Chapter 85

I answered Dilug’s question right away.

“‘If I said I came here to eliminate Bukar, and that I just did… would you believe me?’”

“‘You eliminated Bukar?’”

Dilug looked toward the back—toward the massive lava lake where Bukar had been settled.

Now that Bukar was gone, the lake was extremely calm.

“…‘Proof?’”

“‘Would this be enough?’”

I took out Bukar’s Core, which I had just put into my pocket.

After confirming the Lava Golem’s Core, Dilug fell silent for a moment, then soon opened his mouth again with a curious look.

“‘Then why did you come all the way here to go through the trouble of eliminating Bukar for us? Is there some separate reason?’”

“That… that is.”

As I put Bukar’s Core back into my pocket, I looked at the Water Rune in my other hand.

Considering Dilug’s personality, would it really be better to tell him this honestly…?

“‘That blue gem in your hand. What is it?’”

“‘Ah, this is….’”

“‘Enough. I’ve confirmed it, so no explanation needed.’”

Dilug seemed to grasp the situation instantly, nodding without listening further.

“‘A mutated Lava Golem, Bukar, born from some unknown water power. To think that unknown water power turned out to be the Water Rune.’”

“Yes, well… that’s correct.”

“‘How did you even learn about that Water Rune? And how did you manage to defeat Bukar… hmm, no. Let’s move this conversation elsewhere.’”

With those words, Dilug mounted the horse he had arrived on.

“‘Follow me.’”

“‘Where are we going?’”

“‘My estate. Whatever the case, you handled the long-standing nuisance of my territory. It’s only right that I treat you accordingly.’”

It hadn’t been planned, but somehow I ended up entering the Isrinbloom Family’s mansion.

A mansion built at the highest point of Muktaba.

No, calling it a mansion wasn’t quite right—it was a massive castle.

Because it was made of black bricks, giving off a dark impression, it was a very striking estate.

‘Much darker and gloomier than what I saw in the game.’

Since the place felt like a dungeon, it didn’t seem like an environment suitable for living.

Well, people could live here, but for a child, it didn’t seem emotionally healthy.

‘Sara managed to grow up well in a place like this.’

Muktaba, a volcanic city filled with lava—and a dark manor that looked like it would give nightmares every night.

Growing up with both elements… it made sense that Sara grew up… well(?) enough.

‘Still, I never expected I’d be able to enter this mansion so easily.’

Ordinary people couldn’t of course, and even most nobles couldn’t easily step into the Isrinbloom Family’s estate.

Even in the game, it wasn’t an area the player could freely enter.

You had to complete incredibly complicated and difficult quests and earn a certain level of trust from members of the Isrinbloom Family…

‘Or grind Sara’s Affection to the max.’

Since the difficulty was brutal no matter which route you chose, I went with the more entertaining Affection grind.

And after spending a ridiculous amount of time, I finally entered the Isrinbloom Family’s estate, and then… as you know, I ended up transmigrated into this game’s world.

‘Anyway… something’s strange, if I think about it. With Dilug’s personality, he shouldn’t be letting an outsider into the mansion this easily.’

I walked through the corridor under the escort—more like surveillance—of the Isrinbloom Family soldiers.

And while walking, something unforgettable entered my sight.

‘That door… the one leading to the basement?’

It was in that basement where I had crossed beyond the wall, discovered some unknown ancient document—and at that moment, got pulled into this world.

If possible, I wanted to open that door and go down immediately.

But there were too many soldiers around me.

Trying to shake them off and go down to the basement was too big of a risk.

‘Let’s wait for the next chance.’

There was no need to rush.

The opportunity would surely come again, so it was better to explore the basement in a definite, safe situation.

So the basement would have to wait for now…

‘Where are they taking me?’

After entering the mansion, Dilug had disappeared somewhere first, and I was being guided somewhere by the soldiers.

It felt awkward to ask them, so I hadn’t… but where exactly—

“‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Gideon.’”

As I continued down the corridor, a neatly dressed middle-aged man stood before us.

He looked familiar.

“‘I will take over from here. You may withdraw.’”

At the man’s words, the soldiers saluted lightly and returned the way they came.

The man then smiled and introduced himself.

“‘I am Oslo, the head butler of this estate under the Lord. Please feel at ease.’”

“‘Ah, Mr. Oslo.’”

Oslo—right. I remembered.

A fairly capable butler of Dilug.

“His Lordship ordered me to provide Lord Gideon with the utmost convenience. So first, I will guide you to the bathhouse. After that, I will guide you so you may have a meal.”

Saying he would give me the utmost convenience was no exaggeration.

I relieved my fatigue with warm water in the mansion’s very large bathhouse.

After that, I got to eat delicious yet diverse kinds of dishes.

A quantity so large that it was difficult to finish.

‘Why did they prepare so much?’

The moment I saw the food piled up like a mountain, I looked toward Oslo with a bewildered gaze.

But Oslo only told me to eat comfortably.

So I had no choice but to begin the meal.

Although I couldn’t eat with an easy heart because of the pressure, I was at least able to eat to the point of being full.

“Please follow me.”

After finishing the meal, Oslo guided me somewhere.

At first, I didn’t know where I was going, but the moment we stepped into a familiar hallway, I realized where we were headed.

“It is His Lordship’s office. The lord should be inside, so feel free to speak with him.”

With those words, Oslo stepped back one pace.

I let out a deep breath and knocked on the door.

“This is Gideon Kyrgram. May I come in?”

“Enter.”

As I stepped into the office, I saw Dilug engrossed in reading documents.

“Sit. I don’t intend to waste time, so I will get straight to the point.”

As I sat, Dilug placed the documents down and looked at me.

“Do you remember that someone was tailing you earlier this afternoon?”

“Yes, I remember.”

“Why did you shake them off?”

“Well… since I didn’t know who had sent them, I became uneasy and shook them off.”

“…Reasonable. I would have done the same. After all, you wouldn’t have known that I was the one who put the tail on you.”

In truth, I had realized from the start that it was Dilug, but I simply pretended not to know.

That seemed like the better option.

“Lord Dilug. Since we’re on the subject, may I ask why you put a tail on me in the first place?”

“Simple curiosity. I wondered why you, who should be at Lysquare Academy, had suddenly come to my territory. I wouldn’t care if it were someone else, but you are quite the attention-drawing student these days, are you not?”

“Yes, recently I… have indeed drawn a lot of attention.”

“Indeed.”

Dilug stayed silent for a moment, then, as if organizing his thoughts, spoke again.

“Was the reason you hunted Bukar truly to obtain that Water Rune you had in your hand earlier?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

With my answer, I took the Water Rune out of my pouch and showed it to Dilug.

“I came all the way here to obtain this.”

“It is quite well-known that Bukar was a Lava Golem mutated by some unknown water power. But though that water power was known, no one understood what it actually was. How did you know it was a Water Rune?”

“I didn’t know either. But since there was at least a possibility that it could be a Water Rune, I decided to trust that possibility and come here.”

Since I couldn’t tell him I knew from the game, I fabricated a plausible lie.

I wasn’t sure if it would work, but Dilug didn’t seem particularly suspicious of me.

“Then next question. Why did you want to obtain a Water Rune?”

“Because I judged that my growth had limits with only swordsmanship and aura.”

“From what I’ve heard, you absorbed Peregrie’s power. Wouldn’t that be enough?”

“Yes, as you said, it is indeed strong power. However, that power itself is unstable and not something I can use often, so I wanted a strength that was more stable and usable more consistently.”

“That also makes sense. As you say, a rune’s power can be used stably.”

After writing something on a document, Dilug asked again.

“Then how did you capture Bukar? No, with your skill I suppose you could defeat him, but how did you deal with that strange gas he emits?”

“Near that lake, there was an old man named Akuz……”

When I explained about Akuz, Dilug nodded with a slightly surprised expression.

“Akuz. I’ve heard about that old man as well. I never would have imagined that he truly had the solution. I thought he was just a man who had gone mad after losing his family.”

“If you wish, I can give you this.”

I took out the handkerchief Akuz had given me and offered it to Dilug, but Dilug shook his head.

“It’s fine. I will look into matters related to Akuz myself. At any rate… that is all I wished to ask you. Thank you for answering.”

“No, not at all. As the lord of this land, it was natural for you to be curious.”

I smiled as I spoke to Dilug.

Dilug was strict and principled, yet also a very rational person.

As long as I hadn’t committed a major wrong, he would likely never be the first to threaten me.

“Hm… Gideon Kyrgram.”

“Yes, Lord Dilug.”

“If there is something you want, speak.”

“Something I… want?”

Dilug nodded.

“Bukar was a great nuisance that plagued my territory for many long years, and you resolved it. It is only rational that I give you a reward befitting that deed. So tell me what you want. If it is something I can give, I will provide it.”

“Something I want……”

I pondered silently for a moment.

Items I could obtain from Dilug, or something that could only be obtained in Muktaba.

I wracked my mind, but there was nothing in particular worth taking.

Just as I was about to conclude that I had nothing to receive, something suddenly came to mind.

‘…The basement of this mansion. Am I allowed to go there?’

The ancient manuscript that had brought me into this world.

It was a chance to enter the basement where that manuscript was kept.

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