Episode 163: Dream in the game becomes reality

39. The world is wide (3)

I heard the story about Blake Russell from Chester, an investment manager.

'You mean Dark Elf Blake Russell? 'That's a nice name.'

As Chester was born by replicating the memories of Archduke Lucas when he was alive, he clearly remembered Blake.

'Blake is an acquaintance of Archduke Lucas. And we got along pretty well.'

Archduke Lucas' biggest task in life is to return to Earth.

So, the Grand Duke made various attempts in various directions, and one of them was to seek help from a dragon.

It is a completely understandable choice.

Dragons are semi-divine beings and are said to be the race closest to the truth of the world.

Although their numbers were small, each and every one of the Dragon Clan was a Lord Wizard of the 9th Circle and possessed enough knowledge to be called a wise man.

That's why Archduke Lucas set foot in Forbidden to get help from dragons, and the person he met there was Blake.

Their meeting was truly a result of coincidence, but surprisingly they got along well and were able to become close friends quickly.

'The two went on a journey together to meet the dragon.'

After traveling through the vast Dragon Land for a year, the two succeeded in encountering the dragon tribe.

But the desired results could not be obtained.

This is because even the dragon, known to be close to the truth of the world, could not give Archduke Lucas the answer to dimensional travel.

It is said that the adventure of the two people ended like that.

Although the results were not good, the experience so far was enough to make Archduke Lucas and Blake friends, and they met regularly for drinks.

If you listen to the story up to this point, there seems to be no need to be wary of Blake's approach.

Rather, since he was a close friend of his teacher, he should be able to maintain a good relationship.

But the problem was Chester's last words.

'I understand that Blake Russell did not like Archduke Lucas' performance. It is said that he was reluctant to give away everything that his close friend had built up over many years to a complete stranger.'

Those words left an unpleasant aftertaste in a story that was going well.

Just because I thought of Archduke Lucas as my teacher, it meant that I didn't know whether the other person would also think of him that way.

Thanks to this, I couldn't shake off my guard.

"There's nothing much to say."

So, just in case, I asked Gregory to find out the characteristics and weaknesses of the dark elves. As I looked at the data he gave me, I sighed a little.

"The only thing that is missing is that the dark elves are dark, so they are weak to divine power?"

When it comes to divine power, it is a field in which I have some expertise.

Not only does he possess the holy sword, but he can also manipulate the would-be saint to some degree by using his personal friendship.

"Just in case, I need to ask Everil for support."

Isn't this a network created for times like this?

I decided not to spare.

"But wouldn't it be possible to prepare for this and that and end up making the other person uncomfortable?"

I narrowed my eyebrows at Gregory's words.

Certainly, as he said, I don't think it would be a good feeling if he visited to feel the scent of a past friend without any emotions, and then was exuded full of divine power, which was bound to be uncomfortable for the dark elf.

If you overreact for no reason, you could end up worsening the relationship.

"Then I guess I'll have to keep Ivril on standby at the shrine. "So that it can fly in whenever you call."

"If nothing happens, the would-be saint can just go about her daily life, so it would be nice for outsiders to see that."

Instead, Duke James and Marignan could be placed in the next room.

Since I've already seen it once, I think it'll be fine.

As many as two Grand Masters, one 8th Circle Wizard, and one Circle 8 Elementalist are mobilized, and even a saint with 8th Circle level abilities is on standby.

There are very few individuals in Rondel who can mobilize this level of power.

Nevertheless, perhaps because I was a cautious person, I was not easily reassured.

"I hope that my current worries will just turn out to be unfounded."

"I don't think anything will happen. In my opinion, my lord is a person who, even if he falls into hell, will come back with a lot of adamantium mined, rather than a threat to his life."

I laughed at Gregory's evaluation.

* * *

Time passed quickly, and it was time for my appointment with Blake.

When I woke up, I was horrified to see a note on my bedside saying that he would come find me, but Blake had casually broken through our kingdom's defense line and appeared in front of me.

[Intruder identified.]It was only after Blake appeared that the sky fortresses deployed at the Imperial Castle of the Croisen Empire, where I was staying, were slow to react.

I looked at Blake with a nervous expression as I blocked the Sky Fortress's counter attack.

[Relationship: Interested / Neutral] [Status: Observation / Interested]And only after checking the other person's condition did he shake his hand with a friendly smile.

"I welcome the visit of your close friend, Lord Russell. My name is Adrian L. Laurence and I belong to the Kingdom of Reinharts. "The woman next to me is my fiancee, Miss Arcia Klein."

"Nice to meet you, nice to meet you."

Blake held my hand without any hesitation, and also gave a greeting to Arcia next to me.

"I didn't know what you would like, so I prepared a variety of things. I hope it suits your taste."

I guided him to the imperial castle banquet hall.

The banquet hall was filled with all kinds of delicacies and famous drinks as I value my own life.

"Haha, thank you for the generous hospitality."

Looking at him smiling brightly, he just seemed like the handsome older brother next door.

But don't be fooled by appearances.

He was an old man, even for a dark elf.

"Judging by your actions, it seems like you know something about me."

"Yes, I heard that he was the last adventure companion who traveled through Dragon Land with Master, and a close friend."

He nodded with an expression of surprise.

"Manuel did not simply leave wealth to Huynh. "To be honest, I didn't like it when you called Manuel your teacher, but with his memory, I can understand it to some extent."

I broke into a cold sweat because I didn't like the idea of ​​calling Archduke Lucas my teacher.

Still, it seems like it went well.

"Can I ask what Manuel's final days were like?"

He asked that with a calm smile.

Perhaps what he is talking about is not the commonly known death.

I told him the backstory that is not known to the public.

"Did you know that Archduke Lucas was originally from another world?"

"okay."

I heard from Chester that he already knew that Archduke Lucas was from Earth.

"It is said that although the body died here, the soul returned to its original hometown."

"Is that really true?"

Blake's face was filled with surprise, perhaps because it was unexpected.

"Yes, I understand that he returned to the underworld on Earth through the divine magic of sending souls. "He's probably been given new life in his hometown by now."

Although the district was in chaos, it was something that did not need to be made public.

Blake repeated a small word of happiness with a bitter look on his face.

'The atmosphere is nice.'

At least I don't think I'll be swinging a sword at all.

I was relieved and handed him a glass of wine that Archduke Lucas had enjoyed while he was alive, as he did not touch the dinner I had prepared.

"I understand that Manuel's story is difficult to resolve without information related to his hometown… … ."

"I am also from the same hometown as you, Master."

"Huh, really?"

"Yes, although it is not a dimensional shift but a reincarnation after death."

"You were reincarnated in another world with memories of the past? "You are a special case, just like Manuel."

"But thanks to my teacher, I avoided almost being killed and am living well. "He is not only my teacher but also my lifesaver."

I naturally confessed my past history.

After returning, his life was threatened several times by his stepmother.

Then, he learned of the existence of Archduke Lucas, and desperately searched for his origins for over 10 years.

And in the end, he obtained Giyeon and became the official successor to the Grand Duke.

Achieving revenge, etc.

"Hoo."

Blake also drew a line at the corner of his mouth, saying he was interested in the story line that anyone would be interested in when they heard it.

I was very nervous because I thought we might get into a fight, but surprisingly, the conversation was easy and there was no interruption in the story.

I also talked about the aftermath of revenge, and the conversation was so interesting that I wondered if I had such a talent for speaking.

If a third party, who didn't know how nervous I was, saw it, it would have seemed like I was sharing an old bond with an acquaintance I hadn't seen in a long time.

Although I soon ran out of material as I told my story, Blake's expression was extremely gentle.

[Relationship: Interest / Alliance] [Status: Favor / Interest]Seeing that his relationship with him went beyond 'neutrality' to 'alliance' and that the status changed from 'observation' to 'favor', I was convinced that he had completely moved on.

"Those glasses. "I didn't recognize him because he looked different, but he was Manuel's favorite guy."

However, I was surprised to hear that I was evaluating him based on Man-kyung's information.

"Do you know this?"

"I know. "Because my observation was the motif of that item."

I checked his characteristics again when I heard the word 'observation eye'.

[Characteristics: Deliberation, observation, assimilation of the environment]I later found out that his characteristic 'observation eye' had a similar function to Mangyeong.

I realized why Blake immediately recognized me as Archduke Lucas' disciple.

"Of course, that's better. "There is no comparison in terms of performance."

That's right.

Mangyeong is an item that is no different from a cheat key.

"But, it would be best not to rely too much on that artifact. "You may feel low."

And he gave me advice.

Since I fully understood and understood this, I obediently agreed.

"It was fun. "I'm sorry for accidentally scaring a friend's student."

Blake was up and about within an hour of arriving.

I seemed to think that if I stayed for a long time, it would only make me uncomfortable.

Next, he took something out of the subspace ring and handed it to me, and it was huge.

[Black Dragon's Fang] [Black Dragon's Bone]When I saw the name of the object, my eyes widened.

"What about this?"

"Is it enough as a gift?"

It's enough.

Dragonbone and Dragontooth are items that are difficult to obtain even if you pay a thousand gold.

All of the by-products of dragons on the market are relics handed down from ancient times, and almost nothing has been collected since then.

Of course.

How can we get this?

"I received it as a gift from a dragon I met with Manuel while running several errands for him."

"thank you."

I lowered my head without realizing it.

Blake smiled proudly and waved goodbye to me.

Blake's new form becomes blurry... … .

"wait a minute!"

I shouted impulsively.

"Something?"

Blake appeared at my shout.

"Thank you for such a precious gift. "But can I ask you for something other than this?"

He showed favor to me because of his good memories with Archduke Lucas.

Bringing up a favor presumptuously is the worst choice as it can ruin the friendly atmosphere.

But my intuition is speaking.

I shouldn't end my relationship with him just because of a gift.

"what? ask?"

As expected, his expression distorted.

However, perhaps because of the good atmosphere, he did not show any further action, and I continued speaking quickly.

"Please be my fiancee's teacher."

Was this a completely unexpected request?

Blake expressed his doubts, and Arcia, who had been quiet and was offended, looked angry.

"hmm… … ."

"Oh, Adrian?"

Arcia stuttered, a rare sight, with silver eyes that seemed to be criticizing her.

I can definitely rise to the 9th circle thanks to my talent.

But that's not the case with Arcia.

Therefore, I decided that Roadmaster Blake Russell, who suddenly appeared, was a necessary puzzle for Arcia's growth.