Episode 78: Dream in the game becomes reality

22. Monster subjugation battle (3)

"It hits me hard every time I watch it. It's a really funny show."

I think Everil's channel is the only broadcasting channel that provides entertainment even though it is a saintess contest.

Because Ivril was young and naive, there were many scenes where she was shocked or surprised by the mercenary world she first encountered, and perhaps because she had been in contact with many people through part-time jobs since she was young, she maintained a fairly close relationship with the mercenaries.

Sometimes that intimacy is too much.

[Ivril! Everil! Ivril!] [We protect Ivril's safety!]Even mercenaries volunteering to serve as guards appeared, but unlike Ivril, who was shy, the viewers' reaction was extremely positive.

-Ivril, you're so cute.

└That's right. Fresh, pretty, and very kind.

└I understand why Adrian chose Ivril.

└Is our Ivril's sponsor that Adrian? Wow, my brother has great insight.

└ㅇㅇ You've appeared on a lot of entertainment shows as a set.

└My brother said that, if he hadn't found her, he wouldn't have entered the fight against the world's powers.

└I hope Everil becomes a saint. She is truly a girl who fits the image of a saint very well.

└Agree.

Just like this.

Thanks to this, Ivril received great favor from the public and viewership ratings were soaring.

[Current contest channel viewership ratings]1.52% Ivril Barnett

1.16% Lloyd High Elven

0.95% Grace High Elven

0.92% Judy Esther

1st place widening the gap from 2nd place.

Everil was making strides and taking away the ratings from the Elves.

The elf queen's biological granddaughter, 'Grace High Elven', who was in first place, fell to third place, and even that third place was being threatened by 'Judy Esther', an ally of our Ivril.

This was an elf trait.

At the beginning of her broadcast appearance, she attracted the attention of viewers with her flashy beauty, but her unique blunt appearance of focusing only on the task and carrying out the task perfectly ended up turning the atmosphere of the broadcast itself into a documentary.

No matter how enjoyable it is to see the face, you'll get bored if the content isn't interesting.

So, once each character was identified, viewers began to move, and the one who received the most attention became Everil.

However, the other candidates, who regarded viewership ratings as a report card, regarded Ivril very highly.

[Ivril is a candidate for sainthood? What a meaningless sound. Circumstantial evidence has been revealed that she was active as a member of the Iljin group.] [Ivril is the lover of the Marquis Lawrence. There is a rumor that it is a flower snake that specializes in targeting nobles... … .]So, there was a candidate camp that engaged in such dirty media play.

However, we thought this kind of reaction would happen naturally as Ivril received attention, so we responded quickly.

[Other candidates' media play is going too far. I, Laurence Adrian, will actively respond to the distribution of rumors targeting the candidate for Saint Ivril.] [The Church's Contest Management Bureau has issued a stern warning to the 'Leen Castro' candidate camp and the 'Roxanne Iboten' candidate camp. If more rumors and slander against other candidates are revealed, this will be interpreted as a challenge to the church and a declaration of apostasy will be made.]A challenge to the denomination and a declaration of apostasy?

This was a measure that not only eliminated the candidate, but also shook the power behind the sponsor.

In a world where the power of Creator Sepia affects every corner of the world, the only apostates are the devil worshipers lurking in the shadows.

In other words, if you are labeled as an apostate by the religious order, you will be on the same level as them.

It was tantamount to turning the entire world into an enemy, so it was tantamount to suicide.

"With this, 2 out of 15 candidates for sainthood were eliminated."

In addition, the moment the name of the candidate who had received a warning from the sacred site was mentioned, their contest was almost over.

The clergy who supported them will withdraw.

This is because global criticism will fall on the candidate's camp.

"It's unfortunate for the candidates, but there's nothing we can do. "The sponsor is just like a part of the candidate."

Because of the strong reaction of the Holy Land, the statements directed at Ivril were not accepted as fact.

Rather, this incident created sympathy for Ivril and further solidified her popularity.

Of course, it is clear that my media play played a significant role in forming that sympathetic public opinion.

After defeating those who had committed such foolish acts, there were no more people involved in modifications, and for a 'political arena' where many high-ranking figures in power gathered, things were running relatively cleanly.

However, as the situation turned out like this, there were people who were struggling greatly.

[Why should I do that?] [Saints don't do things like that.] [This is a commoner's job.]These were saints and saint candidates from high-ranking noble families.

As we watched each other's competition with an impartial gaze without any fuss, people from high-ranking noble families who were united by a sense of authority and the ideology of the chosen people naturally became villains.

Among them, the most outstanding one was Princess Evelyn Francis, the daughter of Duke Francis, who acted as she pleased, keeping in mind that broadcast viewership ratings were no positive factors for becoming a saint.

"It's tea time alone on the battlefield, leaving your comrades fighting. "Are you saying that the party members are subordinates, not colleagues?"

A situation that inevitably raises the question, 'Are you serious?'

What would you do as a mercenary if you just stick to your mission?

Everything else is complete nonsense.

It's just amazing to see people like Evelyn Francis.

There are definitely people in their camp who are planning strategies. Are you not pointing it out?

"No. "I simply have different thoughts from other nobles."

To them, commoners were not something to worry about.

That's why they act like they're crazy without thinking about it.

I shook my head excitedly.

"But it's not that one."

Isn't this a contest to select a saint for the nobles, but a contest to select a saint for the world?

I think I can put Evelyn, who I thought was a strong rival, aside.

From this, Ivril's rivals can be seen as a high elf girl who is blunt but never neglects her duties, and Judy Esther, a commoner who receives Olivia's support.

[Ivril! We will protect you!]As I switched channels and watched the broadcast, I was able to see the mercenaries volunteering to be escorts and chasing them to the hunting ground even though Ivril told them not to follow.

"What is that?"

You can't hire mercenaries outside of your party, but there's no rule that says you can't stop those who volunteer.

However, it was enough to cause protests from other camps.

Thanks to this, while others were the leaders of small mercenary parties, Ivril became the leader of a mercenary group.

* * *

Ivril went on a hunt with her party members to subdue the five trolls she received as a B-class quest.

"shield!"

"Fireball!"

"Fire Arrow!"

Since everyone in Ivril's party except her was a magic swordsman, the battle scenes were bound to be spectacular.

In particular, Lopez, who was a regular wizard and had the skills of a regular knight, had the combat power of a top-ranking Auror expert, so hunting was bound to be advantageous in many ways compared to other candidates' parties.

"Ivril!"

"yes! Holy Defense!"

But that didn't mean she just went along with the party hunting.

Although there were only 4 types of sacred magic that could be used: 'healing, defense, blessing, and attribute enchantment', it did not get tired easily because it had a lot of original sacred power, and the effects of each one were excellent enough to generate the 'angel's feather' effect. It came out.

Therefore, even though they were new mercenaries, they showed a sense of stability that did not seem like rookies, and they exploded with various effects, so it was a pleasure for the applicants.

And they had another secret weapon.

"Ivril! "I've gathered the bodies here!"

It was the existence of mercenaries.

They waved at Ivril and dragged the troll's body on a floating board.

"yes?"

"Use it to clear Ivril's quest."

Thanks to this, the subjugation quest was completed within 10 minutes of entering the hunting ground.

However, Ivril's reaction to the mercenaries' favor was restlessness and confusion itself.

The reason is that they only hunted one troll, and the mercenaries who volunteered to help the rest hunted the troll and presented it to her.

"Is it okay to do this?"

Ivril asked the cameraman, but did he understand?

The camera shook left and right and made a gesture saying it didn't know.

"Still, the lord will confirm. "They say you are carrying out normal activities until the results come out."

"Even if you tell me to do my normal activities… … ."

Ivril looked at the grim-looking mercenaries.

It seemed scary at first, but as I continued to watch it, I got used to it and realized that mercenaries who make a living by eating and drinking are no different from ordinary people.

When they actually made eye contact with her, the mercenaries all smiled innocently.

"You are people fighting for a living. "Are you okay with wasting your time because of me?"

Ivril couldn't help but ask them.

It was true that he had done a good deed for them by treating them, but the reactions felt too excessive for such a thing.

She couldn't easily understand why mercenaries would waste precious time to help her without compensation.

"Doesn't the world point fingers at mercenaries, calling them lower-class people who sell their lives for money?"

However, the mercenary's subsequent reaction was very serious.

The mercenary she was questioning was the same mercenary who had first been treated by Ivril after swearing at her.

"It's not like that. "Not everyone is like that."

Ivril shook her head and said she didn't think so, but she couldn't deny the mercenary's words.

"The fact that not everyone is like that means that there are people like that. Actually, the general social image is what I said. "You know, right?"

"… … ."

In response, Everil showed an expression of apology even though she had done nothing wrong.

Then the mercenary smiled and said.

"But Everil is different. We treat everyone without discrimination. "Even though I look like this, I can confidently say that I have the worst impression among mercenaries, but Everil, who approaches me first, uses healing magic, and then runs away, is no ordinary angel."

An angel, Ivril said, fidgeting as if the metaphor was too much.

"Ahem, that's why I'm trying to take a chance."

"yes?"

"I am trying to enter a contest to make Ivril a saint. If Ivril, who received our help, becomes a saint, wouldn't the image of mercenaries change a little?"

A beast that abandons humanity and humanity for money.

You never know when and where it will hit you in the back.

His remarks could be interpreted as an attempt to bring about some change to this common belief.

"When I looked at other contest channels, they were a sight to behold. Regardless of our help, someone like Ivril should become a saint."

"That's right!"

"Ivril! Everil! Everil!"

And as the mercenaries chanted for her again, Ivril made an awkward expression.

These were actions that were carried out without much meaning.

However, those actions are producing unexpected results.

Ivril realized that her simple actions could mean a lot to someone.

"Woah, I'll work hard!"

She revealed her will for the first time in front of the mercenaries who chanted her name.

"It's a youth drama."

That was a line from the magic swordsman Allen Lopez, who can be said to be the actual leader of Ivril's party.

Unlike the other candidates' channels, Everil's channel contained entertainment elements as well as growth elements such as youth dramas.

It was natural that her popularity was skyrocketing.

[The popular Ivril Barnett, who seems to have already become a saint, who is she?] [From a convenience store part-timer who is kind to everyone to a saint candidate? Revisiting the fateful meeting of Ivril Barnet and Marquis Adrian Lawrence.]And this got to the point where it got on the nerves of candidates for sainthood from noble families, who thought they could ignore the wishes of commoners and did whatever they wanted.

"Can I leave this commoner girl named Everil alone?"

"But what can I do, seeing the light in my eyes in a sacred place…" … ."

"No matter what you do, as long as you don't get caught, right? "The reason they got caught playing with the press is because they are stupid."

"hmm… … ."

"Fair play, should we continue?"

Ivril's popularity led her to face even greater tests.

"Fair play was originally a rule designed for the poor and the powerless. "There is no need for us to protect it."

"That's right. i get it. "Then let's try to find a way."

"thank you. father."