Episode 181: Dream in the game becomes reality

43. Development of the Duchy of Lawrence (2)

"I'll just wake up today."

The Marquis Walker, Prime Minister of the Duchy of Lawrence, had to scratch his cheek as he watched the Archduke get up an hour after sitting down.

"I'll trust you and leave the rest to you."

"Yes, please come in."

Even when it was a duchy, Adrian only laid out the broad framework for running the territory and handled detailed administrative matters on his own.

Still, at that time, Adrian's interest in administrative work diminished even though there were more people to rule, the territory was bigger, and his status was higher.

But I couldn't say anything bitter about this like usual.

The reason is that Adrian was in the early stages of newlywed marriage, when sparks flew even when he made eye contact with his partner.

"It's hot… … ."

In fact, I feel fortunate to be able to sit down for at least an hour.

After the ceremony, Adrian and Arcia stayed in their room for ten days and did not come out.

Except for three times a day when the maid entered the room with a meal and a few important documents, there was no contact with the outside world.

Compared to that, just being able to go out and do work a month after the wedding can be seen as a huge improvement.

"But what… … "It's good to have a successor."

There is no news of pregnancy yet, but under these circumstances, who would be happy without having a child?

Everyone thinks that good things are good things.

Still, thanks to Adrian's well-established foundation for the country and allocating talented people to the right positions, there were no problems caused by the leader's temporary absence.

Thanks to this, Marquis Walker and the principal ministers of the principality began to believe that the most important virtue for a king was not administrative power or tolerance, but the ability to care about people.

Adrian had high all abilities, but his ability to see people was incomparable.

The people he appointed to great positions were all people with strong responsibility, integrity, and good work.

That is why, even in a sensitive situation where the country's leader leaves the country, it can proceed so quietly.

Marquis Walker was beginning to think that perhaps Adrian was testing them in preparation for when he would be away for a long time in the future.

"Hey, let's not have any ominous thoughts."

He shook his head and thought that making deep love wouldn't last long anyway.

Now, two people who have been running tirelessly have belatedly opened their eyes to love, and in the end, everything has its limits.

"You're already at your limit. "This alone is amazing enough."

This was no different from the prophecy of someone who had been married for 10 years.

The country would become more stable if there was a successor, so I thought it was a process for that.

"… … ."

but.

A month passed like that, then two months passed.

Even though three months have passed since the wedding, there has been no change in the situation.

At this point, even the people who were smiling and saying they understood gradually looked shocked.

Everyone is asking if this is possible... … .

"You two are so gorgeous, it's clear that you're intoxicated by each other's beauty."

"You have everything, from good looks to good looks to ability to strength to power."

"I saw his body when I was helping His Majesty the King change his clothes, and a knight with average muscles couldn't even hold out a business card."

"I heard that the ministers are being mistreated at home these days because of His Majesty the King. "Cook, cluck."

"Anyway, you are truly amazing."

Marquis Walker had to feel somewhat humbled by the excited whispers of the maids.

Marquis Walker thought this to himself, not daring to speak to Adrian.

'Then the bones dry up.'

* * *

[LV. 288]I nodded, looking at the level that had increased significantly.

This is because the level increase rate has increased dramatically over the past few months as new party members have joined.

There are only level 12 left until the last step.

It could be said that the countdown has slowly begun.

"Do you like it that much? "I wonder if this is because I feel sad for someone without a body."

Arcia and I, who had been absentmindedly nibbling at each other's hands, withdrew our hands with surprised expressions upon hearing Chester's story.

I never thought that my habits in real life would be reflected in the game.

"It's too late now. Stroking each other's cheeks, stroking each other's hair, tickling each other... … . Even though I am an insubstantial virtual being, I feel goosebumps."

"Haha, sorry."

I felt a little embarrassed when Grandfather Fairy (Chester), who represents Archduke Lucas when he was alive, said this.

But when I looked at Arsia's face, I couldn't help but put a smile on my face.

And the same goes for Arcia.

We were completely infatuated with each other.

"I even think it would have been better if the supporter had been chosen as a male or fairy type instead of Arcia."

"Everything is fate. "Isn't the meeting between me and her something that even Archduke Lucas didn't expect?"

"You are in serious condition."

Arcia is not just a homunculus.

I think her spirit and the potential it holds are even more valuable as they are now.

The greatest product created by Archduke Lucas in his challenge to God's authority.

She can be said to be a new form of humanity.

This is because they can do anything that humans can do and have very high potential and abilities.

"The only way I can express it is that I'm fortunate that I haven't stopped investing time in the strategy."

It is something that is directly related to survival, so there is nothing we can do about it.

Because strength is needed to protect happiness.

So my top priority was to fix all the problems.

"I have something to tell you."

And Chester reminded me that I need to hold on to my goals even more firmly.

I narrowed my eyebrows when I realized what had happened in his suddenly serious expression.

"Has it happened again?"

"you're right. But this time it's different than usual. "It was not the third management terminal currently in operation, but the planned seventh management terminal that was hit."

It was a terrorist attack by an unknown force attacking the central terminal of the Hollywood system.

"It couldn't have been stolen or something, right?"

"Once again, it ended in destruction. But unlike before, two things became clear through this incident."

Since I had not been able to find any clues about the enemy until then, I opened my eyes with a surprised expression.

"What is that?"

"The first is that they didn't find the management system by hacking or tracking signals."

"That's right. This time, a non-functioning facility was attacked. Wait, that means… … ."

"you're right. They have information about our facilities. "It seems like the information is incomplete, as the attacks continue sporadically."

Where do you get that information?

Even I had no idea until Chester told me.

"There are no leads yet. "In my memory, the only person other than the system who knew the information was Archduke Lucas."

Information not complete.

But this makes one thing clear.

"In any case, it is clear that this is an organization that is directly or indirectly related to Archduke Lucas."

"I guess so."

As a result, their danger increased significantly.

"What is the second one?"

"The second is who they are."

However, the identity was mentioned in the second clue that followed.

Ultimately, this is the key.

"The first time can be dismissed as a coincidence, but if the same thing happens the second time, it is inevitable. So, we have installed several devices in advance at each facility to guess even the slightest clues about our enemies."

Also Chester.

There is no way a being with the memories of Archduke Lucas will just sit back and suffer.

"That's how I was able to notice."

I swallowed dryly and waited for the next words.

"The fact that I can sense a subtle dark magic from these guys."

"Dark magic?"

In other words, it means that there is a demon or devil behind them.

Black magic is the exclusive property of demons.

There are beings with dark attributes like Blake, but their attributes and dark magic are not related at all.

"ah! "How was Archduke Lucas' body handled after his death?"

If there were demons behind them, they could play around with the body.

Moreover, although the death of Archduke Lucas is famous, nothing is known about how his body was disposed of after his death.

To my urgent question, Chase calmly answered, telling me not to worry.

"After cremation, the ashes were scattered in the waters off the shrine. Secretly, through a blue moon, without even the royal family of the Brigham Empire knowing. Archduke Lucas also thought that someone might mobilize a warlock, so he wanted it to be handled that way."

If so, that's a relief.

If these guys got their hands on Archduke Lucas' body and were playing around with it, they would become enemies of Cheolcheon.

No, is it any different from them already being enemies?

"I think we need to discuss how to respond to this."

"okay."

Still, finding out the identity of the enemy was very important.

Thanks to this, we were able to respond.

"hmm… … ."

And after a moment of contemplation, I curled up the corner of my mouth.

"It's embarrassing, but it's not a bad situation."

"yes?"

Chester's question reminded me of a holy relic I obtained three months ago when I followed Blake to Dragon Land.

"A compass that chases down dark magic. "I think the time has come to actively utilize the item that was put on the back burner."

An ambiguous relic chosen based on intuition.

But looking back now, it seems like it was a choice for today.

"Isn't that much foresight rather than sense?"

"Whether it's intuition, luck, or foresight, if there's something you can use, you should use it."

"But isn't there a problem? If you come forward, your enemies may realize that Adrian is behind the Hollywood system, that is, behind Archduke Lucas."

You don't have to worry about that.

"You just have to do it yourself. "There is a huge global organization that will tackle this situation with more sincerity than anyone else, and I happen to have a relationship with the head of that organization."

"Sepia Church… … . "You mean Saint Ivril?"

"you're right."

Doesn't it feel like it's falling into place?

Until now, I couldn't get close to the enemy, so I was defeated one-sidedly, but now I have a way to stop them.

"Of course, if you are Ivril, you will protect Adrian no matter what unexpected situation arises."

There was no need to tell her the exact facts, but it meant that if any unexpected situation occurred in the future, the possibility of her interrogating me was very small.

"It looks like what Adrian has done so far is paying off."

Chester laughed even though the Hollywood system's management terminal was destroyed.

It seemed like things were going so well as I said, so his face was filled with admiration rather than a sense of crisis.

"Ivril is the best."

It's not right to say it's a loss.

Still, he's my confidant.

Anyway, as the situation turned out like this, I relaxed my tense muscles and placed my hand on Arcia's shoulder who was next to me.

Arcia naturally leaned on me.

Anyone who interferes with my happiness will be punished severely.

* * *

Ivril Barnett, whose coronation ceremony is two months away, is concentrating on work these days.

Thanks to this, she was able to learn the duties of a saint very quickly, but everyone around her was worried about her.

The reason is that it was right after Adrian got married that he started focusing on his work like this.

If you are by Ivril's side, unless you are a fool, you cannot fail to know that she likes Adrian.

And the fact that her counterpart, Adrian, only sees her as a cute younger sister.

Even though it was a bittersweet girl's unrequited love, the fact that the person I liked was in the arms of another woman was a huge shock.

So, where Everil was not looking, everyone looked pitiful.

"Still, I'm glad."

"What?"

"Have you cleared your mind and are slowly finding your normal pace?"

In the sacred city of Everhill, the goddesses who were close to Ivril and were performing duties similar to secretaries laughed bitterly and had a conversation.

"That's certainly true."

"The world is wide and there are many wonderful men. Surely there is someone better than His Royal Highness Archduke Lawrence... … ."

"Will there be?"

"There are probably many people who are partially better off."

"Partially? Ha, I guess I'll have to take a closer look."

However, it did not take long for the expressions of the women who were looking for peace to become distorted.

"Wow, this is a big deal!"

"why?"

The cause was what a priestess who belonged to the same saint women's department as them rushed over and announced.

"His Royal Highness Prince Lawrence has requested a visit to the Ministry of Saints!"

This is because the culprit who recently darkened Ivril's complexion appeared with bad timing, perhaps with an intention to shake the heart of the girl who was just beginning to get her bearings.