Chapter 21
Despite the words that could be perceived as a refusal, Abel’s expression was rather composed.
“Yeah. I knew it was an unreasonable request to some extent. I haven’t even come looking for you until now, so asking for your help overnight is quite funny. I apologize for suddenly bringing this up.”
As expected.
Abel was a reasonable person.
He soon gazed quietly into my eyes.
“I just want to ask one thing.”
“Please, go ahead.”
“Have you decided to go under Adolf?”
When Abel uttered those words, his pupils shook violently, as if unable to conceal his anxiety.
‘What kind of talent is this?’
For the moment, it wasn’t foresight.
If it had been foresight, he would have known that I would never side with Adolf.
Then was it one of the instincts like crisis detection?
It didn’t seem like that either.
Crisis detection.
As the name implies, it’s a talent that warns of imminent danger. If it was that, then—
‘There’s no reason for him to try to persuade me.’
That talent notifies of crises; it’s not a talent that warns to catch a talent.
So what kind of talent is it?
Ugh, I needed to have experienced it to understand.
Instincts.
I was practically blind when it came to talents related to superpowers.
In this game, talents related to instincts were unattainable by users.
This was, in fact, quite natural.
For example, let’s say I obtained a representative talent related to instincts like foresight.
Then, what? Would it show me my character’s future?
It’s a game that already has a high degree of freedom; how could I know how to move?
No matter how well-made the game is, implementing such abilities is practically impossible.
Therefore, they likely blocked users from obtaining related talents. If it can’t be implemented, it’s better not to give it at all.
After a brief silence, Abel urgently added, “…Is that really the case?”
“No, I haven’t thought about which of you two to choose yet.”
At my words, he let out a sigh of relief.
He looked at me and then said,
“Kyle. I’ll be straightforward. I really want to keep you by my side. If there’s something you want, I’ll do my best to fulfill it within my limits. So, please choose me over Adolf.”
He spoke with a firm tone.
In Abel’s eyes, a sense of earnestness arose.
‘There’s definitely something going on here.’
The fact that he has a talent related to instincts.
What I had been uncertain about finally transformed into certainty.
To recruit just a first-circle mage, he shows such a gaze?
‘That makes no sense at all.’
The Seltarion family, famous for their swordsmanship.
As he holds the status of a grand duke, there must be a plethora of talented individuals surrounding him.
From a knight’s perspective, there would be no reason to come out like this just to recruit a mage who barely surpasses the level of an expert.
It seemed that his talent related to instincts was strongly reacting to me.
‘Then I can set some strong conditions.’
If he desires me this much, he would likely fulfill any reasonable conditions.
Having made my decision, I spoke lightly.
“Conditions… To be honest, it’s quite tempting. However, even if you agree to all the conditions I mentioned, I still can’t side with elder brother right now.”
“…Is there a reason?”
Oh, there were plenty of reasons.
The moment I sided with him, my life would be in danger. While Abel might be untouchable, I certainly wouldn’t be.
Adolf.
If he gave orders, it was evident that countless assassins would knock on my door starting today.
‘Taking such risks is insane.’
The best option would be to maintain a balance between them so that Adolf wouldn’t suspect me.
To do that, I felt I needed to have a deeper conversation with Abel.
“Elder brother, could you check if anyone is around?”
“…From what I can see, there doesn’t seem to be anyone.”
As an expert-level knight, there wouldn’t be anyone capable of deceiving his senses in this place.
After I surveyed the surroundings, I whispered quietly, “About what you said earlier, have you ever said those words to anyone other than me?”
“……No. There isn’t. You were the first.”
“……I also felt a similar vibe from brother Adolf, as what you’ve mentioned.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. In fact, I heard that Adolf’s temperament was quite cruel during his childhood.”
“……That was the case.”
“I heard that he started to change significantly about ten years ago. However, I don’t think his temperament has completely changed. Perhaps he is just hiding it. The reason I can’t hold your hand right now is exactly because of that.”
Adolf and I shared a commonality that felt like people had swapped places in an instant.
It’s that we appear somewhat similar on the surface.
However, Abel’s attitude was the exact opposite.
He showed significant hostility toward the villain, but considerable goodwill toward me.
It seemed to stem from some inexplicable intuition.
This could certainly deepen the suspicion regarding Adolf.
In Abel’s mind, it was already half-determined who the bad guy was.
That was the reason I confidently broached the subject.
As Abel listened, he quietly nodded.
“……You are afraid of the repercussions of Adolf, aren’t you?”
“Exactly.”
I continued, gazing into Abel’s eyes.
“Actually, I want to stand by your side. However, it could be dangerous, so I wanted to move as cautiously as possible. That’s why I didn’t immediately agree earlier.”
The moment I revealed my true feelings, Abel’s face brightened significantly.
“……Thank you. Hearing that really puts my mind at ease. You don’t have to actively help me. Just as long as you don’t go under Adolf’s command.”
“Yes. I have no intention of doing that at all. However, seeing that my eldest brother and I shared the same feeling, I believe it would be wise for you to be cautious as well.”
The feeling.
Just like Abel, I thought of pretending to be a fortune teller, too.
The term “shared experience” exists for a reason.
After all, people tend to gather with those similar to themselves.
If I presented my argument while establishing common ground with him, he wouldn’t easily brush it off.
In fact, Abel was listening to my words with a serious expression.
“Could it be…… that you also…… possess a similar ability to mine?”
“I’m not sure about that. However, I felt a strong sense of danger, so I wanted to let you know.”
“If it’s dangerous……?”
“The first thing to consider is the succession ceremony. There are only two months left. If you’re chosen as the next head there, a big problem could arise.”
“…….”
“I think we should at least prepare for the worst, just in case.”
“……I don’t doubt your words. I’m feeling uneasy myself. However, it doesn’t seem easy to act quickly.”
Of course, it wouldn’t be easy.
Not everyone possesses intuition like this.
If I recklessly spread such opinions around, I could easily be branded as the brother who suspects his own sibling of being a scoundrel.
While it’s true that Adolf has built his own power, I doubt any of his retainers would consider drawing their swords right away.
Before the successor is determined, engaging in power struggles and forming factions is quite common in the Alton Empire.
There’s no rule that only the eldest must be chosen as the next head, so it’s understandable.
Moreover, Adolf had skillfully managed his forces for a full decade, avoiding direct confrontation with Abel.
In a way, he had treated him like an elder brother.
Given that he had acted this way, it was clear he would expect that once one of them is chosen as the successor, they would reconcile beautifully and lead the family well.
To the retainers of the Marquis and Abel, they likely appeared to be quite friendly brothers.
Thus, the Marquis’s family must have been thrown into disarray due to his rebellion.
This time, I had to prevent that.
‘It’ll be hard to stop the rebellion itself.’
If so, the most efficient option would be to minimize the damage when it occurs.
A little later.
Abel, deep in thought, looked at me.
“If such a thing were to happen… how do you think we should prepare?”
“I would try to act as usual without showing any signs. Maybe just let a truly trustworthy person in on it,” I replied.
It wouldn’t do to throw him in jail just because he might start a rebellion, so for now, that seemed like the best course of action.
“…I see. I will take your words seriously.”
Abel nodded, his expression tense.
‘Thank goodness.’
Thanks to the conversation we just had, it might be easier to thwart his rebellion. Knowing something is quite different from being completely unaware.
Soon, Abel’s gaze met mine.
“I understand your circumstances to some extent. Then how about this? I will offer support first. But, when the time comes, I would like you to firmly take my hand. That should be acceptable, don’t you think?”
“I would be happy to, but… do you really trust me, brother?”
“…There have been a few times in my life where I felt a certain way. When I didn’t follow that feeling, I mostly regretted it.”
With a wry smile, he continued.
“I don’t trust you so much as I trust my intuition. So, you don’t need to feel too pressured. If you have something you want, just say it.”
Something I want.
It seemed I needed to ask for something that Abel could provide within reason, something I truly needed.
The inner circle?
Well…
It seemed that only someone of the marquis status could grant that.
Asking for something like that right off the bat would be quite burdensome.
Then should I ask for a magic book?
That felt a bit ambiguous too.
Books up to the second circle were well stored in the library.
The most reasonable request would be for gold.
Having it would be useful in the long run.
Coincidentally, I had been in need of some gold, so this was fortuitous.
“Then I would like some gold, please.”
“How much do you want?”
“At least around three hundred gold would be good.”
“Alright.”
Without hesitation, Abel nodded and pulled out a pouch from his pocket.
“This pouch contains five platinum coins.”
Wow.
That’s quite generous!
One gold is roughly equivalent to about a million won.
And the unit made up of a hundred gold coins is a platinum coin.
So one of those is about 100 million.
Five of them would be 500 million.
To hand that over in one go…
That’s the kind of generosity you’d expect from the heir of a prestigious family.
Well, for someone like Abel, even 100 million wouldn’t feel like a lot.
“Thank you.”
“I don’t expect this alone will firmly bind your heart to mine, so feel free to ask for more as needed. I can provide you with as much money as you want.”
Indeed, 500 million seems a little cheap to secure a mage like me.
I was planning to keep asking for more anyway, so I was grateful he mentioned it first.
“When the time comes, I will assist you, brother. Until then…”
“I know. I won’t show any signs to that guy, so you don’t need to worry too much. For now, that promise alone is enough.”
Just as I thought.
No matter how I looked at it, this was a much more reasonable lifeline than a villain could offer.
With both of us sharing satisfied smiles, our transaction was complete.
Now, I just needed to pretend to go back and forth between the two of them while gradually reaping the benefits.
As long as I didn’t advertise that I was completely tied to Abel, I wouldn’t be in any danger.
Soon after, Abel left my room.
As I gazed at the closed door, one location popped into my mind.
‘Now that my restraint has been lifted, it’s time to head to the dungeon.’
The dungeon.
It’s a dangerous place filled with monsters and various traps, but it’s also a space where sweet rewards can be obtained.
Typical rewards include artifacts and special items like the inner circle.
Since decent artifacts have quite a complicated manufacturing process, it would be much more reasonable to obtain them directly rather than try to make one.
‘If it’s around here…’
I must have been too immersed in this game because it wasn’t difficult to think of a decent dungeon.
Leonhardt and Erciel.
If I took my subordinates with me, clearing it wouldn’t be too hard.
Having made up my mind, I immediately called for the two of them.
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Click here -> https://discord.gg/S8c2kGVr2g
Comment