<Chapter 2>
“Here, the third room on the second floor just happened to be vacant. There are more cases where there are no rooms available due to the high number of applicants.”
By the time I finally came to my senses after being stunned by the sudden reality, I had already arrived at the ‘Vagrant Relief Project Dormitory.’
“Ah, yes…”
“Good timing. Our new Emperor is looking after even the vagrants. Haha.”
A rather sturdy-looking man opened the door with a bright smile.
“Th-That’s… right.”
Right. That’s right.
Information from the novel surfaced in my mind.
The Vagrant Relief Project, simply put, was a welfare project where the state provided shelter for homeless people.
‘There was a mention that this was the first project the Emperor implemented after his coronation.’
The nobles criticized the Emperor, labeling him a ‘waster of taxpayer money’ for helping the ‘lazy vagrants,’ but the commoners raised both hands and shouted, “Long live His Majesty!”
Lazy vagrants. What a ridiculous expression.
After the epidemic that swept the empire more than a decade ago, the number of homeless people increased dramatically.
They were people who lost their families, their jobs, and their property after their fields were burned to prevent the spread of the epidemic. They weren’t lazy; they were victims who had suffered misfortune.
Since nobles with ample wealth were unlikely to end up on the streets, most of the vagrants were commoners.
Neither the state nor the nobles… No one improved their treatment, so even after a considerable amount of time had passed, the number of vagrants didn’t decrease… The new Emperor, Theodore Elliot, took care of them first.
So, of course, the people loved His Majesty.
Here, the Emperor went a step further and employed the homeless people he had gathered and aided, establishing scientific institutions throughout the empire.
The state provided jobs, so the homeless were rehabilitated, and there was no shortage of workers!
It was killing two birds with one stone.
“It’s only been a year since he ascended the throne, but he’s already implementing policies that care for his people. The guards complain that they’ve become busier, but I think it’s great.”
If it’s only been a year…
“Well, it’s not a fully established project yet. Haha! I just have high expectations for His Majesty.”
This was a period not even mentioned in the original work. The Emperor had just…
I see. No wonder the dormitory atmosphere seemed unsettled; it was a newly launched project.
The things I remembered from the novel, like the scientific revolution and providing jobs for the vagrants, seemed to be stories of the distant future.
“Here you go.”
“Ah, yes.”
I received a thick blanket and a pillow from the man in charge of managing the place.
A key was placed on top.
“Your room key. It costs quite a bit to duplicate, so be careful not to lose it.”
“Yes, yes…”
“My name is Morris. I used to be the captain of the city guard, but when I was about to retire, they asked me to manage this place, so I ended up settling here.”
Morris extended his hand as if to shake mine. I awkwardly reached out and shook his hand.
“You said you didn’t have a name?”
“What? I have a name!”
It was the first time I’d ever heard that I didn’t have a name, so I instinctively retorted.
“Really? The guards classified you as a nameless vagrant and sent you here.”
“Ah. That’s because they couldn’t understand my name.”
“Is that so? Then what is your name?”
“Park Seon…”
I hope they don’t hear it as Saintess again.
I paused mid-sentence.
Come to think of it, it seemed unlikely that the word Seon-nyeo existed in this world.
[Dorothy. Can you not hear me? That’s strange. Hmm… Is it because I’m inexperienced, since you’re the first human whose wavelength matches mine?]
Just then, Agatha, who had been quiet for a while, spoke again, muttering to herself.
“Dorothy…”
“Dorothy?”
“Yes. My name is Dorothy.”
Perhaps because I couldn’t think of any other name, I unknowingly repeated Agatha’s words.
Dorothy. It was a cute name.
Anything is better than Park Seon-nyeo.
Since I was fated to die while trying to change my name anyway, I had no lingering attachment to my original name.
I quickly discarded my original name and adopted the name Dorothy.
“Alright, Dorothy. Lunch and dinner are at twelve and six. They serve the food in the courtyard, so make sure to come on time. Lunch will be soon.”
The man finished speaking and quickly walked away, as if he was busy.
I finally took a look around the dormitory.
It was a five-story building shaped like a ‘ㄷ,’ with rooms lined up close together like a goshiwon (small study rooms).
There was a spacious courtyard with a lawn in the center, and vagrants were gathered here and there, basking in the sun.
It felt… like a prison.
[Dorothy, you heard me just now, right? You said Dorothy! Good, we’re connected!]
I ignored Agatha’s words and walked inside, just as I had ignored gods and ghosts in my previous life.
At the moment of death, I unknowingly said I would quietly accept the spirit possession, but now that I was actually in this situation, it was difficult to do so. Perhaps it was because I had thought negatively all my life, so I felt an instinctive aversion…?
So, I postponed thinking about it and ignored Agatha’s words. I wanted to collect my thoughts and get a grip on this absurd situation.
The room, neither too small nor too large, contained a bed, a desk, and a stool.
[Dorothyyy. Strange. I think she heard me.]
What kind of absurd situation is this?
I thought I was dead, but I’m alive, I’ve entered a novel, and like my previous life, I have a body that communicates well with gods.
If I was going to be revived anyway, couldn’t I have been born as an ordinary person?
“Right… for now… let’s rest.”
My head was pounding.
I started to walk towards the bed.
Thud.
“…Ouch.”
I tripped and fell in the room where there was nothing to trip over.
[Oh my, Dorothy. Are you alright?]
The stone floor made my whole body ache.
A series of misfortunes I experienced in my past life flashed through my mind.
The inevitable misfortunes and illnesses that befall those who reject the call of the gods.
“Haha, it must be a coincidence. It must be.”
I forced a laugh and got up.
“Ah. Come to think of it, it’s lunchtime! Haha. Food. Let’s eat. I must have been weak from hunger.”
I went outside. I instinctively hunched my shoulders and looked around. The courtyard where the food was being served was perfectly peaceful.
I got my tray and finished getting my food, and nothing happened. Phew. Tripping must have just been a common coincidence. I was overreacting because of the memories of the gods tormenting me in my past life!
“A newbie?”
“It’s the first time I’ve seen such a young girl here.”
But sure enough.
The final boss villains appeared.
Middle-aged men approached me, smirking and picking a fight.
“Missy. How old are you?”
“Hehe. Would you excuse me?”
I put all my effort into smiling and answering politely.
I didn’t want to get involved. But the men ignored me.
“You’ve been living on the streets at such a young age?”
“I wish I had lived on the streets with you, missy.”
“What a lucky find.”
I couldn’t hear what they were saying; my heart was pounding. This is bad luck, right? This happened because I defied the gods, right?
Do I even have to get beaten up by these guys? Is this a curse from the gods?! Even so, violence is too much!
Feelings of frustration and injustice surged within me.
“Outsiders are allowed, but please don’t bring men in, missy. The soundproofing here is bad.”
“I like it that the soundproofing is bad.”
What are they talking about?
“True. It would be blissful to hear your voice, missy.”
The burly man blocking my way continued, smirking.
[Tsk tsk. Jane. You shouldn’t let your tongue run wild like that. You need to reflect and repent.]
Jane? Is that his name?
“Hey, Alexander. You’re scaring the missy. Take a step back.”
“It’s kind of cute how scared she is.”
“…Alexander?”
“Oh, she’s finally responding. Missy. Want to hang out with us?”
“Instead of Jane?”
I blurted out without thinking.
[Jane is his real name. It seems he has a complex about it since it’s a name more commonly given to girls. Alexander is a ‘masculine’ alias that Jane likes. But Dorothy, you really heard me this time, right?]
The man in front of me turned pale.
“Jane? Who’s that?”
“Is that your name, missy? Jane. It’s a pretty name that suits you.”
“W-Well. Look, guys. Shall we go eat?”
“Huh? Alexander. We already ate.”
“No, I’m getting hungry again. Strange. Haha.”
Jane answered awkwardly and pushed his group away.
This is it. I looked directly at Jane and grinned.
‘Don’t mess with me again.’
The message seemed to have been delivered clearly, as Jane lowered his eyes with a subservient expression. Then, he dragged his protesting friends away. He had incredible strength.
[Hmm? They left quite easily. I guess they repented.]
‘This… is incredibly effective…?’
I had been worried about whether I could survive by calculating the extent of my misfortune, but I received Agatha’s help.
The gods in my previous life, far from helping, tormented me to death for refusing spirit possession. Whenever I closed my eyes, I had nightmares filled with blood and the loud ringing of bells, and my body constantly ached.
My mother scolded me, saying that it was only this mild because she prayed diligently, and that I should accept it. That made me even more reluctant.
I had become accustomed to making eye contact with scary-looking ghosts.
Was it better to become a shaman? Not really. My mother, whose knee cartilage already hurt and who could barely walk, climbed a mountain and prostrated herself three thousand times every day for a hundred days because the gods told her to. I was so worried about her back then.
The gods were capricious and unhelpful. Even when they did help, it was very indirect. They would appear in my dreams and give me a pig, indicating that good fortune would come.
They wouldn’t tell me the timing, the type, or even if the good fortune was meant for me. And when they tormented people, they would bring out their deepest traumas, tormenting them throughout their dreams and even causing sleep paralysis.
I especially resented the child god who used to beg my mother for food. All my snacks as a child ended up on that child god’s table.
But this was the first time I had seen a god who helped directly without being capricious. Moreover, the help was substantial.
What is this? It feels like starting a game at max level.
Like being thrown into a battlefield and obliterating everything with a high-performance jet.
[Since they left so quickly, it seems anticlimactic. Dorothy, are you alright?]
And this lady… she’s worried about me.
So kind…!
My mind raced.
‘This world has a Western setting. There’s no spirit sickness or spirit possession, so there’s no concept of a shaman… only oracles.’
This is totally advantageous.
[By the way, it seems you can finally hear me. I was worried you couldn’t. I wondered if I was mistaken.]
Then, wouldn’t this terrible shaman constitution, which I’ve always considered a curse, actually become a perfect cheat key here?
Just like now, if I encounter misfortune, you’ll tell me how to defeat it and help me! The gods in my previous life, instead of helping me, resented me for not accepting the spirit possession and gave me misfortunes as gifts…
In this unfamiliar place where I know nothing, there’s a god who knows everything and actively helps me. And it seems like they won’t torment me.
[…God.]
[Oh my! Dorothy. You’re finally talking to me!]
[Did you come here to torment me?]
I asked one last question. It was a personality test for Agatha.
[What? Why would I torment you, Dorothy!]
Jackpot.
My era of success begins, as I open my eyes in my second life.