1-Second Invincible Player in the Game

23. The Meeting (1)

Click-clack, click-clack─

As soon as we entered the trophy room of Aol, we were greeted by the split face of a monster.

Heads of various monsters were mounted and displayed on wooden plaques. It was a stark reminder of the peculiar hobbies of the wealthy.

“Brother, let’s go to the end of that corridor. I’ve never been that far myself.”

Mirsel spoke with an excited voice, while Niasel’s face was stricken with fear.

Following the leading Mirsel, we walked down the corridor. The deeper we went, the more the stuffed monsters seemed to glare or flick their tongues.

Click, click, click!

“Ah, you startled me! What is this thing supposed to be?”

Mirsel stumbled backward as a giant snake skull in front of us clicked its teeth.

“Is that a Grommar? Judging by the bones, it must have been burned to death.”

“Oh, you know quite a lot, don’t you?”

I muttered to myself, recognizing the monster from the setting book, and Mirsel looked at me with admiration.

Meanwhile, Niasel’s trembling intensified, clinging to me like glue. I used this as an excuse to ask Mirsel.

“Should we head back?”

Realizing my concern, Mirsel chided Niasel.

“What’s there to be scared of? It’s almost over, just a little further!”

Niasel shook his head, indicating he couldn’t go any further.

“Hmph! Then wait here. Brother, let’s go on without him.”

Despite his confident tone, Mirsel’s steps were cautious. Eager to finish quickly, I also took a step forward. Then, my coat was tugged.

Tug─

“……”

Seeing his trembling, tearful face made my heart soften. After all, it seemed cruel to leave the kid here alone…

“…Then hop on.”

Hoping that the misfortune I feared wouldn’t occur, I carried Niasel on my back.

As we passed between the necks of the monsters, suddenly, three gleaming eyes flashed from the dark end of the corridor.

“?!”

Every hair on my body stood on end.

A chilling sensation seemed to seep into my very guts…

Mirsel stopped in his tracks, his shoulders trembling slightly. The sound of him swallowing his saliva was audible, a clear sign of extreme caution.

Yet, it seemed impossible to suppress human’s primal curiosity. Clutching the lamp handle tightly, Mirsel cautiously approached. Then, a bizarre scream that seemed to blend the cries of various animals echoed through the basement.

Keeeeeaaahhh───!

Black feathers, three eyes, and fangs revealed every time it opened its beak. Despite only its neck remaining, it was surrounded by chains and locks – it was undoubtedly the ‘Black Swan of Resentment.’

The creature shrieked, struggling as if trying to break free from the decorative wooden panel.

Keeaaak─ aaah──

Crash!

Mirsel swiftly hid behind me like a wild animal. I had sensed his tension mounting for a while now. Perhaps his keen senses had alerted him before I noticed.

“Brother… can you really not feel this…?”

No, it wasn’t that I couldn’t feel it. The ‘noble embers of blood’ prevented me from showing fear outwardly. Inside, my mind was screaming to flee.

I knew all too well the disaster that would ensue if those chains were ever released.

The Black Swan of Grudge

A demonic beast sealed long ago within the Tenest family, destined to be unleashed by the covert machinations of secret societies wishing for world destruction.

It’s a boss monster that appears in the scenario where the playable character, having arrived at a mansion turned into a portrait of hell, must join forces with Aol to reseal it.

The difficulty level of the subjugation is extreme.

Collapsed buildings and raging flames. Puddles of blood that seemed to overflow and the numerous corpses strewn upon them.

And I’ve seen countless playable characters torn to shreds in the jaws of the monstrous bird.

“Do you know, brother? They say this monster has killed thousands.”

“That’s a lot. Wasn’t it subdued in the demon realm?”

I had only seen it in the scenario where the seal was broken, not knowing the circumstances of its sealing.

“Yeah. It wreaked havoc in Melbra Village, and I heard it was dealt with by the Schweik family.”

Determination not to lose shone in Mirsel’s eyes, beading with cold sweat.

“…It was a fierce battle that lasted two nights. Many of the subjugation team died or were crippled, and even a high-ranking Schweik was gravely injured. In the end, my father decapitated it, and now it hangs here.”

Kieeeeeeeeh!

As if recalling that moment, the monster let out a more ferocious cry, and Mirsel, startled, hid even more tightly behind me.

“…Let’s go back.”

Mirsel didn’t insist any longer. Instead, he grabbed my hand with a face pale with fear.

Having such a monster beneath the mansion I stayed in was disconcerting, but the secret societies would only break the seal with a counterfeit key instead of the real one Aol possessed, an event that occurs mid-scenario.

Until then, I was determined to escape this cursed mansion, and with heavy steps, I moved on.

Kieeeeeeeeh!

Though I was moving away, the monster’s cries seemed to grow clearer and clearer.

* * *

I calmed my startled heart and was on my way back from sending off the twins.

When I arrived in front of my building, I saw someone sitting at the garden table.

A lady wearing a wide-brimmed hat pulled down low and several attendants serving her.

It was the lady of the house.

“Where are you going, Hersel, after coming all this way?”

I naturally turned to leave, but the hostess caught me.

I sighed inwardly and walked towards the table.

It’s broad daylight in the middle of the garden; I can’t do anything rash. Running away won’t solve anything.

“What brings you here?”

“I have something to discuss, so please sit down.”

At the hostess’s gesture, a servant pulled out the chair opposite me.

“I have nothing to discuss on my end.”

“Just sit. It’s not bad news.”

There was a strange persuasiveness in the hostess’s smiling eyes. She’s a woman who’s honest enough to threaten me to my face, so I don’t think she’s hiding any ulterior motives.

As I sat down, the servant poured tea. The hostess gestured for me to drink as I stared at the tea.

I took a sip of the tea. And the system window that popped up was… nonexistent. I didn’t expect such a shallow trick at this point.

“How is it? I prepared it especially for you.”

“Well, it’s fine.”

My guard slightly lowered, I spoke amiably, and the hostess smiled.

“You’ve changed a lot, Hersel. You used to react to chamomile.”

My hand twitched holding the teacup. It was a moment of realization that sitting here was no different from being in a tiger’s den.

The hostess leisurely sipped her tea and continued.

“People say individuals don’t change, but I don’t believe that. Especially men, they say, can change so much in just three days that it’s remarkable. Compared to that, acquiring a taste for tomatoes you couldn’t eat before, or a change in tea preference, is just a minor change.”

It seems the hostess believes that a series of events have caused some change in me.

Of course, she wouldn’t be able to grasp the essence of what that change is.

“It’s not that it’s minor; I’m just not interested in such changes. My position as the first in line for succession remains unchanged.”

Despite my pointed words, the hostess just grinned and changed the subject.

“Have you heard the news? The talks with the Schweik family.”

“If you intended to keep it quiet, you should have told your servants to be more discreet.”

“Haha. That’s not what I meant. Anyway, a public meeting over territorial disputes is scheduled in two days. The location is Arzel.”

Arzel is halfway between Tenest and Schweik.

“The empire will only provide the venue for the meeting; the discussion and results will be coordinated between the two families. But the problem is that it’s a public meeting.”

Chirp chirp. The servant refilled the empty cup, and the hostess watched the falling yellow tea and continued.

“At the public meeting, families with vested interests or subordinate families are allowed to attend. Of course, they have no voting or speaking rights, but surely the Schweik family will bring all their subordinate families with them.”

“Since we can’t stop the loose talk, they’ll likely engage in a public opinion campaign,” he surmised.

“Yes. It would be ideal to rally the vassal families to our side, but with the Grand Duke absent, we can’t mobilize them. That’s why this mother is finding herself a bit overwhelmed,” she admitted.

“Your preamble is lengthy. Get to the point, will you?”

“Attend the conference, Hershel. As a representative of the Tenest family.”

Was this an offer to borrow my influence, or to size me up?

Either way, it was an unwelcome proposal, so I narrowed my eyes in response.

“You must have said it would be good for me too, right?”

“Oh my, what could be better than an opportunity to dedicate oneself and serve the family?”

Clatter!

I rose from my chair with feigned irritation, intending to leave at once, but the hostess’s words stopped me.

“Understood. I’ll grant one of Hershel’s requests, within what I can offer.”

Within what she could offer.

Surely she wasn’t suggesting I drown myself in that tea or beg to be spared as a good son.

As I pondered what I could extract from this cunning woman, an idea finally came to mind.

“I have something I’d like to ask rather than request.”

“Then let’s go with that. What is it?”

“How long until Aoal, no, my father returns?”

Checking when this farce would end was what I needed most right now.

Knowing when this extreme situation would conclude could significantly impact survival.

The hostess seemed to ponder for a moment before speaking.

“Not too long ago, a courier arrived. They reported that the target demon had been subdued. There was also a date listed for their expected return to the mansion.”

“Just an expected date, though,” she added, pulling a letter sealed with the Tenest crest from her bosom and placing it on the table.

As I reached out for it, she pulled it back towards herself.

“I’ll hand over this letter once you arrive in Arzel. How about that?”

…As expected, she wasn’t going to be easy.

* * *

The next day. At the public conference hall in Arzel.

The stage was divided into conference seats for both factions, and above them were spectator seats that could accommodate around two hundred people.

Soon, the doors to the conference hall opened, and the observers began to enter.

The spectator seats were, as the name suggests, for observation, so unlike the conference seats, they weren’t divided by faction. However, the visiting observers naturally gravitated towards seats closer to their affiliated side.

As the opening approached, the seats on the Schweit side were packed with close to a hundred dignitaries and heads of vassal families, yet,

the seats on the Tenest side appeared almost empty, occupied only by a few nobles concerned with territorial rights or in search of gossip.

“Without the Archduke, there’s not much to see on that side.”

“We’ve never had the numbers to begin with.”

“The prestige of Tenest has hit rock bottom.”

Such murmurs were only to be expected.

As time passed, the scribe took his place, and the empire’s mediator stood in the center, looking up at the observers.

The atmosphere turned solemn, and the conference seats began to fill. The first to appear was a middle-aged man with neatly groomed beard and sharp eyes, Heinrich von Schweit.

He sat down at the table with his ministers. The observers swallowed hard, waiting for the Tenest family representatives to follow.

When the hostess, Ahilea, made her appearance from the opposite side, the observers couldn’t help but snicker.

Not only had a woman come forth, but she was accompanied by two young men and a little tyke.

“Huh! Does Tenest have no one else?”

“Chuckle. What’s with that kid? Do they think this conference is a joke?”

“Hey, isn’t that the mad dog of Tenest…”

Bang! Bang!

As the laughter grew louder, the mediator, with an embarrassed expression, banged the gavel. Even as the signal for silence spread, the snickers hardly subsided, until Heinrich scanned the crowd. Quiet came swiftly.

“Ahem. My apologies for the rudeness.”

His voice, thick as mud, echoed through the hall.

“We didn’t request a public conference to mock you.”

Heinrich’s gaze swept over the faces of the Tenest representatives.

“But you must understand. One looks decent enough, but did you bring that little brat here to nurse? And that scoundrel, what’s he for? Planning to cause a scene?”

Occasional giggles erupted from the crowd.

Yet, the hostess, without a change in expression, greeted him gracefully.

“How do you do, Count Heinrich. How have you been?”

“……”

Though it seemed a simple inquiry, for some reason, Count Heinrich grimaced and sat down without a word.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Once both parties were seated, the mediator declared the opening with the gavel and began the opening speech.

Amidst the quiet echo of the mediator’s voice, Hersel glanced at Ahilea seated next to him.

Then, Ahilea pulled out a small envelope from her bosom and handed it to Hersel.

It wasn’t a particularly noticeable action. Those who witnessed the scene also passed it off as related to the conference documents and showed little reaction.

Herselman was the only one who, after opening the envelope and checking its contents, curled up one corner of his mouth.

“…Then let’s start with the Schweit side. Please briefly explain your claims before the conference.”

As the mediator finished the opening remarks, Heinrich raised his voice.

“What the Schweit family claims is as follows. According to the empire’s solemn and merciful laws, it is lawful that Grandel belongs to our family!”

Clap, clap, clap.

Applause poured out from the conference seats, and since it was not fitting for a dispute conference hall, the mediator once again banged the gavel to intervene.

“Next, please speak on behalf of the Tenest side.”

“Hersel.”

As it became Tenest’s turn, the hostess softly called his name.

Then Hersel whispered in a voice only the hostess could hear.

“You’ve made a mistake.”

“Hm?”

“One should never let go of the reins of speech until it’s time to lower them.”

Bang!

Feet went up on the table with a loud noise. Hersel, almost lying down, spoke in a raised bass voice.

“Solemn my foot, what’s with all the complaints? If you’re so upset, stop whining and try fighting me.”

The hall fell silent as a mouse. Hersel looked around at the audience, who were at a loss for words.

“Aren’t you going to applaud for me?”

The unleashed rascal’s rampage had begun.