My alter ego is becoming a big shot - Episode 147
#147
warrior party (1)
“My name is Heinrich St. Landgard, the first sword that upholds the will of the Lord. Thank you for taking the time to visit us despite your busy schedule..”
“It's an honor to meet you, saint. My name is Isea Pristine of the Azerion Empire. The savior of the continent chosen by God is calling, so of course I must come..”
A man and a woman exchanged greetings while facing each other in a reception room of Roselia's main temple..
A one-on-one meeting was prepared between the candidate and the saint for an interview..
“Saint? Before we begin, I have something to tell you first.···.”
However, even before the full-fledged conversation began, the first topic that Se-ah Lee brought up was about the unpleasant energy and sense of heterogeneity that she sensed from Harley..
‘Still, I thought I hid it pretty well, but it's not that easy..’
Of course, what he had to say about it had already been decided..
“You don't have to worry about him. This is a fact that we are already aware of, and more than anything, he is someone we can definitely trust..”
“As expected, it was like that. If the church judged it that way, then I was worried for no reason..”
After confidently dispelling her concerns, the topic returned to the main topic..
Since the mainstay of the 'warrior party' to oppose the Immortal King was the saint and warrior Heinrich, he was handling this matter with full authority..
In this matter, even the saint is merely a helper, and all decisions are left entirely to his personal judgment..
“···So, I am truly grateful that you think highly of me, but due to various circumstances, I don't think I will be able to help you directly. I'm really sorry.”
and now.
Heinrich was facing his third rejection in his third interview..
‘I knew from the beginning that everyone wouldn't be willing to do it. Most of them were recommended for political reasons..’
Lee Se-ah, who had been speaking calmly, bowed politely and apologized..
There was an atmosphere in that polite and sincere expression that could not help but soften one's heart..
Moreover, doesn't she have the appearance of a young and delicate girl??
Regardless of my actual age, I couldn't help but feel weak when I met her in person..
Heinrich nodded with a soft smile, as if he understood her feelings..
Of course, as a master of life acting, his inner feelings were different..
‘With this face, you’re older than me? No matter how you look at this woman, she seems to be from Earth..’
He analyzed her slowly while conversing to persuade her..
With an ageless face and oriental appearance, even the name is strangely Korean..
As I had just recently met Andrew, an awakened person on Earth, there were many things that made it difficult to just dismiss it as a coincidence..
‘So I checked it once when shaking hands with Harley.···.’
The handshake with her lasted only a brief moment, but it was enough time for Harley's keen senses to determine the state of her body..
Of course, since the opponent was a great wizard, he did not use energy separately, but it was not a big problem for him, who was already an authority on the bodies of living things..
From subtle tremors in muscles, bioelectricity flowing through the body, movements of internal tissues including heartbeat, and changes in blood pressure, body temperature, and breathing..
The human body itself contained a lot of information, and Harley, who had overcome its limitations through “mutation” and “physical mutation,” had the ability to analyze it..
The result that came out of that was—.
‘It's ambiguous. Maybe because he's a wizard, he doesn't have any notable physical features like Andrew. If Harley's mental strength or magic-related abilities were increased through karma, there would be no way for Harley to know..’
There was insufficient evidence.
Initially, in order to survive in this harsh world, it would have been advantageous to slightly increase her physical abilities, but she was only at the level of a slightly healthy ordinary person..
Of course, at this level, if you use magical power and strengthening magic, you will show physical ability greater than that of a decent warrior, but wouldn't that have been the case even at the beginning of entering this world??
‘5It is not clear whether the princess's side took any action or not, nor is there any record of the past. In this world, unless you are a high-ranking person, personal information is not managed systematically like on Earth.···.’
It was only about three years that she received the title of nobility..
The only previous record I could find was that about 8 years ago, 'the young princess brought in and sponsored a talented commoner wizard.'.
‘It is certainly remarkable that he has grown to the point of receiving an imperial title in just 5 years of support..’
He was truly a model of a self-made man..
And, that made me even more suspicious..
Meanwhile, the conversation between the two continued..
“···As you probably know, my situation is not that good. Because not everyone will follow the cause..”
She spoke frankly about her situation..
As the Main Church is a force with formidable information power, they did not say anything, probably because they thought they already knew..
‘It's because of the crown prince..’
When I heard her words, Prince Simon's scruffy face suddenly came to mind..
Throughout the summit meeting, he was subtly political and irritating, as were his words and actions and his evil deeds that were discovered through background investigation..
‘It's a competition for the throne between the crown prince and the 5th princess. Plus, the crown prince is in a much better situation.···?’
Suddenly, bad... no, righteous thoughts began to bloom in his mind..
It was still only in the planning stage, but I decided to keep it in mind and use it later..
“All right. The religious order never forces individual sacrifice. If you change your mind later, please feel free to contact us..”
“Yes, I'm really sorry. If I had the opportunity, I would definitely have been there. As a person who pursues magic, I cannot tolerate warlocks who abuse it..”
The moment I break down and listen to her formal words,.
A thought flashed through his mind..
“ah! Viscount Pristine? Now that I think about it, there is one thing I would like to ask for advice on. This is a problem that our church has not been able to come to a conclusion on, so I would like to hear the archmage's opinion..”
“If that's the case, it doesn't matter. I understand that the leader of the Magic Tower is here, so wouldn't it be better to ask him for magical advice??”
“Hahaha, of course I already asked him that too. I want to hear the opinions of as many people as possible..”
Heinrich looked around and took out a pen and notebook from his robes..
And while holding a notebook in one hand, he slowly drew something and opened his mouth to her in an indifferent tone..
“This is an issue on which we have differing opinions, but no conclusion has yet been reached. It is said that not only the theologians but also the wizards and sorcerers who were consulted could not be certain..”
“If that's the case, I don't think I can be of much help.···.”
“it's okay. Just give your opinion.”
When he finally finished the work, he looked at Lee Se-ah again with a serious expression and spoke..
“Do you know about the mask worn by the immortal king Hannibal Strauss??”
“Yes, he said, a smiling mask made of wood. The person who wants to destroy the world has a smiling face, so there is nothing wrong with that. What could it be but the mindset of a madman who wants to ridicule everyone??”
“···Hmm, yes. And this is a rough design of the mask..”
Heinrich cleared his throat lightly and handed her a notebook..
“I'm not good at drawing, so there may be differences in the details, but the overall impression will be similar. Please look at this and tell us what magical meaning comes to mind..”
“okay. Well, masks are also a medium often used in rituals.···.”
And when she received the notebook and looked at the picture, her body.
It was as if time had stopped, frozen in place..
“···! Uh, this is···!”
A new voice leaks out of my mouth without my knowledge.
Lee Se-ah's expression, which had always maintained a calm demeanor, shook violently..
Although it wasn't depicted in as much detail as it was lightly drawn on the spot, the features were clearly recognizable..
Crooked eyes, thick eyebrows, fine wrinkles, large bulbous nose.
It was a mask that no Korean could recognize..
“Why is that? do you know anything?”
“Oh, no...? it's nothing. I think I was briefly mistaken. For a moment in the village where I lived as a child···.”
“Hmm, so you’re saying there was a mask similar to this? Can you tell me where that village is? The immortal king's hometown may be in that area.···.”
“No, no! Well, a kid in the neighborhood made this to kill time! Yes, it was a substitute for a toy. But then I quickly got tired of it and just destroyed it. It just brought back old memories and overreacted. haha···.”
I was excited to see her flustered, as she had not shown any signs of agitation throughout the interview, and it bothered me so much without even realizing it.—.
‘It was just right.’
This allowed him to be sure.
‘As expected, this woman was also an awakened person on Earth..’
However, Heinrich did not show it on the surface and nodded as if he was regretful..
“It's a shame. I wish I had some clue.”
“···Yeah, I'm not sure if there's any special meaning to this. Sorry for not being helpful.”
Her agitation quickly subsided..
Although she momentarily lost her composure after encountering unimaginable information at an unexpected moment, she was also an archmage who reached her peak..
It was an instant for me to regain my composure and regain my cool..
‘Well, after living in isolation from Earth civilization for more than 8 years, it would be surprising if Hahoetal suddenly invaded..’
He didn't just appear, he appeared as the mask of the Immortal King, an absolute evil and the incarnation of death who seeks to destroy this world..
It was a natural reaction for a Korean..
‘Yes, if you are Korean..’
Andrew, the first Earthling we encountered, was American..
But the person you meet for the second time is of the same nationality as you. What kind of coincidence can this be?.
‘In any case, information about Hans' mask is bound to spread quickly. There were more than one or two people who saw it..’
Since I used that information so usefully, this was a very satisfying result..
With this, I was able to clearly decide how to use her..
***
This was a world without the Internet or communication networks, but as the natural ability developed instead of science, the speed at which news spread to each region was not slow..
Of course, normally, the upper class, such as merchant guilds and local officials who are sensitive to information, would control the time for rumors to spread to the public by appropriately controlling them for their own benefit.···.
The news about the resurrection of the immortal king that was announced this time was different in nature..
At first, the information was controlled for the sake of social stability, but at some point it became impossible to hide it any longer, and it was eventually made public on a large scale due to the rampage of the undead and monster madness..
The vested interests also decided that in order to maintain the current system, it would be better to risk widespread fear in society and focus the residents' complaints on the steadfast 'enemy'..
As a result, the story about the immortal king, the source of all evil in the world, began to spread rapidly among people..
“Hey, did you hear the news? It is said that the Principality of Rohan in the north of the empire eventually fell..”
“Huh—the country is falling apart? No way, that···.”
“Of course, this was done by the ‘Immortal King Hans’. It is said that he personally led the monsters in and destroyed them, and hundreds of thousands of people are said to have died.!”
“···Oh my, is it possible to live with anxiety in the world? Please, this place needs to be safe..”
The news was exaggerated and spread even faster with the fall of the Principality of Rohan.—.
“Jessie's mom, did you hear that? Well, they say that the last time the village dam collapsed, it wasn't due to poor construction, but was done secretly by Hans' followers.!”
“Oh my, are there people who would kill someone like that? How many people have been harmed because of that! ···wait? From what I heard, the fact that last year's crop was ruined seems a bit suspicious, and I'm guessing they also sprinkled poison on the field.?!”
“Oh my! oh my god! Is it really so??”
There were even people who blamed all the unfortunate events on him..
“Ugh~ Can I change my name? The kids are just calling me Hans.···.”
“Wow, no matter what, I can't change my name···.”
“okay! That would be a good idea. You too, stop being stubborn! What's that common name? I'm going to catch you like this.!”
“···I can't help it. Well, how about Heinz as a name change??”
It did not discriminate between men and women of all ages, and even conservative parents rushed to change their children's names..
His notoriety was inflated beyond imagination and was engraved in people's minds..
Beyond large cities, small and medium-sized cities and small villages, as well as slash-and-burn villages in the mountains,.
Even though there was only a difference in degree, the name began to spread in the Enamel Continent as well..
And in the end.
《Achievement achieved! I have become an ‘enemy of the world’ who receives everyone’s resentment and hatred..》
《More than half of the living intelligences of the plane of Outerica have decided that you are their enemy. As a reward, the privilege “Extra Life” will be granted..》
《He achieved great achievements and had a great impact on the world. Karma increases further.》
After the official announcement, Hans' influence, which had slowly been covering the continent, finally surpassed a certain critical point..
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