Chapter 124: Get Rich Quick (5)
At the Holy Palace in Crossbridge.
There, Emperor Highpride II faced the priest in front of him.
The faces of the two people in the office were frozen in a cold situation.
There was one reason why Highpride II and the priest had such expressions.
It was because of the full story of the auction house raid that came from the Duke of Obotos’ territory.
Highpride II glared at the priest standing in front of him with fierce eyes.
His darkened face showed an intense aura that did not match his age.
“How many people were injured?”
“Count Alimir was seriously injured, and ten knights, including those from his house, were killed. The number of soldiers who died is also considerable.”
“Of all things, the nobles of the empire were hurt…”
Hoo.
A deep sigh escaped from Highpride II’s mouth.
The finances of the Holy Land were mostly funded by the donations from the nobles of the empire.
And an apostle of the evil god appeared at the place where those nobles gathered.
And because of the apostle, one of the counts of the empire was seriously injured.
It was not hard to guess which side the injured nobles would point their arrows of blame at.
As if to prove Highpride II’s expectation, the priest continued his report in a cautious voice.
“The nobles of the empire are protesting against the appearance of the apostle. They say they will not donate to the temple for a while unless we send heroes right away.”
“Even though the knights at the auction house were among the elite in the empire, they couldn’t inflict any damage on the apostle?”
“The knights are those who prioritize protecting their nobles. As long as they don’t provoke him, he won’t bother them, so they just confronted him without shedding blood…”
“…”
The emperor could easily guess what happened behind the story.
They chose to compromise and comply with his demands rather than risking losing their knights by recklessly facing the apostle.
The situation of the knights was probably not much different.
If they provoked the apostle and lost their nobles they were escorting, their families would hold them accountable.
Only Count Alimir survived, and his knights died because of this background.
“The Duke of Obotos is also claiming responsibility for the missing auction items. We need to come up with some measures.”
“Measures? Do you think sending heroes is a measure?”
“I think that’s the best option for now.”
Highpride II looked at the map of the continent hanging on the wall after hearing the priest’s words.
He understood why the empire needed heroes when an apostle appeared.
It was their role to stop the forces of evil gods.
But right now, it was difficult to deploy heroes to deal with an apostle.
“We can’t send heroes.”
An apostle was a different enemy than other heretics of the cult.
The apostles were monsters that the evil god created and nurtured to destroy the world.
And unlike the monsters that served the evil god, they were cunning and wicked.
They hid among humans and manipulated their movements.
Maybe there were even some nobles who joined forces with the cult.
If they went to subjugate the apostle in a precarious state, they might lose their heroes.
‘I still need more time.’
The heroes needed time.
Time to grow properly so they could do their part.
That was why he had sent as many heroes as possible to the subjugation of Kueberg.
He wanted them to gain experience without getting hurt.
Highpride II wished for them to have a stepping stone to grow.
Of course, he would have to suppress the elders’ opposition to achieve his will.
“It won’t be easy. The elders will surely resist.”
“Persuading them is my job.”
“Your Majesty…”
“Of course, leaving the empire as it is would also be a problem… I have to put out the fire somehow.”
He couldn’t send heroes to the empire.
Then he had to send something else that could replace him.
Someone in the underground of the temple came to Highpride II’s mind as he pondered.
A dark history that the Holy Land had created in the past when they were looking for a way to replace heroes.
A hero who claimed himself to be the eternal guardian, and the product of a long research that continued his legacy.
He thought of the old hero in the underground.
As he looked at the map and wondered, Highpride II ordered the priest.
“Bring me the Saintess of Knowledge.”
“The Saintess of Knowledge… Do you mean Aurora?”
“Yes.”
“What should I tell her?”
There were two people needed to move the guardian in the underground.
The Hero of Knowledge. And the Saintess of Knowledge.
The one who had the closest relation to this grand plan was Aurora, the saintess.
She was the one that Arien Crost, the former Hero of Knowledge, wanted to protect even after his death.
The plan started from her, the oldest saintess.
He had to get her help to move it.
“Tell her this. ‘It seems like it’s time to use ‘that’.’”
“…”
“Also, bring me the Hero of Knowledge. Aurora will help you bring him.”
The priest who received Highpride II’s order opened the door and left.
Highpride II watched his back and prayed with his hands clasped.
I hoped that my decision was right.
And that the great goddess would watch over this world.
***
The auction house raid led by Eutenia was successfully completed with the achievement of their goal.
They had safely obtained the highest grade magic stone that they had aimed for from the beginning.
Of course, there were also various other harvests besides the highest grade magic stone.
Thanks to the apostles who participated in the operation, they also stole other auction items along with the highest grade magic stone.
They had prepared everything from magic tools with numerous enchantments to various kinds of magic scrolls.
They were not easy items to obtain.
“Why don’t we just rob the auction house every day?”
I had such a thought because it was so rewarding.
The cult had gained a lot of spoils.
Eutenia and Pluto, who participated in the operation, were happily dividing their loot.
It was to the point that a gold necklace was hanging on Yuto, who was in the middle of them.
There were also items that I could use among the spoils.
The magic book that Eutenia had offered and stuck in the inventory was one of them.
-[Magic Book: Monster Taming]
A magic book that contains the skill of <Monster Taming>.
According to Eutenia’s explanation, it was a magic that temporarily tamed a monster.
It was a skill that could temporarily influence the monsters that existed in the game.
I didn’t know how to move the monsters yet.
But anyway, it was a good thing that I had more skills to use.
I could check the details later when I had time.
-“This kind of thing might suit Pluto better.”
-“Really?”
-“Doesn’t the jewel in the middle match well?”
I closed the inventory and watched the apostles chatting on the screen.
They were wondering how to use the spoils they had obtained.
I watched them talk and didn’t forget to glance at the desk clock next to the TV.
The reason why I checked the time with the desk clock was simple.
Today was the day of the lottery draw that I had been waiting for.
There wasn’t much time left until the lottery broadcast.
I put down my smartphone with the game on and looked for the TV remote somewhere.
“Where did I put the remote? Why does it always disappear when I try to find it?”
Luckily, the remote was hidden under the pillow.
I didn’t know why it was there, but anyway, I was glad I found it.
Beep.
I pressed a button and turned on the TV.
And then I changed the channel to match the one where the draw was being broadcasted.
Just then, an intro video was playing on TV and the lottery draw started.
I picked up my lottery ticket with a nervous heart and looked at the TV screen.
-“Hello. I’m your host for Live Happy Lottery…”
The host appeared on the draw and greeted us.
I usually checked online rather than watching the draw, so it felt strange to watch it like this.
But today’s lottery was a special one that Estelle had predicted in my dream.
It was a lottery with a possibility of winning first place, so I wanted to match it with a devout heart on live broadcast.
Of course, I also wanted to check my numbers as soon as possible.
-“Let’s start with last week’s winning news.”
“Last week’s winning news?”
-“Total sales of lottery tickets 104.3 billion won. The first prize was 25.7 billion won and eight people won…”
“No, I don’t care. Just draw quickly.”
The live draw started with showing last week’s lottery results.
It told us how much money was sold last week and how much money was given to first place winners.
The winners of last week took 3.2 billion won each.
If I was lucky, I might also receive 3.2 billion won today.
Of course, if there were more winners, I might get less than that.
I watched the broadcast dreaming of a golden future, and soon, last week’s winning news ended.
“Huh… Will they draw now?”
-”We’ll show you live how lottery funds are used in ‘Lottery Man Goes’, today…”
“Ah.”
As I waited for them to draw finally, I couldn’t help but stare at the TV screen with a blank face.
After last week’s winning news, what came next was a program that showed where lottery funds were used.
I thought they would finally start drawing, but it was a disappointment.
The screen that showed the hosts moved to Osan city in Gyeonggi province.
I watched the scene of sharing on the screen and lost my mind.
I knew they were doing good things with lottery money, but I wished they would just draw faster.
“Sharing… Yeah, sharing is good.”
That’s how it started and it took several minutes to end.
I appreciated their intention, but it made me feel like yawning.
When the screen changed and the hosts appeared again, I finally came to my senses and focused.
The hosts on the screen were introducing each other and having a conversation.
The time for the long-awaited draw was approaching.
I took a deep breath to calm myself and looked at the lottery ticket in my hand.
The lottery ticket in my hand had become wrinkled.
“Are they going to draw now?”
-“Regardless of the order of the balls, if the numbers match, it is considered a win. Now, let’s start the draw.”
“Ah, finally…”
As soon as the host pressed the button, the drawing machine appeared on the screen and the balls started moving quickly.
Whiiing.
The wind blew from the drawing machine and the balls came out one by one in order.
I opened my eyes wide and focused on the screen, comparing each winning number with the ticket in my hand.
My life would be determined by the numbers that came out here.
-“The first lucky number. Number 2!”
“Oh… 2.”
Fortunately, the first number matched.
Swoosh.
I picked up a pen nearby and drew a line on the matching number.
-“The second lucky number. Number 11.”
“Oh… 11.”
-“The third lucky number. Number 15.”
“Oh… 15.”
“Now, what is the fourth number? Number 21.”
“Oh… 21.”
-“Let’s see the fifth ball. Number 27.”
“Oh… 27.”
-“The sixth number is… Number 35.”
“Oh… 35… No, it’s not. Then I’m not first place?”
All the other numbers matched, but unfortunately, the last number was wrong.
I waited for the bonus number for second place, but there was no match for that either.
All but one number matched.
The ticket I bought this time was not first or second place, but third place.
The amount of money you get when you win third place is around 1.5 million won on average.
It was a far cry from the amount you get when you win first place.
“Third place… Well, it’s not first place, but it’s a decent harvest.”
Still, it was a considerable amount for a thousand won ticket.
After taxes, I could recover about half of my previous expenses.
As I was satisfied with my own way, I was about to check how to receive it on my smartphone.
But before it was over, the host’s voice came out of the draw broadcast.
-“This week… Surprisingly, most of the numbers match last week’s winning numbers.”
“What?”
-“But please be assured that this draw was also conducted fairly in the studio.”
-“That’s all for today’s draw broadcast. Thank you.”
Thud.
The broadcast ended with the host’s final remark.
I felt doubtful about what he said and immediately closed the game and opened the internet.
And then I went to a portal site and searched for the horrible imagination that came to my mind.
“Could it be?”
Last week’s winning numbers.
I looked at the search results that appeared with a short keyword and gave a hollow laugh.
When I heard the numbers, I felt familiar somehow.
On my smartphone screen, there was a familiar sight of winning numbers.
They were the six lottery numbers that Estelle had told me in my dream.
“It was… last week’s winning numbers.”
Apparently,
The goddess of luck had seen last week’s draw.
Chapter 124: Get Rich Quick (5)
At the Holy Palace in Crossbridge.
There, Emperor Highpride II faced the priest in front of him.
The faces of the two people in the office were frozen in a cold situation.
There was one reason why Highpride II and the priest had such expressions.
It was because of the full story of the auction house raid that came from the Duke of Obotos’ territory.
Highpride II glared at the priest standing in front of him with fierce eyes.
His darkened face showed an intense aura that did not match his age.
“How many people were injured?”
“Count Alimir was seriously injured, and ten knights, including those from his house, were killed. The number of soldiers who died is also considerable.”
“Of all things, the nobles of the empire were hurt…”
Hoo.
A deep sigh escaped from Highpride II’s mouth.
The finances of the Holy Land were mostly funded by the donations from the nobles of the empire.
And an apostle of the evil god appeared at the place where those nobles gathered.
And because of the apostle, one of the counts of the empire was seriously injured.
It was not hard to guess which side the injured nobles would point their arrows of blame at.
As if to prove Highpride II’s expectation, the priest continued his report in a cautious voice.
“The nobles of the empire are protesting against the appearance of the apostle. They say they will not donate to the temple for a while unless we send heroes right away.”
“Even though the knights at the auction house were among the elite in the empire, they couldn’t inflict any damage on the apostle?”
“The knights are those who prioritize protecting their nobles. As long as they don’t provoke him, he won’t bother them, so they just confronted him without shedding blood…”
“…”
The emperor could easily guess what happened behind the story.
They chose to compromise and comply with his demands rather than risking losing their knights by recklessly facing the apostle.
The situation of the knights was probably not much different.
If they provoked the apostle and lost their nobles they were escorting, their families would hold them accountable.
Only Count Alimir survived, and his knights died because of this background.
“The Duke of Obotos is also claiming responsibility for the missing auction items. We need to come up with some measures.”
“Measures? Do you think sending heroes is a measure?”
“I think that’s the best option for now.”
Highpride II looked at the map of the continent hanging on the wall after hearing the priest’s words.
He understood why the empire needed heroes when an apostle appeared.
It was their role to stop the forces of evil gods.
But right now, it was difficult to deploy heroes to deal with an apostle.
“We can’t send heroes.”
An apostle was a different enemy than other heretics of the cult.
The apostles were monsters that the evil god created and nurtured to destroy the world.
And unlike the monsters that served the evil god, they were cunning and wicked.
They hid among humans and manipulated their movements.
Maybe there were even some nobles who joined forces with the cult.
If they went to subjugate the apostle in a precarious state, they might lose their heroes.
‘I still need more time.’
The heroes needed time.
Time to grow properly so they could do their part.
That was why he had sent as many heroes as possible to the subjugation of Kueberg.
He wanted them to gain experience without getting hurt.
Highpride II wished for them to have a stepping stone to grow.
Of course, he would have to suppress the elders’ opposition to achieve his will.
“It won’t be easy. The elders will surely resist.”
“Persuading them is my job.”
“Your Majesty…”
“Of course, leaving the empire as it is would also be a problem… I have to put out the fire somehow.”
He couldn’t send heroes to the empire.
Then he had to send something else that could replace him.
Someone in the underground of the temple came to Highpride II’s mind as he pondered.
A dark history that the Holy Land had created in the past when they were looking for a way to replace heroes.
A hero who claimed himself to be the eternal guardian, and the product of a long research that continued his legacy.
He thought of the old hero in the underground.
As he looked at the map and wondered, Highpride II ordered the priest.
“Bring me the Saintess of Knowledge.”
“The Saintess of Knowledge… Do you mean Aurora?”
“Yes.”
“What should I tell her?”
There were two people needed to move the guardian in the underground.
The Hero of Knowledge. And the Saintess of Knowledge.
The one who had the closest relation to this grand plan was Aurora, the saintess.
She was the one that Arien Crost, the former Hero of Knowledge, wanted to protect even after his death.
The plan started from her, the oldest saintess.
He had to get her help to move it.
“Tell her this. ‘It seems like it’s time to use ‘that’.’”
“…”
“Also, bring me the Hero of Knowledge. Aurora will help you bring him.”
The priest who received Highpride II’s order opened the door and left.
Highpride II watched his back and prayed with his hands clasped.
I hoped that my decision was right.
And that the great goddess would watch over this world.
***
The auction house raid led by Eutenia was successfully completed with the achievement of their goal.
They had safely obtained the highest grade magic stone that they had aimed for from the beginning.
Of course, there were also various other harvests besides the highest grade magic stone.
Thanks to the apostles who participated in the operation, they also stole other auction items along with the highest grade magic stone.
They had prepared everything from magic tools with numerous enchantments to various kinds of magic scrolls.
They were not easy items to obtain.
“Why don’t we just rob the auction house every day?”
I had such a thought because it was so rewarding.
The cult had gained a lot of spoils.
Eutenia and Pluto, who participated in the operation, were happily dividing their loot.
It was to the point that a gold necklace was hanging on Yuto, who was in the middle of them.
There were also items that I could use among the spoils.
The magic book that Eutenia had offered and stuck in the inventory was one of them.
-[Magic Book: Monster Taming]
A magic book that contains the skill of <Monster Taming>.
According to Eutenia’s explanation, it was a magic that temporarily tamed a monster.
It was a skill that could temporarily influence the monsters that existed in the game.
I didn’t know how to move the monsters yet.
But anyway, it was a good thing that I had more skills to use.
I could check the details later when I had time.
-“This kind of thing might suit Pluto better.”
-“Really?”
-“Doesn’t the jewel in the middle match well?”
I closed the inventory and watched the apostles chatting on the screen.
They were wondering how to use the spoils they had obtained.
I watched them talk and didn’t forget to glance at the desk clock next to the TV.
The reason why I checked the time with the desk clock was simple.
Today was the day of the lottery draw that I had been waiting for.
There wasn’t much time left until the lottery broadcast.
I put down my smartphone with the game on and looked for the TV remote somewhere.
“Where did I put the remote? Why does it always disappear when I try to find it?”
Luckily, the remote was hidden under the pillow.
I didn’t know why it was there, but anyway, I was glad I found it.
Beep.
I pressed a button and turned on the TV.
And then I changed the channel to match the one where the draw was being broadcasted.
Just then, an intro video was playing on TV and the lottery draw started.
I picked up my lottery ticket with a nervous heart and looked at the TV screen.
-“Hello. I’m your host for Live Happy Lottery…”
The host appeared on the draw and greeted us.
I usually checked online rather than watching the draw, so it felt strange to watch it like this.
But today’s lottery was a special one that Estelle had predicted in my dream.
It was a lottery with a possibility of winning first place, so I wanted to match it with a devout heart on live broadcast.
Of course, I also wanted to check my numbers as soon as possible.
-“Let’s start with last week’s winning news.”
“Last week’s winning news?”
-“Total sales of lottery tickets 104.3 billion won. The first prize was 25.7 billion won and eight people won…”
“No, I don’t care. Just draw quickly.”
The live draw started with showing last week’s lottery results.
It told us how much money was sold last week and how much money was given to first place winners.
The winners of last week took 3.2 billion won each.
If I was lucky, I might also receive 3.2 billion won today.
Of course, if there were more winners, I might get less than that.
I watched the broadcast dreaming of a golden future, and soon, last week’s winning news ended.
“Huh… Will they draw now?”
-”We’ll show you live how lottery funds are used in ‘Lottery Man Goes’, today…”
“Ah.”
As I waited for them to draw finally, I couldn’t help but stare at the TV screen with a blank face.
After last week’s winning news, what came next was a program that showed where lottery funds were used.
I thought they would finally start drawing, but it was a disappointment.
The screen that showed the hosts moved to Osan city in Gyeonggi province.
I watched the scene of sharing on the screen and lost my mind.
I knew they were doing good things with lottery money, but I wished they would just draw faster.
“Sharing… Yeah, sharing is good.”
That’s how it started and it took several minutes to end.
I appreciated their intention, but it made me feel like yawning.
When the screen changed and the hosts appeared again, I finally came to my senses and focused.
The hosts on the screen were introducing each other and having a conversation.
The time for the long-awaited draw was approaching.
I took a deep breath to calm myself and looked at the lottery ticket in my hand.
The lottery ticket in my hand had become wrinkled.
“Are they going to draw now?”
-“Regardless of the order of the balls, if the numbers match, it is considered a win. Now, let’s start the draw.”
“Ah, finally…”
As soon as the host pressed the button, the drawing machine appeared on the screen and the balls started moving quickly.
Whiiing.
The wind blew from the drawing machine and the balls came out one by one in order.
I opened my eyes wide and focused on the screen, comparing each winning number with the ticket in my hand.
My life would be determined by the numbers that came out here.
-“The first lucky number. Number 2!”
“Oh… 2.”
Fortunately, the first number matched.
Swoosh.
I picked up a pen nearby and drew a line on the matching number.
-“The second lucky number. Number 11.”
“Oh… 11.”
-“The third lucky number. Number 15.”
“Oh… 15.”
“Now, what is the fourth number? Number 21.”
“Oh… 21.”
-“Let’s see the fifth ball. Number 27.”
“Oh… 27.”
-“The sixth number is… Number 35.”
“Oh… 35… No, it’s not. Then I’m not first place?”
All the other numbers matched, but unfortunately, the last number was wrong.
I waited for the bonus number for second place, but there was no match for that either.
All but one number matched.
The ticket I bought this time was not first or second place, but third place.
The amount of money you get when you win third place is around 1.5 million won on average.
It was a far cry from the amount you get when you win first place.
“Third place… Well, it’s not first place, but it’s a decent harvest.”
Still, it was a considerable amount for a thousand won ticket.
After taxes, I could recover about half of my previous expenses.
As I was satisfied with my own way, I was about to check how to receive it on my smartphone.
But before it was over, the host’s voice came out of the draw broadcast.
-“This week… Surprisingly, most of the numbers match last week’s winning numbers.”
“What?”
-“But please be assured that this draw was also conducted fairly in the studio.”
-“That’s all for today’s draw broadcast. Thank you.”
Thud.
The broadcast ended with the host’s final remark.
I felt doubtful about what he said and immediately closed the game and opened the internet.
And then I went to a portal site and searched for the horrible imagination that came to my mind.
“Could it be?”
Last week’s winning numbers.
I looked at the search results that appeared with a short keyword and gave a hollow laugh.
When I heard the numbers, I felt familiar somehow.
On my smartphone screen, there was a familiar sight of winning numbers.
They were the six lottery numbers that Estelle had told me in my dream.
“It was… last week’s winning numbers.”
Apparently,
The goddess of luck had seen last week’s draw.
