***
Last time, the treasure chest gifted me money and a circle.
Would it be the same this time?
With eager anticipation on my face, I approached the chest.
Then, as I lightly touched it.
[You have acquired 30 billion rute. Please enter the account to deposit.]
Following the previous 5 billion rute, this time it was 30 billion.
5 billion was an enormous sum, but as the son of a lord, it was an amount I could scrape together if I pushed hard.
But 30 billion was difficult to obtain even for a nation.
'I’ve only reached the 2nd Circle, and already 30 billion.'
At this rate, by the 3rd Circle, it could balloon to hundreds of billions.
Then, no matter where I went, I could live comfortably without relying on my father.
Of course, I had no intention of running away now that I’d come this far, but for someone like me with no power base, such a massive fortune was an irreplaceable strength.
I had no idea how much cash I’d ultimately amass, but having this much immediately available put my mind at ease.
In the treasure chest on the 2nd floor, number 1, money had been followed directly by the 1st Circle.
But this time, there was one new reward in between.
[A subspace has been granted.]
[The subspace is being transplanted to the synchronized body (reality).]
[Do not exit the game.]
The reward was none other than a subspace.
Even in our territory, only my father possessed a subspace artifact passed down through generations in our family—a treasure so rare even among nobles.
And for good reason: subspaces could only be created at the 7th Circle, and crafting one into an artifact required the power of an 8th Circle mage.
Yet the highest mage in the Reinhartz Kingdom was only at the 7th Circle, and worldwide, there were just eight 8th Circle mages.
Naturally, the value of a subspace artifact was astronomical, and even with money, they were nearly impossible to obtain.
"Ooh."
A gasp of admiration escaped me involuntarily.
[The subspace transplantation is complete.]
[The subspace can only be used in reality.]
[The subspace dimensions are 20m x 20m x 20m, with no weight limit.]
Moreover, the value of a subspace varied by its capacity, and this cube with 20-meter sides was ten times larger than the one my father had.
It was like having my own secret treasure vault to hide necessities in, and with clever use, I could probably find ways to utilize it beyond mere storage.
[The 2nd Circle is being generated.]
With the delightful gift of the subspace transplantation complete as planned, the 2nd Circle was generated next.
* * *
"Huh... Your physical strength has improved dramatically in just a few days."
The time outside the game was spent resting and continuing swordsmanship training.
Vance, who was instructing me, expressed regret that if I’d started learning the sword as a teenager, I would have achieved great things, marveling at my rapidly improving motor skills and stamina.
'If I, who had to abandon my genius act to survive, had shown talent in swordsmanship, it probably would have been even more dangerous.'
Vance probably knew it too, but his exaggerated reactions were also meant to prevent the knights from looking down on me.
Of course, as training sessions lengthened, his reactions became less exaggeration and more genuine.
Perhaps pleased that his student was keeping up well, Vance taught me with an enthusiastic expression.
"Haha, good."
The greatness of Duke Lucas's fortuitous encounter wasn't limited to enhancing magical abilities.
The fact that the game's stats reflected directly into reality also meant that with effort, I could possess physical prowess comparable to a knight's, even as a mage.
If I fully absorbed the fortuitous encounter, I might become a monster surpassing Duke Lucas, who had perfectly compensated for a mage's weaknesses.
Thanks to that, even with slightly less sleep, swordsmanship training had become quite enjoyable.
* * *
-Lawrence Baronial Castle in Viscount Lawrence's Territory.
Rayford Lawrence, the head of the Lawrence family, stood by the study window, gazing at the splendid scenery of his territory laid out before him.
Floating disk-shaped sky fortresses monitored the territory for flying monsters and enemy invasions, while the orderly rows of high-rise buildings gleamed magnificently. Just looking at it made him feel full without eating.
But Viscount Lawrence's expression as he surveyed the territory was stiff, due to the unexpected news he had received.
"What are you thinking so deeply about?"
A woman in a revealing red dress that accentuated her figure approached him seductively, slipping her arm through his.
Her name was Anna Lawrence.
The lady of the Lawrence house and the biological mother of Cedric, the confirmed heir to the territory.
Staring down at Anna, the viscount let out a long sigh and handed her a single document.
[Provincial Army Mobilization Order]
-Due to the increasing possibility of war with the Croisen Empire, troops from each territory are to be assembled into a provincial army.
Viscount Lawrence is to lead 5 vanguards, 50 knights, and 1,000 soldiers to join the Western Command.
It didn't take long for Anna's expression to harden as she read the paper her husband handed her without much thought.
"What is the scale of the war?"
"It's uncertain. Whether war will even break out. But the problem is that the Croisen bastards are concentrating forces near the border."
"Y-you don't mean you're thinking of sending Cedric to the battlefield, do you?"
Naturally, cases where a lord personally led troops to the battlefield were rare.
In such situations, lords typically sent their heirs as commanders.
It was a rare sight on Anna's arrogant and selfish face, but the viscount had no leisure to check on his wife's complexion.
"Hmm..."
Even if war broke out, as long as one took care of themselves, the chances of a noble dying were very low.
The issue was Cedric's temperament.
He could vividly imagine Cedric, greedy for achievements, recklessly charging into a fiery pit without distinguishing friend from foe.
Of course, Cedric wasn't a child and would restrain himself to some degree, but the battlefield was a place where maintaining reason was extremely difficult.
Irrational orders, ambushes, provocations— it was overflowing with elements to provoke one's temper.
Cedric might be brave, but becoming a good commander would be hard for him.
A good commander on the battlefield was one who kept subordinates alive without getting them killed.
"Send Adrian. He's just playing games in the mansion every day anyway. Doesn't he need to show some responsibility as a member of the Lawrence family once in a while?"
Honestly, the viscount thought sending Adrian instead of Cedric would be better in many ways.
At least Adrian had solid judgment.
And knowing full well that Adrian holed up playing games because of Anna and Cedric, he never dismissed him as incompetent.
The fact that he knew the value of his own life and had taken good care of himself since childhood was, in a way, praiseworthy.
"You're saying to use him only when we need him, after leaving him alone all this time?"
"Did we want to leave him alone? He wished for it himself. And we haven't treated him poorly just because he stepped aside, have we? He's been living lavishly, enjoying all the privileges of nobility."
But even if Anna and Cedric had stolen Adrian's future, the viscount himself had turned a blind eye to it all despite knowing the facts.
Thus, though her proposal irked him, he couldn't easily lash out.
"Do you really think that?"
"What are you trying to say?"
Faced with Anna's sharp retort, Viscount Lawrence silently stared at her.
Feeling burdened by his gaze, Anna couldn't keep looking and eventually turned her head away.
"This should be enough. Let's give Adrian his freedom now."
"Anyone hearing you would think he'd been imprisoned."
"That wouldn't be entirely wrong."
Seeing Anna bite her lip, the viscount spoke earnestly.
"The heir to the territory is Cedric. And I'll ensure nothing uncomfortable happens for you or your father-in-law going forward. For this once, follow my decision."
"......"
Anna hesitated to respond.
With an understanding expression, Viscount Lawrence reached a conclusion.
"I'll send Adrian to the battlefield as you said. In return, once he comes back, we'll let him be completely independent. I hope nothing threatens Adrian or Sylvia from now on. That includes surveillance and background checks."
That was the utmost consideration the current Viscount Lawrence could offer.
* * *
An unexpected summons from my father.
And suddenly ordered to join the army, I pointed at Cedric, who was flushing red beside me, and said,
"For something like this, I think my brother is more suited than me."
"Exactly! Why send a bean sprout like this to represent the family on the battlefield!"
It was absurd how he saw himself as a bear but normals as bean sprouts.
But without much change in expression, I waited for my father's next words.
"Cedric is the precious heir to the family. That's why I can't send him to a dangerous battlefield."
Cedric's expression relaxed a bit at that, but my mother, who had been quietly listening behind, asked in shock.
"Does that mean Adrian isn't a precious child?"
A flicker of embarrassment crossed my father's face, but he soon answered calmly.
"There has to be a difference in weight compared to the family heir."
He could have said something pleasant to hear, but since he didn't, he must feel sorry.
His attitude was one of accepting any complaints graciously.
Comforting my pale-faced mother, I replied.
"Understood. Then I'll participate as the family representative."
"Thank you."
My mother seemed greatly shocked, and even my father, who had pushed for this, looked uncomfortable. But honestly, I didn't think this situation was entirely bad.
The game could be accessed via portable terminal with just the headgear, and even on the battlefield, as a lord's proxy, there wouldn't be much interference.
Sure, playing games there might draw some side-eye, but when nobles used to living like kings in their territories get dragged out, all sorts of nonsense happens.
I could boldly predict there'd be more than a few worse than me.
'Abuse of power and debauchery are standard, and some might even be on drugs.'
So what if I played games a bit?
It was a healthy hobby, really.
'And above all, the most important fact: the moment I leave the territory, a hole opens in Anna's surveillance.'
Anna seemed satisfied that I was going to the battlefield in Cedric's place.
Even though this decision meant I'd slip out of her sight.
Well, I could understand.
She utterly looked down on me, so it wasn't strange for her to let her guard down at this point.