Chapter 74: Gathering Attention (3)

It was not a prearranged meeting.

After finishing his training,

Roman, who was catching his breath for a moment, noticed that a servant other than Hans was approaching.

"Sent by Valhalla."

Clearly,

the person was one of Dmitri's servants.

Although the face was unfamiliar, suggesting he hadn't been working there long, the servant was wearing the attire provided by Dmitri.

This implied that he had intentionally concealed his identity.

In a situation where an ordinary person would have been flustered and made a fuss, Roman remained unperturbed and said,

"What's happening at Valhalla? I remember meeting someone from Valhalla a few days ago."

The Denver family.

They are part of the Valhalla Empire faction.

Roman recalled that they had offered certain conditions to recruit him, but he hadn't expected them to return in this manner.

The servant was momentarily startled by Roman's reaction.

While Roman's composure was unexpected, the servant felt a cold sweat trickle down his back under the penetrating gaze that seemed to see through everything.

'What kind of person has such eyes...'

He swallowed hard.

The servant, entrusted with a significant task, confirmed that no one else was around and then spoke in a low voice.

"Firstly, I apologize for approaching you in such an impolite manner. As you mentioned, Valhalla did send someone a few days ago through the Denver family. At that time, due to the surrounding attention, we had to act formally. However, today's meeting is a genuine gesture from Valhalla."

Currently,

Dmitri is under close scrutiny.

If the Denver family had conveyed the main message, there was a risk of information leaking, and showing no external movement could raise suspicions from hostile forces.

Therefore, the Denver family requested a formal meeting.

If Roman had accepted their conditions alone, it would have been a perfect outcome, but they knew his value and understood he wouldn't accept immediately.

After the Grand Knight battle,

Valhalla had planted a servant in Dmitri.

Precisely for today's meeting.

Moving from the open training ground to a more enclosed space, the person from Valhalla immediately got to the point.

"Let me introduce myself again. I am Mekkin, affiliated with Valhalla's Intelligence Department. I would like to make a proposal to bring Roman Dmitri to Valhalla. This proposal is a true reflection of Valhalla's sincerity."

An unexpected meeting.

Valhalla.

They were the first to make a decision.

After Willas's report,

Roman was upgraded to Class A.

Valhalla had been preparing to recruit Roman, but the impact of a high-ranking individual was greater than expected.

In response to the rapidly changing situation,

Willas contacted the homeland again.

"Roman needs to be approached sooner than planned. I momentarily overlooked what kind of country Cairo is. While I thought we could buy time by not revealing that he is a 4-star Knight at the age of 20, everyone here is desperate to secure even less talented individuals first. The Royalists, the Nobility, and the Kronos Empire faction are all moving quickly to contact Roman Dmitri. If Roman underestimates his value and accepts their offers first, we might miss out on him despite recognizing his true worth."

[So, what do you need?]

"Please grant me full authority for this matter. I will ensure Roman's recruitment."

[Understood. Willas, I grant you full authority for Roman's recruitment.]

The plan changed.

Cairo's youngest ranking.

The fact that he reached 3-star status at the age of 25, though not a reflection of his true strength, still drew attention.

Valhalla was in a hurry.

First,

they probed through the Denver family and then sent someone again to avoid public attention.

Mekkin said,

"Valhalla is impressed by Roman Dmitri's potential. However, the issue of nationality is not easily resolved, and any proposal we make would make it difficult for Dmitri, who has already achieved considerable wealth, to abandon his family and naturalize in Valhalla. Therefore, we will address this issue first. The moment Roman Dmitri agrees to become a citizen of Valhalla, we will grant the Dmitri family a baron's title and fertile land. This land, like Dmitri's, will have iron mines, allowing the family to maintain its legacy as blacksmiths."

The continuation of the family.

Their proposal was bold from the start.

A baron's title from an empire, not just a kingdom.

It signified power far beyond what they currently had, and this alone surpassed all previous offers.

And,

"Valhalla is prepared to provide whatever you need, whether it's people or resources. However, the most important value for a Knight is to become stronger. Valhalla also wishes for Roman Dmitri to grow as a Knight, so we will exceptionally allow access to our 1st-grade treasure vault. I believe you are aware of what Valhalla's treasure vault means. If you access the accumulated knowledge of our ancestors, Roman Dmitri can soar to new heights with your talent."

1st-grade treasure vault.

A shocking proposal.

Valhalla stored cultivation techniques, sword techniques, and ancestral diaries in the vault.

The vaults were graded based on the level of content, with 1st-grade being the highest, excluding special-grade.

A place where treasures that others could never access were gathered.

Offering this to a foreigner indicated that the Valhalla Empire recognized Roman's value.

Valhalla revealed its true intentions.

Avoiding public attention, they made an offer that could not be refused.

"In the future, Valhalla will conquer the continent and stand as the sole empire. At that time, being affiliated with a minor kingdom like Cairo will be a shortcut to a shortened life. Stand with Valhalla. If you lead the charge and enhance Valhalla's honor, Valhalla will guide Roman Dmitri to a path of glory."

Clear rewards and appropriate threats.

Mekkin spoke of a distant future.

As he said, if Valhalla declared war, how strong Roman was would be irrelevant.

An individual.

Cannot surpass the difference between a kingdom and an empire.

To be a winner, standing with the winner was one way.

'A smart person would have no choice but to accept Valhalla's offer. But if he refuses...'

Mekkin hid his true thoughts.

A talent who reached 4-star status in his 20s.

They couldn't let him be absorbed by other forces.

If he couldn't be Valhalla's, it would be wiser to destroy him.

In the silent space,

after Mekkin finished speaking and waited for a response, Roman broke the suffocating silence.

"I refuse."

Instantly,

Mekkin's gentle expression turned fierce.

"Are you serious?"

Mekkin's voice trembled slightly.

If Roman refused even after this, he was essentially someone Valhalla couldn't recruit.

In other words,

a target for assassination.

There was no reason to keep him alive if he wasn't Valhalla's talent.

Roman said,

"The reason I refuse is not because the conditions are insufficient or due to loyalty to this country."

"What do you mean?"

"Recently, I've been offered many choices. Royal Knight from the royal family, Viscount Benedict, Count Gregory, and Count Denver. Considering Cairo's political situation, this is not just about pledging loyalty to one faction but about clearly defining my future path. At this crossroads in my life, what matters to me is not who can give me the most. I want to see if Roman Dmitri is worth risking his life for, not just through words but through time and direct observation."

Upon hearing Roman's words,

Mekkin's expression relaxed.

It was the intended reaction.

Roman knew how to act to buy time in this precarious situation.

'The way to increase my value without making any choices is to appear as a loyal servant. It's hard to make someone kneel once, but if you win their heart, they will remain loyal. If I appear as such, they won't give up on me even if I refuse.'

Cheonma Baek Joon-hyuk was

not a foolish bear.

If the relationship was hostile, he would end it decisively.

But in this complex situation with four factions entangled,

he had the mind to use these relationships to his advantage.

Upon hearing the fox's words,

Mekkin fell into deep thought.

People like Roman were exactly the type Valhalla preferred.

'The irony of life. If Roman Dmitri had quickly pledged loyalty to Valhalla, he would always be suspected of loyalty, regardless of his skills, because he would be seen as someone who changes allegiance based on good conditions. But if he is someone who carefully chooses his future regardless of conditions, it's worth waiting, even if it takes time.'

He was moved.

Unaware of the intended actions.

Roman perfectly matched the type of talent Valhalla desired, and Mekkin's guard was lowered.

Mekkin said,

"I don't know how you plan to verify Valhalla's sincerity, but we cannot wait indefinitely. Be cautious but not too late. Please respond to Valhalla's proposal."

That was the end.

Valhalla took a step back.

They would observe Roman and remain under the illusion that he would eventually become one of theirs.

Before leaving,

Mekkin turned and said,

"I will give you a gift for our future connection. Be careful on the southern front. It might be a ticking time bomb, more so than the Kronos Empire."

The southern front.

It was unexpected information.

Roman's response was appropriate.

Neither a refusal nor an acceptance.

His answer left room for all factions, ensuring he wouldn't face direct attacks in the chaotic situation.

Time passed quickly.

Soon,

the anticipated time was approaching.

Seeing his son about to fulfill his national duty, Viscount Romulo said with a worried face,

"Finally, you're leaving."

It hurt.

While the power players in the capital used loopholes to prevent their children from being drafted, the Dmitri family lacked such power.

Being a power player in the northeast was like a frog in a well.

Having failed to establish connections with the central government, there was no way to exempt Roman now.

Moreover,

Roman didn't want it.

He knew that if he shirked his responsibilities, they would fall on someone else.

"Father, I'll return safely."

"Alright."

The conversation was brief.

Roman turned and walked away.

Outside, 30 soldiers, including Roman, were waiting to depart for the battlefield.

As Roman left,

his emotions were complex.

Though he was a source of love and hate when causing trouble, it was hard to turn away as he prepared to leave.

Seeing this,

Lihanna, who was beside him, comforted Viscount Romulo.

"Don't worry too much. You know Roman is a strong boy. Besides, he's not assigned to the western front, which is threatened by the Kronos Empire, but to the southern front. Everything will be fine."

It was a comforting thought.

At the time, they didn't know.

The southern front.

What the outcome of Roman's departure would be.