The quiet sounds of scribbling on hard paper resounded in a dimly-lit room.

A young man with dark blue hair and similar colored eyes was actively writing something down. It was the letter to Lunaria.

Arnold stopped for a second.

The life of Arnold von Berkley has been full of ups and downs, with trouble around every corner.

He could struggle his way through most of them with brain or brawn.

Had his body not been invaded by that otherworlder then he would never have believed the kind of trouble he’ll find himself in the future.

Assuming he’s the only player left—if others presumably left or want nothing to do with the game—could he really carry the whole main story on his shoulders alone?

His motivation at first was to eliminate any and all death flags. Now he just wants a peaceful life filled with riches with Victoria by his side. Of course, unlocking his skills and getting rid of Oriel is also important but who’s to say he can achieve all that on his own?

About the main story… Should he forcibly advance the story on his own or wait for Luke to do it himself?

‘You better not be slacking off while I’m risking my life in this dungeon to get stronger.’ Arnold thought as Luke’s face appeared in his mind.

What’s he doing anyway? Probably wooing the servants at the Berkley Castle. By Arnold’s calculations, there’s still 18 days left before the academy reopens for the new year. Luke was probably told to head back to the city. Olivia must be with him right now.

‘I wonder if those two kissed yet. If they did then it was probably Olivia that initiated it. She’s the assertive type after all.’

If she knows Luke’s potential then she’d do anything in her power to keep him loyal to their marriage—or rather to her.

Arnold is rather worried about what Olivia plans to do once she realizes how valuable Luke is.

Not many people—or rather—only a handful of people know Luke’s true potential.

This is due to Luke’s inability to use his golden aura without his Semi-Star sword. Heirloom weapons aren’t allowed on the academy grounds unless it’s for duels or tournaments (like the Knightly Competitions).

The next tournament event happens in a year. That leaves the former as the only chance for Luke to show his true potential.

‘Hmm, I don’t think anyone can hate the kid to the point of forcing a duel on him. He’s not the kind who makes enemies.’

Deep down he probably knows that no one in the academy can beat him anyway. His raw power alone is second to no one.

‘It’s best if he doesn’t willingly go looking for fights. The only way for him to show his true power is in class. Hmm, I should ask Roderick if it’s possible to request that the academy allows Luke to use his magic sword in live combat training.’

The students in the knight division often have spars during class as it’s a mandatory part of checking progress. Thing is, student can either use their soul weapons or weapons from the rack that the teacher provides them.

Luke doesn’t have a soul weapon yet so he’s forced to fight with normal weapons which prevents him from using all his power.

If only he had the holy sword to unlock all that power… Since he doesn’t have it, the only option that remains is Flora’s old sword.

‘The holy sword… I wonder if Arthur is still looking for it… He better not otherwise I’ll have to punch him in the face the next time I see him.’

He was very clear that Arthur and the others shouldn’t go any further than the 50th floor.

Arnold heard Rafaela turning on the bed. He stopped writing and looked back at her.

‘What kind of life will you live from now on, Rafaela? Will you continue to serve a god who kept everything from you?’

If one were to look at this from another perspective, you would see the good in her not remembering what her life was like as an ordinary mortal. Most people would break recalling all that trauma.

Lauran almost went through something similar when she faced Ruduli in the fourth Arc of the main story. Despite having the power to end a dragon lord with a single spell, she could not muster up the courage to face that man for a period of time.

It was only after getting the “bad” ending for Arc III that Lauran was able to kill Ruduli. The bad ending was Lauran killing Arnold, thus becoming a cold-blooded murderer. Even Luke couldn’t stop her from taking Arnold’s life.

She died in a war that destroyed the empire.

‘Following all the right sequences and events in the story has an affect on the ending of every arc… I wonder what could’ve prevented all the suffering that Ekterina brought her and her people.’ He stood up and walked over to the bed.

He sat down on the bed and stroked her hair.

‘I guess killing Ekterina would’ve sufficed but she’s not introduced in the story till at least the end of the School Arc if you activate certain side quests. Rafaela grew up during the great war so it would’ve been impossible to change the outcome.’

Who would’ve thought that an NPC could make him feel this way.

Sympathy.

If Liam wasn’t a part of him then he would’ve never cared for Rafaela or her past, only pretending to get under her skirt.

He recalled Ladiath’s words:

-“Instead of battling for dominance, why not embrace the new Arnold?”

He’s already embracing his new life as the embodiment of two mortal souls. Sometimes it’s just hard for a human to accept reality.

Rafaela moaned in her sleep and turned away from Arnold.

“Alright, let’s finish that letter then I’ll check my status.”

**

Donning “Gergois”, Arnold took out the hologram card with the idea to check the armor’s stats. Magic items—armor included—often boost its user’s base stats to some extent.

Arnold had a pretty good idea of what the armor does to his body.

It makes him feel lighter and quicker on his feet: Meaning that it increases his overall leg and arm strength.

His senses improve, even to that of the average demihuman. This is because of the runes planted all over the armor.

Then there’s his aura that gets multiplied due to multiplier runes and various buffs.

‘It’s been a while since I used the hologram card,’ he looked at the transparent green card, ‘Hold on, I completed the quest that the system gave me already so I should be able to see my rewards as well.’

“Ah… So, this is what I forgot to check… I was so absorbed in spending that night with Rafaela that I forgot the most important thing of all.”

He got all giddy inside thinking about which skills the system unlocked.

With that in mind he tried activating the card by saying “Status” in his mind.

“…Huh?”

Nothing happened.

“Status.”

Again, nothing happened.

“Status! What’s going on? Why won’t the damn thing work!”

“—Why are you shouting so loudly in the morning…?”

An annoyed voice came from behind him.

Arnold stood up from the floor and headed towards the bed where the voice came from.

“Hold this.”

“Why?” Rafaela rubbed her eyes and looked at him in confusion.

“Just take it.”

“…..” Rafaela took the hologram card, “What now?”

“Say ‘status’.”

“…Status.” She looked down at the hologram card, “Eh, something appeared on the card.”

“That’s your status.”

‘Why the fuck isn’t it working for me?’

Arnold looked down at Rafaela’s status.

His face became expressionless as he went down the list.

CLASS: Empyrean Maiden (Legendary)

Level 100 HP: 1200/1200 Stamina: 53/ 200 (recovering) Divine Power (DP): 5900/5900

Skills:

Avatar Angel(S) Roar of Divine Beast Ythirak - (Super Soul Summon) – Summon the spirit of a divine beast for a short period of time. Heaven’s Call (Super Buff) Songs for the Gods (Buff) Fire of The Golden Song(S) - Incinerate demon energy and combust demons at will. Sea of Divine Power(A) - Heal an army of 1000 individuals at once. Divine Calling(S) - Call upon a rain of arrows shot by all angels that perished in the Demon Human War. Body of Divine Excellence (Shield) – Produce layers of hardened divine power that can temporarily protect oneself. Beam of Blessings (Skill) Rain of Light(S) – Turn sun rays into offensive divine power. Mist of Purity (Super Buff for allies or AoE for hordes of creatures of the dark) Golden Fire(A) Thine Spirit, Thine Body – (Super Regeneration) – Heal 80% of major injuries, including severed limbs. (Preparation time ~ 7 hours) (Cooldown ~ 48 hours)

[Hologram card is unable to calculate or determine user’s traits, thoughts and experience points. Use game’s integrated system]

-Status-

: Tired, feverish (due to overwhelming divine power in mortal body)

‘Hm, the layout of the system is different this time. Besides that…’

“You’re… at level 100…?”

“Yes, what about it? All of my sisters are the same level as I am. I spent most of my life as an angel training back home.”

Right, she’s a granny who’s lived over a century so she should’ve had a lot of time to get strong.

“….” Arnold peeked at her plethora of skills, most of which he recognized right away, “Why haven’t you used any of these skills in combat?”

She’s way too strong for a mere low-ranking angel. What kind of monster is the little angel in his jacket’s chestpocket?

‘Didn’t Lancelot use that first skill on the list during our fight? I recall it being almost impenetrable. We could’ve used that skill against Kalda, dammit.’

“I’m more suited to fighting undead, vampires, demons and monsters afflicted with demon energy. All my abilities’ effectiveness would be halved if I use it against ordinary monsters or even humans. If I were to fight that Arthur fellow then my skills would be almost useless because both of us possess divine energy so we can’t hurt each other to a great extend, unless he strikes me with his sword, of course.”

“Well, that makes sense…”

What kind of training did Rafaela go through to get stats similar to the current Angelica?

Angelica didn’t have that many skills but she was about the same level, just with a little more Divine Power.

“Why did you want to know my level?” Rafaela gave the card back to him.

“It’s just… I thought the hologram card stopped working. It appears I was wrong. It’s just not working for me.”

“I see. When did you notice that?”

“Just a few minutes ago.”

“Have you tried to fix it?”

“I don’t know how to do that. A rune master could probably do that since they’re experts in all things rune related. Thing is I have no clue where to find such an individual. It might be easier to just replace this thing.”

Rafaela looked at the armor that Arnold was wearing.

“…Why are you dressed in that armor this early in the morning?”

“I was curious about something,” he said the armor’s name inside his head. It quickly vanished, “It doesn’t matter. Anyway, you should get ready. We’re leaving after having breakfast.”

Rafaela stood up from the bed and stretched. Her naked skin was touched by the light of the sunlight coming through the opened window.

‘Hm? The sun’s light is visible?’ Arnold looked out the windows, ‘Hmm… The artificial relic tomb is breaking down.’

Or in other words, the ice was melting.

“I wonder if there are any survivors out there.”

Arnold heard Rafaela speak. He looked back at her.

Two scars—reaching from her upper back until her tailbone—were on her back.

She continued speaking while tying her hair, “If the ice didn’t kill them then starvation should have. Did Miss Siana say how long she’s been trapped here?”

“I can’t recall her mentioning how long. Could’ve been years. An ice age doesn’t just happen in days or weeks. Nothing and no one is that powerful.”

“I suppose you’re right. It feels wrong leaving the survivors on a world as dead as this one.”

“If there really are any survivors then we could just tell them where the portals are. They can go live on another planet. Anyway…” Arnold looked at Rafaela’s body up and down.

It was insane how this was a granny’s body. It almost feels like he’s doing it with a middle schooler, given her height and youthful face.

Arnold hugged Rafaela from behind. He put his hands around her body and tightened the hug.

He buried his face in her pale green hair.

“On second thought, we can leave this world after having lunch. Why not finish where we left off? I only blew 5 loads.”

“I told you this already: do not act like we’re lovers.” Rafaela said so and pushed him away.

“You were more obedient when I was inside of you. Where’s the woman who said that she loves me and will do anything for me?”

“That was merely an act brought on by pleasure… Women say that all the time to please the man and boost his ego—even if he doesn’t deserve it.” Rafaela replied monotonously.

“Tch. Why do you have to ruin the mood every time? You really have no charm as a woman. You know that, right?”

She was a completely different person last night.

Rafaela silently continued brushing her hair, not even bothering to retort.

Arnold, now pissed off, put his clothes on in a hurry. She ruined a perfect moment with her shitty attitude.

Really, who does she think she is, mumbled Arnold.

He was just about to leave the room when he heard Rafaela call out to him.

“Arnold…”

“?” Arnold stopped at the door. He turned his head to look at her.

Her back was still turned to him as she was fixing her messy hair.

“The journey ahead is long. You can uphold the promise you made that night since there will be plenty of time before the two of us part ways.”

“Part ways” huh. So her intention is to go back.

Even though she was blatantly telling him that there was no chance that the two can ever be in a relationship, he scoffed with a smirk.

“Why can’t you just be straight with me like that night you barged into my room,” he sighed, “Whatever. Remember to pack your stuff so that we can leave as soon as possible.”

He then left the room.

Rafaela sat down on the bed. She opened up the bedside nightstand.

The only thing inside the drawer was a white towel that had dry blood on it.

Rafaela smiled as she looked at the towel she had used to wipe away the blood from their first night together.

Arnold was already out the door to notice this scene.

***

‘Now then, how am I going to fix my hologram card?’

Arnold was walking through his palace while all sorts of things went through his head.

The most important thing right now is to find out why his hologram card was acting so strange and how to fix it.

Of course, he could simply go back to Ardark’s library and make a new hologram card. But he wants to check his progress right now. He wasn’t sure how much XP he gained up until now.

“Hm, I think I was level 58? No, maybe 59?”

He didn’t pay attention to his level that much recently. He could’ve sworn he was in his later fifties.

“The last time I used the hologram card…. Was it when I was in the treasury with Sceptim? No wait, it was when Ladiath showed up. It worked fine for me then.”

‘There’s also the fact that I didn’t get a quest completion notification.’

He had expected the notification to appear sometime after offering Kalda’s soul to Ladiath. Like with that time with Lyra’s S-class quest pop-up—which was followed by some sort of time freeze, so he expected to see the “quest complete” with his own eyes.

“Is something up with the system? Fuck, it was already so useless before with its limited features and the fact that it blocked all my fucking skills. Screw you, you piece of shit.”

He wanted to throw the hologram card out the window.

-….

“Haahh…” Arnold put it away, “I’ll check again later. If you can hear this just know that you’re a shitty system. Fuck you.”

There was no answer. Arnold must look like an idiot talking to himself.

He arrived in front of Siana’s room.

He contemplated whether he should knock to see if she’s awake or just walk away. They’ve barely spoken this week.

He wanted to see if she’s alright.

Arnold suddenly heard a growl coming from behind him.

He turned around to address the cause of the growl.

“Fridulf.”

“….”

The great wolf looked at Arnold with its golden eyes in silence, not moving an inch.

“I know you’re upset but following me around all the time is getting annoying. I can’t even take a bath without feeling eyes on my back.”

Ever since Tanaera revived him, Fridulf has been following Arnold everywhere. Arnold could even feel the wolf’s eyes on him when the wolf isn’t in plain sight.

Arnold knows that the wolf hates him but stalking him is annoying.

“Listen, I had to do what was necessary at the time, alright?”

“….”

“I needed equipment but you stood in my way. It was a tough fight but I won in the end.”

“….”

Staaare…

“—He wants the greatsword back.” Arnold heard Tanaera’s voice coming from beside him.

“Good morning to you too, Tanaera.”

“I prepared something for you.”

‘She’s just going to ignore me like that, huh?’

He looked down at the strange black paper in her hand.

“Black paper? This is new.”

“It’s just ordinary paper that was submerged in a pool of dark mana—my mana to be more specific.”

“Mana can’t be turned into liquid without… lifeforce… I see—a lifeforce incantation. Such a thing is dangerous, you know.”

Lifeforce incantations is just as it sounds—using your lifeforce to cast spells. It comes at a huge cost. Saying that you’re giving away a piece of your life wouldn’t be a stretch.

In Tanaera’s case, she used her mana to extract her lifeforce and submerged the paper in it.

You can also create something known as “Magic Grease” using the same method which can be used to add magic properties to non-magic weapons or armor.

Think of mana as hydrogen and lifeforce (the unseen spiritual aura in every individual) as oxygen. When the two come together, they create water—or in Tanaera’s case—a liquid that can bind to any surface.

“Why?”

“You want to use the power of the Cardinal artifact, right? How will you do so if I’m not here?”

“What?”

‘So, she’s trying to use an exploit from the game.’

Lifeforce incantations was more of an exploit than a feature in the game. When mages are on their last legs (out of mana) they can use their lifeforce to cast spells, which endangers their characters and carries a risk of being banned by the server.

“What I just gave you will help you create a stigmata, which can be used to boost your strength in battle. You should know the risks involved so use them wisely.”

Tanaera was about to walk away but Arnold grabbed her arm.

“If I decide to tear this paper apart then you’ll lose a significant amount of lifeforce that you’ll never get back. You’ll die sooner than if you still had all your lifeforce. Do you really trust me this much?”

“I don’t trust you at all,” she stepped back, “It’s just that I feel like I owe you this much at least. My lifeforce will return to me once you use a stigmata. Good luck wherever you end up. I’ll be in my room studying so I won’t join everyone for breakfast.”

“Uh, right…”

Tanaera turned around and began walking away. Their conversation ended just like that.

‘Hm?’ Arnold notice something above Tanaera’s head.

Level 77 Condition: Fear, Anxious

He blinked a few times as Tanaera’s frame grew smaller.

‘It’s still there. What’s going on?’

Arnold looked down at Fridulf who was still looking at him.

Level 99 Condition: (unable to gather information)

‘Why can I see the level and condition of NPCs?’

The door behind him opened while he was trying to find an answer.

“Arnold? Did you need something?”

__

◇ Siana

Level 100 Condition: Surprised, Tired

__

“No. I was just passing by. I was talking to Tanaera in the hallway a minute ago.”

“Is that so. Breakfast should be ready since the sun is up. Why don’t you go on ahead? I’ll join everyone once I get dressed.”

“I was on my way to the dining room anyway,” he looked down at Fridulf again, “Can you tell your mutt to stop following me around? I’ll give you the damn sword before I leave this world, alright?”

Fridulf turned his head and growled as if he was harrumphing.

He looked back at Siana, “Rafaela and I are leaving after breakfast.”

“I see. You can’t face the dangers out there without filling your stomachs, after all. Ah, sorry for keeping you. I’ll be down in a minute, okay?”

Siana closed the door after saying so. Fridulf sat in front of the door and glared at Arnold as if he was protecting Siana

With a sigh and a shrug, Arnold decided to walk away.

◇◇◇

Some interesting things appeared in Arnold’s vision when he came into the dining hall.

He could see a list of statuses with all sorts of conditions. These conditions varied from curiosity to deep interest. There were some oddballs with “sexually frustrated” or “involuntarily celibate” conditions in their statuses.

Arnold decided to ignore those oddballs.

From looking at the status, Arnold could surmise that “condition” doesn’t just evaluate a person’s physical health but also their emotions. Sort of like the state of their emotions.

Why didn’t the developers just split the feelings and health into two separate categories? Was it too much work?

Arnold was curious what this new status window was but he couldn’t check anything now since it would he weird if people saw him moving his hands in the air randomly.

It was obvious by now—he managed to unlock the system somehow.

What kind of skills did he unlock? What was his current level? How far into the system can he look?

…

There were a bunch of women currently in the dining hall. Who else could they be other than the knights?

None of the female knights were in their full gear so he could pretty much see that the majority of the people in the dining room were women, with few men here and there.

The women weren’t average-looking though. In fact, all of them were beauties. Strength and beauty—what an exotic but attractive combination.

All of them looked at Arnold in silence.

After what seemed like an eternity, they began greeting him.

“G-Good morning , Milord!”

“Did you sleep well?”

“Your recovery seems to have gone well!”

Arnold greeted them all. He had no choice since they were so cheerful about it. Some even came up to him to hug him, which he didn’t resist.

He’s technically their “Lord” now so he didn’t mind being called “Milord” or “My Liege”.

After hugging nearly 40 women, Arnold finally had the chance to look for a seat.

“You can sit here, Lord Arnold!” Caerwyn waved at Arnold when he looked around the dining room.

Perfect.

He made his way over to Caerwyn’s seat. It appears that the seat next to her was the only one not being occupied by someone. Of course, there were other open seats but they were too far from the door and next to women he doesn’t know that well.

This is why he decided to sit next to Caerwyn instead.

“Did you manage to recover all your strength?” Caerwyn asked when Arnold sat down.

“Yeah, I’m ready for anything. It would be wise of me to avoid needless battles though. What about you? Did I cause any permanent damage while under Kalda’s control?”

“I managed to recover after a few days so I’m fine. Just a few broken bones. I knew Lord Arnold was strong but I didn’t expect you to be that strong. Most of us are in the level 70s to 90s but you managed to beat us rather easily.”

‘It seems NPCs are still under the impression that your level is everything.’

He wore a demon lord’s armor and had a factor that supplied him with demon energy that multiplied all his stats. His defense was nigh-invincible and he had a monstrous aura power stat. He also had the demon sword by his side.

If you also consider the fact that most of Siana’s knights don’t have divine skills of any kind, it would be impossible for them to defeat him in a head-on fight.

Rafaela could take him down even in his demon lord state at full power, as evident by her overpowered skills.

“Well, you guys should just train more in the future… Your level might not increase but you’ll still become stronger.”

“Hehehe, you’re right…” Caerwyn scratched her cheek, “I’ve been pretty lazy these past 50 years. All I ever did was patrol the palace.”

“There are a lot of dungeons in my world. They aren’t on the scale of the Sky God dungeon though. You can go through them if you’re not interested in the monster zones.”

“Would it really be okay to leave Lady Siana’s service for a short time?”

“There isn’t a large-scale war going on in my world so there’s no need for all of you to work long shifts. Household knights work in shifts of 4 days per week on average. The one who you serve can also decide on their own what your shifts will be like. I’m still figuring out how to manage all my armies. For now, we’ll stick to the standard 4 days a week.”

“I see. So, I can do whatever I want when my shift is over?”

“That’s up to Siana. She can place restrictions on where you’re allowed to go but I’m sure she won’t be that strict.”

“Hmm, I’ll have to speak with her about this…” Caerwyn suddenly leaned closer to Arnold and squinted her eyes. Startled by this, Arnold leaned slightly back.

Is she going in for a kiss?

“Uhm, Lord Arnold, your hair…” Caerwyn pointed at Arnold’s face, particularly to the bang on his left cheek.

“…What about it?”

“The tips are becoming grey,” Caerwyn held up a few strands of his hair and tried to show it to him. He had medium-short hair so he could clearly see what she was holding up.

‘This is odd. It’s the first time I’ve seen this happen.’

Was the artifact he uses to change his hair to silver malfunctioning? It could be a side effect caused by impure mana in the crystals he purchased with the magic item.

‘Did that magic store owner scam me? Still, I don’t really feel any different so it shouldn’t be a big deal.’

“I’ll just cut my hair short. I haven’t gone to a salon in almost a year.”

He couldn’t bother with grooming himself properly since he was too busy sleeping around and consuming the best wines throughout Horvine city’s countryside.

“If possible, can I do it for you?” Caerwyn asked with an unusually enthusiastic voice.

“Maybe another time. I’m not sticking around that long when I’m done eating. I usually just tie up my hair so that it doesn’t hinder me in a fight. I’ve been fighting fine like that until now.”

“Oh… How about when Lord Arnold goes to the city? I could do it then!”

“Caerwyn always trims my hair when it gets too long,” someone spoke from the side, “Although she’s pretty clumsy when it comes to stuff other than fighting, I’m sure she can help Lord Arnold. I can vouch for it.”

Before Arnold noticed, there was another woman sitting to his right. It was that glasses lady. What was her name again? Rurika or something.

“Alright, fine. I’m heading to the city anyway,” Arnold agreed.

“I have so many styles in mind! Would Lord Arnold like for me to show you my category of hairstyles? All of them are in my room!” Caerwyn spoke with more enthusiasm.

“I’ll make up my mind when we see each other again. Anything that keeps my hair out of my face will be fine.”

“Got it!”

“—Good morning, everyone.” Siana stepped into the dining room at that moment, accompanied by Kalda and Fridulf.

Every person besides Arnold stood up.

“Good morning, Lady Siana!” they all said in unison.

“There’s no need to—” Siana sighed before completing her sentence as if she gave up.

She was probably going to say that there’s no need to greet her like that. Maybe they’re too used to treating her like a queen?

Someone suddenly climbed onto Arnold’s lap during that whole situation as if it was a normal thing.

“Get off, Kalda.” Arnold said to the person.

“….” Kalda pouted.

“You’re not a child. You’re a grown woman so get off.” He was trying his hardest to keep himself from throwing her off.

It's not that he doesn’t enjoy a woman’s buttocks on his lap, it’s just that he felt uncomfortable with this level of intimacy in public which wasn’t initiated by him.

Kalda’s cheeks swelled up even more when she climbed off.

“Uhm, it seems this version of Kalda is quite fond of Lord Arnold. You can sit in my chair with me if you’d like, Kalda.” Caerwyn scooted a little to the side of her chair.

Kalda smiled and sat on her chair. She then began eating out of Arnold’s plate, using the fork he just used to put food in his mouth.

He clicked his tongue.

‘This woman has become such a nuisance. She’s been doing this all week. I enjoy women swooning over me but this level of intimacy is just annoying and weird, especially since it comes from a person who wanted to kill me the first time we met.’

Siana sat down on the chair which was closest to the door, and also at the head of the table.

She cleared her throat and began speaking:

“I would like to have a word with everyone about something important. As you all know, Arnold had inquired whether I would be willing to start my own House and become his vassal—which I accepted. I’d like to discuss a few things with him. All of you should join the discussion if you’re also curious about some things.”

“First of all: I’m sure there will be a lot of work waiting for me since I’ll own a part of your land. I can’t expect my liege lord or his advisor to offer advice or help me with administrative work. What good is a vassal who cannot even do paperwork. There’s also the army that will be employed under my House. All of you will be the only power I have as a noble with little to no political connections at the start. In short, there’s a lot of work to be done for my House to benefit the city. My point is that I want every one of you to do your part if you’re truly loyal to me.”

“I forgot to mention this before,” Arnold interrupted Siana, “But my city is worth nothing—meaning I have no wealth of my own. There are no commercial farms, plantations, labs or any other kind of institution or entity that produces money for my city.”

“It’s that bad?” Siana didn’t look surprised or discouraged. Who would’ve thought that she’d be this eager to help Arnold.

“You’ll see how bad it id once you’re there. I’m just warning you about the financial side of things.”

“What about the crystals you mentioned? Did they not turn a profit before you entered the dungeon?”

“No.”

Even if Vetis and Lunaria managed to get buyers interested in the crystals, they couldn’t sell the crystals without Arnold’s permission, which he won’t provide anytime soon. Of course, selling small amounts of the crystals won’t be a big deal since it’s basically advertising for them.

The problem is the value of the crystals.

The demand for the purest, highest quality magic crystals is very high. The supply, however, is lackluster.

According to the lore in the game, the value of one crimson crystal the size of an average human head should equate to the price of a small manor.

If Arnold wants to monopolize the “Magic Crystal Market”, then he should show the world what the crystals can do to gather public interest, thereby ensuring many buyers are willing to invest in his mineral and his city.

Its value will skyrocket if the majority of the public is willing to buy the mineral.

All he has to do is wait for a while before distributing them in bulk to large organizations.

“That’s clever. I have one question, though: Will you distribute the crystals among your nobles? The way I see it, magic crystals of that caliber can be used to strengthen households that use runic arts or consist of mostly magicians.”

“Runic arts isn’t a thing in my world anymore. It’s a dead art now. I’m not sure how many runic masters are even left in the world.”

He only knows about Sylphy, only after Elora showed him her dagger.

He could always invest in making better Magic Sheets but felt like it would only benefit a Magic Manipulator like Elora and no one else.

“Blacksmiths can modify weapons using those minerals, no?” Siana asked.

“Those bearing the title Grandmaster can, yes. But you don’t just find a Grandmaster capable of doing that off the streets. Most kingdoms employ these individuals in their armies for exclusive trade. Hiring one not enlisted in any army or knight order will cost a fortune if we’re even approved to be on the waiting list.”

“No one in my order is a pure magician so it seems we can’t make use of the crystals. That’s a shame.”

“I’ll find a way to employ a grandmaster blacksmith. I’ll allow you to make use of my crystals but only if you can secure a household of mages to come to my side. I hate to admit it but an army needs mages.”

“Why hate the idea, if I may ask?” Caerwyn spoke up.

“Nearly every named magician on the continent has ties to the magic towers or affiliate institutions. I’ll have magic tower mages breathing down my neck if they find out about my magic crystals.”

There will be some who would seek to rob him of all his minerals, which is why he hates the idea of allying himself with magician families.

Of course, the benefits outweigh the risks.

“Just let me know who I should bring over to our side. I’ll make sure they can’t refuse the alliance.”

“All that matters is that they support Julius and they’re a prominent noble family.”

Everything else will fall into place by itself with Julius ruling the empire. Arnold won’t have to worry about his minerals being taken from him unjustly.

“Ah, the other candidate in the succession war. So, you want him to succeed the current emperor?”

“Yeah.”

Of course he does.

Picking Julius as successor leads to the good ending which will prevent the empire’s destruction and ensure that House Berkley remains one of the most prominent Houses in the empire’s history.

“Is that so… Would you mind if I asked a hypothetical question?”

“Go ahead.”

“A war breaks out that threatens your city and its resources. One or two kingdoms joined forces to bring this assault, taking the opportunity while other nations are fighting. Would you force your nobles and armies to stay and fight for you?”

Why is she asking a question that has an obvious answer?

Nobles and soldiers are required to protect their lords during times of conflict. Running away would be considered treason.

Arnold noticed the curious looks on everyone’s faces.

“You’re free to do whatever you want to do. No laws will force you to stay,” He said nonchalantly, “However, should this hypothetical war end and I somehow manage to make it out—whether I prepared for the assault or not—I will look for every single traitor who left my side and kill them all. I will make three generations of their families suffer.”

“Then I do hope that the nobles who served the previous city lord will show the same loyalty to you.”

“We’ll have to see.”

As much as Arnold wanted to deny a war breaking out in the future, it will inevitably happen. He’ll be able to single out the loyal nobles by then.

‘If possible, I want to stop the war from happening entirely.’

Alas, he can’t do so if he doesn’t know what caused it in the first place. Hopefully the main story will provide more information the longer he participates in it.

“What else do you want to know?” Arnold asked Siana.

“How will succession work once you establish your own nation? I’d also like to know how it will affect your nobles.”

“Hmm, that’s a bit tricky. The worst case scenario, I might have to adopt a child to succeed me.”

“Why?”

“How should I put this…” Arnold thought for a moment.

“It’s difficult to maintain and nurture life within my garden. It’s rare for even one plant to emerge from these challenges I face.”

“Ah…”

‘It seems she understood what I meant.’

The way her expression changed from confusion to sad was evident.

“I’m sorry for being so insensitive towards your situation…” Siana bowed her head.

“It doesn’t worry me. It’s not like I want—” he decided to shut up, “Nevermind. Point is that I’m fine even without a blood successor. I’ll thoroughly educate my successor on what awaits them in ruling my land, whoever it might be.”

“Do you have anyone in mind?”

“I do, actually.”

Melina.

Why choose her? Well, that’s complicated to explain. The gist of it all is: Melina is likely to be the only person he can trust or will be the only one close to him to survive once the main story is over.

Elizabeth is another option. The reason is obvious considering the relationship between Arnold and Elizabeth’s characters in the mid to late game.

Siana looked around the table, “I hope all of you are aware of how serious it is to ally yourself with a lord. Your loyalty should not only be for me but also to him.”

One of them raised their hands, “Does it really matter if we’re loyal to our liege lord? Should it be enough for our Lady to be loyal to him?”

“You see, that’s exactly why I brought up the hypothetical war. You’ll prioritize my safety in times of extreme conflict, which will lead to my Lord’s wrath.”

“A-Ah…” the person who asked the earlier question scratched her cheek awkwardly, “I-I didn’t think so much about it…”

“It’s fine. I’ll educate all of you on the importance of serving your liege lord and what’s expected of you.” Siana looked back at Arnold, “I’d like to ask more questions but it’s likely that all my remaining questions will be answered once I reach the city.”

Arnold shrugged, “Have it your way.”

“Ah, before I forget,” Siana spoke again just when she picked up her cutlery to begin eating, “I asked Sceptim to look through the palace basement for artifacts.”

“This palace has a basement?”

“Yes, although it’s only accessible through a locked doorway. I forgot to give the key to Sceptim to show you around. I only recalled the basement’s existence recently. It’s been years since I’ve gone down there.”

“Is Sceptim still down there?”

“—Is that Lord Arnold calling me?” Sceptim’s voice came from the door. He was standing there with a big grin on his face.

He walked over to Arnold with that same grin on his face.

His soft face was covered in dust and his pale white shirt dark from black substances. His hair was also quite dirty.

He was carrying a rectangular box.

“I just finished telling Arnold that you were looking for artifacts for him.”

“I see. Luckily I found something worthwhile. Most of everything down there are armors or magic items for wizards. The weapons that I could find are more suited for magic warriors, which Lord Arnold is not. I’m glad to present to you a piece of artistic beauty which the Nine Realms has never seen before!”

Sceptim dramatically span around on the spot and opened the case with enthusiasm.

Arnold—hyped by his dramatic entrance—eagerly looked inside.

“…A shard?”

There was literally just a piece of shard laying on a red cushion. It looked no bigger than a shortsword.

“….” Arnold looked up at Sceptim who was still grinning.

“Thine eyes deceiveth the ignorant!” he laughed. “Please take out your soul weapon, Lord Arnold.”

He held out the shard.

“…Alright.”

His Aura Sword manifested out of thin air. It hovered over the shard.

The shard suddenly began cracking audibly.

“It is no mere shard! Before your eyes is a piece of a dying star’s core called the Luxtivin Kedfer Eyx!”

“Waaah~” Kalda was the only one who looked impressed by it, “Shiny rock.”

“Hold on, did you say Luxtivi—”

A powerful light engulfed Arnold’s sword just when he was about to question Sceptim. The light was so bright that he had to close his eyes.

The light soon subsided. Everyone opened their eyes.

“What the… Where did my sword go?” Arnold noticed that his aura sword was missing.

He couldn’t sense its presence.

It was just there a second ago. Even the shard was gone.

“Call it forth again.”

“…Alright.” Arnold held out his hand.

His aura sword usually manifests once he lets out his aura but this time the sword manifested like pieces of glass being glued together. There was no aura being consumed, or rather the amount was so miniscule that he felt nothing. The sword wasn’t dark blue anymore, but a purplish black.

The sword manifested in his hands.

He could tell by his eyes alone that his sword was….

Even more powerful.

“You need not worry about your soul weapon losing all its durability in a fight. All your time and energy can be spent learning and improving your aura.”

Arnold looked into the reflection on his blade with disbelief in his eyes.

“The Star Grade mineral that can kill even gods once infused into a weapon… Luxtivin, the God Killer.”

The name is a bit of an exaggeration. It can kill gods butt only under certain conditions.

At its highest potential, it is known as one of the few artifacts that can kill the Star Beast.

To use its true potential if all conditions are met, its wielder must be able to harness the power of Aether. When that happens, it will ascend to a Beyond Star grade artifact.

Arnold couldn’t stop himself from laughing.

“Is it to your satisfaction, Milord?” Sceptim stood there with a proud smirk.

The sword shattered like a porcelain vase being dropped on the floor.

“It is. With this artifact, I might be able to defeat anything that gets in my way.” Arnold also smirked.

**

Every single knight serving Siana was gathered in front of the palace.

The gathering took place in the heart of the snowy land, a land where winter's grip seemed eternal. Despite the relentless cold, the knights stood undeterred, their breaths visible in the frosty air.

Above this seemingly endless stretch of land was the vast ice dome which was now in a gradual state of thaw. However, the vast expanse of snow that blanketed the land remained, a thick white layer that covered fields, forests, and hills alike.

The contrast between the slowly melting ice dome and the enduring snowscape underscored the resilience of this frozen realm, even in the face of subtle transformations.

With a warm smile, Siana looked intently into Arnold's eyes and said, “—I hope your journey turns out to be worthwhile in the end, Arnold.”

Arnold, now in full gear (with his armor) said to her:

“It better. I didn’t go through all this trouble not to get that pure martial art.”

“Is it really necessary for you to stay here? You could come with us to your world and then we can gather a party to go with you later on. Some of the girls volunteered to join when I brought this up.”

“I appreciated their willingness to help but time isn’t on my hands, Siana.”

Whichever martial master defeats the other will be able to learn the martial art within the book that he’s after. This will make that person even stronger, making it more difficult for Arnold to take the book.

Of course, it might be possible that one of them already achieved victory. Arnold hoped that isn’t the case.

“I see.” There was a small smile on Siana’s face, “Then this is farewell…”

“Are you worried that I’ll end up dying?” Arnold harrumphed, “I feel like I can face anything with this armor and my new soul weapon. I won’t die that easily.”

Siana chuckled, “A man’s pride must not be questioned nor doubted, is something I read somewhere.”

“It’s not pride, it’s confidence.”

“Yes, yes I understand.” She brushed it off, “….”

She suddenly went silent as she averted her eyes.

Rafaela nudged Arnold with her elbow, signaling something with her eyes.

With a sigh, he approached Siana.

“Eek.”

He pulled her into a hug.

Sceptim and the other knights silently looked at this scene with smiles.

Arnold suddenly felt someone put their hands around him.

It was Kalda. She purred like a catkin.

“Get off, Kalda.”

“Hahaha, it’s fine.” Siana said with a chuckle, “She’ll miss you too, you know?”

“The feeling isn’t mutual.”

Kalda pouted and harrumphed when she heard that.

‘Acting cute won’t make me forget that you wanted to kill me.’

Arnold backed away and put on his helmet.

“Please be safe, Milord.” Sceptim bowed his head.

“Yeah, I’ll be seeing you.”

Arnold and Rafaela began walking away as everyone waved at them.

Arnold glanced back.

He saw Tanaera standing in the crowd, silently looking at his back.

Noticing him, she did a small wave. He waved back.

‘I hope this isn’t the last time we see each other, Tanaera.’

He looked at Siana again just when he was about to turn his gaze forward.

Something popped up above her head.

Condition: Love

VOLUME 4 END

**

Arnold’s current status:

Status

Name

Arnold von Berkley

Species

Human

Hidden Species

?????? ????

Level

60

Class

Bearer (Unique Grace)

Strength

A(SSS)/155(5000+)

Agility

A(SSS)/222(5000+)

Defense

A(SSS)153(5000+)

Dexterity

SS/1670

Aura Power

SSS(EX)/4500(5000+)

Star Points (Inefficient for Star Shop)

0

Martial Skills:

[Storm of the Water Dragon] - An inferior version of Leviathan Storm(SSS). It is a secret martial art that was adapted from the various martial arts that originate from the Greydire sea, west of Eulia Empire’s shoreline. Was primarily used by the water monarch races such as the whale king, mermaid king, siren queen, etc… [Aura Force] - Turns one’s aura into an energy field capable of throwing enemies off balance using the power of aura-enhanced wind. >*Intensity and power of the energy field will depend on the amount of aura used and the skill of its wielder* < [Essence of Hydra] – Absorb the essence of oxygen or hydrogen in the air to convert the energy into pure aura. Using both in the form of liquid water will cover user’s body in the force of the deep sea. The ocean is your friend in combat! ??? ??? ??? ???? [Martial God’s Step (S)] - Gain the power of partial teleportation during combat! Can also be used to add

more speed to one’s reflexes

MARTIAL ART(S):

Flow of the Tide(S)—The combination of the speed of sound and the gentle flow of a river. It can be used to cut through reality in its final form. Thus, it is known as the weaker version of the Fury of the Trench(EX) swordsmanship style. Elementary Sword Style(G)—Basic swordsmanship used by the students of the academy. It is taught by the Empire.

-Weakness(es):

Divine Power - User has an extremely high negative karma rating which is comparable to a demon's karma rating. Divinity will rapidly decrease user's health if surrounded by it. User is advised to never fight experienced divine users.

Soul Weapon status:

Luxtivin’s Soul Armament – Star Grade. Tip: Find more Star Shards to increase rating to [Beyond Star(☆☆)]. Tip: Train body to reach new heights of Aether.

ALERT! – Arc 1, Chapter 2 – School Arc will begin soon.

Countdown until Luke von Berkley’s second year – 22 days Recommended level to complete School Arc quests – Level 40