Chapter 24: 24

Chapter 24

Lady Fortune was an ‘honorary noble,’ a person who was granted various privileges by the world government.

Although nobles naturally weren’t above the law like those found in medieval RPG games, given their status, it could be said that it was the same as standing above ordinary citizens.

The decisive reason for my rise to the ‘black’ grade and in becoming a wanted person worldwide in the first round was for the hunting of such nobles.

They were like monsters bound together when it came to aggro, so if you touch just one, more would follow one after another and attack the player.

Because of this, even violent villains don’t normally commit crimes against nobles.

And…now I belong to this class of privileged people.

“Here, take it.”

Lady Fortune handed me freshly prepared documents.

When I looked inside, there was a family register certificate, and an ID card confirming my identity as a noble.

“With this, you and I are now family. What do you think?”

“Sounds good.”

As the son of an illegal immigrant, I can’t believe I had shot up the pyramid and obtained the ‘invincible’ status. This rise could be said to be the first in human history.

Unless I wanted to break out of the social system like in the last round, the higher my status was, the better.

At that moment, a message window popped up in front of me.

[Gained achievement title ‘Honorary Noble.’]

Tendency: None

Description: Congratulations. You’ve succeeded in life.

This was also recognized as an achievement?

Come to think of it, there was an achievement for killing noble families, so the opposite was probable.

Then do I become Lady Noah now? Or Fortune Noah?

Either way, it sounds strange. Originally, I didn’t like my last name that much, but I think it would be much better than Lady Noah.

I reviewed the family register certificate again.

– Choi Bokhee’s son, Choi Noah.

“Choi Bokhee?”

Lady Fortune’s real name is Choi Bokhee?

Looking at her face, she blushed and spoke.

“T-that’s…a fake name. God gave me the name Lady Fortune. Don’t get confused!”

Anyway, that’s what she says.

With her emphasizing her name over and over again, we headed to Choi Bokhee’s house.

A quiet forest about an hour away from Pyongyang. Arriving here, she spoke.

“This is where you’ll live from now on.”

“…Here?”

Where she pointed, there was a small, old cabin that was on the verge of collapsing.

Was the status of a noble so insignificant? Should I have chosen the grandpa from earlier instead?

Seeing me like that, she giggled and spoke.

“Just wait and see.”

She took out an old key and opened the door of the cabin.

Then beyond that, I could see the appearance of an old dreary castle. She puffed out her chest and proudly spoke.

“Welcome to my castle. Son.”

“…”

It was a huge and elaborate camouflage barrier where no trace of mana could be felt.

I followed her over the threshold of the cabin. Now that I’m inside, I could see that it was a structure with a clear view of the outside.

It certainly seemed to be the case that you begin to show aspects of transcendence beyond human understanding starting from A-class. I wouldn’t feel it very much in the past, but now that my body was nerfed, the difference was clearly felt.

While I was looking at the barrier, something from the castle began to walk out with the sound of grating metal.

Rattle–Rattle–

It was a knight wearing full plate armor that covered the whole body. The movements were awkward as if it was wearing clothes that didn’t fit.

Handing over her broom, she asked the knight.

“Was everything fine while I was gone?”

The knight nodded instead of answering. Somehow, the sight of it not even answering the master’s question seemed very suspicious.

Like so, we entered the castle under the escort of the knight. And unlike how it looked, the interior had a very modern and clean appearance.

Choi Bokhee looked at me and spoke in a dignified tone.

“Don’t feel awkward and relax like it’s your own home. If you’re bored, you can look around the castle. I’m tired and need to rest a bit, so let’s talk about the details at dinner.”

“Okay.”

“Right, the room you’ll stay in is…No, you can follow that knight.”

After saying that, she wandered away somewhere. And then I followed the knight who silently beckoned me to follow it and we headed to a room.

It was a neatly decorated room. I felt as if I had entered a luxurious hotel room.

Inside the room, there was a separate toilet and bathroom, and next to it is a portrait of someone who looks somewhat unpleasant.

For the first time in my life I had my very own room. It didn’t feel as bad as I thought.

With this as my foothold, I’ll start my career as a hero here and gradually expand the scope in the future.

Anyway, I gained a spatial movement skill this time, so the distance limitation wasn’t a big problem.

Come to think of it, can I use that skill here?

Recalling the barrier I saw a moment ago, I opened my status window.

*Guangcheng District

*Neo Pyongyang (House of Flowers)

*Neo Pyongyang (Elf Garden)

*Neo Pyongyang (Lake Town)

*Neo Pyongyang Outskirts (Witch’s Castle) * New *

Fortunately, there seemed to be no problem using the skill.

Everything is going smoothly.

To become a hero, my plan was to take it step by step.

I’ve rapidly assembled my skills and items while carrying out various Challenges, and I was able to lay the foundation for my career as a hero after going through a nursery as planned.

Ah, come to think of it, my useless party member who’ll help me someday was training alone.

It would be nice if she could power up as soon as possible, but honestly, I’m not sure when it’ll be.

So I guess all that remains is to slowly level up and wait.

In a few months I’ll be 13 years old, the age at which I can obtain a hero license.

From there, I’ll officially be able to hunt down villains and play as much as I want.

That would also mark the end of the tutorial.

My body was already starting to itch at the thought of the contents I’ll be able to do in the future.

Well anyway…There was an idea that has lingered in my head since I entered this place.

This castle map, there must be at least one hidden treasure, right?

My gamer sense was telling me. There must be something useful here somewhere.

“I don’t have anything to do before dinner. That’s perfect.”

I started searching the drawers in the room.

* * *

Lady Fortune, who had returned to her room, hurriedly grabbed her tarot cards.

Casting a spell, the cards rose in the air before three were pulled out.

[DEATH]

[DEVIL]

[FOOL]

The same cards she had seen a while ago. But this time, the arrangement was different.

It’s as if the [FOOL] card was blocking the gap between the other two cards.

Destiny has changed. As long as that card was in between, she herself will be able to avoid death.

‘It was definitely effective.’

She gave a sigh of relief.

From the moment she opened her eyes to the mysteries of the Astral World, she has never been wrong in her fortune telling.

And the fortune was saying, as long as she’s with the boy, there will be a path out.

Thinking so, she thought it was a cheap deal to hand over her property after death.

In any case, there was so much money that it was overflowing and she had no family to inherit it.

‘The problem was easily solved.’

Anyway, it felt very strange. Has there ever been anything other than dolls in her castle?

And not only that, even though it was someone like her, why did the boy readily accept her proposal?

Although it was clearly stated in the mana contract, wasn’t it still a new family?

The boy was too calm.

She felt it at the terrorist scene a while ago, but he had a different aspect from other children.

A computer-like principle that doesn’t value trivial emotions and just thinks about what is most beneficial.

It was similar to playing chess against an AI.

Does it mean that he had experienced a lot of things since a young age?

‘Well, thanks to him, I got rid of a troublesome thing, but…’

Nevertheless, she thought the boy was the self-interest type of person, so she didn’t think he’d cause any problems during this time.

If he had really whined like a child or expected a parent’s love from her, she might have had a headache.

She didn’t have the talent to take care of someone.

‘I thought I would die while living alone for the rest of my life, but I suddenly became a mother…’

Even so, it was this kind of arrangement for the next 10 years. Since awakening as a witch, time hasn’t meant much.

She’ll be able to go back to her comfortable past life once she endures this short period.

And she was confident that she would be able to stay in complete control of at least one such child. She had already prepared to control the child to some extent.

‘Should I take a look at what he’s doing right now?’

She breathed mana into a crystal ball. Then, through the eyes of the portrait hanging in a room, the child’s appearance began to appear.

‘Hmm? What is he doing?’

Unlike how she had thought that the boy would just sit still, he was eagerly looking around the room.

He searched through the drawers, opened the door of the closet, and even looked into the space under the bed.

Was he excited because it’s his first time having his own room?

‘There was an unexpectedly cute side to the child.’

And soon the boy left the room. Where was he going? He probably doesn’t even know the structure of this place yet.

He was snooping around the interior of the castle. He checked the closed doors and looked into the empty rooms.

‘Is he playing an exploration game?’

For a while, she watched the actions of the boy.

He gradually headed to the lower floors.

Then, eventually, he entered a warehouse where she collected things that she didn’t use often. There were empty oak barrels left side by side from making wine.

‘There’s not much to see there.’

The moment she thought about whether she should go down and guide him,

He suddenly took out a sword from somewhere.

Wuung–

Along with an eerie cry, he swung his sword recklessly at the oak barrels.

‘?!’

And then the boy who broke all the oak barrels in the room muttered to himself.

– Strange. Usually, it’s hidden in places like this.

Then he went out of the room and checked another empty room.

‘W-what the hell is he doing?’

At the sudden eccentric actions of the boy, she couldn’t help but stare blankly at the crystal ball. As such, he gradually headed down.

And finally, he arrived at the entrance to the basement. He pulled the door.

Clank– Clank–

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‘Oh my god!’

At that moment, she felt her heart jolt as it pounded. But luckily, whether it was because of her prayers or because she had locked it well, it didn’t open.

– Hmm? Is it a place where I need a key?

Looking at the boy’s reflection in the crystal ball, she breathed a sigh of relief.

But right then.

Crunch–

The boy cut down the locked door. Then the neatly cut lock split and dropped on the floor.

– As expected, this place is suspicious.

“Ah, no!”

The boy puts his hand on the doorknob. The moment she saw it, she immediately teleported to the entrance of the basement.

Then, looking at the boy who looked puzzled at her sudden appearance, she spoke.

“E-even if you can go everywhere else, you should never go in here.”

“Why?”

“…Here, this is a cursed place! That’s why I sealed it myself, so don’t even look around here again!”

“Hmm…I see. All right.”

The boy nodded calmly, and then wandered up the stairs again.

She stood blocking the entrance for a long time until she couldn’t see his back.

Her back was already wet from his sudden actions.

And for the first time in her life, she doubted her fortune.

‘Is it really going to be okay living with him?’

Her fortune couldn’t have been wrong.

No…Now she simply wanted to believe it.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the same time. The Hero Association’s Pyongyang branch.

In a spacious conference room, the voice of a young female anchor echoed.

— I’m at the scene of the shocking hotel terrorist attack in Lake Town. Dozens of ambulances and hero teams are on standby around the hotel, and the search for survivors is still ongoing.

— While the death toll in the hotel incident is estimated to be xxx, there’s strong criticism against the Hero Association in this regard.

— Moreover, as it was revealed that on-site reports related to the terrorist attacks were received in advance, the Hero Association’s complacent response is emerging again.

— Meanwhile, there are testimonies that among the rescued survivors, the one who solved the terrorist incident was an elementary school student, not a hero dispatched. Let’s take a look at the interviews.

[Heuk…If it weren’t for that kid…My family wouldn’t have survived. That child is a savior to our family. A savior!]

[When the citizens are in danger, where did all of our money go~ It’s all lip service! Something needs to change for us tax-paying citizens!]

[The privileged rich! The privileged rich! If you’re a noble, you can take away someone else’s new family…Heuk!]

— With the testimonies from these survivors known, the Hero Association’s incompetence is spreading rapidly in the Internet community.

— If they neglect citizens who are in danger, who does the Hero Association exist for? This has been MPA News, Cho Ara.

The screen turned off. There was only heavy silence in the conference room.

Suffocating silence.

In that atmosphere, the branch manager in charge of the meeting spoke.

“What are we going to do now?”

When asked, the other attending people quietly turned their heads. Then the branch manager banged the table and shouted.

“Cat got your tongue? I’m asking who’ll be responsible for this situation! Where were you, chief of counterterrorism!?”

“I-it wasn’t my fault. The case was updated as soon as I was told it was a terrorist attack. And speaking on that, the strategy to delay judgment is the issue.”

“What? Are you done talking? Who is to blame for our performance last time when we were dispatched too early? Our members can’t even eat properly in restaurants because they can’t show their faces! Do you know that?”

“Let me finish~ It’s just a figure of speech. When did I say the strategy was the sole problem? Not all of us are responsible. The security department and the information department, which didn’t find out the signs of the incident in the first place, are at fault.”

“Why are you pulling us into your bullshit?!”

The protectors respected by its citizens rambled and cursed indiscriminately.

If someone were to post a video of this video on the internet, the public opinion of them would plunge into the abyss immediately.

At that time, someone spoke.

“Everyone, can I have your attention for a second?”

A clear and pure voice that calmed the cloudy mind.

Everyone’s eyes gathered in one place. Standing there was a woman dressed in something resembling a nun’s uniform.

Saintess Samaria. A personnel dispatched directly from the headquarters of the Hero Association, and a rare A-class hero in Pyongyang.

At her words, the people in the hall let go of each other’s collars and sat back down.

After confirming that everyone was seated, she moved in front of the screen and spoke.

“There’s a video I want to show you.”

She played the video on the screen.

Then, the scenery inside the hotel was reflected. It was a CCTV recording of the terrorist incident.

At a lobby where the bodies of the victims are scattered, masked terrorists can be seen running across.

But somehow their behaviors were suspicious.

As if being chased by something, they constantly glanced behind them as they gasped for breath.

“Saintess, what is this?”

At the incomprehensible video, the branch manager asked curiously. The Saintess replied with a bright smile.

“Watch it until the end.”

And in a little bit. Another person appeared in the video.

A naked child covered in blood. The child was chasing the terrorists with a sword in one hand.

“T-that boy!”

His running speed was faster than the terrorists. The distance between them gradually narrowed. And,

– Kueaak!

– P-please spare me. It was my fault.

He brutally cut down the terrorists. Without any hesitation as if slaughtering meat.

And he was smiling brightly. As soon as they saw his expression, those in the hall felt goosebumps all over their bodies.

The video continued. The contents of the video that followed were brutal and unilateral massacre that even those who went through all sorts of hardships couldn’t help but frown.

And the video ended with the death of the terrorists who had surrendered as a group.

Silence came again.

Soon, however, as if he had realized something, the branch manager spoke with a smile on his face.

“I see. Now I understand the meaning of Saintess. So, you want us to reveal the boy’s actions to the media?”

Then others in the hall shouted one after another.

“Really?! Isn’t that a violation of the law?”

“No. If we have to consider it, isn’t it a bigger problem that the general public, not even a hero, had intervened in the case in the first place?”

“Haha…That’s right. If we distribute the video to the media now, public opinion will be completely reversed.”

From then on, the conference hall began to passionately discuss what punishment to impose on the boy.

While doing so, some even suggested to blame the barbarian investigator who was at the scene.

As if they had forgotten everything about grabbing each other’s collars a moment ago, they were united in a more friendly atmosphere than ever.

The Saintess, who was watching, spoke.

“Everyone, that’s not it. You’re missing the point.”

“Hmm? What do you mean? Isn’t this the best way right now?”

“No. That’s the worst plan. That’s not why I showed you the video.”

“Then do you have a better idea? I think it’s better to proceed like this and not admit fault.”

The branch manager looked at her stubbornly. Seeing his expression, she sighed briefly and spoke.

“Do you know who that boy’s guardian is?”

“How would I know that?”

“A while ago, that child entered the registrar as the adopted son of the A-class hero, Kid Witch.”

“Kid Witch…you mean Lady Fortune? W-why would she…”

“It’s none of our business. The important thing is that the child is now a noble. Do you get it now?”

Then, the conference hall seemed to have become speechless as a group, and their mouths opened and nothing came out.

It was like night and day when they compared themselves to ordinary citizens, but even for them it was hard to provoke nobles.

They were giants that dominated the order of Earth and an absolute powerhouse in this world.

To come together and attack such a privileged class, it was the same as a mantis standing in front of a carriage.

In other words, they had to do their job well and not dump their problems on the landlord.

“W-what should we do now?”

The branch manager desperately asked the Saintess as if he was looking at his last hope.

Then she gave a meaningful smile.

“The boy is 12 years old this year.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“In the next few months, he’ll be 13 years old. Can’t that boy get an official hero license?”

“You mean…”

“On the day he becomes a hero, wouldn’t all the problems be solved if he belonged to the Hero Association?”

Everyone who was listening carefully clapped their hands and exclaimed.

“T-that’s right! That’s the best option! As expected of the Saintess, your wisdom is second to none.”

Their credibility will immediately recover if the boy gets a hero license and becomes a member of the Hero association.

In addition, nothing could be better for them if a hero from a noble family belonged to the Hero association.

It was simply killing two birds with one stone.

Then suddenly, the branch manager anxiously asked.

“W-what should we do if the boy doesn’t want to join the Hero Association? Wait. He doesn’t have to become a hero in the first place since he’s now a noble. For Kid Witch and others it’s more of a hobby…”

“Don’t worry about that. He definitely seems to have great talent, but…I’m confident that I can handle a rookie who runs wild with that kind of power.”

The Saintess smiled sadistically. And when he saw the smile, the branch manager smiled and nodded.

“Well, I’m very aware of your skills. I shouldn’t have worried about this. I have a peace of mind now knowing the Saintess is coming forward herself.”

“So, now it’s better to take advantage of the opportunity and spread the boy’s heroic tale.”

“I think that would be good. If the flower grows well…All we have to do is move it to our Pyongyang branch someday and plant it. Huhu…”

“Hoho, I’m looking forward to a few months later.”

They looked at each other and laughed.

* * *

Late at night. I opened my eyes in the dark.

It should be now.

I slowly got out of bed and my feet touched the cold floor.

It was quiet everywhere.

Like I thought, there’s something underground.

I was convinced when I heard Choi Bokhee earlier. There must be something useful hidden in this castle.

Originally, even when playing games, the more NPCs didn’t allow a player to enter something, the more the player needed to enter it.

“Wait a minute, before that.”

I stared at the portrait hanging next to the bathroom. Strangely, the gaze of this painting has been unpleasant since earlier.

Shiik-

The area around the eyes was cleanly cut. Then it turned into something like a mosaic of a criminal shown on TV.

Hmm, this is much better.

I left the room with a refreshed mind. And…

The skill from the newly obtained bracelet was activated.

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My body melted into the landscape and the surrounding noise disappeared.

The feeling of hiding was simply the best.

I covertly headed to the basement.

== Translator’s Note ==

1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc…in the comment section.

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