66. That Was More Shocking
66. That Was More Shocking
Chapter 66. Those Words Were More Shocking
We followed Creuton into the Kingdom of Hessete.
The Kingdom of Hessete, which had once started as a principality and expanded its power, was a kingdom with such a small territory that it could be called a city-state.
Yet the reason it had come to hold the status of one of the five mightiest kingdoms, as it did now,
was thanks to the existence of its mages.
A mage was not simply made by learning magic.
In the first place, merely learning magic did not even allow one to use magic.
Those who could wield pure magic, without special tools or mediums, were born solely through bloodline.
And the nation that possessed the mightiest mage bloodline on the continent was none other than this Kingdom of Hessete.
Of course, even so, Creuton was a strange existence.
'Even if they're called mages, they're still human. They die when stabbed, and die when their lifespan runs out...'
But Creuton was different.
Because he had existed a hundred years ago.
'The mage character's tutorial...'
To be honest, because of that, I had cold sweat running down my back.
After all, hadn't I already told him that it was me who killed Redeia a hundred years ago?
That was why I hadn't expected to run into Creuton so soon.
When you played as a thief character, Creuton was only mentioned right near the ending, after all.
I'd thought it would be the same this time and just brushed it off back then.
'How do I get past this...'
It didn't seem like he'd make a big deal and grill me if I didn't bring it up...
While my concerns deepened,
before we knew it, we had arrived at Creuton's dwelling.
Even after stepping inside, he did not stop and continued walking.
As we followed him in, the three of us were busy looking around the house.
Because the chance to see a mage's house was not very common.
Fitting for a mage's house, books were scattered everywhere.
And the closets on the walls were filled with all sorts of magical tools.
It seemed at first glance similar to the alchemist Marco's dwelling that I'd seen before, yet it had a different feel.
If Marco's laboratory was a place that strongly exuded the vibe of a physicist,
this place was full of books and letters, a place brimming with the feel of a mathematician.
Both were spaces with a very strong scholar's nuance, but that subtle difference was strangely eye-catching.
As we walked a little further inside, a staircase leading down to a basement appeared,
and Creuton naturally descended below.
I followed after him as well,
and Diaz and Andrew, who had hesitated behind us, soon came down too.
And at the end of the path, there was a door, and when Creuton opened it,
Kiiiik...
we witnessed a slightly surreal sight.
A vampire on his knees, bound tightly in chains and rolling his eyes,
and a dreamlike girl sitting on a chair before him, reading a book with an expressionless face.
The sight of them together in one space.
* * *
Truth be told, even before I stepped foot into this room, it had been faintly reaching my ears.
The whisper of a vampire.
It was the power of the heightened senses that the Third Eye had given me.
[I shall grant you the chance to achieve immortality too!]
[A fortune of thousands? Of billions? You could never enjoy such wealth and glory in your lifetime, no matter how much you earn!]
[If you only let me live and let me go, I will kill everyone who blocks your path for the rest of your life!]
All sorts of sweet talk kept spilling out.
But not a single answer came to those words.
As if talking to himself.
Just who was he talking to?
And was it all right to leave such alluring whispers alone like that?
What if she gave in...
I was worried, but Creuton appeared not to mind at all.
He leisurely opened the door.
Then he looked at the girl and said,
"Did you guard him well in my absence?"
"...Yes. Seuseung-nim."
For the first time, the girl who had not made a sound despite the vampire's countless temptations opened her mouth.
At that, even the vampire made a fed-up face.
"So she wasn't deaf after all..."
Regardless of that, Creuton introduced her to us.
"This is my apprentice, Grendel."
"...It is nice to meet you."
Even her greeting overflowed with bluntness.
It was a little different from Diaz's first impression, too.
If Diaz was tense and on edge,
Grendel gave a much stronger feeling of having no interest in anything in the world at all.
Creuton, as if accustomed to her reaction, moved the conversation along.
"I came down to show you in person. How about we go back up and continue the detailed talk?"
"Let's do that."
We left only Grendel and came back upstairs.
Creuton roughly cleared away various scrolls and books to make space, then he invited us to sit and immediately got down to business.
With an expression of interest.
Actually, we were the more interested ones.
"Were you not curious why I asked to be connected to the royal family?"
"Well. Would there be any benefit to me knowing?"
"Oho. With an answer like that, I have nothing more to say."
However, Diaz seemed to have been a little curious.
"While we're on the subject, may I ask why you desire a connection to the royal family?"
"Ah. It's nothing special. Because it seems I must kill the Third Prince jeoha."
Uh... I hadn't expected it to be something like this...
"..."
"..."
"..."
It seemed we had gotten entangled in something unimaginable.
* * *
When our expressions hardened.
Creuton answered with a smile.
"It is not a political matter such as assassination or rebellion. Though it has not been made public externally, the Third Prince jeoha is currently in a state of demon possession."
I furrowed my brow at his words.
"A demon?"
"That is correct. It was quite a vicious one. To the point that I could not find a method. I had exerted effort in many ways to break the possession... but in the end, I could not find a solution."
"So you're going to kill him?"
He nodded.
"The same opinion had already come from the royal family's side. But His Majesty the King is strongly opposed. I regretfully argued that we must relieve the Third Prince jeoha's suffering any longer. Thanks to that, I have found myself completely expelled from the royal family. Now I cannot even request an audience with His Highness under my own name."
With a sigh, he gave a bitter smile.
"So that is why you approached us."
"Haha. It is because those who can approach the royal family are not so common. It happened that you appeared right before me."
Creuton answered lightly, but I still had a few more things I was curious about.
"Is it okay for you to so easily blab such a story to us?"
According to his words, the matter of the Third Prince would obviously be a top-level secret among secrets.
Something akin to the royal family's internal shame.
Was it all right to disclose it so lightly like that?
To that question, Creuton slowly gave his answer.
"I remember you. So it was out of trust that I brought up this story."
"..."
What is he talking about?
When would I ever have met Creuton...
"A hundred years ago. The witch who tears through dimensions, Redeia. Do you remember?"
Before I could even react, Andrew was startled first.
"Redeia, that's the witch we killed not long ago—no, the one Sir Rohan killed, isn't it?"
When Andrew brought that up,
Creuton was also surprised.
"You mean Redeia was resurrected? To have actually fulfilled that prophecy...!"
With the two of them surprising each other, I had no timing to be surprised.
Andrew tilted his head and asked Creuton.
"A prophecy? What kind of prophecy was there?"
"A hundred years. She had said she would return and kill me. I only thought it was nonsense spat out of sheer malice..."
"She really did resurrect. Our Sir Rohan cut through that witch's dimensional veil and just swoosh and slash! He did it."
Why is that kid going and talking about it like he's proud of it himself...
'No, but why is the conversation suddenly flowing to Redeia? At this rate, it might get messy.'
My claim of having fought Redeia a hundred years ago could get tangled up weirdly...
"Hoho... Did you truly do as you said that time?"
Huh? What kind of talk is this now?
Suddenly, Creuton uttered incomprehensible words.
"A hundred years ago, you showed me the way to chase the witch. Did you forget? I have not forgotten you for a single moment. Because to me, it was that shocking."
Showed him?
I did? To Creuton?
What in the world is going on?
"Because I never forgot for a single moment, I recognized you immediately."
Those words were more shocking.
* * *
"At the time of the battle with Redeia. Had it not been for your help, I would have lost that witch."
'Before the point of the tutorial, had I met someone?'
And that someone was me?
There was no way to know at all.
Because what I knew was limited to the scenes that had been shown in the original work.
In the original, there was nothing else.
It was because the battle started right in the tutorial.
But Creuton, for whom that was reality, seemed to have met me before the point of the tutorial.
However, I had no memory of it at all.
"A hundred years ago... What did we talk about then?"
Pretending to search my memory, I probed Creuton.
"It is such an old matter that the words we exchanged are also dim in my memory. But this is clear. While fighting that witch, when I lost her, you appeared and cut the dimensional veil with your sword, making a path for me. To cut the dimensional veil—it was an absurd thing."
"..."
So I also cut the dimensional veil back then?
But the amount of information was a little lacking.
'Still, a bit of inference is possible. Even if it's not in my memory, it means I existed a hundred years ago.'
And that this body of mine right now, is certainly not an ordinary person.
If so... surely there would also be a way to find traces of another me somewhere.
Though it's frustrating not knowing where to look right now...
'Someday, a way to find out will appear.'
Such a vague hope rose up.
However, it seemed I still needed a bit more time.
So, I thought I would deal with the immediate matter before me, one by one.
"Now that I think of it, you said the Third Prince is possessed by a demon."
"That is correct. I have attempted countless things... but it was impossible."
To my question, Creuton seemed to have grasped my intention.
"Could it be..."
I nodded.
"Truly? Is there a method for this as well?"
"We'll have to try to find out."
"You mean that? Hoo?..."
Creuton's eyes sparkled.
As if he was extremely interested.
It was the eyes of a scholar even before those of a mage.
"First, before killing..."
A skill I'm finally bringing out again after quite a long time.
The almost ultimate defensive skill against mental attacks...
[Mana Burning]
Because I had that.
It was well worth the challenge.
"I'll have to give it a try."
And so, we headed for the royal palace.
Living as a Game-Breaking Character
Chapter 66. Those Words Were More Shocking