to Lucas Arthur or Liu Yen, but by ordinary standards she was undoubtedly a genius. That was why she always pushed through whatever she believed was correct.
If only she had spoken a little more gently throughout the process… her infamous reputation might have been considerably milder. But as previously mentioned, she was the type who was strong against the weak, so she saw no need.
“So, where are the base locations?”
“Yes. Two inside the academy and three outside have been prepared. We will begin with the ones outside…”
“…Wait.”
“Miss?”
“Be quiet for a moment.”
At some point her sharp gaze had locked onto something. Her attendants turned their eyes in the same direction, following her sudden movement.
“That’s…”
“You know who it is, right?”
“Of course. Fortune Teller Namgung Min. Among this year’s new students, he is one of only eight—including yourself, miss—who belong to the Special Class division. Unusually, he possesses a normal non-combat class yet still received a dedicated entrance examination.”
“And besides that?”
“Pardon?”
Lane’s face crumpled at the attendant’s dazed reply. The fact that one of her more competent subordinates was acting so uselessly seemed to irritate her.
“That’s all the information you have? Are you joking?”
“I-I’m sorry. But the Great Wealthy acted first, so… even if we try to investigate, their interference is too severe.”
“…That bitch? She’s protecting the fortune teller?”
“It’s closer to competition with us than protection. We received a report that the manpower the Great Wealthy side poured into investigating Namgung Min is beyond imagination, making it nearly impossible for us to slip through.”
“I’ll give you three days. Find out more by any means necessary. And──”
Fortune Teller, Namgung Min. She might not have remembered the name, but she clearly recalled the fortune-telling that had rattled Liu Yen. It had been delightful to see that usually composed bitch genuinely flustered for once.
Lane’s eyes followed the fortune teller as he walked down the street.
“Change of plans. We’re tailing him.”
“Tailing… miss? There’s no need for you to do it personally. We can send someone immediately.”
“And if they get caught, what then? The man’s class is Fortune Teller. If he reads us with his divination, it’ll be much harder to approach him later, won’t it?”
Lane had clearly seen him answer every one of Liu Yen’s questions. When asked what was inside a box or a ring, he had replied without the slightest hesitation. She didn’t know whether the answers were correct, but Liu Yen’s violent reaction proved they were. And that was without any tools. What if he began using tarot cards or the Eight Trigrams?
Honestly, the limits of his ability were impossible to gauge.
“Are other Fortune Tellers that capable?”
“No. The Fortune Teller class can perform divination through its class skill, but the accuracy rate is so low that it’s essentially meaningless. Namgung Min appears to be a clear anomaly.”
“Then it’s decided. Everyone except you, return to your duties. Just the two of us will follow him.”
“The rest of the personnel can follow from farther back, out of sight…”
“Did you not hear me? If we tail him so obviously that his divination catches us and the fortune teller develops a grudge against the Arthurs, what will you do then?”
“…………”
It was uncertain, but the fortune teller’s background had yet to be confirmed. At the point where even that Liu Yen was desperately investigating him, there was no doubt about his ability. Given that divination was such a broad power, he was someone who absolutely had to be recruited as an ally. If he couldn’t be recruited, it would be better to eliminate him.
“If I get caught tailing him, there’s room for excuses. We just happened to be walking the same way. I was trying to speak to him. And since he’s a man, he can’t help but feel favorable toward my appearance, so the excuses will be even easier. Therefore, get lost. Quickly.”
“…Understood.”
At Lane’s sharp command, everyone except the secretary-like attendant scattered. With serious eyes, she slowly began to walk. Not too close, yet not so far that he left her field of vision. It was still skilled tailing, but while maintaining an appropriate distance she activated her class skill.
Psychokinesis • Transparency
“Miss, this is…?”
“Right now we should appear completely transparent, so don’t make any large movements. If he looks like he’s about to perform a reading, we’ll immediately change direction. Understood?”
“Yes, understood.”
The Special Class Psychic. The class skill literally manifested supernatural abilities: psychokinesis, clairvoyance, transparency, teleportation, and clairaudience. Being able to use five abilities with a single class skill gave her an overwhelming advantage over other classes. Of course there were corresponding side effects, but at least for now she didn’t need to worry about them.
“…! He’s entering an alley.”
“Keep following.”
“But miss, the path is narrow and few people use it. If we’re discovered, we’ll have no plausible excuse.”
“We’ll deal with that when it happens.”
Lane’s actions seemed somewhat reckless and impatient, lacking any proper plan. The attendant was briefly bewildered by this unusual behavior, but soon realized the reason.
‘She sees him as a means to oppose Liu Yen…’
To the girl named Lane Arthur, Liu Yen was a lifelong rival, a sworn enemy, and the person her beloved older brother desperately clung to. To Lane, who already disliked Liu, the fortune teller who could fluster her was something she absolutely had to obtain. That explained why she would follow him even into a narrow alley where the repercussions of being caught would be severe—unlike on the open main road where excuses were still possible. Especially now, when Liu Yen seemed to be frantically investigating him in an attempt to claim him for herself.
Just as the secretary attendant was about to follow his lady into the alley, still lost in thought for a brief moment—
“…Huh?”
Both the lady he served and the fortune teller who had been walking ahead had vanished without a trace.
“…Now, shall we have a little talk?”
“Eh? W-what is this?”
Before she knew it, Lane Arthur had been transported from the alley into some unknown dark space. Her eyes widened in shock. Strange darkness that felt like it was covered by blackout curtains, candle stands that faintly illuminated that darkness, and a single fortune teller sitting at the table in front of her.
After confirming that the attendant who had been following her was also gone, she realized that the man she had been chasing—Namgung Min—was standing right before her.
“You were that bitch’s pawn!?”
She immediately concluded that she had been played by Liu Yen and spat out extreme rage. From her perspective, it was perfectly justified fury. In her mind, a whole scenario played out: Namgung Min and Liu had conspired in front of her to make her need him, deliberately lured her into approaching him, and then trapped her.
“Ha! Actually, that’s perfect. If I twist that smug face of his and throw him back at her, she’ll at least show some reaction…!”
Without even trying to control the anger that had shot to the top of her head, Lane felt a thrill at the thought of tormenting the fortune teller who served as Liu’s pawn. She activated her Psychic class skill. Using psychokinesis, she lifted the nearby candle stands and aimed their sharp points at him. Droplets of wax fell from the candles with a hiss, staining the floor.
“Don’t worry, I’ll only knock you unconscious for a litt───”
Snap.
“Enough.”
“──Huh?”
The moment the fortune teller seated at the table snapped his fingers, the candle stands floating in the air returned to their original positions just before they could pierce him. As if another psychokinetic force had intervened, they ignored Lane’s power completely. With a simple hand gesture he had neutralized the ability she took such pride in. Namgung Min stared at her.
“Sit.”
“…………”
Unlike the polite speech he had used before, this was casual—almost crushing. The tyrannical, strong-against-the-weak, short-tempered, high-handed Lane Arthur, who brimmed with pride in her family, who had tried to stab him with candles just moments ago, who had looked down on him so much that she hadn’t even remembered his name at first—
“…Yes.”
“Quickly.”
“Y-yes!”
In an instant her attitude flipped one hundred and eighty degrees. She sat down across from Namgung Min with both hands politely clasped, cold sweat running down her face, eyes lowered, body trembling. Watching her, Namgung Min twisted his lips.
‘Why did it turn out like this…’
It was a self-mocking smile.