The Fortune Teller Behind the Election

The character event in the otome game Romance Academy was the core event and, in truth, the actual end content. Since it essentially wrapped up the story arc of a single character, it was also the event where every dangling thread and question found its resolution. Naturally, having cleared this cursed game twenty-five times, I remembered the character events with perfect clarity even if I had forgotten the smaller details. Namgung Ji-soo had poured money into exclusive illustrations and the like to make an impact, so it was only natural they stuck in my memory.

But this is different from the event I know.

Kim Eun-ha's character event. The event titled The Stigma of Patricide was nothing like the one I remembered. Originally, it had been a straightforward, by-the-book affair where you gently soothed and persuaded Kim Eun-ha—who suppressed her Murderous Intent by executing death-row inmates—until she overcame it entirely. Now, the element of patricide had been suddenly grafted onto it. The realization sent a cold sweat trickling down my back.

I really was walking a tightrope, wasn't I?

What if, during our conversation in the entrance ceremony maze, I had accidentally revealed even a fragment of the "secret" I wasn't supposed to know? What if the imperial Mediator had already arrived to enforce secrecy? What if I had spoken the wrong secret in front of the Mediator? And what if that fact had reached the princess's ears? I might have been "mysteriously" dealt with long ago. No matter how famous I became within the academy or how much influence I tried to amass, the Unified Korean Empire's imperial family could make the impossible happen if they committed their full power.

……Have the other character events changed as well?

Thinking back, Liu Yen had already shown a different personality from the game, and Aileen Teddybear—who shouldn't even have been a student—had appeared. Romance Academy the game and this reality were clearly diverging. If things continued this way, even feeding game knowledge under the guise of fortune-telling would become impossible.

In the end, the problem converged on the same conclusion.

The answer……is the job quest.

I could be certain now. This game that had become reality was telling me to act as a "real ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fortune teller." Not through fraud, deception, or trickery. True divination.

……….

Before the image of that cultist bastard or my parents who had taken their own lives could surface, a small fear took root inside me. Tell fortunes? Sure, if it meant I could eventually return, I could play along as much as needed. But what if, one by one, I kept allowing it until I eventually became just like that cultist? What if I became someone who deceived others, caused them pain, and only fattened my own pockets? While I was lost in that fear, the crown prince across from me spoke.

"……Namgung Min?"

"Ah, Your Highness. My apologies. I was lost in thought for a moment……"

"It's fine. The fact that you're thinking so deeply after hearing about Eun-ha makes it clear you're concerned for her. It's good to see."

"…………."

"Eun-ha has many enemies. Mother was……loved by the imperial palace to that extent."

"I see."

"Fortunately, we've managed to stop the rumors from spreading through the Mediator, but that's all. Almost no one takes Eun-ha's side, and she knows that better than anyone. She's a clever child."

Clink. The crown prince set down his cup. Uncrossing his legs, he looked at me with an endlessly serious gaze.

"Become Eun-ha's ally."

"………."

"I've already seen enough of your abilities. If someone like you—a fortune teller—stays by Eun-ha's side, you'll surely be a great help."

"……You flatter me."

"Flattery? Hardly. If you promise to serve Eun-ha……I can guarantee you backing from the imperial family."

……Was this a recruitment offer? A proposal to work under Princess Kim Eun-ha? If the next emperor himself provided support, success would be guaranteed. But that wasn't the ending I wanted.

"I don't need backing or to serve anyone."

"What……?"

"I simply want to help because I want to help. Because the princess and I are……friends."

Friends. What an embarrassing word. I had never made a single friend in reality, and calling someone I'd only known for a little over a month a friend felt ridiculous. Still, what could I do? I considered Liu Yen, Lucas, Lane, Crown Prince Kim Seong-il, Princess Kim Eun-ha, and Abel Legion all my friends. Ah, the saintess brat could stay on hold for now.

Was that too cringeworthy?

Embarrassed for no reason, I fiddled with my teacup. Kim Seong-il, who had worn a blank expression for a moment, soon curved his lips upward as if that was enough.

"I understand. By the way, you said you're helping Student Council President Lily?"

"Yes. That's why I came to ask about her competitor, Senior Kim Hae-neul."

"Lily……Lily White-Rose………."

"………?"

"Ah, never mind. It's nothing."

"……It was a pleasant time, Your Highness."

"Likewise."

After a light bow, I rose from my seat. Setting aside my anxiety about the character event, the reality that demanded real fortune-telling, and all my fears for the moment, I focused on one thing.

First, the election.

Make Lily White-Rose the student council president. Worries about the future could wait until after I dealt with the present.

*

To cut straight to the conclusion, this student council had no future.

"Hahaha! Behold the knight's strike!!"

"Oh my! As expected of the president—the Knight of Knights! The one true knight remaining in the modern era!"

"That appearance, like a single blooming flower, is also the very symbol of knighthood, don't you think?"

"As expected of the retainers I personally selected! Your eyes are truly discerning!"

Damn it. Swallowing the curse that had risen after so long, I looked at Samuel, who seemed to be cursing right back.

"Thank you, junior……Normally, just reading a fortune would be enough, but you've gone this far to help."

"The consultation fee I received was far too large for that. Please consider it a favor on my part."

"Junior……"

Samuel Lipson looked genuinely moved. Having suffered among those idiots for so long, he seemed touched by even the smallest kindness. Since he was essentially handling all the student council's practical work alone, building rapport with him wouldn't hurt.

"The election is in six days, correct? Are first-years allowed to participate as well?"

"Of course. Though it's not like there's an official notice posted……Only the juniors who know about it will vote, I suppose?"

Was that really okay for a student council president election? No matter how much of a popularity contest it was, was this right?

"Then the first-years are effectively excluded, and only the upperclassmen will vote."

"We have to exclude the fourth-years. They're all off on a group MT right now……Essentially, the second- and third-years are the main voters."

"Ah, now that you mention it, wasn't it noisy a while ago?"

"Hm? What was?"

"Two weeks ago, we first-years had our survival exam. The entire city was in an uproar back then……"

"Aaah, that?"

Samuel continued while tidying documents as if it were nothing.

"You'll get used to it soon enough."

"Pardon?"

"Even if the academy seems lax, they manage exam schedules strictly. There will be plenty of days when it's noisy outside on your days off. Right now they're being considerate of the new students by not scheduling upperclassmen exams, but you'll have a large-scale exam soon, won't you?"

"Yes. According to the schedule, there's an exam at the Great Lake."

"After that, the academy will get much noisier. You should buy soundproofing walls in advance."

So these survival exams happened regularly. Now I understood why the floating city had so many underground facilities in the setting.

"Well then, back to the main topic……Senior Kim Hae-neul is the same year as President Lily, correct? A third-year?"

"That's right. Looking at third-year opinion, Lily actually has the advantage. She's managed without any major incidents so far. The problem is the second-years."

Flip. Samuel handed over documents covered in various graphs and rested his chin on his hand.

"As you can see from the documents, support for Senior Kim Hae-neul among the second-years is overwhelming."

"Why is that?"

"I mentioned Senior Kim Hae-neul is royalty, didn't I? There's another royal among the second-years, just like her, and that junior royal is the focal point of the second-year class."

"And they're close with Senior Kim Hae-neul?"

"Exactly."

Since the focal point of the second-years was close with the fellow royal Kim Hae-neul, second-year opinion naturally leaned that way. Since each year had roughly the same number of students, if most second-year votes went to Kim Hae-neul……

"That's dangerous."

"It's game over, no question."

"Does President Lily have any points she can appeal on?"

"She does, in a way. Just looking at that crazy……I mean, the president, she's a beauty through and through. But Senior Kim Hae-neul is no slouch either, so that's the problem."

"What else?"

"At best, the fact that she's done well so far? But the student council has no presence and doesn't do anything, so it doesn't mean much."

"Hmm……"

The key was that second-year royal. Was it because the Unified Korean Empire was the main sponsor of Romance Academy? It felt like they planted influential figures like royals in every year. In that case, there weren't many options.

"In the end, it's one of two things."

"Right. Either win over that second-year royal junior……"

"Or I stir up the first-years."

"You're quick on the uptake. I was secretly hoping for that."

Of course. No matter how much the consultation fee was, 30 billion won was no joke. Even if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it wasn't outright helping with the election itself, it seemed they wanted me to cleverly stir first-year opinion toward Lily White-Rose.

"But it's not enough."

"……Tch, I figured."

"It's true that I have many connections in the first-year class, but mobilizing the entire first-year body is another matter. Even if I try to stir them up, without a clear reason to vote for Senior Lily, the votes might end up going ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to Senior Kim Hae-neul instead."

Stirring people up was an effective tool, but only when you could control the outcome. If there was a clear target like the entrance ceremony maze or the artifact reading, I could direct the momentum, but if there was no clear reason to choose Lily over Kim Hae-neul, there was no telling how things might spiral out of control. On top of that, even if I succeeded in stirring them, if that second-year royal noticed the shift and interfered, it would only get harder. So I needed another method.

"Hmm……Then I guess we'll have to approach that royal junior again."

"You've already met them, I see."

"Of course. I tried to win them over somehow, but they politely refused. Said they've been friends with Senior Kim Hae-neul since childhood, so it couldn't be helped."

Well, if they were both royals, they would have lived together in the imperial palace, so their bond would be deep. ……Fellow royals.

"Going back to someone who's already refused is discourteous, but we still have to do our best……"

"There is a way."

"What?"

"Wouldn't it be solved if Senior Kim Hae-neul simply withdrew her candidacy?"

"Well……that's true, but……"

Samuel looked at me as if to ask what I was talking about. The fact that she had run after two years of not participating meant she clearly had a reason for wanting to become student council president. Naturally, he would have spoken with her and known she wouldn't withdraw. That was why he had been driven to the point of bringing 30 billion won to a fortune teller. But wasn't I right? Forget voting or anything else—if the only candidate was Lily White-Rose, just like before, everything would be resolved.

"There is a way to make Senior Kim Hae-neul withdraw her candidacy."

"R-really!?"

"Yes. However……there is something I need."

"Of course! Money? Or something else? I'll prepare whatever it takes……!!"

"Senior Lily."

"Huh?"

"I need Senior Lily."

I had a hunch. There was what I'd heard during the first class, and the fortune she had come to have read last time, even if it was just an excuse……I had thought it couldn't possibly be true, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but after seeing her reaction while talking today, it seemed certain.

"What exactly is this method……?"

"Senior Samuel, for now, you must trust me completely."

"Hmm……"

It was funny that the person in question was off to the side playing knight with her two lackeys, but Samuel's decision would essentially be Lily's decision as well. After a moment of deliberation, he let out a sigh and raised his hand.

"Fine. Since you've even come to a fortune teller like you, I suppose I should trust you as much as the 30 billion won."

"An excellent choice, senior."

I clasped his hand. A handshake between senior and junior. A secret deal sealed by that gesture. Honestly, I still wasn't sure if this method was correct, but……

It's all or nothing.

There was no other way to make Kim Hae-neul withdraw, or rather, no other way to get Lily elected. The day after making that deal with Samuel—