I Became A Collaborative Character In The Game

Chapter 30 – Count Glasston’s Estate 2

The story of Annerose, the protagonist of the first episode, ‘Western Arc,’ of Dragon Hunter Origin, went like this:

Annerose, a girl who lost her parents to young dragons that attacked her village.

Taken in by Arma Valentine, a renowned fighting archaeologist and Weapon Master known as the ‘Monster Hunter,’ she embarked on a journey of martial arts training at the age of seventeen.

‘Find your own weapon.’

With her master Arma Valentine’s words engraved in her heart, Annerose visited Venus City during her journey.

It was to see Count Glasston, a close friend of her father who was like an uncle to her.

‘So, he’s also Lilia’s uncle, huh?’

Count Glasston.

Not everyone’s uncle, but at least he was an uncle figure to both Lilia and Annerose.

“Thank you for saving Lilia. I am deeply indebted to you.”

The drawing-room of Count Glasston’s estate.

Despite the visit taking place after sunset, Count Glasston, a handsome man with a gentle impression, wore a warm smile on his face.

Was he in his early forties?

He was a character who appeared briefly at the very beginning of the game and then disappeared, so Luther didn’t remember him well, but seeing him like this gave him a very special feeling.

It wasn’t just that he was handsome; his face strongly projected the image of a ‘good person.’

[Master, you mustn’t let your guard down.]

[It’s a cliché in these situations that a seemingly clean-cut person like that is actually quite rotten inside!]

How did someone with no memory know about clichés?

Luther felt a momentary question but focused his gaze on Count Glasston instead of dwelling on it.

This was because the Count had looked at Luther first.

‘This is still uncomfortable.’

Count Glasston was indeed related to Lilia by blood.

Their characteristic moist, appealing gaze was identical.

The problem was that Lilia was a beautiful woman, while Count Glasston was a man and, well, an uncle.

[He is handsome, though.]

[Of course, I much prefer a strong man like Master to that blurry, soft-looking type, so don’t worry.]

‘R-Right.’

That was quite encouraging.

And in truth, Integra’s voice was actually helpful.

Count Glasston’s gaze was close to mesmerizing, almost too much to handle soberly.

“Lilia’s benefactor is my benefactor as well. Please make yourselves comfortable in my humble abode.”

“Thank you.”

Luther, responding on behalf of the group, briefly glanced at Karen.

She sat with her usual graceful expression, but somehow, she seemed a little different than usual.

[Karen seems to be uncomfortable with Count Glasston’s gaze as well.]

‘Is… is that it?’

It seemed a little different from that.

But since it wasn’t a big issue, Luther turned his attention to Lilia instead of thinking too deeply about it.

Lilia smiled at Luther and then turned to Count Glasston and spoke.

“Uncle, may I show Luther and his companions to the guest rooms? They’re all very tired from their journey.”

“Oh, yes. Please show them the way.”

Count Glasston replied softly and lightly clapped his hands, and the butler, who had been waiting outside the door, entered the drawing-room.

“I am Aile, and I will be your guide.”

It seemed the guest rooms had already been prepared while Count Glasston was speaking.

As Lilia stood up, saying she understood, Karen and Max bowed to Count Glasston, and Luther, too, awkwardly imitated Karen’s bow.

‘There’s definitely something going on with them.’

Karen and Max.

Especially Karen.

A psychic girl who identified herself as an adventurer but spoke formally when they were alone, and who seemed familiar with aristocratic etiquette, accompanied by a guard.

[Anyway, Master, let’s move.]

‘Okay.’

Luther, the last to rise, naturally walked alongside Lilia towards the guest rooms.

“Luther, your room is here, and Karen and Max’s room is over there. My room is right next to yours.”

As befitting the residence of Count Glasston, the lord of Venus City, the guest rooms were numerous and all splendid.

Each large room was divided into sections by partitions, and they were fully equipped with not only large beds but also bathrooms.

[It seems even better than the luxury accommodations in Anus Village.]

Luther agreed.

Lilia, who had guided them this far, requested tea from the butler and sat down with the group at a table in a corner of Luther’s room.

The fact that she specifically ordered tea suggested she had something to say.

“My uncle… he’s taken care of me since I was young. He’s truly like a father to me.”

It was Count Glasston who took in Lilia after she became an orphan, having lost her parents in a carriage accident when she was young.

He raised his niece Lilia like his own daughter, and it was Count Glasston who first recognized Lilia’s talent as an Enchanter.

“I owe him so much. He’s also managing the assets my parents left me. If I had managed them myself, I would have definitely lost them to bad people.”

Considering Lilia had almost been robbed of not only her money but also her life by adventurers she hired simply because they were handsome, her words were justified.

[However, Master, I smell something fishy.]

[Perhaps he wasn’t managing Lilia’s assets, but embezzling them, and when Lilia tried to retrieve them later, it turned out all the titles were in Count Glasston’s name?]

‘That’s plausible, but the ending is too bleak.’

[The world is inherently bleak.]

[And this is a cliché.]

‘Well, still…’

Count Glasston’s face looked too kind to do such a thing.

Of course, as Integra argued, that appearance itself could be a setup for a twist, but considering his attitude towards Lilia, he didn’t seem like a villain at all.

‘He took good care of Annerose, too.’

Come to think of it, hadn’t Annerose arrived in Venus City yet?

Although Luther had played Dragon Hunter Origin, he didn’t remember the exact date the game started.

Of course, even though he didn’t know the exact date, he had a sense of ‘around this time,’ so the margin of error would only be a day or two.

‘It’s about a week before the game starts… so she’s probably traveling towards Venus City right now.’

Annerose, the protagonist of the Western Arc.

A girl with bright golden hair and red eyes.

As the first playable character to appear in Dragon Hunter Origin, she was the one who spent the most time with the player, and could be considered the true protagonist of the game.

‘Annerose…’

Luther felt his heart flutter a little.

This was the first time he was meeting a character he liked in person.

‘I didn’t really like Sandalfon, to be honest.’

He was a male supporting character, and a ‘madman’ at that, so honestly, Luther hadn’t been very interested in him.

But Annerose was a different story.

Since the story of Dragon Hunter Origin itself unfolded around her, Luther had been able to share her joys, sorrows, and even her pain throughout the game.

Annerose, the girl of the sun.

The future hero who never gave up fighting, even amidst the despair of a promised destruction.

Luther closed his eyes for a moment and recalled Annerose’s image.

Her face, wearing a bright smile, naturally came to mind.

[Master, you have been penalized 1 point.]

Brought back to reality by Integra’s sullen voice, Luther realized that not only she, but also the others – Lilia, Karen, and Max – were staring at him.

He seemed to have gone a little overboard thinking about Annerose.

“Sorry, I’m a little tired.”

As Luther offered an awkward smile as an excuse, Karen and Lilia nodded understandingly.

“You went through so much yesterday.”

“That’s right, you should rest now. If you need anything, ring the bell on the table. We can talk about our future plans tomorrow.”

Karen and Lilia spoke kindly, just like Integra.

‘Come to think of it, this is as far as Lilia goes.’

Karen and Max had originally followed him, offering to help with his task, so they would accompany him to the location of the next fragment, but Lilia’s destination was Venus City, where the academic conference was being held.

Now that she had arrived in Venus City, and even at her uncle’s house, Count Glasston’s estate, there was no longer any reason for her to stay with them.

[It’s a shame, but it can’t be helped. Hehe.]

‘That doesn’t sound like you’re disappointed at all?’

[Oh, come on. Hehehe.]

Chuckling at Integra’s transparent response, Luther turned to Karen and Lilia again and nodded.

“Okay, let’s talk about the schedule tomorrow.”

“Yes, Luther. See you tomorrow.”

After Lilia gave another warm farewell and stood up, Karen and Max also rose from their seats.

And about two hours later.

When Luther judged that it was sufficiently late at night, Mini Integra appeared before him.

[Master, the current time is 9 PM, based on this planet’s time. Now, with the life signs moving around the mansion drastically reduced, is our chance.]

[I will analyze the structure of Count Glasston’s estate with a drone.]

[Equipping the nanosuit on your right arm.]

[Please make a fist with your right hand, extend it forward, and shout ‘Transform.’]

“Tr… wait a minute. Why suddenly?”

Until now, it had equipped itself without any prompts.

At Luther’s question, Integra replied in a crisp voice.

[It’s because the nanosuit has been enhanced with the opening of the second core of the core system.]

[It’s a signal for nanosuit deployment.]

“Really?”

[Really.]

At her serious voice and expression, Luther pursed his lips a few times, extended his fist, and said very quietly,

“Tr-Transform.”

[Louder!]

“Transform!”

As Luther shouted with a reddened face, Integra reacted immediately.

[Hahahahaha, so cute!]

“Hey!”

She had tricked him!

But before Luther could say anything more, Integra quickly spoke in a serious voice.

[Equipping nanosuit.]

[Right arm.]

[Safety device released.]

[System all green.]

[General-Purpose Humanoid Decisive Weapon ZX-999 Luther Light Seeker, activating!]

No matter how he thought about it, they were just random words strung together, but the nanosuit did equip itself on his right arm.

[Master, this time, it’s ‘Launch,’ ‘Launch.’ Shout ‘Launch’ – Alright. I’ll just do it myself.]

At Luther’s cold stare, Integra chuckled and made herself disappear, then shouted in a kind yet energetic voice.

[Integra, launching!]

-Whoosh-!

With a clicking sound, a coin-sized drone detached from the back of his right arm and flew up to the ceiling.

[First, I will focus on analyzing the structure of the mansion.]

[You said the Spirit Gem is located in the main building, right?]

“Right, the main building… It’s probably kept on the second floor.”

The first scenario of the Western Arc in Dragon Hunter Origin.

While fighting Hekatonchires’ combatants, Annerose witnessed Balboa descending the stairs at the main entrance of the main building, holding the Spirit Gem in one hand.

‘Annerose’s first mission was to escape from Balboa and get out of Count Glasston’s estate.’

Unfortunately, no matter what the player did during gameplay, they couldn’t save Count Glasston.

Annerose was the ‘sole survivor of the tragedy.’

‘But this time, I can save him.’

Not only Count Glasston, but everyone else in the estate as well.

Even if it was just for Lilia, who would be staying at Count Glasston’s estate during the academic conference, he had to quickly retrieve the Spirit Gem, which was essentially a time bomb.

[That’s right, Master.]

[So, our actions now are noble acts to save these people.]

[It’s definitely not some selfish act of thievery.]

“…Yeah, let’s think of it that way for now.”

Nodding at Integra’s sophistry, Luther lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.

It was to share vision with the drone.

“Integra, can I try controlling it myself?”

[Hmm… alright. I’m a little uneasy, but this might be the perfect opportunity for you to learn how to control the drone.]

[Move your hand as if you’re holding a joystick, and I’ll reflect that in the controls.]

“Okay.”

As Integra instructed, Luther pretended to hold a joystick in the air and moved his hand, and the drone began to move accordingly.

[Once you reach the main building, I’ll create a map.]

[Please move stealthily.]

“Okay.”

Luther slowly began to move the drone.  With the shared vision, it felt like he was playing a first-person shooter game.

And as he passed through the hallway of the annex where the guest rooms were located and reached the main building…

[Master, this seems to be the mansion’s bathroom.]

“It does.”

Entering through a window left open for ventilation, he saw a bathtub made of marble.

A thin, white cloth covered the entrance, presumably to block the direct view of the bathtub, but judging by the steam that spread like fog, it seemed someone was using it.

[I’m detecting life signs inside.]

[There’s no way the Spirit Gem is in a place like this, so let’s get out of here.]

Reflexively nodding at Integra’s forceful words, Luther tried to steer the drone out of the bathroom.

But just then…

“It’s such a shame to part ways here. Don’t you think so too, Karen?”

A voice carried by the steam from beyond the thin, white cloth.

It was definitely Lilia’s voice.

—–CROW—–