Chapter 34
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Bipolarity (3)
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Shron had just left the drawing room after their conversation.
There, Yutenia, who had been observing Loan's actions, asked him a question.
"Were you acquainted with the Count's family?"
After Shrons departure, he was tidying the disheveled table.
The disciples who had been waiting to pressure Shron had also departed, leaving only the Archbishop and the Apostles in the drawing room.
Perhaps it was because of the story Loan had told the guild master.
Yutenia was asking if Loans claim of being acquainted with the Counts family was true.
Loan answered her with a pleased smile.
"Of course not."
"So it was a lie."
"It's not a complete lie. This is an act of selling the future. Eventually, the Count's family will fall under the Order's influence."
The story Loan told Shron was a lie.
Nevertheless, Loan declared confidently to Yutenia.
That the entire Count's family, who ruled the city, would eventually fall under the Order's influence.
That was the goal of the plan Loan was about to execute.
Evan, who had been listening quietly, also seemed curious about Loan's plan and questioned him.
"What are you thinking, Archbishop?"
"I have an interesting plan. It will be easier to understand if you know the current situation in the city."
"The city's situation?"
"Count Maier, who rules the city, has two sons."
"Two sons"
To expand the Order's influence, Loan had been investigating the power dynamics in the Sentirius region.
The same was true for the city they were about to visit.
The trade city of Litua-Sentirius was one of the territories ruled by the Maier family.
It was also the most important of the territories belonging to the Maier family.
The Maier family, ruling this massive city, had long been troubled by a succession issue.
It was because of Count Maier's two sons.
"One is the eldest, Rex Maier. He is the son of the late former Countess."
"Then the other one is"
"The other is Max Maier, the son of the current Countess. And the Countess and her maternal relatives want to install Max as the next Count."
"Is the eldest's faction weaker?"
"That is the situation. If things continue as they are, it's highly likely that Max Maier will become the next Count Maier."
The eldest son, competing for power with his half-brother.
Moreover, the faction of the maternal relatives supporting the younger brother is very strong.
In such a situation, it wouldn't be difficult for Loan and the Order's forces to intervene.
At least, that was what Loan thought.
Perhaps understanding Loan's thoughts to some extent.
Evan nodded and went along with his plan.
"So you plan to side with the eldest."
"Of course. It would be easier to profit by siding with the weaker eldest son rather than the second."
"You seem confident you can secure a profit."
"What is there to fear? The Great One is watching over us."
It was a plan Loan would never have attempted alone.
But now, he had the help of two Apostles, along with a small number of the Order's members.
With such strength, it wasn't a bad idea to take on a risky endeavor.
Above all, he calculated that it wouldn't be difficult to escape if problems arose.
This was a conclusion reached after considering the strength of the two he had observed.
"An excellent mindset. So, how can I help?"
"Apostle, you will need to spend some time with the eldest, Rex Maier."
"You mean I'm to stay with the Count's family?"
At Loan's words about staying with the Count's family, Evan asked back with a puzzled expression.
It was a story that would be baffling without knowing the intermediate steps.
But Loan was now brimming with an unusual amount of confidence.
Throughout his life as a black magician, Loan had frequently engaged in the act of persuasion.
He thought that if the stage was set, persuading a naive young noble wouldn't be difficult at all.
It would be even easier if he had plausible actors to play along with his act.
"Aren't you the most knightly-looking person in the Order, Apostle? If not you, there's no one else to plant as a watchman."
"Is that so. Then I suppose I have no choice."
"Do I have a role as well?"
This time, it was Yutenia's turn, who was clutching a book.
Of course, suitable tasks awaited Yutenia as well.
She was a formidable mage capable of using various spells, including a barrier created by applying barrier magic.
Testing the barrier against Shron was ultimately for the sake of the bigger things to come.
"In the case of the First Apostle, there is something specific you need to do."
"What is it?"
"By any chance, are you good at acting like a noble?"
"?"
Hearing Loan's words, Yutenia tilted her head.
It was a reaction of incomprehension.
It was a reaction Loan had fully anticipated.
After all, the proposal he was about to make was that unconventional.
Loan spoke to Yutenia with a newly kind-looking face.
"It seems you'll have to become a noble lady."
Time passed again, and the weekend arrived.
Having drunk beer alone the previous night, I am now eating ramen for breakfast while watching TV.
The news was playing on the TV I had turned on.
It was a segment on the news covering international stories.
- "Large-scale riots are currently breaking out in Africa and other regions"
Africa. Canada. The United States. France.
News from various countries around the world was delivered through the anchor's voice.
Listening to international news sparked all sorts of thoughts.
But remembering they were on the other side of the planet, it also felt like a completely different world.
As I ate my ramen while watching the news, soon there were no noodles left for my chopsticks to pick up.
"I'm getting full Maybe I should play some games."
After finishing the ramen, I lost interest in the news.
It was a rare weekend, so I considered going out, but the thought of the hot weather instantly made me want to stay in.
On a day like this, staying home with the air conditioner on and playing games was the best.
Clack.
Putting down my chopsticks, I picked up my smartphone and launched the game.
"Come to think of it, something came into my bank account."
I'd applied for so many things that I couldn't remember clearly, but I had a feeling something had been deposited.
The most likely candidate was the tax refund I had applied for a few months ago.
I recalled the estimated amount being similar to what was deposited.
Since I had no immediate expenses, I considered spending some of it on the game now that I had extra cash.
As I was thinking about doing some gacha pulls to unify my disciples' outfits, the loading screen finished and the game appeared.
The game, which I was seeing again after just a day, displayed even clearer graphics than yesterday.
Noticing the improved graphics, I immediately scrolled down to check for new messages.
- The number of disciples in the Order has greatly increased.
- Some disciples have acquired the Fanatic trait.
- Karma has increased by 11.
The first message I saw was about the increase in disciples leading to a rise in Karma.
It seemed Loan had been busy.
They say one well-raised character is better than ten others.
He was a character more competent than I had imagined.
- You have reached Level 7.
- Observer's Eye (Lv.6) is growing.
- Observer's Eye has become Observer's Eye (Lv.7). You can now observe the continent with a clearer view than before.
Besides this, including some minor offerings I'd received, it seemed my level had gone up by one.
The increase in my total mana and the level of my Observer's Eye skill were bonuses.
No wonder the graphics seemed sharper; my level had gone up.
Now, the characters on the screen were starting to appear with proper proportions.
Although there was still a somewhat casual feel to it.
"Another warning popped up."
Of course, leveling up didn't only bring positive changes.
Just like the last time I leveled up, the Scales of Karma had displayed a new message.
The message announced a difficulty adjustment due to Causality Correction.
It's natural for a game to get progressively harder as you level up.
However, while the previous message had warned of a Hero's appearance, this time it contained different information.
- Warning: Karma that is excessively skewed in one direction has a high probability of triggering Causality Correction.
- The Scales of Karma have tipped.
- A low-level Causality Correction has occurred.
- Due to Causality Correction, Divine Artifact: Ascalon has been unsealed by one stage.
- Causality Correction Progress: 3
With the progress reaching 3, the difficulty was adjusted in a new way.
The unsealing of Divine Artifact: Ascalon.
Considering none of the Divine Artifacts I created had that name, Divine Artifact: Ascalon must belong to the Hero whose appearance was previously announced.
It seemed that Heroes, like Apostles, also used Divine Artifacts.
Given the name 'Divine Artifact,' it's possible there are other gods out there.
"Well, how much harder can it get?"
Whether another god appeared or a Hero with a Divine Artifact showed up, the strategy for this kind of game was usually simple.
Pay to Win.
The more you pay, the stronger you get.
There's no enemy you can't beat if you just throw enough cash at it.
Considering that doing gacha pulls doesn't increase Karma, the developers must have taken this into account to some extent.
Of course, how much I'd need to spend to face the final boss was a different matter.
"In that spirit, maybe I'll spend a little today."
Money I could use, separate from my salary, had come in.
I had already set aside the money for this month's rent and living expenses.
Therefore, this new money was essentially spending money I could use freely.
It was enough money to do some gacha pulls and even order chicken and beer without any issues.
Imagining a wonderfully golden day, I cheerfully moved my finger to open the shop.
- Welcome to the Cash Shop.
- The Cash Shop sells various items for smoother gameplay.
The first thing I checked upon entering the Cash Shop was the price of the gacha pulls.
In most games, I wouldn't worry about this, but with this vicious game, that premise was meaningless.
Eighty dollars for a ten-pull.
The price was still the same as before.
If the price was the same, there was no need to hesitate.
Tap.
I moved my finger and tapped the gacha button.
- Items are being prepared. Please try again later.
Then, I stared at the message on the screen with a baffled expression.
Items are being prepared.
Along with that message, the gacha button had become disabled.
My gaze blankly swept over the screen at the sudden development.
A bewildered mutter escaped my lips.
"Seriously, you need to 'prepare' to sell bits of data?"