Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Chapter 260
============================================================
Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Chapter 260
57. Integration (1)
The video was full of noise, and it seemed the goddess didn't appreciate someone filming her.
The top of the altar where the goddess appeared to be was completely distorted, as if it had been mosaicked, and even so, it wasn't difficult to make out Grand Duke Lucas gazing into the void and saying something.
"Shall I add subtitles?"
"Yes, please."
However, perhaps because the video was taken from a distance, it was full of miscellaneous noise, and the voices of Grand Duke Lucas and the goddess the important part were not captured.
In the end, that meant we had to understand the conversation through lip movements alone, and since I had no interest in lip-reading, I had to ask Chester for subtitles.
[You found it?]
[Of course, the contract....]
[Through the Opportunity method....]
[It seems sufficiently possible....]
[Then later....]
[Understood.]
The problem was that even those subtitles weren't perfect.
For some reason, they kept turning their faces away during the conversation, and more than half the video showed the back of Grand Duke Lucas's head, so the content wasn't complete.
Still, I could infer the flow from the fragmentary content, and unlike what I'd heard before that Grand Duke Lucas had asked the goddess for a way to return to Earth it seemed they were discussing something else.
It appeared the goddess had discovered something and proposed some kind of contract to Grand Duke Lucas.
The goddess discussing something with Grand Duke Lucas and having a proposal to make I couldn't understand this situation itself.
And so the short video ended.
"Hmm...."
I had to keep thinking.
There was too little information to be certain of anything.
The one thing I could at least confirm was this.
"It seems the relationship between the goddess and Grand Duke Lucas was closer than I thought."
"It does seem that way."
"The fact that this related memory wasn't left with Chester-nim and was rewritten with different content suggests it's a very important part, but it's a shame the conversation isn't complete."
"Still, as Adrian-nim said, we've learned that we need to continue investigating Grand Duke Lucas's movements."
Moreover, the two even discussed the Opportunity.
If the Opportunity was created through negotiation with the goddess, then its very purpose is suspect.
Naturally, my expression turned serious.
Grand Duke Lucas had hinted to Blake that after his reincarnation, he created the Opportunity to one day regain his power.
After hearing that story, I thought, of course, and did my utmost to block Grand Duke Lucas's access to the Opportunity.
But now, even those words had become impossible to believe.
'Hah, benefactor. Why do you make me doubt you like this?'
As I sat head-to-head with Chester, a frightening conjecture suddenly came to mind.
"Surely Lord Exceed, Grand Duke Lucas's reincarnation, wasn't the goddess's pawn from the very beginning?"
"Ah...."
Of course, this is conjecture.
But if it were true, then on Earth's side, Lord Exceed's very existence would be a problem.
'If he's an arrangement for the integration of Earth and Rondel, then the goddess's reason for leaving the underworld-affiliated Earth's plan alone makes sense.'
I let out a hollow laugh inwardly.
What kind of faces would the Heavenly Tribe and demon race of the underworld make if they heard my conjecture, after devising a hope-filled plan to stop the goddess?
If my conjecture is wrong, it's fortunate for them, but if it's right, it can only be a disaster.
'Because at the end of a plan built on betrayal, there will be no place for them to stand.'
This, from my perspective, could be considered not a bad ending.
Neither the goddess nor Grand Duke Lucas's reincarnation would end up betraying anyone.
"If this is true, then in front of Lord Exceed, we shouldn't blindly trust the Myriad Mirror. I've dealt with him until now without sensing anything strange."
"Well, it is something he made, so it's absurd to think we didn't have this in mind. Perhaps countermeasures or information manipulation were already taking place."
Chester and I looked at each other and shrugged.
Then we soon wiped the expressions from our faces and shook hands.
"Please continue the investigation going forward."
"Understood."
What I gained today is nothing more than an uncertain suspicion, but keeping a possibility in mind and being caught off guard while knowing nothing are entirely different things.
In that sense, I think it was a meaningful time.
* * *
After meeting Chester, the Opportunity manager, evening came.
The relatives were enjoying dinner in the party hall, while I dined quietly with Arcia and Saintess Ibril in a quiet place.
Arcia stuck close to my side as if wary of Ibril.
In the past, Ibril would have been mindful of Arcia, but having grown mentally stronger, she sent me a seductive smile with an attitude that showed she didn't care at all.
In Rondel, she is of marriageable age, but she is still a teenager.
Because of that, for me, who still has Korea sensibilities, it isn't easy to see Ibril as a woman, but seeing her beauty gradually ripening, I can't help but be amazed.
If she becomes twenty like this, it's clear she will become a beauty that even Arcia won't be able to match.
"So, is there some important matter that has kept you at the ducal palace?"
But now is not the time to appreciate her beauty.
I was curious about the Saintess's purpose.
Surely there must be something important for her to leave the Holy See empty and stay in the duchy like this.
And from her lips came an unexpected proposal.
"Please let me join the next trip to Earth."
The leaders of each nation participating in the Peace Organization know that I travel back and forth to Earth collecting information.
I can understand why such words would come from her mouth, but...
A trip to Earth by the Saintess who serves the goddess?
If the Heavenly Tribe and demon race of the underworld find out, it would be perfect for making her a target.
Because of that, I had to stop her in bewilderment.
"I'm sorry, but that's difficult. To the Heavenly Tribe and demon race of Earth, the goddess Sepia is nothing short of an invader. They will certainly not leave you alone, Saintess."
But the problem doesn't end there.
The Demon King and demon worshipers are accompanying my group, no less.
No matter how much she says she is doing this for my sake, it's not easy to judge how she will accept this situation.
So I showed a troubled expression.
"You don't need to worry about that. Among the Holy Relics of the Holy See, there is one that conceals Divine power. And you need not concern yourself with the demon race you are protecting either. I already know about that as well."
She made it impossible for me to say anything, as if she had anticipated everything.
Could she have noticed something and be testing me right now?
"...."
No, that can't be it.
She is not someone great enough to lie to me without changing her expression.
Thanks to that, I had to press my palm to my forehead.
Setting aside the Holy Relic that conceals Divine power, the existence of the demon race was grounds enough for us to be ostracized in Rondel.
I had thought I was sealing their black mana well all this time, but....
"Actually, a divine oracle came down."
"A divine oracle?"
Write divine oracle, read goddess's warning.
I tensed up wondering what the goddess had said, but the words that followed were as unexpected as her actions.
"It said not to attack the demon race that descended upon Rondel until the goddess's permission is given."
It sounded as if it were taking my position into consideration.
Perhaps she judged that the existence of the demon race I command would be beneficial to her.
But wait a moment.
How does she know from just that content that I am keeping the demon race with me?
"I thought that for the demon race to hide without their identities being exposed, they would need an outstanding helper."
"So you put me on the list of suspects?"
"It's not so much a list of suspects as it is that I judged there was no one else who would do something this eccentric. At the very least, if the goddess is urging this much, doesn't it mean there is no risk of the demon race harming Rondel? Aside from dragon, the only being with enough ability to control such a demon race is Adrian-nim."
So it's a process of elimination of her own sort.
In any case, according to her, it seems I don't need to worry too much about the demon race's existence being discovered.
It meant it came with the goddess's endorsement.
Thanks to that, I let out a sigh of relief as if I had set down a heavy burden.
Without realizing it, I ended up receiving the goddess's help.
"How are you handling the demon race?"
"As soon as they descended, I captured them and made master-servant contracts."
At my words, she let out a low laugh, saying that was just like me.
However, it didn't take long for the color to drain from her face.
"Which demon race are they?"
"They are Arc Scarlet and Dark Square."
"What? Excuse me? No!?"
It seems she never imagined that the demon race she had doubted would turn out to be the infamous Demon Kings.
Ibril's expression was dyed with intense bewilderment, like someone who had unknowingly eaten something sour.
"Hoo, should I say this is surprising."
Seeing her so shocked, I couldn't bring myself to tell her that there was also a Demon King I had captured from Earth.
Although his horns and wings had been torn off and his stats had dropped drastically, Lord Skrim had also registered his name in my subordinate Demon King corps.
Ibril took a deep breath and composed herself.
"As expected, your scale is enormous."
She smiled bitterly, saying it was impressive.
The topic briefly drifted elsewhere due to the talk of Demon Kings.
I couldn't help but ask Ibril why she was willing to head to Earth even at the risk of danger.
"There is no particular meaning. It is to witness up close the anomalies that will occur in Rondel and on Earth. On behalf of the church, I wish to leave a record of the current incident for future generations."
I had thought there might be something like a goddess's quest separately, but it seems that's not the case.
I rested my chin on my hand for a moment and pondered.
'She just wants to follow you around!'
Arcia sent me a cute angry text.
I let out a small laugh at that and nodded with an expression that said there was nothing I could do.
It was because, though it might be a bit uncomfortable for Arcia, there was no grounds to block the Saintess's argument.
When I gave my permission like that, Arcia let out a sigh, and Ibril raised both hands as if cheering.
"I am certain I will be of help in many ways."
And with that confident statement as the last, Ibril focused on her meal.
As if she would no longer go against Arcia's feelings.
* * *
After the battle with the Demon King Lord Skrim ended, one month had passed in Rondel time, and roughly two weeks in Earth time.
Now that Arcia had entered her fifth month of pregnancy, her belly was unmistakably that of a pregnant woman, making me feel sorry for dragging her around everywhere.
So I asked her to rest, but Arcia stubbornly insisted she absolutely could not, and we were still traveling together.
In the meantime, I had visited Earth two more times, and as the gap between the two worlds gradually narrowed, the time ratio had now shrunk to 2:1.
"The auroras are becoming more frequent."
"At this rate, I wonder if something might happen as soon as tomorrow."
In addition, strange phenomena had been ceaselessly occurring in both Earth and Rondel recently.
Unexplained auroras and abnormal weather were a given, and the cases of people disappearing and land vanishing only to be found in the other world were increasing.
I could feel that the time was now gradually approaching.
However, even in this situation, I could not understand the underworld of Earth, which was not moving easily.
It was because, even though they had been given sufficient time, there was still no definitive answer from them.
'There's nothing to gain by dragging things out.'
Therefore, I steadily proceeded only with Rondel's disaster preparations.
Thanks to that, Rondel had everything in place, from the cure created by Arc Scarlet's Authority to wide-area barriers evenly distributed down to the village level, and now all that remained was to wait for the time.
And just as my patience was beginning to stir my temper.
"The time has come."
Lord Exceed, who had been lying low for a month, suddenly appeared and said that.
"We will begin the plan in the underworld."
At last, the time for the free meal had come.