Game Opportunities Become Reality Episode 56
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Game Opportunities Become Reality Episode 56
17. Leveling Up Again (3)
At the unrestrained profanity directed at the Second Prince, Catherine's face turned white.
Then, worried that someone might have heard, she nervously glanced around.
Fortunately, there was no one around the refreshment table set up temporarily at the training grounds except the three of us.
"Adrian, what if something terrible happens?"
Flustered, Catherine, who had been addressing me as Lord Marquis without fail, called me by my name instead.
But Arcia's reaction that followed was even more extreme than mine, never less.
"I hate the Second Prince's perverted gaze. I don't want to get tangled up with him, tell him to get lost."
Her cold response lifted my spirits for a moment, but only for a moment this situation was so absurd that I couldn't keep my expression in check.
Does the Second Prince want to make an enemy of me?
"Wh-why, even you, Lord Marquis..."
It's only been three days since Catherine became Arcia's dedicated handmaiden, but she seems to have noticed what feelings the Second Prince holds for Arcia.
Seeing her flustered state and Arcia's firm refusal of the Second Prince, I thought I couldn't leave things as they were.
"Bring him here."
"Pardon?"
"That errand boy. Bring him here."
"Ah, understood."
Catherine hesitated as if wondering what I was thinking, but soon nodded and turned back the way she came.
And a moment later.
"I greet Lord Count Klein. And... h-huh?! Lord Marquis Lawrence?"
Perhaps because he had built up quite a notorious reputation through this Domain War, the fellow who had been approaching Arcia with a sly smile to greet her froze the moment he saw me.
Judging by the unit insignia embroidered on his uniform, he appeared to be a royal knight.
A man who became a royal knight, running errands like this.
Naturally, my face was full of displeasure, and the errand boy, growing restless, sent a pleading look toward Arcia.
But Arcia paid him no attention.
She was only eyeing the cheesecake I had specially ordered.
What a ridiculous fellow.
Since when did he know her to act so familiar with Arcia?
"What business brings you here? State your purpose."
Written out, the words seem gentle enough.
But heard aloud, they were colder than the snows of the Bringham Empire, laced with an edge as sharp as a razor.
He hesitated for a moment, and when I tapped the table with my finger 'tung' he flinched hard and answered.
"His Highness Prince Luke Win Rhinehearts has invited Lord Count Klein to a meal and sent these flowers."
With that, he pulled out a bouquet so extravagant it was dazzling from a subspace ring that lower nobles couldn't even dream of seeing.
It was a bouquet crafted entirely of gold and jewels.
"Give it here."
I snatched the bouquet and handed it to Arcia, and she, mid-enjoyment of her cake, tilted her head in confusion at the lump of precious metal and reflexively handed it back to me.
This was the result of repeated training.
After all, the baggage was in the habit of storing things in my subspace.
I tucked the bouquet she handed back into my subspace.
I'd sell it off later when I go to the capital.
And very conspicuously at that.
"Th-that was meant for Lord Count Klein..."
"Wasn't it delivered? But the Count gave it back to me. What's the problem?"
"No, it's nothing. My apologies."
He swallowed dryly and kept sending intense looks toward Arcia.
She, showing no change in expression, gestured with her chin asking what was the matter.
"I'd like an answer regarding the meal."
"What about Adrian?"
"His Highness the Prince has invited only Lord Count Klein."
"Then no."
"U-um, my Lady, please don't be like that."
Is he the Second Prince's loyal lackey?
Surprisingly persistent.
I flicked the table again with my finger to draw his gaze.
"Which house are you from? I heard one needs considerable backing to become a royal knight."
"Why do you ask about my house...?"
At my question, he nervously asked back, and I smiled faintly as I answered.
"Because I enjoy dragging people to the Sky Fortress and destroying their families. Did you see the news?"
"..."
"Still, I can't very well cut off the head of Prince Luke's errand boy, so perhaps I should cut off your parents' heads instead."
A sudden vile insult about someone's parents.
But it seemed he thought of me as someone who would actually follow through on such threats.
His complexion was past pale he looked like a veritable corpse.
"If anyone makes an unpleasant offer to Arcia from now on, I will not stay still."
"But, I was acting on His Highness the Prince's orders..."
"I'm displeased why should I care about your situation?"
Meaning: whether you get caught in the middle and die or not is none of my concern, so save yourself as you see fit.
I approached him and patted his shoulder.
Having been thoroughly frightened, he naturally flinched, then swallowed dryly and avoided my gaze.
"Go back and tell His Highness the Prince exactly that."
Then, in a very small voice, I spoke so only he could hear.
"I do hope we can continue this good relationship. But if you provoke me any further, I might go berserk. Let me be clear she is mine."
It was dressed in a bit of courtesy, but the content was pure threat.
Thanks to that, the errand boy of a royal knight swallowed his breath in vain.
"U-um, you truly wish for me to deliver that message as is?"
"Yes, word for word, not a single syllable changed."
No matter how much of a powerful noble with a marquis title I was, acting this way toward the Second Prince whose royal authority was considered formidable could only look dangerous.
He would likely think of me as follows.
A 'lunatic' or a 'mad dog'.
And that would become infamy that further reinforced my image.
With a smiling face, I gave the errand boy his leave.
"Aren't you going?"
"Pardon?"
"Why, won't you tell me your house name? Or no I could just look it up myself..."
"It was an honor to meet you! My Lady, I shall take my leave now!"
The Second Prince's errand boy vanished as if fleeing.
"Were you always this way?"
Catherine looked at me with a startled expression.
"I've always been cold to my enemies."
"Enemies? Surely you don't mean His Highness the Prince?"
I let out a wry laugh and, wondering what she was so surprised about, noted Arcia's wide eyes and flushed cheeks with curiosity.
* * *
"He really said that?"
"Y-yes. Above all, his gaze made it clear it wasn't a joke but a genuine threat."
"Tsk. Marquis Lawrence I didn't think he'd be like this, but he doesn't know his place. You may leave now."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Luke, the Second Prince of the Kingdom of Rhinehearts, furrowed his brow as he dismissed the royal knight he often used as an errand boy from his office.
At that, Marquis Hamington the Second Prince's close aide and a core figure in his faction, who served as head of the Noble Auditor's Office cautiously spoke up.
"Your Highness, I believe it is time to withdraw. It would be unwise to provoke Marquis Lawrence any further."
"What?"
"If you truly desire her, would it not be possible to take her after you seize the throne?"
The Second Prince's face, which had been colored with displeasure, hardened.
Then the Second Prince turned his head and looked at Marquis Hamington.
"Marquis Hamington."
"Yes?"
"That's a good idea."
"Ah, yes."
Marquis Hamington, who had been needlessly frightened, breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.
Anyone but a fool could see why the Second Prince was so fixated on Count Klein's daughter.
She was an Aura Master like him, young and beautiful, was she not?
It was only natural that the Second Prince had set his eyes on her.
But now was simply not the time for petty emotional squabbles.
After all, internal cracks could form before the struggle for the throne truly began.
And besides the one occupying the seat beside her was none other than Marquis Lawrence, a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment.
All this time, he had been nervous that Marquis Lawrence might explode over the Second Prince's actions, so he considered it fortunate that things had been settled this way, at least.
Marquis Hamington believed that as long as the Second Prince became king, whatever he did afterward didn't matter.
"I must have lost my head, unlike myself."
"I think it would be best to apologize for what happened."
"So you're saying I should placate Marquis Lawrence first."
"Yes. The impertinent Marquis Lawrence is certainly someone who must be disciplined, but the time is not yet right."
"I have no choice."
The Second Prince did not consider the situation so far to be a major problem.
After all, Adrian and Arcia were not yet married, and even after marriage, it was common in noble circles for people to get tangled up in matters of romance here and there.
The Second Prince decided to endure for a while for the sake of true pleasure.
"That's one more reason I must become king."
"Your Highness will become king."
A vassal must be prepared to lay down even his life for his leader.
But to fuss over a woman and snarl at one's master?
Prince Luke thought all of this happened because he was not yet king.
Of course, to Adrian, who could not understand his way of thinking, the Second Prince's behavior only looked like that of a madman.
"The Second Prince heard that outrageous remark and let it pass?"
"That's right!"
For reference, the royal guard who had acted as the messenger reported to his comrades that, despite delivering the threatening message verbatim, nothing had happened between the Second Prince and Marquis Lawrence.
And that became a rumor that spread like wildfire.
They said Marquis Lawrence had such a fiery temper that even the Second Prince had to yield to him.
* * *
At this point, I think it's necessary to pause and do a mid-point summary.
By mid-point summary, I mean checking my current stats and the assets I've acquired so far.
First, let's look at my stats.
-Occupation: Grand Mage
-Realm: 7th Circle
-Mana: 14,750
The occupation and realm explanations are obvious, so I'll skip them, but the mana figure of 14,750 stands out I can't tell if that's a lot or a little.
Mana can be considered the fuel for using magic.
Since the average for a 7th Circle is around 10,000, I possess about 1.5 times more mana than a typical 7th Circle mage.
Having more mana doesn't particularly strengthen attack power.
Instead, it extends combat endurance.
Even if the power is the same, being able to use magic longer and more often is by no means a negligible ability.
-Physical Condition
Strength: 2.5
Stamina: 2.5
Agility: 2.5
But the most surprising part among my quantified stats would be this one.
The "Physical Condition" figure.
If the average for a healthy adult male is 1, then I possess physical abilities 2.5 times superior to an ordinary adult male.
It means that, despite being a mage, I'm more robust than most knights.
Of course, if a knight reinforces his body with Aura, the numbers could flip, but I can also buff myself with magic, so I can confidently claim my raw physical ability is on par with a knight's.
That's why I could fight as an evasion mage even against the Vanguard.
'Even I have to admit, I'm a hybrid.'
The reason I've been able to possess such bizarre stats is that I actively made use of opportunities.
Grand Duke Lucas's Opportunity reflects the game's stats into reality as they are.
This means that if you strengthen your body in the game, it applies to reality as well.
So I absorbed various elixirs and steadily raised my physical abilities.
Thanks to that, not only my physical condition but also my mana became higher than average.
I probably poured at least over a billion into the game to reach these numbers.
'It feels a bit like abusing the system, but for smooth growth, I have to take every possible advantage.'
Thanks to that, in order to utilize my rising physical abilities, I learned swordsmanship from Weiss, my former escort who is now the vice Knight Captain of the Viscounty of Lawrence's knight order, but I've been too busy to continue the training.
I don't even have time to log into the game, so where would I find time for swordsmanship training?
Still, if I ever have the leisure, I plan to learn swordsmanship again.
And if my understanding of swordsmanship deepens, it might not be a bad idea to shape my Magic Staff into a sword form.
With my stats, if I enchant my sword with magic instead of Aura, I could easily pass for a magic swordsman.
Of course, I don't know if it's actually possible, but that's just the kind of imagination I have.
'Next, let's look at my assets.'
The greatest asset I possess is, of course, my territory.
The Marinkov region granted to me by the King is among the larger ones in the Kingdom of Rhinehearts.
[Marquisate of Lawrence]
-Cities Held
Marinkov: Population 5.21 million, annual total output 130 trillion
Wells: Population 1.04 million, annual total output 25 trillion
Rikport: Population 520,000, annual total output 11 trillion
Stockton: Population 350,000, annual total output 9 trillion
-Total Population: Approximately 7.12 million
-Annual Total Output: 175 trillion
-Annual Tax Revenue: 62 trillion
These are last year's figures, and the tax rate can be seen as applied at around 40%, which is the average for the King's domain.
Certainly, just looking at the numbers, you can feel the scale is enormous.
The annual tax revenue is a whopping seven times that of the Viscounty of Lawrence.
But I plan to lower this tax rate to the low 30s.
That will reduce immediate tax revenue, but by expanding territorial businesses to create jobs and raise wages, I believe tax revenue will ultimately increase as well.
For reference, a tax rate in the 30s might seem like a lot, but it's really not.
This tax revenue doesn't just mean "income tax" it's the sum of all kinds of taxes like "residence tax, property tax, consumption tax, gift tax, inheritance tax, acquisition tax, license tax, etc.," subtracted from the annual total output and expressed as a percentage.
"If I had to compare, wouldn't it be similar to South Korea, or even cheaper?"
South Korea's GDP is around 1,600 trillion, and considering its annual national budget is over 450 trillion, you can see at a glance that it's similar.
Of course, calculating the effective total tax rate isn't that simple, but this was only an approximate figure anyway.
Anyway, from this annual tax revenue, about 30% is paid to the royal family, and the rest becomes my domain budget.
Based on last year's tax revenue of 62 trillion, that's roughly 43 trillion.
Certainly, being at the level of a Marquisate, the amount is staggering.
'But one problem had arisen.'
That being
Because I spent the budget recklessly buying weapons for the Domain War, the balance had run dry.
At this rate, with the money diverted to weapon purchases, I'd not only miss next month's weapon installment payments, but I'd even end up拖欠 the soldiers' wages.
However.
[Deposit balance: 42 trillion 62.5 billion]
Now there's nothing to worry about.
The truth is, I secured some funds.
For reference, the source of these funds is the money obtained from disposing of the spoils (weapons, property) won from the war against the four Viscount houses.
Since there's a law stating a new lord (me) cannot expand territory for one year, the lands were absorbed into the King's domain, but the personal assets and weapons held by the four Viscount houses were all transferred to me.
Actually, while revenge was one reason I waged the Domain War, filling the treasury was also a goal, so this can be considered a natural outcome.
Taking the enemy's wealth and enjoying riches from it isn't that splendid?
'Next, my held assets.'
The companies I currently hold, totaling around 5 trillion Lute, are in the middle of having their management structures integrated, so nothing has changed.
So I recalled the reward list obtained from clearing the Opportunity and the special items that came out of the four Viscount houses' treasuries.