Demarion's Trial (1)
A collective flinch.
The moment Gaon's final declaration echoed through the conference room, the eyes of the mages belonging to the Shadow Society shook violently.
It was the shock of having their long-hidden identities exposed in a single instant.
The terror of realizing that the Seal, a symbol granted only to the leader of the Shadow Society, had passed into the hands of a Sword Master.
And...
On top of all that, the promise of "cooperation" in a situation where they had expected nothing of the sort.
It was utterly bewildering.
Several mages blinked repeatedly, as if trying to confirm whether they were dreaming or awake.
A Sword Master defending the Shadow Society...?
For the Shadow Society, which had operated in the dark for centuries to evade the watchful eyes of Midtemple, the hand extended by the Seeker felt like a sweet temptation.
Yet, at the same time, this goodwill felt suspiciously like a trap.
After all, his declaration to unify the factions—even if it meant driving out the Traditionalists—sounded somewhat unrealistic.
No one could fathom what Gaon was thinking to make such a statement.
"..."
"..."
"..."
A suffocating silence descended upon the round table.
Everyone stared at him with bewildered eyes, desperately trying to read his intentions.
With a soft rustle of fabric,
At that exact moment, Gaon rose from his seat.
"Then my business here is concluded."
Tap, tap.
Leaving those words behind, Gaon walked out of the conference room without a shred of hesitation.
The female knight, who appeared to be his squire, followed silently behind him.
"W-Wait! Lord Gaon...!"
Snapping back to her senses, Selena hurriedly rushed after him.
"Haa, haa."
I paused.
It was the moment I took a step outside the conference room.
Selena, who had stopped me, bent forward, catching her breath.
As I stared at her in silence, she spoke in an urgent voice.
"Let me guide you to my office. I have something to tell you..."
"Very well."
I followed Selena to her office.
As we walked, I organized the events of the emergency council meeting in my head.
The purpose of this meeting was simple.
They put up a plausible front, but in reality, it was nothing more than a witch hunt to find a scapegoat for the incident.
A monster living underground for hundreds of years? And they had to sacrifice dozens of people to it every month?
How could no one have known about this until now?
Naturally, someone had to take the fall.
They had convened the emergency council meeting precisely to pin the blame on someone.
Normally, the chancellor or the high mages would have to take responsibility.
The higher the position, the greater the accountability.
The chancellor and the high mages of the magic academy were bound to become the sacrificial lambs of this incident.
But Selena didn't want that to happen.
Why?
Because most of Wintersheld's high-ranking officials were loyal members of the Shadow Society. If they were purged, it would be a massive headache for her.
That was why Selena had dragged in an external factor—a Sword Master. She needed to shift the focus of the conversation at all costs.
Tordam's forced provocation was an extension of that strategy.
He had attacked me by bringing up the treaty because his own position was in jeopardy.
If he couldn't shift the blame to someone else, he would end up as the scapegoat.
Of course, it was a transparent trick.
Instead, I pointed out the clear culprit of this incident by bringing up the existence of the Shadow Society.
Wintersheld had tried to conduct the meeting while concealing the secret society's existence, but now they could no longer do so.
...Of course, my "warning" stopped there.
I had only dragged the Shadow Society's identity to the surface; I didn't condemn them.
Rather, I used the authority of a Sword Master to shield them, declaring that all factions must unite to prevent the apocalypse.
There was only one reason I chose to protect the Shadow Society instead of oppressing them.
For now, I need to build trust with the members of the Shadow Society.
To rally the major factions, gaining their trust was the top priority.
That was why I chose to offer the Shadow Society a carrot first.
Mentioning the Traditionalists of Midtemple, who had been a thorn in their side for ages, was for the exact same reason.
Of course, they must be bewildered right now.
From the Shadow Society's perspective, this situation makes no sense.
They will doubt my intentions for a while.
But that's fine. You can't expect to build a relationship overnight.
Trust is something that must be built slowly and solidly.
"Please come in, Lord Gaon."
Creak.
As I lost myself in these thoughts, we arrived at her office.
The moment I followed Selena and took my first step into the room—
"I have committed a sin worthy of death...!"
"...?"
Thud!
A sudden, loud noise echoed.
When I turned around, Selena was prostrating herself flat on the floor, her head pressed deeply against the ground.
While Adelia, who had followed us in, looked slightly flustered, Selena continued to speak.
"Not only did I order a member of the Society to tail you, Lord Gaon, but I also doubted the Seeker's profound intentions when I should have shown proper respect."
"..."
"Furthermore, after you defeated the Transgressor, I dumped the aftermath onto your shoulders. These are sins far too grave to dare ask for forgiveness... yet, I beg for Lord Gaon's mercy and offer my deepest apologies."
Wait.
What is this now?
Honestly, I was a bit taken aback.
I hadn't expected Selena to suddenly throw herself to the ground and apologize like this.
...Well, at least she knows what she did wrong.
To be frank, Selena's actions had been incredibly sly.
She had tried to use me from beginning to end.
But I didn't find this situation particularly unpleasant.
No.
If anything, I was almost grateful to her for dancing to my tune from start to finish.
From sending Isaac Berylof to tail me, to putting me at the forefront to shift the blame after the Transgressor incident.
Every single one of those situations had worked to my advantage.
For example...
Because Isaac Berylof tailed me, I was able to get my hands on Tristan's Cloak.
And that gave me the opportunity to meet one-on-one with Doricco Shiro in the Sky Ocean Forest.
The same went for this emergency council meeting.
Because Selena put me at the forefront, I was able to declare my intentions before the key figures of Wintersheld Magic Academy.
Although it was still too early to say I had complete control over the Shadow Society, I had at least succeeded in laying the groundwork.
So there was no reason to be upset. If anything, I should be pleased that everything was going exactly according to plan.
Of course, Selena has no way of knowing that.
She probably thinks she was the one using me all along.
Which is why she assumed I would be displeased.
When in reality, she was the one being used.
Well, isn't this actually better?
There was no reason to refuse when Selena was volunteering to play the sinner.
If anything, it gave me an opportunity to squeeze even more out of her.
Having finished my calculations, I spoke with a deliberately cold expression.
"What value is there in a confession made with empty hands?"
She flinched.
In an instant, Selena's face turned pale.
Considering the temperaments of other Sword Masters, it wouldn't have been strange if she were killed on the spot.
Yet, the reason she could barely maintain her composure was due to the existence of the Sword Master's Seal.
Since a covenant guaranteeing protection was engraved upon it, I could not harm her with my own hands.
"You are entirely correct."
Selena nodded cautiously, answering in a trembling voice.
"I do not mean to simply buy your favor with material wealth, but as an apology for my oversight, I will prepare a precious offering. It will also serve as a reward for your grace in defeating the Transgressor."
Hearing her words, I fell into thought.
If the Blood Empress Selena was speaking like this, she must have a decent reward in mind.
Various possibilities crossed my mind.
Elixirs and mana crystals collected by the Shadow Society over decades. Or various artifacts developed for experimental purposes, top-secret grimoires, and research data.
Honestly, none of those were bad options.
For me, who needed to increase my MP by raising my magic-related stats in the long run, these rewards would be quite useful.
However...
"The reward I want is not some mere offering."
"...Pardon?"
I had to look at the bigger picture.
We were still in the very early stages of the main scenario.
Rather than scrambling to increase my meager MP, it was far more important to establish a foothold to solidify my influence.
Creating a starting point to snowball my advantages from a long-term perspective, rather than being blinded by short-term gains.
That was the true weapon of a veteran player with 200 playthroughs under his belt.
Laying the foundation for the future is far more efficient than an immediate stat boost.
If I do that, my stats will naturally rise anyway.
To reach the true ending, I have to steer the relationships between factions and the macroscopic flow of the world in the direction I want.
In that sense, what I needed right now was not a precious offering, but...
...People.
Human resources.
In other words, the existence of NPCs who would form friendly relations with me was far more critical.
After all, that was the highest priority among my many reasons for coming to Wintersheld Magic Academy.
It meant I hadn't visited this place simply to defeat the Transgressor and rescue Strawberry Latte, but to find allies who would follow my plans.
And the number one person I had in mind was...
"Archmage Demarion."
"...!"
"Guide me to his dwelling. Do that, and I will overlook your transgressions."
Demarion.
The only 10th-circle Archmage of this era, and a level 100 transcendent.
Known as one of the original founders of Wintersheld Magic Academy, he had long since cut himself off from the world, locking himself away on the highest floor of the magic tower.
The last time Demarion had shown himself was hundreds of years ago. Because of this, the public regarded him as a figure of legend.
"..."
That was why Selena looked so troubled.
In the first place, Archmage Demarion was not someone you could meet just because you wanted to.
"Archmage Demarion resides on the top floor of this academy. I can guide you there, but I cannot guarantee that the door will open."
Selena spoke cautiously.
"His dwelling is sealed by multiple barriers. The last time the door opened was hundreds of years ago... Honestly, we aren't even sure if he is still on the top floor, or if he is even alive."
She wasn't wrong.
Even in the game, the methods to meet Demarion were extremely limited.
And obtaining his direct help was next to impossible.
You had to complete a complex quest chain and meet precise conditions at a specific time.
Even across 200 playthroughs, I had only met Demarion exactly ten times. That said it all.
But the situation is different now.
The anomaly created by my existence, and the completely altered flow of the world.
All these variables were opening up new possibilities that transcended the rules of the game.
Above all...
I was certain.
Since I achieved 'that achievement' early on, I will definitely be able to meet Archmage Demarion this time.
Having finished my thoughts, I looked at Selena and spoke.
"That is for me to worry about."
"..."
After a moment of hesitation, Selena gave a brief nod.
"Very well. Then I shall guide you immediately. To the top floor of the academy."