The Ultimate Jackpot
In the past, Third Princess Arpe had tried to claim me as her possession. When that failed, she had adopted the classic "if I can't have you, I'll destroy you" mentality and tried to have me killed—only to fail at that too. Naturally, she had to pay the price.
She was stripped of the thing she cherished most in the world, a treasure she held dearer than life itself: Green Jack, the private intelligence and assassination syndicate she had painstakingly gathered and nurtured with obsessive care. It was supposedly disbanded on the spot.
...At least, that was how I had understood it.
Who could have dreamed that Urtega had quietly swallowed Green Jack whole? I never saw that coming in a million years.
"Father, you really put me in an awkward spot pulling a stunt like this without telling me a single word."
"Must I ask for your permission?"
"Man, oh man... your skin is thicker than castle ramparts. Is this the true character of a grand duke in medieval fantasy land? Utterly shameless, honestly."
"......"
I shrugged, meeting his silent, piercing glare without backing down an inch.
"...Well, fine. Whatever works. More fighting strength on our side is always welcome."
"U-Ugh, *sniff*, uwaaah...!"
With her head hung low, Arpe began sobbing sorrowfully like a heartbroken protagonist who'd just lost everything, but I did my best to ignore her. Or rather, I tried to, but Arpe had no intention of letting me off the hook.
"Sir Han-gil...! *Hic*, uwaah...!"
"...I get that you're sad, but don't cling to me. There are too many eyes watching."
"But...! It hurts so muuuuch...! It feels like a gaping hole was torn right through my cheeeest...!"
"Good grief..."
Sighing, I patted the back of Arpe's head as she buried her face into my chest, sniffling pathetically, and looked toward Nemeth.
"Nemeth."
"Yes, my lord."
"Objectively speaking, how strong is Green Jack?"
"...If every operative puts their life on the line, they possess just enough power to barely bring down a Master. Assuming, of course, that they have the advantage of an ambush and assassination tactics."
"I see. That's actually incredible."
I wasn't being sarcastic; I meant it sincerely. Even in the original game, there were hardly any non-player factions explicitly confirmed capable of slaying a Master. Even with the Third Princess and Nemeth removed from the roster, it truly deserved its reputation as the continent's premier assassination syndicate.
"Then could they handle one or two high demons?"
"With Green Jack supported by our auxiliary forces, they should be able to manage up to three. Killing them might be a different story, but they can certainly buy time."
"Is that so...? Good."
I nodded, then turned back to Urtega.
"Father. It irks me a little, but having an unexpected force added to our side is definitely good news. Nicely done."
"...Insolent brat."
Urtega glared at me in displeasure, but I simply offered him a sly smirk, utterly unbothered. Incidentally, the vassals were staring at me like I had lost my damn mind, clearly stunned out of their wits by my casual disrespect.
"Surely you aren't going to tell me that's all, right? Don't you have some hidden relics or artifacts tucked away? Something like this, for example."
I reached into my shirt and pulled out the Holy Guardian Fortress hanging around my neck.
Those of direct ducal blood who recognized its existence and properties—namely Berga and Weller—turned tense gazes toward Urtega.
"...We have some. However, I cannot guarantee they will be of any help."
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
"Because there are many relics whose effects remain entirely unknown."
"Wait, what kind of—"
I almost blurted out what kind of nonsense that was, but shut my mouth when I recalled the pathetic spectacle the Holy Order had put on during the first battle against the Demon King. Back then, they had hauled in a mountain of relics without understanding how a single one worked, leaving them stacked in useless piles.
Hmm...
To be fair, now that the game had become reality, figuring out a relic's effects wasn't an easy task. It wasn't like they came with an instruction manual, and far too many relics had conditions too counterintuitive to decipher through trial and error.
Take the Absolute Ring Set I'd been using to great effect, for instance. If someone had to uncover its function from scratch without meta-knowledge, they'd end up with a massive migraine. Not only did all three rings need to be equipped simultaneously, but their properties only revealed themselves when one consciously focused on them while under an enemy's attack. Whatever methods the Church or the ducal house used to appraise artifacts, they would never uncover such effects sitting in an ivory tower.
"I see. In that case, would you mind if I took a look at them?"
"I grant permission."
Urtega nodded readily, as if he had been hoping for that exact suggestion.
"Great. Can we go see them right away?"
"Go after our strategic council concludes. We haven't even properly begun our deliberations."
"You mean troop deployments, battle formations, and strategy? Everyone in this room understands those far better than I do. I'll outline the broad direction and general framework, so take care of the rest amongst yourselves. As long as it isn't completely absurd, it won't matter much anyway against a Demon King and high demons. Right now, those unidentified relics are by far the more critical variable."
"......"
The glares from Berga and the surrounding vassals turned sharp enough to pierce steel, but I merely took a leisurely swig from my drink.
"So tell me where they are. Let me inspect them and make my judgment so I can decide our tactical framework."
"...Very well."
Sighing, Urtega rose from his seat, slid open a desk drawer, and withdrew a heavy iron key.
"This is the key to the Treasure Vault beneath the ducal storehouse."
"Th-That's...!"
"Lord Urtega! No matter the circumstances, granting an unvetted outsider access to that sanctuary is...!"
The moment Urtega finished speaking, several vassals gasped and rushed forward to protest, but Urtega didn't budge an inch. On the contrary, he unleashed a suffocating wave of intimidation that pinned the entire room down.
"He is no suspicious outsider. I believe I made myself clear: I have vetted and permitted this."
"Mgh..."
"*Ahem*!"
Silencing his retainers with a single sentence, he tossed the heavy key across the table. I snatched it out of the air with practiced ease and gestured toward Muriel with a flick of my chin. She stepped up to my side without a word.
"I'll take only Muriel with me. The rest of you can continue your discussions."
"*Sniff*, Sir Han-giiiil...! Don't leave me behind, waaaah...!"
"Let go already, Arpe. I'll be back in a flash."
"You're not abandoning me, are youuu...?"
"Good grief, why would I abandon you? Nemeth, please take care of this girl."
"Yes, my lord. Leave her to me."
Dumping the emotionally fragile Arpe onto Nemeth, who offered me an amused, bitter smile, I briskly strode out of the office. A volley of burning gazes drilled into my back the entire way out.
Walking through the wide stone corridors of the Duke's Castle, I muttered under my breath.
"The Treasure Vault beneath the ducal storehouse, huh..."
"Is there something troubling you, my lord?"
Muriel, perceptive as ever, picked up on the subtle nuance in my tone. I wrapped an arm around her slender waist as we walked.
"Troubling me... Well, not quite. The truth is, I don't actually know what's stored inside House Stanasila's Treasure Vault."
"Is that... Hmm. Does that mean there might be a problem?"
Believing I was omniscient when it came to such matters, her expression stiffened slightly.
"Who knows? We won't find out until we look for ourselves."
It wasn't as if the game's lore bible completely omitted the ducal vault. There was a mention of it, but nothing specific was detailed. It simply read: 'There were treasures fitting the power and authority of House Stanasila.'
"......"
Still, there were breadcrumbs I could piece together. After all, the Stanasila Duchy was originally fated to fall and become the single most terrifying megadungeon in the entire Empire. As a high-level raid zone, it had guaranteed top-tier loot drops in the game.
If we could secure all those rewards at once, just like what happened back at Elder Lich Hegellina Krenkel's laboratory... No, more importantly, if that relic—the one that had an abysmal, near-impossible drop rate in the fallen Duchy dungeon—was resting down there, taking on two Demon Kings and an army of high demons might actually be feasible. On the other hand, if it wasn't there, things were going to get ugly fast.
"What brings you here?"
When we reached the ducal storehouse, a remarkably imposing warehouse master blocked our path.
"We're here to inspect the Treasure Vault."
The moment I displayed the key given to me by Urtega, the keeper stared intently at the key, then at me, and finally at Muriel, before offering a solemn nod.
"I shall guide you inside."
Following him through the massive double doors, an immense hall crammed with countless supplies opened up before us. It was a sprawling facility where thousands of items were impeccably organized by category and sector: textiles, grains, and metal ingots gave way to artisan potions brewed in the castle, mastercrafted equipment from the ducal forges, and rows of enchanted artifacts... etcetera, etcetera.
The entire place was so spotless and orderly that it felt less like a warehouse and more like an upscale merchant emporium.
"Here we are."
Right in the center of the vast expanse, which took several minutes of brisk walking just to cross, a reinforced iron hatch sat embedded flush with the stone floor.
"Hmm..."
Treated with proprietary protective enchantments, the hatch hummed with an extraordinary reservoir of concentrated mana.
"Do we simply unlock it and head down?"
"That is correct."
"Let's see here..."
I slid the heavy key into the keyhole and turned it. With a sharp, heavy mechanical click, the complex locking tumblers groaned into motion.
"Oh..."
As the iron hatch lifted, a wide, sweeping staircase leading down into the earth revealed itself. Yet there was none of the damp, gloomy chill one typically associated with subterranean vaults. Instead, the steps gleamed like polished marble, radiant gemstones embedded into the ceiling cast a soft, ambient glow, and the walls were adorned with opulent wallpaper that gave the space a luxurious, comforting warmth.
"They really went all out decorating this place..."
"My authorization ends here. Please, proceed inside and take your time."
"Right. Thanks for the escort."
Nodding to the warehouse master, I descended the underground stairs with Muriel at my side. Before long, the subterranean Treasure Vault unfurled before our eyes.
"...Whoa."
In terms of pure physical size, it couldn't compare to the vast storehouse above. But the intrinsic value packed into this chamber was utterly insane.
"Is everything all right, my lord? To my eyes, this simply looks like a chaotic collection of bizarre oddities..."
"Jackpot. It's a jackpot, Muriel! An absolute jackpot! Heheh, hahahaha!"
I burst into spontaneous laughter at the breathtaking sea of Unique and Legendary artifacts spread out before me. Some of them were familiar clear rewards from the game's dungeon, while others were entirely unprecedented treasures.
"Bwahahaha! What did he mean, he couldn't guarantee they'd help?! The old man was hoarding strategic-grade superweapons right beneath his floorboards and had no idea! What a piece of work!... Wait, hold on. Is that...!?"
Among the dazzling relics, one specific tome caught my eye.
"It's here! It's actually here! To think the Grimoire of Blasphemy was sitting right here all along! This isn't just a jackpot, it's the mother of all jackpots!"
Every Demon King possessed a specific counter-strategy. The Demon King of Life, Otiliv, and the Demon King of Death, Annus, had definitive, fatal conceptual weaknesses built right into their affinities. While the Demon King of Space-Time, Rubias, lacked an innate systemic weakness, countless players had pieced together reliable battle tactics through brutal trial and error.
Of course, now that the game had become reality, there was no telling how effective those meta-strategies would be... but the Grimoire of Blasphemy was the single most vital, indispensable key to defeating the Demon King of Death, Annus.
"If we're taking them down, Annus has to be first...!"
Even back in the game, the orthodox kill order was always Annus first, then Otiliv, and Rubias last. Provided you met the prerequisite conditions, Annus was the quickest and easiest Demon King to put in the dirt—so utterly trivialized that you could barely even call it a boss raid.
Conversely, if you failed to meet those conditions, Annus became the most horrifying, nightmarish abomination imaginable. But now that the Grimoire of Blasphemy was in my hands, half the battle was already won.
"Muriel! Pack up every single thing in this room!"
"...Are you certain we are allowed to take everything?"
"Who cares?! I'm the third son of this house!"
"My lord..."
She gave me a deadpan look that clearly said she had a mountain of objections to raise.
"Okay, technically only half of me is his son, but so what? Urtega gave his blessing! Come on, pack it all in! I'll take full responsibility!"
"*Sigh*... Very well, my lord."
Watching her dutifully sweep the priceless artifacts one by one into the Subspace Pouch, I grinned from ear to ear with immense satisfaction.
House Stanasila's hidden reserves truly lived up to their terrifying name. Even if two Demon Kings and a legion of high demons came knocking at our front door, with this arsenal at our disposal, we had more than a fighting chance.