Game Opportunity Becomes Reality Episode 90
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Game Opportunity Becomes Reality Episode 90
24. Holy Sword or Lightsaber (5)
The government of the Prius Republic was shaken severely by Adrian's SNS bomb.
What made it even worse was that the Prius Republic, holding a grudge over this, announced it would impose economic sanctions against the Kingdom of Rhinehearts.
[Bringham Empire: The Prius Republic's economic sanctions against the Kingdom of Rhinehearts are intolerable misconduct. We will actively step forward to support and protect the Kingdom of Rhinehearts.]
[Croysen Empire: How dare a pseudo-nation try to touch the Defteron Continent. We will not sit idly by over this matter.]
[Kingdom of Rhinehearts: It feels like dealing with a child. Wouldn't it be wise for the Republic's government to grow up a little?]
[Kingdom of Lucias: We will not stand idly by while our ally, the Kingdom of Rhinehearts, faces hardships. If the Prius Republic insists on imposing economic sanctions, our Kingdom of Lucias will cooperate with our allies and respond strongly.]
[Chase Kingdom: The Prius Republic is inciting intercontinental conflict. Do they truly not know their place?]
[Walter Kingdom: Why do they try to shift the blame for their own blunders onto other powers and nations? There is nothing wrong with Marquis Lawrence's words and actions.]
Once the video of the conversation between Adrian and Walter State Council Chairman Garsia was made public, this no longer remained merely an issue between the Kingdom of Rhinehearts and the Prius Republic alone.
First, when it became known that Adrian had refused State Council Chairman Garsia's request for the sake of the Bringham Empire's victory, the Bringham imperial house stepped forward with powerful support.
Moreover, the Kingdom of Rhinehearts' allied nations issued statements one after another.
Even the Croysen Empire, which normally had poor relations with the Kingdom of Rhinehearts but hated republicanism even more, added its words, and like a chain reaction, every nation on the Defteron Continent except the Holy Land joined in issuing statements condemning the Republic.
Thanks to this, a dynamic of Defteron Continent VS Tetarton Continent (Prius Republic) was created.
The problem was that while the Defteron Continent was a massive continent densely packed with powerful nations, home to eleven countries, the Tetarton Continent was a small-scale continent occupied solely by the Prius Republic alone.
This situation arose because of a single remark made by Adrian.
[You must be mistaken. This is the Defteron Continent. Why would you think I would do something that harms the Bringham Empire? In this war, I am cheering for the Bringham Empire, which belongs to the same continent.]
By cleverly bringing up the Defteron Continent, he drew a favorable response from the nations belonging to the same continent.
Thanks to that, the Prius Republic's announcement of economic sanctions became the worst possible blunder, and instead, it ended up facing counter-sanctions.
As a result, the Republic's government wavered helplessly, and only the revolutionary forces' influence grew at an alarming rate.
"Frightening. Truly frightening."
Princess Sia Rin of the Kingdom of Roberto, who had personally witnessed the verbal clash between Adrian and State Council Chairman Garsia from up close, swallowed dryly as she watched the situation unfolding now.
She had seen Adrian through the media and broadcasts several times, but the first time she encountered him in person was at the celebratory banquet marking the start of the Saintess contest.
Right there, he fearlessly engaged in a verbal sparring match, almost teasing Duke Isaac Francis of the Bringham Empire.
No matter how one looked at it, Adrian was only a newly appointed noble, even if he was a Marquis of the powerful Kingdom of Rhinehearts.
And on top of that, his opponent was one of the three great dukes of the Bringham Empire.
The shock Princess Sia Rin received was immense.
It was truly no exaggeration to call it a culture shock.
But the current situation was no less shocking than what she had experienced then if anything, it was more.
'The Bringham Empire, the powerful nations of the Defteron Continent, are all rallying around a single man, Adrian, and hurling fierce condemnation at the Prius Republic.'
The Prius Republic was the northern hegemon that the nations of the Triton Continent found most difficult to deal with.
And that very nation, having made the mistake of attacking one man named Adrian, was now being torn to shreds.
"Princess? What are you looking at that's so frightening?"
The personal palace of Princess Sia Rin of the Kingdom of Roberto.
The princess's dedicated lady-in-waiting approached intimately and asked.
A mere lady-in-waiting daring to ask a question to the princess first without even seeking permission such a sight was unimaginable in any other nation.
However, Princess Sia Rin replied calmly, as if she were used to it.
"It's about Marquis Lawrence. He's only a year older than me, and yet he's shaking the whole world."
"Ah, you mean that handsome noble from the West? He certainly does show up in the news a lot these days."
Many people watched Adrian's actions with vicarious satisfaction or felt it was cathartic, but the biggest emotion Princess Sia Rin felt toward him was relative deprivation.
Not only was the national power of his home country impressive, but he was born with tremendous magical talent, became a Grand Mage at twenty, and even made tens of trillions through stock investments.
On top of that, he acted freely without caring what others thought, and possessed the political acumen to back up such behavior she could only admire him.
Unlike herself, who had nothing beyond the title of princess, he was a man who possessed so very much.
"Someone like that ought to become our princess's consort."
"What!? He already has a fiancée!"
"I-I just meant hypothetically. Why are you so worked up? Ah, unless "
"Enough. Say one more word, and "
"Yes, I'm sorry."
But feeling relative deprivation meant acknowledging the gap between them, and put differently, it meant he was someone close to an idol in her eyes.
Even though Adrian had thrown the world into chaos, Princess Sia Rin found herself more concerned with him than with international affairs.
[The Prius Republic's declaration of surrender? They've decided to lift the economic sanctions against the Kingdom of Rhinehearts...]
[However, the Kingdom of Rhinehearts side claimed they were never afraid of economic sanctions in the first place, and lodged a strong protest over the fact that the truly important apology was missing.]
Watching this situation unfold, she wondered what Adrian himself must be feeling.
Was he feeling triumphant?
Or, since he had designed the situation himself, was he utterly indifferent?
Princess Sia Rin savored the thought of how remarkable Adrian was.
But her reaction couldn't last long.
"We just received word from the Holy Land. The Second Round will be held as simultaneous duels, with contestants paired up in twos."
"Really? Then a confrontational dynamic will form. With the final Third Round in mind, this will be an important point to appeal. Do you know who I've been paired with?"
Her subordinate, who served as both her secretary and staff officer for the Saintess contest, delivered the news from the Holy Land.
"A young lady named Ibril Barnet."
And the moment the name of the person she would be directly compared against was mentioned, Princess Sia Rin fell silent.
"Oh no, of all people."
"I don't think you need to worry too much. She certainly performed excellently in the First Round and has many fans, but until she entered this contest, she was a perfectly ordinary commoner. As far as I know, she has no talents to show beyond holy magic she learned in a hurry."
"I know that. But her Sponsor is Marquis Adrian Lawrence."
"Pardon? What does that have to do with "
"Would someone of that caliber really come unprepared?"
In the past, her secretary might have tilted her head and asked if she was overrating him, but thanks to everything currently unfolding, no one dared to underestimate Adrian anymore.
For Princess Sia Rin, she had ended up facing the one opponent she least wanted to face.
Although the Second Round wasn't about winning or losing, but rather a time to appeal to the faithful, the opponent was who she was, so she couldn't help but be tense.
'I must become the Saintess. Even if it's just a little, to be of strength to this nation.'
But she couldn't just cower forever.
After all, if she wanted to become the Saintess, this was a mountain she had to cross no matter what.
And so time passed, and the day of the contest arrived.
* * *
"Hello. Please take care of me today."
The Second Round lasted anywhere from a few dozen minutes at the shortest to no more than two hours at the longest.
Even if it was a stage for each to show off their talents, it would be difficult to keep it going for hours on end.
The Second Round was held at an outdoor performance venue prepared in the Holy Land, where two stages had been set up around dozens of cameras.
Both sides had their stages concealed by tents like in a play, but Princess Sia Rin from the opposing camp, who would be competing today, poked her head out between the curtains, glanced around, and spotted me before running over to greet me.
"We're the ones who should be asking you to go easy on us."
"That's what I should be saying. Honestly, with everything that's been happening lately, the Marquis scares me."
"Oh, scary? Please don't be intimidated by me. I may not look it, but I'm very good to people I take a liking to."
"So you're saying I'm someone you've taken a liking to?"
"That's right."
She's such an adorable figure who brings back a sense of nostalgia for Korea how could I not like her?
When she covered her face with her voluminous sleeves, I finally got a good look at her outfit.
"That's quite the dancer's attire."
"Yes, today's concept is dance and sorcery."
"I've actually been very interested in the sorcery of the Triton Continent. Today should be an enjoyable contest."
At my encouragement, she nodded and returned to her own stage.
When it comes to a talent showcase, it seems better to weave in a story rather than just showing off one's abilities outright.
Honestly, we had similar thoughts on our side too.
"Alright then, the contest will begin in three minutes. All staff and the two candidates, please prepare."
With the announcer's call, the cameras started rolling.
The stage assigned to Ibril today wasn't bad.
The surroundings were quiet, and it was one of the larger stages.
But the opponent was tough, so I couldn't help but be nervous.
Princess Sia Rin wasn't an extraordinary sorceress, but the unique atmosphere of the East was more than enough to capture the attention of Westerners.
"Cue!"
And so time passed, and with the cue, the curtains covering both stages dropped.
Then the characteristics of the two stages became apparent.
I first looked at the stage of my competitor, Princess Sia Rin.
Behind her stood a building with tiled roofs and ornate dancheong, and lanterns floating here and there cast a dreamy atmosphere across the space.
Along with an ensemble playing Eastern instruments, Princess Sia Rin began to dance.
Unlike Western dance, it emphasized the softness of lines similar in feel to Korea's salpuri.
Then she formed hand seals in the air and used sorcery.
"From the northwest, come, Blazing White Tiger."
-Chrrr!
And then, a pure white tiger in the style of an Eastern painting, leaving rough black brushstroke-like lines in its wake, danced alongside her.
'So that's sorcery.'
The White Tiger she summoned had a combat power of at most the 4th Circle.
But in terms of spectacle, it was rivaled by no great mage.
Thanks to that, gasps of admiration flowed from every direction.
If she finished like this, her score for the Second Round would undoubtedly be quite high.
But those who had been admiring Princess Sia Rin's stage turned their heads to Ibril's stage and one and all fell silent.
"W-Welcome! This is Ford Convenience Store!"
Because right next to that splendid stage, a convenience store had been set up.
I stepped onto the stage with a triumphant expression to support Ibril.
People all around were flustered, wondering whether a Sponsor was even allowed on the Saintess contest stage.
"Checkout, please."
When I placed two chocolates on the counter and said that, every official wore a dumbfounded look.
"Yes!"
Ibril, smiling at my actions, scanned the barcode and said,
"That'll be 5,000 Lute."
Ibril, a commoner with no notable experience other than working part-time at a convenience store.
So for her, I set up a convenience store right in the contest venue.