I Entered a Gacha Game That Had Been Abandoned for 10 Years

41 – Truth (1)

With bated breath, Kalan’s five swords, including Roriel, wore expressions of regret as they awaited Kim Hyunwoo’s response.

‘I wish I could ask more directly, even if our hearts are in sync.’

In truth, Roriel wasn’t particularly eloquent with words, and she lacked the gift of gab. That’s why she struggled with such roundabout expressions.

Nevertheless, the reason Roriel insisted on circling around the topic of the absolute ruler of darkness was because of her mentor. It was not her place to convey her teacher’s emotions just because the mentor seemed sad and troubled. Roriel knew that her mentor had been preparing something for years, likely collecting gifts to apologize to the lord in front of them. Therefore, Roriel couldn’t recklessly ruin whatever her mentor had been diligently preparing.

“Yes, well… that’s right.”

However, even though she couldn’t directly convey her mentor’s emotions, witnessing her beloved mentor refrain from even eating and being confined to the Grand Hall was also painful for Roriel. Hence, she used “diplomacy” as an excuse for being in the territory.

To gauge the lord’s feelings.

And if the perception of her mentor wasn’t favorable, to try and improve it, even if only a little.

So.

“As expected. Actually, the Lord of Darkness is also known as the Weapon Master, so there’s a bit of respect from the perspective of a warrior.”

“I see.”

“If it’s okay, could you tell us more about the Lord of Darkness?”

She threw out the question to probe the lord’s feelings.

Upon receiving such a question, Kim Hyunwoo did briefly think, ‘The Weapon Master… was there such a title?’ But he quickly responded.

“Well, he was quite a reliable hero.”

“Indeed.”

With Kim Hyunwoo’s response, Roriel, satisfied with something, nodded her head as if to confirm.

“Then, may I ask one more thing?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

Almost immediately, with a sly glance at Kim Hyunwoo, she asked her question.

“How did the Lord feel about the Lord of Darkness?”

“… Me?”

“Yes.”

A question that seemed slightly off-kilter.

It was a mistake on Kim Hyun-woo’s part to want to quickly figure out what Lorial, who was originally not very talkative, urgently desired. However, Kim Hyun-woo only harbored a slight doubt there and soon answered with his thoughts.

“From my perspective… as I mentioned earlier, she was a good hero. She fought well and followed orders.”

Well, he did get a bit tired later on, thanks to the weapon gift incident, but Kim Hyun-woo didn’t bother mentioning that.

Originally, the Lorial in front of him seemed to admire the absolute ruler of darkness, and from Kim Hyun-woo’s standpoint, there was no need to create a bad impression on a diplomat from the Kalan Kingdom.

‘Building a bit of friendship now might be helpful when I open the Labyrinth City.’

So,

“To be honest, it was a bit regrettable that she wasn’t there.”

Kim Hyun-woo gave that lip service to Lorial, who seemed to have a liking for the absolute ruler of darkness.

Certainly, whether Kim Hyun-woo’s lip service was effective or not, Lorial, who noticeably brightened up with a visible expression, engaged in conversation with him.

“Well then, I’ve conveyed the case, so I’ll be going now.”

With those words, she left the territory.

At the moment when Kim Hyun-woo was again contemplating how to handle the materials,

On the hill of the territory,

“…Regrettable that she’s not here?”

Merilda muttered with an expression filled with resentment and sadness.

“…”

Giral, who had been strangely in a low-pressure state since yesterday, gazed silently at her from behind.

Suddenly—!

While thinking that the air around Merilda’s violently enraged yet melancholic face might have dropped to below freezing, Giral quietly erased his presence and disappeared behind Merilda.

In fact, he wanted to greet her and come back, but speaking to Merilda, who had maintained a low-pressure state since yesterday, would likely put him in a difficult situation.

“Sigh.”

Quietly moving away from Merilda’s vicinity, Giral, after exhaling a sigh, thought,

‘…It seems like the leader has no intention of moving from here at all, so I should bring her.’

He moved his body quietly to gather the Sui, who would undoubtedly be in chaos without a leader.

####

Located at the eastern end from the perspective of the Norva Kingdom, simultaneously the third-largest territory in the Norva Kingdom, and attached to the far east.

At the same time, belonging to the darkness-shrouded Tesnoka Duke, who holds the position of Duke in the kingdom.

“…Is that true?”

“Yes.”

She looked at the woman in front of her.nn”Humph-“nnThe woman, who seemed to be amused by the noise, touched her own hair that reached her waist, and spoke in a slightly questioning tone.nn”So, the newly established territory of Yingzhou, which has been established for less than a few months, was able to handle the disaster with just 200 soldiers and one hero?”nn”That’s right.”nn”…It’s hard to believe, but since you’re saying it, I guess it must be true, right?”nnAs she touched her hair that reached her waist, the same shade of blue as her dress, she replied.nnHowever, her words still.nn”But it’s true.”nnLoman replied to her, who was now the legitimate heir of this territory and had taken over the management of the territory from her father.nnThe woman, Tresnorka, was speechless.nnHer serious expression was as if she was contemplating what kind of expression to make.nn”Tell me more specifically.”nnResponding to her follow-up question, Loman began to tell her what he had seen.nnStarting from the moment the soldiers threw the green fire created by the energy machine, which was like a torch, and attracted the attention of the disaster.nnThey were lured into a trap that had been prepared for them in advance, and the hero finally defeated the disaster by throwing it’s backbone, and then blew up the huge energy machine with dynamite, causing it to explode within the disaster.nnAnd after a while, the woman who had been listening to Loman’s story with her arms crossed, let out a “Humph.”nnAs if to say it was incredible, she laughed.nn”…Really? You caught the disaster like that?”nn”Yes.”nnLoman’s words made her think.nnIf Loman’s words were true, then the original territory of Lartania’s Yingzhou had not fought with just 200 soldiers and one hero.nn’If Loman’s words are true, then what’s important is not the soldiers or the hero. What’s more important is-‘nnShe knew that her father had died in an accident, and unlike the other heirs, she had not inherited all the knowledge, but had taken over the territory a little faster. However, she was clear-headed.nnThe fact that Tresnorka’s territory had grown even more strongly after she officially took office as the territory’s ruler was clear evidence of this.nnAnd the conclusion that the clear-headed Tresnorka came to after hearing Loman’s report was.nn’-The territory of Lartania.’nnThat was it.nn”…What an impressive territory.

“Yes. It is certain that a hero without that reputation is also a monster…”

“But isn’t it even more so for a lord?”

“That’s correct.”

In response to her answer, Roman replied as if he had been waiting.

The fact that a being, which would normally require the efforts of thousands of sacrifices and numerous heroes for subjugation, was resolved with a small force and strategy is an unbelievable story.

That’s why.

“…How far do you think this story has spread?”

“According to my investigation, initially, there were only two people being tracked, but later it increased to about four.”

“…At least those from the Kalan Kingdom must have noticed?”

“Yes. They will probably send scouts soon.”

The Duke, who was conversing with Roman, said,

“I don’t want to let this slip away.”

As if discovering precious metals lying on the roadside, he muttered with a slightly greedy tone.

“Send someone to the Lartania Territory, and whenever there’s time, let’s meet… No, should I just go myself?”

He smiled at Roman as he spoke.

####

The northern plains of Lartania.

Except for the vast fields, there was nothing in that place, and it appeared suddenly.

Swoosh!

Cloaked in a black robe from head to toe, concealing its identity, it silently gazed at the Lartania Territory.

As if trying to grasp something, it stared at the territory without any movement for a while.

“Indeed, he is the expected ‘outsider.’ I never thought he could handle the disaster to this extent. Still…”

Whether it was a man or a woman, a voice that could not be clearly distinguished expressed strange admiration, and after staring at the territory for a while,

“Whether the outsider can grow by the deadline remains to be seen.”

It mumbled quietly.

And after observing the territory for a long time,

“Ardé-Fa, Narma.”

With a soft murmur,

“I hope to live up to his expectations.”

With those words, it gradually turned into black mist and disappeared, starting from beneath its feet.

“-The last star.”

With those words, the meadow ceased to exist.

As if there had never been anything there in the first place.