NOVEL ONLINE FREE 2 - Graduation 2
I headed straight for the office as soon as I arrived at the family mansion.
Knock knock-
“Enter.”
Permission was immediately granted after I knocked on the office door.
When I carefully opened the door, I saw the interior of the office with shelves densely packed with books.
In the center of the office, a middle-aged man who had been sitting nobly alone reading documents looked at me.
Gin Calderon.
The current head of the Calderon family and Cain’s father.
“Did you finish the academy well?”
“Yes, Family Head.”
“I was too busy to check in advance, but I heard you graduated as valedictorian. Is that right?”
“It’s all thanks to you, Family Head.”
“Words you don’t mean. Come closer.”
I approached Gin Calderon.
A rough but warm hand was placed on my shoulder.
“Well done. I’m proud of you.”
Gin Calderon smiled benevolently.
Most people in the Calderon family possess a gentle disposition.
This isn’t easy for a family dedicated to swordsmanship, and I liked the Calderon family for this quality.
The influence of the current family head, Gin Calderon, must be significant.
“Have you decided what you’ll do from now on?”
“I…”
When I experienced this as a game, it was just an insignificant dialog box.
But experiencing it verbally gave it a fresh feeling.
There was only one option to choose here.
“I will succeed you, Family Head, and take the position of family head.”
“It’s a position with heavy responsibilities. Won’t you regret it?”
“Father, don’t you have things you need to do?”
“Hahaha! When did you switch from calling me Family Head to Father? Already acting like the family head, I see.”
Gin Calderon’s hearty laughter filled the office.
“Things I need to do, huh.”
Gin Calderon.
As the second son of the Empire’s five great houses – the Calderon family, he was never meant to become the family head, and he himself never had the slightest intention of becoming one.
His older brother, Loin Calderon, was to inherit the family, while Gin Calderon joined the Imperial Knights to hone his sword skills and build his reputation.
From his early twenties, Gin Calderon had no equal with the sword and achieved great merit in every battle he participated in.
Naturally, his name was listed as a candidate for the next head of the Imperial Knights, and he eventually became the Knight Commander.
Having become the youngest Knight Commander, Gin Calderon naturally set his sights beyond the Imperial Knights.
The Empire’s Five Stars.
The title bestowed upon the five individuals with the most outstanding martial prowess in the Empire.
However, being merely strong is not enough.
One must be overwhelmingly powerful.
Perhaps due to this simple yet extremely demanding condition.
At present, only two individuals have ascended to the Five Stars.
Draken Terranos from the Terranos family, one of the five great houses, who is said to have defeated the Bone Dragon, an ancient beast that fell from grace after mutual annihilation with the gods.
And Ermion Astralnor, the celestial mage rumored to have dropped a star, from the Astralnor family, another of the five great houses.
The remaining three positions are still vacant.
Throughout history, the positions of the Five Stars have been filled by individuals from the Empire’s five great houses.
Since not just anyone can attain these positions, the Five Stars also hold extremely powerful political standing.
Had Loin Calderon not died from a long illness, Gin Calderon might have ascended to the Five Stars.
It’s been 15 years since Loin Calderon died and Gin Calderon succeeded as the family head.
During that time, Gin Calderon has not skipped a single day of training.
He has still not given up on the position of the Five Stars.
“An unsightly father who places a burden on his son.”
“Others desperately desire this position.”
“Yes… that’s also true.”
Gin Calderon quietly closed his eyes.
[Lucaria Academy Valedictorian Special Privilege]
Eyes that Pierce the Heart: Acquire Mind’s Eye (心眼).
You can check the status of a target.
Cooldown: 30 days per target.
‘Oh.’
Upon being recognized as the next family head by Gin Calderon, I received the special privilege.
This was a signal that the academy part had ended, and the beginning of full-scale political drama.
My head is already starting to ache at the thought of the hardships ahead.
‘This will make things quite convenient though.’
Mind’s Eye (心眼).
The special privilege given to those who graduate from Lucaria Academy as valedictorian allows one to read the thoughts of others.
The greater the difference in level, the stronger the opponent, the more mana it consumes, but the ability to read thoughts is certainly overpowered.
You can read the thoughts of each target, but to see new content, there’s a 30-day cooldown.
‘Might as well try it right away.’
As I thought about using Mind’s Eye, I felt power being drawn from my body into my eyes.
Simultaneously, a small window appeared in front of Gin Calderon.
[Gin Calderon]
I’ve always believed in you. My proud son.
Favor: 85 – [Trust]
Along with the embarrassing words, the mana in my body was instantly drained.
This happened because the gap between Gin Calderon and me was too great.
90% of the mana in my body evaporated.
If the difference in power had been just a little greater, I might not have been able to read his thoughts with Mind’s Eye.
I immediately terminated Mind’s Eye as my eyes felt fatigue and strain.
The fortunate thing was that I could read Gin Calderon’s thoughts, which means Mind’s Eye should work on others as well.
“Then I’ll excuse myself.”
“Go ahead.”
Although my head was throbbing, I left the office without showing it.
When playing Last World, the most important element was the relationship with the other five great houses.
Each of the five great houses has another house that is hostile to them.
Such hostile houses show noticeable checks from the beginning, so countermeasures must be considered.
The more time spent responding to these checks, the more one inevitably falls behind in terms of growth.
It’s a shortcut to a bad ending.
If you proceed in the game without much thought, you’ll most likely end up with either the ‘Decline’ ending, where you gradually wither away after being politically outmaneuvered, or the ‘Betrayal’ ending, where you get backstabbed by the connections you worked hard to build.
In a world where being too nice makes you seem weak, and where the weak are naturally preyed upon.
As you navigate through all kinds of slander, you’ll find yourself heading towards these two endings before you know it.
The bad endings, ‘Decline’ and ‘Betrayal,’ must be avoided at all costs.
The enemies that appear from the middle of the game are not only difficult to deal with alone, but also impossible to respond to if political attacks come in during combat.
Additionally, the final boss is designed with a difficulty level that rivals cosmic horror, making it a literal hell.
“It’s essentially a boss designed not to be beaten alone.”
The design intent seems to be the classic cliché of joining forces with enemies to defeat the demon lord.
But there’s a time for joining forces with enemies.
The longer you wait, the harder it is to survive, naturally.
For the sake of the final boss, it’s better to pay attention to connections with the other five great houses.
If given the opportunity, it’s also good to focus on growth.
Now that I can check favorability with Mind’s Eye, my options are quite broad.
‘Still, it’s fortunate to have started at the academy.’
Although the Lucaria Academy part was treated as a tutorial, there are many valuable aspects to gain.
For example, there’s the part about building friendships with the next generation of the five great family heads.
The more you know, the more you can gain.
I succeeded in gathering the five great houses to form a book club.
Just having a social group will be very helpful for future actions.
Nobles find it difficult to move without a proper cause, after all.
Additionally, subtly leaking information through the book club helps the growth of other houses.
Thanks to the subtle help I provided while attending the academy, I should have built up quite a bit of favorability.
Since we haven’t met for a while due to graduation-related busyness, I should call them soon.
Considering the time I’ve spent on these kids, it would be troublesome if I don’t become the family head.
Putting in effort at the beginning makes things easier later on.
Even though I’m the next family head, there are still obstacles to overcome before becoming the actual head, so helping now will pay off greatly later.
I picked up a pen.
I need four invitation letters in total.
Since butler Alfred has already written the contents, I just need to write the names.
First, an invitation for the lady of the Eildarin family.
[To the Dear Lady Merchen Eildarin]
The Eildarin family is known as a political family.
Merchen aims beyond the position of the Eildarin family head, with aspirations for the throne.
She seems mismatched with politics due to her impulsive nature and tendency to speak without filters, but her exceptional insight and sincere actions have actually become advantages.
… Of course, while Merchen herself is like that, people in her family place great importance on formality, so I wrote the invitation with care.
Their hostile house is the Astralnor family.
Next is the invitation for the Astralnor family.
The basic format is similar to the one for Merchen, but I need to be careful not to mix up the names.
[To the Dear Lady Eri Astralnor]
The Astralnor family is a magical family, and with a mage who has ascended to the Five Stars currently in the imperial palace, the family’s power is formidable.
However, Eri herself is rather timid, so it’s hard to get a read on her.
Their hostile house is the Eildarin family.
Next…
[To the Dear Lady Risiella Tierniel]
The Tierniel family is also a magical family, but they specialize in alchemy.
In particular, the ultra-regeneration potion that can only be created with the Tierniel family’s secret arts shines in battle situations where every second counts, making them a family one should never make enemies of.
They have no hostile house.
Finally.
[To the Dear Lady Luina Terranos]
The Terranos family is a swordsmanship family, similar in nature to the Calderon family.
Due to Draken Terranos, who has ascended to the Five Stars, the family’s power is quite strong.
Luina herself is a fool who knows nothing but the sword, so I just need to cater to that aspect.
Their hostile house is Calderon.
“All done.”
I set the schedule as soon as possible.
I’ve also aligned the cooldown of Mind Sword with an event that can only be done now.
After the book club ends, I’ll need to move immediately.
I promptly set out to deliver the invitations.
If schedules don’t match, I might have to postpone the book club.
The next day.
“Young master, replies have arrived.”
Butler Alfred handed me the responses to the invitations I sent yesterday.
Everyone was available.
Looks like they’re not busy either.
I immediately started preparing to leave.