Chapter: 183
“You! The eldest son of Count Georg, can you seriously sit there after what happened?!”
Here we go again. Meb felt a familiar ache in his head as he braced himself for yet another of his wife’s rants in the office.
“It’s all done and dusted, quit it already!”
“Done? What are you on about?! You act on your own and expect me to just agree! I will not stand for that kind of nonsense!”
This sort of bickering had become a daily routine since Meg Georg, the eldest son of Count Georg, returned after causing a ruckus against a Count from another country.
It’s exhausting.
It’s infuriating, and I can’t even muster the energy to convince her otherwise.
How long do we need to keep up this chaos?
“By my authority as the head of this house, I command you. Enough.”
“What’s so special about that Alrn family, anyway? They’re just a lowly count family patrolling the borders of a petty kingdom! Maybe they used to be something, but now they’re just a toothless wolf…”
“Hah.”
Hearing his wife’s shrieking, Meb let out a sigh as if to say, “Do you even hear yourself?”
Despite her rising voice, Meb focused his magic to project an air of intimidation, essentially muzzling her.
“Madam, I’ve fought in territorial disputes between the Soladin Kingdom and the Mage Empire.”
The conflict started with a dungeon. A dungeon popped up right along the boundary dividing the territories of the Mage Empire and the Soladin Kingdom, leading the nobles of each country to dispatch soldiers to conquer it.
Naturally, skirmishes erupted over who should be leading the charge for the kingdom or the empire.
Normally, such disputes would be amicably settled through agreements among the nobles responsible for each territory.
But at that time, things were different.
Tensions were already high between the kingdom and the empire, and the situation turned into a perfect catalyst for conflict.
What could have been resolved through dialogue quickly escalated into a matter of pride between the two nations, drawing forces to the borders.
Like a domino poised to fall, a slight push led to a full-blown war.
At that front stood Meb, once extolled as a genius magician, and Benedict Alrn, famously known as the beast guarding the kingdom.
“I saw it. A monster charging in alone, shattering the front lines.”
Benedict didn’t even ride a horse; he just leaped into the fray like he owned the place.
Most would have been dust under the onslaught, but not Benedict. He bore it all on his body, ripping apart the lines.
As if that wasn’t enough, he even knocked out a few nobles, including the line commander, right there amidst the chaos.
“I saw it. A comet being cleaved by a mere human’s sword.”
The Meteor Strike, crafted by numerous mages of the Mage Empire.
Although the kingdom’s many talents weakened it, it was Benedict Alrn who delivered the final blow.
With a sword like a massive bludgeon reflecting his size, he cleaved the comet apart.
“I saw it. How a single person, a single family’s existence, can tip the scales of war.”
At the war’s end, the kingdom emerged victorious.
While countless factors contributed, the most significant was undoubtedly Benedict Alrn.
Since that day, whenever someone asked who the strongest family in the continent was, Meb would confidently state, “The Alrn family.”
Even after his daughter was born, and Benedict hesitated to engage actively, leading to rumors of his decline amongst the young folks.
“I’ll say it again. I have no intentions of going against the Alrn family. I don’t wish for the beast of the kingdom to set foot here.”
If that happened, a monster in human form would surely arrive, furious, and tear everything apart.
Once he finished that statement, Meb leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh.
Usually, he tried to respect his wife’s wishes, but this was different.
This was a matter of their family’s survival.
There could be no compromises.
“Leave now.”
When Meb strongly laid down the law, the Countess had no response left.
After all, Meb was the head of the Georg family.
As she stormed out, leaving her dissatisfaction in the air, one of the family’s servants rushed into the room.
The servant, out of breath, managed a formal greeting to Meb.
“What is it?”
“The Young Lady of the Alrn family requests to discuss something urgently with you, my lord.”
Upon hearing this, Meb covered his eyes with his hand.
Oh, Great Lord, may this family find peace.
“Count? Shall I go myself? Where is she?”
“I’ve escorted her to the reception room.”
“Good.”
I hope it’s nothing too crazy.
*
Convincing Benedict was straightforward.
“Is Karia really alive? Is that true?”
“Do I have to say it again, you clueless old man?♡”
After explaining that Karia was alive and that he needed help to save her, Benedict hastily assured he would handle necessary matters before coming right away.
“Just give me a day. I’ll sort everything out in that time.”
It was safe to say that Benedict, likely at or above Karia’s prime strength, promised to join.
Effectively, this meant success in facing Karia.
However, my goal wasn’t merely to defeat her. I needed to save her from the evil god’s curse.
In the world of Soul Academy, various characters suffered under the curse of the evil god.
True to its open-ended nature, once users encountered them, they were presented with choices.
Would they mercilessly take their lives, or would they make an effort to save them from the evil god’s curse?
If such a situation unfolded in reality, one would likely have to choose between the two; once made, the choice would be irreversible.
But that was just a game, and I had explored both options.
To clear all achievements in Soul Academy, one must experience both slaughter and mercy at least once.
So, in a situation like this, I had a rough idea of how I could save Karia.
Here’s who I need:
Someone capable of facing Karia head-on.
Someone who can nullify the evil god’s magic she wields.
And someone who can break the curse of the evil god controlling her.
I’ve thought about this setup quite a bit.
Since I’m using the cheat key known as Benedict, why not take a little extra advantage?
I really don’t need to get my hands dirty every time to clear a pathetic god’s quest, right?
Sometimes, isn’t it okay to just stand back and let others do the heavy lifting?
“Benedict is visiting here?”
Count Georg’s lips were trembling at the mere mention of Benedict coming by.
The reason was simple: I hadn’t bothered to explain anything about the situation.
He was probably thinking that Benedict was furious due to the antics of his foolish son.
This guy has decisional issues; he’s strong-willed, but seeing him shake like that shows that Benedict scares him.
Alright. Now that I’ve sent this guy tumbling into hell, it’s my turn to throw a rope.
“Don’t worry, Count…”
“Don’t worry, cowardly Count! Your foolish father isn’t here for that reason!”
“Huh? Then why?”
I roughly explained what happened in the dungeon.
About Karia being caught up in a curse and Benedict coming to help save her.
I left out anything about the god’s sealing. Explaining that would be too much of a hassle.
The Count wasn’t the type to be swayed just because a useless god told him something.
“You’re saying he’s coming to save an old comrade?”
Upon hearing the full story, the Count breathed a sigh of relief.
“If that’s the case, then there shouldn’t be any issues. I promise my full support in any way regarding his stay.”
“Really?…”
“Really! And I actually wanted to ask cowardly Count for something.”
“What is it?”
“Join my party.”
“Please enter the dungeon with us. Or are you too scared to do that?”
Benedict would be enough to fend off Karia head-on.
This is not just speculation; my grandpa agreed, so it’s a given.
So, I just need to find two more people, right?
I’ve chosen one of them to be Count Georg.
While he may seem ridiculously weak, he’s a different beast as a magician.
He’s a prodigy, respected for his skills even amongst the countless talented magicians in the Mage Empire.
He was a challenging boss who tormented players with various elemental magics when certain conditions were met.
Under normal circumstances, you could never recruit him as a party member, but this isn’t a game, is it?
Such restrictions do not exist.
“Me?”
The Count displayed visible confusion.
He clearly hadn’t expected me to make such a request.
“That’s a bit difficult. There are many rules I must follow as the Count in this place, and I always…”
“Is it alright?…”
“Should I just tell your clueless father everything? About the misdeeds of you, the cowardly son?”
Is this okay?
What if my foolish attempts to seduce him lead to consequences involving his daughter being hurt?
I can’t imagine how that doting father would react.
Probably not very calmly.
The Count’s eyes trembled.
This is like telling him to break the rope while he’s grasping it to climb out of hell.
How could he not feel overwhelmed?
“Are you threatening me?”
“Yes. So what?…”
“Why? Are you mad? A girl barely of age is getting cocky, and you feel angry? But what can you do, huh? Puff puff. Scaredy Cat Count.”
The Count was right.
This was indeed a threat.
Because I have a justification, and with Benedict, the calamity looming over me, I could make this threat.
But Count Georg can’t refuse this intimidation.
Even if he loathes the impudent brat before him, he has no power to do anything at all.
Because his foolish son was the one who went and started this all.
As the Count looked down at me with his head in his hands, the direction of his gaze changed.
“Don’t worry…”
“Don’t worry. Just go into the dungeon and fight. You’re still a powerful magician despite being a coward, right?”
He looks up at me from below, while I look down at him from above.
At this point, the answer is practically decided.
“…Is that really all it takes?”
“Yes. Of course. That will cause no problems.”
“You mean even cowardly Count and even your freakish son will be just fine?”
“I understand…”
With a voice mixed with a sigh, Count Georg nodded.
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