Anyway,
my engagement to Talia went ahead as planned, regardless of my wishes.
In many ways, I didn't even get a chance to protest, and Theo looked at me with a sort of smug look on his face....
I sincerely wondered if Theo was playing a trick on me, but ultimately dismissed it.
I didn't have any proof.
For your information, this is a religious institution that exists within the family.
A primordial god, said to have created man. It is a church of the Ardennes, worshipping the Ardennes.
Colorful light pours from the stained glass windows that cover the ceiling and walls.
The beauty is indescribable.
I realize that it's different from what I've seen in the game.
Unless, of course, the situation I'm in is dire.
"That's... I really, really didn't realize that this is how you do things, I'm sorry...."
Talia stammers and apologizes.
Well, it's not really her fault.
In the first place, the current engagement is being conducted in secret anyway.
It was never supposed to be known to the Imperial family, and if anyone is to be blamed, it's the patriarchs of Reinhafer and Steiner.
There's no way Talia would have known about something this important.
Besides.
'I mean, I can tell when she's acting, anyway.'
I'm the only one who can tell when she's lying and when she's not, and she doesn't have the new [Acting] talent, so I'm pretty sure of that.
I ran a hand through my hair and replied.
"Forget it. There's no way you could have known that."
As if on cue, I hear a distinctive, raucous voice.
"Hmph… this Christopher, I truly admire you! Your attentiveness! Your passion! That's what makes a girl a lady, and that's what makes love so beautiful in the end! Truly, I am moved...."
"Christopher-nim?"
Zitri called, smiling in a sweet voice, and a look of contemplation came over his face, and soon Christopher's mouth fell open.
Suddenly, as I watch, I have a question.
'... By the way, I told Zitri to keep Christopher as quiet as possible, but how did that happen? What did she say to him that made him do that?'
I was a little curious, but this wasn't the time for questions, so I kept my mouth shut.
I said my vows and went through all the formalities of a knightly betrothal. Then I handed Talia a special ring that contained my magic power as proof of my vows.
A ring that temporarily restores 10% of your magic.
It's not something you'd want to wear, of course, but ... in a pinch, it's a different story. An artifact with a not-so-bad effect.
…Though the meaning behind it is enough to cause much trepidation.
Then.
I hear the muffled chatter of my units once again.
The first is Rona's.
-I knew you would be like that one day. Have you grown up now? … What is this sad feeling… … ?
-Senior, are you sure this is right…? If anything happens with the Imperial Family, they'll have to tell them....
-Eh~! Even if it's okay, it's fun! Besides, this is Reinhafer, Zitri, you're too worried! Moreover… do you think that Young Master would only look at one woman for the rest of his life? He must have at least a few concubines...?
'Okay. Let's give Rona one more smack for now.'
I made a decision first and listened to the rest of the voices.
-Ah, no... seobangniim… hiccup!
(husbaand)
-Elena...? Because it's good even for today. Can't you just not call him Seobang? If you do, you'll be sent to prison for adultery....
-Eh? What is adultery…?
-....
-hihing!
I don't know how a Karl got into a church.
But whatever….
'Does it matter because it's cute…?'
And just like that, the engagement schedule was finalized.
Before I left for the academy again, I had a chance to speak with Robert briefly, his sword half-sheathed, but in a pleasant tone.
"Take good care of my daughter."
"Yes...."
'If only you'd sheathed that sword and talked to her.'
I wonder if they don't teach you that you need to sheath your sword to have a good conversation.
Of course, he hadn't actually said the words out loud, which was dangerous in more ways than one.
There was silence between us for a moment. A bit of discomfort.
Then what?
The words came out of nowhere from Rover.
"You will grow to love her."
He said, his sword still sheathed.
When I lifted my head and made eye contact with him, he smiled and gave me his fatherly warmth. He smiled and gave me his typical paternal look.
"If you don't love her yet, you will. That's the kind of girl she is."
'She's a winner.'
Seriously, I couldn't help but think.
To not love his daughter.
That I hadn't quite made up my mind yet.
Robert knew it all.
But he just kept telling me that I would come to love her.
Without armed demonstration(?) or coercion.
In the end, I didn't respond, because I knew better than anyone that it would hurt his daughter.
So, after the conversation with Robert was over.
Talia, myself, and Zitri were ready to go.
The long journey to the Kingdom of Tahalin was finally over. My journey in the desert is over and it's time to get back to where I belong.
Once I'm ready, I'll purchase a few more uniforms from Tailor Puler to replace my tattered ones and put my coat back on.
Then I turn to the two units that will be heading to the Academy with me and say.
"Now let's return. To the Academy."
"Yes!"
"I'll do my best to be as helpful as I can this time."
Hearing their voices, I walked away.
The second chapter to come.
I must prepare for the main storyline that will once again cast a dark cloud over the academy.
And to do that, I need to get my units into the Academy as soon as possible.
'It's not going to be pretty this time either. I have to take a bunch of classes before the second main story.'
Basically, Inner Lunatic is an academy.
And what is the core of an academy?
Classes.
And now the classes from hell are coming.
You can only rely on [Memorization] and the two [Genius] traits as ironclad.
* * *
"Oooooh, isn't that my 'chief pupil' Nox!"
The first person to greet me upon my return to the Academy was, to my regret, Professor Lars.
He seems genuinely pleased to see me back, and I'm sure he's eager to discuss the papers I presented at the last conference and how they did.
Not surprising, since it was such an important topic in the game.
"I see you're still the same professor."
"Haha, of course I am, it's only been a few days, I can't be that old, hahaha!"
'No, I'm saying you're still the same, I'm saying you're still crazy about magic....'
I didn't know how to answer that, so I just nodded for now.
I chatted with Lars for a while, and took the opportunity to tell him about my future business ventures at the Academy.
Lars said with a twinkle in his eye.
"At the same time as your and my papers were published, the dwarves contacted me with their magic."
"The dwarves?"
"Yes. That tricky, stubborn race contacted us first, which is surprising enough. I am prepared for more surprises, so feel free to be surprised."
"Ah, yes...."
I'm not surprised, because I've already seen it a few times in the game's story. I wondered if I should fake it, but then I stopped thinking about it.
He's an asshole, after all.
A moderate nod would be enough to elicit a good response.
"So...."
Besides, he's not the kind of guy who listens to me that intently.
...Unfortunately.
Lars sounded excited.
"Do you know what they said? They said they'd work on harvesting materials from the beasts based on our thesis and using them to make artifacts or enhance them. Of course, we were promised plenty of examples of our thesis, and their forges have been accepted into the Academy, and I'm sure there are a few already."
"That's good."
For once, he actually sounded sincere.
A brief glow of warmth settles over the research lab of Head Professor Lars.
The artifact crafting and enhancement system was finally open.
The damned ten luck stat.
I've been watching this for a long time, and I can only come to one conclusion.
In most situations outside of enhancing, crafting, and drawing, this stat is not very effective.
Unlike in past games.
'If not, this shit luck cannot be explained. It's just a pity that there are times when I'm better at games.'
But goodbye to that pain…!
I clenched my fists invisibly.
Now I could finally get a better grip on the Templar.
My head throbbed as the events of the past flashed through my mind.
I barely held back the tears that threatened to fall.
'Huh?'
I felt a chill run down my spine at the sensation.
I soon realized it was just a feeling.
I had one more call to make that would give me a real headache.
After a brief conversation.
Ziiing.
The little crystal ball started vibrating in my hand.
Sure enough, the caller was Eleanor.
'What's up with Eleanor all of a sudden?'
Why would she be contacting me when we still have a until our joint martial arts class? It's a fairly obvious question, but one that worries me in more ways than one.
'It's a good thing she didn't contact Sean, though. …Well, even if she did, she might as well have created an alter ego.'
You never know when or where she might call me out and harass me.
Anyway, I guess it's better to be safe than sorry.
But.
'I don't know about Shane, but I'm Nox the Scoundrel right now, so I'm going to ignore Eleanor's demands.'
It's not part of the lesson anyway. I thought to myself.
"Well, then, Professor, I'll go."
"Yes, my chief student, Nox-kun. See you later!"
* * *
"By the way, this is really interesting. Especially that your thesis, in collaboration with Professor Lars, has led to the formation of a new commercial district!"
Zitri said in a rare tone of excitement. I nodded, feeling proud of myself, even though I hadn't done much.
"Well, I guess it's not a bad feeling."
"The feel of the Fourth District has changed quite a bit, too. There are demons everywhere… Come to think of it, did you anticipate all of this when you established the Chasers area?"
"Yeah."
I'd been feeling sorry for myself for not having anyone who understood, but Zitri was right.
She can read my mind, which makes me feel especially good at times like this. I wonder if [Throne Genius] is different after all?
I can feel how deeply she is involved in my mind.
By the way, her expression is also very bright.
Her porcelain-white skin is not even slightly tanned by the sun, but shines through. And her hair is falling down carefully.
It's a shame that the character of Zitri has become a victim of tragedy. It's like the Inner Lunatic's viciousness has been proven.
It didn't matter now that I'd saved her, but it was still a bit bittersweet.
"I'm glad to hear that you're getting back on your feet, Young Master. I was actually a little worried about you."
"I see. You're worried too."
I think it's because she thinks I'm trying to clear up the karma I've accumulated as an asshole, but alas, that's not the case, so… I'm at a loss for words.
I feel unnecessarily sorry for Zitri. For this.
But of course, it's not something that can be helped.
'No matter how much the future has changed, I have to keep the asshole position in the main story, to keep it from getting too far off track.'
Nox von Reinhafer is not supposed to be at the Academy.
The fact that such a character is so disparately positioned here as a senior means that he can be a variable at the beginning of a new story.
As such, I have to reconcile the various characters already present here at the worst possible moment.
I don't treat them as human beings, but as units, as I did in past games. I have to treat them like units.
Otherwise, I won't be able to give the right orders at the right time.
'Anyway, the first thing that has to be prioritized in order to play the game. And that is to get the artifacts right.'
My steps come to a halt in a section of the Fourth Commercial District.
Bang-! Bang-!
(kang-! kang-!)
The sound of a sledgehammer pounding on an unfinished weapon.
The sounds of tanning and harsh shouting slowly begin to emerge.
It's a scene that seems out of place in District 4, a district dominated by nobles, but it's a scene that I and Professor Lars have constructed.
[Dwarven Workshop].
It is indeed.
This is the deepest forge in all of Eldain.
It was a dwarven workshop.
"Is anyone there?"
I say boldly, stepping into the forge. I made sure to cast a water-based spell to protect Zitri and my skin from the scorching heat.
Since the spell only covers my body and the target's body, I don't need to lower the temperature of the surroundings, so it's enough for me to look around.
Zitri's face turned slightly red from the flames.
"…Who's that?"
At that moment, a dwarf's annoyed voice came from inside. It was a voice that was tinged with displeasure....
I wanted to punch him in the face.
"Nox von Reinhafer. I'm here to commission some equipment."
The dwarf scanned my face, then hummed and crossed his arms, obviously confused by the sudden request to forge a weapon.
He also looked quite tired, as if this was not the first time he had done this.
"Hehe. You must be a noble family master, but in order to forge a weapon, I need demonic materials first. If you can get them, I can forge it for you, but you'll have to go to...."
Rumblelelee.
(uleuleuleu.)
With that, I poured out a bunch of demonic materials from the subspace as if I had been waiting for it.
Naturally, these were all materials I'd gotten from the 'Great Demon Slaying Unit' in the Chasers region. They were useful in many ways.
The Dwarf, who saw the pouring griffons, golems, and materials close to high-end, spoke with his flagship tone.
"…? You've already acquired this much…? I thought the black market hadn't released such a quantity?"
I crossed my arms, not bothering to explain, this time from my side.
"How about this… do you think you can make the equipment Dwarf?"
"... Follow me."
The dwarf said, finally giving up, and then added in a small voice.
"And my name is Arson, and I would prefer you call me by my name, not my race, as it is not polite among the dwarves to call me by my race."
"Of course. Dwarf."
"...."
I ignored him, as I should have, like a dwarf.
When I saw the forge, my heart began to race.
Here was a golden opportunity to craft and enhance items, and it was also a chance for my Luck stat to finally shine.
Oh, and by the way.
'I may be able to learn the secret of the First Patriarch's sword, Stormbringer.'
Swallowing hard, I made my way to the darkened workshop lobby.