Episode 121: Dream in the game becomes reality

31. Reorganization of power (1)

Allen, a mining town in the southern part of Roberto's Kingdom.

In Allen Village, where the main product is 'tourmaline', which is often used in alchemy, all the residents stopped working and were shaking with anxiety due to an abnormal phenomenon that had occurred about 30 minutes ago.

"Why on earth is communication not working?"

"Has a war broken out somewhere nearby?"

Communication never goes down for no reason.

This is because communication in this world is based on the Hollywood system that uses mana in the air as a medium.

If you wanted to cut off communication, you had to interfere with the mana in the air, but this was an artificial phenomenon that could never occur naturally.

Communication disruption magic is a technique similar to space movement disruption magic and is a 7th circle technology, so it was natural for them to be worried about war.

-thud! thud!

"I hear it again!"

"What the hell is going on?"

In addition, a low-pitched noise accompanied by vibrations from far north irritated my nerves.

"This is like bombardment from a sky fortress. "I heard it on the battlefield when I was young."

And the village hunter's subsequent remarks made the village residents' faces turn pale, as they had never imagined that the true nature of the noise was artillery fire.

"Isn't this something we need to evacuate?"

If it was something serious, they could have cut off communication and let us know before shelling, but since there was no action from the government, anxiety continued to grow.

"Huh!? "What is that?"

It was then.

In the village, there was a stream connected to a swamp in the northern jungle. A very wet person appeared in the stream, which was used as agricultural water and not suitable for drinking due to the abundance of parasites.

The residents naturally backed away, wondering what was going on.

"Say, person?"

"Isn't that a phantom beast?"

A person who appeared to be a woman of small stature staggered towards them with the help of a phantom beast cast by a spell.

I don't know anything else, but if it was Hwansu, it wouldn't be easy to kill a person, so the residents couldn't help but cower and be scared.

"Car, please release the vehicle."

But as she said those words and narrowed the distance, people's expressions turned into astonishment.

"Her Royal Highness?"

"Aren't you Your Highness Princess Lin?"

"Well, I saw it wrong."

No matter how much mud it covers, a gem is a gem.

The residents immediately recognized her identity due to her pure white face and clear features.

Princess Xia Lin is said to be the treasure of Robert's Kingdom.

In addition, her fame had ballooned significantly due to the recent saint contest.

Why is such a person acting like this?

A puzzle was put together in the residents' minds.

'Yesterday, rumors circulated online from residents of the capital that something seemed to have happened in the palace.'

'Communication suddenly paralyzed.'

'The sound of gunfire from the Sky Fortress echoing from afar.'

'The image of a princess being chased by someone as if she were running away.'

'Rebellion!'

As the residents closed their mouths, Princess Xia Lin bit her lip.

The situation was so urgent that I spoke to them, but it was a mistake to show myself to many people.

However, she had to blink her eyes at the situation that followed.

"It is dangerous to drive alone. We have a commercial truck that we use at the mine, so let's disguise it as luggage. "I will drive."

And the women hurriedly brought a blanket, covered her, and even helped the truck.

Princess Xia Lin almost shed tears for a moment, but she swallowed it hard.

"I can't put you in danger. "It would be safer to just say that the car keys were stolen."

Although she knew that she was in no position to choose between cold and hot food, she couldn't help but worry about the residents who stepped forward more than necessary.

But this is how they responded to the princess's concerns.

"No matter how ignorant I am, I can at least understand that those who attack Her Highness are wrong. "We're doing the right thing, so please don't stop us."

A pure heart without political calculations.

Instead, they forced the princess into the luggage compartment of a car as if they had kidnapped her.

Even though it was an unexpected and unexpected situation, their actions were extremely resolute.

The residents' unhesitating actions seemed to prove to Princess Xia Lin, who was trembling at the betrayal of someone she trusted, that her life was not wrong.

"The sound came from the north, so I'll go south. "You have a spatial movement artifact, right?"

It is common knowledge that the Sky Fortress uses magic that disrupts space movement.

I cut off communication in the first place, but there was no way I could leave the spatial movement coordinates as is.

It made no sense for the royal family to not have any evacuation artifacts, but even so, the fact that it ended up like this could only be seen as a result of the spatial movement itself being blocked.

Therefore, for now, it was best to go to a place where space movement was possible.

The truck drove off without the princess's permission, and the princess shed tears of gratitude.

-Wheeeee!

It was not a flying car, but a regular truck running on the road, but it was still much faster than a person's moving speed.

A vehicle that runs smoothly on the road with a driving sound reminiscent of an electric vehicle.

If things continued like this, it seemed like we would soon be able to reach the safe zone.

"this… … ."

but… … .

As things in the world do not go as planned, it is not long before the driver and the princess face a crisis.

[Stop] [Inspecting]Did I only run 3km?

I don't know where it came from, but it was because soldiers were blocking the road and checking.

Moreover, among them there was even a warrior wearing vanguard equipment.

Naturally, the complexions of the driver and the princess turned dark.

The princess, who sensed their fate, tearfully apologized to the driver.

"I'm sorry. Just because of me... … ."

The driver thought about the princess's apology.

'Once you get inspected, it's over.'

If Princess Xia Lin is caught like this, she, as a witness, will be dealt with.

The driver made a quick decision.

"It's not over yet. Hold on tight!"

If you're going to die anyway, wouldn't it be better to choose a more valuable death?

As it was, the vehicle left the general road and drove down a side road.

"W-what!? Grab that!"

"Catch it!"

It was natural that the eyes of the soldiers and warriors were drawn to the truck.

"Her Royal Highness! Are you still able to move through space!?"

The princess's heart was heavy at the driver's spirit of sacrifice.

Because of her, he ended up dying because of her.

"Your Highness the Princess!?"

"Oh, not yet!"

And so the cat-and-mouse chase between the military and trucks began.

-bang! Ta-ta-ta-tang!

The soldiers fired their magic guns at the truck without hesitation, as if their goal was the princess's life.

However, the savvy truck driver kept moving forward, dodging here and there, and before long, the princess could feel the space-travel blocking magic fading away.

"Her Royal Highness! Was it far!?"

"Now, we're almost there!"

however.

-Quaaaang!

"Oops!"

"Ugh!"

The chase ended quickly when Vanguard appeared on a hoverboard.

With one force attack, the ground exploded, and the heavy truck used in the mine flew helplessly through the sky.

-Quaaang! Kwasik!

"Ugh!"

The driver, who fell with debris from the truck, suffered serious injuries that shattered his entire body.

"Oh, princess… … . Oh, is it still far?"

Even though he was seriously injured, he spoke to the princess.

But there was no answer to his question... … .

"I can't see the princess!"

"Holy shit!"

The panicked cries of the soldiers answered his question.

* * *

Lionel's royal castle, the capital of the Reinharts Kingdom.

I walked along the central street leading to the King's Hall with Arcia and leisurely looked around.

The royal castle is made up of 22 castles and mansions on a huge park-like site and creates a classic look with greenery, but each arrangement of the buildings and landscaping trees forms a magic circle, making it the most unique facility in the world.

Although it was not used in this civil war, each building is like a magic weapon, so the castle, which appears quiet, is said to be capable of fighting 10 Sky Fortresses at the same time in an emergency.

The most important space in the royal castle is the King's Hall, where the king stays.

Therefore, the buildings of the royal castle take the form of surrounding the King's Hall as if to protect it.

Due to this design, people often passed by the King's Hall when moving from building to building, and naturally, the central street was always crowded with people.

Administrators, maids, soldiers, academy students, and even nobles who advanced to the center.

Various people caught my eye.

"I see you, His Royal Highness the Duke and His Excellency the Marquis."

"hello."

As Arsia and I passed by, everyone stopped and bowed their heads.

This applies not only to soldiers and maids, but also to arrogant administrators and nobles who hold official positions.

Originally, there were two dukes and six marquis in the Kingdom of Reinharts, but after the Second Prince's Rebellion ended in failure, power was reorganized and the number was reduced to two dukes and four marquis.

As I, one of the two dukes, and Arsia, one of the four marquis, walked around the castle, it was natural for us to react like that.

Now I was one of the pinnacles of kingdom power.

"Your Royal Highness the Duke of Lawrence, Your Excellency the Marquis of Klein, it is an honor to meet you. My name is Baron Jerd, lord of the Djerd Territory in the northern Connell region. He is currently serving as the Director General of the Triton Continent under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

"You look beautiful today as well, like the best couple in the kingdom. "My name is Viscount Marco, head of the Planning and Coordination Office of the Ministry of Justice."

Is it because there are almost no nobles around me who can be considered close associates?

The nobles who had just been walking with their necks stiffly erect, as if they were the best, came up to me, rubbing their hands eagerly, and said hello.

Even if they act like they will take out their liver or gallbladder, they are all humans who act as kings in their own territory.

They may have approached me thinking that if they took the position of my close associate, where there was little competition, success in the world was something I could pursue, but since I am not yet interested in politics or public office, I only accepted the greeting as a formality.

"I'm sorry, but I have an appointment with Your Majesty."

"Ah, then there is nothing we can do about it."

When the king's name was mentioned, the nobles fell silent with expressions full of regret.

But they only kept their mouths shut and glanced next to me.

It was obvious why they did that.

The man I saw for the first time took the seat next to me with Arcia as if it was a given.

Everyone seemed curious about what family the person belonged to.

"It is our kingdom's new treasure."

"yes?"

"You will find out soon."

With those last words, I led Arcia on the right and the tall man on the left up the stairs to the King's Hall.

"why? "Do you find the attention from the nobles awkward?"

When I asked the man walking next to me, he scratched his cheek.

However, contrary to the somewhat innocent-looking behavior, a very low voice rang out.

"I never thought that I would be dragged up to the sun so suddenly."

He took off the pitch-black attire he usually wore and put on a neat suit, and it was none other than Gregory Hayden, the Auror Master of the Blue Moon and the partner of Auguste, a spiritual elementalist.

With dark circles under the eyes and pure white skin, he had an appearance reminiscent of a vampire who was not allowed to see sunlight.

Why did I take him to the King's Hall?

Simple.

It was to give him official status.

"Please guide me."

After a while, I arrived in front of the King's Hall, 'The Great Hall of the Throne', and spoke to the palace official, who was a butler and secretary, who was guarding the front.

At my request, the official bowed his head deeply and spoke toward Daejeon beyond the door.

"Your Majesty, the Duke of Lawrence and the Marquis of Klein are asking to see you."

[Listen.]The answer came through the speaker.

At the same time, the thick metal door opened and the 'Great Hall of the Throne' came into view.

The seat of a golden lion installed on a high platform as if looking down on everyone.

However, the king was sitting at the desk beneath the throne with his back to it.

Two desks were placed side by side at a certain distance, one was the king's seat and the other was the crown prince's seat.

The reason why the battle for the throne became like this was because of the handover.

It means that the king will soon step down.

"I meet the golden lion of the Kingdom of Reinharts."

And when I bowed to the king, he nodded, as was his habit, and gestured with his hand to stand up.

"So, our Reinharts comet wants to see me?"

Reinharts' Comet.

It's cheesy, but this is my tinnitus.

In just over half a year, he went from being the second son of a frontier viscount to a duke, so it was only natural that he would be given this nickname.

"I have something to report to you, so I've asked for an audience."

"Aren't you going to report to Prince Michael next to me?"

The king, who was scheduled to give the throne to the crown prince, was no longer the person everyone knew.

He seemed to have completely lost his strength and gave off the air of a retired father.

There was no longer any ambition or enthusiasm in his eyes.

As you can see from his reaction, he doesn't like me very much.

I guess I think it's my fault that the country is in such turmoil these days, both inside and outside.

Don't you think that it was the crown prince who planned the death of the second prince in the first place, and that it was Arsia and I who ended the civil war without major damage?

No, you should just say that you don't want to know.

'I understand. Because he was a father who was more worried about his children's future than the future of this country until the end.'

He just needs someone to vent his anger on.

"Your Majesty, your words are too harsh."

In response to his remarks, the crown prince next to him appropriately intervened and took my side.

The King sighed deeply and then nodded, asking me to speak.

I said, pointing to Gregory with the king's permission.

"His name is Sir Gregory Hayden."

When the king's eyes turned to him, Gregory bowed his head politely.

But the king's expression was sullen.

As if asking what to do.

I felt a little annoyed, but the crown prince next to me showed an apologetic expression and asked me to understand, so I tolerated it.

"I think that after the birth of a saint in our Kingdom of Reinharts, the goddess's blessings were bestowed on the country. "The kingdom's new Auror Master has appeared."

"W-what!?"

"… … ."

However, at the subsequent remarks, the King jumped up from his seat, and the Crown Prince's narrowed eyes opened slightly.

"Lord Gregory."

Following my instructions, Gregory took out a pen from his jacket pocket and formed an auror blade over it.

A dark blood-colored auror blade that contrasts with Arsia's pure white light.

The king's face showed more embarrassment than joy.

"Is he the duke's subordinate?"

"Yes, he is my vassal."

"Will it continue to be like that in the future?"

"Unless he wants independence from me."

"Huh, your fiancee is an Aura Master and your subordinate is also an Aura Master? There are countries in the East that only have one Auror Master... … ."

"I was lucky. "Isn't my blessing the country's blessing?"

The reason I asked for this position is simple.

This is to introduce Gregory and receive the earldom.

But now the king's expression was full of wariness.

Here, a sensible Crown Prince had to step forward.

"I am very jealous that my subordinate has become an Auror Master. Congratulations to Lord Hayden too. "I hope you will help the duke in the future and become a lighthouse for this country."

"Yes, I will keep that in mind. "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

As expected, the crown prince was different from the king.

Unlike the King, who seemed wary at the thought that I might be a threat to the Crown Prince, he first gave me a congratulatory greeting with a smiling face.

What followed was an extremely uncomfortable greeting that doubled as an exploratory battle.

From 'How did you get to know Gregory?' to 'When are you going to marry Arcia?'

In the meantime, the king who was making noises and the crown prince who stopped the king and continued the conversation without hurting my feelings were in harmony.

'The king must come down now. Rational conversation is impossible.'

'The crown prince is becoming more and more confused. He is also a person I don't want to deal with.'

I evaluated those two people that way.

"It seems like it's just the two of us talking about this."

"Haha, that's right."

As the conversation got longer, the fox-like prince and I were the only ones talking.

"You don't have to worry about Sir Gregory's treatment, right?"

"It is natural to treat people according to their abilities. "I'll give you some good news soon."

"thank you."

Thinking that this was enough of a formality, I paid my respects to the two men and left for Daejeon.

"Your Majesty!"

No, I tried to come forward.

I was stopped in my tracks by a palace official who suddenly came in.

"Just at the palace's emergency teleport gate!"

Emergency teleport gate?

'Ah, you mean the one used when cooperating countries provide shelter?'

The king signaled me to leave quickly, but I, who was curious about what was going on, pretended not to hear and stayed where I was.

The palace affairs minister, who was in a state of panic, continued his remarks without paying attention to me.

"Princess Xia Lin of the Kingdom of Roberto has appeared with serious injuries!"

However, the King and Crown Prince, as well as myself, had to open our eyes wide at the report from the Minister of the Palace.