Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Episode 238
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Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Episode 238
53. Not Just Anyone Can Be a Villain (1)
"I don't know who you are, but thank you for saving us."
Kang Min-hee bowed her head to me on behalf of her squad members.
Evidently, she had no intention of taking the self-introduction I'd given earlier at face value.
And honestly, that was understandable.
Bringing up the name of a cousin who'd been dead for years would typically only raise suspicion, not be taken seriously.
I let out a snort of laughter.
She furrowed her brows slightly at my seemingly mocking demeanor, but soon recalled that I was her benefactor and relaxed her expression.
"By any chance, is this Rondel?"
If you had to pick the country on Earth with the best understanding of Rondel, it would undoubtedly be South Korea.
The fact that she immediately came up with the name Rondel upon seeing the strange fantasy world unfolding before her eyes showed she'd heard quite a lot one way or another.
"That's right. This is the Duchy of Lawrence, located on the Defteron Continent of Rondel. And the place you were just in was the Walter Kingdom, where Reiers County belonged."
"I-I see."
She and her companions might think they were lucky to have landed in Rondel, which at least had some connection to Earth, rather than in some completely unknown world.
But they absolutely shouldn't consider themselves lucky.
Because even this country currently had no way to send them back.
"But... the fact that you specifically brought up Reiers County, and that you knew my name... Do you happen to know who we work for?"
Fortunately, Kang Min-hee seemed to be the intellectual type, focusing on assessing the situation rather than blindly feeling relieved.
I gave her an answer to her question.
"You're the female special operations company of the South Korea Capital Defense Command, right? The one that was selected as the gift trial unit and is participating in research activities."
But the answer she'd hoped for probably wasn't something this detailed.
Reciting their classified affiliation flawlessly without missing a single word would naturally come across as terrifying, wouldn't it?
Naturally, Kang Min-hee, who had been my cousin of the same age, flinched, and her squad members shot me wary looks despite knowing I was the one who'd saved their lives.
"But that's not what matters right now."
"Pardon?"
"The most important thing is whether you can return to Earth or not, isn't it?"
At that blunt fact, they readily conceded.
"So tell me how you ended up crossing over to Rondel."
They probably had a mountain of questions.
This conversation was circling around the periphery, deliberately staying one step away from the core issue, almost as if I were teasing them.
Yet despite all that, Kang Min-hee had no choice but to explain their situation when I instructed her to set everything aside and just answer my question.
'Kang Min-hee, who had obtained a teleportation gift.'
'While testing the gift's capabilities at a military research facility.'
'With a sensation different from usual, she arrived at Rondel instead of Jeju Island, the intended destination.'
A brief summary of the situation went something like that.
At that, I rubbed my temples.
"Okay, I understand for now."
"Is there a way for us to go back?"
It was a question filled with hope that perhaps I, someone with the incredible ability to even bring the dead back to life, might know something.
Moreover, the fact that I seemed to know Earth in such detail, despite no clear explanation of how, added weight to their hopes.
"Unless you can return to Earth with your own ability, there's no other way."
But I coldly refrained from offering any flimsy hope.
As a result, their faces darkened.
Still, perhaps because they'd just survived a life-or-death crisis, or because they were professional soldiers, they all maintained their composure and looked at me.
As if asking whether there was truly no way.
"For now, the first step is to properly research your ability."
It was an extremely sensible answer.
"For the time being, I'll guarantee your safety. And I'll help with the research on the gift as well."
"Th-thank you."
In any case, the only person they could rely on right now was me, an unknown entity.
So seeing me step forward to help them, they all held onto their hope.
"By the way, you all reek of sweat. You'd better wash up first."
"Ah..."
Me, who didn't hesitate to make such a rude remark about women smelling I was definitely a married man, it seemed.
I then pressed the call button on the desk, and the butler, head maid, and other maids came flooding in.
"They are my guests. Assign them a quiet room that won't draw attention from outside, have them washed up properly, and then serve them a meal."
The women were greatly startled by the sudden influx of uniformed maids.
Paying them no mind, I spoke to Kang Min-hee.
"For now, you stay behind, Kang Min-hee."
"Understood."
As the female soldiers were led away by the servants, only I, Arcia, and Kang Min-hee remained in the office.
Arcia, as if refusing to be bothered by any commotion, pulled a drink from her subspace and sipped it while browsing online news on her terminal device.
With even the ma-pace Arcia stepping out of the conversation, only I and Kang Min-hee were left to talk.
"First."
I snapped my fingers.
At that, she who had been covered in dirt from rolling and running around in the earthen cave became spotless.
"Not only did you heal wounds that would have been fatal, you even brought the dead back to life, right? Is that magic?"
"That's right."
There was no point in hiding it anymore.
At my affirmation, she let out a small gasp.
But this reaction didn't lead to a warm atmosphere.
She wanted to hear the main point.
"You seem deeply connected to what we've been going through."
"Does it look that way?"
"Appearing at the perfect moment to save us, readily offering to guarantee our safety, being well-informed about Earth's situation... You even mentioned my name and my deceased cousin's name."
What you might call circumstantial evidence, I suppose?
From her perspective, she had no choice but to suspect me as someone involved in this situation.
It was only the vast difference in power that kept her from pressing harder.
"I can't say there's no connection at all."
I smiled but mulled over how much information to reveal to her.
Soon enough, I judged that whatever I said wouldn't really matter.
I'd already brought up my past-life name, and honestly, I could control whatever information I gave out.
Besides, I'd already become acquainted and on friendly terms with not only the President of South Korea but many people on Earth.
'Having my own hands and feet in the South Korean military isn't a bad thing. She's bound to rise steadily with that gift, and with just a little help from me, she'll climb up in no time.'
Besides, we're relatives.
Is there anyone else easier to put to work safely than this?
"What's certain is that I have nothing to do with your teleportation. If anything, I'm just as baffled. This situation was a variable I never accounted for."
Kang Min-hee expressed her disappointment.
After all, it meant nothing was going to change.
"And as for being so familiar with you all and Earth's affairs it's simply that I have the means to obtain relevant information."
"Understood. For now, I'll accept the situation as you've described it."
A proper response.
Which made me like her even more.
"But if I may ask, why did you have me stay behind?"
I gestured to her.
A signal to come a little closer.
Even with the table between us, she was still a fair distance away.
At that, Kang Min-hee complied without resistance, and soon her eyes softened slightly.
As she slumped down as if her strength had left her, Arcia who had appeared before her as if she knew this would happen supported her by hooking an arm under her side.
"Ah!"
Startled, Kang Min-hee quickly straightened herself up.
Once she stood on her own, Arcia coolly returned to her seat as if nothing had happened.
"You must be quite exhausted, huh?"
"I apologize."
I said nonchalantly, as if I didn't mind.
"It's fine. We're family, after all."
She questioned why I kept saying that, and I explained why I'd kept her behind.
"As I said in my introduction, I really am Minki. Your cousin. So I wanted to have a talk with you after all this time that's why I asked you to stay."
"...."
"Well, it's only natural you don't believe me. The cousin you remember, Kim Minki, was an unlucky guy who died crushed under a two-don pan during his military service."
"You've been remarkably well-informed about me and everything around me since earlier."
"Well, I am the person in question."
I simply told her about the past.
I filtered out information like the Opportunity that didn't need to be shared in this situation.
As a result, it was heavily embellished into a tale of being reborn into a noble family and rising to success as a Mage, but I judged there was no need to speak of the hardships and trials.
"Hah... How am I supposed to take all this in."
Naturally, Kang Min-hee couldn't believe my story right away.
At that, I let out another wry laugh.
"Believe it or not. You'll come to understand with time. Anyway, while you're staying here, treat this place as your home."
"Ah, I understand."
Seeing her stick to formal speech to the very end, I decided to call it a day and waved my hand dismissively as I spoke.
"There should be a lady-in-waiting waiting outside. Ask her to guide your squad members."
And so, my meeting with Kang Min-hee came to an end.
"Was it truly necessary to reveal the liege lord's identity?"
At that moment.
Gregory appeared before me as if bursting up from the ground.
To his predictable question, I answered calmly, saying it was fine.
"I'm curious."
"Curious about what?"
"About why that girl appeared before my eyes precisely at this time."
It was almost like a prank by the goddess.
Because of that, I decided to keep in mind the possibility that 'this is not a mere coincidence.'
"So I plan to keep her close and observe."
"By claiming a spot at her side as a dear relative, you mean?"
"That's right."
At my words, Gregory still tilted his head in puzzlement.
As if to say there must be a better way.
In response, I acted as if it were no big deal.
"Well, maybe I just wanted to show off. Like, look at me now."
Naturally, Gregory wasn't the type to take those words at face value.
After all, everyone around me, including him, regarded me as a strategist capable of predicting the future.
"For now, let's assign someone to keep an eye on her."
"Yes, understood."
"I've already placed a precautionary suggestion on her, so there shouldn't be major problems... But since there's always the possibility of the unexpected, keep close surveillance. With the mindset that any anomaly could occur at any moment."
With my command, Gregory bowed his head and vanished into the ground as if sinking.
* * *
There were no issues with Kang Min-hee and her squad members' daily life.
They were at a loss over the unprecedented treatment they were receiving, and despite studying and studying the ability she'd gained as a Gift wondering how she'd ended up in Rondel in the first place she couldn't produce any notable results.
For one, her ability wouldn't activate properly in Rondel.
As if some kind of restriction had been placed on it.
Because of that, I began to think, 'Maybe the goddess intervention hypothesis was indeed going too far.'
Given that the two worlds had recently been interfering with each other in subtle ways, it was entirely possible that she was simply another victim caught up in the incident.
So while I continued the surveillance, my interest in them had faded considerably.
Above all, there were far too many other matters demanding my attention.
[The Holy Son's attack on the Grand Duke of Lawrence? Inquisitors dispatched unexpectedly to Ophelia Island, under the Grand Duke's domain.]
[A rift forms between the church, which had maintained close relations, and the Grand Duke of Lawrence.]
[The Emperor of the Bringham Empire and the Emperor of the Rainhatz Empire unusually condemn the Holy Son's actions in anger.]
[The Grand Duke of Lawrence, who fought alongside the church to hunt down demon worshippers and even rescued the current Saintess from abduction now subjected to an inquisition? What on earth is happening.]
As the headlines from the Knights made clear, the Holy Son's antics had thrown everything into chaos.
But then, a series of events landed blows on that Holy Son.
"I'm relieved the two of you could join us."
"Not at all. We're simply grateful to have been entrusted with such important work, we who were only waiting for the day we'd die."
"The roster is truly illustrious."
Because the former Saintess and the former Holy Son had attended the founding ceremony of the international organization bearing the name Rondel Peace Organization.
And the two hadn't merely stopped by to offer congratulations.
The former Saintess now Marquis Sylvester, affiliated with the Duchy of Lawrence and the former Holy Son now Duke Avis, affiliated with the Bringham Empire had both taken seats as the Rondel Peace Organization's supreme councilors.
The current supreme councilors totaled six: the Emperors of the Bringham Empire and the Rainhatz Empire, the kings of the Duchy of Lawrence and the Duchy of James, and the former Holy Son and Saintess.
The head of the organization was none other than myself Adrian El Lawrence, Grand Duke, inaugurated as Chairman.
The purpose of this organization had yet to be disclosed to the outside world, but the media ran rampant with speculation over the fact that I, affiliated with the Bringham Empire's Emperor, had become the head of the organization.
'Chairman above the Emperor, they say?'
Inevitably, reactions arose asking whether I now king and grand duke of two duchies was in truth the highest authority in Rondel.
Thanks to that, although he had acted on personal feelings, the fact that he had attacked the head of an organization that included the former Holy Son and Saintess put the current Holy Son, Jihad, in a very difficult position.
Though they had stepped down from their positions as Holy Son and Saintess, the factions within the church that still followed Marquis Sylvester and Duke Avis remained extremely powerful.
And on top of that
[Saintess Ibril: Jihad is not fit to be the Holy Son.]
Ibril, the current Saintess who was supposed to support the Holy Son Jihad, deliberately attacked him.
'What an idiot. He should have known when to cool it.'
Thanks to that, along with the media's commentary that they had never seen the Holy Son attacked this badly, Jihad's image plummeted sharply.