Game Opportunity Becomes Reality Chapter 96
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Game Opportunity Becomes Reality Chapter 96
25. Stepping One Foot In (5)
Adrian and Arcia make their entrance.
But to Lewis Fairmont, who didn't know who they were, all he could do was raise a question.
"Wh-Who the hell are you?"
Yet there was one thing he could understand clearly.
That these were not welcome guests.
The hardened expressions on the bunker situation room staff, and the incomprehensible gaze Adrian directed at him, mixed with hostility and pity.
Above all, just the unprecedented insults hurled to his face made it easy to tell.
At Lewis's question, Adrian answered with a smirk.
"Marquis Adrian Lawrence, and she is my fiancée, Countess Arcia Klein."
At the polite self-introduction, Lewis briefly looked like he didn't know who that was, but then his eyes flew wide open.
It was the same name as that arrogant figure who had recently become more famous than himself, an Opportunity Seeker.
"The one who screwed us over?"
"That's right. And I'm also the one who planned everything you went through to get here."
"What?"
Whether he couldn't understand or didn't want to, Lewis kept giving that dumbfounded reaction and behind him, a man hiding behind Katro Fairmont, his father and the Republic's President, with a dagger pressed to his back, peeked his head out.
"He's my friend, by the way."
"Israel Oscar!"
"It's Israel Oscar Prius. Who gave you the right to drop the name that forms the foundation of this nation?"
A family that uses 'Prius' the name of the Republic itself as their surname.
There was only one such family.
Because it was the name of the royal house that led the nation back when the Prius Republic was a Kingdom.
The foolish family that, claiming it was for the beloved people, established a republican system and abdicated the throne of their own accord.
"You son of a bitch! Don't tell me you intend to revive feudalism now!?"
"Why would I? I'm proud of the republican system our ancestors left behind."
The Prius family had recently disappeared from the public eye.
And the moment they vanished, revolutionary activity began to intensify so speculation that the Prius family was behind them had been gaining traction lately.
After all, they had plenty of Justification, and wealth if wealth was needed, manpower if manpower was needed, connections if connections were needed they had everything but a throne.
But judging by what was happening right now, it was clear that speculation had been correct.
"So you were the ringleader of the rebels?"
"Everyone around you already figured that out, and you're acting like you discovered something amazing?"
"Gah!"
At Lewis's furious reaction, the Vanguards who had escorted and protected him surrounded the three intruders.
In Adrian's case, he was currently the most famous Grand Mage, and everyone in the room knew Israel was also a Grand Mage.
With Arcia, an Aura Master, alongside them, the enemies who had infiltrated the underground bunker amounted to two Grand Mages and one Aura Master.
'Should I attack? It seems doable.'
Lewis bit his lip, deliberating.
Aside from the President being held hostage, the power disparity wasn't as unfavorable as one might think.
After all, within this bunker situation room were the President's close associates 'Director Zerga of the Magic Academy' and 'Director Panmel of the National Defense Research Institute,' both Grand Mages.
Having made his decision, Lewis signaled to his allied Grand Mages, Zerga and Panmel, with his eyes.
It was a gesture telling them to attack once given the signal.
But the two Grand Mages his core strength violently shook their heads in refusal.
No doubt they were worried about the President's safety.
In response, Lewis glared at them with murderous intent, threatening them with his eyes.
"That stare is hot. Real hot."
But as if he could read everything, Israel snorted and snapped his fingers.
Immediately, the door to the living quarters connected to the bunker situation room opened, and three people walked in.
At their arrival, the Vanguards who like Lewis had thought they might stand a chance lost their fighting spirit.
Because the presence emanating from those three was qualitatively different from that of Aura Experts.
"Four Aura Masters alone..."
Including Arcia, three mobile strike captains who were close aides to Revolutionary Army Commander Izrael were added, making a total of four Aura Masters gathered in the same space.
"Are Aura Masters the only combat power? Don't leave out Grand Mages either."
Adrian pointed at Izrael and himself with his fingers as he said that, but to Lewis's eyes, it looked like nothing but a joke.
With forces that should have been blocked outside now brought inside, this fight was already as good as over.
"How could you permit these bastards' intrusion!?"
In this situation, Lewis asked that with irritation, directed at his father, President Katro.
President Katro kept his mouth shut, and in his stead, Adrian spoke with a sneer.
"We didn't exactly intrude we came in guided by your father."
"What do you ?"
"In a situation where your head could be chopped off at any moment, that's what you're curious about?"
"...."
Lewis belatedly realized that now was not the time to be raising his voice, and following his father's example, he closed his mouth.
Seeing him like that, Adrian took a step closer and asked.
"If you're curious, shall I tell you?"
Lewis rolled his eyes, then, apparently deciding that stalling for any time was better, nodded with a look of indignation.
"It started when I had a meeting with your father."
And Adrian recalled the past and explained the route of their intrusion here.
* * *
"I never imagined we'd meet face-to-face like this. You're the talk of Rondel these days Marquis Adrian Lawrence, aren't you?"
The President's office of the Prius Republic.
Facing President Katro Fairmont, I shrugged nonchalantly.
Meeting him wasn't difficult.
Because I had plenty of means that would catch his interest.
For example, the title of investment genius I'd earned through laundering Grand Duke Lucas's funds, and I could also put a brake on the revolutionary army's activities that had been giving the Prius Republic government a headache, if I were to accept their previous requests even now.
Above all, wasn't there the world-class intelligence organization Blue Moon backing me, which even surpassed the Republic's intelligence bureau?
If you lend even a fraction of Blue Moon's power to a dictator, he gains wings so I truly had many useful cards in hand for him.
"I never imagined I'd be coming here on my own two feet either."
The President of the Prius Republic could be considered equivalent to the Emperor of the Croysen Empire, our Rhinehearts Kingdom's hostile nation.
But even against such a figure, I acted with confidence, without cowering.
I am not a citizen of this country.
There was no need to grovel just to make a good impression.
Rather, if I went in too low a posture, the other side might grow suspicious so I held my head high.
"Marquis, you are being rude. The person before you is His Excellency the President of the great Prius Republic."
"Your rudeness toward His Excellency the President can only be seen as a challenge toward our Republic."
Thanks to that, the President's right-hand man, Aura Master General Raminus, and Director Zerga of the Magic Academy showed displeasure, but I responded calmly with a "what do you expect" attitude.
"Today, I am a man who has come, unrelated to my homeland of the Rhinehearts Kingdom, to conduct a transaction with the President in my personal capacity. If anything, it is your attitude pressuring a grand guest that seems rude."
An utterly arrogant statement.
But that statement meant the transaction I was about to propose was no light matter and that the President would have no choice but to be satisfied.
Naturally, General Raminus and Director Zerga of the Magic Academy bristled, but Katro, the Republic's dictator and President, was actually intrigued.
"Hoh, I am truly interested in what this transaction is. I've taken time out of my schedule for a Marquis with whom we're not on good terms, so I do hope it will be a deal to my liking."
"It will be."
As I said that, I opened a subspace.
The two immediately assumed combat stances, but I snorted as if to say why so overreact, and placed two objects on the table.
"Aren't these Force Cores?"
They were Force Conversion Devices aka Force Cores which could be called the core equipment of Vanguard gear and the Heaven-Piercing Fortress.
The two looked similar at first glance, yet were subtly different, and I had already released the first seal on both.
A core, being the pinnacle of each Mage Tower's technical prowess, cannot be carelessly disassembled.
The fact that I easily unlocked the seals on both devices which would be loaded with countless ciphers meant that I was the one who had manufactured both.
"One is a Force Core from the Panther 1.0 manufactured at my own Lawrence Mage Tower, and the other is a Force Core from the Vanguard equipment the revolutionaries here are using."
"What!?"
At my words, only General Raminus, the Knight, tilted his head in confusion, while President Catro and Magic Director Zerga wore bewildered expressions.
"What is the meaning of this?"
"Are you saying the rebels' cores were truly made with your techniques, Marquis?"
"Not long ago, the late State Council Chairman Garcia came to me and asked that I report that the rebels' cores were made by stealing my technology. I saw no need to go along with a lie, so I ignored it. But it turns out it was the truth."
"Hoh."
This was an incident that could overturn the previous petition scandal.
In the end, it meant the Prius Republic's claims were right and I was wrong.
Furthermore, it meant the revolutionary army stirring public sentiment in the Prius Republic was a true band of thieves, so if this fact were made public, the revolutionaries' influence would inevitably be greatly diminished.
"Oh, then you will issue a statement condemning the revolutionaries, won't you?"
"Of course I will. There's no need to show mercy to thieves who stole my property."
This was certainly a great gain, but it was merely clearing my name that had been tarnished by my own mistake.
It was probably far from the gains the President had envisioned.
"Then wouldn't it be proper to first apologize to His Excellency the President?"
"What meaning does a spoken apology have?"
"So you're saying you refuse to apologize?"
"Do hear a person out to the end."
I presented the President with a carrot.
"As a sign of apology, I intend to offer two gifts."
"And what gifts would those be?"
The President, who showed no interest in my apology, perked up at the word "gifts."
"Both are pieces of information."
But at the word "information," he narrowed his brow. When the President picked up the paper documents I casually set on the table and looked them over, his eyes went wide.
"I-Is this true?"
"The Republic has an intelligence agency, doesn't it? If they investigate those companies, I believe you'll be able to get a sense of whether this information is genuine."
The first document I handed over contained data on two companies.
Namely, confidential information on companies whose stock prices would soon skyrocket.
"What's the rate of return?"
"At the very least twofold, and at most tenfold. As for the recommended trading limits about 3 trillion for the first company and 5 trillion for the second."
It was information that could turn an investment of 8 trillion total into anywhere from 16 to 80 trillion.
It was information about money that the dictator absolutely loved.
"I-In that case, may I first verify this? Whether those companies' technologies are truly in the demonstration phase."
"I do hope the Republic's intelligence agency is competent. So that we aren't kept waiting too long."
"It won't take long."
Soon, he ordered his subordinates to investigate the information.
Given it was classified, it would be hard to access easily, but for the Prius Republic's intelligence agency, getting a handle on it wouldn't be difficult.
And about two hours later, having apparently received the report he wanted, the President's expression brightened.
"Why didn't you use this information yourself?"
"I will be using it too. So I ask that you don't exceed the share I've designated."
"Haha, I see."
Naturally, it was all a lie.
It was material cobbled together by scraping up information on companies that, to anyone's ears, sounded like surefire jackpots gathered through Blue Moon.
The fact that it sounded like a surefire jackpot to anyone meant it wasn't a jackpot yet.
Even if it looked like it would succeed, the possibility couldn't be guaranteed.
However, when someone with a trustworthy status and reputation like me fanned the flames from the sidelines, the credibility was bound to skyrocket.
In other words, the President of the Prius Republic was being scammed right now.
"Come to think of it, you said there were two gifts, didn't you? Surely the information on those two companies isn't all of it?"
"No, the information on those two companies is the first gift."
With that, I handed over the second gift.
It was a map.
"What is this?"
"The stronghold of the rebels calling themselves the revolutionary army."
"What? No, how did you "
"The source isn't important."
Having already experienced firsthand that my intelligence capabilities were no ordinary matter, he nodded compliantly.
And with a gaze full of madness, I made a request that was something like a threat to the President.
"I'd like to believe you'll wipe out the thieving bastards who stole my technology. You will, won't you?"
"Of course. They're a criminal organization we can't afford to ignore either."
Our understanding aligned.
"May I scout out the location first?"
"Quite cautious, aren't you? Suit yourself."
"It'll take some time before we confirm the rebels' headquarters and subjugate it. How about sharing some refreshments while you wait?"
My treatment had completely changed.
The President, who was supposedly on equal footing with the Emperor of the Croysen Empire, smiled at me with the most amicable expression.
And so I spent a few more hours facing that bastard, and this time, in less than thirty minutes, word came that the revolutionary army's headquarters had been confirmed.
"Remarkable. You've been a tremendous help."
There was no longer any need for him to doubt me.
Having verified all the information, he looked at me as if gazing upon a lover.
"Think nothing of it. My honor is at stake as well."
"Honor is important to nobles, after all."
And as we exchanged pleasantries together
An incident occurred.
-BOOOOM!
"Wh-what!? What's going on!?"
"Mr. President! It's a surprise attack! A massive Vanguard force is charging in, surrounding the city!"
"Damn it! Could it be from the Bringham Empire!?"
"Take shelter in the underground bunker for now!"
"A-alright."
I spoke, feigning surprise at the chaotic state of the presidential palace.
"Could you lift the teleportation restriction for me?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't."
"Then you expect me to escape on my own? Through the encirclement of the Bringham Imperial Army?"
At my sharp questioning, President Katro and his inner circle looked troubled.
After staring at me with that creepy lover-like gaze just moments ago, they couldn't very well pretend not to know me now.
"There's no helping it. Come with us. There are several escape routes leading out of the underground bunker."
General Raminus seemed to object to bringing someone with formidable combat power like me and Arcia into the same space, but the President had no choice.
To him, I had become a precious connection he couldn't afford to cast aside.
Moreover, with General Raminus, Director Zerga of the Magic Academy, Director Panmel of the National Defense Research Institute who would soon rush over, and the Vanguards all present, he likely figured his own guard force held the advantage and there was nothing to worry about.
"Please, come in."
And so, guided by the President, I was able to step into the underground bunker with ease.
* * *
I let out a low laugh as I looked at Lewis Fairmont, who was staring at me with a dumbfounded expression after hearing the previous tale.
"Once we were inside the bunker, it was easy. General Nathan, who had already been won over by Field Marshal Ansen, and his men incited infighting within the presidential palace, forcing the guard forces to split, and in the ensuing chaos, we took the President hostage and invited our friends in."
Throughout the lengthy account of the bunker's occupation, President Katro and his two inner-circle Grand Mages hung their heads in shame, while Lewis's face flushed as if it were about to burst.
"Don't look so pained. You are very precious."
At my words, Lewis shot me a glare that asked what that was supposed to mean.
"You're a gift to be presented to the Bringham Empire for the conclusion of the war."
"Fuck!"
And as Commander Izrael stepped forward to answer in my stead, Lewis Fairmont cursed and slowly backed away.
"But before that...."
"W-what?"
"You're going to take a few hits. You were way too cheeky just because you're the President's son."
But it was all futile.
Where could he run when he was already as good as a hostage?
-Thud! Thud!
"Gyaaah!"
President Katro Fairmont, who had acted as if he owned the world, and Lewis Fairmont, the fake Opportunity Seeker.
Their downfall was sealed.