Now the Real Game Begins (3)
The presence of Arsia and William, who directly supported me, was precious. But among the legacies left by the Grand Duke Manuel Lucas, the one that shone in every respect was undoubtedly the Mankyung.
[Pessius Nocton / Aura Expert]
Age: 43
Affiliation: Free Knight of the Lheinhatz Kingdom
Talent: Aura (Supreme), Physical Ability (Superior), Learning Ability (Medium), Intellectual Ability (Medium)
Characteristics: Base Defense, Command
Relationship: Friendly / Ally
Status: Shock, Fear, Hope
Thanks to this Mankyung, I was able to discover talent. Above all, I could perceive the emotions and inner thoughts of others, ensuring I would never be betrayed.
It was the same as being able to see one step ahead when dealing with people, as if I had obtained the power of foresight.
No matter what Anna or Cedric tried to do, I would not fall victim to it without knowing why.
“Did people from Lady Sylvia’s side really send them?”
“Obviously.”
I shrugged at William’s probing gaze.
William and Pessius seemed to have much to say about my attitude, but I flicked my fingers and paused the conversation.
*SWOOSH SWOOSH SWOOSH.*
A surge of power spread out from me, becoming light and enveloping everything around. The destroyed buildings began to restore themselves as if time had reversed.
Blood and corpses that had seeped into the structures evaporated and vanished.
The two men covered their heads with their hands, utterly bewildered by the sight.
Having hidden their abilities so thoroughly all this time, displaying them felt like an eternity.
But was this superiority?
Seeing people’s shocked reactions wasn’t so bad.
“You must have many questions.”
“Indeed.”
I told them there was no need to overthink and placed a hand on each of their shoulders.
“Then let’s move to a new location.”
And I cast the pre-memorized Teleport (7th Circle) magic.
“D-Did you say something, Master? This can’t be…”
“Oh my…”
The two, who had been left speechless by the Repair (5th Circle) magic, were beyond shocked.
A pure white light then enveloped the four of us, and the landscape around us shifted with the characteristic disorientation of spatial movement.
* * *
Among the countries bordering the Croisen Empire was the kingdom of Luscias.
An ally of our Lheinhatz Kingdom and a rival with similar power, Luscias was renowned for possessing the most great magicians after the four great empires.
But if I had to name the most famous magician in the country, it would be Cain Liverdale the Duke.
The reason he was so famous was twofold: first, he was a great magician himself, and second, he had a rather unusual history.
Specifically, four out of the seven great magicians of the Luscias Kingdom were his disciples.
Including himself, that meant a staggering five great magicians in one country were bound by the master-disciple relationship.
And that was not the end of it.
There were also two great magicians outside the Luscias Kingdom who were renowned as disciples of the Liverdale Duke.
Achieving the 7th Circle—the level of great magician—was a feat that required both extraordinary talent and heavenly fortune, as the heavens themselves designated.
Yet the Liverdale Duke had trained six disciples to that level, allowing him to claim that he surpassed even Grand Duke Lucas in the art of education.
‘The greatest magician in the world is Grand Duke Lucas, but the greatest magic mentor in the world is Duke Cain Liverdale.’
In truth, Grand Duke Lucas had never properly raised disciples, so comparison was unfair. But no one dared challenge the title of greatest mentor for the Liverdale Duke.
Thanks to this, the Liverdale Duke could claim the name value that followed Grand Duke Lucas in the magical world, and wield power in Luscias Kingdom rivaling that of the king.
Even though the old man had passed away last year.
“Is that really true?”
Why had I suddenly brought up Cain Liverdale the Duke?
The reason was simple.
I had deceived William and Pessius by claiming that my own magic mentor was the Liverdale Duke.
“Since I learned magic without a hitch even under constant surveillance, it must have been thanks to this level of person.”
“But Master, you spent most of your time in the game… No way.”
“Exactly. The place where I could act with the fewest restrictions was the virtual world. You taught me by alternating between reality and virtual.”
“Y-You really were the Liverdale Duke. Raising disciples with such a bizarre method.”
Of course, I hadn’t deceived them with mere words.
In my hand floated a platinum badge proving I was a direct disciple of the Liverdale Duke, along with a holographic photo taken with him.
All of it was fake, but it was part of an alibi created by Chester, the manager of Arsia, using real-looking objects.
The traces of the Liverdale Duke were everywhere around me, just like the object in my hand, and his biography secretly recorded the existence of his hidden disciple.
In fact, even if the people of the Liverdale Duke family or his disciples saw me, they would have no choice but to acknowledge it.
“No, in this case, I am even greater than the Liverdale Duke. Achieving such a realm under such terrible conditions. The heavenly talent must be like this.”
“Wow, isn’t it a dream that a 7th Circle great magician and an Aura Master coexist in one family!? In this case, the Lawrence viscountcy could become a dukedom!”
Why go through all this trouble to create such an alibi?
Simply to avoid restrictions on my activities.
A great magician suddenly appearing.
And if they learned I was only twenty, everyone would suspect me.
But there was a countermeasure in place: the title of direct disciple of the Liverdale Duke.
‘If only I could shout that I am the successor to Grand Duke Lucas…’
If I did, the entire world would swarm like piranhas and tear me apart.
For that reason, I needed to launder not only money but my own identity.
In fact, among the Liverdale Duke’s disciples, there were those who achieved the 7th Circle at ages twenty-two and twenty-six, so no one would question the existence of someone like me.
“By the way, reaching 7th Circle at twenty is an internal record, right?”
William asked with an excited expression, but I paid him no mind and turned to Pessius.
“Anna and Cedric’s treatment can be handled with just our strength. So there’s no need to rush into expanding our power.”
In response to my casual words, Pessius looked puzzled, wondering why he had been summoned.
He had been preparing to organize Anna’s rival faction, so of course he was disappointed.
“Originally, I had no intention of returning you to the estate, Pessius.”
“What?”
“You have other tasks to do.”
As I spoke, I extended my left hand to him.
A black metal bracelet was on his left wrist. Upon light contact with my silver bracelet, a holographic message window appeared.
[Please select the shared account.]
“Account number two.”
[The deposit balance of account number two is two hundred billion roots. Do you wish to share it?]
“Yes.”
After a simple security procedure, part of the funds I possessed was shared with the account linked to Pessius’s terminal.
“Hah! Master!?”
Naturally, he saw the massive sum available on the terminal and his eyes widened.
“The task I want to entrust to Pessius is to form a shadow information guild as well as a errand organization that will faithfully execute my orders.”
I knew that such organizations were not uncommon in the underworld, even if they were called errand and information guilds.
High-ranking nobles each had such behind-the-scenes organizations.
A viscount family didn’t need one, but looking ahead, it would be essential.
‘Assigning this to a knight might be harsh.’
But even with the Mankyung, I couldn’t monitor everyone at all times. It was better to place it in the hands of a loyal, trustworthy person than a scheming betrayer.
Only then did Pessius realize why he had been summoned. He furrowed his brows briefly while looking at William.
But after thinking it over, he seemed to understand my intention and readily agreed.
“Since the chances of becoming the Raven Count’s enemy are high, such an organization is certainly needed. But would you be all right? It must have been difficult to gather such funds. Are you willing to entrust such a large sum to me?”
In normal circumstances, even a noble son could not easily raise two hundred billion without the lord himself.
It seemed Pessius had not refused because he trusted me enough to entrust such a sum without hesitation.
“I have a knack for making money through investment. Two hundred billion is a large sum, but it’s not pocket change.”
“Indeed, you are remarkable.”
Pessius shook his head as if he had no more shock left.
Could anyone just say it was amazing after learning three thousand times more money was asleep in my account than two hundred billion?
I chuckled and extended my hand to him.
“I’ll push Cedric out and take over the family. And I’ll gain power that no one in this country can ignore.”
A goal I had only thought about, never spoken aloud.
“Will you come with me?”
To this, Pessius knelt on one knee, grabbed my hand, and bowed deeply with respect.
“I will devote my loyalty.”
William, watching from the side, expressed his admiration with words of “Excellent.”
* * *
“Five high-level assassins have vanished without a trace?”
Anna blinked in shock at the steward’s report, who had served with her since the Raven Count days.
“T-That is correct.”
“Did I not claim that anyone could be killed as long as they were not Aura Masters or great magicians?”
“Yes, we have the capability and record…”
“But why!”
*SMASH!*
Anna cut the steward off and hurled the wine glass she was holding. The thin crystal glass shattered against the steward’s forehead, cutting his face.
Blood flowed from the steward’s face, but he bowed his head without any movement.
“Pessius and William?”
“William has returned to the unit, but Pessius’s whereabouts are unknown.”
“Tsk. He’s probably alive. If Pessius were dead, William would have reported it to him.”
Any report to the lord would reach her ears.
The one who had seized control of the Lawrence viscount estate was not her husband, Adrian, but Anna herself.
“T-Those bastards… If they team up, they’ll point a knife at us. Should I have investigated the situation a bit more?”
Anna recalled the promise she had made with her husband.
‘Please stop all threat and surveillance activities against Adrian and Sylvia.’
Though reluctant, she had no choice but to accept her husband’s demand.
When cornered, even a mouse bites a cat.
Still, if she pushed the Lawrence viscount beyond reason, it could cause trouble.
So, swallowing her complaints, she forced herself to cut off interest in Adrian and his mother Sylvia.
[Young Master Adrian’s achievements are tremendous. Even though he shares the credit with his superiors and colleagues, the title will definitely be bestowed after the war.]
But Adrian had been so active that he had become a young hero in the broadcasts.
[William said he wants to push young Master Adrian. Although young Master rejected it, many knights are secretly supporting Master.]
Anna heard where William’s words about Adrian had leaked from, and she could no longer stand by.
‘If William teams up with Pessius, a power that can’t be ignored will be created. I can’t let that happen.’
She decided it was time to break the promise she had made to her husband.
“What should we do with the assassin guild? This time we will send overwhelming force and complete the mission no matter what.”
She could not tolerate Cedric’s competitor.
So Anna had decided to eliminate anyone who became a threat.
“No, why don’t I just kill Adrian?”
“What?”
“Why complicate things by playing around? That’s the easiest way.”