Chapter 82

Neutral Country Conference (2)

Teir couldn't help but be taken aback by the actions of the 7th Lord.

Even though they were acquainted, he never expected the 7th Lord to suddenly acknowledge him in such a setting.

Of course, Teir wasn't the only one surprised.

King Longford's eyes widened at the incomprehensible situation unfolding before him, and Sery was practically in a daze.

But it couldn't be helped. Why on earth was the lord of Caledric greeting Teir out of the blue? What connection could there possibly be?

Under the focused gazes, Teir hesitated, unsure of how to react.

The 7th Lord then spoke again.

"When did you return to the kingdom?"

"..., Ah, yes. I just returned today."

Teir answered with a bewildered voice.

The 7th Lord nodded and continued on his way, leaving one last remark.

"See you later."

It was just a few words, but the atmosphere felt as if a calm storm had swept through.

As the Grand Lord and the 7th Lord entered the inner part of the castle, a chaotic commotion filled the air.

'What is this, really...?'

Teir watched their retreating backs until he felt a gaze and turned his head.

Across from him, Chordan and Olivica, among the Kajol's attendants, were staring at him with their mouths agape.

"Hey, big brother. What was that just now? Huh?"

Sery, who had just regained her composure, asked in an urgent voice.

Teir sighed softly without answering. He was the most confused of all.

***

'Right away, we met as soon as I arrived.'

I thought about Teir as I entered the palace with the King of Earthhill.

"Return to your rightful place," the one sentence I had left with him before.

It was just a casual remark, so it wouldn't be strange if nothing had changed, but it seemed he had finally returned.

"7th Lord, if it's not too much trouble, may I ask how you know Prince Teir?"

At that moment, the King of Earthhill spoke.

He had been showing signs of concern about me, and it seemed he was curious.

I answered nonchalantly.

"It's nothing much. We just happened to meet by chance in the 5th Lord's territory."

And I ended up owing him a great deal of gratitude.

Thanks to the map Teir gave me, I obtained the secrets of the extrasensory perception that I wouldn't have otherwise.

"..., Is that so."

The king nodded with a strange expression and didn't ask further.

Thinking about it, it must have been quite baffling from his perspective.

He must be wondering what I was up to outside the castle to have met the lord of Caledric.

While walking down the palace corridor, a group of people came into view from the opposite direction.

A young woman, an elderly man, and a slightly older man standing in the middle, a small-framed old man.

Behind them, a few attendants and knights followed.

"..."

I immediately guessed their identities.

The old man in the middle was the Emperor of Sainthea, Grandios.

The man standing to his left, judging by his level and appearance, was one of the Five Stars, the Sword Saint, Quaiden.

And the woman on the right... she must be one of the princesses, though I couldn't tell which one.

My steps paused, and the Grand Lord smiled and looked at them.

After a brief silence, the Emperor spoke first.

"It's been a while, Grand Lord. You just arrived, it seems."

His deep, raspy voice echoed through the corridor.

Despite his small stature and not particularly high level, he exuded an indescribable, formidable presence.

I couldn't help but feel a similar impression to when I first met the Grand Lord after being summoned into the game.

It wasn't because I felt the same powerful aura from the Emperor as from the Grand Lord, but for another reason.

Because he was the Emperor.

The leader of the force that housed the very hero at the core of the main storyline in this Lasa world.

"Indeed. It's been a while, Emperor."

The Grand Lord replied with a voice tinged with amusement.

While she used formal language with the King of Earthhill, she didn't with the Emperor.

And the Emperor didn't seem to mind. His gaze turned to me.

"..., You must be the new 7th Lord of Caledric. It's a pleasure to meet you."

He seemed to have recognized me at first glance.

It wasn't surprising. The Emperor would have gathered information about me, and I was standing right next to the Grand Lord.

It was only natural for him to conclude that I was the new 7th Lord.

"By the way, isn't the hero attending this conference?"

"He's not. He didn't come."

"Ah, what a pity. I was looking forward to seeing him again after the last time."

The Grand Lord grumbled with genuine disappointment.

"Then we'll see each other at the conference."

And the conversation ended there.

It wasn't a coincidence, but it seemed the Emperor's purpose was just to briefly meet.

The woman standing next to the Emperor lightly bowed to us, and the Sword Saint glanced at Ashel standing behind me.

They then continued on their way.

"..."

I slowly turned my gaze.

Ashel's expression was cold and rigid, a look I had never seen before.

Her clenched fists were trembling, and I could feel her barely suppressing the boiling rage.

Her gaze was fixed on the back of one of the three retreating figures. I followed her gaze and looked at their backs.

'Sword Saint... Quaiden.'

I knew why she was reacting this way.

Sword Saint Quaiden.

The very person who had massacred her clan was right in front of her. How could anyone remain calm in such a situation?

It was already remarkable that she hadn't drawn her sword and attacked.

"Ashel."

When I called her name, Ashel closed her eyes tightly, then opened them and turned her gaze away.

"..., I'm sorry."

I wanted to say something, but nothing came to mind, so I decided to let it go.

Turning my head, I saw the Grand Lord looking at Ashel with interest.

***

After being guided to the accommodation where we would stay during the conference, the Grand Lord and I had lunch together.

We didn't dine with the king because the conference was about to start, and there would be a banquet afterward.

Sitting across from the Grand Lord at the long table, we ate in silence until she asked.

"Speaking of the 7th Lord's bodyguard, wasn't her name Ashel? She originally came to the Grand Lord's castle as a squire, right?"

I stopped cutting my meat and looked at her, slightly taken aback.

I thought she hadn't been paying attention since she hadn't said much, but now she was bringing it up.

"The Chief of Staff mentioned that the 7th Lord took a squire, and I was a bit curious. I didn't realize she was that talented, though. Haha, if the 7th Lord hadn't taken her, she could have easily joined the Black Lin."

"..."

Her words, though said with a smile, sounded a bit reproachful.

I remembered that the Grand Lord had first met Ashel at the Grand Lord's castle before we left for the neutral country.

She would have assessed Ashel's abilities at first sight.

I felt a bit guilty about taking Ashel, so I remained silent.

"Kajol might declare war on Earthhill."

Changing the topic to the conference, the Grand Lord nodded with a small laugh.

"That's right. Why?"

"Do you plan to get involved?"

"No, I don't. The Emperor won't either."

The answer came quickly. As expected.

The war between Earthhill and Kajol was one of the many episodes in the main storyline.

In the game, neither Caledric nor Sainthea had interfered in the war, so I already knew the Grand Lord's stance.

I also knew the reasons why they wouldn't interfere.

"By the way, the 7th Lord seemed quite interested in that prince earlier. Why did you even speak to him? I'm curious about the 'chance encounter' you mentioned."

"There's no need to worry."

The Grand Lord shook her head.

"Still, you're so cold."

I thought for a moment.

As the Grand Lord said, there was a bit of intention behind my speaking to Teir earlier.

Because I planned to help the Kingdom of Earthhill.

I owed Teir a favor, and more importantly, in the game's main storyline, this war ultimately ended with Earthhill's victory, thanks to the players' efforts.

So, it wasn't about calculating what would be beneficial.

I just wanted to follow the story and minimize potential risks.

Of course, we'll have to see how the conference unfolds first.

***

"Big brother, say something! What on earth were you doing outside to have formed a friendship with the lord of Caledric?! Huh?!"

"It's not like that...," Teir said, moving along, finding Sery's chatter annoying.

Opening the door to the room they arrived at, they found King Longford already seated and waiting.

Beside him stood another man, his older brother and the 1st Prince, Lucas.

"..., Come in."

"..., Yeah."

Teir awkwardly responded to Lucas's awkward greeting.

King Longford clicked his tongue and gestured.

"Sit down."

"..., No, I'll stand."

Teir stood at a distance from Lucas, and Sery quietly took a spot beside him.

A tense silence filled the room.

After a moment, King Longford, who had been looking at Teir with a complex expression, spoke again.

"Teir, my son. What exactly were you doing outside?"

"...,"

"The 7th Lord mentioned that you had a chance encounter in the 5th Lord's territory. Can you explain?"

"..., Yes, well..."

Teir explained the events related to the 7th Lord, starting with the story of the mad noble who had tried to cut off his arm.

After hearing the whole story, the three of them all tilted their heads in confusion.

"Is that all?"

They couldn't understand why the 7th Lord would take an interest in Teir from the story.

Sery, who had been deep in thought, spoke with a slightly excited tone.

"Anyway, he's the lord of Caledric. If he took a liking to you, for whatever reason..."

"That's the problem. We can't read his intentions, so we need to be more cautious. They are dangerous people we can't afford to underestimate."

Hearing Lucas's words, Teir thought to himself.

No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't see any ulterior motives from the 7th Lord. What reason could there be?

'..., It can't be just for that map, right?'

Of course, since the reason was ultimately unknown, his reaction was understandable.

King Longford, who had been rubbing his forehead with a troubled look, asked again.

"Teir, what do you think of the 7th Lord?"