Chapter 192
It was late at night. The two brightly shining moons illuminated my room.
It was a dreamy sight. Enough to make a smile automatically spread across my lips.
'Two moons, huh. As if to prove this was a classic game.'
However, contrary to such thoughts, my eyes were busy enjoying the current situation.
After all, this was a scenery I could never see on Earth.
Anyhow, it was while I was contentedly gazing at the surroundings.
[The terms of the deal with Lucia will be documented.]
-Number of times help can be requested (3/3).
-Currently in an alliance with Lucia.
The system window dizzied my vision.
The price I obtained in exchange for keeping the secrets of the Lucid family. That was now officially stipulated.
'Lucia may be a klutz, but...'
It was clear that she was a reliable force. Above all, the fact that she was an unexpected force was significant.
'The Lucid family was someone I thought I could only get a chance with after Chapter 4 and onwards.'
It was a shame I couldn't form an alliance with the Lucid family, but an alliance with Lucia, who was one of the empire's forces.
'I even went beyond getting acquainted and became her disciple.'
Luna and Rezé's fast growth rate was satisfying, but the best part was that we all formed a master-disciple relationship.
It was overflowing luck in the early part of Chapter 2.
However, if there was one problem...
'The price that comes with it must also be endured.'
The jealousy and envy towards Lucia, who rose to the position of a hero at a considerably young age, was a given.
But all they could do was watch.
Because powerful forces, including the emperor and Duke Luke, supported Lucia.
'Well, it's also thanks to Lucia winning all the duel requests that came in from time to time.'
She even seized victory in duels against opponents she realistically shouldn't be able to beat. Proving that she was qualified to be a hero herself.
There were several duels that made Lucia's reputation shine, but let's skip over that since it's not important right now.
Anyway, the jealousy and envy that couldn't be directed at Lucia accumulated and reached the point of creating a group under the guise of a research society called 'Exceeders'.
The emotions they had been harboring were likely to be unleashed on Lucia's disciples.
That's right. Luna, Rezé, and me.
They were referring to 'us'.
'It's an event that actually exists in the game too.'
There were a few episodes involving Lucia, and each time, a strange bunch would suddenly appear and request a duel.
Even though the character I was playing at the time wasn't Lucia's disciple.
'There was little information, so I couldn't even track them down. No, the related route may not have even opened in the first place.'
The only thing I could find out was that they were called 'Exceeders'.
But now, I've actually become Lucia's disciple.
A story related to them may unfold.
Of course...
'The attacks from Exceeders will be even worse than back then.'
In the game, they were nothing more than EXP and money shuttles.
But if they find out that we're Lucia's real disciples, I don't know what kind of moves they'll make.
Lucia said she'd keep it a secret for now, but...
'I need to prepare.'
It's not just Exceeders, who is hostile to Lucia, that I need to prepare for.
I also have to be wary of people on Lucia's side.
'They'll also want to test the disciples' skills just the same.'
Tttak-.
I took out the papers from the desk drawer and checked them again.
Changes to the plan I had devised so far, information related to Exceeders, Lucia's forces, and the benefits that could be gained by using the Lucid family's wooden tags.
I had finished organizing everything.
'Since I wrote it in Korean, Caron won't be able to understand it even if he sees it.'
I even mixed in English, Japanese, and game terms in between.
No matter how hard Caron analyzes it, he won't be able to figure it out easily.
Zzirit-!
At that moment, the [Hypersense] skill was activated.
Someone had entered my room. And naturally, that someone was...
"Keke, you're late."
"...Impudent fellow."
The former emperor's sword and the empire's rat.
Currently in charge of the combat training subject at Annwood Academy.
It was Caron.
"Are the preparations going well?"
"You don't need to know. As I said during class, a student's duty is..."
"Oh my, oh my. Are you going to be like this between us?"
"..."
Caron closed his mouth. He must have realized it.
Before being a teacher and student, we had a business relationship.
"I'm even the information provider for this subjugation. So I think information sharing is only natural."
"...Impudent fellow."
Contrary to his words, Caron faithfully shared the information.
Date, number of people, strategy, state of preparation, etc.
But he didn't tell me the information I wanted to know the most.
"How many experts of 8-star knight level or higher are there in total?"
"I can't tell you."
"Is it only Sir Elester and Lady Lucia?"
"I can't tell you."
"Are you an idiot?"
"..." Tak!
Caron smacked my head.
Hitting a student who asks questions! What a bad teacher who limits students' creativity!
'Well, it's not that I don't understand.'
8-star knights and above are like nuclear bombs.
Depending on where they move, the location of the troops changes, but not only did they go to the western edge of the empire, they even invaded the land of another country?
It was perfect for starting a war.
So Caron doesn't tell me.
But if that's all there is to it, it would be the worst-case scenario.
'The opponent is Volkan, the Maestro of the Battlefield.'
The other Four Heavenly Kings are scary too, but Volkan in a prepared battlefield is on a different level.
His overwhelming quantity is one thing, but the scariest part is that he can raise the dead who met their demise on the battlefield.
Enemy troops, ally troops, and even passing birds and mice.
Anything can join the battlefield as long as it has limbs attached.
A battle where the longer the fight goes on, the weaker the allies become and the stronger the enemy becomes.
'That's the terror of a necromancer and how they fight.'
So thirty elites led by Caron, Elester, and Lucia are not a bad number and composition.
Because taking thousands of ordinary soldiers to fight a necromancer is only creating thousands of enemies.
It's better to have thirty strong individuals who don't die easily.
'Normally it would be a woefully lacking number, but right now it's the early part of Chapter 2.'
The necromancer's greatest weakness and strength is the 'total amount of mana'.
The most important aspect of the class is how many soldiers of death they can handle.
In other words, the more mana they have, the stronger they are, and the less they have, the weaker they are.
'Other characteristics are important too, but... not as much as mana.'
Volkan may be called the worst of the Four Heavenly Kings later on, but that's only in the context of the game.
Right now, they're at the level of shouting, "Call us the Four Heavenly Kings!"
'Volkan is a character whose maximum mana increases with each passing day.'
It means Volkan's state of preparation isn't at its best either.
Even at his best in the early part of Chapter 2, he'll only be able to handle around 1,000 to 2,000 at most.
'He probably couldn't secure enough useful corpses either, so the number of death knights and liches will be extremely low.'
In other words, it's a situation where it's possible to kill Volkan. However...
Caron, Elester, Lucia.
The thought of those three going made me a little scared.
It's an opportunity to kill one of the Four Heavenly Kings. But to put it another way...
'It means those three could die.'
Caron, Elester, Lucia.
What if those three become death knights, liches, or even higher undead and stand in our way?
Shiver-!
A chill ran down my spine just thinking about it.
That's why I kept pressing Caron.
Because the outcome can greatly change depending on how many beings that anyone would call 'the strong', those of 8-star level or higher, are brought along.
Alright, let me use the knowledge of a veteran.
Let's find the talent Caron might take with him at this time.
Whoosh-!
A puzzle unfolded in my mind.
The empire's map, power structure, experts of 8-star level or higher, non-mainstream talents, etc.
There are many useful people. The problem is they can't leave their current positions.
I filtered out the unnecessary puzzle pieces one by one.
People who can't move, people Caron shouldn't know about, people who shouldn't reveal themselves yet...
"..."
And I found it.
The strongest puzzle piece that could lead the fight against Volkan to victory.
"Keke, do you think that level of force is enough?"
"There are some unsettling factors, but... I hand-picked the best out of the available troops. And there's no such thing as perfect preparation for the battlefield. We do our best to prepare and respond to the enemy's numbers, that's all."
Caron, this isn't the time for a lesson, you know?
"There are people coming from the Holy Kingdom. How about getting their help?"
"...Don't say such stupid things, unlike yourself."
It's a matter that requires numerous experts to cross the border into another country's territory without permission. Such a thing cannot be disclosed to the members of the Holy Kingdom.
"Information leaking is also a problem. But I don't think that measly information is more important than your lives."
"Impudent fellow. Now you're casually speaking to me informally?"
No, this is a side effect of [Twisted Speech S]!
I clearly said, "Hehe, Sir Caron. I'm truly sorry, but aren't your lives more important than information leaking?"
But Caron didn't seem to be in a bad mood. It was a strange thing.
"Your thought has some point. But apart from the guide, the rest are all students. The guide is also just a middle-aged priest. They won't agree to help even if we ask in the first place."
As Caron said. 'On the surface', that is.
'Among the personnel dispatched from the Holy Kingdom, there are a few from the empire mixed in.'
Educating children around the age of ten and infiltrating them into each country as spies. It was one of the empire's dark sides.
Of course, there are also children who ended up staying in the Holy Kingdom for other reasons.
And the most important figure among them, the person who forms a party with the main members starting from the latter half of Chapter 2.
'Princess Hyacinth.' (TL Note: Hyacinth is type of flower.)
The daughter of Emperor Leon XIII and the thirteenth princess.
Hyacinth, who had a frail body since birth.
She went to the Holy Kingdom for treatment and took this opportunity to return to the empire.
Of course, what's important right now isn't Hyacinth.
It's the person dispatched to protect her, the emperor's sword.
'Adonis.'
Of course, only a very few knew this fact.
For example...
Someone like Caron, the empire's rat.
"What about the princess's guardian?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Caron made a puzzled expression.
Even at a moment like this, he's capable of acting.
As expected of Caron.
'It would be simple to say the name Adonis here, but...'
It's strange for me to know that name right now. Because he has changed his name for some reason.
So it's right to say his real name.
"I'm talking about Sir Douglas, the emperor's sword."
"...!"
Caron's expression distorted. Of course, only for a very brief moment.
"I don't know what you've been saying. Why are you mentioning the name of someone who died a few years ago?"
"Keke, if even skeletons can rise, is there a reason Sir Douglas can't come back to life?"
That's right. Douglas is a dead man. Someone who was one of the empire's past heroes and even had a very grand funeral.
But he's alive and well.
Perhaps sensing that I knew, Caron spat out his words as if chewing on them.
"...How did you know?"
"Well, it's a simple deduction. There were many dubious aspects to Sir Douglas's death. Like the flashy funeral that was unlike Sir Douglas."
"..."
"Around that time, there was a dispatch to the Holy Kingdom. So he either went to the Holy Kingdom for treatment or for another purpose. That's what I deduced."
"It sounds more like a delusion than a deduction."
"Keke, at this very moment, the delusion has turned into reality."
Perhaps amazed, Caron let out a deep sigh. At the same time, his eyes of suspicion intensified.
Hmm, I should show a humane side here.
"Of course, I'm curious about how he changed his appearance. Not only is his face well-known, but he's also old, so it would be difficult to hide."
"And how do you think he did that?"
"He developed a special magic or something?"
"Stupid fellow. You lack creativity."
"Keke, then why don't you tell me how he did it? I feel like my creativity will skyrocket then."
Then Caron put his index finger on his lips and said,
"It's a secret."
"...Stealing a student's pose. The academy's reputation will fall."
"Even so, I can't cut off your head, can I?"
...It's a joke, right?
--TL Notes--
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