episode_0225

I tried to hang up, wondering if more random words would come out.

I was at a loss for words when Talpon’s question suddenly hit the nail on the head.

“The ring and sword cannot be used unless you are from the Kingdom of Wederos. However, you suffered from Dipheshan Syndrome. Westerners generally live on eroded land, so they are not prone to the disease.”

“…”

is it.

I was suspicious because reactions that cannot coexist are taking place at the same time.

“I saw it correctly. It’s just as you guessed.”

Well, if we’ve come this far, we can’t put it off any longer.

“The Duke of Vagrand and the slums where beggars gather. And maybe not even a survivor of the Kingdom of Wederos. I come from a completely different world.”

“I see.”

Talpon takes a deep breath.

“It doesn’t matter what you think. You might find it shameful that you intentionally helped Lil Peten. But, I just had a good reason.”

“…”

“If it’s hard to believe, you don’t have to believe it. But I need to know about the kingdom of Wederos somehow.”

-chuck.

The plan for the annihilation of the Kingdom of Wederos was brought before him.

“I intentionally approached Lilpeten and you feel like I deceived you? I understand. But even if I become a person who is not particularly trustworthy, I will find out through trading if necessary.”

There is no favor without return.

no. Maybe favor itself doesn’t exist.

To be honest, this is normal.

You shouldn’t think that anyone around you will help you.

I don’t know if it’s a transaction method.

Then Talpon grinned.

“Don’t be too stiff. Do you think I’m going to rebuke you for this?”

He closed the plan I gave him without even looking at it.

“What does this mean?”

“I, no, we, Lilpeten, have received great help from you. Maybe I was able to stop because I met you on a road I couldn’t return to. In that respect, it doesn’t matter where you come from. He is a precious benefactor and a precious friend.”

“Maybe I tricked you into persuading you?”

“Hmm. Surely you can think like that? If you say it is to investigate and penetrate deeper into our Lilpeten, then it makes sense.”

But contrary to what came out of his mouth, Talpon did not suspect me at all.

“The scent of upright mana coming from you cannot be covered by those lies. no. Even if it’s not necessarily true, I’ve seen a person called you for a while. So don’t doubt it.”

Sincere. Steady. A brave yet smart person.

However, he is sometimes reckless and blunt, making him seem anxious.

They say that is their honest opinion of me.

“It would have been better if he had been a survivor of the Kingdom of Wederos. But even if not, I still consider you a friend. I don’t know what it is like for you.”

The hand that had been removed from the plan was already stretched out to me.

“Carsein. I don’t want to lose a great friend I haven’t made in a long time because of something trivial like this.”

towards me.

I hope you look into my eyes and take that hand.

I was waiting.

I reluctantly took his hand.

“If you think like that every time, you might end up getting stabbed in the back. Talpon.”

“Heh. If it’s the back of the head, I won’t be pushed around either. Don’t you know something about what happened to us at the hands of the imperial nobles, because you heard it from your fiancee?”

ah. That’s right.

Now that I think about it, they were Westerners.

“Hmm. Well then, let’s get to the point. Westerners have always carried out the mission of eradicating demonic beasts. It would not be an exaggeration to say that that was our job. But, 11 years ago. I was helplessly pushed back by the sudden appearance of the demonic beasts.”

“I was helplessly pushed aside…?”

“The person who died in action at that time… I can’t tell to what extent, so I’ll specify it. Of the twenty tribes, only four survived.”

“…!”

That’s not the level of being killed in action.

It’s like they were killed in droves.

“The demonic beasts were so strong that they were on a different level from those we had dealt with so far. The power of each individual had doubled, and the quantity was beyond imagination, so the tribes had to urgently join forces. Because we couldn’t survive without four to five tribes joining forces.”

However, Talpon adds that there were those who held out even though they did not join forces.

“…Is that the Kingdom of Wederos?”

“Yes. The Kingdom of Wederos was the strongest among the westerners who took the lead in defeating the demonic beasts. After all, it was not a tribe, but a kingdom.”

“Then why did the Kingdom of Wederos fall? It doesn’t make sense.”

Didn’t they say that four or five tribes would have to join forces to stop it?

However, the Kingdom of Wederos single-handedly stopped the demonic beasts.

“If I had that much power, I could have easily shed it. Wouldn’t it have been necessary to perish? Unless there is a good reason─”

“Accurate. Carcein.”

“What?”

“The Kingdom of Wederos made a sacrifice for two reasons. Firstly, it is obvious that the moment they leave, the demonic beasts that enter the empire will slaughter the people of the empire. The Vagrand Duke family was in their attack route.”

Duke Bagland. Perhaps it is the family that owns the most territory and is home to the most imperial people.

“The Kingdom of Wederos was practically sacrificed to save them. But there is another reason.”

Talpon pointed his index finger at me.

“It was to save you, the youngest prince of the Kingdom of Wederos, by sending him to the Bagland duchy.”

“…!”

***

I tried to find out the truth by investigating the Kingdom of Wederos.

The story is more complicated than I imagined and my head hurts.

-This plan… we can read it. However, it takes some time to decipher.

It seems like it will take a long time for it to come back.

If I were to summarize the story I heard from Talpon, it would be as follows.

The sudden attack of magical beasts 11 years ago.

The death of countless Westerners and the sacrifice of the Kingdom of Wederos.

And in their sacrifice… the Bagland duchy and Karssein were involved.

“This is no longer… the level of settings in the game.”

It’s not a setting, it’s a background.

It is the stem of another big story that continues to this day, starting with events that occurred in the past.

Even if you try to research this, you won’t be able to find out…

‘no. Still, I have no choice but to look into this.’

▶EX episode. The traces of the Kingdom of Wederos are in progress.◀

▶Obtain information related to the Kingdom of Wederos.◀

▶You can get what you want whenever your achievement level reaches the maximum.◀

[Current achievement: 75%]

“Oh, the car.”

Cold moisture touched my cheek. Out of surprise, I suddenly turned my head towards him, and Harnier was smiling, folding his fox-like eyes.

“You were very surprised, right? Ahaha.”

“…You pull all kinds of weird pranks.”

“But what should I do if I see you sitting still like that and want to play pranks?”

Harnier handed me a drink.

I guess it was this drink that touched my cheek earlier.

“When this symposium is over, I think I will probably renew my highest score.”

“Is that so.”

“…Isn’t the reaction too small?”

“Uh… congratulations?”

She pouted her lips.

“That’s not it, I’m saying that this happened thanks to you. If I were alone, I would never have been able to renew. So even if you ask for anything, it’s strange.”

“Ah. What else can I say? You don’t have to worry about it.”

Although I helped Harnier, I was the one who actually benefited more.

Because I brought the soil, I was able to easily complete the Clue and Prove event.

Thanks to the information obtained from Harnier’s Plesia merchant, I gained a great advantage in another Clue and Prove event.

I received help from the Clue and Prove event twice, so no matter how much I looked into the territory and helped, it wasn’t comparable to that. In fact, you might be able to find more if you want to.

-point.

Once again the cold drink touched my cheek.

“Ah.”

“I don’t like that. Think about it some more. You don’t know, right?”

…Even if you ask me to think about it, I don’t really have anything to wish for.

Now that the Symposium has found the main culprit that polluted the Chatrene Territory, all they have to do is roughly prepare until the last day. Insufficient information can be obtained from Ferdi.

The same goes for dividing the people of the territory. It can be prevented with Dyke and Talpon’s agent abilities, and the soil recovery speed can be adjusted only to avoid damage in consultation with Brem and Trisha.

When I said there was something I really needed, it was information related to the Kingdom of Wederos, but he said he didn’t know anything about it.

I didn’t really want to borrow money from her. This is a policy I have decided to resolve on my own.

‘Something persuasive…’

Okay.

I thought about it for a while, but I couldn’t find an answer.

Meanwhile, Harnier makes a proposal.

“There doesn’t seem to be anything in particular that comes to mind… Well, then… Can I decide?”

“Of course.”

“Then…”

She glanced at me with her eyes twitching, then carefully spoke.

“After this symposium ends, I will go on a trip. Well, I’ll give it to you then.”

What do you give me after it’s over?

…what. I don’t know what to expect.

Are you trying to give me chocolate like before?

no. It’s at a level where I don’t mind giving it now… I don’t think Harnier will be satisfied with that.

“Ah, anyway, see you then! Will you get angry if I omit or forget?”

“Uh… Yes.”

Harnier turned his head and left, urging me to make a promise.

I don’t know what they’re going to give me.

-Tiring!

▶Episode XI. The source of the contamination is ongoing.◀

▶Prove and condemn those who polluted Chatrene at the 21st Eastern Noble Meeting.◀

▶Increase the level of development of the Shatren Territory and receive a grade higher than the specified score.◀

You must not forget.

That’s incidental, the fact that the main episode is always trying to kill me.

Now that it has become difficult to obtain more information related to the Kingdom of Wederos, we must now focus on solving the given episodes.

“Summer is slowly coming.”

Feeling the summer humidity starting to get muggy, I picked up the report on the Chatelaine Estate.

***

It has already passed the 6th week and entered the 7th week.

Until that time, the contents of the plan had not been deciphered. They said they were having a hard time with Talpon and asked me to wait a little, so I had no choice.

Meanwhile, soil recovery is taking place in the Chatelaine area.

On the outside, it looks like the residents are still divided, but since they found out that fertilizer is being spread outside, they have come together and are following my instructions.

In addition, some fields are accelerating the pace of recovery by taking measures in advance, so all that is left is time to wait for the announcement date to arrive.

This time was mainly used for sparring with Pollux, who had some free time.

“…Monstrous growth rate. After awakening mana, I changed noticeably.”

I know.

I’m a bit surprised too.

I thought it was Talpon because it was a test, but I didn’t know that he had reached the level where he could fight you, Pollux.

■Carcein Bagland■ – 18 years old

Lv. 63

▶The SP you have is automatically ??? Used for stats!◀

▶Strength 6.48

▶Agility 7.70

▶Endurance 8.00

▶Stamina 6.33

▶Immunity 1.60

▶??? 63%

I haven’t seen any changes in stats so far, but consistent management seems to have led to an increase in stats.

Of course, Pollux is one of the strongest warriors among the Westerners, so if I fight him sincerely, I will still be pushed back a bit.

It’s not like the NPC was created to win in the first place.

Aside from being a shit game, this game was a game with a lot of fantasy elements.

Basically, mana awakening exists as a systematic stepping stone for the player to grow. The level of familiarity with handling that mana is expressed as proficiency, leaving additional growth factors.

But now we are slowly reaching our limits.

Even with such rigorous training, the stats do not show significant changes as noticeable as before, and even as experience is accumulated, the growth power provided by the game system is at a level that cannot be ignored.

In order to prepare for the episodes that will take place in Chapter 3 later, you need to develop the power you have in the game from now on.

And… Lastly, I will use my strength soon.

There are enough reasons to increase your strength.

Pollux nodded after hearing my story, and immediately began explaining.

“Let’s talk about the West first. The power of the Lilpeten tribe is their sense of smell. You probably know this well, right?”

“Okay.”

“Western tribes each have their own sense-related powers. Jarik clashes his swords, and Lilpeten smells mana. Lindel reads sounds outside the standard and listens to Mana’s whispers. The same goes for other tribes. We are all a tribe that reads emotions through mana. But,”

He pointed to his eyes.

“Visual is not the same. Only one tribe, or rather a kingdom, could see it with their own eyes.”

The finger that pointed to Pollux’s eyes points to me.

“The thread of mana you are looking at. That is the power of the Kingdom of Wederos.”

The thread of mana appeared when the Scorpion King was defeated.

However, there are only two people who have said that they can see threads of mana.

“Did you hear this from Talpon?”

“Yes. I ended up conveying it this way unintentionally, but it was an important story. The first time I noticed you as a stranger was when I defected.”

I see. I guess there was a reason why we didn’t say anything when we met again.

I wondered if Pollux could also ask about the Kingdom of Wederos since he is also a Westerner.

This side is nonsense.

“Perhaps it is safe to say that it has a power worthy of its master. Try training there some more. Of course, it would be difficult for us to help since it is a power exclusively for the Kingdom of Wederos.”

After giving this advice, Pollux lightly tapped my shoulder and left.

Eyes that read the flow of mana.

The power of the Kingdom of Wederos, specialized in vision.

Since there was no information about this area, I had no choice but to find out on my own.

Several days passed after that.

Week 7 also passed quickly, and the time has come.

▶Episode XI. The source of the contamination is ongoing.◀

▶The final announcement date has arrived!◀

▶Prove and condemn those who polluted Chatrene at the 21st Eastern Noble Meeting.◀

▶Increase the level of development of the Shatren Territory and receive a grade higher than the specified score.◀