Grine stumbled backwards as the intangible energy pressed down on him. A chilling sensation that tightened his entire body, like a compression on his heart.
He couldn't believe it.
This was Nox's power?
The talent of the youngest, the bastard child of the family. Was he really this good?
'Damn it…! I've been so complacent. I should have known when the rumors started!'
I should have realized there was no smoke coming up the chimney.
Grine could only blame himself.
Nox's obnoxious attitude.
And the immense power that leaked from him.
It seemed to seal away his own power.
It was as if he was weakening himself as much as he was strengthening his enemy.
"Did you say ... book…I'm?" {1}
"Yes."
Grine stammered.
And yet Nox remained calm, unflinching.
But anyone in this room would know.
His eyes. That his lavender eyes held anger, unlike a moment ago.
'…So it turns out it was true that you like maids….'
Unaware of the absurd misunderstanding, Grine began to wonder how to get out of this situation.
Should he back down?
That would be the end of him.
His authority would plummet, and he would have fewer and fewer supporters, even within his own family.
No matter how good you are at maneuvering, there are limits.
House Reinhafer is a strict meritocracy.
It's a place where you have to prove your worth, or you'll be dismissed.
In a place like that, if you declare defeat to the youngest of your family, how will your future vassals treat you?
'I'll never be as good as that....'
Tsk, tsk, tsk!
"Huh!"
While thinking that, he looked at Nox's face.
Grine involuntarily swallowed a gasp.
The magic waves that burst out and imprisoned him became even more intense.
The gap between them was unbelievable. In that moment, he was certain. Nox could already manipulate magic.
And.
'He's… stronger than me.'
Stronger than himself.
Grine immediately realized that he was no match for Nox.
The goosebumps on his body and the chill down his spine proved it.
It was then. Nox suddenly opened his mouth to speak to him.
"I decided that Schultz's words and actions were nothing short of disrespectful to me, and I summarily dismissed him. Do you have a problem with this behavior?"
"You could have at least reported it to me and…."
"Don't you remember?"
Nox swung the sword in his hand once, showing it to Grine.
He continued calmly.
"That I am the rumored bastard of a family. Watching and waiting is not something I'm used to."
It was as if he were saying, "Go with my decision," but Grine had no answer. He felt as if the sword could come to his throat.
He had easily cut down his knight.
Should he be at his mercy just because they were brothers?
"Why don't you take this matter back to the House and let the Lord judge for himself?"
At that moment, Nox's words were like a savior to Grine. A way out of this situation with a modicum of dignity.
Yes, it was.
Nox was offering a compromise.
A compromise that Grine could never accept.
'Nox, you bastard. You want something from me.'
He understands immediately, but he can't say no here.
Gritting his teeth, he withdrew his offer.
"Very well. I will leave the disposition of this matter to Father himself."
"A wise decision."
So that I don't have to kill my brother.
Grine was sure Nox was adding that.
A different answer?
That sword would have taken my head off.
'And that sword he's holding… I recognize it.
But now was not the time to consider such things.
Grine hurried out of the room.
And with that, the case was closed.
Grine's soldiers removed Schultz's body and slipped the innkeeper a few more copper pieces. Fortunately, as was often the case, the innkeeper didn't seem to mind. {2}
A man or two dying in a skirmish in a ramshackle town like this. It's not a big deal.
At best, it's a minor distraction for the evening.
And that's the kind of world Nox inhabits.
* * *
"Zitri. You okay?"
I asked, looking at Zitri as she leaned back against the wall after the others had left.
Zitri was still sliding down the wall, barely breathing probably because her legs had given out.
I understand. What had happened a moment ago must have been traumatic for her.
'By the way, it's going to get pretty loud among the soldiers.'
The removal of Schultz was quite a raucous affair, even for me.
I summarily disposed of him on the grounds that he was a disgrace to the family, and that he had tried to humiliate my maid, Zitri. It was an unexpected turn of events.
Perhaps the two factions of soldiers were now at a crossroads.
Will they follow Grine?
Or will they follow me?
Based on what we've seen so far, it makes sense to follow me.
But publicly, I'm screwed.
Grine, on the other hand, is an elite graduate of Eldaine.
The gap between them is not easily bridged.
The more they do, the deeper their troubles grow.
"Young Master… are you okay?"
I nodded.
Then I saw tears well up in Zitri's eyes.
As I approached her, she lightly punched my leg and sobbed.
"Why did you do that… If things get out of hand, more people will turn against Master Nox, and then something dangerous will happen...."
"You know best what kind of master you're serving."
At my words, Zitri looks up.
The tears streaming down her cheeks are pitiful.
Twice already she has suffered.
Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that Zitri has a Luck stat of 1.
And her negative trait of [Misfortune] has been kicking in from time to time.
It's a problem that can be solved by keeping her by my side for longer periods of time with a Luck of 10, but I haven't spent enough time with her to remove the trait yet.
So things like today will continue to haunt her for a while.
I let out a short breath, reaching out to help her to her feet.
"I am the Master of the Bastards of Rinehafer. So never, ever, anywhere. You will not bow your head either."
I could feel Zitri's eyes widen.
She quickly covered her face with her arms to hide her expression.
Even as she does, the corner of her mouth lifts slightly, and I can see what she must be thinking.
But I don't show it, and I decide to pretend not to notice.
Zitri stood there for a moment, then grabbed my hand and pulled herself up.
"…Okay. I'll keep that in mind."
The businesslike, stiff tone was back.
In response, I smiled with satisfaction. At least I'd gotten one thing out of yesterday's events.
I can't save every unit of the Inner Lunatic.
Some have their own tragedies destined, and I'm the villain in the first place.
But at least, if they're in my circle.
Then I'm going to save them somehow.
Playing the villain, even if it's not easy.
* * *
After the incident. I've noticed some tension among the soldiers.
Especially the ones who were on Grine's side.
They hadn't paid much attention to me when I was playing the role of Pathfinder with gusto. After all, their master was Grine, and I owed him my loyalty, and he deserved a cut of the action.
But Zitri and Schultz.
How would they react to the sight of Grine and me?
'Of course they are afraid.'
Even those whom I had dismissed as family traitors have begun to fear me, and to slowly avoid me.
This is not a bad sign.
There are two most efficient ways to deal with units in Inner Lunatic.
The first is to take the time to charm and persuade them.
This was the case with Zitri.
If I understand their weaknesses, traumas, and so on, and if I can make them better by dealing with them, they will be on my side.
The second is to attract them to my side in the short term.
The most effective way to do this is with "iron and blood."
Simply put, iron and blood. The idea is to take a target by force, instill fear in them, and then integrate them into your faction.
It may not be wise in terms of the backlash it could cause, but they are Grine's soldiers.
I have no reason to hold them accountable afterward.
All they have to do now is fear me, and obey and follow my every word.
"In that sense, I have succeeded."
I nod, realizing that I've done a good job.
I turn on my heel and begin to walk toward the Chasers' alma mater.
A few days ago. Where a villager had said he'd met a griffin.
This is the point where I realize that I already know how Griffin will appear in the game, but real life and the game are not the same.
It's self-evident that if you do your homework and anticipate the griffin attack, you'll have a much easier time later on.
There's no point in lying down with my feet up.
Zitri is at my side, too. I tried to get her to rest, but she wouldn't listen, so I brought her along, and she's safer with me by her side anyway.
The last thing I want is for Grine to retaliate.
He's a small-minded bastard.
"Young Master, I can see the horizon. Is that what you were talking about?"
"Yes. That's the horizon of the Endless Wilderness. It borders eastern Tahalin and is a neutral territory. It's notoriously inhospitable, and it's likely that the griffin came from that direction."
"I see."
Zitri eagerly pulls out a notepad and takes notes.
Hajiya such a diligent child.
She's always a quick learner, so maybe I'll teach her some history and other trivia later.
She was a noblewoman, so she should already have the basics. It's nice to know that I won't have to explain things to her.
It wouldn't be a bad idea, I thought.
"Hah… I guess I should start with this barrier first."
I snapped out of my thoughts and turned my gaze away from the horizon to look down.
The Chasers barricade. It was in pretty bad shape, even for a pretender.
Its proximity to the desert, its sandy cracks, and the fact that it could easily collapse… if we don't fix it, we're going to have a hard time fighting the griffins.
I bet it lasts less than an hour before being destroyed.
Even if it's a sub-episode and not the main Chasers battle, it's up to me to save this town or not.
Inner Lunatic is a free-for-all, and a few towns have been lost due to player choice.
But for the most part, I saved the Chasers.
Don't ask me why.
Because it's worth it.
"In the future, Chasers will be a gold mine. People don't realize it now. How an abundance of demons will help them in the future.'
In the best old-fashioned way, I must rise to the occasion.
To do that, I need to cut through the most rotten parts of the town first.
"I've got some more checking to do, Zitri. Will you come with me?"
"Sure."
Zitri closed the notepad and followed me. I slide onto Carl's back, and it doesn't take long before we're back in town.
There were still people selling their wares on mats, with no stalls, and children who looked like they were about to collapse from hunger.
I stared at the people sitting on the mats, and then at an old woman's wares, and realized I'd found what I was looking for.
'There it is, Chasers' specialty potion.'
I wondered if it might not be here, given the time of day, but I dismissed the thought.
I knew that the Chasers' Specialty Potion Merchant existed, and that she possessed another [Genius] trait.
I was also convinced that I needed to recruit her.
'Elena, we must go see her.'
Elena.
The potion shuttle I brought with me when I cleared the Inner Lunatic. She was the most cost-effective unit I could get, so she was always my number-one pick.
Except for one, very, very minor issue....
"It'll be fine, you can't be that crazy in the real world, can you?"
"What, Young Master, what are you talking about?"
Zitri stared at me, her amber eyes twinkling.
Her eyes full of curiosity.
"Nothing much."
I grinned at her, nonchalantly hanging my sword on the front of the inn.
"Let's go."
"That… where are you talking about?"
Zitri looked at me suspiciously.
I shrugged nonchalantly and said.
"I'm going to recruit a new party member for our team."
By now, the sun was setting and it was late at night.
What the hell does this mean?
It means it's time to go recruit a Potion Shuttle for Nox's ragtag party.
T/N
{1} : "...책…임이라 했나." "...chaeg…im-ila haessna."
{2} : first time we've been introduced to currency, going to use copper pieces here but the source is just "money"