97 – 20. Tragedy of group assignment
“Well…Anyway.”
Liu, who looked at Namgoong Min with a predatory gaze for a moment, soon changed the topic.
There was still quite a bit of time left before the ‘decoration cabinet’ was completed, and I didn’t want to arouse suspicion on this fortune teller with a good sense of humor in a strange place unnecessarily.
Liu rested his hand on his chin after reviewing the conversation skills that Namgoong Min had written down.
“I don’t know the culprit yet.”
“Hmm…….”
“There is testimony that the blonde as*shole, the fat as*shole, and the cell phone idiot all did strange things, but that’s it. There’s no mention of them entering the cockpit directly, and there’s no other evidence.”
“Then what should I do?”
“What should I do? What should I do? I’ll have to interrogate the remaining collateral royal family as well…”
…… Huh? For a moment.
This fortune teller, he talks a bit…… It’s strange.
Liu, who remembered the ‘art of conversation’, looked at Namgoong Min, who was still smiling, with suspicion.
“Hey, you.”
“Yes?”
“The culprit…Do you know?”
It was a very vague feeling. A kind of uncertain intuition.
This is an assumption that would not have occurred to me if I had not just heard and read Namgoong Min’s speech in person.
But.
“Hmm…”
“You fortune teller?”
“You are a quick learner. That’s right.”
…… Uh.
Really?
“Gee, it’s true?”
“Isn’t there a reason why you were suspicious?”
“Oh, no, that’s true! You know the culprit? Then you should have told me a long time ago!”
“hahahaha, I only found out after the conversation ended. Likewise, I don’t have any physical evidence.”
“That means…”
“It means you have a heart condition.”
“…Huh.”
Isn’t this kid really playing on people’s heads?
Liu used to think he was quite intelligent, but he just felt like he was outmatched by this fortune teller with a devilish tongue.
Namgoong Min must have read her expression and waved his hand with a smile.
“Don’t misunderstand me too much. It’s because I know information that Mr. Liu doesn’t.”
“…Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding?”
“You just compared Mr. Liu’s brains with mine, right? I just have a certain knack for reading people’s minds.”
“How did you know that…?”
Isn’t one of those bastard’s skills something like reading minds? Actually, isn’t there a hidden second Or something like that?
…… No, I know that only a small number of people, no matter how saintly they are, can read minds.
Anyway.
Because the important thing is something else.
“So, who is the culprit? Let’s solve it quickly.”
“I see. Hmm… First of all, are there any criminals among the three seniors I talked to?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Oh, are you sure?”
There is no physical evidence for this either.
The conversation and thoughts I heard earlier are sufficient.
“The trio of as*sholes pointed each other out as targets of suspicion. Normally, when they meet each other in such an unexpected way, they kiss each other… But when I looked at them, it seemed like they would rather frame one of them than kiss, so I passed. “
“Really?”
“Let’s take an example, the blonde as*shole was suspicious of the cell phone as*shole. Did he say he was hanging around near the cockpit? If that was really suspicious behavior, the fat bastard would have said something like that too.”
“Why is that so?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Well, let’s say they may not have seen at least one person. But these three sighting accounts don’t overlap at all? This is just a delusion of grandeur on their part.”
It is probably an exaggeration of everyday behavior in an abnormal situation.
Even an ordinary passerby wearing a hat and carrying a bag suddenly looks suspicious upon hearing that there has been a terrorist attack or murder nearby.
The three of us hang out separately because we are overly suspicious of trivial things.
…… I couldn’t say it, but it was something Rio had experienced a few times.
“This could be overturned if physical evidence comes out, but even taking that into account, I don’t think those bastards are the culprits.”
“Is that so?”
“Those bastards are under the control of Princess Kim Ha-neul. Unless they are internal enemies who are determined to bring down Kim Ha-neul, would they do something like this in Kim Ha-neul’s presence? They could do it to get rid of other people when they are alone. “
Assassinations and plots between subjects are carried out in a place where the king is not present, and if Kim Ha-neul is so incompetent as to do such a thing with his eyes open, there is no way he would take him with him, claiming that he is a member of his own faction.
It is absurd that such an incompetent bastard could pull off this level of mystery.
No matter how you think about it, the 3rd grade trio is not a suspect.
“Then…Who is the culprit?”
“…That’s the problem. The only one left is Princess Kim Ha-neul, and there’s no reason for that guy to do something like this…”
Knock. Knock.
“For now, please stay inside for a while.”
“…I understand.”
Liu lowered his voice at the sound of the knock, went into the bathroom and locked the door.
I looked again at the ‘Skill of Conversation’ that I cherished, but there were only three third-year students written on it.
There was nothing about the opponent coming in this time.
Squeak.
“Junior?”
“Ah, Princess Kim Ha-neul. It is an honor to meet you.”
“…There’s no need to be too polite. There’s a real prince and princess in your class.”
“Even so, I think it is natural for me, as a citizen of the Korean Empire, to be polite to the princess of the imperial family. Especially if it is just the two of us.”
“Thank you. Let’s sit down.”
“Yes.”
“So…What are you going to ask?”
“Ah, the question I have for Princess Kim Ha-neul is simple.”
“What is it?”
“Don’t you know the culprit of this incident?”
“……What do you mean?”
“It’s literally true. I know the culprit, but as the princess knows, it’s a bit of a tricky issue…”
“So?”
“Please adjust your words accordingly. The other seniors will blink at the princess’s words.”
“That’s a solid statement. But…Is it true that we really know?”
“I was truly impressed by Princess Kim Ha-neul’s information skills. She was recently replaced, but she still knows everything.”
“…I’m sure you know. Okay, how are you going to say it?”
“Let’s just make it a happening. Wouldn’t that be the most convenient?”
“The captain and the co-pilot? How do you gloss over that?”
“Did you say he was the son of the airline president for no reason?”
“……Okay. Let’s do that.”
“Thank you for the princess’s grace.”
“hahahaha, it’s okay to say hello. Then… At least say hello to the prince.”
“How should I tell you?”
“…Thanks to my fortune teller friend, I got a big hit. I also want to see that brave fortune teller sometime.”
“I will definitely tell you this.”
“……Okay.”
Squeak.
The door opens.
Squeak.
The bathroom door also opens.
“……….”
Liu came out with a dazed expression, looking at the fortune teller who was smiling as if nothing had happened.
I opened my mouth, which I couldn’t bear to say.
“…Was it that bastard? That scumbag?”
“Yes.”
“That kid… Was the culprit?”
*
Things went wrong. That too in a big way.
I couldn’t stop in the middle, so I proceeded with the work.
When he heard that Daeboo broke the cockpit door and forced his way in, and that the culprit was among them, his heart sank.
Fortunately, the person of interest made an emergency call to the airline during the interview and investigation with the third graders, so they dismissed it as just an incident……
“…You mean the captain and co-pilot couldn’t get on board?”
“Is that real?”
“I just received a call from the airline. They said they were in a hurry to prepare the plane at the Academy’s request and were clumsy in many ways. They couldn’t even fill the parachute…”
“Well, then what about that broadcast?”
“It was an automatic warning message that came out when a real abnormality was detected. The detection of the abnormality was also a machine error.”
“No, can a plane fly without a captain and first officer?”
“Nowadays, automatic navigation systems are well equipped. Of course, it is unreasonable to completely leave it to the machine for takeoff and landing… But I guess we were lucky.”
“Are you lucky?”
“At least you didn’t crash while landing, right?”
“……….”
“Then how do we land?”
“The academy says they can operate it from a distance.”
“…It’s sloppy in many ways, but that’s really true──”
“I understand.”
“Woe, princess?”
“The airline and the academy say that’s the case, so what can we say? We’ll file a complaint later, but it’s all been resolved, right?”
“Yes, that’s right!”
“Yes.”
“As expected, the princess…!”
“If you understand, let’s just take a break. You first year students worked hard too.”
…… Princess Kim Ha-neul, was she always that vague? I thought I would at least check it, but it feels quite different from the information I already knew.
They may be trying to deceive us, but…… If you do that, the repercussions you will experience will be enormous, so it is probably not a deceptive tactic.
Are you just mentally and physically tired? First of all, you have to remember──
“Oh, do you have a moment?”
“──Me, Namgoong Min? What’s going on?”
“Now that I think about it, you’re the only one I haven’t talked to yet… Anyway, I have to fill out a report when I go to the academy, so would you mind hanging out for a while?”
“Ah, ah…Yes.”
Dalkak.
The door to the cabin crew closes, and Namgoong Min sits across from him.
This is a conversation you have to have anyway, and the other person is a person of interest, so you just have to pretend to get along.
I was thinking that as I sat down.
The smiling fortune teller opened his mouth with a smiling face.
“Oh, there’s something I’d like to ask.”
“Uh, which one is it?”
“Is this an order from the prince? Or is it arbitrary?”
Rumbling.
…… What?
“Woah, the prince!? Why is he suddenly…?”
“Why are you doing this to people you already know? Didn’t you meet me last time, on the top floor of the Korean Empire’s imperial quarters?”
“……….”
“At first, I wondered why the person who was said to be the newly renamed prince’s closest aide was here… But he said he was the son of the airline president, so I guessed.”
“Well, at the entrance ceremony…”
“What do you mean by someone who came in after a change and is only a student in name? He probably wasn’t even at the academy during the entrance ceremony. Let’s not act for nothing and end it easily. Don’t you know the relationship between me and the prince well?”
“…Is that so?”
If you say it this way, there will be no escape.
After confirming that there is no one in the crew room using , ‘S job skill, disarm the disguise.
Wud-duk, wud-duk.
Small height gradually increases, body size changes, and muscles add to the body.
The somewhat bent back straightened, and before I knew it, the boy’s appearance had disappeared and a young man in his 20s was sitting in the seat.
“Oh, that’s exactly what I saw back then.”
“…Excuse me, how did you see through my disguise?”
“Well, since you’re a fortune teller, wouldn’t you have told fortunes?”
“……….”
As expected, does this mean that the prince is someone worth establishing a close relationship with?
A talent who breaks the mold of the profession of
Fortune-telling, someone who can have a conversation without us, his closest associates, as strangers.
Literally, he is a person of interest.
“To answer the question you asked earlier, this is the prince’s order.”
“Well, as he acted arbitrarily, all of his existing close associates were completely replaced, so it’s only natural.”
“…That’s right.”
There was a commotion about the assassination of Princess Kim Eun-ha.
The work carried out arbitrarily by the prince’s aides in order to check and discourage his potential rival, Princess Kim Eun-ha…… It didn’t end well.
To be more precise, it did not end well for those close to him.
This fortuneteller’s contribution was also very great.
I heard that after that incident, the princess and the prince also trusted the fortuneteller.
To me and my current close associates, he casually brings up things that are close to taboo.
…… He is a great fortune teller in many ways.
“Originally, it was only for Princess Kim Ha-neul and her close associates.”
“We ended up getting caught there.”
“…That’s right. It was negligence on our part.”
Originally, it was going to end as a warning to Princess Kim Ha-neul, whose intentions were suspicious.
An inexplicable incident that occurs on a plane with only Princess Kim Ha-neul and her close associates onboard.
I was planning on disguising him as an ‘airline president’s son’ rather than an ‘academy student’ and boarding the plane to watch and warn him.
Unfortunately, a wealthy person and a person of interest came here, so I quickly disguised myself as a student and got on board.
Because of that, things got messed up in many ways.
“Would it have been resolved better if Mr. Liu had stayed still?”
“…That’s probably not true. Since it was the prince’s order, I had to cause a commotion.”
“I had bad luck.”
“To be honest… Yes.”
It is true that the monumental first mission ended in this way, but as long as a person of interest is involved, the prince will not give an unpleasant order.
However, since the mission of ‘warning to Princess Kim Ha-neul’ failed, there will be punishment of its own.
The prince he knew was a master whose reputation was certain to be punished.
“I will personally go to the prince and tell him about this.”
“Yes…Yes?”
“I will tell you that my close friend did his best in many ways, but due to a number of bad lucks, there was nothing we could do. Then, you will not be punished.”
From Noble mtl dot com
“Ah…! Thank you!”
“Ah, this is easy. Oh, instead.”
“Are you talking instead?”
“Could you please do me a very small favor?”
The whisper was truly subtle.
To the extent that even he, who had lived his entire life as an actor, wanted to take a step back.
Although he seemed somewhat like a bad boy, I felt a twisted inner self.
Even though I hesitated, in the end………
*
“Ta-da! That’s it!”
“…Something bigger than I thought was involved.”
After the son of the airline president, or rather, a close associate of Prince Kim Seong-il, left.
Liu came out of the bathroom, sat down, and patted a ring.
. No matter how much I hid in the bathroom, no one noticed because I seemed to have benefited from the artifact that erased my presence.
“Anyway, I shouldn’t dig into this any further.”
“…I see.”
“The prince’s close associate tried to threaten Princess Kim Ha-neul in the form of a warning… Isn’t this a secret struggle for power that can’t be defeated? I don’t want to be associated with the darkness of the Korean Empire’s imperial family.”
That is why, as a
Rich man, Liu did not get too close to Kim Seong-il and Kim Eun-ha.
If you build a friendship, it will definitely bring you great benefits, but the presence of a
Rich man in the imperial family’s secret struggle is very attractive.
It was easier to keep my distance from the beginning as I was going to get caught up in a dirty and annoying squabble.
In that sense, Namgoong Min was truly amazing in Rio.
“Speaking of the princess, when did you become close enough to meet him personally with Prince Kim Seong-il?”
“hahahaha, he’s no different from Mr. Liu. We just happened to become friends.”
“In this world, there is probably no other person other than you who has both And As friends.”
“There are people in special occupation classes, right?”
“Are they friends? They’re just acquaintances from childhood.”
Two royal family members, a saint, a warrior, a magician, and a person with supernatural powers.
Although we have known each other since childhood, it is difficult in many ways to call them friends.
How can you call someone a friend when you don’t even know them well in the first place? … Thought………
‘…… Wait for a sec.’
Well, you understand?
Now that I think about it……
‘Huh?’
I am Namgoong Min…… Are you familiar with it?
I do remember everything, including where I live, my past, my career, my family relationships, the school I went to, and even my part-time job.
That was just something I found out through background investigation.
Is there anything you heard directly from Namgoong Min?
‘…… Doesn’t exist. Not one, not a single one.’
Enlightenment was an instant.
I was sure because Liu had a hobby of recording and remembering everything about Namgoong Min, all his conversations and all his actions when they met.
Namgoong Min has never told Liu Yen about himself.
‘……… Under.’
Immediately after she realized the fact, which was probably obvious but had not been realized due to her background investigation.
Liu felt like Namgoong Min was moving away.
Obviously, this fortune teller is just sitting across from me, smiling the same as before.
Even though the physical distance remains the same, the psychological distance is far away.
No, no.
I no longer feel that way.
‘From the beginning…… Was it far?’
Even if we call each other friends and consider each other that way.
Namgoong Min did not ask about Liu, and Liu also did not ask about Namgoong Min.
Even if I didn’t do that, I found out everything through background investigation.
But what about Namgoong Min? Who is that fortune teller who can’t do such a background check?
Maybe I didn’t ask because I wasn’t interested in the first place?
“……………….”
“Mr. Liu?”
Nam Goong Min is smiling. She tilts her head, and she speaks with the same smile and tone as always.
Is that real?
…… I remember the conversation between Namgoong Min and the third graders that happened earlier.
It was clearly an act. It was nothing more than a deception to obtain the desired information from the other party.
But the third graders didn’t know that.
Because that’s all they saw of Namgoong Min.
‘What makes me different from them?’
At most, I’ve been watching it for a little longer, over half a year? What about being considered a friend?
That’s about it, wouldn’t it be just a matter of acting longer? Being friends is all an act.
What was thought to be Namgoong Min’s sincerity, is it really sincere?
Just as they gossiped about me and the third graders behind my back, wouldn’t they have laughed at me along with someone else?
“……….”
“Mr. Liu? Mr. Liu?”
It shouldn’t be like this. Even during her first hiking class, I stopped Namgoong Min from confessing to her. It was confusing at the time, but she eventually decided to keep watching and believe.
I told you not to be suspicious.
But once the sprout of doubt bloomed, it bloomed very quickly.
‘If you approached me by acting, what was your purpose?’
That’s it…… It’s obvious.
It must be money.
In fact, Liu lent Namgoong Min a lot of money without interest or collateral, also gave him artifacts worth 120 billion won, and gave him artifacts worth hundreds of billions of billions as a gift.
If you think that all of that is the result of delaying it for about half a year.
Isn’t that enough?
“……Mr. Liu?”
“Uh, huh? Huh?”
“Why are you doing this? You’re suddenly bruised.”
“……Oh, it’s nothing.”
“……?”
Doubt, doubt, and doubt.
As if the banks of a river that had stopped were burst, suspicions about Namgoong Min flowed endlessly.
“……………….”
Liu couldn’t bear to look at Namgoong Min.
That was her last conscience.
Thtts some next level paronia