Chapter 109

Chapter 109. Warm-Up

Crackle, crackle.

Firewood burned inside the fireplace, giving off a soft glow that made the reception room feel warm and cozy.

Books that looked like they had never been opened even once after being placed there filled the walls from end to end.

Sitting on a soft chair over the thick carpet was a middle-aged man who looked thin from years of not eating properly—almost like the version of me I used to see in the mirror before meeting Trainer-nim.

He was dressed in shiny clothes that looked like they'd been drenched in oil just to show off how expensive they were.

He stared at me arrogantly and smiled.

…Tsk.

Something about this situation strangely reminded me of the battle against the Great Demon.

It gave me an unpleasant feeling.

Maybe once everything was over, I'd end up with another annoying burden stuck to me like Levi.

I still hadn't seen anyone who fit the same role Levi had played back then, but who knew what could happen, where it could happen, or when?

This was also Ien's problem.

I'd better be as careful as possible.

There was absolutely nothing to lose by being cautious this time.

“Hoho. The Indomitable Hero truly is a prickly man, just as the rumors say.”

“Quite a lot has happened to me.”

“It seems you've lived a difficult life befitting a hero.”

I forcefully swallowed the words rising in my throat and maintained the most polite expression I could.

Unlike when I'd met the Administrator, I hadn't come here planning to cause chaos from the very beginning.

Ien's father…

Was his name Dia?

I couldn't remember very well.

Anyway, Ien and I each sat in one of the two chairs placed in front of the man.

“Then I'll be going.”

The older sister spoke coldly and simply walked out of the room.

Her identity had already been exposed to me, and there was no reason for her to hide it from her father.

She'd guided us all the way here, and her father hadn't even told her to leave.

Yet she still left on her own.

She must seriously hate being in this place.

“Well, well. I never imagined that the Indomitable Hero himself would come here while claiming to be our child's guardian.”

“I'm the leader of our team, so of course I'm her guardian. Besides, Ien hardly ever talks about herself. Naturally, I became curious.”

Right now…

Right now, I was Junior Trainer-nim.

Remember how Junior Trainer-nim acted around Trainer-nim.

Polite.

Serious.

Humble.

I just had to imitate that attitude.

“Hoho. Our Ien has always been terribly shy. When she was young, she would even act shy around me, her own father.”

I had decided on my approach.

I could feel it.

This man was the type who would spill everything if I stroked his ego properly.

He'd been pretending to speak casually while his body was stiff with tension.

But once I spoke respectfully and treated him like a good person, his tension visibly began to disappear.

It was true that people in the Empire had a tendency to look down slightly on Heroes and even Great Heroes.

But even then, a Hero wasn't someone ordinary people could casually speak down to.

The fact that he was doing so to someone he'd just met meant there was a decent chance this man lacked even basic common sense.

…What exactly did they see in this man that made them decide to use him?

“Haha! I suppose growing up beneath such outstanding parents must have placed quite a lot of pressure on her!”

“Hahahaha! You're embarrassing me!”

The corners of the man's lips rose uncontrollably at praise so ridiculous that even a dog wouldn't believe it.

Looking at him, I couldn't imagine how anyone planned to accomplish anything by using this guy.

Which meant there was probably someone else in this household who actually held the power and controlled him.

Perhaps it was the eldest sister from earlier.

Or perhaps Ien's mother, who still hadn't shown herself, was the true authority here.

“Speaking of which, where is your wife…?”

“Ah. She isn't feeling well, so she's resting in her room. She was always physically frail.”

His tone changed again.

This time, his voice was filled with genuine concern, affection, and love.

Huh.

This man really didn't seem suited for this kind of political scheme.

I glanced at Ien.

She tilted her head slightly.

Judging from that reaction, the mother in Ien's memories hadn't been such a frail woman.

Then what was that emotion from her father?

Was there some secret he hadn't told his daughter?

Well, I hadn't actually seen the woman yet.

I shouldn't jump to conclusions.

They were fallen nobles.

It wouldn't be strange for someone to develop one or two illnesses after living through years of poverty.

“That's unfortunate. A mother with such beautiful daughters must surely be a great beauty herself….”

“Oh? Are you interested in my daughters?”

…Look at this guy.

“But my eldest daughter is already married, so don't become too interested in her! Hahahaha!”

“Haha! What a shame! I'm merely a lowly Hero myself, but she looked like the kind of person who could accompany me onto the battlefield, so she naturally caught my eye!”

“Hahahaha!”

“Haha!”

I can practically see you calculating which side would let you rise through the ranks faster, old man.

You seriously can't hide your emotions at all.

At a time like this…

What would Junior Trainer-nim say?

Maybe something like—

"Now, say hello. This is my right hand, 'Rehabilitation,' and this is my left hand, 'Punishment.' If you don't greet them properly, they'll come to you instead."

Yeah.

Wouldn't he say something like that?

Just look at the greed in that man's eyes when he's talking about his daughter.

He wasn't like this at all when he spoke about his wife.

There's quite a difference in how he treats his wife and daughters, isn't there?

And I'm the crazy one?

I'm somehow the evil monster who'll throw the entire world into danger?

This idiot is blinded by immediate profit and happily laughs even when someone throws obviously fake flattery right at his face.

It takes talent to leave this terrible of a first impression.

…Wait.

If I handle this properly…

“Father. When exactly are you going to tell me why you called me here?”

“Ahem! Your father is speaking with a Hero right now! How can a young lady from a prestigious family be so impatient?”

Impatient?

When I was saying nonsense, she stood beside me without drawing her sword and merely glared at me while radiating killing intent.

I'd say that deserved a perfect score for patience.

“Please don't be too harsh on her. I'm merely a guest, and I came here as Ien's guardian. If we're speaking of priorities, I believe Ien's matter should come first.”

“…Well, I suppose you're right.”

This man was unbelievably easy to handle.

If all of this was actually an act, then I would immediately kneel and work underneath him without another word.

If that confused expression and foolish tone appearing now that he'd relaxed were all acting, and I'd been completely fooled by him, I'd first go find Dorfin and tell him that Flow was a completely useless trash skill.

Then I'd come right back.

“The reason I called you is simple, Ien. An excellent marriage proposal has come for you. You will attend the meeting and make sure you capture the man's heart.”

“Please refuse it.”

“Ahem! Do you even know who you're talking about?! Don't talk back to your father. You will follow my instructions without complaint! This is all for the sake of our family!”

“I don't want to!”

“You brat! Are you treating your father's words like a joke?! I've already received a promise of engagement, so you'll quietly obey me!”

Mmm!

Mmmmmm!

Ugh, disgusting.

I really didn't want to see something straight out of a morning soap opera even inside a game.

Morning dramas were only fun when you watched them for about twenty minutes before leaving the house.

Watch any longer, and they just became irritating.

My personal principle was to avoid getting involved in suffocating arguments like this whenever possible.

But…

Ien.

You seriously owe me one for this….

…Modak.

[Modak: Should I kill him?!]

It's certainly a tempting offer, but calm down. Can you contact Jayeon?

[Modak: I can? Jayeon might be a somewhat unusual existence, but fundamentally, she's similar to one of Dad's summons.]

Then ask whether she's near the Village Chief. Tell her I need some information.

[Modak: She says they're in the middle of researching materials right now. Should they stop that for a while?]

We'll ask Pai to handle that instead.

Sssup… Haaah…

This was exhausting.

“Ien. You should at least hear him out first.”

“M-Mister?!”

“Would it be possible for you to tell me who this man is? Even so, I can't simply let Ien meet a man when I don't even know his identity.”

“That's true. You can't go without knowing who he is. The man who will become your fiancé is the youngest son of Count Conte Count Conte, the closest confidant of Duke Soundiei—the pillar of this Empire who governs its largest port city!”

…What the hell was that?

Didn't that explanation basically mean that the Count himself was nobody important?

Why was the only noteworthy thing about that Count the fact that he was the Duke's closest confidant?

He probably didn't even care about who Ien's marriage partner really was.

After all, he probably only considered the man a disposable tool he could use to establish a connection with the Duke.

Wow.

It was scary to think that things like this might still happen in reality.

Like families forcing the child of a doctor to marry the child of a judge or something.

Not that it has anything to do with me!

Yep!

[Modak: Yep! I got the information! Want me to read it out?]

“Goodness. I've actually heard a few things about that man myself.”

“Oh? Even you know him? Look, Ien. If even a Hero knows his name, doesn't that prove he's an excellent man? This discussion is over, so don't complain any further.”

“From what I know, he has absolutely no interest in inheriting his family. Instead, he uses his position as a Count's son to live an extremely decadent life. I hear he's quite the infamous troublemaker….”

“…A-Ahem! You must be mistaken! Duke Soundiei personally arranged this connection! Surely he wouldn't be such a pathetic man!”

“However, since he's the youngest son, there's almost no chance he'll inherit the household. On top of that, his older brothers have excellent reputations and considerable ability. I've heard that everyone already assumes one of the two older brothers will succeed Count Conte.”

“……”

Whew.

Let's keep pushing.

I needed to chip away at his trust in the Duke.

"What?! He introduced garbage like that to me?! How dare he!"

That kind of thought had to flash through his head.

The man trusted the Duke completely.

All I had to do was create the tiniest crack in that trust.

Then, if I kept throwing words into that crack, he'd fall for it easily.

And to create that crack, not everything I said necessarily had to be true.

Even if he later realized I'd fooled him and complained about it somewhere, wouldn't it be his own fault for believing the words of a complete outsider?

How would that be my fault?

“More importantly, Count Conte… I'm not sure whether I should say this, but his reputation isn't particularly good.”

“What… what kind of rumors are spreading about him?”

“They're not merely rumors. These are things that actually happened. From what I've heard, Count Conte is like a bat who switches between the Noble Faction and the Imperial Faction depending entirely on which side benefits him at the time….”

“What…?! Nonsense! Count Conte is… t-the Duke personally said he was his closest confidant…! Could it be that the Duke still doesn't know about this?!”

Just look at that Flow shaking wildly.

It was completely different from the Administrator's Flow when he lied.

Back then, his Flow had been sharp, complicated, and violently unstable.

This man's Flow was moving up and down in an incredibly simple pattern, like someone swinging a jump rope.

He sincerely believed every single word coming out of my mouth.

At the same time, cracks were beginning to form in his previous trust, and anger was slowly building inside him.

Just a little more and he'll fall for it completely.

Still, let's not rush too much.

“B-But how exactly did you learn about that…?”

“Ah, now that I think about it, Grandpa Alo told me—ah, excuse me. I believe the Great Hero of Right Judgment told me not to mention this….”

I sucked in a breath.

“Could you perhaps pretend you didn't hear what I just said?”

“T-The Great Hero…!”

His voice actually cracked as he jolted in surprise.

Meanwhile, Ien was sitting right in front of him with an expression that screamed disbelief.

Could he seriously not notice anything from his daughter's face?

Tap, tap.

Control your expression, will you?

I lightly nudged Ien with my elbow and tried to communicate through my eyes alone.

She should've understood what I meant.

And her response was—

Her fist silently slammed straight into my side!

Why?!

Why?!

Why did you have to go that far?!

Don't take your lies too far! What was that nonsense about the Great Hero?!

Seriously.

She's so inflexible.

Once I get her out of this ridiculous engagement, she'll secretly be happy about it anyway.

…Still, she wasn't wrong.

Dragging a Great Hero into my lie for no reason wasn't a particularly good idea.

Should I find some random old man somewhere who's also named Alo?

Then I could point at him and say—

"This is the Grandpa Alo I was talking about!"

Yeah.

Maybe that would work.

“I'm an outsider with no connection to politics in the first place, so it's difficult for me to say much. Still, even I can't confidently say that this engagement would be a good choice.”

“…Hmmm…!”

Seriously, just how shameless could this man be?

Someone gave him a mansion like this.

They surrounded him with servants.

They stuffed rich food into the mouth of a man who had practically been starving to death and dressed him in silk.

And now, after receiving all of that, a few words from some stranger he'd never met before were enough to make him doubt everything.

The problem was that he believed everything he currently enjoyed was something he naturally deserved.

He probably thought that the Duke's gifts and concessions were only natural because he himself possessed enough value to deserve them.

It was the ultimate form of cognitive dissonance.

I changed my mind.

Even if I wanted to use him, this man was impossible to use.

Tsk.

My original plan had been to lock him up in that abandoned district and work him hard.

What a shame.

Tell the Village Chief to investigate quickly. Find out who built this man's mansion.

[Modak: He says it'll take a little time. Looks like whoever did this is pretty impressive. The security around the information is really tight.]

Even if Ien was the only thing they could use against him, something still felt strange.

They'd invested this much into the man, yet they hadn't placed any obvious method of controlling him.

That was suspicious.

Ien's mother, who still hadn't appeared, was beginning to look suspicious as well.

But then again…

Would a genuinely intelligent person have allowed the family to fall into ruin in the first place?

No.

She didn't necessarily have to be especially intelligent.

All she needed was to be capable of easily controlling this man.

BANG!

The door suddenly flew open with a violent noise.

Ien's father's expression immediately stiffened.

For a man who had such a strange delusion about his own abilities, was he actually completely dominated by his wife at home?

Was that why he acted even more arrogant when she wasn't around?

And yet the emotions he felt toward her were clearly positive.

True love, huh?

Oh my~

Even I'm getting embarrassed watching you two!

Wait.

Looking at it another way, maybe he wasn't scared of his wife at all.

Perhaps his expression changed because his sick wife had suddenly thrown open the door and entered the room.

Wow~

What is this?

Are you two still all sweet and lovey-dovey after all these years?

For some reason, I'm starting to like him again.

“D-Dear… You're not feeling well, so why…?”

“A new Hero has appeared in the Empire for the first time in nearly ten years, and he has personally come to visit our home. Surely I should at least come and greet him.”

I mentally prepared myself before standing to greet the lady who'd dramatically opened the door.

Madam?

Mother?

Well, whatever I should call her.

Did you know that your husband has been repeatedly rising and falling in my personal approval ratings entirely because of you?

Beside the butler, who was desperately trying to catch his breath while wiping the sweat covering his forehead, a woman slowly walked into the room with weak, powerless steps.

She looked to be in her forties.

And she looked remarkably similar to Ien.

…Whoa.

This is no joke.

After learning how to see Flow, I'd also become capable of roughly estimating how strong someone was.

Once someone reached Great Hero level, they were too far beyond me for my eyes to properly measure.

But if they were somewhere around my own level, I could tell.

It was like those scenes you often saw in comics.

"I can sense an overwhelming energy from this person!"

Something like that.

And by that standard…

This woman possessed considerable power.

Her body's Flow wasn't circulating smoothly.

It kept breaking and stopping in several places.

So it did seem like she truly was ill.

Tsk.

With someone this capable beside him, caring for him and respecting him, no wonder that man became so full of empty pride.

She's not someone with tastes similar to Levi, is she?

Because if she is, my opinion of her is already dropping.

“It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm the Indomitable Hero, Kim In-gwang. Please feel free to address me however you like.”

“Motheal Viest Yustria. I am the wife of Count Yustria. I've heard that you dislike long names. Likewise, please feel free to address me comfortably.”

She didn't even glance at Ien.

And despite her mother entering the room, Ien didn't particularly stand up or offer her a greeting either.

Well…

The real reason Ien was here right now was probably this woman.

There was no reason for Ien to look kindly upon her.

“Butler, bring me another chair.”

“Haa… haa… Ah! Y-Yes! I'll bring one immediately!”

“…Sigh. That child's father wasn't nearly this absent-minded.”

“Please sit in my chair while you're waiting. I can't leave someone who's unwell standing.”

“Then I won't refuse.”

Unlike Ien's father, who possessed absolutely no sense of dignity or forcefulness whatsoever, this woman carried an unmistakable air of elegance despite how exhausted she looked.

In other words—

Everything until now had only been a warm-up.

A little preparation.

A little groundwork.

The real operation to rescue Ien was only beginning now.