As Bart watched Adrias leave, a secret magic was activated in his eyes.
'Always changing...'
In fact, even when Adrias and Bart made their wager, Bart had used magic to go unnoticed.
At that time, he had also noticed the existence of two mana repositories, but now it seemed like his body was completely empty as if there was nothing there.
'What are you hiding, Adrias Cromwell?'
There were many undisclosed Sins.
Therefore, Bart could only speculate that there were many unknown functions as well.
However, Bart had no intention of prying into Adrias's affairs.
Instead, he was even willing to hide the Sins that Adrias carried, even if he had the original sin.
'The Emperor has changed.'
The Emperor, who had been intelligent in his youth, gradually changed as he aged and held onto power.
The turning point was the incident that marked the end of Cain Cromwell.
Of course, it was a secret event that many were unaware of, but as someone who had observed from the sidelines, Bart couldn't help but shake his head in disappointment.
'To remain loyal to the Emperor even after witnessing such an event is foolish.'
There was no one who sincerely remained loyal to an Emperor who discarded his loyal subjects.
And that applied to Bart as well.
Rather, he felt a sense of guilt for not being able to protect Cain.
'That's why I secretly looked after Adrias and Amy all this time...'
He had secretly watched over them, away from the Emperor's influence.
Fortunately, his own abilities were remarkable, and his position as the Tower Master of Rodren allowed him to do so.
Thanks to that, his relationship with the Emperor had been deteriorating day by day, but as a member of the Alvan family, he had no need to bow down.
'And now, I've received proper repayment for it.'
Thanks to Adrias, his children were alive.
In fact, his power played a crucial role in resolving the recent terrorist incident.
Of course, the search for the mastermind was still ongoing, but the interrogation of Adrias and Vivianne had been swiftly concluded.
'Even if Adrias turns out to be suspicious...'
He had ultimately turned his back on his long-time friend.
Thanks to that, he was filled with regret, but to prevent any further regrets, he would assist Adrias from the shadows this time.
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.
.
.
After the conversation with Bart concluded, an assistant was waiting outside the room.
"I will escort you."
As I followed the assistant back to the first-floor hall, I saw Lucia and Vivianne still waiting there.
What on earth were they waiting for?
"Senpai, you received something strange."
Lucia's gaze was directed at the Galakshur hanging from my waist.
And then Vivianne's gaze also fell on my sword.
"...It's beautiful."
Did she find it appealing?
Regardless, I had no intention of giving her the Galakshur.
'Maybe I'll find her a sword as a token of gratitude later.'
It wouldn't hurt to find her a sword as a gesture of thanks.
It would also change her unfortunate fate, which was already partially altered.
With various sword materials coming to mind, I left the tower.
By the way, how long were these two going to follow me?
"Lucia."
"Yes, senpai?"
"Recently, while researching potions, I came across a clue."
"But why?"
"Can you look into it for me?"
Was it a sudden request?
Her eyes widened.
"Why all of a sudden? Besides, can't you just tell me about it?"
"Uh, it's just a vague lead, so it's not really meaningful."
It really didn't matter. The hint I was giving her was about her own antidote.
Even if it had no commercial value, it was still advantageous for her to indirectly know and conduct research. It wouldn't cost me any money or time.
"But if you can't produce it, then I can step in at that time."
Better safe than sorry.
It was a win-win situation.
After all, my intention was not for profit, but to save her.
"Just a while ago, I accidentally mixed the mucus of a Pollock frog with fairy pollen. And then, by mistake, I added a solution of Mitrium and a slime nucleus. The reaction was fascinating."
"So what?"
"I ate it."
"What?"
"Only the specific properties of the solution were consumed, and then it decomposed and disappeared."
Lucia stopped abruptly upon hearing my words.
Yeah, you probably have a rough idea.
This could be the cure for your condition.
"But since it was made by mistake, I didn't record the mixing ratio, so I only know the ingredients used. Do you think something can come out of it?"
"Senpai, I'm sorry. I'll go ahead for a moment."
She left, mumbling about the ingredients I mentioned, heading towards her laboratory.
Well, if it were me, I would be in a hurry too.
It's a matter of life and death.
"I apologize for informing you so late."
Now that Lucia was gone, it was Vivianne's turn.
After contemplating for a while, I had decided to be straightforward with her about what happened in the barrier.
Since there were only the two of them, I could bring up the topic now.
"Vivianne."
She looked at me as if asking what's going on.
Considering her behavior during the terrorist incident, she probably had a rough idea of what I was about to say. So I decided to proceed.
"I wanted to thank you again. And..."
"It's okay, Adrian."
Vivianne interrupted me, smiling.
"I know. Adrian is a fairy."
So she knew after all.
Well, without that knowledge, her actions wouldn't make sense.
When Vivianne cut me off, I had nothing more to say.
I awkwardly averted my gaze for a moment, then looked back at her.
"Vivianne, no matter how you've lived until now, I am on your side. That's all I want you to know."
"Yeah, me too. You're my one and only fairy."
It felt a bit awkward.
I tried my best to hide my emotions and mentioned that I had somewhere to go.
Fortunately, Vivianne quietly waved her hand and bid me farewell.
Seeing her like that made me wonder if she was the same Vivianne I knew from the game.
Fate is something you can never truly know.
After parting ways with Vivianne, I made a stop at the dormitory to grab my expanded space backpack and immediately set off towards the direction of the Krates Mountain Range.
'Deschurn Polon. I knew where he lived, but I never thought I would visit him in person.'
His residence was in the Krates Mountain Range, one of the places known as the Devil's Land. Among them, he resided in the highest peak called Kratan, which was not a place to be taken lightly as it was associated with various dangers.
And conveniently, right next to it, on the adjacent peak called Vileum, there was a secret location where my target was hidden.
For a secret place, its name was quite straightforward.
"The Place Where the Giants Sleep."
As it fell under the Hidden Piece category, finding it might be a bit challenging, but it wasn't dangerous.
Originally, it would have never come to mind as a place of such minimal influence, but it came to me due to Deschurn's residence.
Now that I thought about it, this was an unparalleled opportunity for me to strengthen my power.
With that in mind, I boarded the train for about 12 hours, passing the time reading a book. Suddenly, I remembered the sealed letter that Bart had given me.
I had heard that it contained information about the imperial appointment, but when I opened the seal, the content was unexpectedly different.
"Count Cromwell's dignity shows some decline, so I intended to lower his rank by one level this year. However, due to the objections from the Alven and Closhe families, I command that his rank be extended until next year."
That damn emperor.
It's because of him that our family ended up like this.
I never expected him to even consider lowering our rank.
'Of course, it's a pathetic state to begin with, so there's no point in arguing.'
Still, it didn't seem like an immediate issue since I hadn't descended yet.
What caught my attention more was that Bart and Sinclair Closhe had helped me.
Was it a simple act of kindness, or was it empathy arising from guilt?
I couldn't even tell if Sinclair was involved in my father's affairs.
It's complicated. Things that I didn't pay attention to in the game are popping up everywhere.
No matter how much I thought about it, Adrian was different from the other playable characters.
First of all, unlike the other characters, he had a direct connection to sin and evil.
In all the time I've played the game, I've come across items that were closely related to the story, but never once encountered a sin like this, let alone owning it.
And the other characters didn't have any direct involvement with politics.
So even among the nobles, it was impossible to know who belonged to the emperor's faction.
Originally, I couldn't have imagined that the Empire would gather sins like this.
Engrossed in various speculations and deductions, time quickly passed, and after 12 hours, I finally arrived at the territory I had aimed for.
'The train is also getting old.'
Despite the fact that it couldn't compete with the comfort and speed of carriages, there was no other choice since the sensation and speed of trains were unparalleled.
However, the real problem started now.
'The Krates Mountain Range is a demonic land. Most carriages will refuse to go there."
I decided to try negotiating with the carriage station near the train station to see how far they would take me.
But as expected, their reactions were as I anticipated.
"Sorry, but we don't go in that direction."
"Even if you offer more money, it's not worth risking our lives..."
Seeing that they were adamant about not going in that direction, I ended up buying a horse from the market.
Fortunately, as an aristocrat, I had learned the basics of horseback riding, so it was a relief.
According to the rough map I obtained, it would take about two days to reach the entrance of the mountain range.
And I didn't even know how much longer it would take to climb up the mountain.
There would probably be various magical creatures and monsters as well...
"This is ridiculous, really."
It's like digging a well when you're thirsty.
I was excited about the thought of sleeping rough after such a long time.
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.
.
.
A grand mansion located in the imperial capital.
Its owner was Jared Tyson, the top of the top five nobles on the continent, known as the head of the upper echelons of Jared Merchants, and the ruler of the capital's underworld.
Although he rarely visited the mansion due to his responsibilities at the top, for some reason, he had been residing there for the past few days.
"Huuk."
Jared exhaled a plume of smoke and a subordinate knelt before him, reporting.
"We received a message from the Academy."
"What kind of message?"
"They say the rat has come out of its hole."
"Huuh."
Jared took another long drag of the smoke and smiled.
"So, the rat that dared to ruin the offering to Lord Zepar has no fear, huh? Or perhaps we underestimated it?"
The offering to Lord Zepar had failed.
Furthermore, not only did the plan fail, but Pahyat Corbon, one of the elite officers of the sect, lost his life.
As a result, the sect's prestige suffered a significant blow, with the empire relentlessly searching for the instigators of the terror attacks.
"It's good that I was able to claim a portion of Muriel's stake in the absence of Pahyat, but..."
He couldn't show his joy openly.
In his current position, he had to be filled with anger as a member of the Zepar sect.
Through an informant hidden within the academy, Jared received information about two students who had suffered serious injuries on that day.
Although the academy seemed to be discreetly covering up the truth about the terror attacks, Jared knew that these two students were the main culprits behind the failed plan.
Of course, it was unlikely that only two students could have killed Pahyat, so there must have been unidentified accomplices.
Upon hearing Jared's furious voice, the servant lowered his head and replied.
"I will take immediate action."
"Yes. But let me hear it. Where is that rat heading?"
"According to the latest information, it is the Merteon Estate."
"Merteon?"
Jared couldn't hide his surprise at the unexpected name.
What business did that backwater place have?
Apart from being relatively close to the Krates Mountain Range, also known as the Devil's Land, Merteon was nothing more than a rural area.
Could it be going to the Krates Mountain Range?
But why?
"Why is that rat going to Merteon?"
"I apologize. I will investigate and find out."
"No, there's no use investigating."
It didn't matter if the rat went to Merteon or anywhere else.
That rat, Vivianne Velocan of the Knight Academy, and the unknown skilled individual...
"I will make sure the whole world knows what happens to those who dare to meddle with our sect. With their bones and flesh, I will surely offer them to Lord Zepar."