Chapter 90: Back To The Academy (2)
“Shall we form a secret organization this time?”
If there’s no backer or puppeteer, should I just make one?
Even if I think it’s a somewhat insane remark, how would others perceive it?
Even Carla, who usually sings my praises at the mere sight of me breathing, would be puzzled.
“Master… are you serious?”
“Of course, I’m serious. In fact, there is a secret organization that exists! Just go with the flow and see what happens.”
“Uh, um. That is…”
Carla stammered, unable to spit out the next words.
In fact, in H&A, there’s no secret organization at all.
That’s because the main villain, the cultist, was essentially a secret organization. There was no need for another one to appear.
The same holds true even now.
While there might be simple crime organizations or intelligence organizations, there wasn’t a single group that did serious puppeteering.
Of course, there might be secret organizations I didn’t know about whose existence itself was a secret.
I wouldn’t know about content not featured in the game.
However, I truly believe there was no secretive group other than the cultists.
The current cultists were gradually preparing to come to the forefront.
In about two years, they’d rise up and turn the continent upside down.
They were the ones who would have smoothly destroyed the world had it not been for the player.
It’s unlikely that such people wouldn’t have taken care of their surroundings.
Even if there were solid secret organizations, they would have been annihilated or absorbed by the cultists by now.
Therefore, at this point in time, aside from the cultists, there were no noteworthy secret organizations.
If something suspicious happens, it’s mostly the cultists’ doing, and more than half the time, that assumption would be correct.
Well… those present here were once in significant positions of power.
They might not know the future where the cultists were about to rise up en masse, but they would have heard a lot from here and there.
At the very least, they know it’s difficult for a mighty secret organization to exist.
That’s probably why Iris carefully opened her mouth with the eyes of an adult who doesn’t want to shatter a child’s fantasy.
“Master. A secret organization isn’t as grand as you think. There are neighboring crime groups, of course, and organizations that are hostile to both the cultists hiding in the depths and the public authorities frowning in the light.”
“You’re absolutely right, Yandel. That’s why even crime organizations receive the protection of noble families and giant trade unions. It’s a loose cooperation so that they can cut ties at any time.”
“Hmm… I can’t think of a good method. Getting involved with the underworld also bothers me. Of course, if the Master orders, I’ll gladly comply…”
There were skeptical responses from everyone. The elf family, still cautiously observing from a distance, didn’t say anything, but they seemed to share the same sentiment.
Wait, it seems they all misunderstood.
“Who said we should really operate a secret organization?”
“Huh? Didn’t you say just now that you would make an organization that appears to have your back?”
“Think about it. If such an organization existed, we would have known by now. If it suddenly pops up, we would be suspicious, right?”
“…Yandel, you said you would make it!”
Elisha cried out, looking somewhat wronged. I listened with one ear and let it out with the other, continuing…
“I will make it. But there’s no need to actually do something. The important thing is to look like it exists.”
“So you mean we just need to give off the impression that we’re not to be taken lightly?”
I nodded at Iris, who was comforting the indignant Elisha.
“That’s exactly it. There’s no need to get our hands dirty. Just put on a show.”
“It doesn’t seem like it would work easily, though…”
“Right. That’s why I brought it up now, to ask if it would be okay before going ahead.”
While the reckless spending at the auction was a decisive moment, I have been considering how to explain the abilities and gold I possess for some time now.
It’s a bit of a forced fit, but… there is a way.
A setting I indirectly made up to Carla in the past to plausibly explain the system correction.
A descendant of a dragon that caused an alternation of generations.
I decided to actively utilize it.
“I told you before, right? The gold I have was taken from a Dragon’s Lair.”
“… No matter how much the Master claims to have spent 100,000 gold right there on the spot, it’s still a hard story to believe.”
“I know. But it’s true. One day, suddenly, this strange landscape appeared before my eyes, and I felt compelled to go there, so I started walking, and there it was, the Dragon’s Lair.”
“Huh. What kind of…?”
Iris looked dumbfounded. It was a nonsensical story, after all.
But it seemed to have been quite persuasive to Carla.
“That’s right! The Master’s blood… No, mana must have led the Master there!”
“What do you mean, Carla? Wasn’t Yandel just a commoner?”
“Should I call you sister? I was unsure about it myself up until now, but after hearing that story, I’m convinced.”
Then Carla looked at me with slightly hazy eyes.
“The Master has manifested the lineage of a dragon. … Just like the first ancestor of the Lindelheit family who awakened a dragon’s mana.”
As was the case in any fantasy world, the dragons of the Eurelia Continent were a very special race.
Infinite mana, magic engraved in their instincts, a lifespan longer than even the High Elves, and so on.
The dragons were undeniably the pinnacle of all races.
One minor issue was that their numbers were low due to their strange habit of being excited by humans rather than their own kind.
However, dragons that have polymorphed into humans have scattered their seeds here and there, so there were quite a few people in this world who were born with the blood of dragons.
And among them, there were very rare individuals who manifested the lineage of the dragons in their blood.
These individuals possessed one or more extraordinary characteristics.
They might be incredibly strong, radiate transcendental charisma, or naturally handle aura as if it were second nature.
This was because they inherited some of the abilities of dragons.
However, if you were born with the mana of a dragon, your weak human body might not be able to handle it, leading to a mana disability and a shortened lifespan.
The first ancestor of the Lindelheit family resolved this issue on his own.
…As for me, I just picked a few good traits at the start and randomly received the penalty of being unable to respond to mana.
Anyway, to Carla, it must have seemed like I was in the same situation as her ancestor.
Although it was a reaction I led her to, my conscience pricked at the fact that the lies kept piling up.
Still, I couldn’t think of any other way.
For now, I feigned ignorance and tilted my head casually.
“I have… the blood of a dragon?”
“Didn’t you say that when you use magic, you instinctively know what would be the best way to do it? That’s usually impossible! And to have so much innate mana that it damages your body? That’s also impossible unless you’re a special case like our ancestor!”
Cara was becoming too excited, so I gently stroked her chin to calm her down.
“Calm down. It seems like you’re more excited about this than I am, the person involved.”
“How can I calm down?! By the way, when you said you went to the lair….”
“I still remember the location, so do you want to go together during summer vacation?”
“Yes!”
“Good. Now that the conversation keeps deviating, shall we get back to the main topic?”
“Sure!”
Carla’s demeanor quickly changed, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
Well, it was true that I knew the location of the Dragon Lair.
I’ve never actually been there, but there were several Dragon Lairs that you could visit in H&A.
The place I was aiming for was empty except for one key item… but that was because I took all the gold.
“Okay. Where were we…? That’s right. I said I went to the Dragon Lair, didn’t I?”
“I still find it hard to believe.”
I grinned at the still-doubtful Elisha and continued.
“From now on, we are part of a secret organization… No, a society that was created to eradicate evil gods and cultists, and carry on the dragon’s legacy.”
“…Yes?”
I explained in more detail to the bewildered Elisha.
The dragons were a mighty race. Or, more accurately, they were.
Those great lizards were now on the brink of decline and facing extinction.
The cause, of course, was the Great War 300 years ago.
Usually, dragons considered the continent of Eurelia their playground, but when the humans they cherished started dying in droves, they reluctantly joined the war.
The dragons, with their overwhelming military power, swept the battlefield. However, the Evil God’s powers were bizarre and beyond ordinary comprehension.
When the Evil God found the dragons’ weaknesses and manifested itself to hunt them down, their already few numbers began to dwindle even further.
To make matters worse, among the dragons, there was one that turned to the Evil God.
With the emergence of the first traitor, known as the Evil Dragon, the situation gradually became chaotic.
In the end, most of the dragons lost their lives, and the few that survived went into slumber to heal their wounds and burn with hostility against the cultists.
In the latter part of H&A, there was an event where these dragons were awakened and became allies…
The rage of the dragons shown at that time was so fierce that it seemed to transcend the screen.
The fictional organization that I would create from now on was based on this motif.
If you’re going to lie anyway, you might as well make it as grandiose as possible.
“A secret organization created by a dragon that sensed its own death due to worsening injuries. They inherit all of the dragon’s legacy but use it solely for the purpose of subduing cultists.”
It wasn’t just a simple criminal organization.
Since ancient times, they have been in the shadows, crushing the cultists and collecting their information.
Despite their powerful strength, they did not interfere in the world unless it involved the Evil God, making them godless opportunists.
In any case, they were a secretive, grand, and traditional organization.
But recently, the organization has subtly revealed its presence.
“This is the facade of the secret society I want to create.”
“…….”
Even after I finished speaking, everyone maintained their silence.
The first to break the silence was Carla.
“You already knew about the dungeon and the identity of the cultists hidden deep underground in Gef City, didn’t you?”
“Oh? Come to think of it, during the dungeon practice, you knew all about Archbishop Edmerek, his penalties, personality, and frequently used tactics.”
“Now that I think about it, you knew about the existence of the cult that secretly operates without anyone knowing.”
The atmosphere suddenly became mysterious.
And again, Carla was the one who spoke.
“Master… was what you just said really just a setting?”
“Uh, um.”
Would you believe me if I said no?
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