Clearing the Game at the End of the World

Chapter 196: Wizard of Wizards (16)

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Lucilla. Lucilla Aedran.

She is said to be a noble….

I remember that there was no mention of her being a noble in the recruitment window. Typically, for noble NPCs, there is always a description stating from which family they are, but I don’t recall seeing anything like that.

‘It must be because of the damn GG system that doesn’t even seem like a game.’

In fact, having experienced it multiple times, the importance of system messages or status windows in this game isn't very high. Even with quests, you could be told [Go to city A.] and after heading there, you might find [You have realized that you misread the request due to the requester’s poor handwriting. Please go to city B.] and thus, the quest changes. This is not an uncommon occurrence.

The GG’s system messages don’t kindly discern lies for you or provide such functions, nor do they reveal all facts. If there is information the player missed despite being able to know it, the system leaves it as is and just spews out general information. If Lucilla had been introduced as ‘Guild Member Lucilla’ when she first appeared, and I had noticed that, the system would label it just so. Hence, the [Noble] tag wasn’t attached to Lucilla’s status in the companion window.

‘If it were usual, by now a notification sound and something like [Companion Lucilla has revealed her identity!] would have played. Although the system lacks reliability, it is still a system, but now even that’s gone, so I have to sort this out myself.'

Let’s see…. What was Lucilla doing when we first met?

Her job. Also a porter of the guild, carrying a rather heavy-looking large pack.

Her first appearance. When Roman was launching the model airship, she approached, claiming to be the gunner.

‘Wait a minute. Gunner? A mere menial worker?'

"Ah, right. The hint was already there. She outright said she was from the guildmaster family, didn’t she? Why would someone who has been with the guildmaster, even if young, be working as a porter?"

If one was a senior, teaching newcomers, they would have to be at least a veteran guild member, having grown seasoned. It wouldn't make sense for her to be doing simple labor like a porter. From here, the clue that Lucilla was lying to us had already emerged.

If I had been intensely skeptical, like when I first met Senadis, scrutinizing every word and realizing it was a lie? Then the status window upon her recruitment would have been different.

[Lucilla Aedran: Junior Guild Member (Disguised)]

Perhaps it would have been noted like this?

‘Hmm…. Given how the real junior porters treated her, it didn’t feel like they were dealing with a noble, much less someone from the direct line of the Gold Geyser family, their boss. If she was a guildmaster, maybe, but a junior level, and among those, a newbie, probably wouldn’t have much experience with guild operations, so other guildmasters might not know about her. Then, the only one who knew her true identity would have been that fat fake guildmaster.'

As one significant piece of information was uncovered, other facts hidden behind began to emerge like a string of sweet potatoes. Just digging a bit more feels like a big chunk will come out swiftly.

Let’s see.

Lucilla Aedran, the direct daughter and guildmaster of the Gold Geyser guild, was disguising herself as a common porter and embarking on a guild journey.

This journey, under the protection of contracted mercenaries rather than knights from the Aedran family, crosses the Blue Line with a risky option of 200%.

Moreover, those embarking on such a dangerous journey aren’t veterans but greenhorns who don’t even know the face of their own guild’s lady, filled with rookies.

.

.

.

.

Oh, what a picture this paints!

In my organized thoughts, Lucilla, who sat demurely like a doll, entered my view. She looked completely different from the dusty child who, until a few days ago, was buried among piles of luggage in the wagon, struggling to save even a single drop of holy oil or a pinch of herbs. And upon such a changed Lucilla, the gaze of the imperial soldiers increased.

‘…Not a great time for a private conversation given all the ears around.’

I was about to call out to Lucilla but instead turned towards Ottman. Quitting because the situation is tricky is what ordinary people might do. But I am a mage, after all.

"…Ottman. That message magic, how does it work again?"

"Message? Are you referring to the second-tier ‘Dorman Valdanis's [Message Drops]'? It's not too complicated. Sound travels through the air into the listener’s ear, but this uses a different medium; you can even use water. First, the most basic hand sign involves pointing with the first joint of the index finger for ‘the target,' and joining the ring finger and thumb to denote ‘compliance' and circulation…"

Ottman had taught me various useful spells during our brief breaks in our busy journey, saying, "Origin Spells are good, but you gain many insights by learning and using Tracing Spells from other mages." This [Message Drops] was one of those minor spells. Unlike other spells that were hard to grasp, this one was somewhat easier because its principle was quite similar to bone conduction earphones, yet I still struggled to maintain it for more than a few seconds, as I was unskilled in using other people’s spells.

‘The situation is a bit different now.’

Unlike [Origin Spells], which use one’s own imagery, [Tracing Spells] involve constructing spells following someone else’s imagery. Naturally, conjuring up a complete stranger’s mindset is not easy, and hence the idea is to recite someone else’s spell as sensually as they expressed their psychological state in an attempt to come closer to the spell creator's imagery.

Before, this was quite unsuccessful. No matter how much I recited the spell or formed hand signs according to prescribed abbreviations, I couldn't quite grasp why an unknown mage would utter such embarrassingly nonsensical phrases.

"…[Message Drops]."

Swoosh—Plop!

Now… it worked too well. Whether it was due to being forcibly NPC-ified, or some other influence, I couldn't tell. But it definitely felt like my magical abilities had increased dramatically.

The small water droplet that appeared before my eyes silently crossed through the air and burrowed into Lucilla’s ear.

Splash!

"Eek!"

Startled by the sudden cold water in her ear, Lucilla instinctively glared back and forth between Ottman and me. After all, there were no other suspects for spontaneously generated water but the two water mages here.

[Ah, ah. Can you hear me? There should be a small droplet of water in front of you. If you can hear this, swallow it. Let's talk quietly.]

As my voice drilled into her ear, Lucilla frowned, looked around as if aware of her surroundings, then demurely covered her mouth and swallowed the droplet in front of her.

[Brr, cold.]

[Oh, this is quite easy to hear.]

[Ah, it feels a bit strange though.]

[Aren’t you a noble? Haven’t you used message magic before?]

[I've only used ones made by artifacts, this is the first time I've been the target of the spell myself.]

Conversing through message magic felt… like a beheaded person speaking through their throat. It's a strange comparison but that's exactly how it feels. Words are conveyed without moving lips or tongue.

Lucilla, initially uncomfortable with this new way of communication, seemed to quickly adapt and began to grumble at me while maintaining the composed face of a gentle noble lady.

[Ah, these magicians! If you had just waited, we could have been sitting comfortably in the plush chairs of the Vigilen family, calmly discussing over fragrant tea.]

[After all the tedious and complex noble greetings, welcome parties, and social gatherings, that is. Why wait for all that when you can ask right now?]

If Lucilla were escorted away by that tall knight, it would be predictable. Exchanging pleasantries about the hardship of travel, both would probe each other’s intentions and values with a smile, and as soon as it's revealed that she’s a marriageable noble lady from a wealthy family abroad, numerous nameless noble men at the modest welcome party would queue up to request dances until she’s worn out.

If unlucky, a needless courtesy visit could drag on for more than two nights and three days. I can't stand being curious. How could I wait that long?

[Let’s see. If you can officially use your family’s name, it means you have a fairly significant standing within the Aedran family, the Gold Geyser guild. Why then join such a dangerous venture in disguise, posing as a mere laborer?]

[…I should start with an apology. I didn’t mean to deceive, but there were reasons—]

[Is your family’s internal competition so fierce? To the point of risking your life across the Blue Line, scrambling to carry back even the smallest surplus goods?]

[How, how did you?]

Suddenly caught off-guard by my pointed questioning, Lucilla looked back in shock, forgetting her guise.

[It’s obvious. The neighboring country of Roderick is in a 24-hour war, and the surrounding nations are also in full wartime preparation. There’s no need to travel back and forth beyond the mountains. Engaging in triangular trade between Roderick, the Free Trade Union, and Teldrat would already be pouring in heaps of money. Instead of being a war merchant rolling in silver coins, you chose this risky and complicated venture.]

It’s really no big deal, it’s like thinking about how children of major corporations inherit subsidiaries. Why handle shipping tasks through pirate-ridden waters off Somalia when there’s a huge stake falling right before them? Obviously, the more powerful siblings closer to succession get the best deals, enjoying the juiciest parts, leaving just the scraps.

‘Moreover, Teldrat is famously fertile with grain. Considering it's wartime, it’s likely tasked with supplying devastated Roderick. Maybe Roderick is desperate enough to sell even the king’s throne and crown, yet here you are trading luxuries with the empire instead of food.’

[Unless you're a fool, there’s no reason to take such a risk at this time. You don’t seem like a fool, so that leaves one thing. Maybe you've been severely undercut by your powerful siblings and you’re scraping together your last resources to make a big play. Am I right?]

At my words, Lucilla, who had been sitting like a doll, turned to me, scanning me up and down as if thinking, ‘What kind of person is this?’

[…Hero, you would have been wildly successful as a merchant.]

Quietly listening to me, Lucilla admitted that my guess was accurate with her response.

[You're right. My name is Lucilla Aedran, the tenth child among seven sons and four daughters of the Aedran family, and I'm in charge of managing our guild's trade in spirits and precious metals.]

[Spirits and precious metals, eh? Not bad. It’s a shame there’s no share in Teldrat’s famous wheat and sugarcane, but precious metals are always a stable market, and spirits derived from grains make Teldrat’s beer and spirits quite premium. Doesn’t seem like something you'd risk dangerous ventures in your tattered attire for, does it?]

[Well, I guess my abilities are just too exceptional.]

Lucilla sighed deeply, an old soul's weary exhalation, yet her face remained sweetly smiling toward the people outside.

[I really expanded the already appetizing liquor market spectacularly.]

[Show off… What exactly did you do?]

[I struck a beer supply agreement with the ‘Red Rockjaw Dwarves' of the Empire.]

[Oh, sorry. That's impressive indeed. Hmm, with that, you can strut around with some pride.]

It’s not an empty compliment. Dwarves are a race that might live without water or food but never without beer. Securing an exclusive contract to supply beer to a dwarf tribe means they can produce as much beer as they are capable of without worrying about stock. And the ‘Red Rockjaw’ are a significant tribe located in an iron-rich region, making this a meaningful deal even for the massive Gold Geyser guild.

[So, you did well. Why did it fall apart then?]

[That's… I ended up moving too much influence for the power I held. As the money involved grew, my older brothers and sisters started coveting my rights, and I held my ground, but then the war broke out…]

[And it all went to the hands of someone who gained national war trader rights under the family name, right?]

[Yes. The Red Rockjaw tribe is famous for producing high-quality steel, and since the Aedran family operates on the logic of money, I couldn't stop the second brother, who had the monopoly on supplies, from gaining more power. My guild, which I worked so hard to grow from a young age until my hands were callused, fell into my brother's hands, and people I worked with were either threatened or persuaded to scatter. And just when I had been cut off from all sides and was about to give up, thinking ‘I've done enough. I lost.'…]

Swoosh!

"My father, who hadn’t called me to dinner in years, suddenly did, telling me to prepare for marriage! To an aged man in his 60s from the Free Trade Union, no less!"

[Hey! Watch your mouth! You just said—]

[Oops!]

Overwhelmed by emotion, Lucilla inadvertently spoke out loud. The knight ahead turned back at the sudden commotion, and Lucilla, quickly putting on a nothing-to-see-here face, waved her hand gently and continued in a deflated tone.

[Anyway… My father, thinking I was completely out of the running for family headship, tried to marry me off in a political marriage. Since all my rights were stripped away, he thought he might as well sell my body for profit.]

[Wow, that’s a very… noble-lady-like reason, isn’t it? Basically, you ran away from home because you didn’t want to get married?]

Clang!

Ouch. Why’s she throwing pots around now?

[Yikes! It's a matter of pride! Even if I was outmaneuvered by my second brother, I'm still Lucilla Aedran! I traveled all the way to that distant dwarf village, practically drenched in beer, making friends with those bearded rock-like men! I managed to secure that contract after all that effort, and it was something I proudly added under the name of Gold Geyser! To think they’d sell such a great merchant, who achieved such feats at just fifteen, as some old man’s concubine! That’s a ‘loss’! Even if the family headship is important, it’s absurd to just waste a competitor like that! That's not the Gold Geyser way!]

Snick, snick!

Lucilla, venting her frustrations through the message magic like a waterfall. After calming herself for a moment, she addressed me again in a more composed tone.

[…So I gathered all my remaining assets and personal wealth to embark on this final venture. To escape the increasingly watchful eyes since the marriage proposal, I had to disguise myself as a porter and join this dangerous venture in secret.]

[So that's what happened. Then that fat guildmaster, what was his name? Geld? Geld Praus? That man is…]

[Uncle Praus has been teaching and helping me since I first started learning business. Even when everyone else left my side, he didn’t. He actively stepped in to help with this dangerous venture too. I’m sorry. I couldn’t reveal my identity until we completely crossed the Blue Line, so I inevitably had to deceive you and your companions.]

[Hmm… I see.]

That's a convincing explanation. Likely, that second brother is almost poised to become the heir of the family. From his perspective, his significantly capable younger sister must have been a thorn in his side, a variable he wished to eliminate due to his typical merchant paranoia. He probably even placed a bounty like ‘report the runaway lady and receive 200,000 shillings'. So, outwardly, under the guise of a long-distance trade managed by that Guildmaster Geld Praus, she forged an expedition made solely of newcomers not yet involved in the family's power struggles and mercenaries bought with money.

[So, you picked Roman too?]

[I asked Uncle Praus to. He seemed like a gold nugget rolling along the road, and despite the urgency, I just couldn't leave him behind. I entered as a marksman and planned to train him from scratch to make him my own.]

[Securing goods with such determination in the elf village was…]

[…To be honest, the goods I hastily gathered couldn't sufficiently profit us for the risks we took on.]

Hmm. That's the backstory.

‘…Could she be a Hero Unit?'

Now that the hidden stories have surfaced, there might be something new, but without a way to check the status screen, it's uncertain. However, it was clear that she was a figure of significant importance in my current situation.

As I was nodding in satisfaction, having my questions resolved, a thought struck me like lightning. Thinking of Hero Units and Gold Geyser brought someone to mind.

‘Wait a minute. Considering what Roman said about loyalty and gratitude to the guildmaster, it seems certain he’s under Lucilla now. So, if Gold Geyser stabilizes, it’s not just about Roman rising, it’s about her needing to rise, right? And isn’t an airship like a joker card that could flip the entire board?'

Rights can be taken back with the power of a family. But what about people? People who don't obey?

Roman is a mage, a stubborn one at that, determined to forge his own path. Such people never go back on their words once they've committed to them.

Literally, ‘even unto death'.

"Hmm…."

As I stroked my chin in thought, I noticed Lucilla glancing my way with a deflated expression as if she had just confessed her sins. Right, she had said all she had to say, now she was waiting for what comes next.

[…You, being scared.]

[What does that mean…?]

[I won’t blame you much for hiding your identity, so stop looking like a puppy that’s peed on the blanket.]

Lucilla’s face, which had been downcast, bloomed like a flower bursting into bloom.

[So, you'll help me?]

[Hmm? What nonsense are you talking about? Who's going to help you?]

"Ek?"

Her blossoming expression… quickly deflated.

Look at that. Trying to take advantage with sentimentality?

[Now that the principal of the contract has changed, you need to rewrite it. Before, it was just a verbal agreement of ‘come over the mountains and let’s assist each other as Gold Geyser folks-‘, but it’s different when the owner of the venture is right here, isn’t it? How about we carefully discuss what we can offer each other?]

[You, being a Hero of Ro Haram who serves the light! Where did you sell the spirit of mercy that shines equally upon all people!]

[I'm currently selling it, aren’t I? To you. If you expect merciful help befitting a hero, then you should be ready to pay a fair price for it.]

We still need to cross the empire, and pass through many territories of nobles I haven't even seen the faces of.

Clearly, with Lucilla’s connections among various imperial families and merchants, she would be a useful ally.

Click click click

"Lady Lucilla, is there something troubling you?"

[No,]

"No, um, that is, uh…."

"…It seems the journey has greatly wearied you. We are only a short distance from leaving the Ley Line and entering our family’s territory, so please bear with us until then."

Our conversation was cut short as a knight, noticing Lucilla’s furrowed brow, approached.

[Grr, brat!]

[Novice.]

Hmm. She seems upset that things aren’t going her way, but she’s not outright refusing. Sorry, but to recklessly level up our gacha man into a World 4 super carrier, I absolutely need your support, kiddo. Given his nature, once the money starts flowing, he’s likely to drain Gold Geyser’s resources dry, so it’s better to lock everything down with a contract now so there’s no regret later.

[Cough. Professor, you really do seem like a bad guy every time I see you….]

[Oh? Ottman, did you hear that?]

[With the way you’re dropping water droplets, it’d be hard not to hear even if I didn’t want to.]

Professor chuckled, turning to look at Ottman who was shaking his head.

In the distance, the formidable city gates guarded tightly, the strong walls, and the flag with a three-headed lion fluttering above, all came into view.

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