Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Episode 219
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Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Episode 219
50. Max Level (2)
"But you know that, right?"
"Know what?"
"Let's say, as you said, that Grand Duke Lawrence is Grand Duke Lucas's successor. Then I'm talking about what kind of problems could arise if we align ourselves with him."
Marquis Lake let out a wry laugh.
But when he wiped the expression from his face and asked seriously, Duke Olivia Riverdale nodded in agreement, saying she knew as well.
"That we could end up hostile with the Bringham Empire?"
"Yes. The merit of being Grand Duke Lucas's successor is great, but if the Bringham Empire were to find out about this fact could we really handle the consequences?"
Behind Grand Duke Lawrence stands the Rhinehearts Empire.
And even if the Kingdom of Lucias, centered around their Riverdale Mage Tower, provided backup, they would never be a match for the Bringham Empire.
The Bringham Empire and the Rhinehearts Empire.
Though they both bear the title of empire, one must not be mistaken into thinking their national strength is on a similar level.
The Bringham Empire was a nation that could wage war against the other three of the Four Great Empires simultaneously and still emerge victorious.
To compete with the Bringham Empire at an appropriate level, you would need at least four more nations with national strength on par with the Rhinehearts Empire.
No, even that is just surface-level numbers the Bringham Empire's hidden, unexposed power cannot be ignored either, so the gap would be even greater.
"Yeah, I think we can handle it?"
But Olivia's answer to that extremely serious question was very light.
As if she wasn't worried at all.
Thanks to that, Marquis Lake had to wear a dumbfounded expression.
"The forces that would rally around Grand Duke Lawrence aren't to be underestimated either."
"What?"
"What I mean is in the Rhinehearts Empire, no, for Grand Duke Lawrence, there are plenty of nations besides our Kingdom of Lucias that would attach themselves to him."
"Explain in detail."
"First, there's the Prius Republic and the Kingdom of Roberto."
"Ah, indeed, those two nations are highly likely to side with Grand Duke Lawrence. Their national leaders owe him a great debt."
"And the remaining five nations of the Triton (Eastern) Continent, who live by watching the moods of those two nations, are also likely to lend their strength."
"So you're saying the influence of the Kingdom of Roberto, the hegemon of the Triton Continent, and the Prius Republic, which handles 60% of continental trade, can't be ignored?"
"During the war between the Bringham Empire and the Prius Republic, the nations of the Triton Continent secretly aided the Republic too. If Grand Duke Lawrence just passes on a few of his engineering technologies, they'll definitely take his side. But the biggest thing is "
It wasn't 100% convincing, but Marquis Lake decided to let it slide for now, waiting for what came next and soon wore a shocked expression at the appearance of a force he never imagined.
"The backup of the Holy See, the Dragonlands, and the Bringham Empire."
"Did I hear that wrong?"
"No, you heard correctly."
Marquis Lake had to pick at his ear in disbelief.
The Holy See, which should always maintain neutrality, the Dragonlands a barren wasteland with no nation and finally the Bringham Empire, a provisional enemy and the party in question.
It was a lineup that could only be felt as a joke.
"Ibril Barnet is a woman before she is a Saintess. And a woman deeply in love with a man called Grand Duke Lawrence. If her status is combined with Grand Duke Lawrence's ability to control public opinion, I believe she can make moves different from before. Moreover, the relationship between the Holy See and Grand Duke Lawrence right now is at a level where they could almost be called partners."
"If the Holy See doesn't directly lend military force but merely issues one favorable statement, the situation would change. But "
The reaction was that this was too optimistic a projection.
But Olivia's answer was firm.
"There's plenty of possibility."
"Fine, I'll take your word for it. Then what about the remaining two? How can the Dragonlands, which has no nation, and the Bringham Empire be of help?"
"The Dragonlands has no nation, but it's been confirmed that it has a force the Dark Elf who is the teacher of Arcia, the queen of the duchy."
"A Dark Elf... In terms of being a race that lives in the Dragonlands, that does feel formidable."
"Moreover, there's a rumor that her teacher is a Lordmaster. If that's true, that's an enormous fighting force."
And Olivia, catching her breath for a moment, continued.
"Lastly, the Bringham Empire. Surprisingly, even though they're a nominal enemy, quite a few people in power there have good relations with Grand Duke Lawrence. Moreover, many dislike the Imperial Family arbitrarily manipulating Grand Duke Lucas's heir. Should we call them the Grand Duke Lucas faction, so to speak?"
Internal opposition within the Bringham Empire was a scenario they hadn't considered.
Marquis Lake stroked his chin and spoke.
"Come to think of it, I recall hearing that Winfred's devotion to Grand Duke Lucas, as the Mage Tower Master, borders on religious fervor."
"Right, she's the representative figure. She's been persistently demanding the release of Lewis Fairmont, who was captured and is currently detained in the Prius Republic."
Winfred Mage Tower was a prestigious Mage Tower of the Bringham Empire, ranking second within the empire after the Imperial Mage Tower, and along with the Riverdale Mage Tower, it was a rival that alternated between fourth and fifth place in the world.
"If we can win over Winfred Mage Tower, they'll serve as a powerful deterrent."
After hearing the full story, Adrian's situation didn't feel as hopeless as before.
If they realized Adrian had enough power to stand against them, the Bringham Empire wouldn't recklessly charge ahead like the Prius Republic did.
"Grand Duke Lawrence laid a solid foundation."
"I still can't help but feel uneasy, but it's certainly not a pure gamble."
"I'm a realistic person, believe it or not. I weigh the possibilities carefully."
"Sure, sure."
At Olivia's remark, Marquis Lake shrugged with a resigned expression.
That was an indirect way of saying he would support her judgment.
Having secured Marquis Lake's agreement, Olivia turned her gaze to Count Preston.
Naturally, he responded without dissent, but at his following words, Olivia furrowed her brow.
"But we need to be careful when approaching Grand Duke Lawrence."
"What?"
"He's been thoroughly hiding his identity. If he finds out it was exposed through some unexpected means, he might try to silence us."
It was a perfectly reasonable point.
"Given Grand Duke Lawrence's disposition so far, he'd more than do such a thing."
At Marquis Lake's nod of agreement, Olivia scratched her head.
"We'll need to think of a way to approach Grand Duke Lawrence without planting hostility in him."
If they had known that Adrian possessed the Myriad Mirror, which could read others' emotions and thoughts, they wouldn't have had to worry needlessly.
But since they didn't know that, those dealing with Adrian had no choice but to proceed cautiously.
* * *
"Is this the thing you were talking about?"
"Yes, that's right."
A massive ruin from the Mythic Era located in the Dragonlands.
Within it, they arrived at the room containing the dimensional transport device leading to Earth.
The newly joined companion, a man with long black hair, gleamed with curiosity.
His name was Brangish.
He was the black dragon they had encountered in the labyrinth before.
He was a curious being, and I had the means to satisfy his expectations.
Thanks to that, we easily grew close and were able to maintain a fairly good relationship.
"Let's go!"
"Yes, then we'll depart."
Today was the day for our regular visit to Earth.
Though today's stay would also be barely twenty to thirty minutes, I thought it was enough time to pique Brangish's interest.
Once the ruin's equipment was activated, the scenery around them changed.
Today we visit with the existing members, but next time, a large number of Americans and Blue Moon agents are scheduled to join.
"Oh? Our son's here?"
"Ooh!"
As always, my parents welcomed us without fail.
At the sight of them, Brangish, as if seeing something fascinating, smiled with innocent childlike wonder and suddenly embraced them both.
"Huh? W-What?"
"Hehe, it feels nice being hugged by a handsome young man."
I asked Brangish what he was doing.
"Just scanning how they differ from Rondel humans."
"Those two are my parents."
"Ah, don't worry. There won't be any harm done."
One would expect dragons to be arrogant, but he wasn't like that.
Whether it was because he learned I was Grand Duke Lucas's disciple or because I was a reincarnator with memories of a past life, he showed me considerable respect.
"Structurally, they're very similar to Rondel humans. Only their mana capacity is lower."
Of course they'd be similar Rondel and Earth were worlds created with the same format.
And there's nothing to be done about the low mana capacity.
Earth's mana density itself was extremely thin compared to Rondel's.
"Let's hurry up and go. Quickly."
At Brangish's urging, I let out a small sigh and spoke to my parents.
"We'll leave Bug in the computer room next door and step out for a bit."
"Busy again today. Well, can't be helped."
Since we could only stay for a short time, we had no choice but to move quickly.
Arcia and Benjamin moved with me, while Brangish moved with Blake, who was studying Earth.
I was a little worried about Blake and Brangish's party, but since I'd given them enough warnings, I figured they wouldn't do anything reckless.
I headed to where Choi Young-seok, the head of Daehan Electronics, and his party would be waiting, while Blake and Brangish teleported to Beijing, the place I'd designated for them.
If they were going to cause a commotion, I didn't want Korea to suffer damage, so I set their activity zone to China.
And so we each moved to our destinations, and as the scenery shifted, the familiar rooftop of Daehan Electronics came into view.
"Oh, you've arrived."
"Holy Son!"
"The Holy Son has come again!"
This time, even more people had gathered than last time.
With Choi Young-seok and those who'd been treated last time bringing in new patients, there were over 50 people on the rooftop.
Those who had already received treatment from me and gained new lives would call me Holy Son and offer up prayers.
This time too, Benjamin headed downstairs to meet his younger sister, and I led Arcia and began treating the patients.
-Flash!
"My legs, which had fallen off, have grown back! I'm walking!"
"A miracle..."
There were 40 people to treat this time, but as expected, it didn't require a long time.
Naturally, the reactions of those treated were extremely dramatic people who had been living as little more than living corpses received new lives and all shed hot tears.
"As expected, you are truly remarkable."
The head of Daehan Electronics was busy exalting me, but I'm not the type to dance at praise, so I simply offered him a handshake.
"You're doing well. I'll leave it to you next time as well."
"Yes!"
Having told the people to bring treatment patients again next time, I moved busily and headed to Reiers County.
Once again the scenery shifted, and the familiar Heaven-Piercing Fortress and Spirit Towers came into view.
-Zing.
But then.
[Adrian!]
Blake's voice, sounding urgent, echoed in my head.
It was a message sent through a telepathy artifact.
I wondered what had happened to him in China and quickly replied.
"Yes, what's going on?"
What came back in response was something I never expected.
[It's called Beijing!? All hell's broken loose here!]
"What do you mean, all hell's broken loose?"
[Monsters are pouring out of a place called the poisoned lands!]
"What?"
[And they're monsters from our Rondel! Goblins, orcs, trolls, ogres those kinds of creatures!]
I couldn't help but be baffled.
What on earth was this situation now.