The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

Chapter 82

The underground complex was not only large but also intricately connected through numerous passageways. Additionally, there were traps set up and sections where the entrances had been sealed off, so completing the search appeared as though it would take a considerable amount of time.

“Thank you, Rabel. Thanks to you, we were able to conclude the battle swiftly,” Raul expressed his gratitude to Rabel while his subordinates continued their search.

“I’m glad I could help. But what exactly happened? Waking up straight into a battle situation was quite a shock,” Rabel replied.

“Well, you see…” Raul briefly explained the events that had transpired while Rabel was asleep.

“Ah, I see. So, a dimensional gate opened, and the intelligence division of the Cranen Empire started their operations,” Rabel’s eyes sparkled, and her cheeks slightly flushed with excitement.

‘Dimensional gate… Could it possibly be related to the dimensional rift?’ Rabel thought, as vague memories of her kind, caught in a dimensional rift, began to surface.

She felt the tremor of fate; the moment she had been waiting for through the long years seemed to be drawing near.

Her encounter with Raul, who possessed the artifact known as the Skill Codex, couldn’t have been a mere coincidence—she was now certain of it.

“Raul, there’s something I need to discuss with you regarding the Skill Codex and a power you possess,” Rabel started.

“Huh? I get the Skill Codex, but a power you say?” Raul looked somewhat perplexed.

“The power bestowed upon you by the gods. The [Connect System],” she elaborated.

‘…!’ Raul had forgotten. He recalled Rabel’s request for access to the Connect System during the battle.

It made sense that she knew about the Skill Codex now that she was a librarian, but how did Rabel come to know about the Connect System?

“I saw strange things while I was asleep in the Skill Codex,” Rabel continued.

Rabel had survived by relying on books endowed with special powers, and in order to transfer between books, she needed to comprehend and accept their contents for her soul to settle.

However, the Skill Codex was different.

It was akin to a massive library that housed skill books, but once Rabel was designated as the librarian, she had to understand some intricate ‘system’ beyond merely the content of the skill books.

[Connect System].

Having glimpsed fragments of this vast and complex system prepared for players, Rabel couldn’t help but shudder.

It was, in every sense, a collective of powers infused with the divinity itself. When she realized that Raul was the chosen one capable of wielding such power, instinctively, she understood her role.

And so, Raul’s past deeds began to unfold in Rabel’s mind.

Within the Connect system, there remained system messages, past logs, quests, and even the links to the Connect Cafe.

The month that Raul spent asleep had been enough time for him to understand the Connect system, including Rabel.

“…that’s why I wanted to become Raul’s supporter. I don’t know which path Raul will take, but I want to be there to support you.”

Having heard Rabel’s explanation, Raul felt his head spinning slightly.

He had anticipated that accepting Rabel into his Skill Catalog would expose some information, but he hadn’t expected it to reveal past information including the Connect system.

“If it makes you uncomfortable, you can refuse. I’m content just being a Skill Catalog librarian.”

Seeing Raul hesitate, Rabel spoke with a slightly disheartened voice.

“Come on. What’s there to worry about? You’ve already given your permission. If anything, I should be the one feeling sorry. Being a librarian wasn’t enough, I even offered to support. Are you really okay with this?”

Raul’s decision had already been made. He saw no reason to push Rabel away, especially since he was already bound by the system’s power.

He was just momentarily panicked at the thought of having his secrets discovered by her.

‘In fact, this might be a blessing. I’ve been struggling on my own to plan things out, but now I have someone to help me.’

Reincarnated, he had gained a family and comrades, yet there was no one he could truly open up to and share his inner thoughts.

How frustrating and difficult must it have been to prepare for a dark future all on his own?

Rabel’s expression brightened at Raul’s hearty response.

“Thank you, Raul. You won’t regret this decision.”

“But about that magic earlier. How does it work? It seemed quite different from the magic I know.”

“It probably is. The way our race uses magic is different from humans.”

Unlike human mages who maintain a circle magic system and use casting to perform magic, the fairy race didn’t follow such structured methods.

[Verbal Magic].

Fairies were mana beings who naturally communicated with mana from birth.

They could activate magic merely by speaking, bypassing the cumbersome casting process, and this was referred to as verbal magic.

Naturally, the speed of activating magic was fast, and since they weren’t confined within a structure, the magic manifested in diverse forms.

A downside was that compared to humans’ circle magic, verbal magic required a larger amount of mana for manifestation, and the mental exertion was significant, making it less advantageous in drawn-out battles.

“Think of it as similar to the Dragon Speech Magic used by dragons or the Spirit Magic used by spirits.”

Raul nodded at Rabel’s explanation.

He had already experienced the strength of verbal magic in his previous life. One of the top rankers he knew was a mage who had mastered verbal magic.

‘It’s really fortunate, especially since we were lacking in magical firepower.’

According to Rabel, the level of magic she could use was about equivalent to 5th circle magic in human terms.

Of course, given her condition, there was a cost involved.

If she was connected to a power armor, she could borrow mana from it, but otherwise, she would need to use a mana stone.

“Before I was trapped on the island, I could use magic up to the eighth circle. Probably as the level of the skill manual increases, so will the level of magic I can use.”

“Wow, eighth circle? I can’t even imagine how powerful that must be.”

“That’s why I hope you’ll pay attention to the growth of the skill manual going forward.”

At her words, Raul nodded in agreement.

Up until now, he had thought of it merely as a way to buff some stats and increase skill slots, but now, it seemed it could actually help increase their combat power.

“I’m already consistently undertaking skill manual quests. It’s just that it seems to need a lot of time….”

“I know. But with that method, even after ten years, the skill manual won’t regain its original power,” Rabel said confidently.

“But we don’t have another way. For now, we can only consistently perform the manual quests.”

Raul’s words were met with a determined smile and a hand on her hip from Rabel.

“Fortunately, you have a strong librarian here. I’ll rearrange the skill manual while redesigning the quests and growth methods. And that thing you’re wearing on your wrist too.”

“Are you talking about the Regnator?”

“Yes. There’s a lot more that can be done as a supporter than you think. I’ll organize it neatly and let you know soon, so look forward to it.”

Indeed, it seemed different from the supporter system Raul knew.

‘Changing the quests? Is that really possible for someone who’s not an administrator?’

While skepticism crept in, how great it would be if true. As they conversed, the search operation finally came to an end.

Kane and Pierce came looking for Raul with a group of people.

Click.

With about twenty people, Kane knelt on one knee, bowed his head, and said, “Thank you, Master. Thanks to you, we were able to save the lives of our men.”

“Thank you!”

The men who appeared to be Kane’s subordinates were wearing blood-stained clothes, perhaps having been tortured, and looked quite gaunt. Nevertheless, they confidently straightened up and looked at Raul.

“Although we are of humble status, we will repay the grace we’ve received from you, young master Raul, with our lives. Please accept me and my men as your followers!”

Kane was already working under Raul, but that was merely a contractual relationship. What Kane desired now was a relationship bound by loyalty, and it seemed his men had already agreed.

Raul nodded with a pleased expression, welcoming them.

“I’ll gladly accept you all. Many of you seem injured, so we should start with treatment. We’ll discuss your treatment further later.”

“Thank you. We pledge our loyalty!”

Kane left the place, his face filled with a broad smile, clearly delighted, as he departed with his men. However, even after they had gone, Pierce and a few others remained.

“These are the mercenaries who were captured. They insisted on meeting the Master, so I brought them here,” Pierce introduced.

After his introduction, they placed their fists over their left chests and bowed their heads in respect.

One of the five knights spoke up on behalf of the group, “We are deeply grateful. If it weren’t for young master Raul, we would have become experiments for those vile creatures.”

“It’s good fortune that we could rescue you gentlemen in time. If you don’t mind, may I hear what happened?” Raul inquired.

The knights briefly explained their predicament. They were on their way to the capital to attend a knighting ceremony when they were ambushed by unidentified assailants in the forest.

The assailants were, of course, the Imperial Hounds. Without their power armors, the knights stood little chance against such an attack. Among the captured, there were over ten others, and they had no news of them since they were dragged out of the prison.

As the conversation drew to a close, they too, like Kane’s party before them, expressed their desire to serve under Raul as a gesture of their gratitude.

Among them, two were expert-level knights, and Raul gladly accepted them into his knight order. Subsequent searches led to the rescue of nearly 200 prisoners.

Most were common citizens and mercenaries, but there were also nobles and knights who had gone missing after entering a gate with an extermination squad.

In addition to the prisoners, unfinished war beasts and captured monsters were discovered, along with what appeared to be a research lab and various documents.

After completing the search of the underground, on their way back up through the tunnels to the manor of Viscount Plank, they found that the place had already been secured.

Bernard, leading the count’s forces, had disarmed the guards of the manor, and all members of the household were restrained.

In his search of the manor and the office, Raul stumbled upon a large hidden vault and warehouse, exclaiming in disbelief, “This is madness.”

The vault was filled with gold bars and shone brightly with various precious metals and mana stones. The warehouse was packed with food supplies and military equipment.

‘How much could all this be worth?’

Raul wondered, estimating the gold bars alone to be worth millions of gold. The treasurer had indeed been scraping money together like it was nothing, and considering this was an outpost in the capital, there would likely be items sent from other branches as well.

‘I was just worried about the gold flow with all the expenses lately, but what do we have here?’

Praising himself for deciding to raid the hideout, Raul busily stored the items in his inventory.

He was very curious to see what expressions the Imperial Hounds would have upon finding out their secret warehouse had been looted. Raul did not stop smiling until he left the manor.

(To be continued)