Chapter 142

Before Lunas arrival.

I was already fully aware of the main storyline and its outlines, and ready to capitalize on them.

First things first.

This main quest, as is the case in most games, is forced upon the player.

What does that mean?

It means that even if you try to pick other missions, the story will insidiously steer you to do this quest.

The episode that takes place in this Avilat gambling house is the main story. Its the second story.

This is a set flow. I just have to figure out how to change things up along the way.

The most profitable structure.

Plus, you have to design all the situations, build your clans, and move the story forward quickly.

You have to make sure that your units never die or get maimed.

But, you might ask, how do you do that?

What does this entail first and foremost?

The answer is simple: in the very sequence of the episode, boldly skip what you need to skip and take what you need to take.

To do this, I analyzed the story.

Heres the sequence of the main story you should follow.

First, you start with any random characters in the Avilat gambling house.

In other words, get the characters of your choice safely to the gambling house.

Then, after gambling for a while, prepare the following.

If they manage to earn at least one gold coin, the underground auction house will be opened to the players.

Failure to do so will result in the player being caught and a bad ending.

Therefore, its very important to save up your funds.

In order to reliably deposit at least one full gold, its important to have a party of at least two characters with a Luck stat of 6 or higher or at least one character with an overwhelming Luck stat, like myself.

Of course, it gets better from there.

In this underground auction house, the players will encounter a demon.

Jagan, one of the 72 demons, hides his essence under the name Herman, but hes actually a master of foul and unholy sorcery.

I succeeded in meeting him.

I also succeeded in drawing his attention to me.

Of course, there was one more thing I had to do in the process.

As a member of the Lunatic Order, I had to bring Jagan out of hiding. I had to uncover the evil essence and open the way for it to be stopped at any moment.

What follows is the first phase.

A boss raid against Jagan.

I took note of the fact that fellow units could get hurt in the process, so I decided to skip it entirely.

While its good to build up your units, I didnt want to risk putting them face-to-face against one of the 72 demons just yet.

So, I took the Lunatic mission and brought its leader, Luna, here, and had her play Phase 1 against Jagan.Follow current novels at novelhall.com)

This is how the current situation on the ground was created.

The Lunatic is a criminal organization that has grown out of the underworld and the black market, but at the end of the day, one of their goals is the extermination of the 72 Demons.

I mused lightly, recalling through one of the Lunatics settings.

The Lunatics. They are a criminal organization, but they have a purpose that is not quite like that, and one that is still unknown to most.

They have two main goals.

The first is to topple the Imperial Family and usher in a new era.

The second is to eradicate the 72 demons and root out evil.

The reason for the suspense has yet to be revealed.

But there is a reason, which is why the random title is Inner Lunatic. I can only speculate.

Luna sheathed her sword and spoke in a condescending tone.

Even for a filthy demon, youve gone too far. Slavery and the oppression of an entire race.

[Why should I, a Archduke, care about such things?]

The Archduke.

It was a speech full of pride and vanity.

However, he is also a powerhouse with a worldview that floats high above the rest.

As one of the seven stars, it meant nothing to Luna.

Although shes the weakest of them all, shes the one with the greatest possibilities.

It was Luna who would rise above all others in the future and reign as the Greatest.

I swallowed hard and watched her closely.

Just like in the past, the power she exuded was astounding.

I havent felt this kind of pressure since Theo.

Theo, of course, is an absolute superpower.

At least, thats what he was at the end, before he was consumed by his villainous fate, but there has yet to be anyone stronger than him, at least as far as I can tell.

Paimon was strong, but if he had the right equipment?

There was one being who would never be outmatched, even in a single breath, and that was Theo von Reinhafer.

Luna was now approaching such an existence.

This is not the time.

I snapped out of my reverie.

I had to retrace my steps to get to the main story this progression.

The second step is as follows.

Obtain two hidden pieces from the auction process.

This was not too difficult for me, although it is only granted to Stagnant Water due to its difficulty.

For the record, what you need to obtain here are two items.

The first is an ancient grimoire with draconic inscriptions.

The second is a warrior unit, named Prim, with the extraordinary trait of [Command Reinforcement].

Its the least difficult unit to obtain among those with the same trait, so its practically a must-have, if you dont get it here, or youll suffer dearly later.

As a side note, hes blinking rapidly between Luna and I trying to figure out whats going on.

Hes probably looking for an opening to escape during the confrontation between the two of us and Jagan.

Of course, hes not moving that easily, as hes realized that hes under a low-level spell and cant escape.

The gray-haired man spat out the words unexpectedly.

At that moment, Prim felt his heart clench in his chest, but he stared at the ash and white-haired boy who didnt say anything.

He took a short breath.

You look about the same age as me If we run away at the same time, youre confident that you can catch us all, right?

His words were meant to provoke his opponent. Unfortunately, it didnt seem to work on the boy in front of him.

Youre here because youre confident, and let me correct you on one point. Ill give you a chance. Do you really think it was a coincidence that I broke the lock on the confinement and let you escape?

You think you saved us, you filthy aristocrat?

Prim replied in an edgy tone. He didnt trust nobles.

He didnt despise them like Paracelsus did, but hadnt he been dragged here by them and become their little toy?

Though the gray-haired boy had broken the lock and given them the attitude that he didnt care if he ran away, that was one thing.

He may have tricked them, and now he wants to take advantage of them.

I will take you to my estate. Ill give you something to eat, something to drink. I will not discriminate between man and beast, and I will punish you severely if any of you choose to leave. [2]

And then.

Suddenly, the mans words were beyond comprehension.

What is he talking about?

Is this hope torture?

Is this a sophisticated maneuver to give people hope, then take it away and revel in it so they can suffer more?

It was all too much for his mistrust of humanity to comprehend.

But at that moment, the gray-haired, silver-haired man with the lavender eyes spoke.

I am Knox von Reinhafer.

And then he continued.

Everything depends on what you do. If you become my servant, I will save everyone here. If not, I will leave them all as they are. I will not care if you die or not.

Leave them be?

Well, you know best what will happen to you once youre captured by him.

Death.

Prim knew it.

The chances of escaping his arch nemesis in this place that was practically Hermans domain?

It was as close to zero as he could get.

Probably all that lay ahead of them was death at the tip of their toes.

He quickly turned over in his mind.

To echo the words of the gray-haired man before him.

Come to think of it

Knox von Reinhafer.

Hed heard of him before.

A man known as a madman, even by the Reinhafer family, a sword master known for the harshness of the path.

But why would he be targeting him?

Now, choose.

An unsettling precipice.

Knox Von Reinhafer offered him a choice.

Become my squire, or die in vain trying to escape this place.

It was a whisper, a demonic whisper.

A lump rose in his throat, his heart racing.

He clenched his fists and looked at Knox.

I am Im not stupid.

On my honor.

Thats what Nox had said earlier, in the distant past.

Prim gritted his teeth.

An oath.

Its a common ritual among the nobility, a ritual of binding magic.

If broken, a fitting price would be paid.

The man before him held the egg in his mouth, willing to take the risk as if it were a given. [2]

The Oath of Reinhafer?

It was a time-honored tradition, a sworn oath on a black sword that could result in death if broken, and one that must be honored, even at the cost of ones own life.

Even Prim, raised in the rugged eastern lands, was not completely ignorant of the ways of the world.

So he recognized the magnitude of Noxs offer.

After a moments consideration, Prim nodded, his expression still skeptical.

Okay, very well,Ill accept your offer, but only if you guarantee the safety of the others and myself, and dont sell them into slavery. If you dont, Ill consider your promise broken.

Good.

Noxs response to Prims statement was simply to say the following.

I, Knox von Reinhafer, do hereby acknowledge you as my squire, and I swear by the ancient history of the Black Sword that I will keep all the promises I have made to you now.

The answer came too easily.

Prim went blank for a moment.

Knoxs eyes met his.

Is that it?

TN: Notes

While 72 Demons would sound a lot more thematic as Roman Numerals LXXII but it unfortunately doesnt blend nicely.

[1] : Battlefield Not sure what author was going for here.

[2] : Beast probably demihuman. Will most likely change in the future.

There was a monkeys paw moment and a ball is now in my court but want to stay with author.

Thank you all for your support and patience.

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