Game Opportunities Become Reality Episode 206
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Game Opportunities Become Reality Episode 206
47. Rondel's Sea (5)
"Contact, you say. It couldn't have been a phone call… How was it delivered?"
They said Ieria Nelson had made contact, but given the concern about being tracked, there was no way it came by phone.
The Minister of the Royal Household, who knew from Blue Moon that I was an Opportunity Seeker, handed me an envelope.
"A letter?"
"Yes. It was brought by a former Minister of Commerce from Coralheim."
Quite a classic method of contact, isn't it?
I asked with a cold expression.
"Where is he now?"
"He's currently waiting in the reception room under Gregory's watch."
As expected, his work is clean and tidy.
Satisfied, I opened the envelope.
At that, Saintess Sylvester, who had been across from me, abruptly stood up and took the seat beside me.
I paid it no mind and read the letter.
[I wish to meet in person. I request a conversation with Grand Duke Lawrence.]
The letter was brief, without even the usual flowery pleasantries.
But in those short words, I could read the other party's bewilderment, and I let out a small chuckle.
At the end of the letter was the coordinates of a place where they wished to meet. Saintess Sylvester tilted her head upon seeing them.
"I don't think I've ever seen a coordinate starting with zero before. What is it?"
At her question, I spoke calmly, saying it made sense she wouldn't know.
"The center of the world the Storm Sea's coordinates begin with zero."
"The Storm Sea?"
"Yes. A dangerous place."
If the Dragonlands are the representative forbidden land of the land, then the Storm Sea is the representative forbidden land of the sea.
As its name suggests, storms rage endlessly in that region, and a massive whirlpool at its center devours everything like a black hole. At the very depths, mana churns violently, making it hard to properly use any supernatural abilities.
The reason such a bizarre terrain exists remains unknown to this day.
Only the goddess, the creator, would know.
"Is there even a place to hold a conversation there?"
"I've heard there are a few small islands in the Storm Sea. It's likely one of those places."
"Then it's possible the place where those bastards were hiding is also nearby."
"It's not out of the question."
I rose from my seat.
The reason was to meet the one who had brought this letter.
I asked the Saintess if she would come along, and she nodded as if it were only natural.
Thus, we came face to face in the reception room with the former Minister of Commerce of Coralheim, who had been under Gregory's watch.
"It's an honor, Your Highness the King, Your Holiness the Saintess. My name is Kent Lothea."
I waved my hand dismissively, as if I had no need to know his name, and took my seat across from him.
I stared at the mermaid who introduced himself as Kent, silently and unblinkingly.
He broke into a cold sweat, and I lifted my chin, delivering a chilling greeting.
"If Third Prince Ieria failed to respond within a day, I planned to announce that the entire royal family of Coralheim are supporters of the demon worshipers."
"Wh-What do you mean? What would you gain from such a lie?"
"Our duchy has many technicians who can make people confess to things they never did. If the King of Coralheim himself confesses it as truth, then it stops being a lie and becomes fact."
"Hah…"
"Well, had Third Prince Ieria still failed to show himself, I would have dragged this into a matter concerning all of Coralheim. Fortunately, it seems things have wrapped up nicely."
Unless he was a fool, he would understand the weight of my words.
"You mean to say you intended to frame Coralheim and bring about its Ruin?"
"If things didn't go as I wished, yes. And Ruin alone would hardly be the end of it. I would have pushed for the complete annihilation of the entire merfolk race. After this affair, I've come to realize just how troublesome a race you underwater dwellers are to deal with."
"Th-This is…"
He seemed to want to blurt out "this is insane," but perhaps because of my icy stare, he dared not voice the curse.
And that was only natural.
From his perspective, I might as well be a demon king.
'Is he believing it just because of the infamy I've built up so far?"
In truth, this was merely a bluff I had thrown out to scare him.
Surely I wouldn't actually wipe out an entire nation and its people.
Royalty might be executed as an example, but the annihilation of a nation or a race was not something one could order with a sound mind.
"Grrk…"
However, the mermaid named Kent before me took my words at face value.
It seemed he thought I might actually do it.
Once he returns and relays my words, the Third Prince of Ieria won't dare pull any more tricks.
Times like this make me think a fearsome reputation isn't all bad.
Feeling no need to correct his mistaken impression, I gave Kent a smile.
"So, am I to understand that the Third Prince of Ieria's requested meeting is for a hostage exchange?"
He flinched greatly at my smile.
He then swallowed dryly, looking as if he had just faced a wild beast.
Kent placed a hand on his chest as if to calm his pounding heart, and nodded obediently.
"It is true that I sought this meeting to discuss that matter."
"So 'discuss' doesn't mean exchanging hostages on the spot."
"Correct. We wish to talk first."
They had essentially confessed to being the hostage-takers.
With this, they went from suspects to perpetrators.
I didn't like that the hostage exchange wouldn't happen immediately, but the enemies had no choice but to be cautious, so I decided to understand.
Still, I considered it fortunate that they reacted this quickly.
It seemed Ieria cared more for his family than expected.
"I'd like the gathering at those coordinates to be limited to five people, including His Highness the King, Grand Duke Lawrence. Would that be acceptable?"
"No problem."
As the conversation wrapped up, Kent sprang to his feet as if he didn't want to stay a moment longer.
The exchange was brief, but the impact must have been too great.
However, our side wasn't finished yet.
There was still a crucial point to address.
"I trust you are aware that if harm comes to the Saintess Ibril, the King of Coralheim and his family will not be spared."
"...."
"The Saintess Ibril will be safe, yes?"
"She will."
At my words, Kent's shoulders gave a small twitch, but whether to hide his expression or not, he left the reception room without ever looking back.
"Shall I kill him?"
I shook my head at Gregory's question.
After all, he was an important guest who needed to relay today's conversation and atmosphere.
"You also keep torture specialists?"
Out of nowhere, the Saintess Sylvester, who had been listening to the entire conversation, asked an unexpected question.
It seemed she was bothered by the mention of skilled technicians who could make people confess to things they hadn't done.
I shrugged.
"Of course not."
"Haha, right?"
The Saintess let out an awkward laugh, saying she'd worried over nothing.
The duchy has no torture specialists.
But outside the duchy, in the Blue Moon, there are plenty of such technicians.
In other words, it wasn't an empty boast.
* * *
The five attendees for the meeting with Ieria Nelson did not include church figures like the Saintess and the Holy Son.
I had separately asked the Holy Son and Saintess for their understanding, as there was something I needed to investigate, and both, trusting me, readily agreed.
And so, leading Arcia, Bug, the Dark Elf Blake, and an unexpected figure in black robes, I headed for the Storm Sea.
"You struck precisely at our weak point. Honestly, I was quite rattled."
At last, I was able to meet Ieria Nelson.
Just in case, I carefully scanned the surroundings with the Myriad Mirror for any traps.
In the end, I confirmed that there was nothing hidden only mermaids with virtually no combat ability present and narrowed my eyes.
"You seem puzzled that we only brought those with low combat prowess."
Naturally.
Our side included a Lordmaster in its ranks.
If we attacked, they'd be dead where they stood.
In response, Ieria stated the obvious simply.
"We can't match you with force anyway, so we have to use our heads. I've arranged it so that if I don't return by the appointed time, the Saintess Ibril will be killed."
Only then did I let out a wry laugh, understanding.
This Ieria struck me as a very pragmatic person.
-KOOOOH!
"What was the reason for choosing to meet here of all places?"
The ground we stood on was one of the small islands in the Storm Sea.
Rapidly moving clouds, biting winds, the Storm Sea's characteristic rough waves, and torrential rain raged fiercely.
However, a barrier had been erected around the long table at the center of the island, creating the unusual spectacle of watching a typhoon rage from inside a glass greenhouse.
But perhaps due to the Storm Sea's characteristic of suppressing supernatural powers, even though the protective shield keeping us safe from the outside environment was a 7th Circle Great Shield, its power was greatly diminished, and I had to reinforce it myself.
'If I weren't an 8th Circle Mage, even teleportation would have given me considerable trouble.'
The Storm Sea, which I was encountering for the first time, felt far too ominous to me.
"There was no particular reason for choosing to meet here. It was simply to prevent surveillance and interference from third parties."
A reasonable answer.
Here, not only do artifacts fail to function properly, but approaching by conventional means would itself be extremely difficult.
I took my seat at the table and asked bluntly.
"So, are we exchanging hostages?"
Ieria nodded with utter calm.
"Yes, let's exchange. Same time tomorrow, right here."
Surprised by his cool response, I examined his information with the Myriad Mirror.
[Ieria Nelson / Politician, Intermediate Spirit Summoner]
Race: Mermaid
Age: 122
Affiliation: Blue Sea Alliance / Third Prince of Coralheim
Talents: Political Acumen (Peak), Intellectual Ability (High), Learning Ability (High), Command (Average), Spirit Power (Average)
Traits: pioneer, agitator, spirit of self-sacrifice
Relation: Cautious / Hostile
Status: Tense / Afraid
Exceptionally high stats.
But aside from the stats, nothing particularly distinctive stood out.
However, there was one thing I could understand.
Looking only at his disposition, he didn't seem like an evil person.
I asked him.
"So, what was it you wanted to discuss by sending me that letter?"
In response to my question, Ieria showed a slight sign of tension.
"Is my family safe?"
"Yes, for now."
"For now?"
"It means that your family will only be released unharmed if Lady Ibril remains safe."
At his response of strictly demanding an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, his expression darkened for a moment, and catching that, I leaned my face closer to his.
"You didn't happen to harm Lady Ibril, did you?"
"She attacked us outright. As if she wanted us to die together with her. So we had to fight her numerous times."
Ieria nodded surprisingly readily.
Checking the Myriad Mirror, there was no falsehood in his words.
"Explain in detail."
"We fought nearly thirty times due to the Saintess's initiative. There were many occasions where we were close to death. But in the end, our side suffered far more damage than she did. Lady Ibril is currently unharmed, and she's actually grown stronger. Meanwhile, our faction suffered heavy losses."
Was Ibril really that kind of person?
I rubbed my temples.
"Regardless of the process, when it comes to the results, you don't seem to be in a position to ask about your family's safety. You harmed her despite being clearly warned."
"I apologize. But we had no choice."
"Since you say she's unharmed, the hostages we've taken will also be released safely. At least on the surface."
At that threat-laden remark, he swallowed dryly.
Full control had completely shifted to me.
But I felt not a shred of satisfaction.
"Please, I beg you, don't touch my family."
"Why should I do that?"
"Instead, I'll give you information that will be of use to Your Highness the King."
With Ibril's exchange already confirmed, my interest in him was slowly fading.
But when he offered to share information useful to me, I decided to hear him out for now.
However, the story he told was all too predictable.
He spoke of Earth and Rondel, and of the great catastrophe that would arise from them.
It was only natural, given he didn't know we were already aware of that, but I still had to let out a sigh.
"Is that all the useful information you had for me?"
My unimpressed expression flustered Ieria.
But perhaps thinking my reaction meant I didn't trust their story, he brought up something unexpected.
"I know it's not something you can accept at face value. But we possess evidence to back it up."
"Evidence?"
"Yes. We've been sheltering a number of outsiders from another world called Earth. If Your Highness the King meets with them, you'll see that my words are not false."
"...."
Honestly, this surprised me a little.
To think they were sheltering Earthlings.
Even Selin, the demon worshiper, hadn't known about this.
"Is that so? How many are we talking about?"
"Approximately 500 people."
And the number mentioned was far greater than I had expected.
Thanks to that, I couldn't keep my poker face.
"You must be wondering why I'm suddenly bringing all this up."
"Indeed."
"But I know Your Highness the King of the duchy, Grand Duke Lawrence, to be a realist with sound judgment."
Then he spoke to me pleadingly.
"I ask that you please understand our position. We only sought to protect Rondel."
I could read his ulterior motives from his demeanor.
'This guy is trying to win me over.'
He figured that if I met the Earthlings with him and got a grasp of the situation, he might be able to draw sympathy from me.
From their standpoint, it was close to a gamble, but if it succeeded, their plan would gain wings, and a crisis would turn into an opportunity.
That only goes to show how cornered they've become by me and Ibril's unexpected actions.
"Haha."
I feel like laughing.
But since I can't know what they might do if they give up in despair, I decided to toss them a small shred of hope.
I gestured with my chin toward the person in the black robe among the group.
At that, the singled-out figure pulled back the hood of the robe.
And soon, a beauty with red hair and red eyes revealed herself.
"Selin!?"
Her identity was Selin, the demon worshiper.
At the appearance of someone he thought was already dead, Ieria stared at me in shock before his face broke into a joyful expression.
"You... already knew everything?"
I nodded.
"We've also spoken with the Demon King of Earth through her. We probably know more about Earth's situation than you do."
It seems he got the wrong idea that we were conveniently on the same page.
I decided to play a little hard to get.
"Don't think this makes us allies. You people once kidnapped someone I hold dear."
At that, the faces of Ieria and the other mermaids immediately darkened.
Still, he must have judged the situation to be not entirely unfavorable, and composed himself to ask me.
"Then would you like to meet the Earthlings we've been sheltering?"
"Sure."
Whatever they might think, delusions are their own prerogative.
But there's one thing I must make absolutely clear.
I have no intention of letting them live in the first place.
That's why I revealed Selin.
The plan was to maintain contact through Selin as a connecting point, and once Ibril was returned, quietly clean house.
Meaning I don't care about their beliefs or plans in the slightest.