Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: A Noble That Does Not Exist
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Vector Baron family.
Such a house did not exist in Holy Warrior Brayden NX.
From the day I possessed this body and graduated from the academy, I'd made a habit of reading every newspaper I could get my hands on to adapt to this world. Every noble house from every other nation was one that appeared in the game, but not the Vectors.
The truly bizarre part was that to the people of this continent, the Vector family—which shouldn't exist at all—was perceived as a house that had been around since ancient times.
"The Vector Baron family... I know they've got a long history, but they've never risen above the level of a minor noble house. They must've been trying to join forces with Lenis's family, who accumulated wealth in pursuit of social climbing."
"Ravi, you know the Vector Barons?"
Ravi tilted her head with an expression like she'd heard the strangest question, folding one of her rabbit ears.
"Of course I know them. The Carrot Duchy and the Pratea Kingdom are neighboring countries separated by the Fresia Mountains, after all. It's not like we've had much dealings with that house, though."
"It's just your typical weak noble house, right? What's up, Alvis? You act like you know everything, but you didn't know about them?"
If even Elfin was saying that, then the Vector Baron family was undoubtedly a house that had always existed in this world.
But no matter how I thought about it, something was off.
I hadn't been living in this world for that long, but every phenomenon I'd encountered so far that wasn't in the game had some weird aspect to it.
A King Goblin turning up dead in a place it shouldn't appear, an unfamiliar dark spirit manifesting in a room full of curses and sorcery using that corpse as a medium, the barrier stone in the Fresia Mountains getting destroyed and gargoyles— that shouldn't exist—showing up in broad daylight, and unlike the original game, the hidden gargoyle cave was packed with stone statues of them...
And that Vector Baron's behavior was suspicious too.
If he wanted to climb the social ladder, he should've been sucking up to marquises or dukes—houses far above the Valentin Counts. Why approach Lenis of all people?
What he'd said to her sounded like it was subtly poking at her inferiority complex about her origins, egging her on.
The only ones who even knew she had such a complex were Ravi, Elfin, Brayden, Celine... and me. How would some backwater minor noble know that and make her an offer perfectly tailored to her?
Lenis probably thought she'd done it all of her own accord, but to me, it sounded like clever gaslighting.
"Lenis, where's the Vector Baron's territory?"
"A little east of the Rabanium Mines... but why do you ask?"
That made it even stranger.
In the game, east of the Rabanium Mines was a huge empty field.
The problem was that it was literally a barren wasteland—no monsters, no resources to gather, no hidden items. Not even a blade of grass grew there.
Back when I played, I wondered why such a space existed, and after seeing the game's sloppy development, I just thought, Ah, it's a trash game, so they half-assed it and left this crap in!
But now you're telling me the Vector Baron's territory was there? The more I learned, the shadier it got.
"Ravi, Elfin. Looks like we need to pay a visit to the Vector Baron's territory. Lenis, you're coming too."
"Huh? Why there all of a sudden..."
"Got some hunch?"
"Remember what Linian said at that fortune-teller's in Libertà? About the Underground Vermin."
At the mention of the dragon's name they feared so much, Ravi and Elfin both flinched simultaneously.
"Yeah, the ones scheming from the shadows of this world..."
"You think the Vector Baron is connected to them?"
"Yeah."
"Any evidence?"
"Just a feeling."
Elfin crossed her arms, looking utterly baffled by my answer.
"Just a feeling...? What are you gonna say when we get to the Vector Baron's territory? 'Hey, I have a hunch you're one of the Underground Vermin, so I'm here to investigate if it's true'? Your family's fallen and won't protect you anymore. You'll get your head chopped off on the spot for insulting a noble!"
Elfin was spouting straight facts, but I felt an urgent need to resolve this nagging suspicion.
Above all, if I was barking up the wrong tree, that Fate blah blah bullshit would've triggered some gut-wrenching pain by now. But nothing.
All the circumstantial evidence was pointing toward investigating the Vector Baron's territory.
Even Ravi and Elfin, who'd heard it straight from Linian, didn't look entirely convinced. Lenis—who hadn't even seen her—was even more outraged.
"Alvis, are you insulting the nobles of our country right now? The nobles of our nation aren't like pervy creeps like you—they live with their own pride and sense of honor! The problem is they don't recognize upstarts like us because it's a bit extreme... Anyway, how dare you compare another country's nobles to vermin?! Retract that statement right now, or as soon as we return, I'll report this to Lord Vector Baron!"
"Lenis, before you worry about that, you should think about how you're going to take responsibility for all the troops you led to their deaths."
"That's just your assumption!"
"Then we can check the news as soon as we reach the nearest city. But for now, you're in our custody. They've already ransacked Libertà, so those guys are definitely after your head. It'll take over a week to reach another city anyway, so stick with us until then."
"No, why should I listen to the likes of you—"
Ravi calmed the protesting Lenis.
"Lenis, it's probably best to do it this way for now. That weird presence I felt in Libertà wasn't my imagination."
"Tch... Agreeing with him makes me feel like I'm losing, but on that point, I agree. Lenis, you were really in danger back there. His words piss me off, but let's travel together for now. If you wanna curse him out, I'll join in."
"No way... even you two? Why are you traveling with a guy like that in the first place... Haa... Fine. But of course nothing will happen, so as soon as we reach a city, I'm going straight home. And Alvis, you should prepare to pay for insulting our country's nobles!"
"We'll talk about that after we confirm nothing happened, yeah?"
...
Lenis tilted her head, puzzled by this Alvis whose vibe felt different from the one she knew.
Above all, why were Ravi—who didn't like Alvis much—and Elfin—who genuinely despised him—traveling with this guy? And after she'd orchestrated his kidnapping, how was she the one getting bossed around?
Lenis snorted inwardly.
Hmph, I don't know what gave him the balls to act like that, but he's still Alvis. Once I get home, I should contact Brayden and Celine—let them know this creep's dragging the two of you around doing who-knows-what weird stuff.
The Pratea Kingdom was in a frenzy over the urgent report that had flown into the royal castle.
"Those human scum finally...!"
"Even if the victims were mercenaries, this is outright treason—drawing a blade against a noble!"
"The Valentin Count family may be a bunch of pretenders who bought their title with money, but they're nobles in name at least. A hollow noble is still a noble. What happened in Libertà crossed the line—way too far."
"But this was essentially the Valentin girl acting on her own and causing trouble. Sure, the fallout was big, but it was still personal recklessness. The kingdom has no reason to clean up her mess with our blood."
Lenis Valentin and the hundreds of mercenaries she'd led had boldly marched on Libertà for a "purification operation," only for it to end in catastrophe: Lenis missing, and all but four or five mercenaries wiped out.
The king and nobles of Pratea were deep in debate—whether to treat this as treason against a kingdom noble or cut ties by calling it a massive accident from personal deviation.
Meanwhile, Count Valentin wandered around pale-faced, inquiring about his daughter's whereabouts.
"L-Lenis...! Has Lenis's location still not been confirmed?! Is she alive?!"
"Compose yourself, 'Count.' That's what nobles do."
"Compose myself? My daughter's missing—"
"From the moment she gathered mercenaries and charged into Libertà on her own, wasn't her personal safety her own responsibility? As a former merchant, you should know better than anyone not to stick your neck into dangerous places. Didn't you teach your daughter that, Count Valentin?"
"You...!"
"This is just going in circles. Please calm down and hear me out just once."
As Count Valentin looked ready to explode and lunge, someone calmed the assembled nobles and spoke up.
"Speak, Vector Baron."
"We could write this off as a personal accident and dump all the blame on the Valentin family. But the ones who clearly drew first blood against the Valentin lady—before she even attacked or refused to leave—were Libertà's thugs."
"Hm..."
"According to survivor testimonies, a bright flash erupted, the young lady was kidnapped, and Libertà attacked right on cue. They probably held off to avoid killing her in the chaos and cash in on a ransom.
If Count Valentin pays up, great. If he ignores it and she gets executed, either way, it's a disgrace for the kingdom. The world will point fingers, saying we can't even control a lawless zone in our own backyard. What a humiliation that would be."
"So, Vector Baron, are you proposing we mobilize the army on a royal level to resolve this?"
"If it were that simple, how wonderful. But Libertà is like an old abscess from our kingdom's perspective. If we make a big show of marching in, those thugs will scatter like cockroaches, lie low until things quiet down, and crawl back. It's happened multiple times before."
The nobles in the chamber tsked in frustration at the Vector Baron's words.
Libertà was that much of a thorn in the kingdom's side.
"That's why sending in the army the usual way won't be effective. My proposal is... to request dispatch of the Holy Warrior."
"Beg the Andras Empire?"
"Asking foreign powers for help with our own problems? Are you in your right mind, Vector Baron?!"
The nobles rose like a swarm of bees, but the Vector Baron remained composed.
"Not imperial soldiers. Just the 'Holy Warrior and their direct subordinates.' The empire appoints the Holy Warrior and provides lodging, but they don't fight for the empire. It's just that they've been stationed there so long they seem like imperial troops. Per doctrine, anyone on the continent can request the Holy Warrior's aid, and if deemed justified, they can deploy without imperial approval."
The Pratea king immediately summoned priests, who confirmed the Vector Baron's words.
"Lord Vector Baron is correct. These days, the empire and other nations treat the Holy Warrior and their unit as imperial affiliates, but doctrinally, they are the 'Goddess's Holy Warrior,' not the 'Empire's Holy Warrior.' They are a clearly independent force, and the empire has no authority to interfere with their activities."
Emboldened, the Vector Baron smiled and continued.
"I hear the current Holy Warrior was quite close to the Valentin lady during their academy days. Would he ignore his friend's disappearance after an attack from Libertà? The empire has no right to interfere with dispatching the Holy Warrior, so we won't face any meddling in our affairs. And since it's a small unit, there's low risk of detection from large-scale troop movements.
With the Holy Warrior's might, they can wipe out Libertà's thugs, so Count Valentin can rescue his daughter, and we can finally deal with our kingdom's chronic headache. Best part? Those rioters drew first blood, giving us perfect justification. What better opportunity could there be?"
Count Valentin prostrated himself before the king at those words.
"Your Majesty! Lord Vector Baron is absolutely right! I beg you as well! She's a foolish daughter who caused a huge mess, but she's my only child! I'll bear full responsibility and cover all costs for dispatching the Holy Warrior! I seek no credit for this! Please, just allow me to save my daughter!"
The kingdom's nobles, convinced by the logic, began agreeing one by one, urging to excise the rotten tumor of Libertà while at it.
After some deliberation, the king declared he would secretly dispatch an envoy to the empire requesting the Holy Warrior. At that moment, no one in the chamber noticed the Vector Baron grinning wickedly, baring his teeth.