The In-Game Opportunity Becomes Reality, Chapter 32
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The In-Game Opportunity Becomes Reality, Chapter 32
11. The Great Mage Adrian (1)
"This situation is spreading rapidly across various portals and platforms. By tomorrow, a significant portion of the population will likely be aware of it."
At the secretary's report, the deputies and advisors gathered in the office swallowed their groans.
But the Marquis himself only clicked his tongue and shook his head at that, showing little reaction.
"What good does it do for commoners to make noise in the virtual world?"
"But there's a chance that some among the nobility might also become sympathetic to this."
When one advisor pushed back against his optimistic outlook, the Marquis of Ereiven scoffed.
"So what?"
"Pardon?"
"What damage could this video actually do to us?"
"Well, that's..."
"At best, we'll get a few letters of protest."
His subordinates gave it some thought.
Would the other nobles band together to help Adrian Lawrence?
The answer was 'no.'
Great mages and Aura Masters were valuable, but this was no longer an era where a war could be won by the exploits of one or two superhumans.
Moreover, helping the two of them would mean standing against the Marquis of Ereiven.
There was no one bold enough to risk offending a marquis whose military strength rivaled that of a duke or marquis of higher rank.
If someone of ducal rank were to side with Adrian, that would be troublesome, but they judged the odds of that happening to be next to none.
After all, those monsters of power would be the least pleased to see the rise of a new rival.
"But the royal family might intervene..."
Rondel's monarchic state could be compared to Earth's controlled state of China.
But it went even further than China in one respect—it paid absolutely no attention to the public opinion of commoners, who made up the overwhelming majority of the population.
A leader ought to know to fear the people.
But in Rondel, there was no need for that at all.
Frankly speaking, even if the commoners rose up with guns in hand, they could never match the might of knights, mages, Vanguards, and Sky Fortresses wielded by the nobility.
In other words, a French Revolution—where citizens triumphed through guns and cannons—could never happen here.
So if the royal family were to step in, it wouldn't be because of public opinion, but because they found Adrian and Arcia too valuable to lose.
"They certainly are an extraordinarily young great mage and Aura Master. Worth taking an interest in."
Even to an outsider's eyes, the two of them were geniuses among geniuses.
With luck, they could reach the 8th Circle, or even the rank of Grand Master.
But the Marquis of Ereiven thought this posed no real problem.
"Then all we need is for these two to no longer be a great mage and an Aura Master."
"Pardon?"
His subordinates couldn't easily grasp the Marquis's intent.
But at his next words, they all grew flustered, thinking it made no sense.
"We simply need to turn these two into frauds."
"But the evidence is so clear-cut."
"Clear-cut? Where?"
"In the video..."
"What era do you think we're living in? Is there any guarantee that footage wasn't artificially fabricated? We could even release a statement saying exactly that—'that video is fabricated.'"
"B-but if the other side gets it notarized, that would settle the matter."
"Then we simply need to handle it before they get the chance to notarize it."
Though the office was filled with talented people in their own right, none of the advisors present could understand his way of thinking.
Seeing his subordinates' reactions, the Marquis of Ereiven merely shrugged, saying it was he who found their confusion baffling.
Watching his subordinates swallow hard, the Marquis of Ereiven reluctantly offered an explanation.
"Why do you think they posted this video in the first place?"
"Well, wasn't it to justify their own actions?"
"Then let me ask you this. In the comments on this video, who ended up being the final target?"
"That would be..."
Puzzled by the sudden question, his subordinates furrowed their brows once they finally realized something.
"In the end, it's become a situation practically aimed at Your Excellency, the Marquis of Ereiven."
"Exactly. Through this video, they're exposing the fact that I'm the one standing behind Anna and Cedric. And the foolish commoners are acting exactly as intended."
Only then did they understand why the Marquis of Ereiven had slammed the desk and shot up from his seat.
"You mean they're trying to gain justification for..."
What would the other side need justification for?
For war, of course. ``` ## New Terms 론델 = Rondel 뱅가드 = Vanguard 천공 요새 = Sky Fortress
"No way."
"Isn't this insane? To think he'd pick a fight with a Marquis."
This was clearly a provocation.
At his subordinates' reaction, the Marquis of Ereiven wiped the expression from his face and asked again.
"Given this, do you think I should just sit back and endure it?"
"....."
"That won't do. Not unless I intend to become a laughingstock in noble society."
The Marquis of Ereiven's resolve was firm.
"How much military strength can the Marquis mobilize for a territorial war?"
"Half of our total forces. In our territory's case, that's 3 Sky Fortresses and 150 Vanguards, or 2 Sky Fortresses and 200 Vanguards."
Half of the total forces.
This was a limitation for a Marquis guarding the border, but even so, it amounted to twice the level of forces typically held by an ordinary Earl.
"What forces can be mobilized within a single day?"
"That would be 200 Vanguards and 1 Sky Fortress."
"That's enough."
With that, the Marquis of Ereiven spoke as if declaring it.
"It's war."
* * *
[Adrian Lawrence has become a 7th Circle Archmage?]
[Even the woman who was said to be his lover and had settled into the lord's castle is an Aura Master.]
[How is this even possible? Could it be that Adrian Lawrence somehow obtained Grand Duke Manuel Lucas's fortuitous encounter?]
[Some are questioning the video, which was updated a mere 30-some minutes after the incident occurred, and claiming it's fake. Since editing takes time too, this could only be a pre-prepared video.]
Because of the video I had uploaded, the press outlets across the Kingdom of Rhinehearts were in an uproar without exception.
Naturally, most of the content focused on suspicion and fact-checking, and no one dared to publish content asserting confidently either 'it's true' or 'it's not.'
-The video was pretty entertaining. But something feels off in a lot of ways. Honestly, it's such a random story.
-Right, from what I heard, this Adrian guy has lived most of his life under surveillance—is it even possible to master magic and reach the 7th Circle in that kind of environment?
-It'd be hard unless an Archmage was secretly helping him from behind the scenes. He'd have to fool the eyes of the knights and mages within his house too.
-The Marquis of Ereiven's side has issued a statement. Says the video is fabricated fake material.
-Come on, how can you believe anything the Marquis of Ereiven says?
-Is there any reason not to believe him though?
-There are plenty of reasons not to believe him. What kind of madman would take a shot at a Marquis with a fake accusation?
-Right, it hasn't been confirmed that Adrian Lawrence is an Archmage, but between the continuous assassination attempts and this latest attack incident, there's plenty of circumstantial evidence.
-Would my oppa lie? Ugly people are just jealous!
-Exactly, he's the guy my unnie
-That "oppa" you're talking about—Noona's probably already hooked up with him and gone all the way, don't you think?
-....
-No way!!!
-You idiots just figuring this out now? It already says they're living together. Lol.
Still, most of the public's reactions were favorable toward me.
Of course, there seemed to be many people more interested in the scandalous details than the actual facts, but even so, quite a few netizens didn't fall for Marquis Raven's attempt to blur the issue.
It was practically proof that, though blocked by the wall of status and living at the bottom of society, commoners were by no means stupid.
Even though I was born a noble, as someone who had lived in a democratic society in my past life, it was a scene I couldn't help but find truly regrettable.
If I gain power later on, I should make an effort to raise the human rights of commoners.
For reference, having online public opinion on my side doesn't mean it helps me immediately.
The users' reactions merely provide me with justification.
Justification that even if I harm Marquis Raven, it's legitimate.
'In any case, Anna, Cedric, and Marquis Raven are inseparable.'
Therefore, the blade of my revenge will only be complete once it reaches Marquis Raven as well.
But before that....
There's a condition I must absolutely fulfill in advance in order to solidify my position.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Olivia Riverdale, daughter of Kane Riverdale."
"Pleased to meet you, Duke Riverdale. I'm Adrian Lawrence of the Kingdom of Reinhartz."
That is precisely.
To make my standing as an Archmage unmistakably clear.
Marquis Raven's next move is as clear as day.
He'll surely try to eliminate me before the royal family or anyone else can intervene.
And after crushing me and Arcia with overwhelming military force, he'll say something like this.
'The two of them were frauds.'
It's obvious without even seeing it.
It's already clear just from the statement issued by the Marquis of Ereiven's side.
If the Marquis of Ereiven were to immediately push in with his massive military force, the territory would inevitably suffer great damage.
To prevent unnecessary damage, a little preparation time is needed.
For that little bit of preparation time, I needed to move faster than the Marquis of Ereiven's side expected.
The moment I threw Cedric and Anna into a cell, I visited the family home of Duke Riverdale, my fake master.
I couldn't even explain the situation to my father and mother, but I trust William will handle it well.
-Swish.
"This is...."
Duke Olivia Riverdale.
An Archmage belonging to the Kingdom of Lucius and the biological daughter of the famous "Duke Kane Riverdale."
Among the Archmages of the Kingdom of Lucius, she's known to be closest to the 8th Circle, and she stands as the equivalent of the head of the Riverdale sect, to which six Archmages belong.
Unlike me, who gained power through a stroke of fortune, she's a true genius who achieved the 7th Circle at the age of 22.
I heard she's 36 years old, but as if time had stopped for her, she still retains the beauty of someone in her early twenties.
To that Olivia, I handed over the platinum plate that proves I'm her father's disciple.
"This is the platinum plate I received from my master."
"Hmm...."
She examined the platinum plate I gave her with her bright yellow eyes, turning it this way and that, and frowned.
Honestly, having many things to hide, I couldn't help but tense up at her every expression, but fortunately, before long, she relaxed her expression and nodded.
"It looks real to my eyes."
Then, sweeping back her gorgeous blonde hair, she passed my platinum plate to the two men behind her.
'Marquis Lake, Earl Preston.'
Those two are Olivia's followers, and like her, they're 7th Circle Archmages who were disciples of the former Duke Riverdale.
No fewer than four Archmages were present in the reception room of the Riverdale ducal house alone.
Like a child waiting for their grades, I watched the real-time changing information of Mankyung.
Fortunately, those two also showed no particular fluctuation in emotion, just like Olivia.
It's a fake identity created with the help of Grand Duke Manuel Lucas's power.
Even knowing there was no way it could go wrong, I couldn't help my heart pounding.
"It certainly seems real."
"To my eyes as well."
Though each of them differed in age and rank, seeing how comfortably they conversed with one another, I could tell that the bond of the Riverdale sect was strong.
I smiled with relief.
"So can I take this as being acknowledged?"
"It seems real, but that's not the same as being real. After all, forging this platinum plate is entirely possible."
But it didn't take long for the warm atmosphere to flip 180 degrees.
The Archmages of the Riverdale sect, including Olivia, resonated their Circles and began pressing down on me.
-Zzzt!
"What is the meaning of this?"
Startled by this unexpected sudden situation, I resisted it.
"Impressive."
Surprisingly, the three of them withdrew their energy so easily it was almost anticlimactic.
I expressed my confusion, asking what this situation was about.
"We were confirming your skill."
It would've been nice if they'd told me beforehand; I'd tensed up for nothing.
Olivia smiled and returned the platinum plate to me.
"You could have confirmed it sufficiently without going this far, though."
"Not all 7th Circle mages are the same, are they? I wanted to gauge your exact level."
At my protest, Olivia shrugged and acted nonchalant.
Despite looking delicate, her behavior was extremely tough.
I let out a sigh, tucked the platinum plate into the inner pocket of my robe, and asked what I was most curious about.
"So does that mean you'll acknowledge me as belonging to the same sect?"
"There are quite a few things that bother me in various ways, but there's no reason to deny it. Some genius Archmage claiming to be my father's disciple is helping expand our sect's influence, after all."
It felt as if it didn't matter much to her whether I was real or fake.
It was more like a sense of welcoming a new entrant into the ranks of Archmages.
It really was quite a rational way of thinking.
"What if I'm actually a bad person and cause a lot of damage?"
"Making an enemy of our sect would mean nothing but asking to be killed, wouldn't it? Who could possibly bear that?"
At my question, Olivia showed a smile full of killing intent.
I immediately apologized for saying something unnecessary.
"And besides, isn't your identity certain? We didn't just accept anyone, either." ## New Terms 카일 리버데일 공작 = Duke Kane Riverdale 빌리엄 = William 루시아스 왕국 = Kingdom of
Since they've acknowledged it, there's no reason to keep arguing.
With this, I had become an Archmage of the Riverdale sect.
"There's one thing I'd like to ask of you."
"As a fellow member of the same sect, I'll help if it's something I can do."
"Please hold a press conference acknowledging my existence."
If she officially announced that she recognized me as an Archmage and a disciple of Riverdale, many things would be resolved.
Suspicions about my identity in the Kingdom of Rhinehearts would disappear, and even the name of Grand Duke Lucas, which kept being needlessly mentioned in the tabloid press's sensational headlines, would be overwritten with Duke Riverdale's name instead.
Wasn't this killing two birds with one stone?
"That's not a difficult thing to do. In fact, it's exactly what I'd hoped for."
"Thank you."
The emergence of a new genius Archmage was something that would elevate the standing of the Riverdale family, so Olivia did not refuse my request.
With things concluded as I'd hoped, I quietly felt relieved inside.
"But is that all?"
"Excuse me?"
"I've grasped, to some extent, the situation you're currently in. If you wish, as a fellow member of the sect, I could provide you with more support."
Indeed, the person before me was the foremost power in Lucius, a strong nation comparable to our own Kingdom of Rhinehearts.
If it were her, it would surely be possible to bind the Marquis of Ereiven hand and foot as well.
"Honestly, I thought that was what you wanted when you came to see me..."
Certainly, receiving their help would make things easier.
But my answer to this was a firm refusal.
"No, all you need to do is reveal that I am the former Duke Riverdale's disciple and an Archmage. I don't need any other help beyond that."
"Why is that?"
"They are my prey. I don't wish to share the pleasure of the hunt."
I didn't want to borrow another person's hands to achieve my revenge.
Wasn't revenge, by nature, a matter of self-satisfaction?
Everything had to unfold according to my plan, under my own initiative.
"Still, since you've kindly made the offer, I'll keep it in mind."
Olivia's gaze fixed on me was quite intense.
It seemed that, in various ways, I had drawn the interest of the foremost power in the Kingdom of Lucius.