Game's Fortuitous Encounters Become Reality, Episode 16
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Game's Fortuitous Encounters Become Reality, Episode 16
5. How to Use Mannyeong (3)
Once in a past life, when China was badly defeated in a soccer match against Korea, one fan voiced this question.
"Why is it so hard for China, with 1.4 billion people, to pick just eleven who are good at soccer?"
It was a self-deprecating remark tinged with a sense of emptiness.
What stuck in my memory, however, was not that question but the Chinese reactions to it.
"The reason is that China's Messi and China's Ronaldo are out there digging in the fields."
"So what if there are so many people? There's no system to bring out individual talent."
"Only the kids with money get to play soccer."
Back then, I was on the Korean side, so I only laughed.
But now I realized those words were not all that different.
Everyone has an innate talent of some kind.
But in this world, for almost every country, one's path was often determined by birth, so even if you had exceptional talent in some field, it was very hard to live while fulfilling it.
'I had no idea there would be so many people who had taken the wrong path in life.'
Even in our Reinharts Kingdom, 99 percent of the nation's members were commoners.
No matter how much more livable it was than the commoners of medieval Earth, there was an unbreakable wall of status, so commoners had no choice but to choose their future within a limited range.
Unless someone develops the Mannyeong I possess, this is a system that will never change.
So the Chinese reactions I mentioned earlier were not wrong at all.
In fact, when I looked at the people I had discovered through Mannyeong, all I could do was give a wry laugh.
"Allen Lopez, the outcast knight of Count Otis's family."
"Barbara Anderson, a laborer from a peasant family."
"Eric Jones, a soldier who became a bugler because he knew how to play an instrument."
"Nichol Brown, the bold boy who came to the unit to sell adult magazines."
"Linda Noah, a camp follower from a neighboring unit, and so on."
They were all people who showed what true waste of talent looked like.
They all possessed top-tier talent of one kind or another, but had taken the wrong path and were living unremarkable lives.
"Can I really become a mage? The psychic sensitivity test showed no reaction."
"Then the equipment they used for the test must have been defective."
"But...."
Linda Noah, who possessed top-tier magic-specialized talent along with Allen Lopez, looked at me and cautiously asked while stealing glances at my face.
To recruit her, I had paid a 400 million bribe to her family, given her 100 million as a signing bonus, and promised her an even higher salary.
Of course, from the perspective of a commoner like her, those were conditions she could not refuse, so she had followed along, but it seemed she could not easily understand my actions.
And this doubt was not unique to Linda; the others seated with us were much the same.
"You'll understand as time goes by."
I deliberately gave her an evasive answer.
I had recruited them, but there was still no mutual trust between us.
So I couldn't reveal my hand yet.
"There's no need to question it. You just need to do your best to follow your lord's orders."
At that moment, Barbara Anderson, the laborer seated with us, chided Linda in a deep voice.
When the bear-like man thrust his face toward her, she was startled, but soon seemed to think he was right and scratched her cheek while nodding.
Barbara, together with Nichol Brown, the only minor in the group, possessed outstanding talent in swordsmanship.
Unlike Linda, who had already undergone a psychic sensitivity test, the two of them came from impoverished villages where such tests were unavailable, so without my offer they would have wasted their lives doing menial work.
Thanks to that, they showed their loyalty openly, displaying gratitude toward me more than anyone else.
Of course, I wasn't the type to trust loyalty that was only shown on the surface, so I simply thought of them as people who were easy to manage.
"Have you chosen?"
For reference, we were now out on leave in the royal domain, 100 kilometers away from the unit, not in the barracks.
Since we had left behind our escorts and come to the royal domain through teleportation after teleportation, even anyone tailing us would not be able to keep up easily.
"Now, just a moment."
I pushed them into a luxury clothing store, and the reason I had suddenly brought them here was to improve their appearance as my people.
But aside from regular knight Lopez, the others had never enjoyed any financial leeway, so they could hardly relax in a luxury boutique.
"I'll go with this one."
However, only the trumpeter Eric Jones comfortably picked out clothes he liked.
A choice that didn't take price into account.
Watching Eric, I nodded.
"Well done. I think everything will suit you all nicely."
"We mustn't bring shame upon our master's honor."
As expected of someone with such unusual talents, I liked his shamelessness.
He has no talent for swordsmanship or magic.
However, he was a rare case who possessed the special talents of 'Political Ability (Top)' and 'Administrative Ability (High)', and even the trait 'Eloquence'.
In some ways, those might be more precious talents than magic or swordsmanship, so he was the person I was most interested in.
"All of you, forget about the prices and choose outfits that suit you."
Getting started is always the hardest part.
Once Eric took the lead and finished his shopping, the others also, with the help of the clerks, one by one picked out the outfits they wanted.
"As expected, I think I'm more comfortable in a uniform than in clothes like these."
Lopez chose and put on clothing that was the most similar to a knight's dress uniform.
"You're not a soldier anymore."
Even if you have talent, it's useless without the education to go with it.
From now on, they would receive tailored training at accommodations prepared outside the military unit.
And we were changing their appearance first so they could get used to the different environment.
In addition to clothing, we matched accessories and even wrist-type cutting-edge terminals similar to Earth's smartphones.
After that, the place I brought them to was a luxury residential complex.
"Is it here?"
"Yes, this is where you'll be living."
A spacious yard with a fountain, and no less than thirty-two rooms.
A mansion that ordinary commoners wouldn't even dare to dream of was given to them as a temporary residence.
Gathering the gazes of the astonished, open-mouthed group, I spoke.
"The butler and attendants have already been hired. From now on, you won't need to worry about anything except your training."
I manipulated my terminal and transferred 20 million Root in online currency to each of their terminals.
"Separate from the contract fee, I'll pay your salary in advance."
A monthly salary of 20 million Root, an annual salary of 240 million.
The contract terms were the same regardless of their previous status.
To win their hearts, vision is necessary, but above all, I believe the simplest method is to spend money.
Monetary rewards not only motivate them, but also serve to demonstrate my own capabilities.
That is why I was never stingy about spending money.
"We'll do our utmost to live up to your expectations."
When Lopez, the de facto leader of the group, gave a knightly salute, I nodded.
"If you prove that my instincts were not mistaken, your rewards will naturally grow even greater."
For everyone except Lopez, who had been a knight, this situation was no different from winning the lottery.
Looking at their flushed faces, I smiled kindly and said,
"I will be understanding if your progress feels slow despite your efforts."
But despite the gentle smile, the words that followed carried a chilly warning.
"However, please do not fall into laziness and make me disappointed in you. And don't babble needlessly and put me in an awkward position."
If they broke this, they would not get away unscathed.
At that, the five swallowed dryly and answered in all seriousness.
"Yes!"
Wearing a satisfied expression, I conveyed an additional point.
"If anyone ever tries to tempt you into betrayal and offers you a bribe, don't agonize over it—just tell me. Then I'll give you twice the amount they proposed. That way you don't have to betray me and you still make money, so it's killing two birds with one stone, right?"
Of course, needless to say, if anyone tries to exploit that and pulls some stupid trick, they'll be finished.
"Bribes… Could something like our families being taken hostage actually happen?"
"That's unlikely."
Right now, the only ones who can really be called my enemies are Cedric and Anna.
No matter how brutish they are, they won't touch the subjects of another lord's territory.
"But if by any chance that does happen, inform me immediately. Either way, those who take hostages won't care about the circumstances of you commoners even if their demands are met. I'd rather hire top-tier mercenaries to rescue your families for you."
From now on, this mansion will be filled with the people I've recruited.
My task is to create an environment where they can blossom their talents in peace.
It looks like reckless spending, but this is an investment, nothing more.
An investment in obtaining high-quality human resources.
* * *
I didn't return straight to the unit.
That was because, when the time came to confront Anna and Cedric, I needed a place where I could safely keep my mother.
A kind of safe house, I guess?
But before that....
"Ugh!"
There was a rat to deal with first.
"Hello?"
I waved at the knight who had followed me into a quiet alley without a shred of fear, only to have his collar grabbed.
"L-Lord Brigade Commander. W-what is this?"
"How did you find me here? I was sure I'd shaken you off."
Then I took the dagger from the startled man at his waist and asked.
He was a regular knight of auror-user level named Bertoran, one of the people who had been reporting my situation to Cedric.
At first I considered ignoring him, but after confirming his state through Mangyeong, which had just piqued my interest, I decided to subdue him.
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"I already know you're a rat planted by Cedric. Do you want to die, or will you answer my questions?"
After gesturing to Arsia, she let the hem of her white dress flutter and, with a strength that didn't match her small frame, hurled the burly knight to the ground.
"Ghk!"
Bertoran, who gulped down air from the impact beyond anything he could have imagined, tried to raise his aura and flee, but as an auror user he could not escape Arsia, who had reached Auror Expert.
When Bertoran saw the formless energy shimmering like heat haze all over Arsia's body, he stared with wide eyes in disbelief.
That was because it was the distinctive phenomenon that appeared when an Auror Expert their body.
"My God...."
The moment he realized Arsia's level, he truly thought she might actually kill him.
[Relation: Neutral / Hostile faction]
[Status: Fear, Panic, Convinced]
Her identity could become a trigger that would threaten my safety.
Cedric wants me to waste away and die.
And if it became known that Arsia was not merely a lover, but a bodyguard hiding her identity, his wariness would only increase.
If that happened, the situation would only head toward the worst possible outcome, so eliminating the witness to prevent it was the obvious next step, wasn't it?
"I was able to confirm it because someone connected to Lord Cedric was at the Teleportation Administration Bureau."
In the end, he spilled the truth in order to survive.
"I see."
As far as Mangyeong could tell, he was telling the truth now.
I tapped his cheek with the stolen dagger, and the knight's complexion grew even more ashen.
While the man was terrified, I spoke, mixing lies into the information I'd gleaned from Mangyeong.
"I knew all along that you'd been reporting information about me to Cedric. But there was something odd about it."
"Pardon?"
"For someone supposedly following Cedric's orders, you weren't exactly hostile toward me, and even gathering information felt more like you were doing it grudgingly."
Bertoran looked as if he had seen a ghost, because I wasn't talking nonsense—I had a clear grasp of the situation.
Then his gaze lingered briefly on Arsia, and with a soft groan he swallowed hard.
"You'd already prepared countermeasures against Lord Cedric?"
From his point of view, that was the only conclusion he could reach.
Not only did I have a decent ability to gather intelligence, I also had a high-ranking knight who concealed her aura so perfectly.
He would have had no choice but to think that such a situation was impossible unless I had my own power base.
Then, from his perspective, I would become a far more terrifying person than Cedric.
After all, Cedric had started with everything in his hands, while I had to live under intense surveillance and pressure without any backing at all—the difference between us was as great as heaven and earth.
I smiled, telling him to think whatever he liked.
"Just when did you...."
"Enough."
Watching his shocked expression with amusement, I pressed the dagger against the middle of his brow and said,
"You don't want to die, do you?"
"Y-yes."
"Then you can just side with me."
"...."
"I'm not going to make you do anything especially difficult. From now on, all you have to do is give me the same report every day. Just say there were no special movements today besides gaming—that you're an unabashed game addict."
When I asked if he understood and the dagger pressed slightly into his brow, he hurriedly answered that he did.