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160
“Tch.”
A lakeside mansion in the northwestern part of the continent.
Adventurer A, scanning the streaming screen, clicked their tongue.
Because Black Dragon was once again doing something strange.
“Abandoning Episode 3 and going to the Royal Capital? Trusting the Warp Crystal? No — even so, the time…….”
“What is it that’s making you so anxious again?”
The man sitting in the rocking chair beside them chewed on a cookie and laughed.
Lucio — the vice-master of Nesto Guild, and Adventurer A’s acquaintance.
The sight of Adventurer A lately showing severe anxiety symptoms was an amusing diversion for him.
“That rootless nobody keeps acting up!”
“Seems to know a lot, though? The one who uncovered the truth of the episode you couldn’t, isn’t that right?”
“Truth? Don’t make me laugh. The truth of that world is mine alone to know.”
A fury so intense the grinding of teeth could almost be heard.
Lucio, leaning back in the chair, recalled a story heard in the past.
‘I couldn’t believe the goddess thing though.’
One story Adventurer A had told in the past had read like a novel.
Who could believe being chosen by a goddess and carrying out a mission in another world?
At the time, Lucio had simply taken it as peculiar nonsense, smiled, and let it go.
But a person called Black Dragon appeared, and that thinking had changed.
“Couldn’t there be others the goddess took besides you?”
“What?”
Adventurer A’s expression twisted sharply at that question.
Lucio shrugged and continued:
“I mean — how many people are there on Earth? Would you be the only one taken?”
“Don’t make me laugh!”
Bang—!
Adventurer A, pushing back the chair and standing, slammed the table.
The blazing eyes were full of fury.
“The goddess looked only at me. There’s no reason she would have taken those other pieces of trash!”
“Trash or otherwise, probabilistically it doesn’t make sense. Someone like Black Dragon — it wouldn’t be strange to say they’d been there and back.”
“That one is just hitting things at random on pure luck! The only chosen person in this world is me!”
The fury poured out in huffing breaths refused to settle.
A belief close to certainty.
But deep in the heart, a seed of anxiety was slowly blooming.
‘Because those trash can’t get one thing done properly……!’
Adventurer A had tried to dig out Black Dragon’s personal information through an underworld acquaintance.
Who exactly this person was and what they had been doing.
What connection they had to the Record Project.
Whether — just maybe, one in ten thousand chance, impossibly — they had ever met the goddess.
The purpose was to find out the true identity.
But not a single contact in days.
Utterly useless people.
“Come on — really think you’re the only one chosen?”
“Of course!”
“Is that so? Then show some results. Try catching a level 500 Snow Drake or something. Or prove you’re a cut above Black Dragon.”
“Ugh…….”
Having hit a sore spot, Adventurer A faltered.
Because in reality, since Black Dragon appeared up through recently, too many things had changed.
Especially the fact of leading a raid of vanguards while not even level 100 had raised that person’s stock even higher.
But even that must be scheming through connections.
Because from Luna to begin with, then Odin, then Haemu — unreasonably exceptional supporters had been added.
“……I can do anything if I have the manpower attached. Whatever Black Dragon is planning is right in the palm of my hand.”
“Really? Still seems like it would be hard.”
“I said I can do it!”
“Hmm.”
Lucio swung his foot thinking.
‘Black Dragon seems to be setting something up.’
Abandoning the episode and heading to the Royal Capital — that’s odd no matter how you look at it.
That there’s some other plan is only natural.
If that were disrupted — what would happen?
Wouldn’t they show something interesting in response to that variable?
“Alright. Let’s do this.”
Having made his decision, he rose from the chair.
Giving a quiet smile and shifting his gaze, Lucio said to the fury-filled Adventurer A:
“I’ll lend you some decent people. Try wrecking Black Dragon’s plan.”
***
“Wow — the Royal Capital really is big.”
“A magnificent city as always, no matter when you visit.”
Raven Kingdom’s Royal Capital, Radianor.
Hanbit’s party, having arrived via the Warp Crystal, was making their way through the streets.
The Royal Capital’s entry checks were quite strict — but merely possessing an A-rank adventurer card simplified the procedure considerably.
“By the way — the two of you haven’t received your special rewards yet either, have you?”
“Yeah. No contact after the operator message.”
“Same for me.”
Kim Jaeha and Avantgarde gave nods and answered.
It seemed the Episode 2 special rewards hadn’t been distributed for them either, just like Hanbit.
Would it be possible to receive them before entering the Tower of Vortex?
“Hey — there they are.”
Just then, a voice came from a short distance away.
A player active in the Royal Capital Radianor.
“They’re really abandoning Episode 3?”
“Are they out of their mind?”
“I told you. Resetting episodes following Black Dragon is a stupid gamble.”
-?
-Why are they going off?
-They just don’t have the guts to reset themselves. Lol.
-But abandoning Episode 3 is a bit……
-Don’t you trust Black Dragon?
-If you don’t like it, just keep following Adventurer A’s walkthrough.
-For real lol.
The sharp words drew the viewers’ indignation.
Most players active in the Royal Capital Radianor were on Episode 6.
The qualification as an investigation team candidate — obtainable once this story was done.
Not like vanguards, but giving up what had been built up and resetting the episode was too much of a burden.
Which was why they were cursing those who had bravely made a choice.
Hoping they were right and the others wrong.
“The atmosphere is truly harsh. Why are they like this?”
“The reason is simple. Black Dragon-nim’s successful walkthroughs feel like a stamp of failure to those people.”
Kim Jaeha frowning, and Avantgarde offering the clear conjecture.
Hanbit too could understand the feeling.
Of course if they started trouble directly, he would respond in kind.
“Let’s go to the tavern.”
The three, leaving the players’ gazes behind, moved their feet.
A complex road and alleyways tangled in every direction.
Hanbit headed toward the destination without a single moment of hesitation.
[Sunset Breeze Tavern]
A plain house-like building situated in a secluded corner rarely visited.
In its semi-basement level was a tavern with a signboard.
Hanbit pushed the black-painted door and entered.
Creak—
The interior of the tavern revealed beyond the door opening with a sound.
The only customer was a person in a robe sipping drinks alone.
“Come on in.”
At the bar in the center, a woman in flowing fabric held a cigarette.
Hanbit, having come close, extended the golden letter received at the Temoshá guild.
“I was told to come here.”
“…….”
The owner looked not at the letter but at Hanbit’s face.
Having exhaled a breath of cigarette smoke, she murmured quietly.
“How strange. Despite carrying such dense shadows of death — covered entirely in light.”
-Pardon?
-Out of nowhere?
-Saying strange things — must be a madwoman.
-Can’t stand it. Reverse-review time.
-Let’s teach her what physiognomy can do.
The chat filled with questions at the out-of-nowhere remark.
But the owner’s words were not said without reason.
Her eyes were seeing things different from others.
Not a skill, not anything — power gained through the influence of a ‘relic.’
‘Same content as before.’
Words heard every time she was encountered in other worlds.
Even this time, the content hadn’t changed.
“What do you mean?”
“It means Leon has good eyes for people. Let’s close this up for now.”
Shhk—
In an instant, along with her voice, the shop’s entrance grew hazy.
When that wavering disappeared, the door was no longer visible.
“Wasn’t I supposed to go see His Majesty?”
“No need to go. He’s right here.”
“What?”
Creak—
A sound cutting into the conversation.
Turning to look, the male who had been alone at the corner table was standing up from the chair.
The robe that had covered his head was now draped like a cape.
“So you are Black Dragon. Would you come this way?”
[Raven King Aldeniuss Victor Caldior]
Blazing red hair and a strong impression.
Above the head of the man gesturing with a wine cup in hand — a clear name tag was visible.
It was truly the King of Raven.
-What?
-Why are you here?
-He’s genuinely the King. Lol.
-That person comes to a place like this? Has no eye for quality.
-???
“Oh?”
“Is that really the King…….”
Everyone showed surprised reactions at the situation.
Because outside of political theatre, there was no reason for the King to be in a place like this.
But Hanbit immediately moved his feet and paid his respects.
“I pay my respects to Your Majesty the King. I am adventurer Black Dragon.”
“K, Kim Jaeha.”
“Avantgarde.”
The two quickly taking their positions following him.
A rather swift reaction.
“Rise. This place is neither the palace nor anything of that sort.”
The King, extending a hand, said with a smile.
“Yes.”
Having answered briefly, Hanbit rose following those words.
Simultaneously an alert rang.
Ding—
[Sub-Quest #1 has been completed.]
[Sub-Quest #2 is unlocked.]
[Sub-Quest #2]
The King of Raven, Aldeniuss, was waiting at the tavern.
Calm the surprised heart, and speak with him.
Objective: Have a conversation with King Aldeniuss.
Reward: Sub-Quest #3 unlocked.
“Black Dragon, come and take a seat over here.”
Having confirmed the contents, Hanbit followed those words and sat in the seat across.
The King slid the wine cup that had been placed there and said:
“Will you have a glass?”
“I would be grateful to accept.”
Splash—
In the silence, only the sound of wine being poured was heard.
And a moment later, the King opened his mouth.
“Waiting here was half a whim. Vice-Captain Leon firmly tried to dissuade me — but somehow I just had to come. Please take today as the indulgence of an inept king.”
The King added that there had been a separate meeting place.
It seemed Leon was on the second floor, watching over this estate.
Having turned the wine cup in his hands, he posed an abrupt weighty question.
“What do you think of Raven as a nation? I’d like to hear your honest opinion.”
“……It’s a place where life is good — but a nation where darkness lurks in every corner, I believe. There have been things festering out of sight from outside.”
“Is that so. Words from the adventurer who saved Edelen and Ifrit carry different weight.”
-Striking.
-Dropping hard truths like that…….
-To be fair, there are a lot of problems.
-For real, inspections need to be tightened.
-Two corrupt mayors in a row is too much.
Even at the frank statement, the King simply gave a nod.
Having looked at the wine cup for a moment, he looked at Hanbit and said:
“Though the world sees it otherwise — I am no wise king. Just a selfish king with a black interior. I only desire to be praised.”
The King gave a self-deprecating laugh as though knowing his own evaluation.
A king who pursued a kingdom of himself, by himself, for himself — alongside political acts performed to manage public sentiment.
A person who genuinely liked being revered.
Even if that was forced and manufactured sentiment.
‘Well — the transparency made things easy.’
Whatever the evaluation, Hanbit did not dislike the King.
Because he was a person who had tried to protect the nation and the people until the moment of death, for the sake of those clear desires and purposes.
Completely different in nature from trash who perform the role of a wise king and then throw down responsibility.
Though the honest display right now was also mixed with intentional performance.
“You seemed somehow different from a person like me. When I heard Leon’s report, I even had the thought — has a true hero appeared.”
“……I too am only doing my best to become an investigation team member. If not for that, I might have walked past the problems saying they were a bother.”
“No — you cannot become such a person. Leon would never give that kind of high praise to one who blindly chases only their own gain.”
The trust for Leon felt in the voice.
The King himself being a person with good instincts — he didn’t let anyone close easily.
If a disagreeable aura had been sensed from the figure called Black Dragon, he would have departed early.
Having looked down at his wine cup briefly, the King asked Hanbit:
“What do you think a gathering of rebel forces means to a king?”
“Unless there was a clear catalyst or incident — the probability of political intent is high. It could also simply be desire or malice wanting to seize Raven.”
“And if those rebel forces were going to put a more excellent person than me on the throne?”
“I wonder. I think it would be most dangerous if someone who claimed to be excellent themselves became king.”
“……I see.”
At the matter-of-fact answer, the King quietly sank into thought.
Thud—
Just then, a dull sound came from the ceiling.
It was a signal from Leon.
“Time is already up.”
The King, expression having stiffened slightly, rose from his seat.
Rising to stand along with him, the King draped the robe over himself and said:
“Thank you for your valuable time. The meeting was too brief to be other than regrettable — but I was truly glad to meet you.”
“It was an honor to be in your presence.”
“Ah — I’ll send Leon down shortly, so speak freely with her. Having the king present would be uncomfortable.”
Shhk—
With those words, the entrance door appeared once again.
As the King disappeared through it, an alert sounded simultaneously.
Ding—
[Sub-Quest #2 has been completed.]
[Sub-Quest #3 is unlocked.]
[Sub-Quest #3]
A brief conversation was had with King Aldeniuss.
The existence of the rebel forces he had raised.
Information about them would be needed.
Objective: Meet Leon and hear the detailed situation.
Reward: Sub-Quest #4 unlocked.
