Part 1
Arnold went to his room after telling his mother that he didn't want breakfast. He was a little tired from expending so much aura yesterday so he said that he would take a nap. His mother seemed keen on telling him something but she didn't push the matter.
Arnold took off his shirt and his shoes and laid down in his bed. It wasn't as soft as his former room's bed which was fit for the heir but he could bear with it.
"…."
There was something he was concerned about.
His status.
Why couldn't he see it?
He had tried numerous times by now. That said, all he did was shout status or think of the word.
Arnold stared blankly at the ceiling.
He had one hypothesis as to why. He wasn't sure if it was true since he had no way of testing it out.
In STAR FANTASY, there were items called Level Measuring Runestones. Granted, they could only measure people who are level 40 and lower. Anything above that would not show on the system. Then again, it only measured a person's level and not their stats in numerical value. That was why the players hated it.
To view someone's level above 40, you must use a Guild or Academy exclusive Runestone.
The developers updated the game and added Status to a player's menu screen. That was what separated NPC's from players. They had a menu from where you could see in detail how strong they were. As for NPC's, well, they could only use Runestones. It wasn't like their brains could calculate their overall stats.
In fact, the fact that he even thought he had a status before taking into account that he wasn't a player, was stupid.
In the game, Liam could only press a button then his status would come up in the form of a box.
There was a bit of a problem there, however. Arnold von Berkley wasn't a player but an inhabitant of this world.
'I thought that since this is a game, I can conveniently call my status. Fuck, I'm stupid. I should've realized this the moment I questioned this reality.'
He felt ashamed of not even considering that possibility at first.
The possibility was big that he didn't even have a status similar to a player.
To put it into simple terms: the characters of the game were vastly different from a player. For example, never once had he heard one of them mention something about their HP or MP. Plus, potions didn't work as it did in the game. There was no green light that embraced a person's body completely and a choir that rang out.
"Well…I should just head to the guild to check my level then…"
Magic Academies, Towers and various Guilds make use of a Runestone to measure a person's level potential. It's not available for public use, though.
If Arnold wanted to measure his level then he'd have to join the Guild by registering. He doubted whether the guild would accept him. It was obvious why.
"This is troublesome. Maybe I should disguise myself as another person?"
If he were to become an adventurer then he'd be able to travel vast distances.
He wasn't worried about city management since he already had a few people in mind that could help with that in his absence.
Victoria was one of those people.
"I'm pretty sure there's another appearance altering item somewhere in the magic item treasury."
Since this was a huge castle, there ought to have been such a thing. Arnold remembered that one of the previous heads loved to collect magic tools and items.
"I should head down to the basement once I finish with dinner."
Since he had to find out on his own if other players stayed in this world, he had to disguise himself. If he were to tell those people that Arnold was a player then he'd he eliminated.
He was an mid endgame boss after all. Wouldn't it be better to kill him now instead of waiting until he became a dragon lord ranked threat? It was much too troublesome to wait.
No one had the opportunity to kill him in the original game since there was never a story to follow. They didn't even know that Arnold was important until they actually had to face him. It was only after the Hero DLC expansion came out that the game truly had a plot to follow.
It was an entirely new game after that. What was once a popular MMORPG turned into a hit RPG with a story.
That made people love it even more. They could explore a new world and see it through the eyes of the hero.
Of course, Arnold only became a part of the story much later since the player controlled Luke when he was still young. There wasn't much to do besides basic things. You could hunt, fish, travel the nation, etc…
It was important for players to learn more about Luke's background, after all.
He was a war orphan since his parents died during an assault from an enemy nation. His father was forced to join the empire's army. His mother committed suicide not much later. He found her corpse lying in the kitchen one day when he returned from playing at Norn's house.
It was that day when Luke repelled those bandits that the story truly began.
Many found the early gameplay before the encounter with the bandits boring and unnecessary. They hated how the game shifted from fantasy to slice-of-life.
That said, wasn't the purpose of the DLC to watch the hero grow into what he was in the original game?
The hero was described as a strong, kind and brave soul who could slay any threat with a flick of his Holy Sword. Then there was his arch-nemesis, the Demon King. The complete opposite.
"Why is it that I was born as the villain and not the hero? Something isn't adding up." Liam much rather preferred being reborn as a side character than the villain of the story.
It wasn't obvious now, but there would arrive many people who wanted to kill Arnold. Everywhere he went, trouble followed.
He only wanted to find other players and why he was summoned to this world.
Was that too much to ask for?
◇
Later that day when evening came.
Everyone who was in the dining room ate in silence.
That was understandable since the head seat was empty. They had said farewell to the patriarch earlier today. In the worst case, it might've been their last farewell.
"Al, are you going to continue attending the academy when it reopens for the new semester?"
The first one who spoke up was his mother.
Arnold sighed. He completely forgot that he was still a student at the academy.
"Yes, mother. I'll stop skipping classes from now on. I know it's important to finish my education."
"Didn't you say the same thing last time?" Anna looked at him in suspicion. "You're only saying that because you want mom off your back."
In the past, Arnold had acted like a delinquent who never attended any of his classes. He didn't even respect the teachers. One would assume that the only reason he even attended the academy was to take the female students to bed.
As Arnold said, getting an education was important. If he failed as a city lord, then he could just travel across the continent to another nation and become a knight or bureaucrat. Then again, he would travel the continent regardless since he couldn't just remain in one location. That was after he finds suitable and competent people to manage the city in his absence.
If worst came to worst then he could just become an adventurer.
Arnold knew that his parents wouldn't mind letting him stay here. But that wasn't what he wanted.
He was a modern day person obsessed with fantasy. He would much rather become an adventurer.
That was because he could travel more and learn about this new world.
Lockinge castle city wasn't as he remembered it in the game. Even after the DLC. Everything looked completely different.
Not just that, the system of this world was also different. In STAR FANTASY, if one was a player you could simply walk up to any NPC or player and view their level above their heads.
No matter how many times Arnold tried, nothing worked.
He held onto the theory that it was because he wasn't a player.
I doubt I can figure this out on my own, Arnold thought. If only Alecs was around. She's smarter than I am, after all. Well, I doubt she'd reveal herself so easily.
That counted for all of his guild mates. Liam was the vice guild master, yet there were many in the guild who were smarter than he was.
When he confronted Alecs why she had duelled with him and asked him to join her, she said:
Experience in the game is much more important to me. It can either be a weapon or a curse. I believe you are the former.
Liam felt nostalgic over the memory of his beloved friend.
Just once.
I wanted to see her real face just once, he thought.
"I will be going to the Capital in a few days. I can't leave your father alone for too long."
Adrianna looked at all the members gathered at the table. That said, Judith and Jack wasn't present since the former decided to eat in their room.
"He's a grown man, mom. Why worry about him this much?" Anna sighed as if she expected her mother to react this way.
"But still…I don't want your father to end up like last time. All of you remember, right? That day he came home with a hole in his chest…"
It was a bitter memory.
Marcus was severely injured yet he smiled in satisfaction.
I met a truly amazing warrior.
It was during a war with another nation. Marcus had fought a life-or-death battle against a renowned warrior.
Of course, this was many years ago so there was no doubt that he was much stronger now. The duke wouldn't lose so easily if they were to cross swords again.
"If anyone can take father down then it would be another powerhouse. Didn't he leave the city in your hands while he was away?" Anna said.
"Y-You're right but…" Adrianna still looked uncertain about what was the correct thing to do. Both were very important choices.
Assist her husband.
Or take care of the city in his place.
In the end, she decided to stay. Although she was very worried, she had to believe that her husband could come back home alive.
Her worry would be an insult to his resolve.
Silence descended upon the room as if no one else had anything to say.
Anna sensed the gloomy mood in the air and decided to speak.
"S-So, Al, you mentioned something about finding people on your own to help you manage Whitage city. Although it is a very small city, the tasks and funds needed to operate it will be the same as any other city."
"I'm curious as well. Where have you found the time to find such individuals?" Sebastian, who was pouring wine in Adrianna's glass looked at Arnold sceptically. "Master Marcus seems to trust your judgement. However, I am in doubt."
Arnold put down his utensils.
"I know where one of those people are. However, I must still search for the others."
"And who is that person?" Asked Anna.
"He manages a small merchant firm in our city, mother. I'm sure you've heard of the Rynalies?"
"Ah, the family of merchants. They built stores across the entire continent. The patriarch owns the Merchant Guild's HQ in Musgun Province."
"Right. Well, I'm recruiting the eldest son as my subordinate. He will be in charge of supply routes, the city's market department and production."
"That's a little too much responsibility for one person." Anna said in doubt. "There's a worry over his skills as well. Wasn't he kicked out of the guild after he failed to land a deal with a big-wig in sugar production?"
'You're wrong, my dear sister. He left on his own.'
It wasn't that he failed to secure the deal, it was more like he had no intention of proceeding with the deal.
The Rynalies merchant family won't stay on top of the finance world and he could see that as well. It wasn't like he knew the future events like Arnold did. More like, he calculated all the outcomes if he were to stay in the family business.
All of it pointed to the family falling into ruin.
"Rein will be all I need to make sure my city earns revenue and has enough resources if we are to accept more citizens in the future."
'Plus, I know he'll make the right judgement when it comes to the prices of the blood crystals. I need to be careful as to how I tell him about them.'
Then again, if he ran off with the crystals then Arnold would just kill him.
'I'll leave those matters to my subordinates. All I want is the land near Whitage city so I can become wealthy.'
It couldn't be stressed enough that Liam was not smart at all so he had to find the capable people to work under him. Of course, by any means necessary.
Plus, original Arnold's specialty lay in stuff like deception and manipulation. Managing a city wasn't his strong suits.
'I should find him before I depart to the city.'
Tomorrow was the time of the raid, he was interested in watching the adventurers fight the dragon – assuming there was one. Of course, he would wear the appropriate gear a novice adventurer should have.
Nothing brought more trouble to oneself than equipping yourself with expensive and strong items and weapons.
"Mother, may I have the treasury vault's key?"
"…For what purpose?" Adrianna narrowed her eyes.
"I wanted to borrow a magic item for a while. It won't be anything extravagant."
"Hmm…" Adrianna nodded after looking at his face. It seemed that he wasn't lying. "Don't steal money again just so you can buy an entire stock's worth of ale like last time."
'Arnold, you bastard. How low can you get?'
Liam grimaced at Arnold's shameful behaviour. Why was he so obsessed with alcohol.
"Have any of you seen Victoria?" Arnold hadn't seen her ever since yesterday. Well, he wasn't here all day but she would usually come look for him near the bars in the city.
"She had an urgent matter to attend to. I think she may take a while. In the mean time, I shall appoint one of the other maids to serve you." Sebastian answered expressionlessly.
"Ah…I see."
He was a little disheartened. He wanted to see Victoria again, but it was a pity.
Dinner ended shortly after. It was a rather quiet dinner. Melina, who usually spoke the most during dinnertime was silently being led by Anna to her room by hand. Adrianna said a few words to Sebastian before she left to go to the office.
Arnold headed down to the treasury, accompanied by a servant, of course.
Luke also left to go to his assigned room.
Once everyone left the dining room, the castle was bathed in silence except for the occasional guards walking in the corridors.
Part 2
The castle was pitch black. Occasionally, there would be light sources going to and fro. It was the knights who were tasked with protecting the castle. The night duty maids would also walk around the castle, however, they stayed idle in front of everyone's rooms most of the time.
Luke couldn't sleep so he sneaked out of his room while the night-duty maid was snoozing in the chair next to his door.
'Is it really necessary for all of them to sit in front of our rooms all night?'
He didn't understand noble society at all.
After tip-toeing down the stairs, Luke took a right. He avoided the soldier who was walking down the hallway.
'Is miss Adrianna still in the office?'
He wanted to speak with her, but didn't find an opportunity to. Of course, this time of the night was very inconvenient for any person to be meeting up with another.
Adrianna had been the one who told him to come see her if he needed anything so Luke wanted to take her up on her offer.
Luke arrived at a certain room. It was a very exquisite-looking door that was dissimilar to the other doors of this castle.
He knocked and said: "Miss Adrianna, it's Luke. May I come in?"
--Enter
Luke entered the office after sighing in relief.
Since the duke left her in charge, she was allowed inside his office which was off-limits most of the time.
"Luke? Why are you still awake? It's almost midnight." Adrianna took off her glasses and put her pen down.
"Ah…that's…Can I ask you something, ma'am?"
"Of course. My mind is a bit groggy but I'll try and answer whatever question you have."
'Ah…She's really kind. I thought she'd yell at me. I feel like miss Judith would definitely yell at me.'
He remembered that bombshell goddess with a god-complex who bossed everyone around. It was extremely rude to describe her in such a manner, however, he couldn't help it.
Luke's gaze swam around the office.
"It seems that you're finding it difficult, hm? Don't worry. I won't bite. Like I said in the past, I'm here to help."
"R-Right…" After Luke looked back at Adrianna, his lips parted and he spoke. "Why did mister Marcus pick me and discard big brother?"
He wanted to ask Marcus, but said person wasn't present.
"Why, huh?" Adrianna closed her eyes. "Tell me, have you ever asked what the servants think of Al?"
"Huh? Well…they say a lot of bad things about him."
"Exactly."
"But that doesn't explain why I was the one to be chosen as the heir… I mean, big brother is more than capable…"
Adrianna smiled in response to his words. "That's all he is. Capable. But who would be happy with that? There had been a rumour going around that many nobles will pull their support if Al was ever given the seat of head. A noble must not just have the skills to take care of their household but also the charisma that makes connections and build good relationships. You see, unlike Arnold, you can be raised to become the ideal heir. You're still young after all."
"…."
Luke sat silently.
"It might take a few years but it'll be worth it once we're done teaching you everything you need to know. Now tell me, Luke. Why did you agree to become the heir? You could've said no, you know."
"I-It's because mister Marcus said that he'll give my family a better life than we have now."
"I see. And how did you grow up? Poor? Not always enough to eat every day? There's never enough to buy new clothes; things like that?"
Adrianna had gone through the papers of the village Luke was born in. It was a harsh living environment where few crops could grow. It was only a few years ago that the village was able to stabilize after Marcus decided to buy their land from the previous fief lord.
"Yes…"
"But you were happy with that life regardless, weren't you? You want to give back to the person who raised you."
"…." Luke nodded again.
"Then why hesitate? Are you worried about Al?"
He lowered his head even further and nodded again.
"A-Although he doesn't show it, I think he hates me."
Adrianna laughed. "I suspected it as such. But, what can he do? What will complaining about it change? It will only further bring shame to our faces. Nobles are hard-headed and prideful. I doubt anyone will approve of him even if he were to change his ways which is probably impossible. "
If viewed from a different perspective, this was better for the household. Arnold wasn't liked in the noble circle. Chances were that the nobles who had supported the growth of the Berkley household would pull out once he was made the head. No, Adrianna knew that they would definitely pull their support.
He would've brought disaster to both himself and the aristocracy.
Then there was Luke. He could be raised into the ideal head for the household. Once Marcus returned then they'd begin his studies to become a city lord. Perhaps in a decade or so, he would become the perfect patriarch once Marcus stepped down.
"Many of our vassals have agreed to my husband's decision. Your power plays a big part as well in the decision."
"My power?" Luke tilted his head.
"You must not have heard of Golden Aura? It is proof that the gods are looking upon you in a favourable light. Many who have been born with golden aura have achieved great things. There is a famous story of a knight who stopped the assault of an entire nation to stop them from crossing his kingdom's borders. Many children and renowned warriors alike aspire to become like that great man." Adrianna chuckled as a gentle light gleamed in her eyes.
"That includes my husband."
"R-Really?"
Adrianna pointed to the right. On the wall, to her right, was a painting of a man who adorned white armour and rode a dragon.
His lifted right arm was holding something.
A sword covered in golden aura. On his left arm was a golden shield as well.
"That is Promethius, the Sanctity Knight."
Just by looking at the painting, Luke could tell.
He was a great man.
"He hopes that you can become that man, Luke." Adrianna said gently. "If you're still hesitating, well…"
"No…" Luke hurriedly shook his head.
Maybe it was Adrianna's imagination but she could see a fire as great as the breath of a Dragon Lord blaze within his eyes.
"I will…become the next duke…"
A smile appeared on Adrianna's beautiful face.