Level 70.
Considering this and that, an escort of at least level 70 was needed.
It’s a shabby level compared to the Lords, but in the first place, they were monsters outside the standard, and even at level 70, that was actually already very strong.
If level 30 was a level that could massacre 100 ordinary soldiers alone, then level 70 could kill that level 30 easily.
'It won’t be a problem to find an escort itself, but...'
Even if I just went to the Seventh Lord’s castle right away, I could find a person who met the conditions without difficulty.
But the question was, how much could I trust them?
What I really wanted was a helper who would always stick by my side and escort me, but, of course, trust was a bigger problem than ability.
Just in case, I had to have someone I could trust as an escort.
“...haa.”
It’s such a burden to be in a position that didn’t fit one’s ability.
I had done nothing yet, but just thinking about the future made me feel like I was already blocked.
I let out a small sigh and buried my back in the chair.
Then, with a sudden thought, I called Caren outside the room.
“I want to read a book. Is there a library in the castle?”
“Yes, there is.”
I asked just in case, but the answer was positive.
It was said that there was not just one, but several, and even the central library existed separately.
Come to think of it, there was nothing strange about having a library in the castle.
The Overlord’s castle did not differ from the Santea Empire’s imperial palace.
“If you tell me the type of book you want, I will immediately get it for you...”
“No need. I’m planning to go there myself, so guide me.”
“I’ll do that right away.”
Caren said something to the surrounding attendants.
Surprised by this, the attendants hurriedly ran to somewhere. I was just asking for guidance. What were they doing?
Anyway, I followed her to the library.
Every time I met someone walking down the hallway, some of them were startled and silent. I could feel their gaze in between.
I hardly showed my face, let alone did anything, but rumors about me had already spread throughout the castle.
Anyway, elves, beastmen, dwarves, giants, and even some rare races.
Here in Calderic, there were so many races.
It was still a landscape that wasn’t easy to get used to, but it would probably get better.
The central library was a couple of buildings away from the building where my room was located.
The square where the knights who I saw training from the window were near the path, so I passed by and glanced at it.
As soon as I arrived at the library and entered, I saw an old man standing respectfully at the entrance, as if he had been waiting for me.
Judging by the petite body and the shape of the tail attached to the back, he was a member of the rat tribe among the beastmen.
“Welcome, Seventh Lord. It is an honor to have you here in the Central Library.”
...I was wondering why they were in such a hurry. Did they tell the news that I was coming here?
An old man from the rat tribe, who introduced himself as the director, offered to guide me, but I refused because it’s unnecessary.
I left the two of them behind and strolled inside.
The inside of the library was empty with no one, so it was quiet, with no noise.
I didn’t know if it was vacant from the beginning, or if they were all evicted before I came.
It’s very wide.
After looking around, I could see why the director had offered to guide me.
The classification of books by bookshelf wasn’t that detailed, so it seemed like it would take quite a while to find the book I was looking for.
But it didn’t matter.
I wasn’t looking for a book with a specific content, but anything like a swordsman’s book or a magic book was fine.
This way.
I soon found a bookshelf full of magic books and stopped walking.
Then, after picking out a book, I started skimming through it.
There was no problem at all reading the contents.
From the moment I possessed this body for the first time, I could understand the common language of the Rachronia continent, the language of this world that I had never encountered.
“...”
Of course, apart from that, I couldn’t understand a single thing in the book I was reading now.
Magic theory... It seemed to be related to some mathematical principle, but I did not know what it was.
'Anyway, I can’t.'
Turning the pages to the end, I clicked my tongue and closed the book.
I didn’t go here to find a magic book to leisurely learn magic.
It’s because when I was playing the game, sometimes there were cases where I could learn a skill from a book-shaped item like a magic book, so I wanted to try if I could find one here.
However, my expectation was too high.
After looking at a few more books, I neatly threw away my lingering feelings.
After spending some time looking at other books, I left the library with Caren, who was waiting at the entrance.
'Should I ask her to make me a snack since I’m hungry?'
On the way back to the room while I was thinking nonsensical things, the knights training at the square came into my sight again.
A lot of time had passed since a while ago, but it was still a scene where the heated training was in full swing.
“...?”
As I stared at them with little thought, I had no choice but to stop my gaze at one spot.
It was because I suddenly discovered something disparate among the knights.
[Lv. 81]
A white-haired female knight clashing swords with another knight as if sparring.
She was the odd one out.
She was on a completely different level among the knights, who were mostly at level 40.
Above all, that face, it’s like I had seen it somewhere...
“Is something the matter?”
When I stopped walking and stood still for a while, Caren looked puzzled.
I pointed to the knights and asked.
“What are they?”
“They are apprentice knights belonging to the White Star Knights of the Castle. They are doing their afternoon training.”
If it was the White Star Knights, it was an elite force directly under the Overlord.
By the way, average knights from aristocratic families were around level 30, but in the Overlord Castle, even those over level 40 were just apprentice knights...
“...!”
Oh, I remembered.
That pure white hair, a knight belonging to Calderic.
Of course, there was a big difference between the game graphics and the appearance in reality, but it was enough to evoke a strange familiarity.
“Is that man the superior of the knights?”
I asked, pointing to a man who seemed to walk around among the knights and guiding them.
“Yes, the vice-captain of the 5th battalion of the White Star Knights...”
“Could you call him over here for a minute?”
It was a very sudden request. Even so, Caren was taken aback for a moment.
However, she immediately replied that she knew and approached the knights.
She talked to the man and quickly brought him in front of me. Now, this was power.
[Lv. 63]
“It’s an infinite honor to meet the Seventh Lord! I’m Camson, the vice-captain of the 5th battalion of White Star Knights.”
A man frozen with tension gave a stiff salute.
“There is something I want to ask you.”
“...Yes! I will do my best to answer anything!”
“That white-haired woman over there.”
I pointed at the woman and asked.
“What’s her name?”
Perhaps it was an unexpected question. Vice-captain Camson put on a puzzled expression for a moment before replying quickly.
“She’s Asher, an apprentice knight. She’s a newcomer who joined three months ago and is currently undergoing the apprenticeship process.”
...Huh.
The moment I heard that name, I felt a slight goose bump down my spine.
Could there really be such a coincidence?
Asher Gronhilde.
One of the main protagonists of RaSa’s main story.
At first, she appeared as an enemy, but as the story progressed, she was incorporated into the allied camp and was a powerful ally.
She was an apprentice knight in the Overlord’s castle.
One natural question was bound to follow.
Why did she become an apprentice knight?
If the level was over 80, it was a level that could go beyond the White Star Knights’ commander and become a member of the Black Star—the elite knights of the Overlord Castle. She actually belonged to the Black Star Knights when she first appeared in the game.
...It’s rough, but I know her background and circumstances.
Because of this, I could come up with a plausible guess right away.
She’s probably still wary of her surroundings, that’s why she joined while hiding her abilities.
What should I do with this?
After the sparring, Asher was holding the sword with no sign of fatigue.
This was a great opportunity.
Even if not, now I had to find a reliable escort. And if it was her, she was a character that could be trusted enough.
Besides, if i could use someone who was strong enough now, but who had the potential to grow to the level of a Lord in the future, she’s definitely more than qualified to be an escort.
'The problem is how to convince her.'
Currently, Asher was a knight belonging to the Overlord Castle.
Of course, with the power of the Lord, it wouldn’t be difficult to bring in an apprentice knight no matter if they belonged to the Overlord’s castle, but there was another problem.
Asher had a clear purpose for becoming a knight here.
If I took her here with little thought, she might not only dislike me but also become hostile to me as well.
“...”
Let’s try it.
Since I had already found her like this, it’s too good to just give up and pass by.
Having decided, I opened my mouth again.
“When will training end?”
“We plan to continue for another hour...”
“I’d like to talk to her. Can I bring her with me when it’s over?”
At my words, the vice-captain became dumbfounded. This was an unexpected reaction.
In Calderic, the Lord was the sky.
It was a situation where such a Lord had something to do with an apprentice knight and would take them.
“Mm- of course! You can bring her with you right now...”
“No, an hour later.”
I said, with no area for refusal.
I needed time to organize my thoughts before we could talk.
“I’ll go back first, so when training is over, bring her to my room.”
At my words, Caren’s gaze became a little strange.
I regretted it immediately. My words could definitely cause a useless misunderstanding.
“I just want to talk.”
When I added something, she bowed her head as if to apologize.
I looked at Asher one last time and turned around.
My mind went busy. How could I entice her to be my escort?
It was about an hour later when Asher came to my room.
“It’s an honor to meet the Seventh Lord. My name is Asher, an apprentice knight belonging to the White Star Knights' 5th battalion.”
Saluting with an expressionless face, she was wearing casual clothes, not greaves for training.
“Sit down.”
I gestured to the seat opposite.
After standing silently for a moment, Asher sat down.
A table with two people sitting opposite each other. Silence pervaded the room.
Slurp.
I sipped my tea without saying a word and glanced at the other side.
Asher, who was staring down at the teacup in front of her, lifted her head, perhaps sensing my gaze.
I vaguely felt the various emotions in those bright scarlet eyes.
Tension, vigilance, and doubt. Eyes saying that she did not know what she was doing here.
...Honestly, this only made me more nervous.
The woman sitting in front of me right now was a monster over level 80, and what I was going to say from now on would definitely irritate her greatly.
But to persuade her, this would be the best way.
I opened my mouth.
“Are you hiding your ability?”
Straight to the point, with no procrastination.
“...”
Asher’s expression slowly hardened.
“I don’t understand why you’re an apprentice knight with such skills. I wonder why you’re hiding your power.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
A weakly sharp, clearly wary voice.
“If you’re going to deny it, I’ll get straight to the point.”
Her eyes widened at my words.
“White Moon Tribe.”
“...!”
“I heard it was destroyed, but there’s clearly a survivor. Why did you come to the Overlord’s castle?”
The sharpened hostility immediately pierced my whole body.
Compared to the aura of the Thunder Lord I had experienced during the Lords’ meeting, it was far behind, but it still contained great pressure.
Faced with her gaze as she glared at me with a fiercely distorted face, I said calmly.
“Stop thinking about useless things. It’s impossible to win against me on your own.”
Of course, it was a bluff.
If she drew her sword and swung it here, I would die without even realizing that I was dying.
But I had faith that it wouldn’t.
First, Asher was not the type to kill lightly. Although this was her past self when the game hadn’t started yet. Her nature wouldn’t be different.
Above all, she was not reckless enough to attack anyone much stronger that herself without hesitation.
No matter how proud she was of her skills, she must know the fact that a Lord of Calderic was a different being.
“...”
As if the bluff had worked, Asher bit her lip tightly and regained whatever killing intent she had released.
It was embarrassing to see the blood dripping down from her bitten lip.
Perhaps now she was even more confused.
She was completely confused about how I knew who she was and what my purpose was.
Persuasion had just begun.
Now, let’s start with the negotiation.
