The Game's Chance Encounter Comes True, Episode 14
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The Game's Chance Encounter Comes True, Episode 14
5. How to Use Manggyeong (1)
"Captain?"
I asked, watching the knight cautiously open the door with a knock and poke his head in.
"What is it?"
In response to my cold question, he scratched his head awkwardly and said,
"I felt a strange energy inside."
I flinched inwardly, but I pretended nothing was wrong and showed him the rings on my hand as I replied.
"I was just checking whether there was anything wrong with the artifact, so don't worry about it."
"I see. Understood."
The knight closed the door and withdrew without showing any particular suspicion.
Letting out a small sigh, I opened the subspace and took out a one-handed sword.
[Eastern Armingsword]
Material: Mithril + Dragon Bone
Function: Amplifies and releases aura.
Special Function: Aura Storage
Output: 3.0
Description: A Force Sword made by Grand Duke Lucas for the chance encounterer.
An organ capable of storing aura has been implanted, allowing anyone to use Force through charging.
However, if Force is released using the weapon's own stored aura, the duration is extremely short at around 15 seconds.
After seeing the equipment's detailed description through Manggyeong, I let out an exclamation.
"As expected of Grand Duke Lucas...."
As expected, it was a Force Sword responsible for Vanguard's main offense.
Not only was its output high, but the fact that anyone could temporarily use Vanguard's power for 15 seconds simply by pre-charging aura like a battery was astonishing.
The reason only knights could become Vanguards was precisely because of aura.
Vanguard's Force equipment amplifies a knight's aura, but unlike magic power, aura is known to be impossible to artificially process.
Because of that, Force equipment became the exclusive property of knights and an important factor in raising their value.
And now there was technology that could process aura.
It was news that would make knights pale in shock.
Of course, the release time was absurdly short at 15 seconds, but if used and distributed well, it could allow more than ten attacks, so it wouldn't be strange to call it revolutionary.
Something like this doesn't necessarily need to be an item made only for Arcia.
If I stored aura in my own equipment too, it would become a great asset in an emergency.
'I can see why people are so obsessed with Grand Duke Lucas's technology.'
But on the other hand, if you think about it differently, it could become a means of disrupting the existing order, so it was the kind of technology the privileged would probably dislike.
Next, I took out the magic staff and robe and examined them.
I wondered if this function had been attached to mage equipment too.
[Special Function: Aura Storage]
Even the magic staff and magic robe had this function attached.
"Whoa...."
* * *
It has been two weeks since I, representing the Lawrence Viscount House, led the territorial army and was deployed to the front line facing the Croisen Empire.
The tense atmosphere, where war seemed ready to break out at any moment, had vanished, and only a boring standoff continued.
The leadership of both nations kept airing statements through the media, condemning each other day after day and creating a hostile atmosphere, but apart from that, the front line was peaceful.
Thanks to that, I could focus on the game more comfortably than when I was back in the territory.
[LV.140]
"So this speed is the limit for a two-person party after all."
But as with all RPGs, in Chronicle Online the leveling speed slowed down as time went on.
After reaching the 5th circle, Salamander's Tears was no longer much help in battle, so I haven't used it since level 130.
Thanks to that, Arcia and I kept hunting using the standard warrior-plus-mage two-person party strategy.
Thanks to pouring money into it, the leveling speed might have been faster than a normal two-person party's, but it was by no means a satisfying result.
"No, am I being too greedy?"
Any mage who had probably spent their whole life struggling just to improve by one circle would surely curse me for complaining that even this was hard.
"Let's call it a day."
"Thank you for your hard work."
After reaching level 140 and logging out of the game, I habitually took the glass of water Arcia handed me and emptied it.
"Mm...."
Arcia, having smoothly taken back the empty glass, placed it on the table and stood quietly by the door, looking at me.
Since I always take a walk around the headquarters after gaming, she was waiting there.
I put on Mangyeong, which had now become completely part of my body, and rose from my seat.
[Celestial River's Arcia / Aura Expert]
Race: Homunculus
Age: 1
Affiliation: Kingdom of Reinharts, Lawrence Territory, Commoner
Talents: Physical Ability (Top), Aura (Top), Learning Ability (Top), Intelligence (Medium), Empathy (Medium), Mana (Low), Spirit Power (Low)
Traits: Close-quarters combat, Defensive ability, Automatic recovery
Disposition: Favorable / Absolute obedience
Status: In a good mood.
All information about whatever I look at is fed to me through Mangyeong.
At first I felt dizzy, my eyes hurt, and waves of nausea hit me, but for the sake of my safety I forced myself to get used to it and never skipped wearing it.
Thanks to that, the nausea and dizziness have now mostly subsided.
Of course, if I wear it for a long time I get a headache, but even that is gradually easing.
Didn't someone say this?
That humans are creatures of adaptation.
It's a fairly brute-force method, but Mangyeong is worth that much.
"Are you a dog or something?"
As we started our walk and I saw Arcia's status change to "In a good mood," I let out a dry chuckle.
Seeing things like this, it seems homunculi also possess such a thing as emotion.
For now she just has weak individuality because there's still much she doesn't know, but she clearly has likes and dislikes.
Of course, she never shows it outwardly, but seeing her status change constantly through Mangyeong, I couldn't just treat her as a mere artificial human.
As Arcia and I walked down the corridor, the maids turned pale and fled our path, and the soldiers and knights on guard duty snapped to attention.
"I don't need an escort."
"Understood."
I stopped the knights who were trying to follow and left the brigade headquarters.
The sight of the temporary buildings made by stacking containers in a long row was imposing in its own way, but because this was a provincial force their uniforms were all different, so there was a lack of uniformity.
I strolled leisurely through the camp, but because of Arcia's outstanding looks we had to endure many stares.
And once we stepped out beyond the edge of the camp, the unobstructed view of the wide-open plain spread out before my eyes.
Whether it's because a small number of countries occupy vast lands in Rondel, or because the world was originally larger than Earth, I don't know, but every natural formation seems huge.
Just looking at it lets you feel a refreshing sense of openness.
"Nice."
For reference, this world is so full of absurdity that 16 out of its 20 countries are run under feudalism, but I can assert that when it comes to their attitude toward nature, Earth's rulers cannot compare to the nobles here.
Whether it's because gods actually exist or because they truly understand nature's grace, even the rivers running through major cities maintain class-1 water quality; they have an extreme aversion to pollution.
Perhaps because of that, natural-purification magic and related technologies are treated as basic civic virtues of a nation, and even if war breaks out and the surroundings are reduced to scorched earth, after the war ends they passionately send mages and priests to restore nature.
This is a mindset I would dearly like to instill in Earth's rulers, who prioritize development over nature.
[Status: In an extremely good mood]
I checked Arcia's status as she stared fixedly at the plain and let out a faint laugh.
"Um...."
I wonder how long we continued our walk like that.
Just as I was thinking it was about time to head back to our quarters, a man in green dress uniform, who looked like a knight, approached hesitantly.
"What is it?"
In this camp, green dress uniform signified belonging to the Otis Count's household.
I wondered if the division commander was calling for me and showed my puzzlement.
"If it's all right with you, would you care to have a drink with me?"
"Pardon?"
Wondering what on earth he was suddenly talking about, I checked his status with Mangyeong, and emotions that didn't match his line—like "Embarrassed" and "Ashamed"—popped up.
So I looked around carefully, and in a spot some distance away I saw a group in green dress uniforms watching us with mischievous grins.
"The people back there put you up to this, didn't they?"
At my question, the knight, a man of not particularly large build with gentle features, flinched his shoulders hard.
I had no intention of playing along, so I started to shake my head and ignore him.
[Allen Lopez / Aura User]
Race: Human
Age: 20
Affiliation: Kingdom of Reinharts, Otis Territory, Regular Knight
Talents: Mana (Top), Learning Ability (High), Intelligence (High), Sensory Perception (Medium), Physical Ability (Low), Aura (Medium), Empathy (Low), Spirit Power (Low)
Trait: Fast computational processing
I halted my steps at the strange information about him.
"Why are you a knight?"
The question slipped out of me without thinking.
Misunderstanding what I meant, the knight Allen Lopez flushed red.
"I-I apologize for my rudeness, but I don't think I deserve to hear something like that."
Since that wasn't what I meant by my question, I showed an awkward expression.
I had only been puzzled because his talents and trait were telling me he should be a mage, not a knight.
It was understandable: I had examined the information of many people so far, but aside from Arcia the homunculus, I had never seen anyone with more than two high-grade talents.
Yet he not only possessed a top-grade one, he even had a rare trait attached.
So I wanted to ask why he was wasting his gifts playing lackey to the other knights, but…
"My apologies."
There was no need to get myself involved.
Jerking my chin to tell Arcia to come, I started moving off at a leisurely pace again.
"If you'd become a mage, you would have achieved great things."
Still, as I passed him I couldn't help but say that one line out of regret, and Lopez looked at me with a startled expression.
"You knights over there, don't cause trouble."
For the record, I did not forget to throw a line at the knights who had just been acting out of line before I entered the barracks.