Episode 587. The Surprise (3)
[Understanding the Darkness]
The biggest change I felt with my increasing proficiency and understanding of Grandfellâs past was that â¦â¦. Grandfellâs personality was becoming clearer and clearer.
âNow, between us.â
To be honest, I didnât mind. Even when I had not mastered the skill [Understanding the Darkness] and only had a superficial understanding of Grandfell, wasnât it the snout who was talking against my will anyway?
âIt was rather nice to see you.â
It was, indeed, without a single lie.
Because I was finally able to have a real conversation with you.
But I had my own intuition.
âGrandfell, youâre getting darker and darker.â
Your past will also become clearer.
Itâs inevitable, isnât it, given our paths?
Defeat the bad omen.
Ever since we restored those who had been deleted from the Arcana Continent.
One day, Grandfell.
Your past is just like theirs.
I thought I could regurgitate it back into reality.
âNo, I thought it had to be that way.â
My fists clenched without me realizing it.
It has to be that way, right? Because only then could I reverse Claudiâs tragedy, for which I might have been partly responsible.
But then.
âIâll ask you a question, Hiel.â
âI am listening, my lord.â
âWho planted the flowers in my garden?â
Unbeknownst to me, Grandfellâs past was being regurgitated. To players who didnât know the truth of Grown Blood Lycoris Flower, the landscape would be beautiful.
But not for me.
It meant I couldnât turn away from the little Grandfell that kept flashing before my eyes, the one who bowed his head toward me. Hiel must have sensed something in my voice.
Hiel bowed her head and answered.
âUlrich of the Oak Auction, my lord.â
Ulrich.
My head rolled for a moment.
Does Ulrich know something about the Lycoris Flower blooming in Claudiâs territory, and if he does, why did he plant it back on Claudiâs territory?
No, before that.
I asked again, my voice cold.
âThe rules have not changed.â
Lord Claudi.
Only those with my permission were allowed to enter. Or more specifically.
I glanced at the blinking system window.
[Restriction: Those who pass through the portal of the Magic Tower]
Thatâs right.
That meant that no one could enter the Claudi Territory except through the portal in Seoul, and even then, if they tried to force their way into the Claudi Territory, they would be dealt with by the Four Families.
Needless to say, I donât blame him.
If there were any lapses in discipline, they would be corrected.
But Hyel shook his head and replied.
âMy lord, Iâm afraid they didnât break the rules.â
No violation of the rules.
I could feel it in my gut. Ulrich of the Oak Auction first appeared in reality and proudly visited Claudi territory through the portal of the Magic Tower.
As if to prove my suspicions.
Soon, magical light began to pour from the mansion.
The portalâs light continued to glow.
Soon, voices were heard.
âEveryone must be absolutely solemn in the Claudi territory?â
âAnyway, the scale is no joke. What kind of ceilingâ¦â¦!â
âI never thought orcs could be so gentle!â
It was clear that the players had crossed over to the Claudi territory after the Oak Auction and Ulrich. As it turned out, I, Lee Hoyeol, was the one who was suppressing this instantiation anger.
As I said, it wasnât because of Hiel.
To the point where I blame Hiel for filling my void even when I was absent.
Iâm not an ungrateful man.
Nor was it because of the players who were wandering into the Claudi territory and letting their imaginations run wild.
Because ignorance is not a sin.
This meant that they had been prepared for that level of commotion from the moment they were allowed to enter Claudi Territory in the first place.
If that was the case, why was I, Lee Hoyeol, so angry?
âItâs because of you, Grandfell.â
My lips parted.
It was not my will.
Itâs Grandfellâs voice.
âYou havenât forgotten, Ulrich.â
Forgotten what?
No way, Grandfell, did you know this time too?
A Lycoris Flower that was thrown at me out of the blue.
Grandfell, it wasnât even a surprise for you.
Are you saying it was something promised in advance?
As expected, there was no answer to my questions.
What followed instead of an answer is even more incomprehensible.
âThis time too.â
He added.
âIâm indebted to you.â
*
âThereâ¦â¦.â
The orc frowned uncharacteristically at the clinking bottles.
Another orc standing beside him poked him in the side.
âAre you going to say something useless again?â
âWhat? What do you mean, useless?â
âOf course itâs useless. How does it make sense that orcs are afraid of blood?!â
Since the opening of the Oak Auction.
Orcs, with the exception of a few barbarians, have laid down their weapons. It was no wonder that the fierce warriors who once ruled the Arcana continent now freaked out at the sight of blood.
Besides, there was something to be said for cowardly orcs.
âYouâre not wrong, but â¦â¦! I just donât understand what the hell youâre going to do with all this blood? I donât even know why the Oak Auction is keeping something like this.â
Finally, unable to contain his curiosity, the cowardly orc asked.
âI still have to ask.â
âHeyâ¦â¦!!! â
âWhy do you do that?â
There was a fierce exclamation.
As befits the title given to the wisest and gentlest of leaders.
Ulrich greeted the cowardly orc generously.
âMr. Ulriche, my foolish self wishes to ask you a question.â
âA question.â
seug.
âItâs nice to see your attitude of exploring wisdom.â
Ulrich took the glasses he had placed on the bridge of his thick nose in his hand for a moment.
He also put down the book he was holding with his other hand.
ââ¦..â
He turned back to the cowardly orc.
âSo, what is it you want to know? Of course, only ask questions I can answer. Even if itâs me, I donât know anything about the world of adventurers Iâll be entering from now on.â
âAh, thatâs not what I want to know.â
âThen what do you want to know?â
Ulrich weighed his wisdom.
Unless you are curious about the world of adventurers.
How can we head to the world of adventurers?
âLetâs see.â
It was the moment when Ulrich took out the finest magic tool he had acquired by selling his shares in the Oak Auction and was about to show it to him. The cowardly orc took a breath and asked.
âWhy, Claudi.â
ââ¦â¦Claudi?â
âWhy this much blood?â
Claudi.
He knew it was not a name to be spoken lightly.
The cowardly orc was purely curious.
Despite the change in Ulrichâs complexion, he mustered up the courage to speak.
âI canât imagine why such a great house as Claudi would want so much blood. Why, the noble lord of Claudi isnât even a vampireâ¦â
âThis is not just any blood.â
ââ¦.Yes?â
Ulrich waved his hand through the carriage window. Then an astute orc brought a bottle filled with blood. Ulrich thrust the open bottle at the cowardly orc who flinched.
âNow, with your own two eyes, confirm the answer.â
ââ¦..â
âDidnât you say you were looking for wisdom?â
Ulrich smirked.
âItâs nothing compared to the cruelty of wisdom at times.â
The cowardly orc frowned, but accepted the vial, then looked inside, and at first glance, saw a single, blood-red flower.
âA flowerâ¦â¦? Is that right, Mr. Ulrich?â
âThatâs right. They say the exact name is the Lycoris Flower, which grows from blood.â
Ulrich nodded.
âThe contract we made with Claudi is simple.â
Ulrichâs thick fingers pointed to the sky.
âWhen a star rises over the Arcana continent, a star as brilliant and silver as Claudiâs hair. To take the Lycoris Flower, grown from blood, and plant it in Claudiâs territory.â
This canât be happening.
Claudi, when did you make this contract
The cowardly orc was frightened at this point.
âCertainly, a silver star has recently risen over the Arcana continentâ¦â¦! That makes it all the more unbelievable. If itâs a pact from the past, then Claudi must have accurately predicted that a silver star would one day appear in the sky, doesnât it?â
Ulrich shook his head.
âNot exactly Claudi.â
âYes?â
Because not every Claudi is the same Claudi.
Ulrich hit the nail on the head.
âThis is a contract that the Ancestor Ulrich made with Claudiâs young lord, âGrandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo,â and now that Grandfell has returned completely, it is only natural that the time to fulfill the contract is approaching.â
The cowardly orc pondered the long name.
âGrandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeoâ¦â¦.â
What on earth do you think youâre looking at?n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Perhaps because he hadnât yet fully shaken off his barbaric mindset, the cowardly orc found Grandfell to be nothing short of incomprehensible.
âI think Iâve answered enough.â
With his question answered, Ulrich returns to his reading.
The cowardly orc returns to his seat.
Criticism is pouring in on him.
âWhy are you asking such a sensitive thing?â
âMr. Grandfell â¦â¦. â
âMr. Grandfell? Why Mr. Grandfell?â
The cowardly orc shakes his head.
âNo, he just seems like a really interesting person.â
I rattled off the legends of Grandfell-nim that Iâve seen and heard. Why, it even includes the name Lee Hoyeol, the name he uses in the Adventurerâs World.
âUnless youâve really seen the future.â
And with that.
The cowardly orc couldnât bear to think about Grandfell.
It was natural.
A completely different world of adventurers unfolds as the magic tool shines.
The source is clearly
âWaa!â
With the help of the adventurers, he managed to find the Magic Tower, and he was busy just being mesmerized by the sight of Claudi territory entering through the portal of the Magic Tower.
dudungsil
Soon, thanks to the magic toolâs ability, the Blood Grown Lycoris Flowers began to take root in the Claudi territory.
Now that Claudiâs contract has been fulfilled, if anyone asks me if I can continue thinking about Grandfell from now on.
âKugh?!â
Not this time either.
The cowardly orc looked at his own chest.
Something unidentifiable pierced his heart.
That was the last thing the cowardly orc saw of himself.
âOh, my.â
Ulrich said this as blood poured out.
âDid I say something unnecessary? This has become a seed. Thatâs right.â
Not every Claudi is the same Claudi.
Another Claudi.
And at the same time, the enemy of the old Ulrich.
âYouâre rude.â
ââ¦â¦Pride.â
âWhose name do you dare put in your mouth?â
I turn my gaze away from Pride and look around.
A strange power that no one can interfere with is being applied.
â¦â¦.. The piece of brooch glowed gloomily, and no amount of shouting in this space would be heard by the others.
Ulrich muttered to his dead kin.
âIâm sorry, Dartle.â
Then he realized why Pride had entered the Claudi Territory.
As expected, he is probably targeting Grandfell-nimâs safety.
He could think of no other reason.
Ulrich sneered.
âAre you coveting the position of head of the family? I understand. The Claudi Territory is a land so beautiful that even I, who possesses the wealth of the world behind the Arcana Continent, cannot capture it. However.â
Ulrichâs pupils began to turn wild.
âYou should know that it is a subject, shouldnât you?â
Ullrichâs judgment was simple.
It was best to end Prideâs life, even if it meant my own, because yes, it was the only way to erase any threat Pride might pose to Grandfell.
But Ulrich could not bring himself to lunge at Pride.
âHead of the familyâs place?â
Pride laughed breathlessly.
âWho would want that?â
No, he was sobbing.
âIn the end, you and the ray of light are the same.â
Everyone to Grandfell.
To him.
They want him to be Claudiâs head of the family.
âThey whisper to you, not knowing what this place means.â
Pride gritted his teeth as he looked at Claudi Territory.
âNo different from the whispers of these abominable âdemonsâ.â