READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 9 - The Enigmatic Fortune Teller (2)
Chapter 9
The Enigmatic Fortune Teller (2)
『 Translator – Divinity 』
This is quite reassuring.
The day after successfully negotiating with Liu Yan, having spent the night at a decent inn, I walked out onto the main street of the shopping district as if taking a stroll.
A smile naturally spread across my face as I touched the inner pocket of my still-thin suit, where no one would expect anything to be.
‘She did give me more.’
Currently in my inner pocket was a check with Liu Yan’s rough signature on it. Perhaps embarrassed about being caught trying to blatantly cheat me, the amount written on the check was 1.1 million yuan, not 1 million.
This thin piece of paper being worth roughly 200 million won, honestly, it made me a bit nervous.
I barely managed to attend university by scraping together student loans and national scholarships, and considering food expenses, living expenses, and the money I sent to my younger sister, I couldn’t even dream of saving despite working various part-time jobs.
With a whopping 200 million won in my hands, I felt like I had to hide it, and the burden of someone possibly targeting me weighed on me.
‘Calm… down.’
In the game, 200 million wasn’t that much money. Even in the early stages, if you diligently saved, you could quickly gather 200 million, and to establish a base outside the academy, 200 million, what am I saying, even 1 billion was easily spent.
But what I had in my hands now wasn’t some data fragment in the game inventory, but real money I could use to live.
I realized I was walking a bit hunched over, as if protecting the check, and a chuckle escaped me.
“I think I understand how Liu feels a little.”
Being suspicious of someone was truly tiring.
Doubting, confirming, and being wary of the true intentions of everyone approaching you was a perfect way to drive yourself crazy.
Even though she had the luck of the
‘So I need to change my mindset too.’
Considering my ultimate goal, this… measly 200 million wasn’t even money.
To reach the ending, I would go through countless amounts of money, more expensive artifacts, and rarer opportunities, so if I was swayed by a mere… 200 million, it would be a problem going forward!
Yes, let’s walk with confidence! I, Namgung Min, am not someone who gets excited or disappointed over this much money—
Thud.
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
“—Don’t come near me!”
“…Yes?”
“………Ah.”
Ah.
This is embarrassing.
***
Rain Arthur was the daughter of the oldest and most prestigious family in Europe, the Arthur family, and at the same time, a chosen one with the rare special job,
But she lacked the arrogance or self-confidence to believe in her own abilities.
The Arthur family’s upbringing was that strict, and more importantly, there was someone who was superior to Rain Arthur in every way.
Having grown up under the shadow of her brother and childhood friend, despite her blessed talent, she was always oppressed.
It was enough to make her warped, if not rebellious.
“Hey, take this quickly.”
“Ah, yes, miss!”
“What about the cosmetics I ordered last time?”
“I apologize, miss. The delivery is currently delayed…”
“If you knew that, you idiot, you should have gone yourself! I have a tea time with my brother tomorrow, and if you ruin it, will you take responsibility!?”
“I apologize. I’ll go right away!”
“If you’re late, you’re fired, so you know.”
She treated the Arthur family’s servants like slaves, always looking down on them from a position of power.
A villainess who knew and exploited her position well, never hesitating to harm others.
Rain Arthur was someone who was strong against the weak.
“What’s on the schedule today?”
“Yes, first, you’ll look around the bases chosen by the family and choose the one you want. After that, you have meetings with the daughters of various families in Europe, and in the evening, a dinner with the heads of the merchant guilds is prepared at the grand banquet hall in the academy’s shopping district.”
“I’m not feeling well today, so cancel all the schedules after that.”
“Yes, understood.”
Even with her outrageous behavior of canceling all her appointments for the day, which had been scheduled weeks in advance, simply because of her mood, her attendants followed her orders as if they were used to it.
Irresponsible behavior that could be called tyrannical, beyond just being a villainess.
The reason she could act so carelessly, even though it wasn’t just about appointments related to her, but also those involving the Arthur family’s prestige and influence…
“Instead, arrange meetings with academy students from Europe. Mainly from Germany or England. Exclude France since their royal family was hostile to our family last time.”
“Should I exclude all the French families?”
“Of course. They’re in the middle of a civil war with the revolutionaries, aren’t they? They’re fighting amongst themselves, so it would be a disaster if we got involved and they turned their attention towards us.”
“Understood.”
“And reschedule the meeting with the guild leaders. Who do those guys think they are to invite an Arthur to their headquarters? Are they trying to have a power struggle? Make sure the meeting is at our family’s mansion.”
“Yes.”
It was because, even considering her tyranny and various arbitrary actions, Rain was extremely competent.
Even if she was overshadowed by Lucas Arthur and Liu Yan, Rain Arthur was someone who could be called a genius by the standards of ordinary people.
That’s why she always asserted and acted on what she believed to be right. If she had just softened her words a bit in the process… her notoriety would have been much less.
But as mentioned earlier, she was someone who was strong against the weak, so she didn’t feel the need to do so.
“So, about the location of the base?”
“Yes. Two are prepared inside the academy, and three outside. First, for the bases outside…”
“…Wait a minute.”
“Miss?”
“Be quiet.”
Suddenly, her sharp gaze turned somewhere.
At her somewhat abrupt action, the attendants following her also turned their eyes.
“That’s…”
“You know who that is, right?”
“Of course.
“Besides that?”
“Yes?”
At the idiotic attendant’s answer, Rain’s face crumpled. It seemed she was getting annoyed because the attendant, who was considered relatively competent by her standards, was acting clueless.
“Is that all the information you have? Are you kidding me?”
“I-I apologize. But the Billionaire made the first move… Even if we try to do a background check, the interference from her side is too severe.”
“…That bitch? She’s protecting that fortune teller?”
“It’s closer to competition with us than protection. I received a report that the manpower the Billionaire has invested in investigating Namgung Min’s background is beyond imagination, making it difficult for us to intervene.”
“I’ll give you three days, so get more information somehow. And—”
Fortune Teller, Namgung Min.
Although she didn’t remember his name, she clearly remembered the fortune-telling that had flustered Liu Yan. It was refreshing to see that bitch, who always acted nonchalant, rarely flustered.
Rain’s eyes followed Namgung Min, who was walking down the street.
“The schedule has changed, I have to follow him.”
“Follow… him? You don’t have to do it yourself, miss. We’ll send someone right away.”
“And what if they get caught? He’s a
Rain had clearly seen Namgung Min answering all of Liu Yan’s questions.
To the questions about what was inside the box or the ring, he answered without a moment’s hesitation, and although Rain didn’t know if those were the correct answers, seeing Liu Yan’s drastic reaction, she was certain they were.
If he was that capable without any tools, what if he started using tools unique to fortune tellers, like tarot cards or the eight trigrams?
Honestly, the limits of his abilities were hard to grasp.
“Are other
“No. The
“Then it’s decided. Everyone except you, return to your positions. Only the two of us will follow Namgung Min.”
“If the rest of the personnel follow from a distance where they can’t be seen…”
“Are you deaf? What if we get caught through fortune-telling while following him like that, and that fortune teller develops a grudge against the Arthurs?”
“………….”
Although it wasn’t certain, the background of this fortune teller was currently unknown.
Considering that ‘that’ Liu Yan was desperately investigating him, there was no doubt about Namgung Min’s abilities, and with his comprehensive fortune-telling abilities, he was someone who needed to be brought over to our side.
If we were to become enemies, it would be better to eliminate him.
“If I’m the one who gets caught while following him, there’s room for excuses. We happened to be going the same way, I followed him to talk to him, and so on… And since he’s a man, he’s bound to be attracted to my appearance, so it would be easier to make excuses. So get lost, quickly.”
“…Understood.”
At Rain’s words, everyone except the attendant acting as her secretary scattered, and she, with serious eyes, slowly started walking.
Not getting too close, but not too far away to lose sight of him.
This alone showed her aptitude for tailing, but Rain used her job skill while maintaining an appropriate distance.
“Miss, this is…?”
“We’ll appear invisible now, so don’t make any big movements. If he shows any signs of trying to tell fortunes, we’ll immediately take a different route. Understand?”
“Yes, understood.”
Special job,
The
Telekinesis, clairvoyance, invisibility, teleportation, and farsightedness. She, who could use five abilities with one job skill, had an overwhelming advantage over other jobs.
Of course, there were corresponding side effects, but at least for now, there was no need to worry about them.
“…! He’s entering an alley.”
“Keep following him.”
“But miss, the alley is narrow and not many people pass through, so if we’re caught, there won’t be a good excuse.”
“We’ll deal with that when it happens.”
Rain’s actions seemed somewhat hasty, without a proper plan.
The attendant was momentarily flustered by her unusual behavior, but soon realized the reason.
‘Does she think this is a way to counter Miss Liu Yan…?’
For Rain Arthur, Liu Yan was a lifelong rival, a nemesis, and the object of her beloved brother’s affections.
To Rain, who personally disliked Liu Yan, Namgung Min, who could fluster Liu, must be a means she had to acquire.
That explained why she was willing to follow him even into a narrow alley, disregarding the consequences of being caught, unlike on the main street where minimal excuses were possible. Especially now, when Liu Yan seemed to be trying to win over Namgung Min by intensely investigating him.
Just as the attendant was about to enter the alley after her miss, lost in thought for a brief moment,
“…Huh?”
Both her miss and Namgung Min, who had been walking ahead, had vanished without a trace.
***
“…Now, shall we hear your story?”
“Huh? W-what?”
Rain Arthur, who had somehow been transported from the alley to an unknown dark space, widened her eyes in surprise.
A strange darkness as if covered by blackout curtains, candles barely illuminating the darkness, and a fortune teller sitting at the table in front of her.
Soon realizing that the attendant who had been following her was also gone, and that Namgung Min, whom she had been chasing, was standing in front of her,
“You were that bitch’s accomplice!?”
She concluded that she had been played by Liu Yan and erupted in extreme anger.
From her perspective, it was justifiable rage. A series of scenarios played out in her mind: Namgung Min and Liu colluding in front of her to make Rain need him, and then intentionally having her approach him to fall into a trap.
“Ha! Even better, if I disfigure that smug face and throw it to that bitch, she’ll at least react…!”
Without even trying to control her anger that had reached its peak, Rain, thrilled at the thought of tormenting the fortune teller who was Liu’s accomplice, activated her
She lifted the candlesticks around her with telekinesis and aimed their sharp points at him. The candle wax dripping from the tips sizzled and soaked the floor.
“Don’t worry, I’ll just knock you unconscious—”
Snap.
“Stop.”
“───Huh?”
As Namgung Min, sitting at the table, snapped his fingers, the candlesticks floating in the air, just before piercing him, returned to their original positions.
The candlesticks, ignoring Rain’s telekinesis as if another force was acting on them.
Namgung Min, who had neutralized her vaunted superpower with a simple gesture, glared at Rain.
“Sit.”
“………….”
Unlike his usual polite speech, he spoke informally, as if pushing Rain down.
Rain Arthur, who was tyrannical, strong against the weak, easily irritated, overbearing, overflowing with pride in her family, had just tried to stab him with candlesticks, and initially looked down on him to the point of not even remembering his name…
“…Yes.”
“Quickly.”
“Yes, yes!”
In an instant, she put on an obedient expression, politely clasped her hands together, and sat in front of Namgung Min.
Rain, whose attitude had completely changed in a flash, was sweating, her eyes downcast, and her body trembling.
Seeing this, Namgung Min twisted his lips.
‘How did it come to this…?’
It was a self-deprecating laugh.