Chapter 106

Chapter 106

Investing Through the Status Window.

Episode 106: A Master’s Grace (2).

“Miss Yupi!”

A radiant beauty warmly greeted the person entering the room. With a cigarette in her mouth, she was carrying a young lady on her back, who was sound asleep.

“Oh my… could this be a hidden child between you and Sir Magnus?!”

“There you go again with your nonsense.”

“Hehe.”

“Can I lay her down for a moment?”

“Of course.”

As soon as the young lady, whose flower bud had just begun to bloom, was laid on the bed, she stretched out her arms and legs and fell into a deep sleep. As if this were her own bedroom. Seeing her young disciple’s carefree attitude, the Master couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

The beauty, Prophetess Aloa, initially smiled at the young lady, but her smile gradually faded… It didn’t take long to realize that this child was not an ordinary person.

“Who is she?”

Yupi, who had started smoking another cigarette, took a deep breath and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke as she answered.

“I don’t know. I picked her up a long time ago.”

“Stop joking, seriously.”

“I’m serious.”

“…She’s a bit unusual, isn’t she?”

“That’s why I brought her to you to take a look… What do you think?”

Aloa stood up from the chair and approached the bed, then perched on the edge and gently stroked Ordnung’s head with her hand. Intense eye movements could be felt beneath the Prophetess’s closed eyelids. Occasionally, she would furrow her brows and let out a soft groan, “Hmm.”

…Quite a long time passed. After struggling for a while, she opened her eyes, already drenched in sweat.

“…It seems like she’ll have a rough life. There are quite a few ups and downs in her life.”

“Meeting me is already hell for her.”

Master Yupi made such a joke and smiled faintly.

“So… how is it?”

“Raise her well. She’ll become someone important later… And she has the face of someone who will be rich. You like money, don’t you? You’ve hit the jackpot.”

“I don’t deal with people.”

“Who said anything about dealing with people? Just reap some benefits from your disciple.”

Hmph. The great Yupi would never live off a disciple!

“Stop beating around the bush and explain in detail.”

“Take her to the Holy Land and raise her. Calm her temperament. If she gets involved with the wrong person, it’ll be a disaster. Trust in the Holy Spirit and clear her mind.”

“…Am I her nanny? Do I have to manage everything?”

When Yupi said that, Aloa lightly tapped the standing person’s leg with her palm.

“Hey, don’t interrupt when I’m talking. It’s distracting.”

“Alright, alright. Keep talking.”

“…She’ll get entangled with many noble people. She has a lot of luck with people. When corpses start to rise on their own, her first journey will begin. West. Go west. But when the work is done, she will return immediately. She will feel her shortcomings and receive much teaching from you again. And when the great war begins, she will finally be complete… Then she will leave you. But don’t be too sad. It’s an inevitable fate.”

And the prophecy ended.

“…I see.”

Aloa’s prophecies had never been wrong before… But Yupi didn’t fully believe in those prophecies. Fate, after all, was undoubtedly fickle.

“…Still, there’s no law that says it must happen, right?”

“Hah, come on. Don’t you know me? I’m Aloa, Aloa! The greatest prophet on the continent!”

“A fortune teller is a fortune teller, after all.”

“This Big Sis, seriously. Comparing me to some fortune teller is soooooo displeasing, you know?”

“Alright, alright. It was just a joke, a joke.”

“…Of course, minor branches can change. I don’t necessarily mention those. But the main trunk never changes. What I said is an unchanging truth—TRUTH!”

The beautiful Prophetess declared confidently.

“So, what you’re saying is… raise this child in the Holy Kingdom?”

“Yes, for her future.”

Aloa looked at the lady lovingly with a warm smile.

“…In the future, she will become the respected Blind Saintess.”

I’m screwed…!

That was the very first thought that came to mind as soon as the Blind Saintess saw her master casually smoking a cigarette.

Honestly, she had completely forgotten about her master’s existence all this time. Naturally, she hadn’t expected her master to come here at all.

“It’s been a while, my disciple.”

“…Have you been well, Master…?!”

“What kind of strange words are you using, you fool?”

“This unworthy disciple has traveled around the vast continent and learned a lot. All thanks to you, Master!”

The Pinkette Saintess flattered, thinking she needed to survive first.

“Such a girl, huh? Catching those corpse-selling bastards and not showing your face? You said you’d earn a lot of money, didn’t you, you wench?”

“That is…!”

Hearing the truth, Ordnung had nothing to say. Whether looking forward or backward, it was undeniably her fault. However, just as spilled water couldn’t be gathered again, the deed already done could not be undone.

Still, Ordnung, who was desperately searching for an excuse, forced herself to speak.

“Th-that’s because… I haven’t made… enough money yet…!”

Yes, that’s it.

The cunning Pinkette Saintess found her way out. Her greedy master liked money, so if she could squeeze through this gap, there might be a chance.

“I, your unworthy disciple, couldn’t possibly return empty-handed when thinking of you in the Holy Kingdom. I was driven by the thought of making lots of money to pamper you, Master…!”

Her master puffed out smoke, looking at her pathetic disciple as if to say, “Go on, keep spouting nonsense.”

The Blind Saintess kept making excuses, but her master didn’t hear a word she said… She just couldn’t understand why the prophecy had strayed.

Why did it turn out like this…?

According to the words of that overly confident fortune-teller, Ordnung was supposed to come back without fail. Didn’t she speak as if it were the first step of a great journey? She was especially confident that the major flow would never change…!

However, the Prophetess’s boastful words missed the mark. The Disciple did not return to the Master, and it seemed she didn’t even intend to.

…Why? For what reason?

No matter how much the Disciple liked money, she wouldn’t have made such a decision for a trivial amount.

What could have made her disciple like this? She wondered as she traced back, and in the end, it led to someone named Group Leader Allen. Although his face was very handsome, there was nothing particularly notable about him. It wasn’t like his combat skills were exceptionally outstanding, either… However, her disciple, Ordnung, seemed to have seen something in him. She said she saw a brilliant golden light that she couldn’t see in anyone else.

It seemed there was something about him that even she did not know. Something that deceived even the eyes of the greatest prophet on the continent.

While she was lost in these thoughts, the Blind Saintess kept rambling on for a long time. Her flustered demeanor seemed somewhat different from her shameless self of the past…

As she finished smoking one cigarette and rolled up another to light, something flashed through her mind.

…Could it be…?

Ordnung was, after all, fundamentally a woman. Naturally, she couldn’t help but develop feelings when she would see a handsome and talented man… Of course, it might be a misjudgment, but still, it couldn’t be ruled out.

“So, like…”

“Shh.”

The Master silenced the chattering disciple.

“Excuses like this are meaningless. I’ll talk to Group Leader Allen.”

After she smoked two more cigarettes, Group Leader Allen finally finished his work and returned.

“Ah, you’re here… Long time no see, Group Leader Allen.”

The Master exhaled a puff of smoke with a “puuuufff.”

“I came to find my ungrateful disciple who left her poor master behind…”

“When did you arrive…?”

“About four days ago. I imposed on you for a bit.”

“Impose? You’re our Ordnung’s master, so of course, we should treat you well! Haha.”

Our?

The word had a somewhat risqué feeling… and it seemed like there was some sort of connection between the two at the moment.

“Have you been well?”

“Not particularly. No one comes to visit this poor old master…”

“Oh, Master, I just explained everything a moment ago…!”

As the anxious disciple interrupted their conversation, the Master’s eyes turned sharp.

“Ordnung, adults are talking here! You go outside for a moment.”

The Pinkette Saintess shrank back and retreated. Seeing the door close with a thud, the Master exhaled a puff of smoke and calmly continued speaking.

“Before my disciple left, she promised me she would be back soon after finishing this task, but things turned out like this, didn’t they? But still, she isn’t the type to make empty promises.”

The Group Leader stared intently at the Blind Saintess’s master. Somehow, there was something familiar about that gaze.

After a long silence, Allen cautiously began to speak.

“We have exchanged many words. In the end, Ordnung has agreed to join me, and this is the result.”

“What was the discussion about?”

“That I cannot disclose.”

“I am her master.”

“I’m sorry, but I cannot speak of it. That is the principle.”

Outwardly, Allen responded calmly, but inwardly, he was very tense.

Ordnung’s departure undoubtedly twisted the scenario. Allen could not predict what kind of aftermath it would bring. In fact, although he had played [Guild Master] countless times, this situation was a first for him.

Still, in this game, where even named characters could suddenly drop dead, keeping Ordnung around a bit longer wouldn’t cause any dramatic changes. The game would keep going even when more significant figures died.

…Could it be that she’ll try to take her by force…?

Although they’d already made a contract, and, by principle, it was almost impossible to take her away, he couldn’t help but worry. Honestly, if she insisted on taking her by force, he wouldn’t be able to stop her… How could he stop someone stronger than a Top 10 group leader?

The Master puffed out smoke from her cigarette and looked at Allen for a long time before finally speaking.

“Then at least tell me this… Why did you specifically choose my disciple?”

“Because, of course, she is an indispensable core talent for my mercenary group.”

“If that was the only reason, Ordnung wouldn’t have stayed here. She’s not someone with such a strong sense of duty.”

Allen couldn’t possibly say, ‘Actually, your disciple was completely swayed by 40 gold coins♥’. If he did, the aftermath would be obvious.

Still, as her master knew well, it wasn’t possible to fabricate a reason out of a nonexistent sense of duty.

At that moment, she, who was watching the troubled Group Leader Allen, broke the silence and spoke.

“…Is there perhaps a reason that’s hard to talk about?”

“Uh…!”

The Group Leader flinched. It felt like a direct hit. The Master surely knew about Ordnung’s pathological obsession with money. Seeing that she guessed the reason from the status window, she seemed to have roughly figured out the situation.

As he resigned himself, thinking he had no choice but to reveal it…

“You’re… in love with Ordnung.”

“…What?”

Allen was slightly taken aback by the unexpected remark. And it seemed to give her even more confidence, as a peculiar smile played on her lips.

At the same time, the Group Leader’s head was spinning rapidly.

“Yes…!”

….That should be better than 40 gold coins.