Chapter 28
Chapter 28
Chapter 28
Alliance (2)
The next day.
Rudian and Maria went alone without any escort.
"Let me formally introduce myself. I am Rudian, an official member of Adora, a secret organization formed to protect world peace."
"I don't know if that talk of world peace is sincere or a lie…."
Maria sighed and answered.
"I would also like to formally introduce myself. I am Maria Kepler, the next leader of the Psychic Empire."
The two exchanged brief greetings at a small cafe in the capital.
-…….
I think Adi is looking at me from the side with a rather displeased look, but am I mistaken?
It's amazing how someone can show displeasure with just a glance without saying a word.
"Yesterday's performance was truly impressive."
Maria's expression was extremely political.
"But even so, I still couldn't shake off my suspicions about you and the organization you belong to. I did a little research, but I didn't find any secret organizations known to the intelligence department of this house by the name of Adora."
"Because they are such a small and elite group. It makes sense."
'If you consider a one-person organization as an organization, then yes.'
Rudian swallowed his words and continued speaking with a bright smile.
"You've researched a lot in a short period of time."
"Because we have to clean up what we did."
The aftermath of this had a double meaning: the disappearance of the nobleman Gude Belstad, as well as the aftermath of Rudians action if the negotiations broke down.
Even though he knew that, Rudian nodded coolly.
"Of course. The ending is important."
"We are not in a position to discuss formalities, so I will ask directly."
Maria's cold eyes pierced through Rudian.
"What do we gain by forming an alliance with you?"
"It's a gain…."
If I had to say, there are truly countless of them.
I can guarantee that if Rudian were to lead the Psychic Empire, he would literally turn it into an empire before the start of the main story of .
The potential they possessed was enormous.
'But there's no time to do that.'
There is too much for Rudian to spend time solely on the Psychic Empire.
In this case, you only need to offer the minimum benefit necessary to persuade Maria.
Anyway, Rudian's 'minimum' standard will be perceived completely differently from Maria's perspective.
Rudian cleared his throat and let out a sigh.
"We, Adora, have been investigating the many hidden worlds of the continent so far, looking for organizations that can work with us as allies."
"Your tongue is long."
Lady Maria, the noble lady, speaks very harshly.
Rudian grumbled inwardly and pouted his lips.
"Please listen with some patience."
"…Okay."
Even though I said this, that kind of reaction is not bad.
Because it was evidence that she was impatient.
"There are numerous secret societies on the continent today. I believe you know that your intelligence organization is also quite formidable."
"……."
Maria crossed her arms and made a face that said, 'Let me hear what they're talking about.'
"But their goals are different. While there are those who fight for world peace like us, there are those who are secretly trying to dominate the world. No, if you look at the ratio, the latter is overwhelmingly more. There is no reason for those who are working for good purposes to hide."
"If you put it that way, then you too are admitting that you are suspicious."
Maria stabbed sharply in.
"In our case, the problem is that even if we wanted to reveal ourselves, we don't have the power to do so. Our numbers are so small."
The only forces that were there were one rookie who was still at the level of a commoner, an unidentified AI assisting the rookie, and a Demon Kingwho was sealed in a sword and was just a figure.
Maria's expression turned pale at Rudian's rebuttal.
"For such a small number of people, you seem to know too much about us?"
"That means our interest in Psychic Empire is huge."
"…Let's assume that's the case for now."
"Haha, thank you for understanding."
Rudian laughed briefly and continued speaking.
"There are three conditions for your alliance with Adora."
Rudian's right index finger was spread out.
"First, it must serve the common interest."
Next the middle finger was extended.
"Second, it will not be evil."
Finally, the ring finger was extended.
"Third, a certain level of power must have been built up."
"…Are we the ones who fit those conditions?"
"Yes, that's right."
In Chapter 2, the Psychic Empire was a powerful force that could have taken down the Morian Empire as a single force.
More than 90% of that force was in the person of Maria Kepler right in front of him, but on the other hand, it also meant that if he could just convince her, the rest would be easy.
Maria chewed on the three conditions for a moment and then opened her mouth.
"The second and third are fine, but I don't understand the first condition. Are you talking about common interests when you don't even know what our ultimate goal is?"
"Aren't superpowers accepted by the public as mainstream abilities, just like magic?"
Maria's eyes opened wide at the immediate answer that got to the heart of the matter.
"How did you know that?"
"Even though he is a noble, he is keeping the demons in check from below the surface, probably to block the intervention of the four great magic towers and take full credit for his achievements. Am I wrong?"
"That, that…."
Well, if you really want to find another reason, there is the excuse that it is because of those who are wizards but have made contracts with demons, like Viscount Gude Belstad.
'But that's not the true intention of the Psychic Empire.'
Could they ever have imagined that a great war on the scale of a continental war would break out in the future?
They probably just figured that one or two demons had sneaked into the giant empire like parasites, so they planned to catch them and gain fame.
"The demonic forces that have currently infiltrated this continent are beyond imagination. They are so powerful that they cannot be easily eliminated from under the surface."
"……."
A deep disbelief appeared on Maria's face.
"Fortunately, the Empire's situation is better, but in the case of the Kingdom of Rohans or the Ergon Kingdom, the leadership has already been taken over by the Demons."
"What, what nonsense is that?"
"You can investigate it in detail. If you invest money and manpower into it and investigate it properly, you will soon find out that what I am saying is true."
The Psychic Empire's network is dominated by the Morian region, so it is bound to be greatly weakened in other countries.
Furthermore, the Kepler family, the leader, was only a baronial family and a merchant family that mainly dealt with domestic affairs, so they had no way of knowing the hidden circumstances of high-ranking officials in other countries.
'I think you'll be quite surprised when you find out the inside story.'
Rudian continued speaking with that thought in mind.
"And if those with superpowers, who are called superpowered beings, contribute to subduing the demonic forces that have infiltrated the empire, the imperial family will also treat them with special consideration. I think that would be in line with our goals."
"Really, have the demons already entered the human world that much?"
She was frozen in disbelief.
Rudian drove a wedge into her like that.
"Viscount Gude Belstad was the head of the Seoris Union Commerce Association. Did you know that they control a whopping 20% of the Empire's logistics?"
Although the Kepler family's holdings are quite large, they are not on a level to rival the Seoris Union Commerce Association.
It wasn't for nothing that Gude growled that he would take care of the Kepler family who had attacked them.
If they had really missed Gude at that point, the Kepler family would have been in quite a difficult situation by now.
"Even without going as far as the demons, the power that Gude has established in the political and financial worlds is enough to destroy the Psychic Empire."
"……."
"That guy is just a servant. Still, don't you get the feeling?"
Of course, it was not revealed that Gude's death caused considerable confusion among the demons.
"That…!"
At some point, Maria was completely absorbed in Rudian's pace.
"You mentioned the benefits you could gain by forming an alliance with us?"
Nod.
Maria nodded with her mouth closed.
Seeing that sight, Rudian smiled in satisfaction.
Verification has been completed through Adi.
They can never turn down an offer from this side.
"First, I… No, I will hand over all the information about the demon forces within the empire that I know of, unconditionally."
"……!"
"Secondly, I will connect you with the highest-ranking nobles of the Empire who are not closely related to the Magic Tower. If we can find a patron, it will not be a bad thing for the Kepler family, and for the Psychic Empire."
"Ugh…!"
A nasal sound escaped Maria's lips.
This was also a very good suggestion.
The majority of the members of the Psychic Empire are either lower-class nobles or fallen nobles who have fallen into ruin.
In such a situation, if I could receive the protection of a high-ranking noble of the rank of Duke, I could literally fly above the water with wings.
Rudian has driven a wedge here.
"Finally, I will give you the ancient knowledge that established the theory of superpowers."
"Really?"
The last suggestion is the most crucial of the three.
Compared to this, the first and second proposals were mere side projects.
This is a masterpiece that the Psychic Empire can never refuse.
As evidence, don't you see Maria struggling to keep her composure?
"Is this a theory?"
"Yes."
"Not magic, but the theory of superpowers?"
"We at Adora have the theories established by the ancient empire of superpowers that has now perished and disappeared."
To be exact, they were various superpower theories stored in Adi's database.
Although Adi himself does not have any superpowers, for some reason his creators instilled in him a very detailed theory about superpowers.
Thanks to this knowledge, Rudian was able to come up with the idea of negotiating with the Psychic Empire.
"So, what do you want to do?"
As Maria jumped up from her seat in shock, Rudian smiled broadly and urged her to answer.
"……."
Suddenly, a deep conflict appeared on Maria's face.
***
-That's strange.
"What?"
-I don't know why that woman is so happy.
The negotiations naturally ended with Maria's acceptance.
Since she was a superpowered person, she could never refuse Rudian's offer.
"You knew the theory of superpowers from the beginning, so you couldn't help but have questions."
-Is that so?
"Even if it is not a great knowledge to you, it is like holy water to those who are thirsty for that knowledge."
Theorizing superpowers.
It was one of the ultimate goals that the superpowered people of had always dreamed of.
Superpowers are powerful.
No great magician in the Magic Tower could handle Maria, who emerged as the final boss of Chapter 2.
In the original, the four great magicians, who were as brilliant as stars, rushed in in a group escorted by master-level knights, but were slaughtered mercilessly.
However, the disadvantages of superpowers were too extreme compared to their great power.
"Superpowers are far less versatile than magic. And initiation is also more difficult than magic."
-That's true.
Unlike magic, where you can delve into various fields just by knowing the theory, people with superpowers cannot use any superpowers other than the one they have awakened.
Additionally, they tended to rely heavily on their innate senses to manipulate their powers, making it incredibly difficult for even skilled psychics to guide others.
Even Maria was no exception.
"Throughout generations, superpowered beings have attempted to theorize about superpowers in order to overcome such shortcomings."
But the results were mostly disappointing.
"It's not like there are many people with awakened superpowers like in some other academy city, nor is there any organized infrastructure. Furthermore, in an era where magic is the main thing, it's hard to properly operate due to the restraint of magicians."
Above all, the fatal blow was that 'getting started' was difficult.
"Since there is a method of training in magic, enlightenment about magic is possible in 10 or 20 years. However, since there is no proper training method for supernatural powers like super strength, if you don't have talent, you won't be able to use your super strength until you die."
A power that must rely solely on bloodline and innate abilities.
Theorizing superpowers has been the greatest desire of superpowered people to break down the wall of talent.
Is there a very simple way to theorize superpowers that have failed despite 100 years of investment?
"They can never refuse my offer."
Rudian smiled as if everything had gone according to plan.