“......”
Leaving Larissa behind with her cheeks puffed ever so slightly in apparent dissatisfaction, I started walking.
Belburg, the heart of the Grand Duchy.
And at the very center of Belburg stood the Grand Duke’s audience chamber.
I had already been here once, but seeing it again now felt different.
‘Last time, I was crushed by the pressure.’
I had tried my best not to show it, but Luke Bahen really had overwhelmed me.
This time was different.
“We meet again.”
“You’re speaking more casually now.”
“You seemed to prefer it this way.”
Luke Bahen did not answer.
He simply stared at me for a moment.
The suffocating silence continued until Johannes, who had brought me here, began turning pale.
“As expected, young ones are entertaining to watch. Every time I see you, you have grown.”
Along with his booming laughter, his magical power spread in every direction.
His magical power took shape from nothing more than his laughter.
As expected of the Grand Duke.
“So, do you have any idea why I called you?”
“I assume you wished to continue the conversation we could not finish last time.”
A stronger North.
One North.
It did sound somewhat dangerous, but it was something the Grand Duke of Bahen should want as well.
I knew very well what I lacked right now.
But for me, those words had been a declaration.
A declaration that I would stop the Northern Great Invasion and eliminate one of the destruction triggers.
‘Even if the central authorities take it badly.’
I could not stop.
The dogs could bark all they wanted. The train would keep moving.
“Bahen will not step forward.”
“That’s fine.”
“You are not going to ask why?”
“Because you have to watch the central authorities, right?”
It was true that Bahen would not step forward.
But it was also true that Bahen could not.
‘And that’s probably for the best.’
If a giant like Bahen moved carelessly, the insane Emperor might simply brand the entire North as rebels.
The consequences?
The current Emperor was not the sort of man to care about something like that.
His mind was already failing, and he was practically at death’s door. He would not bother thinking about the aftermath.
“You use your head more than I expected. Yes. If you want to speak of one North as you wish, you will have no choice but to do it yourself.”
“That’s how it’ll have to be.”
“You have done quite well so far.”
I shrugged at his straightforward praise.
If I could not even manage this much, I would not deserve the title of headbutting dinosaur.
“But there is a limit to what the second son of a mere baronial house can do.”
“Certainly.”
“No one in the North can casually object to my words. But anyone in the North can object to yours.”
For now, it was only an obvious truth. There was nothing shameful about it.
The military might Bahen possessed.
And Luke’s accomplishments.
They were certainly extraordinary.
But the greatest reason no one could oppose him was the simple fact that he was a Grand Duke.
‘It doesn’t matter which came first.’
I was the second son of a baronial house, not even its head.
Compared to Bahen, my position could not have been more insignificant.
If things went badly, I might not even inherit the title.
My performance at the Subjugation Festival had changed the way people looked at me, but the limits imposed by status had not changed.
“If it were entirely up to me, I would tell you to get engaged to Larissa. But the wishes of the people involved matter most.”
“Uh...... that would be far too great an honor for me.”
“Surely you are not saying you dislike Larissa?”
“No, that’s not what I mean......”
First my brother, and now even the Grand Duke?
I was already getting sick of this.
“It was only a joke. A man of the North should not be so fainthearted.”
Apparently my reaction amused him.
Luke Bahen let out a small laugh, then his expression changed.
“A problem has arisen in one of my direct territories.”
“What kind of problem?”
At his suddenly serious tone, I calmly raised my head and met his eyes.
His gaze was full of interest, as though asking what I intended to do.
“I have lost contact with the retainers I dispatched to a territory called Brücke.”
Brücke was a city near the Rashid territory.
In fact, it was close enough to be called our immediate neighbor.
And yet the whereabouts of the retainers dispatched by the Grand Ducal House had become unknown......
“That is a serious problem.”
“But I am in no position to move personally.”
Of course.
The Bahen Grand Ducal House had an enormous workload.
It did not merely handle matters within its own territory. It practically managed the entire North.
And beyond that, there were even signs of civil war in the northeast.
“I want to entrust the investigation to you.”
Brücke.
A territory near the Rashid lands.
It was practically right next door.
But I knew far too well just how important that region was.
‘The real bridgehead of the Northern Great Invasion.’
Brücke was a logistics hub connected to numerous territories across the North.
At the same time, during the Great Invasion, it became the starting point from which the Demons could invade multiple cities.
‘And that isn’t the only problem......’
The moment Brücke fell, it was only natural that the neighboring Rashid territory would be swept away with it.
Cain Rashid had died in the game because......
‘Right. I have to do this.’
This was not simply about building merit.
Lives were at stake.
My life.
And everyone else’s as well.
“I like how decisive you are. Investigate the truth and complete the task safely. Depending on your results, you may even get to administer Brücke.”
I simply bowed my head at those words.
Even if it was currently in turmoil, Brücke was territory on the scale of a county.
It would be like obtaining a new noble title in one stroke.
There was no reason to refuse.
“I will see it through without fail.”
“One more thing...... That trade you mentioned. It ended up being settled for far too little.”
I slowly followed the Grand Duke’s gaze toward Johannes.
Johannes looked flustered when the attention suddenly shifted to him.
The Grand Duke’s gaze landed squarely on Winterbane at his waist.
“Winterbane is one of the famed swords passed down through the Bahen Grand Ducal House. I will give you compensation worthy of it.”
As soon as he finished speaking, an attendant approached carrying something.
“This is......”
What he held out was a single book.
A book titled <Berserk-Revised>.
‘A Skill Book.’
One of those incredibly rare Skill Books.
[Berserk-Revised (F)]
[Rank : Rare]
[Description : A shamanic art passed down through the North for generations. Improved by Bahen. When used, physical abilities greatly increase and magical power efficiency rises. Inflicts a mild madness debuff.]
A simple description.
I smiled as I read it.
‘I didn’t expect to get this here.’
Normally, this was not a Skill I could obtain at this point.
It required satisfying several rather troublesome conditions.
You had to raise your favorability with the North considerably, and on top of that, raise the affection of members of the Bahen Family across the board.
‘I was the one who first discovered it too.’
By the time the game began, Larissa Bahen was already active in the central regions.
I had raised her affection as high as possible, then searched through the North wondering whether there might be some clue that could help prevent destruction.
That was how I had discovered this Skill.
■ [This Skill looks pretty useful, so give it a try.]
└Look at how brutal those requirements are lol
└How the hell did you even find this? Damn
└This guy is just a freak
└The effect is insane, thx thx. I’m going to get it right now
└Holy shit, the payoff is incredible. This is ridiculously tasty with a northern warrior build!
Unlike ordinary Berserk, which raised physical abilities only to immediately inflict a debuff, this Skill increased the benefits while reducing the penalty.
‘If you really want to split hairs, it doesn’t stray far from the northern warrior build either.’
I had tried the combination because the northern warrior players would not stop making a fuss about it.
In the end, the synergy between Berserk-Revised and the build was not bad.
Cold Heart’s resistance to mental effects could minimize the madness debuff, allowing me to take almost nothing but the physical enhancement.
‘Literally, it isn’t bad.’
But it was not a perfect fit for the build either.
Rather than the northern warrior build, which focused on waiting for openings and counterattacking, the Skill suited a somewhat more aggressive build.
Naturally, another way to use it came to mind.
‘What if I make an entirely different build?’
The Skill itself had no glaring flaws, so I judged that it could easily serve as a core component.
And among the various branching builds I had created around it, one was......
‘The Bahen Grand Ducal Heir Build.’
Extreme Cold Art.
Berserk-Revised.
And beyond that, aggressive swordsmanship.
Since the build was difficult to even pursue without ties to Bahen, I had deliberately named it that way.
It had become fairly popular.
It had even proudly occupied a high position in the build power rankings.
It was difficult to complete, but its excellent performance had made it popular.
‘Another advantage is that the build can branch in several directions depending on the swordsmanship.’
It was a highly versatile and efficient build that paired well with most swordsmanship styles.
And I had already laid the groundwork to learn that kind of swordsmanship.
Thinking that, I slowly raised my head and looked at Luke Bahen.
“Thank you. Something this precious......”
“It is fitting compensation. As I said.”
Luke Bahen appeared to look at me indifferently, but the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
“So handle this matter properly. I am expecting something from you.”
“Understood. You may look forward to it.”
I bowed my head slightly, then slowly left the audience chamber.
Tarian, who had been waiting outside, turned toward me.
“Nothing happened this time either, I hope?”
“No.”
I showed him the Skill Book.
“I have somewhere to go.”
“......?”
“Brücke.”
A new destination.
Apparently it was unexpected, because Tarian tilted his head slightly.
“Were we not returning to the territory?”
“We’ll stop there first, but I’m planning to head out again right after.”
“Understood. I will make preparations.”
Just as he said, our first stop would be the Rashid territory.
While Tarian prepared for our return, I went to find Larissa.
“Would you come with me?”
“Okay.”
Her answer was immediate.
She had said she would grant my requests for the time being, but I had not expected her to show absolutely no hesitation.
“Are we leaving right away?”
“Ah, yes.”
“I’ll prepare.”
With that, Larissa quickly walked away.
I stared after her, slightly dumbfounded.
“Where are you going?”
“What will you do if I tell you?”
“If you’re going somewhere, take me too!”
“What?”
I sighed at Johannes, who had somehow appeared and was now saying something like that.
“Why should I?”
“W-Well, I still owe you something in exchange for giving the sword back......”
“I already got paid for that by the Grand Duke.”
“......I want to watch your swordsmanship and learn from it so I can grow too.”
He hesitated for a moment before finally admitting it.
“Ah, and Sir Tarian’s sword and my sister’s too.”
He added the rest belatedly, but I could see the truth behind his awkward expression.
I let out a small sigh.
“If you come, will you listen to what I say?”
“Of course! Who do you take me for?!”
“......”
Not reassuring in the slightest.
I had not planned on bringing him at first.
Still......
‘It isn’t bad.’
I had gained another fairly useful piece of fighting strength.