1-Second Invincible Player in the Game - Chapter 48

1-Second Invincible Player In The Game 48

48. The Beggar and the Noble (1)

There was a time when wielding a sword was permitted.

Parents who watched with joy as I improved day by day.

Discovering the joy of the sword myself.

Naturally, the girl’s path led her to become a knight.

Leana thought that if it weren’t for that man on her 15th birthday, her parents would have gladly supported her.

-“Don’t strut around with a sword, you’re just a girl.”

Leana recalled that voice, which remained vivid in her mind, and asked coldly with an indifferent face.

“So, what brings you here?”

“…”

“If you won’t answer, I’ll just assume what I want.”

Leana turned away, thinking it wasn’t worth speaking.

Then, suddenly remembering a lingering question, she spoke again.

“But what did I do wrong?”

She had always wondered.

Hersel, who had visited their house as a guest that day, hadn’t been wronged in any way.

She hadn’t even tried to meet him, swinging her sword where no one could see.

Even though he suddenly approached and picked a fight…

-“If it displeases you, I’ll do it elsewhere.”

-“You’re wrong. That’s not what I want. I want you to not pick up the sword at all. Oh, and it’s no use saying you’ll give it up now. You’ll just pick up the sword again where I can’t see. Right?”

Thinking they would never see each other again, she didn’t bother to respond.

-“It seems you want to become a knight, shall we make a bet? Whether you can continue to hold the sword or not.”

Until she found out what method he had thought of…

“Why did you go through with the engagement without my consent? Why?”

The Derevian family was nothing more than a common noble compared to Tenest.

There was nothing to gain.

But for her own family, the strategic marriage with the great noble Tenest was an opportunity they couldn’t refuse.

“I’ve been opposed by my family because of you. Forced into bride lessons that don’t suit me. Now, I’ve even broken off relations with them.”

My path was blocked, and the only one who had allowed it, my mother, was chased away to her parents’ home the moment she secretly stamped the consent form for my admission, behind my father’s back.

I must admit, my stubbornness played a big part in that, but the man before me was the cause.

“It wasn’t just because of a bet, was it?”

Could such a petty reason be the sole cause for such actions?

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand.

“…Don’t just stay silent, say something.”

A hint of emotion crept into my voice.

Then, Hershel’s lips, which seemed sealed forever, parted.

“Shall I answer honestly?”

“……”

“I don’t remember anything.”

Strength flowed into Leana’s hands.

And then, it ebbed away just as quickly.

Whether this man interfered or not, as always, I would silently continue to do what I had to do.

“It seems you have no intention of letting me go until the end. Do as you like. It won’t go the way you want it to……”

Leana turned her back.

Then Hershel called out to her.

“Leana.”

“…What is it?”

“I could let everything else slide, but I can’t ignore what you just said. You must have a princess disease. You should get that treated.”

Hershel tried to leave first, as if to take the lead.

‘Princess disease?’

As Leana mulled over his words, her mind went blank.

Then, from a distance, Selly approached with a greeting.

“How did the young master’s exam go… Oh my. Miss Leana, hello? I’m Selly Dailden.”

Selly lifted her hand lightly, which had been pinching her skirt.

Hershel, whether he cared or not, went on his way.

“But, did our young master make any mistakes?”

Leana answered with her eyes.

Selly seemed to catch on immediately, whispering an apology with a remorseful expression.

“Please, forgive me. The truth is, the young master sometimes becomes delirious due to his madness…”

“Madness?”

“Yes, it’s been about 8 months already.”

As Hershel disappeared, Leana blinked her eyes.

-I can’t remember anything.

Perhaps, what Selly said could be true.

* * *

At first, I had no choice but to listen silently.

If it were the narrative I knew, my mother wouldn’t have been chased away.

It must be because this wretch died, losing his value as a pawn in a political marriage, that father allowed it.

I could only see it as my being alive having some influence.

That’s what I was sorting out in my head.

I planned to draw a line at an opportune moment, but an overly harsh remark slipped out.

It was because I was upset at being treated like a stalker.

The more I hear of this scoundrel’s misdeeds, the more astonishing and fresh they seem, but it’s not my fault.

“Hmm.”

Perhaps it’s for the best.

My affection would have waned anyway, and they would naturally avoid me.

Then, the forced connection should naturally fade away.

With that reassurance, I stepped into the Schlafé mansion.

The first floor resembled a hotel lobby.

The walls and floor were all made of dull-colored marble.

It had an antique feel, but the cracks and roughly hewn parts revealed it was just an old building.

“…”

People were lined up, waiting.

At the front, the dormitory supervisors were checking the identities of the new students, handing out rules and keys.

It seemed it would take a while for my turn, so I quietly observed the first-floor lobby.

The chandelier hanging from the ceiling flickered.

It was the wax, half-melted, catching fire and then extinguishing repeatedly.

On the desk, there was a pot containing a bizarre-looking plant, and all the furniture was made of solid wood, engraved with eerie patterns that seemed to scream like ghosts.

Among them, the most captivating was a tall grandfather clock as tall as me.

Inside the clock, a black cat trapped swung a pendulum back and forth, strikingly touching it.

Ah.

As soon as our eyes met, it vanished into smoke…

“Hershel Ben Tenest.”

“…”

“Hershel Ben Tenest!”

Oh dear, is it already my turn?

A middle-aged man in a skinny suit with a monocle handed over a set of rules made of mirrors and a key, his expression bristly.

“Room 303 in Building 3. Your luggage has been placed in the dormitory. If you wish to shower, refer to the map in the hallway.”

As my face reflected in the mirror, the rules were listed.

These phrases change daily, but today they read:

[When passing the stairwell, even if you see a woman crouching in the corner, do not give her any attention. Building 3 strictly prohibits women’s entry, as it is a male dormitory.]

[At 11:37 PM, lock your door without fail and do not come out. If you hear the lock disengage, lock it again. This process needs to be done only once.]

[The dormitory supervisors have colored bands tied around their right arms. They never wear red bands. Even if there is a small red stain, do not approach them. If you happen to witness this, be sure to report it in the morning.]

This was the biggest downside of the Schlafe Dorm.

A dormitory where anomalies were daily due to its location atop a dungeon.

With the warnings changing every day without time to adapt, the stress was more than trivial.

It was a suffocating environment, but what could I do?

If it bothers me, I should go to the safer Adel Dorm inside the fortress or the Burger Dorm where anomalies are less frequent…

* * *

After showering, I looked around the assigned room.

It was only as big as the dressing room in a mansion.

All there was, was a worn-out desk and chair, along with a bed and a wardrobe.

Rummaging through the drawers, I found an old piece of paper.

It was a pamphlet with a rough map drawn on it.

Below it, items available for purchase and basic expenses were listed.

Heating cost 10 coins per month.

Dormitory maintenance fee 5 coins per month.

The monthly allowance given to students of Schlafe Dorm was 30 coins.

To live here, one must work like a slave, it also implied.

“……”

Suddenly, reality hit me hard.

I, who lived well as a rich man’s son, had returned to the painful days of a social newbie.

Back to the times when I agonized over living expenses…

No, this is no time to lament my fate.

I reminded myself of the plan I had set when I entered the academy.

The goal is to clear the scenario and survive by all means.

The mainstay, of course, are the playable characters.

…But there’s a thorny issue here.

Because of the random elements, some guys die, and their narratives get twisted, leading them to ordinary lives.

I must increase the survival rate of the playable characters as much as possible until the latter half.

That’s how the probability of clearing increases.

Click.

I opened the curtain and stared blankly at the castle beyond the window.

Leaning on the window frame, I thought of the Adel Manor, where a large number of playable characters were gathered.

From noble mtl dot come

And then I gritted my teeth.

“If it weren’t for that b*stard…”

The original plan was to enter Adel Manor right from the start.

There was nothing better than living in the same building to monitor how their narratives unfolded.

But, due to Rockefeller’s interference, I was pushed back a step behind schedule.

I clenched my fist, feeding off the boiling anger within me.

Whether he interferes or not, I’ll make a grand entrance into Adel Manor.

Definitely.

* * *

The facilities of Adel Manor were generally lavish.

The clean carpets, the porcelain, and the framed pictures on the walls all shone brilliantly.

And there were various convenience facilities as well.

Liamon walked aimlessly until he arrived at a spacious area.

Sofas and bookshelves were scattered around.

At the counter, a middle-aged woman was brewing tea, while the freshmen I glimpsed earlier took their trays and sat down.

As I turned to leave, a maid sent from the family approached me.

“Oh, Lord Liamon, I’ve been looking for you.”

Liamon furrowed his brow.

“…So you’ve followed me all the way here. Why not just stay in the same room then?”

“How could I, a woman, enter there? Instead, come over here and mingle with the others.”

I don’t have many fond memories of socializing with people.

As I tried to ignore her and walk away, the maid called out softly.

“Lord? The head of the family wishes for you to graduate with excellent grades. To achieve that, it’s essential to foster connections with capable people.”

Liamon stopped in his tracks and sighed deeply.

Just then, a short-haired woman who seemed interested came over.

“Hello? You’re Liamon, the one who topped the entrance exam, right?”

“……”

Silent, I stood still, and the maid glared sharply at me.

With no choice, Liamon nodded and replied.

“Well, let’s just say I was lucky.”

“Ah, don’t stand around here, come join us. We were just introducing ourselves.”

Looking at the table the woman pointed to, Liamon’s typically gloomy thoughts kicked in.

‘Pretentious lot. They gather around because it’s mutually beneficial. Had I not ranked first, they wouldn’t have bothered with me.’

With a gentle push from the maid, Liamon joined the table of about a dozen people, feeling bewildered.

“Pleased to meet you. I am Liamon of the Rebectura family. Thank you for the invitation.”

I feigned politeness with a gesture almost forced upon me, and conversations ensued.

Starting with simple questions, they moved on to trivial topics about the exam.

To Liamon, these were uninteresting matters, so he responded briefly, and soon no one paid him any more attention.

Gradually becoming isolated from the group, they whispered among themselves.

A name that piqued my interest popped out of the mouth of a man wearing glasses.

“But why did that guy Hersel enroll here?”

Liamon glanced momentarily at the red-haired woman who had twitched her eyebrows.

The others’ gazes were fixed on her too.

Her name was Leana, wasn’t it?

“Leana, can you tell me what happened? You seem like you might know.”

“…I’m not sure myself. We weren’t exactly pen pals.”

The atmosphere dipped with her emotionless voice.

The bespectacled man seemed to decide it was worth mentioning after all, clearing his throat and fixing a serious gaze.

“You all must have heard. Six months ago, the rumor that he survived the mythical beast’s breath.”

Riamon tilted his head in wonder.

Was that man the subject of the outdated rumor?

‘Somehow.’

As she was convincing herself, the short-haired woman asked with a puzzled face.

“Oh, that? I heard about it too… Wasn’t it a lie?”

“I can’t believe it either. But he did pass the third trial. Knowing his usual stamina, I can’t dismiss the rumor as entirely false.”

“Really? But he still came in last. I think I barely made it thanks to that hulking barbarian. That guy probably just held everyone back, right?”

Riamon blinked at the short-haired woman’s confident statement.

That guy held them back…?

He was so astonished that he had to speak up.

“You.”

“Hmm?”

“…”

But then Riamon swallowed his words.

He remembered the conversation they had while walking over the cliff, stepping on the rope with the guy on his back.

-How does the view look from that height?

Curious about his true strength, he had asked honestly, and the guy had replied…

-It’s dizzyingly high. You can’t see anything unless you go down yourself.

He had probed nonchalantly…

-Yeah, it must be lonely and boring standing high up there alone. I can somewhat understand the desire to go down to those dizzying depths.

To which the guy had threatened, almost as if telling him to shut up…

-Don’t get any strange ideas. If you don’t want a short life.

He had often heard that the strong find daily life boring.

He came to the academy probably to alleviate that boredom, having no one to match his level.

And realizing there was no worthy opponent, the guy seemed to have found new amusement by hiding his true worth and blending in with the ordinary folks.

“Hey, Liamon? Do you have something you want to say to me?”

If he interferes with this act, it’s a death wish from him.

Liamon swallowed hard and stuttered.

“…Ah, no. I just wanted to say that I think you’re right.”

Then Leana said,

“Even so, you’ve gotten much more robust than before. Your walk is well-balanced too. For a moment, I mistook you for someone else…”

The man with glasses asked Liamon,

“Speaking of which, Liamon, you escaped around the same time as Hershel, didn’t you? Do you have any leads?”

It was just when he was trying to come up with a proper response.

“I can’t help but interfere since I’ve been hearing that person’s name all this time.”

The silver-haired man who came to Limberton and constantly interfered with everything.

Surely his brother’s name was Eruzel, wasn’t it?

The man with glasses pointed to an empty seat.

“You’ve come at the right time, Eruzel. Take a seat. You would know since you lived together. Is it true that he survived the monster’s attack?”

Eruzel puffed his cheeks with a ‘Pfft!’ sound.

“Do you still believe such absurd rumors? I know him well from seeing him over the years, and I’m certain he threatened the servants to make up that story. He loves to act superior.”

No matter what anyone says, they are family living under one roof.

As many seemed to agree, Liamon looked at Eruzel.

If they’re family, he would naturally know what kind of person his brother is.

‘…Was all the belittling just to protect his brother’s secrets?’

Upon realizing the truth, his perception of them as estranged brothers began to change.

But the acting was just too real.