Episode 32: Dream in the game becomes reality

11. Archmage Adrian (1)

"This situation is being reported at a rapid pace on various portals and platforms. "Perhaps by tomorrow, many people will become aware of this situation."

The assistants and advisors in the office fell silent at the secretary's report.

However, the Margrave only clicked his tongue and shook his head at that point, but did not react in any way.

"What is the use of commoners talking in the virtual world?"

"But even among the nobles, there may be those who assimilate to this."

When an advisor tackled his optimistic appearance, the Raven Margrave scoffed.

"so?"

"yes?"

"What is the damage that will come to us from this video?"

"Yeah… … ."

"At most, it will be a protest letter."

The subordinates thought about it.

Will other nobles unite to help Adrian Lawrence?

The answer was no.

Although archmages and auror masters were valuable, this was not an era in which wars could be won by the efforts of one or two superhumans.

Even helping those two means going against Margrave Raven.

There was no one who could be disliked by the Margrave, whose military power was comparable to that of the Marquis.

It would be a pain if someone of the rank of Duke took Adrian's side, but I thought that was highly unlikely.

As monsters of power, they would be the least welcome to the emergence of a new rival.

"But the royal family may intervene… … ."

Rondel's monarchy can be said to be similar to China, the controlling country on Earth.

However, there is something more than China, which is that they do not care at all about the public opinion of the common people, who can be said to be the absolute majority of the people.

As a leader, you must know that the people are scary.

But in Rondel, there is absolutely no need for that.

Even if the people were to raise their guns and stand up, they would not be able to defeat the nobles who were armed with knights, wizards, vanguards, and sky fortresses.

This means that the French Revolution, in which the citizens achieved victory through guns and cannons, could not take place here.

Therefore, if the royal family steps forward, it is not because of public opinion, but because they consider Adrian and Arcia to be a waste.

"Definitely a very young Archmage and Auror Master. "It deserves your attention."

Even to those who didn't know them, those two were geniuses among geniuses.

If they do well, they are people who can reach the level of 8th Circle and Grand Master.

However, Margrave Raven didn't think it was a big problem.

"Then it would be fine if these two weren't the Archmage and the Auror Master."

"yes?"

The subordinates did not easily realize the margrave's intentions.

However, everyone was taken aback by what he said next, saying it made no sense.

"Why not make these two people fraudsters?"

"Is the evidence this clear?"

"Where is the clarity?"

"With video… … ."

"What kind of times are we having these days? Is there any guarantee that that is not an artificially created video? Can I just announce my position like this? 'That video was manipulated.'"

"B, but it's all over once I get it notarized over there."

"Then I guess we can take care of it before getting it notarized."

Although there were talented people who could fly and crawl in their own way, none of the staff in the office could understand his way of thinking.

Margrave Raven shrugged his shoulders, saying that he was the one who did not understand the attitude of his subordinates.

Raven Margrave couldn't help but add an explanation as his subordinates swallowed dry saliva.

"Why do you think they posted this video?"

"Well, isn't it to rationalize their actions?"

"Then ask. "Who was ultimately targeted in the comments on this video?"

"that… … ."

The subordinates, who had been tilting their heads at the unexpected question, only then realized something and frowned.

"As a result, the situation is no different from sniping at His Excellency Raven."

"That's right, they are exposing that I am behind Anna and Cedric through this video. "The stupid commoners are doing what they intended."

They were later able to understand why the Raven Margrave had jumped up from his seat and slapped the desk.

"That means trying to gain justification... … ."

What justification does the other person need?

That's war.

"Nonsense."

"Isn't that crazy? "You're thinking of picking a fight with the Margrave."

This was a clear provocation.

In response to his subordinates' reactions, Margrave Raven wiped the expression from his face and asked again.

"Do you think I should put up with this?"

"… … ."

"You can't do that. "Unless you plan to become a laughing stock in aristocratic society."

Margrave Raven's resolve was firm.

"How much military power can the Margrave use in the territory war?"

"That's half the total power. For our territory, it is 3 Sky Fortresses and 150 Vanguards, or 2 Sky Fortresses and 200 Vanguards."

Half of total power.

This could be said to be a limitation of the margrave protecting the border, but that alone was twice the size of the army held by a typical count.

"How much power can we mobilize within one day?"

"Then it's 200 Vanguards and 1 Sky Fortress."

"That's enough."

In response, Margrave Raven spoke as if making a declaration.

"It's war."

* * *

[Adrian Lawrence becomes the Grand Wizard of the 7th Circle?] [Even the woman who sat in the Lord's Castle claiming to be her lover is an Auror Master.] [How is this possible? Could it be that Adrian Lawrence got his hands on Archduke Manuel Lucas' secret?] [Some people are questioning the video, which was updated only 30 minutes after the incident occurred, and claim it is false. Editing also takes time, so this has to be a video prepared in advance.]The video I uploaded caused an uproar across all media outlets in the Kingdom of Reinharts.

Naturally, most of the content focused on suspicion and confirmation of facts, and no one could confidently say that it was 'true' or 'not'.

-The video was interesting. But I have doubts in many ways. Honestly, it's such a random story.

-That's right, according to the rumor, that person named Adrian has been living under surveillance most of the time. Is it possible to learn magic and achieve the 7th Circle in such an environment?

-It will be difficult unless the Archmage helps you from behind. Because you also have to fool the knights and wizards within the family.

-A statement from the Raven Margrave side. The video is said to be fabricated and false material.

-Hey, how can you believe what the Raven Margrave says?

-Is there any reason not to believe that?

-There are many reasons not to believe it. What kind of crazy person would stab the Margrave with a false sniper?

-That's right, it hasn't been confirmed that Adrian Lawrence is the Grand Wizard, but from the constant assassination attempts to this attack, there is enough circumstantial evidence.

-Would my brother lie? Ugly things make me jealous!

- That's right, my sister supports the older brother. I will believe until the end.

-The older brother and older sister you're talking about must have already been together until the time they left, right?

-… … .

-no!!!

-Do you idiots understand now? They said they were already living together. lol

Still, most people's reaction was friendly to me.

Of course, there seemed to be more people interested in the ashes than the facts, but even so, a significant number of netizens were not fooled by the Raven Margrave's side of blurring the essence.

Even though they are living a lowly life, blocked by the wall of social status, it was no different from proving that commoners are not stupid.

As someone who was born as an aristocrat, but lived in a democratic society in my past life, this was a truly sad scene.

If I have the strength in the future, I will try to improve the human rights of common people.

For your information, just because public opinion online is on your side doesn't mean it will help you right away.

Users' reactions only provide justification.

This is a justified justification even if I cause harm to Margrave Raven.

'Anyway, Anna, Cedric, and Margrave Raven are inseparable.'

Therefore, my revenge will not be complete until it extends to Margrave Raven.

But before that… … .

In order to solidify my position, there are conditions that must be achieved in advance.

"Nice to meet you. "This is Olivia Riverdale, daughter of Cain Riverdale."

"Nice to meet you. The Dukes of Riverdale. "I am Adrian Lawrence of the Kingdom of Reinharts."

That's right.

It is to make my position as an archmage clear.

Raven Margrave's subsequent movements are as obvious as fire.

They will definitely try to kill me before the royal family or anyone else intervenes.

And after crushing me and Arsia with overwhelming military power, I will say this.

'Those two were fraudsters.'

It's obvious even if you don't look at it.

This can be seen just by looking at the statement already issued by the Raven Margrave side.

If the Raven Margrave's huge army invades right away, great damage is bound to occur in the territory.

To prevent unnecessary damage, some preparation time is needed.

To allow that little preparation time, I had to move faster than the Raven Margrave's side expected.

As soon as I put Cedric and Anna in the cell, I visited the birthplace of my fake teacher, the Duke of Riverdale.

I couldn't even explain the situation to my father and mother, but I believe that William will take care of it.

-Sigh.

"This… … ."

Olivia the Duke of Riverdale.

She is an archmage belonging to the Kingdom of Lucias and the biological daughter of the famous Duke of Riverdale.

He is known to be the closest to the 8th Circle among the Archmages of the Kingdom of Lucias, and is the same as the Master of the Riverdale Temple, to which the 6 Archmages belong.

Unlike me, who gained strength through acting, he is a true genius who achieved the 7th circle at the age of 22.

Although I heard that she is 36 years old, she still retains the beauty of her early 20s, as if time had stopped.

I handed Olivia a platinum plaque proving that she was her father's student.

"This is the platinum plaque I received from my teacher."

"hmm… … ."

She looked back and forth at the platinum plaque I had received with bright yellow eyes and frowned.

To be honest, as someone who gets stabbed a lot, I couldn't help but feel nervous at every single one of her facial expressions, but fortunately, she soon relaxed her frown and nodded.

"It looks real to me."

Then, brushing back her gorgeous blonde hair, she handed my platinum plaque to the two men behind her.

'Marquis of Lake, Earl of Preston.'

Those two are Olivia's followers and, like her, 7th Circle Archmages who are former students of the Duke of Riverdale.

There are as many as four archmages sitting in the Riverdale Dukes' reception room alone.

Like a child waiting to be graded, I looked at Mangyeong's information as it changed in real time.

Fortunately, those two people didn't show any emotional ups and downs like Olivia did.

It is a fake identity created with the help of Archduke Manuel Lucas.

Even though I knew that nothing could go wrong, I couldn't help but feel my heart pounding.

"It definitely looks real."

"In my eyes too."

Although they were all different ages and had different titles, I could tell that the bond between the Riverdale monks was strong as they talked comfortably with each other.

I smiled with relief.

"Then is it okay to think that you have been recognized?"

"But just because it seems real doesn't mean it's real. "It is completely possible to forge this platinum plaque in the first place."

However, it did not take long for the warm atmosphere to change 180 degrees.

The great wizards of Riverdale's temple, including Olivia, resonated with the circle and put pressure on me.

-Ji-ing!

"What are you doing?"

Embarrassed by the unexpected situation, I fought back.

"That's amazing."

Surprisingly, the three people were able to regain energy easily enough to feel dizzy.

I wondered what kind of situation this was.

"It confirms your skills."

I wish I had told you in advance, but I was nervous for no reason.

Olivia returned the platinum plaque to me with a smile.

"I could have checked sufficiently without having to do this."

"Aren't all 7 circles the same? "I wanted to gauge the exact level."

In response to my protest, Olivia shrugged her shoulders and acted slyly.

Although she looks delicate, her actions are extremely tough.

I sighed, put the platinum plaque in the inner pocket of my robe, and asked what I was most curious about.

"So you are acknowledging it as the same recluse?"

"There are many obstacles, but there is no reason to deny it. "A genius archmage claims to be his father's disciple and is helping our monks expand their power."

It's as if it doesn't really matter whether I'm real or fake.

I guess it just feels like a welcome to the great wizard.

It was a truly rational way of thinking.

"What if I'm a bad guy and cause a lot of damage?"

"Turning our monks into enemies would only mean asking for death, right? Who can afford that?"

It was Olivia who smiled a murderous smile in response to my question.

I immediately apologized for saying something unnecessary.

"And you are not sure of your identity? "Not everyone received it."

They admitted it, so there's no reason to argue anymore.

With this, I became the Grand Wizard of the Riverdale Priests.

"I have one request for you."

"As a brother of the same monk, I will help in any way possible."

"Please hold a press conference acknowledging my existence."

If she officially announces that she recognizes me as a great mage and student of Riverdale, a lot of things will be resolved.

Doubts about my identity in the Kingdom of Reinharts will disappear, and the name of Archduke Lucas, who is mentioned in the title of a provocative article by reporters, will be replaced with the Duke of Riverdale.

Isn't this the effect of killing two birds with one stone?

"It's not difficult. Rather, it is what I hoped for."

"thank you."

The emergence of a new genius archmage would raise the status of the Riverdale family, so Olivia did not refuse my request.

When things ended as planned, I was a little relieved.

"But is that all?"

"yes?"

"I have now figured out the situation you are in. If you wish, I can provide further support as a fellow monk."

Clearly, the person in front of us is the most powerful person in Lucias, a powerhouse comparable to our Kingdom of Reinharts.

It would be possible for her to tie up the Raven Margrave.

"Honestly, I thought that was what you wanted, but... … ."

Obviously, with their help, things will become easier.

But my answer to this was a firm refusal.

"No, you just need to disclose that I am the former Duke of Riverdale's disciple and archmage. "I don't need any other help."

"Why?"

"They are my prey. "I don't want to share the joy of hunting."

When it comes to getting revenge, I don't want to rely on anyone else's help.

Isn't revenge just self-satisfaction?

Everything must be done according to my plan and under my leadership.

"Still, since it was a great suggestion, I will remember it."

Olivia's gaze on me is quite intense.

In many ways, it seems that he has come to the attention of the most powerful person in the Kingdom of Lucias.