Chapter 68

Chapter 68

Robert Ortanis.

The Head of the House of House Ortanis, one of the pillars of Trinity, and a Great Noble who controlled Ebla’s administration and financial power.

Even most high-ranking Nobles could not raise their heads before him, and he was absolute power incarnate, receiving orders from no one but the Royal Family.

That man had asked to meet me.

Not as the living power of Ebla…… but simply as my friend’s father.

“You are Isran?”

“That is correct.”

“Sit.”

The place I had been called to was a reception room so vast that it was difficult to take in at a glance.

It was a space that could only be called the height of splendor.

There, I faced Robert under a pressure that felt as though Descent of the Great Precept itself were pressing down on me.

The thought that came to me the moment I saw him was that he was a “Noble” painted into life.

If solemnity and nobility were molded into the shape of a person, would they look like that?

Every one of his movements carried dignity, naturally showing that the world he lived in was different from mine.

“Are you used to dealing with Nobles? You are calm for a Commoner.”

“……Something like that.”

I spoke while hiding my discomfort.

“Um, I do not know noble etiquette, so…….”

“There is no need for formality. This is not an official occasion, and I do not particularly like such things.”

Having said that, Robert introduced the man standing beside him.

“Felix. I heard the two of you had met before.”

“We met once on the First Floor before. Is that not right?”

The man with the familiar face winked.

I had wondered where I had seen him before, and it turned out he was the man who had nearly died to a Hobgoblin during my first Dungeon trip.

“You were not a knight, but of Ortanis’s Direct Line?”

“Ha ha, that is right. Felix Ortanis is my real name.”

“So being a 3-Star Adventurer was a lie too.”

“It was, but I did not expect you to fail to recognize me. At the very least, everyone recognizes the Seal of Ortanis, you see.”

As it turned out, the golden Seal he had shown me was something only members of the family’s Direct Line could possess.

That was also why the Guards at the Guard Post had used honorifics with him.

I simply had not recognized it because I did not know such minor details of the setting……

Felix’s true realm was 6-Star Adventurer.

He said he had retired and was currently serving as Ortanis’s Swordsmanship Instructor.

“If you are 6-Star…… you are in the same realm as Gordon.”

“That is not quite true. You have to consider the age difference. We are ten years apart, and I cannot even use Aura.”

I saw him often, so it was easy to forget, but Gordon’s talent was among the best in all of Ebla.

It was to the point that everyone expected him to become Ortanis’s next Master.

However, Gordon’s realm had currently stopped at the peak of 6-Star.

Although he could cross into 7-Star at any time, for some reason, he had not done so.

“In any case, to think you are already 3-Star.”

Felix looked at me and stroked his chin.

“Hm…… I cannot tell even by looking. It feels as if fog is blocking my view. This is the first time this has happened……”

His eyes carried a bluish light.

It meant he was using some kind of insight Skill.

[That thing is doing something insolent.]

However, his attempt to see through me was blocked by Hyeollyeo.

She had hidden my information from whatever form of insight Felix was using.

“This is fascinating. My 「Observation Eye」 does not work on him. The only thing I can barely see is his Mana Density…… but I have never seen Mana this dense before.”

「Observation Eye」 was a 5-Star analysis Skill, then.

Felix looked at me with a strange light in his eyes.

“Half a year since graduating from the Selection Grounds…… He reached 3-Star before even fully shedding his Apprentice status. On top of that, judging by the density of his Mana, he must have used a very unusual Spiritual Medicine.”

“Dragon Jade.”

After hearing only a brief explanation, Robert immediately identified the material of my Core.

“They say South Spirit Mountain disappeared. There is a high chance he obtained the Core of the Great Mountain Centipede, and the energy is too pure to be Black Jade.”

“…….”

“You obtained something precious.”

Even though he was certain I possessed Dragon Jade, he showed only slight interest.

Dragon Jade was indeed precious, but to him, it was likely no more than a somewhat curious object.

“……So why did you call me here?”

“There is no particular reason.”

He lifted his teacup and spoke quietly.

“My daughter is always running outside, so I wondered whether she had found a lover somewhere.”

“…….”

“Seeing you now, it appears that is not the case.”

“I thought I had been called here because I was considered a dangerous element.”

“Do you think you could become a threat to Ortanis? You have too much self-importance.”

Robert was calm.

No matter how remarkable my achievements were, he did not even recognize me as an enemy.

It was the powerful confidence that no being could become an enemy of Ortanis.

However, I knew that was a kind of feint.

I opened my mouth.

“But you want to build a favorable relationship with me, do you not?”

“Why do you think so?”

“Because you met me personally.”

He was the highest-ranking person in this world after the Royal Family.

Every minute and second of such a person’s time had a value equal to gold.

If he personally set aside time to meet me, there were only two reasons.

“Either I have that much value, or you are an extraordinary doting father.”

“So you thought it was the former.”

“Something like that.”

His eyes turned toward me.

For the first time, there was something resembling interest in his gaze.

“You are not slow-witted. Correct. Ortanis wishes to have a favorable relationship with you.”

“Why?”

“Because, at present, you are the talent closest to becoming a Master.”

A talent who might become a Master.

In other words, the reason he had called me was to make a kind of investment.

“You can infer this to some extent from Lorentze, but each family has a Master who protects it.”

“Like Lorentze’s master?”

He nodded.

Lorentze’s master.

The one also called the Executor of Divine Punishment was both the Head of the House of Lorentze and its Guardian.

“Does Ortanis have one as well?”

“We did. Hildegard was Ortanis’s Guardian.”

“…….”

That was a somewhat surprising fact even to me.

A family’s Guardian was a Master.

In other words, Hildegard had been a Master too.

‘I thought she would be strong, but I never imagined she was a Master.’

Then again, I had thought it was a little strange that a mere Adventurer had been revered as a hero of Ebla and become the captain of the Vityaz Expedition.

But if she was a Master, all of those deeds could be explained.

‘Then Persica is the daughter of a Master?’

No wonder her talent had seemed extraordinary.

I had received the blessed talent of Ishara as a gift, but Persica had no such thing, and yet her growth had been fast enough for me to find it strange.

If it was because her mother was a Master, then everything made sense.

“Does Persica know?”

“She knows. That is why she was arrogant from childhood. Her mother was a Master, so she believed she herself must also be exceptional.”

“…….”

“Well, she seems to have learned where she stands to some extent while traveling with you. I am grateful for that.”

So that was where her personality, overflowing with baseless confidence, had come from.

Then again, even I would feel a little proud if I thought my talent was on the same level as Ishara’s.

If someone had been puffed up like that from childhood, it made sense that they would develop such a personality.

“You have met Lorentze’s Master…… ‘Carmine Lorentze,’ have you not?”

“Yes. Though it was in the form of possession through his descendant’s body.”

So that person’s name was Carmine.

I had not encountered him often enough to memorize his name, so this was the first time I had heard his real name.

“The position of Guardian of Ortanis is currently vacant. I will support you so that you may become a Master, and I would like you to take that position in the future.”

“Is there not Sir Gordon?”

“There is no need for there to be only one Guardian.”

So he was trying to stake a claim on me before anyone else did.

“There is no guarantee that I will become a Master.”

“Perhaps not. Even so, it seems certain that you will reach a high realm. You have sufficient investment value.”

“……I have no intention of belonging to any organization.”

At those words, Robert snorted.

It was the first proper expression I had seen from him since coming here.

“There is nothing in the world as shallow as human conviction. A light nudge is enough to change its direction as much as one wishes.”

Not breaking conviction, but changing its direction.

“They say your dream is to descend to the bottom of the Dungeon.”

“That is correct.”

“What do you plan to do after that?”

“That is……”

After clearing the Dungeon.

In other words, after restoring the Golden Rule, I…… would probably no longer be here.

So I had never thought about what would come afterward.

“……I have never thought about it.”

“I see.”

He set down his teacup and spoke.

“What do you think of Persica?”

“Pardon? Hmm…… I think she is a good friend.”

“Do you want her?”

“Pardon?”

“If you want her, I will give her to you.”

Even for me, that statement was somewhat shocking.

He would give me Persica.

In other words, he was saying he would use her as a pretext to accept me into Ortanis as a son-in-law adopted into the wife’s family.

“……Persica is not an object. And the two of us are not in that kind of relationship.”

“That child is the property of Ortanis. Affection can be built over time.”

There was no wavering in his voice.

Even Felix, who was listening, remained calm.

That meant this was the average nature of the noble world.

‘What do you think?’

[It is an effective bargaining tool.]

No, just what is wrong with this world’s view of people?

Robert’s objective was obvious.

He was thinking about after I conquered the Dungeon and became a Master.

When all my goals disappeared, if I had a Betrothed, I would naturally have no choice but to settle here.

“What if I am…… a Possessor?”

“Does that matter?”

“Pardon?”

Robert did not even care about the possibility that I might be a Possessor.

“Even if you are a Possessor, I do not know the original owner of the body before possession. I have no reason to know.”

“…….”

“In fact, it would be even better if you were a Possessor. It would mean Ortanis holds your weakness.”

“……Is it truly all right for you to do that?”

“Of course, exposing Possessors is the law of Ebla.”

He looked at me.

“But this is Ortanis.”

One of the pillars of Trinity that ruled Ebla, and a family representing the will of the Royal Family.

Therefore, they were not bound by rules.

That was what Robert was saying.

“For beings like us, rules are weapons to wield, not laws to obey.”

“…….”

“This time, I will ask you. Are you a Possessor?”

“I am n…… not.”

“I see. A pity.”

With that, he lost interest in me.

He had likely guessed that no matter what demand he made, I would not comply.

Robert checked the time for a moment.

I thought quite a bit of time had passed.

But only ten minutes had gone by since the conversation began.

“Tell me what you want. This time, I bought your time, so I will at least pay the price of the conversation.”

“……Normally, I would have declined.”

If this could be called timing, then it was timing.

There was information I was currently seeking.

“I want to enter the Secret Archive of Capella Observatory.”

“Easy enough.”

He tossed a black card from his pocket.

The card, engraved with the Seal of Ortanis, slid across the table and came to a stop in front of me.

“Do you know of Capella Observatory’s ‘Competition’?”

“I have heard of it.”

In truth, I had even participated in it. Though it had been in the game.

The Competition of Capella was something like a festival and tournament.

It was divided into a total of two competitions, and as I recalled, if one won the final competition, one could learn a Magic personally bestowed by the Master of the Observatory.

‘The current master of the Observatory should be a Mage named Panini Roche.’

If my memory was correct, they were a 9-Star Mage who handled the Five Great Elements.

Because it was Magic bestowed by such a person, its value was high, and the Competition could be entered even by non-Mages as long as they proved their qualifications.

In other words, the competition rate was tremendous.

“The prize for winning the first-stage Competition is access to the Secret Archive. If you show that card, you will be able to participate under Ortanis’s recommendation.”

In other words, he would set the stage, and I had to obtain the rest through my own ability.

The price of the conversation only went that far.

“Is the Armor you are wearing a matter of preference?”

“No. I obtained it according to my circumstances.”

“Tsk.”

At my words implying that I had chosen it because of my financial situation, his face slightly twisted.

He stood up and spoke.

“Use the card I gave you and buy yourself something. Your appearance looks shabby.”

With that, Robert left.

It was an unbelievably cool exit.

“……Thank you very much for the windfall.”

It seemed receiving spending money from a friend’s father was a universal rule in every world.

***

When I came outside, Persica was waiting anxiously.

The moment she saw me, she came rushing over in a flurry and grabbed my shoulders.

“What did Father say!?”

“He told me to marry you.”

“Wh-What─!?”

“So I said no.”

“…….”

“I did well, right?”

At my words, meant to tease her a little, Persica froze stiff with a CRACK.

After a brief moment like that, people gathered around us.

They were Persica’s half-siblings.

For the record, they were all older brothers.

“Oh~ Is this him?”

“She definitely chose him for his looks.”

“Are you going to live off his face?”

“I-I said it is not like that!!”

Persica’s brothers, all smiling slyly, were three in total.

They laughed while pushing away Persica as she rushed at them.

I had been introduced to them before.

The eldest, Repli. The second, Hopli. The third, Meriphone.

Repli and Hopli were brothers from the same mother, while Meriphone had yet another mother.

‘They are rather unreserved for Nobles.’

Normally, they would treat Commoners like insects the moment they saw them.

In that sense, Carmine had at least been the most Noble-like.

‘This is probably because of my ability too.’

If I had been an untalented Ordinary Person, I would never have received such a welcome.

No, I would never have had the chance to meet them in the first place.

In Ortanis, the absolute value of a person was their ability itself.

“You…… speak in a way that invites a great deal of misunderstanding.”

Felix had apparently followed me at some point and stood beside me.

“That meant your aptitude is exceptional, so you should become tied to someone from the family and become a member of Ortanis.”

“Oh, what…… So that was it.”

How boring, to explain it like that.

After hearing Felix’s explanation, Persica sighed.

“You seem used to this.”

“Among Nobles, love marriages are rarer, you know? Most are political marriages or tribute marriages where someone is effectively sold off. To a family, even marriage is business.”

Even Persica herself was calm about it.

Well, Earth had been like that in the past too, but from the perspective of someone who had lived in modern society, it was a value system that was difficult to accept.

“I did not expect you to cut it off so decisively. Even if she looks like this, is my niece not pretty enough to tempt you?”

“Uh……”

Persica stiffened after effectively having “Is she not pretty enough?” said to her face.

When my gaze turned toward her, Persica’s shoulders flinched.

Well, I could objectively admit that she was beautiful, but unfortunately, looking at her did not tempt me.

As I came out of the reception room, I touched the sword that had been returned to me.

“I am not sure. I know someone prettier.”

“…….”

Persica’s expression cracked with a CRACK.

Ah…… Was it a little too much to say that in front of her?

Seeing the frozen Persica, her brothers snickered.

“Wow…… Is this what they call being rejected without even confessing?”

“Persica, you spent your life doing strange things, and now even your marriage prospects are stormy.”

“I said it is not like that!”

Persica shouted at her laughing brothers.

As I watched the squabbling siblings from a step away, I could see anew that she was loved.

It was not a relationship for show, but a family that truly cherished her.

‘Then again, Robert was the same.’

To think he was aiming for after I conquered the Dungeon and became a Master.

If he said it like that, there was no way even I would fail to understand.

If Persica married me, it would be no different from her gaining the authority and power of a Master behind her.

‘Either I have that much value, or he is an extraordinary doting father.’

As I looked back on the evaluation I had made of him when he set aside time for me.

I could not help but smile faintly.

Anyone could see it was the latter.

***

The next day.

After finishing all preparations, Persica met Robert before heading to the Third Floor of the Dungeon.

It was simply to say goodbye before leaving.

“You know, I still do not understand.”

“What do you mean?”

“Why you married Mother.”

Dressed in her usual Adventurer attire, she spoke to Robert, who held a teacup.

Hildegard had been the first wife Robert took.

In other words, she had been his lawful wife, but after failing to bear a child for a long time, he had eventually had no choice but to take concubines.

Thus, three brothers were born.

And much later, Persica was the fruit finally borne.

“You ask something obvious. It was because she could fill the absence of a Master in Ortanis.”

“Then…… you should not have sent her on that expedition ten years ago.”

“Not every investment can succeed.”

Sending Hildegard on that expedition had been a failed investment.

At his words, saying that was all it had been, Persica clenched her hand tightly.

“……An investment, then. Mother was a commodity.”

“Yes.”

“And the reason you stopped me from entering the Dungeon was the same, was it not? Because my value as a commodity might fall.”

“I am glad you are aware of it.”

Robert said that without the slightest change in expression.

His sharp eyes gleamed, and he raised his index finger to point at her.

“You have proven your ability, so I will let you go. However, you must return absolutely unscathed.”

“What will you do if I die?”

“A foolish question.”

He let out a low laugh.

“You are the property of Ortanis. Do you think you can die as easily as you imagine?”

“…….”

“Go. Making your companion wait is unbecoming of your dignity.”

“……Yes.”

Persica bowed at the waist.

After giving a brief courtesy, she wiped her reddened eyes and left the mansion.

Robert only watched her back in silence.