Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Episode 233
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Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Episode 233
52. Changes in Rondel (4)
She asks me to find out what the goddess is planning.
Isn't that something I can naturally figure out just by following Adrian around?
I hate getting dragged into troublesome matters, but this is something I can enjoy thoroughly while taking credit for.
So Brangish nodded with the most serious expression at Stania's words.
"Understood. Leave it to me."
Seeing him respond with unusual reliability, Stania let out a low chuckle as if seeing him in a new light.
[Heh heh heh, this one. I thought he'd throw a tantrum and refuse, but it seems he's matured already.]
"Since it seems like an important matter, I should step up."
Dragons have the ability to see through the other's intentions, but no matter how much younger he may be, Brangish was still a fellow dragon.
So Stania took his words at face value.
Feeling pleased, Stania handed Brangish a gift, telling him to work hard.
"What is this?"
It was a metal sphere the size of a human head.
[You know the main weapon of the human world, don't you? The one that flies in the sky.]
"A Heaven-Piercing Fortress?"
[Yes, that's right, a Heaven-Piercing Fortress. I made one by compressing it down. You could call it a guard-type autonomous Heaven-Piercing Fortress, I suppose? Its performance won't lag behind the needlessly huge ones humans made.]
"Ooh!"
It wasn't a pseudo-Heaven-Piercing Fortress model like the Spirit Tower of the Elysian Coalition, but a true Heaven-Piercing Fortress equipped with an actual Force Engine.
Just with its size absurdly reduced.
[It turns out the Force Engine is a device that amplifies and converts Aura. So I tried processing an Elder Death Knight into a core form and inserting it. Lo and behold, it worked somewhat similarly.]
An Elder Death Knight is a monster of the 8th Circle, Grand Master-class.
Processing that to make a Heaven-Piercing Fortress was a severe downgrade.
If anything, the Elder Death Knight was far more powerful than a Heaven-Piercing Fortress.
It was like putting a precious chunk of Mithril inside a golden duck egg just to make it look bigger, perhaps?
It was a wasteful extravagance that no one but a dragon would even dare attempt.
[Seeing as you're so fond of fascinating things, I was going to toss it to you as compensation if you disobeyed, but I'll just give it to you.]
"Thank you!"
Brangish picked up the mini Heaven-Piercing Fortress, letting out exclamations of admiration, thinking he could show it off to Adrian and the others.
But soon, the thought that he'd received something precious without doing much of anything made him feel a bit guilty.
So Brangish took out one of the more expensive automatic watches he owned from Earth and handed it to Stania like a barter.
[This is... a watch.]
With his keen eye, Stania immediately recognized what it was.
[Oh ho, a mechanical watch that operates purely on kinetic energy from a balance wheel?]
The meticulously crafted movement of the watch possessed a beauty distinct from that of jewels.
The unexpected gift from Brangish pleased Stania greatly.
Thanks to that, the meeting ended with both Brangish in a good mood and Stania in a good mood.
However, Brangish didn't anticipate one thing.
That Stania would show the automatic watch to other dragons, leading to an explosive surge of interest directed at him later.
* * *
"I trust you all understand well. If you faithfully follow my orders, I'll arrange a meeting with your families next time. But if you fail to comply, I'll have no choice but to confine you in the dungeons beneath the ducal palace to keep you silent. Naturally, you won't be able to revisit Earth either."
"Yes, we will keep that in mind."
Having arrived at the ruin in Dragon Land that allows travel to and from Earth, I left a threatening warning to the twenty Americans who would be moving with me today.
Today, they will pair up with Blue Moon agents to approach the connections I built on Earth and carry out individual orders including investigation activities.
I'd already thoroughly briefed them on their tasks, so there was no need to drag things out with lengthy explanations.
"Let's hurry up. Let's go, go."
However, unlike the Americans who couldn't help but feel heavy-hearted, Brangish, who was visiting Earth like it was a pleasure trip, could only find this waiting time tedious.
I let out a hollow laugh at his urging and headed straight to Earth.
This time, unlike before, we had a large group of nearly fifty people.
A moment later.
The place we arrived at was the rooftop of a building in Boston, America.
In that city, abandoned without military protection, not a single trace of human presence could be felt.
"Then move out now."
I coldly ordered the Americans, who were lost in admiration as they looked around the ruins as if they were something special.
The time we could stay on Earth was limited.
Every minute and second was precious to me, so I couldn't afford to let them indulge in sentiment.
-Paft!
At my order, they had no choice but to tear their teleportation scrolls alongside their paired Blue Moon agents, and soon they all vanished from sight.
Thanks to that, only the original members remained on the rooftop.
"We're going too."
Brangish flew off to China again this time.
He would enjoy Earth's culture there, including shopping.
The reason the country he enjoys adventuring in is China is simple.
He chose a country where he'd feel less guilty toward the other party even if a dragon went on a rampage, and that just happened to be China.
Instead, I attached Gregory to him whether you'd call it a safety pin or a suppressant.
Although this was his first time participating in an Earth trip, I judged that Gregory, being rational, would properly fulfill his role as my proxy and prevent Brangish from going out of control unnecessarily.
"I'll go take a look around too."
I didn't head to Bucheon.
To check on the artificial intelligence, only Bug headed to the Bucheon house first, while I remained on the rooftop with Arcia, Blake, and the demon worshiper Selin.
The reason these members stayed behind is simple.
It was to have Selin attempt communication with Lord Exceed, the Demon King who is the reincarnation of Grand Duke Lucas.
"Brangish has really fallen hard for Earth. He doesn't even care that a demon worshiper is nearby."
"I roughly explained the situation to him, so that's why."
"Even so, isn't a dragon's duty to protect Rondel?"
Dragons hate the demon race just as much as the church does.
Because if the Demon King ever descended, they'd have to fight a bloody battle.
That's why when Brangish joined the last visit to Earth, we had to hide Selin in Rondel.
But we couldn't keep Selin in Rondel forever just to maintain contact with Lord Exceed.
So we decided to ask Brangish for permission, and whether it was because he's an eccentric dragon or because he trusts us, he acknowledged Selin's existence without much hesitation.
And so, this time Selin was able to come to Earth as well.
"Selin."
"Yes, I'll try right now."
Selin immediately offered a prayer to Lord Exceed.
But once again, there was no answer from Lord Exceed.
I had to tilt my head in confusion.
"What's going on? Could the aftereffects of the descent still be lingering?"
"Hmm, if that's the case, he's really hopeless. Isn't this an important situation? If contact is this difficult, cooperation will be hard too."
Blake answered my question.
"Or maybe we could take it to mean that things aren't that urgent right now?"
"That could be. Or he could have fallen into an emergency we don't know about."
At Blake's words, which made me feel uneasy, I could only force a bitter smile.
"So what's the main schedule for today?"
As for the schedule, it was the usual meet famous people to heal their illnesses, and visit Reiers County to deliver daily necessities.
But today, a meeting with a special person was on the agenda.
"We're set to meet the President of South Korea."
That's right.
The President of South Korea someone the previous life's Kim Minki (me), who died absurdly while serving in the military, could never have met was appearing as today's special guest.
* * *
President Kim Min-guk, whose meeting with Adrian was scheduled, had arrived early at Reiers County, the meeting location.
Thinking they had grown somewhat close through their cooperation so far, he asked the Count of Reiers for information, inquiring about Adrian.
"He's only 22 years old?"
But upon learning Adrian's age in the process, the President, being an unavoidable Korean, couldn't help but develop a certain prejudice.
He had assumed that, being a remarkable Mage, Adrian only looked young on the outside while his actual age might be much older but to think his appearance truly matched his age.
"I've heard that Korea has quite strict hierarchies based on age. But that person should never be judged by age."
At the Count of Reiers's reply, delivered with a bright smile showing his pearly white teeth, the President asked cautiously.
"He must be quite a special person, then?"
At that, the Count of Reiers nodded his head vigorously.
He went on to boast at length about the accomplishments of Adrian his benefactor and newly sworn liege lord.
"Of course. He's the very one who brought down a Great Empire several hundred times more powerful than this Reiers County."
"What?"
"Not only that…."
The Count of Reiers's story, beginning with how Adrian was the second son of a minor noble family from the borderlands of a kingdom called Rhinehearts, was utterly fascinating.
Once called a prodigy, he had hidden himself away under the threats of his stepmother and half-brother, only to build his power, achieve his revenge, raise his homeland into a vast Empire, and seize the throne a formidable figure by any measure.
Adrian's life story was the very stuff of a protagonist whose tale would sell even as a comic book.
"Impressive."
"Isn't it? That man is surely destined to become a great figure who will further develop Rondel."
The Count of Reiers displayed a devotion that bordered on blind faith much like a believer before their god.
'He'd be the worst possible enemy to make.'
The President couldn't help but think so.
The Count of Reiers may have exaggerated or embellished things, but the Adrian that emerged from his story was not only a superb individual combatant but also someone with deep schemes and sharp cunning.
On your side, he'd be the greatest ally.
As an opponent, he'd be the worst enemy.
He had actually asked about Adrian to glean some background knowledge on the man, but in the end, it helped the President set his course of action.
"My Lord, His Highness the King of the Duchy of Lawrence has arrived."
"Is that so? Bring him in at once."
A moment later, Adrian entered the meeting room, leading Arcia, Blake, and Selin.
Whether prepared in advance or not, the South Korean flag and the banner of the Duchy of Lawrence stood side by side against the wall of the meeting hall.
Thanks to that, it created a proper summit atmosphere but with such handsome and beautiful people sitting across from him, the feeling was inevitably strange.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister President. I am Adrian El Lawrence, King of the Duchy of Lawrence."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness. I am Kim Min-guk, President of South Korea."
The President sat alongside his Chief of Staff and Minister of Defense, while Adrian sat alongside Blake and Arcia.
The Count of Reiers stood behind Adrian with Selin, a clear indication that the three seated figures held higher status than he did.
"If it's not too forward, would you introduce the people beside you?"
The President smiled and made that request of Adrian, hoping to foster a warm atmosphere.
"This is my wife, Arcia El Lawrence, Queen of the Duchy of Lawrence."
"Oh! A truly beautiful wife you have."
"Haha. Not only is she beautiful, she's also a master well-versed in the sword. And for your reference, the one here is Blake Russell of the Dark Elves the finest swordsman in Rondel and also my wife's sword instructor."
He had wondered how impressive the man might be, but a wife and her sword instructor the lineup couldn't help but feel anticlimactic.
Even so, the President, as a seasoned politician, showed nothing on his face and asked.
"I've heard Rondel is a world full of special supernatural abilities. The swordsmanship of such a place must be remarkable, right?"
But he hadn't anticipated.
Just how far-reaching the consequences of that courtesy question would be.
"Then, shall I show you Rondel's swordsmanship as a celebration of this meeting?"
"Excellent! It would be an honor!"
"Then let us move to another location for a moment."
"What?"