Chapter 189: Calling

The temple where Kylos had been sealed bore a similar structure to the one in the Territory of Tohochu.

A massive outer wall, and a mansion with a corridor where Kylos resided.

Piles of treasure stacked like mountains, along with numerous historically valuable items, kept the investigation team and cadets busily on the move.

Having finished his duel with Kylos, Carl naturally rejoined them.

“Oh? Carl, you’re back.”

“Did anyone ask for me?”

“Sir Maximilian did ask, but everyone let it pass without much fuss. It’s you, after all.”

Who would worry about whom?

Laysis let out a soft laugh and noticed Carl’s slightly disheveled hair, different from before.

“Did you, by any chance…?”

“I did.”

Carl nodded calmly.

Laysis was the only one among the cadets who knew—he had absorbed Kylos’s divinity.

When he said that had happened here too, Laysis gave a wide smile as if pleased, then glanced around and whispered softly.

“Congratulations. You’re not going to end up becoming an actual god, are you?”

“At best, a demigod.”

“Still, that’s a god.”

“I shall appoint you as Pope, Laysis.”

“I prefer Saint.”

Carl let out a wide grin at her unyielding reply.

With that, they completed the internal investigation of the Seafloor Ruins.

“Alright, be careful when moving that!”

From then on, the process of transporting the treasures began.

Now that the ruins had been opened, the sealed ecosystem was bound to collapse.

It was an environment that could be influenced by external factors and was scheduled to be sent to the capital for further research.

“This is truly astonishing. Never in my life have I seen such a volume of treasure and ruins.”

The Viscount of Althausen personally walked through the interior of the ruins, his face filled with excitement.

Who would have thought that such ancient ruins slumbered within his territory?

With proper management, it could become not just a marine site but also a full-fledged tourist destination.

‘The cliff isn’t a problem. It can be carved to create a road. If I get permission from the Imperial Family, I could develop the ruins as a resource or a tourist site…’

All the massive treasures and historical artifacts were sent to the capital.

He wasn’t immune to their allure, but concealing or omitting unregistered ruins constituted a major crime.

Especially under so many watchful eyes, he cleanly gave up claiming ownership and happily agonized over how to handle the ruins.

“You look pleased.”

“How could I not? Well done, Maximilian. Thanks to you and your friends, we discovered all this.”

“The others did all the work. I just tagged along.”

Maximilian shrugged.

All he had done was invite his friends to the mansion.

It was Laysis who had figured out the existence of the Seafloor Ruins.

Still, the Viscount of Althausen patted his son’s shoulder with a proud expression.

“Between people, there exists fate and connection. Through your connection, you brought your friends here and encountered a fate that led to the discovery of the ruins. How could that not be your achievement?”

“Haha.”

Maximilian scratched his head, unable to hide his pride.

With his father that pleased, how could the son not feel good?

“Viscount of Althausen.”

“Oh, from the Madeira Trading House…”

“I’m Mirel.”

“Ah, Lady Mirel. I must thank you as well. Without your help, the exploration of the ruins wouldn’t have been possible.”

Everything from the minor paperwork to reports to the Empire and the dispatching of the investigation team had been handled by the Madeira Trading House.

He would have loved to exempt them from taxes collected within the territory, but sadly, that would be a breach of the Emperor’s authority.

“If you need anything, just speak. As long as it’s within the bounds of Althausen, I will do my utmost to help.”

The Madeira Trading House had already expanded into the capital and was achieving remarkable profits with their business of Mana Beads.

Would there be anything they lacked?

This endeavor, too, had been carried out at the request of Carl, a friend of his son, but to the Viscount of Althausen, everyone involved appeared charming.

“On that note, I’d like to invest.”

“Invest? In what aspect?”

“I assume you’re planning to develop the ruins into a tourist site.”

“That’ll require approval from the Imperial Family. It shouldn’t be too difficult. As long as it’s managed well, permission is usually granted.”

He even seemed to be encouraging it.

By managing the ruins and simultaneously creating an internal revenue model, the taxes he could collect would naturally increase.

“I’ll invest in the cost of converting the ruins. For ruins of this scale, I judged the business value to be sufficient.”

“Oh-ho.”

The Viscount of Althausen’s eyes sparkled as he nodded.

As expected, developing the ruins into a tourist attraction would require a substantial investment.

Though he could manage it using his accumulated wealth, from the perspective of running a territory, it wasn’t ideal to expend a large lump sum all at once.

So, the proposal of investment from the Madeira Trading House was more than welcome.

“Rather than discussing this here, we should continue at the mansion. I have some plans in mind.”

“Of course. Let’s go.”

Queen subtly turned her gaze and exchanged eye contact with Carl before leaving with the Viscount of Althausen.

Investing in Althausen had been Carl’s directive.

Not only was it his friend Maximilian’s territory, but it was also situated in a geographically favorable location, so he intended to mark it as his own.

The investment itself was practically cost-free, as the agents disguised as staff from the Madeira Trading House had secretly secured a considerable portion of the treasure, allowing them to reinvest the profits from this venture without any real loss.

“Aren’t you the least bit disappointed? This was found thanks to you. Just look at how much there is. It’d be enough to live off for a lifetime.”

“Not really. I’m just happy that this gave me a bit more recognition.”

To Yuria’s comment, Laysis shook her head.

She had little interest in wealth or material treasures.

As a princess of the Kingdom of Alforam, she had already been allocated more wealth than she could ever spend in her lifetime.

Of course, she didn’t intend to use any of it.

Since she had received it as a princess of Alforam, if she ever defected, she could be held responsible for how it was spent.

That’s why Laysis had mostly lived self-sufficiently and accumulated wealth ever since arriving in Bayern.

Fortunately, thanks to her outstanding ability and her careful use of her royal status, making money wasn’t all that difficult, so she was able to lay a decent foundation.

‘The real issue is the defection.’

For ordinary citizens, immigrating from one nation to the Empire wasn’t that hard.

They could register for temporary citizenship at the border and, after living in their assigned region for a certain period, receive official imperial citizenship.

But for nobles or those with names, the story was a bit different.

To prevent indiscriminate defections, the Empire presented rather strict standards except in special cases.

Renowned knights, mages, or key figures influential in various fields.

They had clearly stated they would not accept defections based solely on noble status or family titles.

What the Empire needed were not brats basking in family prestige, but talents capable of fully demonstrating their own abilities.

‘For someone like the princess of Alforam…….’

There would be considerable hurdles to apply for defection.

Diplomatic relations with Alforam also had to be taken into account.

Thus, Laysis focused on building her own reputation and achievements.

She aimed to solidify her image as an outstanding cadet in Bayern and to gain academic recognition through archaeological excavations and discoveries.

At the start of the semester, powerful enemies blocked her path and made things difficult, but now, backed by Carl as a reliable supporter, the wall of defection was within sight.

“Becoming a citizen of the Empire is really hard.”

“It’s the strongest country on the continent. Of course, it has to be strict. Otherwise, everyone would want to become a citizen.”

“That’s true.”

Laysis gave a bitter smile.

Watching her, Yuria cautiously observed her expression.

“That aside, has Carl said anything?”

“……Carl? About what?”

Laysis turned her head.

Come to think of it, she remembered seeing Yuria sneaking out of Carl’s room the night before the ruins expedition.

“Hmm…….”

Yuria hesitated and swallowed her words.

It was because she remembered the moment when her breathing became unstable upon entering the Seafloor Ruins, and she had received help from Carl through a kiss.

“Yuria.”

“……What?”

“Did something happen with Carl?”

“……!!!”

Yuria, caught off guard, jumped in surprise where she stood.

“N-Nothing happened! Nothing at all!”

“Yuria, are you lying to me?”

“No, really…….”

Yuria was naturally bad at lying.

And with her best friend Laysis wearing such a serious expression, how could she possibly bluff her way through?

“I saw it.”

“……You saw it?”

Yuria’s eyes shook uncontrollably.

Could it be that she had seen Carl passing her air through a kiss when she was drowning?

Her face began to flush bright red.

The shame of nearly drowning because she couldn’t swim and the embarrassment of being seen kissing Carl hit her hard.

“T-That kiss was an accident……!”

“You came out of Carl’s room the night before, and—wait, what?”

“Huh?”

“Excuse me?”

Yuria and Laysis stared at each other.

As Laysis mulled over Yuria’s words, she suddenly wore a fierce expression and grabbed Yuria’s shoulders.

“Wait a second. Tell me again. Clearly, calmly, and precisely.”

“……Ah.”

Yuria felt her blood run cold.

The reason she had gone to Carl’s room the night before coming to the ruins was to consult about the future of their game-bound situation.

But now she had unwittingly blurted out the kiss with Carl due to her guilty conscience.

“Urgh…….”

The grip on her shoulders tightened ominously.

Surely, Laysis was misunderstanding it as if she had kissed Carl during that visit to his room.

To save her shoulders, Yuria decided to confess the truth.

“T-That’s not it. The kiss was an accident. It didn’t happen that night—it was when we entered the ruins. I panicked because I couldn’t swim properly.”

“Huh? You?”

“Yeah. I’m not great at swimming. Especially in tight, dark spaces like this—I’m not a fan.”

Since things had come to this, Yuria decided to come clean.

“I was struggling to breathe, and Carl helped me. Let me make it clear—it wasn’t anything weird. Carl did it to help me breathe.”

“…….”

Laysis clamped her lips shut.

Then, looking at Yuria, she muttered.

“Then what about the night before? When you went to his room?”

“……That was.”

Yuria glanced away.

It was a secret between players possessed by the game.

Not something even Laysis could be told lightly.

“……So there was something after all?”

“Ack, w-wait! My shoulder—my shoulder’s breaking!! Carl! Carl, help me!”

Yuria’s scream echoed through the ruins.

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