"...Anyway. That's how I ended up learning these things from Professor Lars. He's so well versed in the theory, it wasn't that hard to learn."
I stammered out the best excuse I could think of, but no one believed me, except for a few blank stares.
It was a shame. That's how little trust I had in my units had in me. What a shame...
'This is not the time for stupid thoughts. I'm an asshole.'
"If it's creepy, don't trust it."
I decided to walk out with dignity.
The looks on my companions' faces grew more puzzled, and a question popped into my head, but I ignored it.
I feel like I've been using the Asshole card a lot lately, but what the hell.
No one would dare to criticize me.
That means it doesn't matter what I do!
"…By a lot. Well, we'll leave that for another time…!"
Zitri skillfully changed the subject, as if it hadn't happened to her before. She turned to me, unfolding the map she'd brought with her.
"Right now, we're in the Northeastern region of the Chasers... and I'm wondering if you're sure you want to continue east!"
Zitri… I can tell you're struggling.
I wonder if your acting skills have deteriorated a bit in the meantime, and the way you're forcing yourself to raise the back notes is a bit pathetic. If this isn't a figure play, then what the hell is a figure play?
I shake my head at the thought.
To the units that knew her, what she was now was a noble sacrifice.
After a brief moment of mourning, I nodded confidently.
"All right, then. We'll keep moving east."
"But it's dangerous. Young Master."
Christopher said, interrupting me abruptly.
He looked at me and continued in a serious voice.
"There are stronger beasts in the east… no, that shouldn't be a problem."
He hastily corrected myself. Apparently my battle earlier hadn't left a bad impression on him. He chose his words and continued.
"Most importantly, there is a royal family in the east, the Kingdom of Tahalin, that is hostile to the House of Reinhafer. If word gets out that there are members of House Reinhafer in the area, they might attempt an assassination without much fanfare."
I couldn't help but agree with him.
Why hadn't I mentioned it in the past.
That I had stopped a rebellion in the eastern kingdom of Tahalin on my 27th game completion.
Here's where it all began.
The fierce animosity toward the Imperial Family, and with it, the resentment towards the House of Reinhafer. It was the Reinhafer family, of which Nox is a member, that brought down the Tahalin Royal Family.
Theo von Reinhafer, that is.
"I'm afraid it's not safe for you to go...…."
"So it is."
One, who am I?
Am I not the scoundrel of House Reinhafer?
"I am going to the Kingdom of Tahalin. Send word that the scion of House Reinhafer is on his way there, and be prepared to serve him eagerly."
...?
The expressions on the group's faces slowly fill with disbelief.
Shock washes over them, along with a trickle of dread.
Heading to the Kingdom of Tahalin while using the last name of Reinhafer? It would be suicide.
But I was stubborn.
"The snarky person will have to walk alone to Chasers without a word from here."
....
Once again, a deep silence fell between us. The expressions on the faces of the 300 people who had followed me, blinded by their fumbling silver coins, were priceless.
They lost their money because they thought I was too good for them, and they followed me here.
Anyway, it's a funny situation.
-Should I jump?
-I'll have a chance in the evening....
"No way. From now on, I'll shout at them one by one in the morning. If any of them escape, they will be punished along with those who know them."
I will not kill them.
I added as an afterthought.
It was only for a moment that the chanting died down.
* * *
It wasn't long before word of Nox's arrival in the Chasers reached Tahalin.
As a neighboring eastern nation, the news of his arrival was bound to make them quite nervous.
They were once under the command of Emperor Esteban, or Nox's father. They had been vassalized by Theo von Reinhafer, and thus still harbored ill will toward the Reinhafer family.
What's more, according to the letter that had arrived, Nox, the youngest of the Reinhafers, would be visiting. It was strange not to feel nervous.
However, not everyone saw him as a burden.
Take, for example, the man with whom the Reinhafer family ill will has reached its lowest ebb.
Such was the case with Kushan Adrian, the Red Scorpion.
"Is it true that the youngest member of the Reinhafer family is arriving here?"
"It is."
"You know no fear. Does he think his father can protect him even here?"
Kushan smiled wryly at his advisor.
Tahalin remains distrustful of the Reinhafers. It's an iron-blooded policy, and its methods of absorption are radical, and no one is willing to conform.
Furthermore, there is no way to reach Tahalin without crossing a long desert.
Unlike the Chasers, whose diet and lifestyle are naturally similar to that of Reinhafer, the people here have a completely different and exotic way of eating and living, which is bound to affect combat.
Why would anyone want to come to a place so cut off from the outside world?
Kushan stood in front of the mirror, though he remained unclear.
The scar across his stomach from the massive sword strike was clearly visible. A scar that shouldn't be visible on someone like him, a boy barely past the age of adulthood.
It was a wound Kushan had received at the hands of the Black Sword Knights once led by Theo.
At the time, he had lost both his father and his first and second brothers, and he harbored a deep-seated malice toward Theo and the Black Knights.
He was consumed with rage.
Even though he was the only one worthy of the throne. He is in the position of prince to lead the country wisely, but he has not yet taken the throne.
Currently, the kingdom is ruled by the wizard Kramsar, the right-hand man of the previous king, who has acted as an uncle to the current prince and princess.
It was a form of regency, but Kushan trusted him so much that he was actually glad to have him in the position.
'Kramsar… I'm so grateful to him. If it weren't for him, I'd already be....'
Kushan was genuinely grateful to Kramsar for relieving him of his responsibilities as a prince.
At the same time, he had made an unceremonious decision regarding the treatment of Nox at this very moment.
"Theo von Reinhafer… I will let you know how much it hurts to lose a member of your own family, even if it is only a wretched youngest son, Nox von Reinhafer. Even if he's only the youngest, you'll know a little of what it's like to lose him, how much I suffered, how I lived through that hell."
Braided red hair, dark skin, and pants that were wide and flapped and cinched at the ankles. A desert warrior in a helmet that resembled a turban.
He twirled a small kukri like a poisonous tooth.
He would hunt Nox von Reinhafer down, one way or another.
Like a skilled desert hunter, like a poisonous scorpion, he was determined to sting his prey and wait for him to fall.
Even though he knew the target of his vengeance was wrong, it didn't matter. Anger was an emotion that sometimes lied, and it could make a man lose his reason.
"Well, then, I will prepare with that knowledge. You have made a momentous decision, so get some rest."
The man who answered Kushan's words quietly disappeared into the shadows.
It wasn't long before the man was alone.
A man with the appearance of an old man.
But it wasn't long before his wrinkles began to peel away, transforming him into another, more alien and creepy form.
Purplish skin, pale lips, inverted eyes.
It was him. The one who stood by Kushan's side and advised him.
Kramsar was a demon.
* * *
After leaving the development of the Chasers to Grine, I decided to cross the desert for the first time and head for Tahalin.
It's not a great place, and they hold a grudge against House Reinhafer. I'm hoping to find some useful hidden pieces there.
'And Kushan Adrian… he's the kind of guy who rebels and dies quickly in political history, but he's not a big deal.'
There's plenty of room to sway him to my side.
A minor problem, of course.
No, there was one very serious problem.
For instance, Nox's biological father.
That very same Theo von Reinhafer had wiped out his entire family except for Kushan's sister?
'Damn it.'
('jegilal.')
...I don't think it's going to be easy.
Compared to Paracelsus, Leon, Penelope, and Lana, if I could get them. They'd be right up there with them in talent.
I'll get them somehow!
But first, I'll need to increase my lifespan by hunting.
[Attention! You have 9 days left in your life].
[Defeat the demons and restore your life].
In the meantime, I've been spending my time traversing the deserts of the eastern part of the country.
I know I'm rambling, but I'm now at the point where the only way to restore my health is to kill a nearby demon.
Something I can't survive without gambling big.
This is not good.
But what can I do....
'It's never been easy before. '
On the contrary, it seems that the effect of [Steel Mentality] is definitely being applied to calm my mind as my lifespan decreases.
…Except.
"kollog!"
Rona shouted as she slashed at the beast in front of her.
It was strange.
My body would suddenly stiffen like this?
I've never experienced anything like this before....
[Penalty is applied for having less than 10 days of life].
[You are granted the negative trait 'Dead Reckoning'].
[All physical abilities are reduced by 20%].
[The trigger chance of the negative trait 'Nuisance' increases exponentially!]
"Young Master!"
Shit… The searing pain came back.
(jegilal)
The alien sensation of spitting up blood.
This is the first dizziness I've felt since defeating Paimon.
Dizziness begins to set in.
The [Bane of Life] shines through once more.
This is one of the worst collaborations with [Time Limit], and one that has haunted me many times over.
And this time, it's not a good one.
Rona de Nero.
Her cold, hard gaze is fixed on me.
Ha, I sighed and made a hissing motion with my fingers. Rona sucks in a shaky breath and quickly looks away, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
I had anticipated this, so I quickly used the clean magic on my uniform. I had requested it along with the Warp spell, so the tailor had put it on.
It's a spell that helps in many ways, so it's quite useful.
As a noble, it takes care of a lot of inconvenient things for me.
I stepped up next to the flustered Rona and whispered in her ear.
"Keep it a secret. I'm headed to Tahalin to recuperate. So you'll just have to wait until then and we'll work something out. Do you understand?"
Rona could only nod, her jaw clenched tight.
Anyway, it wasn't long after that that I regained my composure.
I see the sand city slowly revealing itself in front of the long procession. The rounded buildings are reminiscent of Aladdin.
This is what a fantasy desert city should look like.
As I nodded to myself, I heard a voice beside me.
"You've finally arrived, Tahalin… As you can imagine, you'll have to be careful from there, even if you're a seasoned traveler. Of course, this Christopher will take care of you, so you shouldn't have any reason to worry. Haha, when I was here in my princely youth...."
Coming from a big guy who's really good at what he does, I'm inclined to believe him. The only problem is that he talks a lot, and it's reflected in the traits we just identified.
[Two Mouth Talker].
It was.
Christopher, the only sane person in my party, was a crazy two-mouth talker who could talk for two hours about "lattes are…." like a baseball player.
But I tuned him out.
There were worse people out there, so what....
The only thing I'm worried about is my body, and it's not the time to worry about anything else.
Anyway. Ignoring Christopher's tales of the diet and manners of the Kingdom of Tahalin, I urged my horse toward the borderlands of Tahalin.
Only to be met by dozens of soldiers blocking my path.
"Who are you, identify yourself!"
I grabbed the hood I was wearing to keep my body temperature down.
'This is how these bastards greet the House of Reinhafer, even though they sent a letter first? They're tainted with malice from the start.'
It was ridiculous.
I grinned wryly and removed my hood, looking nonchalantly ahead, as if the blood I had spilled a moment ago had all been a lie.
"Do I need to explain myself?"
White hair and lavender eyes.
And a black sword of arrogant temper, riding an Obsidian. There are plenty of phrases to describe Nox von Reinhafer.
And they've been very successful with his enemies.
"You're out of line!"
"Standing in the heat for so long makes me so angry I want to kill someone."
"That… I will take you inside immediately, the prince, Kushan Adrian, is waiting for you in the palace!"
I chuckled to myself and urged my horse to follow them.
Even if it's not a camel, a good horse adapts well even in this kind of environment, while thinking such a trivial thing.
* * *
Audience room.
…I was led to a terrace or something.
To tell you the truth, Tahalin is not a country with a very powerful king. The vast expanse of the desert is filled with all sorts of human figures, and it's not easy to integrate them, and it makes me nervous.
This may be a preconceived notion, but in the game's setting, the people here are often selfish and cold.
Pickpockets are common, bandits lurk in the shadows, and there are plenty of them.
This is evidenced by the fact that a group of Lorne bandits once tried to take Grine hostage.
"Welcome, I have your letter, Young Master Nox."
There was only one other traveler in the Realm.
A low, trembling voice. A boy with red hair and tanned skin spoke to me.
I smiled wryly.
Kushan Adrian.
So this is how you're going to show me that you've had a grudge against me from the start? I am reminded that he is still a child.
I felt it necessary to kill his momentum before I could turn him to my side, so I lifted my sword and slammed it into the table on the terrace.
Bang.
(kwaang.)
Kushan looks up at me with wide eyes, slightly surprised.
I spoke in a low voice.
"A prince who is not even the king of a vassal country, a scion of Reinhafer, has come to sit down and say hello."
The air around me stiffened.
Even my allies could see the gravity in their expressions.
But who am I now?
I am Nox von Reinhafer, the second worst man on the continent.
I cleared my throat.
"Do you want your country wiped off the map, or will you kneel before me here, and if you don't choose right now, I'll start with you."
Kushan and I locked eyes.
So that's the unit I'm going to capture.
He looks at me and doesn't seem intimidated at all.