Chapter 20

Once more silence befell the trio as they waited for Hugo's response. There were many different possible reactions they expected, anger, interest, disappointment, or even doubt but they never would have expected what actually happened.

Hugo Farzan, in reaction to their insensitive question, laughed. It wasn't soft but it wasn't particularly loud either, it was merely horrifying. It felt as though a caged beast had finally received the chance to bear its fangs.

"That may be the case however that doesn't matter to you does it?" Hugo spoke, a feral grin that promised suffering on his face. Truthfully, it was something he believed to be the case but to hear confirmation was quite enlightening. Of course, the play must go on.

"It certainly does however it can wait until another day." The Crimson Witch spoke calmly, sauntering over to him and walking past, motioning for him to follow him. Opening a hidden door the trio found themselves in a much more informal setting. If the former room was a business room albeit a comfortable one then this was a mere hang out area for friends, something that was most likely its purpose.

However, it wasn't going to be used like that. While they may now be meeting in person rather than behind a veil there is no real difference in their intentions. Both want to use each other for their own gain. The only real difference is that lying is no longer possible.

Their only option is the truth or a deflection, there is no place for lies in the upcoming conversation. It would be a battlefield of a nature that Hugo was not confident in moving through safely. The only reason he was confident was because he had the upper hand.

"Shall we reintroduce ourselves? I am Caera Vermell, the Crimson Witch and the current Witch Queen as you may be aware." Caera introduced herself calmly, an almost analytical calm in her sole crimson eye.

"I am Hugo Farzan." Hugo spoke calmly, refraining from mentioning his 'title'. It was fairly obvious what Caera was doing, it was only reasonable really. She was confirming if he was who he said he was using their inability to lie to one another.

However, there was a convenient loophole that Hugo could take advantage of. Determining what was a lie and what was a truth was difficult and many times it depended on what the person truly believed to be the truth of the matter.

A person from a hundred years ago would argue that his science was the truth however it has been confirmed time and time again that it was incorrect. In that same vein, Hugo was not technically lying about his name.

Ultimately, he's only been Dion Aster for less than twenty four hours, how could he possibly claim it to be his name when he has lived a full life as Hugo Farzan? For him to accept his new identity was one thing however to truly believe it to be himself was… strange to put it simply.

When he looked in the mirror the face that greeted him was not his face. It would take time to adapt and an eternity to accept. Perhaps one day he'll grow accustomed to it but the sense of unease will most likely never leave him.

"It's a pleasure to be your lifelong partner." Caera spoke calmly, a few subtle hand gestures sending her maid to the side, presumably to make or gather a few refreshments. It was fair to assume the conversation would go on for quite some time so a few refreshments would be nice.

"Focus on the topic witch." Hugo demanded coldly, uncaring for their pleasantries. While he didn't mind spending some time with her ultimately he was on a time limit. As far as he remembered from the game, the scouts of a count family were close to discovering them at this point.

{On day 18, it is revealed that an unnamed count family has found a dragon's lair fifteen days prior. According to the rumor spreading throughout the students, there will be an auction where the objects will be sold.}

By the information listed by the fandom, he should have an entire day to spare however he doubted that to be the case. Even in this time of technology in areas of dense mana such as a dungeon or a dragon's lair modern technology does not function.

Considering the time between the lair being discovered, the scouts scavenging through it, and the noble purchasing the land it is on to ensure no legal trouble Hugo assumed they actually found it upwards of a day before they announced it.

He should have time but he didn't want to risk it if he could help it. In the end, this trip of his had turned out to be worthwhile but any further time spent here may end up risking something that could not be risked.

"Of course. As promised, anything containing the records of the dragon will go to us. As a show of faith, you can have the rest. I'll even assist you in hiding it if you so please." Caera offered calmly, a calculating glint in her eyes.

It appeared to be a fair deal however the issue stemmed from what would come after the hoard is taken and the dragon's lair is empty. In the end, the one who owned the right to the location is the one who lawfully purchased it and Hugo did not have that kind of money. The Coven would steal it from him without hesitation.

While the magic items were important, half of the value of the dragon's hoard was from the magic stones that would have formed in the incredibly mana dense location. With the mana of a dragon, even if only its dregs, the mana stones would be of the highest purity and there would be enough to potentially source an entire country.

It was precisely the thing Lucille Oran needed to have full control of her school once more. It was a bit of a strange decision but once she controlled the school, his support from her would be unrivaled. Of course, he could have almost infinite money if he merely kept the mine for himself.

However what Hugo valued wasn't riches but rather connections, connections that the famed Hero of Light would surely have plenty of. However, he would be lying to say that the option of keeping it all for himself didn't cross his mind.

Yet it was far from worth it. To utilize the mine to the fullest, a large, trusted workforce was needed and he could supply that. To that end, he wanted to enlist the help of Lux as the Coven would naturally try to take some of the profit.

"I'll take the land as well. I take it you have no complaint?" Hugo questioned, a provoking grin on his face. He had the upper hand here as he was practically danging their kin's lifelong dream above their head, he could push as much as he wanted.

"That's fine. Should we have it under your name or a pseudonym?" Caera questioned lightly, clearly thinking nothing of him getting the land. While the land was important, it was equally important for the Coven to build a strong relationship with the man called Hugo Farzan.

He was related to one of the six heroes, his position was no different to royalty to the world. A relationship with him would be more important than the riches of the mana stone mine. Of course, Caera's own interest in the boy's future influenced her decision.

"My name will be fine." Hugo accepted without hesitation, slightly surprised by the Witch Queen's acceptance though he did understand the reasoning. Her question was more important and took more of his attention anyway.

If a random commoner boy took possession of the mana stone mine then the nobility wouldn't hesitate to take it from him and the same applied to a lesser nobility. The best option he had prepared was to purchase the title of a fallen noble, a noble who had fallen into bankruptcy, and utilize their rank to deter the nobility.

However, it was an unnecessary worry due to the badge currently in his storage tool. Lucille Oran had essentially given him the status of one of the six heroes, heroes who were respected worldwide and not even royalty would dare offend easily.

Due to the action of his two sponsors, his position in this world was currently untouchable. Not a single man in this world could touch him let alone steal away his treasure. In this one moment, he was safe.

Yet… how long would it last?