Game Opportunities Become Reality — Episode 65
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Game Opportunities Become Reality — Episode 65
19. Saintess Candidate (4)
'A copy of the research materials.'
It was a perfectly plausible story.
Connecting to an Opportunity and just looking around inside before leaving — that would be far too naive.
Count Acres, the guardian of Young Lady Otis, looked at her with a startled expression, clearly having never considered such a possibility.
As everyone's gaze focused on her, Young Lady Otis broke into a nervous sweat, looking exactly like a child caught stealing.
The commander of the Izrael Revolutionary Army in the Prius Republic seemed to think it was a jackpot, curling the corner of his mouth upward, and I took a moment to organize my thoughts.
'What kind of materials would be beneficial to these people?'
Inside the fake Opportunity I handed over, I had hidden quite plausible things to make it look real.
But whether she had actually acquired them was another question entirely.
Because even Louis Fairmont, the fake Opportunity Seeker, had not been able to access those materials.
The reason was simple.
Just as with mine, the Opportunity I gave him was designed to be acquired in stages.
As he builds up his Circles, one Opportunity opens at a time.
Chester, the Opportunity Administrator who could be considered Grand Duke Lucas's memory, has taken it upon himself to act as a teacher, so his growth is fast, but he's still only at the 2nd Circle level.
The research materials he had obtained at this stage were, at best, things that could be fully covered by current technology.
The research materials he would have obtained at this stage were all things that could be sufficiently covered by current technology.
'If there's anything useful in there, it's the weapon blueprints, and that's all.'
"If it wouldn't be an imposition, would you share some of the research materials with us? Naturally, we would pay a fair price."
"The Opportunity was structured so that it could be acquired step by step. I couldn't access any part of the Opportunity that Louis Fairmont hadn't acquired either. I made copies, but most of the materials at the level he can currently view were already commercialized technology."
"No problem."
"Pardon?"
"I mean, just because it's current technology doesn't mean there's an issue."
Does "current technology" mean it has no value?
Absolutely not.
If it's at the level of weapons being produced by various nations, that means it's the equipment of the current generation.
There's nothing new, but it also means these are core technologies that every nation hides and guards meticulously.
Just because America's F-22 fighter is already commercialized current technology doesn't mean the blueprints have no value.
"It would have been better if we could have obtained blueprints for equipment beyond the current generation, but there's no helping it. We don't even have that much."
"Ah..."
"What I want is the manufacturing data for Vanguard Force equipment. I imagine even that would only be at a basic level within the Opportunity, but am I wrong?"
For those without the ability to manufacture Vanguards themselves, this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to obtain that capability.
'She hit the mark precisely.'
If Young Lady Otis had properly duplicated the materials, they would include the blueprints for the Sky Fortress and the Vanguard.
His targeting was accurate.
"Hmm..."
"Judging by your expression, you do have it."
The atmosphere among the revolutionary army, including Commander Izrael, brightened.
But in contrast, Young Lady Otis showed a troubled expression.
She hesitated, wondering whether she could truly hand over the blueprints of strategic weapons to people who called themselves a revolutionary army.
Naturally.
Her actions could become the spark of war.
"Just as Marquis Lawrence revealed my identity, I am a descendant of the old royal family. I believe you know how much blood our royal family shed in disputes with the nobles before the republican system was established in this nation."
"..."
Young Lady Otis expressed confusion at the sudden topic.
"The reason our royal family gave up power even at the cost of so much blood was for one reason alone: because we believed it was the choice for the people. The master of a nation must not be a small minority, but the absolute majority — the people. That was the will of His Majesty, our late King, who conceived the republican system."
The republic of the Prius Republic was not built by the people themselves.
It was introduced by a young, enlightened King who loved his people.
He was truly a sage king, a figure worthy of being revered as a saint.
"But look at the state of this nation now? Corruption has sickened the country, and the people are starving. Because of this, the feudal nations are mocking the late King's sacrifice. The future His Majesty envisioned was never something like this."
A democratization that was not won by the people, but rather unilaterally imposed upon them.
Thanks to the backward consciousness of the people, this nation's political system has become a dictatorship even worse than those of the feudal nations.
"So you, as a descendant of the royal family, have set your resolve to correct the wrongs."
"That is correct. I will enlighten the citizens of the Prius Republic, introduce an undistorted democratic republic system, and set right the nation's crooked foundations."
"I imagine there will also be many places that need institutional reform."
"I am aware."
Certainly, compared to the current regime, these people appear to be the legitimate ones.
The problem is that their convictions will not easily reach Young Lady Otis and Count Acres, who are nobles to the bone.
"Is that so?"
Under my gaze, Young Lady Otis still hesitated.
Commander Izrael's grand speech seemed to have been in vain.
"It seems Young Lady Otis has no intention of making a deal."
At my assertion, Young Lady Otis nodded and wore an apologetic expression.
Even if they were benefactors, this matter was too large for her to decide alone.
"Young Lady Otis, I beg you to reconsider."
Commander Izrael's expression turned cold.
After all, from their perspective, this was material they needed to obtain by any means.
"I-I'm sorry. I..."
"That's troublesome."
In the end, if this situation continued, there was a high chance they would resort to a transaction close to extortion with threats mixed in...
As someone who was a South Korean citizen in my past life, I wanted to help them.
"If you're willing to forgo Grand Duke Lucas's Opportunity, then why not make a deal with me instead?"
An unexpected proposal.
My words, which no one in this room could have imagined, left everyone baffled.
"What we want is the Vanguard Force equipment blueprints, though..."
"As it happens, I was already planning to manufacture and sell Force Equipment."
"What do you mean?"
"Yes, I have them too. The blueprints for manufacturing Force Equipment."
In a situation where an armed clash could break out at any moment, my words were enough to shift the atmosphere.
Count Acres was flustered, and Young Lady Otis stared at me with wide eyes.
"You truly are a man beyond common sense."
"Thank you for the compliment."
"What level of performance are we talking about?"
"I can confidently say it does not fall short of other Force Equipment produced in our kingdom."
"Oh, if it's Force Equipment from the Kingdom of Rhinehearts, then it must be quite exceptional. Do you happen to have a prototype?"
"Only a Force Converter, but here it is."
A sudden deal atmosphere.
From my subspace, I took out the Force Converter prototype I had produced through the Mage Tower I acquired earlier and handed it to Izrael.
The Force Converter, as its name suggested, was the core of the Vanguard that converted Aura into Force.
"The design is rather unusual."
"Performance matters, but style is needed too."
The Force Converter was nearly impossible to disassemble, so it wasn't something you could analyze just by looking at it.
Therefore, the only way to verify it was normal was to directly infuse Aura into it.
When an Aura Master from the revolutionary army infused Aura, the Force Converter emitted a brilliant blue light, and Force was released.
At that, a smile spread across Commander Izrael's face.
"There's no doubt about it. Truly impressive."
Although their plan had gone awry, they had no reason to refuse my offer since the goal only needed to be achieved by any means.
"But I'm curious. What reason do you have for helping us, going so far as to reveal a secret you've kept hidden?"
"Because I like you people."
Was it because my answer was unexpected?
Commander Izrael looked momentarily surprised, then burst into hearty laughter.
"To receive the Marquis's interest—what an unexpected gain."
"So make sure you price it well."
"Haha!"
Commander Izrael kept chuckling, seemingly quite pleased.
But at that moment, Count Acres, who had been silent, cut in with a note of concern.
"But, will this be alright? A technology trade—this is strictly illegal."
"It's a problem easily solved if everyone here keeps their mouths shut."
"What?"
"We all know each other's secrets now, so let's handle ourselves accordingly. The identity of these people the Republic government treats as rebels, the Young Lady of Count Otis having obtained a treasure that wouldn't be strange to be attacked by the Bringham Empire over at any moment, and on top of that, my illegal dealings. It's already tangled up in complexity."
In simpler terms, it's a threat.
A threat that the Young Lady of Count Otis could be put in danger if anyone runs their mouth carelessly.
Thanks to that, Count Acres shut his mouth tight like a mute who'd swallowed honey.
It seems I'll need to have a separate talk with this man.
"So does that mean we're people who share secrets now?"
But proving once again that the Young Lady of Otis is no ordinary person, her interest was directed somewhere completely unexpected.
"So it would seem."
"Wow, great. I'll be sure to keep the secret safe."
In truth, it wouldn't matter if it got out.
I could just deny it.
"Then shall we talk about the payment for the deal?"
"Somehow, that sounds frightening."
Ah, for the record, the reason I readily agreed to the deal is partly because I like them, but also...
It's because it pains me to think of some random person making money off my opportunity.
The Saintess Ibril-making operation drained ten trillion, leaving a gap in funds, so this came at just the right time.
* * *
Summoned to the Crown Prince's palace, Count Acres and the Young Lady of Count Otis bowed their heads deeply before Crown Prince Mikhail's angered expression.
"Do you two realize your actions could have posed a major threat to our faction?"
"We— we're sorry."
"We beg your forgiveness."
After that, the two of them endured the Crown Prince's scolding for quite some time.
The Crown Prince demonstrated what it meant to scold with words, and it seemed utterly impossible to replicate.
"Conduct yourselves properly from now on."
"We'll keep that in mind."
And so, the thirty-minute-long scolding came to an end, and Count Acres, looking exhausted, finally brought up the question he'd been holding back.
"But aren't Marquis Lawrence and Count Klein from the Second Prince's faction? Why are they here?"
A gaze directed at Arcia and me, sitting in a place of honor in the Crown Prince's palace, calmly sipping tea.
'Honestly, how can he be so oblivious.'
I shook my head and asked the Crown Prince to explain.
With a heavy sigh, he spoke.
"That's because they're our people."
"What?"
From the looks of it, the Young Lady of Otis had already figured it out.
She looked at Count Acres, an elder relative of hers, as if he were pitiful, and spoke.
"It means they laid a smokescreen to appear as if they're on the Second Prince's side. Wouldn't you have figured it out the moment you learned the two of them rescued us? The Second Prince would have wanted his uncle dead."
"Ah, is that so?"
Is it because he's spent his whole life swinging a sword?
What an innocent mind he has.
The Young Lady of Otis, perhaps thinking they'd grown close through this incident, sent me a wink.
At that, Arcia, who had been quietly observing the situation from the side, spoke.
"I think killing her would be cleaner."
I'd made an unexpected fortune so I was in a good mood, but the Young Lady of Otis's presence was indeed a burden.
It seemed worth seriously considering Arcia's proposal.
Count Acres, now understanding the situation, was scolded by the Young Lady of Otis, who was young enough to be his daughter, yet didn't seem offended—whether he was simply glad we were on the same side or just naïve, he clapped his hands innocently with delight.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince. You should see the news."
I wanted to return to my domain, but Count Acres wouldn't let me go, so I had no choice but to join the refreshments—when an adjutant I'd run into several times at the Crown Prince's palace hurriedly entered the office and said that.
"News?"
We all tilted our heads and operated our terminals, and soon realized what he wanted to alert us to, our expressions hardening.
[Bringham Empire declares war on the Prius Republic!]