Chapter 17
To be honest.
“Watching a guy bawl his eyes out is incredibly unpleasant.”
Kailen’s blubbering, which I saw as soon as the perspective shifted.
It evoked a disgust that truly couldn’t be expressed in words.
“But is bawling considered a narrative?”
Kailen could no longer use mana.
In a fantasy world, being unable to use mana was no different from a death sentence.
You could say he was barely clinging to life.
Of course, there might be some special method I didn’t know about.
But for now, it wouldn’t be strange to consider everything over for him.
“If it”s a narrative… after having his mana center shattered by me… is he harboring a desire for revenge against me? A revenge narrative?'
But honestly, this was funny too.
Who was taking revenge on whom?
He used the Empire’s resources as if they were his own and sold off all our livelihoods.
The Eastern Alliance Nobles committed corruption, to the point where even the Territory’s citizens suffered from malnutrition.
He didn’t care about any of that, but now that he was the one suffering, he was thinking of revenge?
That really made him an extraordinary lunatic in his own right.
Amidst the countless predictions arising in my mind, I pondered the possibilities.
“Keuhuk… Heueuk… Heuk…”
In the altered narrative, Kailen cried before finally pushing himself up.
The room Kailen was in was decorated in a style I had never in my life seen before.
No matter how I looked at it, it didn’t seem to be the Bellos Empire.
“Then Maselin?”
It was just as my thoughts reached that point.
It was as if giving a signal for the correct answer.
“His Highness the Grand Duke Kailen!”
Mirne, the Crown Princess of the Maselin Kingdom, urgently entered the room.
“…Haha, I’m no longer a Grand Duke, nor am I a Highness… You can just call me Kailen.”
“N-No… How on earth did you end up like this… What in the world happened to you!”
“I lost everything… and came here. The Empire sent me here. I wanted to come, too.”
Perhaps having received a great shock, Kailen couldn’t speak properly even while looking at Mirne.
His words were sparse and disconnected, his face looking ruined.
But I could definitely feel that he was a Romance Fantasy Male Lead, seeing how he struggled to maintain his handsomeness even in that situation.
It wasn’t an intentional act, but how should I put it, it felt focused on “the pitiful and abandoned me.”
“You lost everything? Now that I look… His Highness the Grand Duke, I can’t feel… any mana…?”
“…I paid the price for selling out the country. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince… handed down a punishment to me.”
“His Highness the Grand Duke sold out the country? What are you talking about? When did you ever do such a thing… I’ve never seen you do that!”
“Mirne, hearing you say that makes my heart feel warm.”
While this incredibly nauseating conversation continued.
Mirne shed a single tear and suddenly threw her arms around Kailen.
“So is this what”s going to happen from now on?'
Kailen was currently unconscious in reality.
If he woke up and was sent to Maselin, this kind of thing would happen.
Thinking about it that way, interest washed over me rather than disgust.
“Mirne, how will you treat the Grand Duke of the East who has lost everything?”
Such curiosity lingered.
“His Highness the Grand Duke, so that you can recover your strength… I will do my best to help you.”
“Haha, you should, of course you should.”
“Although our Maselin cannot offer help right now due to various matters… once the Academy is completed… there will definitely be a way to help you.”
Mirne and Kailen continued their conversation.
I let out a scoff as I watched the scene.
“Ha.”
When she shed tears, I wondered: Did she truly like Kailen? Is Kailen the main Male Lead?
But Mirne’s face as she hugged Kailen could only be described as a spectacular sight.
“She’s crying, but I don’t feel any sincerity. Could she be worrying about the future because it’s changed so much from the original?”
Honestly, the current situation was incredibly funny.
The Protagonist of 'Jupeobae' was set as a 21st-century modern person.
The premise even had the added detail that she transmigrated after reading the original work.
“So it”s a character in a novel who thinks she’s a modern person vs. me, who actually transmigrated from the modern world. That’s the setup.'
In that sense, the current situation could be said to be incredibly advantageous for me.
Mirne must be in a very anxious state right now because the story wasn’t going according to the Original Story.
I had only read the beginning anyway, and from here on out, I could just do whatever I wanted.
From my perspective, preventing the Fall of the Empire and my own survival was the priority.
“Besides… in a Romance Fantasy, saving the world is just a side quest anyway, and getting together with the Male Lead is the core.”
It was even a Reverse Harem.
So right now, Mirne is basically playing an otome dating sim.
“Anyway, it is an Academy.”
There must be some benefit to building an Academy, right?
It’s like in games such as Civilization, where building a monument gives you bonus stats.
Even as I considered what to do next.
Mirne and Kailen were still holding each other.
Are they going to stay stuck together all day? I wondered.
Pat, pat.
Mirne lightly patted Kailen’s back and stood up.
“Then I will be taking my leave now.”
“Ah, you’re leaving?”
“Yes, I have a lot to do… For now, His Highness the Grand Duke Kailen needs to focus on recovering.”
“I’ll do anything if it can be of help.”
“Hehe, but for now, please just focus on your recovery!”
With those final words.
[ The altered narrative of Kailen Marin has been grasped. ]
[ The main keywords for Kailen Marin have changed. ]
[ #SweetGuy #CompetentGuy #SlyGuy > #IncompetentGuy #GrowthGuy #PitifulGuy #ScarredGuy ]
[ Kailen’s future will change depending on Mirne’s choices from now on in diverse ways. ]
“…What is this?”
I stared blankly at the System Message that filled my vision.
What on earth were Pitiful Guy and Scarred Guy?
I understood the rest, but I really had no idea about those two.
Anyway.
[ Narrative confirmation has ended. ]
With that final message, I returned to reality.
I was somewhat bewildered, but it was still a huge gain.
“First of all, I really like that the Incompetent Guy keyword was attached.”
Of course, the Growth keyword was attached to compensate for it.
But to speak honestly, it seemed close to impossible for Kailen to grow in his current state.
The reason Kailen could be strong was that he was the “Grand Duke of the East of the Empire.”
That incredible background was what allowed him to take on the role of the Male Lead in 'Jupeobae.'
Now that it was gone, just how much could he really grow?
Growth in Maselin was difficult, for Maselin was already struggling as the Empire’s support vanished one by one.
“As if that”s possible.'
As my thoughts reached that point, I felt even more strongly that I had to send Kailen to Maselin.
Because it was obvious this incompetent bastard would suck the already impoverished Maselin dry.
Sending him wouldn’t even be difficult.
Since I had already provided free personnel support a few times, the routes were all open.
I just had to send him with the “Donating the Grand Duke of the East” and that would be it.
“The Eastern Region… Come to think of it, quite a few nobles died, so it will need a lot of replacements.”
I hadn’t killed all the Eastern Alliance Nobles.
But even right now, the Empire’s high officials are running around confirming corruption in real-time.
At the very least, more than half of the current number would end up dead.
“Mmm.”
I definitely would need something like an Academy to cultivate talent.
“Empire Status Window.”
Let’s see how much the Empire has changed for now.
[ Empire Status Window ]
This displays the current status of the Empire.
As it is in the initial stage, the verifiable parts are limited.
Administration: Optimal National Treasury: Average Military Power: Insufficient Diplomacy: Worst Corruption: Insufficient
A massive cataclysm has occurred in the Eastern Region.
Due to this, a brief Eastern Report will be displayed temporarily.
[ Brief Eastern Report ]
Every aspect was being operated at the worst level, and there are recent signs of movement toward change.
However, the change is slow due to an overwhelming lack of personnel.
It is definitely a positive change, but it is expected to take a lot of time.
“Hmm.”
I already knew the contents of the Eastern Report, so I could let that slide.
“The corruption level improved by one stage, but the reason the military power dropped by one stage is… that I killed a lot of knights?”
It was a funny thing.
I had killed off all the knights who were getting fat, committing corruption, and gnawing away at the Empire.
To think that even they were treated as military assets, which caused the military power level to be judged as insufficient.
“But is this based on the Empire”s absolute peak?'
It probably wasn’t based on a comparison with other countries.
After all, it made no sense for an Empire that had a dragon as an Executioner and five such Executioners at that, to be considered insufficient in terms of average military power.
“I don”t really know… the standard, but I know at least it’s not a figure derived from comparing with the surroundings.'
It seemed there was some absolute standard.
But honestly, even with these changes, it hadn’t affected the Chance of Annihilation itself.
So there seemed to be no need to worry about this right now.
“But the Empire… as far as I know, has Heterogeneous Races too.”
What are they doing?
I’d have to look into them as well.
For now, the very first thing I needed to do to cultivate talent was:
“Making sure all Imperial Citizens know how to read and write is the priority.”
I realized this would cost a truly massive amount of money.
But I had no worries about that.
Why, you ask?
“The Eastern Alliance, these guys, has hoarded quite a lot of wealth.”
It was because I had confiscated all the money from the bastards who committed corruption.
Why would traitors trying to sell out the country have any right to private property?
The ones who survived would do hard labor for the rest of their lives, serving the Empire.
“Solving illiteracy, the Academy, the Northern Excursion… before that, I want to hunt for some talent too.”
Various different tasks were coming to mind.
“I can finally send the first gift to the Maselin Kingdom.”
I resolved to finish the highest priority task first.
Mirne, I hope you like my packed lunch.
'I’ll have to hold another State Council right after sending the gift.'
Please, I hope only nobles whose knees are destined to remain intact attend this time.
I didn’t want to cut off any more knees at the State Council.
Of course.
“If I have to.”
If it can’t be helped, I’ll have to do it.
+++++
“Mirne! The Grand Duke of the East is coming to Maselin as personnel support!”
“What?! Really?! So suddenly?!”
Mirne was startled the moment she heard the King’s words.
“This fast? Has he already fallen head over heels for me?”
Recently, they hadn’t been able to communicate well through the Artifact.
So she had been worried, not knowing what on earth was going on.
“Are there actually… no variables I”m unaware of? Was it all just temporary?'
Hearing such good news made her so happy she could jump for joy.
The Grand Duke of the East possessed extensive knowledge about the sea and exploration abilities based on it.
Through this, he was able to discover numerous Sea Ruins and obtain precious Artifacts.
If she had to put it into words, it felt like an elite naval force.
And that was also incredibly impressive.
'Hehe.'
Mirne laughed inwardly, hoping Kailen would arrive quickly.
She had been anxious because she had no idea how the Empire was running lately.
But now, a Grand Duke of the Empire is just willingly coming over to their side?
This was proof that the story was progressing even better than the Original Story.
“I thought the Academy Construction would take a huge amount of time, but with the abilities of the Grand Duke of the East, it might be faster.”
Once the Academy was built, the Maselin Kingdom would experience tremendous growth.
because there was a development where numerous talents from the Empire would pay a premium just to enter.
“Mhm! It”ll be perfect if I just proceed smoothly with the work alongside His Highness the Grand Duke Kailen.'
On top of that, it was also an opportunity to get a glimpse of Marin’s Mana Cultivation Method.
Mirne waited for Kailen while indulging in various happy imaginations.
To think that waiting for Kailen, the strongest man in naval warfare who would make the Maselin Kingdom even stronger, would be this enjoyable.
“Hehe.”
The smile never left Mirne’s face.