My Lucky Encounter From The Game Turned Into Reality - Episode 15
p>'Still, that knight Alan Lopez's talent is a shame.'
p>Through Mankyung, I had inspected information about many people, but I had never seen someone with talent of that caliber before. Already having awakened their aura, advancing to magic wouldn't be easy. But if they nurtured their magical abilities without major problems, they could perhaps shake the world as a magician. A wonderful hybrid would be born that could wield Force Armor and Force Swords of Vanguard with ease alongside magic. Of course, the path of magic and sword was hard to master with just one well, so whether talent would lead them to great success as a magician was still uncertain. The only saving grace was that they had obtained regular knight abilities at a young age, but even with talent, much effort would be required. 'If I could pull them out, it would be good to pull them out....'
p>From how I treated my colleagues, I could probably entice them to accept the recruitment somehow. But the problem was Count Otis. Alan Lopez was a knight from another territory, so for transfer, the lord's approval had to come first over his own will. 'Should I try bribing him?'
p>Considering Count Otis's tendencies, it seemed a viable means. It looked worth executing. I didn't know exactly how useful top-tier and ultimate talents were yet, but I was starting to think I needed to build my own power base. More than anything, now that we were far from the territory, this was the perfect timing. Also, by recruiting talented people who had bloomed with talent or, even if currently average, those with high potential, people's vigilance would lessen. The future framework felt a bit clearer. "I have to move busily."
p>As expected, there was no idle talk in Lucas's Vanguard. I took out my Mankyung, which was now treasure number one, and stood up from my seat.***
p>A knight and a magician cannot be anyone who wants to be one. Innate talent is required, and only those who feel mana through the aura test are recognized as eligible for knight and magician training. The reason Alan Lopez, a commoner, could become a knight was because he had passed the aura test conducted at the basic academy. The probability of passing the test was one in a thousand. Despite being bullied since childhood for his small stature, everything changed after the test passed. His family and relatives, who had clicked their tongues saying he should mind his own business, were now all over him, and the harassment at the academy vanished as everyone started watching Alan Lopez's every move. In a world where social status existed, having talent to become a knight or magician meant being on par with nobles, which was only natural treatment. At that time, Lopez enjoyed a feeling as if he had everything in the world, but it didn't last long. After graduating from the basic academy, he was summoned to the lord's castle to begin military life, and there were only people of the same status around him. Humans are creatures who love to rank themselves. If it had been the magic side, the atmosphere would have been different, but sadly, the lord, Count Otis, preferred knight training over expensive magician training, so humble Lopez received severe bullying from rivals. Sexual harassment was basic, and assault and extortion were options. Because of this, even as a regular knight, he could not help but feel doubt about his job. 'If I had become a magician, I would have succeeded.'
p>Someone casually threw such a word to that Alan Lopez. The question that pierced to the core, 'Why be a knight?' made him excited, but the following words were strongly imprinted in his mind and were not easily forgotten. Lopez himself had thought the same; it would have been better if he had walked the path of magic instead of being a knight. 'Second Battalion Commander Adrian Lawrence, the useless second son of the Lawrence viscount family, a noble who brings women to the battlefield and plays games all day....'
p>He was a person with a bad reputation in many ways, but the cold gaze Adrian actually showed was an atmosphere that couldn't be taken lightly. Of course, I knew that rumors weren't everything. But when the gap between rumors and reality was this large, it only made one think it was scary. "We meet again."
p>Should I call it coincidence? In front of the eyes of Lopez, who had been wandering aimlessly, the person in question appeared. Walking aimlessly in the barracks, Lopez swallowed dry air and bowed his courtesy. "Nice to meet you, Commander."
p>Because of the beauty Adrian brought this time as well, all eyes in the surroundings focused. "Let's get along well from now on."
p>But suddenly, Adrian extending a handshake left Lopez with a dumbfounded expression. "N-no, honor."
p>In a daze, he had taken the hand, but with that peculiar cold gaze and a smile without meaning, Lopez shrank his body. He once again felt that this person was completely different from the rumors. "Is Count Otis at the headquarters right now?"
p>'Yes, that's how I know.'
p>'Understood. Then, see you again.'
p>The phrase 'see you again' sounded a bit meaningful. After saying those words, Adrian moved to the division headquarters, and Lopez went back to his barracks as if fleeing for nothing. "Knight Lopez, is Knight Lopez here?"
p>But his rest wouldn't last long. "Lord wants you. It seems you should go to the division commander's office right away."
p>Because of the sudden call from the lord. As someone who knew Adrian had gone toward Count Otis, Lopez felt an inexplicable anxiety. "Ah, hurry, Knight Lopez."
p>The division commander's office where he arrived hurriedly. When Lopez entered, Count Otis, with a benevolent appearance, greeted him very happily. A knight though he was, the presence of a vassal from the Duke of England family and more, and the thought that a count would even know his name properly was absurd to Lopez. "Did you call?"
p>Count Otis patted Lopez's shoulder that was bowing courtesy and guided him to the table, where Adrian, the unexpected guest, was already sitting. And a story beyond imagination flowed from the count's mouth. "Knight Lopez. From now on, you will take Lawrence Battalion Commander as your lord."
p>'Eh?'
p>Lopez, who momentarily didn't understand the meaning, unconsciously used informal speech. Adrian, who had been sitting quietly in the seat, smiled slightly and answered his question. "I respectfully stated my desire to recruit you, Knight Lopez, to your honorable lord. And since you are a generous lord, you accepted my request."
p>It didn't make sense for a knight to be given as a gift like an object. Lopez wanted to say he didn't understand, but the count's appearance, narrowing his eyes while removing the smile from his face, froze him. "Do you have any complaint about my decision?"
p>It was a question that implied many meanings. Because of that, Lopez, who properly understood his situation, reflexively shook his head. "Ah, no."
p>'That's right.'
p>Lopez looked at Adrian. "It seems we have no choice but to get along from now on."
p>His cheeky action left Lopez with a confused feeling as he awkwardly smiled.***
p>In the Lawrence viscount territory's lord's castle. Cedric was receiving reports from his trusted subordinates about Adrian's story heading to the battlefield at various times. He furrowed his brows at the part where Dalton was stabbed to create a sense of terror, but he judged that his nature hadn't changed, as he still indulged in games. However, according to the new information just now, it was that Adrian had gathered his own group. He was about to become greatly enraged and respond, but....
p>When he received the report that the member was a low-level knight who had been bullied from the Otis count's family, a barracks laborer inside the military, and a trumpet from an adjacent unit, his will was completely drained. "Did he just want a friend? Poor guy."
p>A slight pity arose, but Cedric, whose personality hadn't changed, called Adrian directly and gave a sharp comment to keep company with his family's peers. But this was his blunder, because he had confessed that he was still monitoring every move of Adrian. It was his complacency that he hadn't noticed his own behavior had started changing recently. And as proof of that complacency, Cedric gave instructions to his subordinate that if it wasn't a nutrient-rich person, he shouldn't care who Adrian had next to him. Naturally, Cedric's subordinate accepted the master's instruction as is, and even though the number of people Adrian had next to him exceeded two digits, no report was made. "Still only playing games? Hah, in a way, it's amazing, given how hard it is to be a human that regular."
p>Because of this, the reports entering Cedric contained only that Adrian was still immersed in games.