As Bahat watched Adrius leave, a secret spell was activated in his eyes.
'He keeps changing.'
In fact, even when they first made the bet, Bahat had used magic unnoticed.
At that time, Bahat had also been curious when he saw that Adrius had two mana storages, but now it seemed as if he had nothing at all.
'What are you hiding, Adrius Cromwell?'
There were many things that remained unexposed.
Because of that, Bahat speculated that there were many unknown functions as well.
But Bahat had no intention of prying into Adrius's affairs.
On the contrary, he was even willing to conceal Adrius's original sin if he had one.
'The Emperor has changed.'
The Emperor, who had been sharp-witted in his youth, gradually changed as he aged and held power.
The incident where he proclaimed Cain Cromwell as the Dragon's Heir was a turning point.
Of course, it was a secret event that many were unaware of, but for Bahat, who had observed it from the sidelines, it was a disheartening event.
'It's foolish to remain loyal to an Emperor who discards faithful subjects.'
There was no one who sincerely pledged loyalty to an Emperor who discarded loyal subordinates.
And that also applied to Bahat.
Instead, he carried a sense of guilt for not being able to protect Cain.
'That's why I secretly took care of Adrius and Amy...'
He had secretly protected them from the Emperor's machinations.
Fortunately, his own abilities were formidable, and his position as the Lord of Roldren Matop allowed him to do so.
Thanks to that, his relationship with the Emperor was deteriorating day by day, but as the head of the Alvenka family, he had no need to bow down.
'And now I received proper repayment for that.'
Thanks to Adrius, his children were alive.
In fact, his own power had contributed to the resolution of the recent terrorist incident.
Although the search for the ringleader was still ongoing, the interrogation of Adrius and Vivian had been concluded early.
'Even if Adrius seems suspicious...'
He had ultimately turned his back on his long-time friend.
As a result, regret filled his heart, and to prevent any further regrets, this time he would assist Adrius from behind the scenes.
After the conversation with Bahat concluded, a teaching assistant was waiting in front of the room.
"I'll escort you."
Following behind him, as I returned to the first-floor hallway, I saw Lucia and Vivian, who were still waiting.
What on earth are they waiting for so eagerly?
"Senior, you received something strange."
Lucia's gaze shifted to the Galakshur hanging from my waist.
And then Vivian's gaze also fell on my sword.
"...It's beautiful."
Does she like it?
But I had no intention of giving her Galakshur.
'It wouldn't be bad to find a sword as a token of gratitude later.'
I would change her unhappy fate, which had already been halfway altered.
I mulled over various materials for swords in my mind as I left the Matop.
By the way, how long will these two keep following me?
"Lucia."
"Yes, Senior."
"I recently stumbled upon a clue while researching potions."
"But why?"
Her eyes widened in surprise.
"Suddenly? Isn't it better for you to just let me know?"
"Uh, it's just a vague idea, so it's not really significant."
There's no way it could matter, but the hint I gave her was related to her cure.
Even if it had no commercial value, it was advantageous for her to indirectly learn about it so that she wouldn't waste my time and money.
'But if she still can't produce the remedy, then I can step in at that time.'
A good deal for both parties.
After all, my goal is not money, but to save her.
"A while ago, I accidentally mixed the slime nucleus with the mithrium solution and the pollen of a fairy. And then, by mistake, I ingested it. It only consumed the liquid with certain properties, and then it decomposed and disappeared."
Upon hearing my words, Lucia suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Yeah, that should give you a rough idea.
This could be your remedy.
"But since it was made by mistake, I didn't record the composition ratio, so I only know the ingredients. But do you think something can be derived from that?"
"Senior, I'm sorry. I'll go ahead for a moment."
With only those words, Lucia mumbled about the ingredients I mentioned and disappeared in the direction of the research room.
Well, if it were me, I would be in a hurry too.
It's a matter of life or death.
'I'm sorry for telling you so late.'
Since I sent Lucia away, it was now Vivian's turn.
After considering it for a while, I resolved to candidly tell her about what happened in the barrier.
Since there were only two of them, I could bring up the topic now.
"Vivian."
As I called her name, she looked at me as if to ask what was the matter.
If she recalls her behavior during the terrorist incident, she might have a rough idea, but I decided to bring it up anyway.
"I want to thank you again. And..."
"It's alright, Adrius."
Vivian interrupted me and smiled.
"I know. Adrius is a fairy."
So that's how it is.
Indeed, her actions couldn't be explained otherwise.
I had nothing more to say once she had already taken the lead in the conversation.
I awkwardly averted my gaze for a moment and then looked back at her.
"No matter how Vivian survived, I'm on your side. I hope you understand that."
"Yeah. I feel the same way. You're my only fairy."
It's a bit embarrassing.
I tried to hide my emotions and mentioned that I had somewhere to go.
Fortunately, Vivian waved goodbye quietly.
Seeing her like that, I wondered if she was the same Vivian I knew in the game.
"Fate is unpredictable."
After parting ways with Vivian, I stopped by the dormitory to pick up my expanded space bag and immediately headed towards the Crates Mountains.
"Deshren Polon. I knew where he lived, but I didn't expect to visit him in person."
His residence was in the Crates Mountains, one of the places known as the Ma Gyeong.
Among them, the highest peak, Cratan, was where he resided, and it was not a place to be taken lightly, considering it was called Ma Gyeong (Demon Territory).
And conveniently located next to it, on the neighboring peak, Vileum, there was a secretive place where the hidden secret I sought was concealed.
For a secretive place, its name was simple.
"The Place Where the Giants Sleep."
It was classified as a Hidden Piece, so it might be a little difficult to find, but it wasn't dangerous.
Normally, it wouldn't have crossed my mind, as it was a place with minimal influence, but it came to mind because of Deshren's residence.
Since I had to spend about 12 hours on the train, I read a book, and suddenly, I remembered the sealed letter that Bahat had handed me.
I heard it contained information related to noble affairs, but when I opened the seal, there was an unexpected message.
"Due to the slight decrease in Earl Cromwell's dignity, it was intended to lower his title by one level this year, but due to the opposition from the Alvenka and Closch families, his title will be extended until next year."
That damned Emperor.
Our family ended up in this state because of him.
I never expected him to even consider lowering our title.
"Of course, it's already so disgraceful that I have nothing to say."
But for now, since I hadn't gone down, it didn't seem like a problem.
More than that, what caught my eye was that Bahat and Sincleare Closh had helped me.
Was it a simple favor, or was it sympathy arising from guilt?
I couldn't tell if Sincleare was involved in her father's affairs from the beginning.
It's complicated. Things that I didn't pay attention to in the game are popping up all over the place.
No matter how much I think about it, Adrius was different from other playable characters.
The biggest difference was that he was directly connected to sin and evil, unlike other characters.
Not only did I witness sins that were closely related to the story and possessed items that were difficult to see, but he even owned them.
And the other characters had no connection to politics.
So even among the nobles, it was impossible to know who belonged to the Emperor's faction.
It was an unexpected turn of events, as I couldn't have imagined that the Empire would gather sins.
As I passed the time pondering and speculating, 12 hours quickly passed, and I arrived at my intended territory.
"The train is really exhausting."
Still, it couldn't be compared to the comfort and speed of traveling by carriage, so I had no choice.
And the real problem was about to begin.
"The Crates Mountains are Ma Gyeong. Most carriages will refuse to go there."
First, I decided to try negotiating to go as far as possible and headed to the carriage waiting area near the station.
However, the reaction was as I expected.
"Sorry, but we won't go in that direction."
"Even if you offer more money, it's not worth risking our lives..."
Seeing those who refused to go in that direction, I eventually bought a horse from the market.
Fortunately, as a noble, I had learned basic horseback riding, so it was a relief.
Upon roughly checking the acquired map, it would take about two days to reach the entrance of the mountains.
And if I were to climb the mountains, who knows how much longer it would take.
There would probably be various magical creatures and monsters...
"This is ridiculous, really."
It's like digging a well when you're thirsty.
I was excited at the thought of spending the night outdoors.
A massive mansion located in the Imperial capital.
Its owner was Gerard Tayson, the top of the top tier of the continent's five grand nobles and the lord of the capital's underworld.
Normally, he rarely visited the mansion as he had work to do at the top tier, but for some reason, he had been residing there for the past few days.
"Hoo."
Gerard exhaled a puff of smoke, and a servant knelt in front of him, reporting.
"We received a message from the academy."
"What kind of message?"
"They say the little rat has come out of its hole."
"Hoo."
Gerard took another long drag of smoke and smiled.
"The audacity of that rat, ruining the offering that was meant for Lord Jepard. Is he fearless, or have we underestimated him?"
The offering meant for Lord Jepard had failed.
Moreover, not only did the plan fail, but even one of the elite officers of the sect, Payat Cobon, lost his life.
As a result, due to the sect's pursuit of the masterminds behind the terror, the sect's prestige suffered a blow.
"It was fortunate that we were able to take a small share of Muriel's stake due to Payat's absence..."
But he couldn't show this joy.
At the moment, he was still an officer of the Jepard sect, and it was a time for him to be angry.
From an undercover informant within the academy, he was able to confirm that two students had suffered serious injuries that day.
Although the academy seemed to be quietly passing over the fact of the terror, Gerard could tell that those two students were the main culprits behind the failed plan.
Of course, it was unlikely that only two students could kill Payat.
There must be undisclosed accomplices.
Upon hearing Gerard's furious voice, the servant bowed his head and answered.
"I will take immediate action."
"Good. But get some information first. Where is that brat heading?"
"The last received information indicates the Merteon Territory."
"Merteon?"
Gerard couldn't hide his curiosity at the unexpected name.
What business could he have in such a rural place?
Apart from the fact that Merteon was relatively close to the Crates Mountains, also known as Ma Gyeong, there was nothing else in that countryside.
Could it be that he's going to the Crates Mountains?
Why?
"Why is he going to Merteon?"
"I apologize. I will investigate and find out."
"No need. What can you find out by investigating?"
It didn't matter if that little rat went to Merteon or anywhere else.
He, Vivian Velocan of the Knight Division, and the mysterious skilled individual.
"I will announce to the world what happens to those who dare to touch our sect. With their bones and flesh, I will certainly make an offering to Lord Jepard."