Game Opportunity in Reality Episode 163
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Game Opportunity in Reality Episode 163
39. The World Is Wide (3)
I heard about Blake Russell from Chester, the Opportunity Administrator.
'Dark Elf Blake Russell? A pleasant name to hear.'
Since Chester was born from a copy of Grand Duke Lucas's memories from his lifetime, he remembered Blake clearly.
'Blake was indeed an acquaintance of Grand Duke Lucas. And they were on rather good terms at that.'
Grand Duke Lucas's greatest goal in life was returning to Earth.
So the Grand Duke made various attempts in many directions, and one of them was reportedly seeking the help of dragons.
That is a perfectly understandable choice.
Dragons are quasi-divine beings, said to be the race closest to the truth of the world.
Though few in number, each member of the dragon race was a 9th-circle Lord Wizard while possessing knowledge worthy of being called a sage.
So Grand Duke Lucas set foot into the Forbidden Lands to obtain a dragon's help, and the connection he made there was Blake.
The two's meeting was the result of a series of coincidences, but surprisingly, they clicked well and were able to grow close quickly.
'The two traveled together on a journey to meet a dragon.'
After traversing the vast Dragonlands for a year, the two succeeded in making contact with the dragon race.
But they could not obtain the result they wanted.
Because even a dragon, said to be close to the truth of the world, could not give Grand Duke Lucas the answer to dimension shift.
And so the two's adventure came to an end.
Though the outcome was poor, the experiences they shared were enough to make Grand Duke Lucas and Blake friends, and they became beings who met regularly to share a drink.
Hearing only this much, there seems to be no need to be wary of Blake's approach.
Rather, he was a close friend of my master, so I should be able to maintain a good relationship.
But the problem was Chester's final words.
'I know that Blake Russell did not look favorably upon Grand Duke Lucas's Opportunity. He reportedly did not take kindly to his close friend handing over everything he had built over many long years to a complete stranger.'
Those words left a bitter aftertaste to the otherwise pleasant story.
It meant that just because I considered Grand Duke Lucas my teacher, the other party might not see it the same way.
Thanks to that, I could not shake off my wariness.
"Nothing much in here."
So, to prepare for the worst, I had Gregory look into the traits and weaknesses of Dark Elves, and as I read through the materials he handed me, I let out a small sigh.
"The only thing I got out of this is that Dark Elves are of the shadow attribute and weak to Divine power?"
Divine power is a field I have some expertise in.
I not only possess the Holy Sword, but I can also move the candidate Saintess to a certain extent as I please by leveraging my personal connection with her.
"I should ask Lady Ibril for support just in case."
Isn't this exactly what I built connections for?
I decided not to hold back.
"But wouldn't it be possible that preparing all these things in advance might end up offending the other party?"
At Gregory's words, I furrowed my brow.
Certainly, as he said, if Blake came simply to feel the trace of his past friend without any ill intent, and then I went around reeking of Divine power, which is inevitably uncomfortable for a Dark Elf, he wouldn't feel pleased.
I might overreact needlessly and worsen the relationship instead.
"Then we'll have Lady Ibril wait at the Holy Land. So she can fly over at any moment if called."
Meanwhile, Duke James and Maryang can be placed in the room right next door.
They are faces I've already seen once, so that much should be fine.
I'm mobilizing no less than two Grandmasters, one 8th Circle Mage, one 8th-circle-class Spirit Master, and even a Saintess with 8th-circle-level ability on standby.
There are few individuals in Rondel who can mobilize this much force.
And yet, perhaps because I'm naturally cautious by nature, I couldn't easily feel at ease.
"I hope these worries turn out to be nothing but groundless fears."
Wait, [[93]] is missing from the source. The source only goes up to [[91]] with an empty line after. I will translate only what is present.
"Nothing out of the ordinary will happen. In my opinion, even if the master fell into hell, he's the kind of person who'd come back carrying a mountain of adamantite instead of facing any threat to his life."
I let out a wry laugh at Gregory's assessment.
* * *
Time passed quickly, and the promised time with Blake arrived.
When I woke up, there was a note saying he would come find me placed by my bedside which sent chills down my spine and Blake had casually broken through our kingdom's defensive line to appear before me.
[Intruder detected.]
Only after Blake appeared did the Heaven-Piercing Fortresses I had stationed at the Croysen Empire's Imperial Palace react, a step too late.
I blocked the fortresses' counterattack and looked at Blake with a tense expression.
[Relationship: Interest / Neutral]
[Status: Observing / Curious]
And only after confirming the other party's status did I greet him with a friendly smile and extend a handshake.
"Welcome, Sir Russell, a close friend of my master. I am Adrian El Lawrence of the Kingdom of Rhinehearts. The woman beside me is my fiancée, Lady Arcia Klein."
"Good to meet you, good to meet you."
Blake grasped my hand without any hesitation and also gave Arcia, standing beside me, a nod of acknowledgment.
"I wasn't sure what your tastes might be, so I prepared a bit of everything. I hope it suits your palate."
I led him to the Imperial Palace's banquet hall.
The banquet hall was filled to the brim with all sorts of delicacies and fine wines, as befitting someone who values his own life as much as I do.
"Haha, thanks for the generous hospitality."
Watching him let out a hearty laugh, he just looked like a handsome older brother from next door.
But I must not be fooled by appearances.
After all, he was an old body even for a Dark Elf.
"From the way you're acting, it seems you know a fair bit about me."
"Yes, I was told you were the last adventure companion who roamed the Dragonlands with the master, and a kindred spirit and close friend of his."
He nodded with a surprised expression.
"So Manuel didn't just leave his wealth to his successor. Honestly, I didn't like you calling Manuel your master, but if you carry his memories with you, I can accept it to some degree."
Cold sweat trickled down when he said he didn't like me calling Grand Duke Lucas my master.
Still, it seems I managed to get past that smoothly.
"May I ask how Manuel met his end?"
He asked that with a calm smile.
He was probably not referring to the death that was publicly known.
I told him the hidden story that wasn't known to the public.
"You're aware that Grand Duke Lucas was originally from another world, correct?"
"Yes."
I had already heard from Chester that he knew Grand Duke Lucas was of Earth origin.
"Though his body met its death here, I was told his soul returned to his original homeland."
"Is that true?"
Surprise flickered across Blake's face, as if it were an unexpected story.
"Yes, I understand that through the holy art of soul sending, he returned to the underworld of Earth. By now, he's probably been granted a new life back home."
Though that Earth happens to be in chaos, there was no need to mention that.
Blake muttered a small "what a relief" with a bitter expression.
'The mood is fine.'
At the very least, he doesn't seem like he'll draw his sword at me outright.
I felt relieved inwardly and, seeing that he hadn't touched the prepared banquet, poured him a glass of the wine that Grand Duke Lucas had enjoyed in life.
"I've heard that Manuel's Opportunity is something impossible to resolve without information related to his homeland..."
"I, too, am from the same homeland as the master."
"Oh, is that so?"
"Yes, though it was not a dimension shift but a reincarnation after death."
"Reincarnated in another world with memories of your past life? You're just as much of a special case as Manuel."
"Still, thanks to the master, I avoided a senseless death and am living well now. He is not only my master but also the benefactor of my life."
I naturally opened up about my past.
How after my return, my stepmother had threatened my life on multiple occasions.
How I came to learn of Grand Duke Lucas's existence in the midst of that, and spent over ten years desperately searching for his Opportunity.
And how I finally obtained that Opportunity and became the Grand Duke's official heir.
The achievement of my revenge, and so on.
"Ohh."
At a storyline that anyone would find compelling, Blake also showed interest, curving his lips into an arc.
I had been tense at the thought that we might end up fighting, but surprisingly the conversation flowed easily and without any awkward pauses.
I also shared stories from after my revenge, and we talked so enjoyably that I wondered if I had ever been this articulate.
To any third party unaware of how nervous I was, we would have looked like old acquaintances catching up and sharing warmth.
Though my stories were mostly about myself and were bound to run dry soon enough, Blake's expression remained exceedingly gentle.
[Relationship: Interest / Alliance]
[Status: Favor / Curiosity]
Seeing that my relationship with him had moved past 'neutral' into 'alliance,' and his status had shifted from 'observation' to 'favor,' I was certain he had fully come around.
"Those glasses. I didn't recognize them because of the different look, but that's the pair Manuel used to favor."
But I was startled, realizing that he had caught on to the fact that I was evaluating him based on the Myriad Mirror's information.
"You know what this is?"
"Of course I do. The Observing Eye I possess was the motif for that item."
At the mention of the Observing Eye, I re-confirmed his traits.
[Traits: Heart Sword, Observing Eye, Environmental Assimilation]
I only then realized that his trait, 'Observing Eye,' had a function similar to the Myriad Mirror.
I understood why Blake had instantly recognized that I was Grand Duke Lucas's disciple.
"Of course, that one is superior. In terms of performance, there's no comparison."
Of course that would be the case.
The Myriad Mirror was practically a cheat item.
"But it would be best not to rely too much on that artifact. Your sense of perception might dull."
And then he gave me that advice.
Since it was something I had already fully realized and acknowledged, I readily agreed.
"That was enjoyable. I apologize for seeming to intimidate my old friend's disciple without meaning to."
Blake rose from his seat less than an hour after arriving.
It seemed he thought that staying longer would only make me uncomfortable.
He then took something out from his subspace ring and handed it to me, and its size was immense.
[Black Dragon's Fang]
[Black Dragon's Bone]
Upon confirming the names of those items, my eyes flew wide open.
"Th-This is...?"
"Surely this is enough for a gift?"
More than enough.
Dragonbone and dragontooth are items that are nearly impossible to obtain even for a fortune.
Every dragon byproduct available on the market is a relic passed down since ancient times; almost nothing has been harvested since.
Naturally.
How could anyone possibly procure these?
"I did a few errands for the dragon we met alongside Manuel, and received these as gifts."
"Thank you."
I bowed my head deeply without meaning to.
At that, Blake smiled with satisfaction and waved his hand at me in farewell.
And so Blake's figure began to fade... ...
"Wait!"
I called out on impulse.
"Something?"
At my shout, Blake reappeared.
"Th-Thank you so much for such a precious gift. But would it be possible to ask for something else instead?"
He had shown me favor because of his good memories with Grand Duke Lucas.
Bringing up a request now would be the worst possible choice, potentially ruining the amicable atmosphere with presumption.
But my instincts were telling me.
That I must not end my relationship with him over just a gift.
"What? A request?"
As expected, his expression twisted.
Yet perhaps thanks to the previously good mood, he didn't act beyond that, and I quickly continued.
"P-Please become the master of my fiancée."
Was it a request he never saw coming?
Blake looked puzzled, and Shia, who had been standing quietly, suddenly wore a bewildered expression.
"Hmm... ..."
"A-Adrian?"
Under the silver eyes that seemed to appraise her, Shia stammered, a rare sight.
Through the Opportunity, I was guaranteed to rise all the way to the 9th circle.
But Shia was not.
That was why I judged that the out-of-nowhere Lordmaster, Blake Russell, was the necessary piece for Shia's growth.