“Then let’s eat!”
Lian licked his lips and looked at the chicken in front of him.
When I said that I would pay for the meal, he took a seat and sat down without the slightest hesitation.
“I was curious about the fried chicken dish, so I wanted to try it, but it was too expensive, so I was about to order something else, haha. Thanks to the young master, I’m now able to eat this.”
As he picked up a chicken leg with his hand and brought it to the plate in front of him, the expressions on Asher's and Baros’ faces changed.
Originally, it’s okay to pick it up with your hands...
I wanted to eat comfortably, but I had to use a fork because it’s a matter of dignity.
As I took one leg, the other two also took their share.
Asher, who was unfamiliar with the food, did not dare to put it in her mouth and just stared at the part of the thigh that she had taken, and then she cut off the tip with a knife and ate it.
She then looked a little startled and started eating faster and faster. It seemed to suit her taste.
'It tastes good.'
It was chicken with its own unique taste different from the familiar taste.
How could a dish with fried meat not taste good?
As we ate in silence for a while, the manager served drinks we didn’t even order.
“Thank you so much for helping the waiter. I won’t charge you for the food, so please enjoy it.”
After saying that, he looked at me with a worried look and continued talking.
“Hey, young master. Lady Denbri, whom you had a quarrel with earlier...”
“It’s okay, just go to work.”
He seemed to try to warn me about that idiot.
The manager backed away hesitantly, and Lian, who had chicken bones piled up on the plate in front of him, asked me.
“But would you really be all right with young master? If her father is the mayor, wouldn’t he be like the king of this city?”
“If you knew that, why did you try to help the waiter?”
“Well... no matter the situation is, I can’t just watch people being beaten like that. And to be honest, I didn’t even know if that woman was the mayor’s daughter. I’m not from this city.”
“Wouldn’t you help if you knew?”
“No, I would still have stepped out and help. Of course, I didn’t expect my hand to be cut off, haha.”
He laughed and talked, as if he was talking about someone else and not himself.
As one could see, this man had such an optimistic personality.
Even in the game, he smiled like this until right before he met his end.
“But she seemed to be a, well, weird woman. I know this is off-topic, but it might be better for you to leave the city as soon as possible, young master...”
I turned the topic to something else.
“Looking at your behavior, you seem to be a wanderer.”
“Ah, yes. I’m wandering around Calderic right now.”
“Why?”
“If you ask me why… What is the reason for the wandering of a traveler?
A smile hung on his lips, but somehow it sounded a little empty.
Because I knew what his situation was now.
Even if he went back, anyone would not welcome him, and he couldn’t bear to completely sever his kinship with his family.
Of course, what I was paying attention to right now was not his background, but something else.
The reason I was holding onto him and having a conversation was because there was something I wanted to confirm.
[Hmm? How did I spot the enemy ambush when there was no sign? Haha, because I have a good sense.]
[Okay, you’ve helped me a lot, so I’ll let you know in particular. Don’t tell anyone, please keep it a secret. In fact, I have a Mystery.]
In the Earth Hill Kingdom episode, during the war with the enemy, this was the line that Lian, or Teir Bamon, gave to the player.
It’s not exact, but I remembered him saying something like this.
He was an extremely rare Mystery user on this continent.
He meant that there was a Mystery that he held like me.
He said, ‘I don’t know what its name was. It was a Mystery that amplified my senses and reflexes.’
Thanks to his mystical abilities, he was never caught or ambushed by the enemy during the war.
He also defeated enemy generals much stronger than himself, even with his not-so-great physical abilities.
There was one thing I wanted to check
Was this the point before or after he gained the Mystery?
[How did I get the Mystery? That was just a coincidence.]
[There was a time when I was wandering around the continent until a few years ago. I also worked as an adventurer, and I also explored uninhabited areas.]
[Somehow, at an antique store, a torn map was touted as a treasure map. It was a map showing the location of a dungeon. And that’s where I got mysteries.]
As I recalled, he said he got a Mystery from a dungeon marked on the map.
He roughly mentioned the location in the dialogue, but unfortunately I couldn’t remember that far.
What if this was before he got the Mystery?
Then I, too, had a chance to obtain that Mystery.
'A Mystery that amplifies your senses and reflexes.'
That was a very useful skill for me.
In the past, it would have been useless since my body wouldn’t follow me at all, but now I had the [Floating Veil].
Now that I had a means to counter the opponent’s attack, the senses and reflexes to use it swiftly were also important.
...Come to think of it, it’s a really necessary skill.
It was the same even when he thought about the time the Orc King attacked me before.
Even though the distance was quite far, the Orc King’s was right in front of my nose in the blink of an eye.
Had I been a little late in opening the veil, one of its heavy fists would have shattered my body.
It’s only level 70, but what about the monsters that are much higher than that? What about the other Lords?
If they attacked me with hostility, I would die before I could even open the veil in response, unless I was far away.
Or there was a risk of being ambushed or sniped by an opponent who was hiding somewhere or was very far away.
What’s the use of an absolute defense if my throat was cut before I could even use it?
There must have been a huge gap between the speed of the superhumans of this world and my cognitive ability.
Of course, I was excited because I didn’t know whether Lian had obtained a Mystery yet.
I couldn’t ask that outright, so I implied using another question.
“If you’ve been wandering around the continent, have you ever found something like a dungeon? Or a place where ruins are hidden.”
“You mean dungeons or ruins. I’ve been looking for them, but unfortunately I haven’t found one yet. Ah, I just remembered a story...”
Then, with an expression as if thinking of something, Lian took something out of his bosom.
An old-looking parchment that was rolled up.
He said with a laugh.
“This is the map I bought at the antique shop I stopped by in the city before, but the owner said it might be a treasure map pointing to where the ruins are hidden.”
“...!”
I hid my surprise and looked at the map. No way?
It was to the point where I wondered if there was such a coincidence in such a perfect situation.
“It’s absurd. I tried to open it for no reason, but tore it up a little, so I was forced to buy it for a few silver coins. But since I bought it, I thought I’d visit it as it was on the map, so I was heading there.”
“Can I look?”
“As much as you like.”
Lian obediently handed me the parchment and turned his attention back to the chicken.
I slowly unfolded it and examined it.
A map so crude and sloppy that I couldn't believe that the contents were real.
The location showed by the map was a place between the Fifth and Fourth Lords’ territories, but there was a strange code-like character written on it.
'...Is this really true?'
No matter how I looked at it, it looked like scribbled garbage..
After examining the map, I turned my attention back to Lian.
Anyway, if this was a map that would lead me to the place where the real Mystery was hidden, as I remembered, and if I get that Mystery.
It did not differ from swallowing the Mystery he would have gained in the future.
“I will buy this map again. Do you intend to sell it?”
“...Yes?”
Lian looked at me in surprise.
Then he immediately clapped his hand and said.
“Sheesh, no. If you’re interested, just take it. I’ve also received favors from the young master.”
“...Don’t you think this could be a map where a real ancient artifact is hidden?”
“Then there’s nothing special. If you really find even an ancient magic artifact, young master, please use it favorably, haha.”
He didn’t even seem to think that this was really a treasure map.
'...Even so, my conscience stings a little to be honest.'
But I couldn’t be arguing about that right now.
If I was going to feel guilty every time something like this happened in the first place, I would not be able to properly use the knowledge of the future.
After I got the map and we finished our meal, we said goodbye to him in front of the store.
“Then thank you, young master. I’ll go first.”
I turned my body and looked at his back as he moved his steps, and I fell into trouble for a moment.
Could we just end this meeting like this?
The future war between neutral countries was an event that had a significant impact on the power structure of Calderic and Santea.
There’s nothing I could do about it by meddling in it right now. In the first place, I had my own problems to deal with, so I didn’t have time to care...
“...”
I finally opened my mouth.
Anyway, from the moment I possessed a character in this game and from the moment I became a Lord of Calderic, disorder about the future continued to pile up.
So I didn’t have to be bound by the game’s story. In the end, the decision was mine.
“Teir Bamon.”
At my words, Lian’s steps halted.
He slowly turned his head and looked at me with very bewildered eyes.
“You can solve nothing by running away forever. It would be better to return to the kingdom as soon as possible.”
“...Wait a minute, how do you--“
“I am Ron, the Seventh Lord of Calderic.”
The sudden revelation startled Asher and Baros, who were next to and turned to me.
Lian or Teir’s expressions changed variously, as if he didn’t understand what I was saying, and finally asked back.
“What did you just say…?”
“You know that the situation between neutral countries is unusual. Go back to where you belong before it’s too late.”
“...”
“And if you really feel you can’t handle it, send a messenger to the Seventh Lord’s castle. Depending on the situation, maybe I can help Earth Hill.”
I left only those words and turned away from him, who stood there in a daze.
Asher and Baros followed me.
I don’t know if that guy will return to the kingdom right away with just this...
The minimum link was made, so the rest was up to his choice.
***
Back at the inn, I looked at the map again.
The location was in the forest area between the Fifth and Fourth Lords, so the path was not twisted.
It will take a long time to find this too...
It was nice to have one more Mystery to get, but I felt tired already when I thought the hardships would increase much more.
I was about to lie down on the bed, but there was a commotion outside.
Knock knock.
Soon, a knock rang.
“Come in.”
Carefully opening the door, Baros glanced outside with a firm expression.
“The mayor’s knights came to the inn.”
At those words, I immediately understood the situation.
The sound of coming up the stairs echoed, and a series of knights appeared behind them. Asher blocked their way.
The knight standing at the forefront looked at Asher with a frown, then shifted his gaze to me and said.
“Is that the person who insulted Miss Denbri?”
“...”
“Looks like it’s right. The mayor has given the order to bring young master. Please, I hope you will follow obediently.”
I immediately grasped the situation and let out a blank laugh.
I was going to go there when the day was bright, but they found me right away like this.
“Guide me.”
Let’s see how far they would go.
I said that and shook my head.
***
“They say they are in the mansion's hall right now, Mayor.”
“I get it.”
The attendant reported bringing in a thug who insulted his daughter. Colton nodded his head.
Denbri, who was sitting next to him, was also excited and jumped up from her seat.
At that sight, Administrator Laika clicked his tongue inwardly and turned to Colton.
“Can I come and see him too?”
“Do whatever you like.”
As he moved to the hall of the mansion, he saw three people standing in the middle.
Denbri spotted the man standing in the middle and raised her eyebrows.
The man also spotted her and met her eyes.
She said with a wicked grin.
“Did we just meet again? I said you’d pay the price, did I?”
Colton was about to open his mouth as he looked around at the man and the two people standing on either side of him.
“You insulted my daughter...”
He turned his head when he heard a sudden gasp next to him.
Laika was looking at them with an expression as if he had seen a ghost. He shuddered all over his body as if he had suddenly caught a chill.
Then he soon fell on his knees and bowed his head.
“I meet the Seventh Lord!”
...What?
Colton stopped thinking for a moment because he didn’t understand what he just heard.
Denbri, who was happily contemplating what kind of hell to show that damn guy, also made a stupid face.
“...Lord?”
A terrible silence fell in the hall.
The elf frowned and looked at Laika, who had his head bowed to the floor, then spoke cautiously to the man.
“This is Laika, the Administrator of the Seventh Lord’s Castle. It seems that he was on a business trip to this city.”
The man, the Seventh Lord, nodded and went over to one chair in the hall and sat down.
“You must have called me because you had something to say.”
He glanced over at Colton and the others, who stood still.
“Since you have summoned me like this, let’s hear what you want to say.”
Ahahahahahah the s h o c k
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