Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Vector Baron
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After dinner, we all gathered in my room to discuss our next steps.
Lenis, who had the strongest magic skills among us, cast a spell to prevent any sound from leaking out, but her expression as she deployed the magic looked utterly dazed.
"Lenis, you okay?"
Elfin tried to comfort her, but it was hard to tell if Lenis even registered the words.
"Th-those troops... they were all mercenaries, and now what am I supposed to do... Th-they're definitely going to hold me accountable..."
Because her father, a former merchant, had bought his noble title with money, Lenis had always strived to put herself in a position where others would look up to her.
She knew full well that the other nobles in the kingdom didn't truly see her as one of them, so she was always hunting for achievements that would silence them all, putting on airs of refinement and elegance, even deliberately choosing grandiose words to sound impressive.
That's why she'd chosen the path of a mage, which offered more flashy visuals compared to swordsmanship, and every spell she specialized in was ridiculously ostentatious.
But in reality, she was a bundle of insecurities, terrified of anyone finding fault in her and crippled by an inferiority complex over her background. A classic case of all bark and no bite.
So it was only natural that someone like her would crumble and panic upon hearing that the troops she'd proudly led had been nearly wiped out by Libertà's forces.
"Lenis, pull yourself together. This might not have happened just because of you."
At my words, Lenis looked at me with teary eyes, clinging to even the smallest shred of hope.
"What... what do you mean?"
"No matter how I think about it, that Vector Baron guy seems suspicious as hell."
I explained my suspicions about the Vector Baron.
Of course, I left out the game knowledge that his territory was originally supposed to be a barren wasteland.
Ravi and Elfin listened, mulled it over, and nodded in agreement.
"It does feel off. He didn't even confirm you were dead, yet he stirred up the count's daughter and sent mercenaries he knew. Why wouldn't he check on your survival first?"
"Was he really just trying to get in on the action for a promotion? If so, he could've just found you and rescued you—your father would've showered him with rewards and pulled strings behind the scenes. The Libertà purge could've come later. The order seems all wrong."
But Lenis, who had met the Vector Baron face-to-face, couldn't accept it so easily.
"Hold on, Alvis. Are you saying... that I was..."
"Used. That's exactly what I'm saying."
"No way!"
Lenis denied it with a fragile expression.
"So... you're saying I was just tricked?! That I got played for a fool? What could the Vector Baron possibly gain from deceiving me?!"
"I don't know that either. That's why we need to find out from here on. For now, let's rest up tonight and head to the baron's castle first thing tomorrow. Lenis, how long does it take to get from this city to the Vector Baron's castle?"
"If we leave in the morning, we should arrive by sunset."
"Perfect. Opportunities to rest in a place this comfy don't come often, so let's eat well, sleep soundly, and set off early tomorrow. Oh, by the way, we only got two rooms for the girls."
"That's fine. Lenis~♡ Room with me!"
"Huh? Ahem... sure, why not! I'll yield the comfort of a private room to Elfin. As someone who practices nobility's obligations."
"Oh, really. I'm so touched I'm about to cry."
Elfin narrowed her eyes but smiled faintly in response.
"Reminds me of the academy dorms. At first, your snoring was torture, but lately I've felt empty without it, you know?"
"Wh-when did I ever snore?! Ravi's always subtly slandering me like this!"
Ravi linked arms with Lenis and headed to their shared room, while Elfin and I returned to ours.
Lying in bed to sleep, I stared at the ceiling, mulling over what the innkeeper had said.
'The Vector Baron being shady is one thing, but Brayden completely massacring Libertà? That doesn't sound like him at all. If the Goddess's Sword unit was deployed, Celine was probably there too. What was she doing, not stopping her boyfriend? I should meet up with Brayden sometime if I get the chance.'
Among the trashy ending branches in Holy Warrior Brayden NX, there were ones where everything the player did turned out to be evil acts.
I didn't want to see that kind of reality-warping bullshit from that garbage game play out in real life.
The next day, we had breakfast and promptly left the inn, heading straight for the Vector Baron's castle.
In the game, from a certain point in the current Vector Baron's territory onward, there should have been nothing—no monsters, no wild animals, not even grass or trees—just a vast empty lot. But after half a day's walk, the forest and trees still surrounded us.
As Lenis had said, we only reached the Vector Baron's castle after sunset. The surroundings were still an ordinary landscape, not the massive barren field I remembered.
'Is the world changing a bit because of my presence?'
The guards at the front of the baron's castle raised their hands, signaling us to stop as we approached.
As we halted, the castle guards came over and asked our business.
"This is the castle of Baron Vector. State your identity and purpose."
As planned beforehand, we put Elfin at the front.
A rootless wanderer like me wouldn't get an audience with the baron anyway.
"I am Elfin, granddaughter of an elder from Arborness. I heard that Baron Vector actively led the Libertà purge and demonstrated outstanding command abilities, so I've come to hear more about what happened that day. These are my attendants."
Elfin showed them an ornament proving her identity. The guards stared at her and us 'attendants' for a moment before stepping aside and opening the gate.
"Follow the path straight ahead, and you'll reach the castle where the baron resides."
'...No prior notice, no report to the baron, and they just open the gate on their own judgment?'
Once suspicion took hold, even the guards' attitude felt off.
The granddaughter of an Arborness elf elder was a politically significant figure. If someone like that showed up unannounced, the first thing should be to run and report to the baron—could mere gatekeepers decide to let her in on their own?
And we 'attendants' had our faces shrouded in hoods, with no proper identity check?
Harboring growing doubts, we headed toward the baron's castle.
"Well, if it isn't the granddaughter of the Arborness elder. What brings you to this distant place?"
A middle-aged man with jet-black hair slicked back appeared from the garden and approached us.
For ordinary humans like me or Lenis, it was one thing, but even the sharp-sensed Ravi and Elfin hadn't noticed him there—they flinched in surprise at his voice and stopped in their tracks.
But Elfin quickly composed herself, bowing her head lightly in greeting.
"I apologize for visiting so abruptly without prior notice, Baron Vector."
"Nonsense. It's an honor for a peripheral baron like me that someone akin to the princess of Arborness has come to visit."
"Thank you for your kind words, Baron Vector. I heard about the major incident in the kingdom recently. Libertà, that cancer on the realm, was purged by fire, and you were said to have commanded diligently on-site."
"Hahaha, what could an insignificant old man like me have done? It was all thanks to the Holy Warrior and the Goddess's Sword unit."
"I've come to learn about what happened that day and the aftermath. If you have time, might we speak?"
"It'll be a dull tale. But if you don't mind..."
With that, the Vector Baron started walking toward us.
The moment he took a step in our direction.
'...!!! Activate!'
The moment I saw the message, I instinctively sensed danger and triggered the Eye that Pierces Truth.
With a strong premonition that one use wouldn't cut it, I decided to burn through all my uses for the day.
At the same time, the Vector Baron's true form—that nauseating shape—came into my view.
Underground Vermin.
The blue dragon Linian had gnashed her teeth in hatred over them.
"Underground Vermin!?"
At the same instant, the Vector Baron widened his eyes and turned his head toward me.
"What...?! Who are you?!"