episode_0014

Numerous solid lines were engraved in the field of vision.

When the world was shattered into countless fragments.

— Pfft!

The surroundings became brighter.

Lloyd looked around blankly.

Simple wooden furniture.

Low height bed.

This is the accommodation assigned to him before he was taken to the imaginary world.

Lloyd sat on the bed, covering his face with both hands.

“Ugh, gasp. Ugh.”

A breath bursting out roughly.

His whole body was covered in sweat, as if he had just had a nightmare. But Lloyd knew. The experience he had just had was not a dream. The cutting spell he had cast on Ortega. The aftertaste of it lingered on his fingertips.

Lloyd’s current body cannot use such advanced magic. This is because his mana circuits are blocked in various places. ‘Lloyd’ had been too talented since he was young, and as a result, his mana circuits were in shambles. Being sick was the end of a genius who had not laid the foundation.

Anyway, thanks to that, what happened just now became more real. The Forgotten Emperor Ortega. There’s one more thing to find out.

‘… First of all, how strong is it?’

An incomprehensible disaster.

In the imaginary world, Lloyd felt that way. If the Demon King gave the impression that he was ‘someone who could do anything if he tried hard enough’, this guy was different. His abilities were impossible to sense, and his level was completely indecipherable. It was like a two-dimensional ant looking up at a three-dimensional human.

The problem is this.

The fact that Ortega was after his body. It was no coincidence that he heard voices whenever he was mentally weak. It seemed like he was asking if he would get revenge and get his blood on him…

‘Perhaps it’s a structure that regains strength by drinking blood.’

The only good thing was that Ortega didn’t seem to be in good shape for whatever reason. Given his personality, he couldn’t have been used to enduring. He couldn’t have just fallen asleep in Lloyd’s body. Which meant there was no way to do anything about me.

It must be suppressed somehow in its current state. Ortega must not regain his body. If it were to be released, it would obviously be a disaster incomparable to that of the Demon King.

“… Are you okay?”

Maybe he didn’t notice because he was holding his head.

Suddenly, someone was standing in front of Lloyd.

He is a young man wearing a butler’s uniform.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Ron, who will be in charge of Lloyd’s simple care.”

“… A servant? I am also a servant of this mansion.”

You’re in charge of the market? I’ve been practically captured as a slave? A question came to Lloyd’s mind, but he shook his head. The current situation was strange, but there were more important things to worry about.

“… I don’t know exactly how it’s going to work, but please leave me alone for now. That’ll be enough for now.”

“Okay, I understand.”

The butler nodded.

Lloyd didn’t miss the moment when his expression changed slightly. But he pretended not to notice.

—Suddenly.

As he left the bedroom, Lloyd collapsed on the bed.

My back was damp. My clothes seemed soaked with sweat.

It must have leaked out while fighting Ortega.

As expected, the problem was Ortega.

A being that could no longer be called human. Lloyd was certain that he had witnessed the next level of human ‘class’. Could he continue to hold such an Ortega in his body?

“… No.”

Even though he is trapped for some reason now, he will come out by any means necessary. With the incomprehensible strength he possesses.

“… … .”

In the end, this is what matters.

Can he stand up to Ortega?

It wasn’t about protecting the world from Ortega. It was Lloyd’s own struggle to survive.

In the end, there is only one answer.

I need to get stronger.

Enough to fight Ortega.

Lloyd sat up straight.

Phew.

Lloyd sighed and focused on his body.

‘Lloyd’ was already a child born with considerable talent.

It’s just that the sensitivity was too strong and his body was ruined. Lloyd was also deliberately suppressing his talent. If he was not careful, there was a high possibility that the tuning would go wrong and the entire circuit would be burned.

‘I tried to give it a little more time to recover.’

I was planning to recover slowly, a little more accurately and definitely. Anyway, I had long since erased the promise of saving the world from my mind. So I was going to recover slowly, but then Ortega appeared.

‘It’s an opportunity.’

The imaginary world.

I experienced the full mana circuit while fighting Ortega in it. It was like experiencing the correct answer for restoring the mana circuit.

I have to capitalize on this experience.

Lloyd began to run his mana along the circuit.

New goal.

To become stronger.

◆

Duchess Grey’s office.

A masked man reports to her.

“Lloyd said.”

“Yeah.”

“I have been observing the child steadily, but I have not noticed anything unusual.”

Knock, knock, knock.

The Duchess, tapping the armrest of the chair, opens her mouth.

“No matter how you look at it, that kid’s bowl size is different. Don’t let your guard down. Is the solitude invasion going well?”

“Yes. Judging from the density of the pattern, it is over 60%.”

“It’s getting harder and harder to maintain your senses.”

“But….”

The Duchess’s brow furrowed at the subordinate’s vague attitude.

“Say?”

“I’m holding up better than I thought. I felt worn out before, but I’m not getting any worse. I’m definitely not a mentally weak child. ”

The Duchess also agreed with that statement.

I knew from the first time I met him that Lloyd was mentally quite strong. From the way he acted at the auction to the way he acted the first day I saw him at the mansion. Lloyd, who answered without a trace of fear, clearly had the dignity of a prince of his age.

The bowl is big.

Enough to contain ‘him’.

At the same time, the child’s head was also possessed.

Rather than wondering if that kid is a ‘good boy’ or not, I think he’s someone I’d like to use as a staff member.

The Duchess, who had been lost in thought for a moment, opened her mouth.

“Let’s roll the kids some more.”

“What do you mean roll it more?”

“Give Lloyd a lot of special privileges. Make it harder for the rest. Make the kids play politics with each other.”

“So if that kid Lloyd gets attacked…”

“There must be an answer.”

It is not easy to keep your composure while keeping ‘him’ in your mind.

This makes Lloyd even more confused.

The Duchess concluded.

“Next is the agenda. Princess Julia, the 13th princess, would like to visit the mansion…”

◆

It was obvious what the children captured by the Gray Dukes would do.

A slave of the family.

I had to deal with all sorts of odd jobs along with just that level of treatment.

And when work is over, they gather together.

A wide, spacious training ground for the family.

“The movements are slow! Those who come late won’t be able to sleep well tonight!”

Training is carried out under the pretext of nurturing proper bloodline followers. On the surface, it is a somewhat systematic military training. As expected of a cult, there are many trainings that can quickly develop abilities rather than standard training.

For example, the use of mana.

Lloyd remembered that suicide attacks were particularly prevalent in the Blood Cult.

Originally, it was a field that had to be built up step by step starting from mana sensitivity, but they forcibly opened it by using an unknown illusion.

Thanks to this, among the children who were able to use magic, albeit unsteadily, a vague sense of loyalty to the Blood Cult could be felt.

‘… idiots.’

Most of the guys are commoners and lower nobles. Since they were unable to use magic before, their morale has skyrocketed.

“Today, I hid magic beads in the nearby forest. The three who come in last will know how to get hit and explode. Then come find them.”

Clap, clap, clap.

The sound of applause that makes you frown.

Lloyd swallowed the monster inside him that was trying to burst out.

soon.

“Jump!”

With the declaration of the Great Lord, Lloyd quickened his pace. The search area was outside the family. There was a possibility of escaping like this, but he immediately shook his head. If he did something like that, Lloyd himself would become a criminal. He was bound by a ten-year slave contract. It was natural that his actions would be greatly restricted.

First, get stronger and bide your time.

It was a goal that Lloyd had set his mind to.

— Tadadak!

As I was running around the mansion like that, as expected, I got into trouble.

“Hey.”

Lloyd frowned as he turned his head toward the voice. As expected, it was that guy Hector.

“What is it?”

Hector follows in an instant.

No, I felt like he was unlucky enough to let me go just this once, even though he could get ahead of me right now. He was unlucky enough to let me run with him.

Hector opened his mouth, the corners of his lips raised.

“How come you seem to be the only one sucking up all the good honey, Lloyd?”

“What does that mean?”

“I would also like to hear what the method is, if possible. How did you give your body to your wife? I didn’t know your wife had that kind of taste.”

It’s the sound of selling one’s body.

What do you mean, what do you see with your eyes?

Lloyd replied grumpily to Hector, who was smiling bitterly.

“Well, it looks like you don’t have a body to give it to.”

The guy was shaking with his fists clenched.

I thought it would be just that level of provocation.

But when I came to my senses, several more people were surrounding Lloyd.