I see your code (200)
“… … The Lion of the Union?”
“Yes. Like I said, I don’t know if it’s real or not… … . Shall I just send it back?”
I was muttering out of embarrassment, but it must have sounded like arguing.
I think I’m pretty friendly, but why is everyone treating them so hard? Maybe my impression is a little odd.
I sighed inwardly and waved my hand.
“no. I’ll just go and see it for myself.”
“All right.”
The staff quickly stepped away like a captured soldier. From behind, I heard the sounds of Tair Terberots groaning. I sighed again and went down through them.
“Hey, it’s been a long time since you… … Is it?”
Sitting on the sofa in the parlor was a red-haired woman with a familiar face. Cartbal’s older sister, Cassia, the vampire. She looked at me and greeted me warmly, but towards the end, her words became blurred.
“… … Are you really that Rihanna?”
“There must be a lot of Rihanna you know.”
“No, you are the only one… … .”
Cassia made a bewildered face and jumped up from her seat.
“When did you get to level 2?! Obviously, until recently, you were only at level 4!”
“I’m not in second grade yet. It looks like it will be up soon.”
“With that much magical purity and quantity, it’s not second-class… … ?”
I think that was more shocking than the fact that I had reached second grade. Cassia stood there for a long time without saying a word with trembling eyes.
I smiled and sat down on the opposite sofa.
“We will say hello later with Cartbal, so let’s talk about work first. Is Cassia really a lion from the Union?”
“Ahh… … yes.”
Cassia suddenly shook her head and sat down again.
“I am a lion from the Union. By the way, I have a relationship here, and I have an acquaintance with you, so I decided to come here voluntarily… … But aren’t you twins? It turns out that my younger brother secretly changed his body after only training for the rest of his life in the basement… … .”
Where the hell does that novel come from?
I opened my mouth, ignoring Cassia’s question.
“It is too fast for a lion to come. There was no reply to send. Do you think the Union sees this as not very important?”
At my words, Cassia looked at me for a long time with a disgusted look on her face. Apparently, what I just said wasn’t a joke.
I’m still busy, but what are you doing… … .
After I pretended to leave, Cassia barely spoke again.
“… … Rather than looking at it as unimportant, it would be right to just take a step back and look at it. Even if we don’t intend to have it, we don’t want to let other people have it. First of all, the competitor is absurd. Either you or the kingdom.”
I’m not saying that you don’t think that you’ll always be on my side. I didn’t even expect it in the first place.
“That is fair enough. Then, can we proceed after Calpheon and Argon’s messenger arrive?”
“Yeah, but… … Rather, you are the real Rihanna… … .”
“Because that’s right. Anyway, since it’s a lion from outside, we’ll provide lodging and lodging for us. Then I’m busy.”
After asking the staff outside to guide Cassia, I walked back to the meeting room upstairs.
* * *
The Lion of Layton, chosen by Calpheon, was a 7-star wizard that was said to be much rarer than a second-class knight. It was also proof that they were taking the situation seriously. It’s because people with that level of skill didn’t go out recklessly.
‘It must be so. Argon might occupy the largest city on the continent.’
But understanding and understanding are different laws.
Echo, who had just arrived in front of Layton, frowned at the castle gate.
‘Why did I have to be chosen as a lion… … .’
In fact, he had no intention of intervening in such a diplomatic matter. It was said that he did not have much interest in whether Layton became an independent city or not.
What matters to him is his magical achievements. There was only one.
“Whew… … .”
The biggest problem here is that all the other wizards in Calpheon have the same idea. Among them, he was the only one with responsibility and ability.
In the end, Echo, who humbly accepted his fate, thought to himself.
‘I can’t. We have no choice but to solve the problem as quickly as possible.”
It wouldn’t be too difficult. Because only Rihanna was able to unite Layton.
If so, isn’t the answer simple?
If you just remove the central point, it’s the end of the story.
‘Unfortunate accidents are unavoidable.’
Echo thought that the title “Bearer of Disaster” and anything else that was given to Rian was due to rumors that had swelled up in vain.
I wasn’t sure if the disaster was as strong as I said in Argon, and I heard that he was with the Paladins in the city of Khitan.
‘It’s a hero created to secretly bury the fact that their city was attacked.’
If not, then does it make sense to have such a power of only twenty or so?
If you want to decorate it, try squeezing it a little more realistically. It was a lie with too many loopholes to deceive even an intellectual like him, ignorant of the ignorant commoners.
Echo sneered at the temples of Argon and Khitan and entered the city with the party.
* * *
When I met Ryan in a building in Layton. Echo immediately abandoned the ‘accident’ operation. It was because he had confirmed the purity and the enormous amount of magical power contained within Rihanna.
‘… … never under me.’
That fact came as a considerable shock to Echo. Because the opponent clearly looked like a young man who was only about 20 years old now. Even at his age, who had heard many sounds of genius, his limit was barely reaching the level of 4 stars.
“Do you have any concerns?”
“… … nothing.”
At Rihanna’s worried question, Echo barely came to his senses and put down his teacup.
“But I’m a little tired because I’ve come across a long distance. If it’s not rude, can I just get up and take a look?”
“Hey, my consideration wasn’t enough. We will guide you to where you will be staying.”
With those words, Lian tried to stand up, and Echo shook his head to express his refusal.
“That’s fine. Just tell us where you are and we will find you.”
“Are you sure? Then we will.”
After a while, Echo came out after being handed the map and immediately called one of the party.
“I have to change my strategy. It is absolutely not at a level that can be dealt with as an accident.”
“Yes? Are you saying that Echo-sama would say that?”
The one-eyed man asked with a surprised expression.
To be compared to a little 20-year-old kid in itself hurts his self-esteem, but Echo calmly acknowledged him.
“Not only that, but it was impossible to say whether we could win in a head-to-head match. It seems that the rumor that he was the one who carried the disaster was not without basis.”
“… … If so, that’s a big deal. Because the chance that the opponent is a minion of Argon is higher.”
Echo nodded.
“I will. Even with Argon’s support, it’s hard to understand, but it’s even more absurd to say that I grew up alone without it.”
“It seems that the Union is also in a relatively favorable position for Layton… … I’m worried. Is there anything more we can do in this situation?”
“If you can’t get rid of the center, you have no choice but to scatter it around.”
Echo stopped walking and looked straight at the one-eyed man.
“I know you were in the dark. Can we take advantage of that here?”
The one-eyed man immediately recognized what Echo wanted from that one word.
“Do you want to spread bad rumors about him?”
“I saw it right away.”
When the other person immediately understood what he was saying, Echo smiled contentedly.
“If trust in him is lowered, will there be no other choice but to come out in the end? It cannot prevent Layton’s independence itself, but… … At least it won’t fall into Argon’s hands.”
“But a man named Grian has a great reputation in this city. There are no blemishes at all.”
“The rumors don’t have to be true. It doesn’t matter if it’s just a story that can’t be explained until it’s done.”
“… … .”
It sounds like you’re making a fuss. The one-eyed man immediately understood. Because it was just one of the very common and mundane things in the dark. I didn’t know that an 8-star wizard would suggest that.
“I understand what you said, but it is impossible for us to talk. It is impossible for the residents to listen to the rumors spread by outsiders.”
“Isn’t there some people here who make a living in the dark? commission them. How much money would you like?”
At those words, One-Eyed pondered inwardly.
It is usually very cheap to spread rumors. It doesn’t require any special skills, and it’s not that dangerous.
But the party to the rumor is the problem.
A person named Ryan is already the de facto ruler of Layton, isn’t it? It is also a ruler who is fervently supported by the residents.
In this case, the risk pay will naturally follow. If the source of the rumor is revealed, it won’t end with just being imprisoned.
“… … Maybe five hundred gold.”
Echo, who had put his hand inside, stopped for a moment.
“So much?”
“Usually 50 gold is enough, but… … Probably because the opponent is the opponent. But for that amount of money, no organization in the back alleys would be able to refuse.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Even as an 8-star magician, the amount is too much for me… … .”
Echo stood silently for a moment with her eyes closed. It’s just a matter of figuring out if you really need that much money. 500 gold was most of the travel funds received from the country.
“… … can’t do it I don’t know much about that business, and you’re the only one who can ask about it here. But don’t go wrong because you’re eating in the middle.”
One eye was startled at Echo’s words. Because it was true that he inflated what he thought 300 gold would be enough.
“How can I… … .”
“stop. Excuse me. Don’t look at me like other wizards, as an idiot with no sense of reality. If that had been the case, the king wouldn’t have sent me every time something like this happened.”
Echo looked into one eye with a calm face.
“I don’t even know how much you originally thought. But this must be done.”
Life was contained in the eyes that had no emotion for a moment.
“Otherwise, your life will never end. I’m going to throw the whole family in the capital into the royal laboratory.”
Calpheon’s Royal Laboratory.
It was a notorious place where it was better to be tortured by witch judgment than to enter a test subject.
One-eyed swallowed saliva and barely answered.
“… … I will never disappoint you.”
* * *