CH 48

The young man with silver hair who approached Otto, introduced himself was “Julius de Overhauser.”

He was the owner of the “Overhauser merchant,” which operated across the continent, and was an SSS-ranked hero unit.

Furthermore, he was also a direct descendant of Argon the Great, who had unified the continent by betraying Kairos in the past.

Of course, the fact that he was a direct descendant of Argon the Great was a well-kept secret, known only to Otto at this point.

[What? He’s Argon’s descendant?]

‘Yes.’

[Give yourself up immediately! I must defeat that guy.]

Kairos became furious upon hearing that Julius was Argon’s descendant.

‘*Sign* Just hold on.’

[How can I hold back? Even if I can’t take revenge on that Argon guy! Shouldn’t I at least defeat his descendant?]

‘What if you can’t?’ Otto cut in.

‘If you provoke him, everyone here will die.’

[What…me?]

‘Everyone will truly die. Everyone here, including my grandfather.’

Otto knew Julius very well.

‘Julius… He’s a notorious villain.’

Otto considered Julius to be a kind of dark character.

Julius disguised himself as a merchant active across the continent, but his true identity was an ambitious individual dreaming of unifying the continent.

Moreover, he possessed a formidable power surpassing Conrad, and was an absolute powerhouse hiding his immense strength.

His activities as a merchant were aimed at secretly accumulating funds and influence for his future grand plans.

‘I’ll explain it later, so hold on a bit.’

At that moment,

“Are you okay?”

Seeing Otto standing still while talking to Kairos, Julius approached again, seeming a little concerned.

“Oh, yes. I’m fine. Just feeling a bit dizzy.”

“I see… Perhaps you’re tired.”

“No, it’s not that. I’m fine now. It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Otto de Scuderia.”

“I’m Julius de Overhauser. I oversee Overhauser merchant.”

“What brings you here?”

“I happened to pass by and wanted to meet Duke Conrad. Luckily, a party was being held, and I had the good fortune to attend.”

“I see.”

“I heard you became the head of the Kutachi family. Congratulations.”

“It’s nothing, really.”

“Excuse me, but if you have the time, would you like to have a drink and chat?”

“Of course.”

And so, earlier than expected, Otto found himself having a conversation with Julius.

***

Otto and Julius engaged in various conversations.

“I heard that there is a lord who opened a new trade route in the western frontier, and I didn’t know it was you, Otto.”

Julius mentioned Otto’s accomplishment of conquering the ogres and developing a new trade route, praising him.

“It’s too kind of you.”

“I hope we can continue to in touch and maintain a good relationship in the future.”

“That’s exactly what I was hoping for. Being a giant like Julius, you must have a unique perspective on the world.”

The conversation wasn’t particularly substantial.

Otto had been reincarnated as a character in the game.

Julius, waiting for the right moment while concealing his power.

Neither of them was in a position to have an open and honest conversation.

It was merely an opportunity to reveal their true faces, so to speak.

“By any chance… If there is ever a need for assistance, may I contact you?”

“Huh?”

“Running a business often involves various incidents and accidents… Sometimes we lack the manpower to resolve the situation. That’s when we need the power of someone as capable as the head of the Kutachi family. Oh, of course, I’m not making an impudent request for free service. Just as you assist us, we will also provide various support to you.”

Then, a quest window appeared before Otto.

[Notification: The quest ‘Julius’s Proposal’ has been activated!]

The content was as follows:

[Julius’ Proposal]

Content: Help Julius and receive a reward.

Type: Normal/Repeatable

Reward: (Varies)

Note: The Overhauser merchant operated by Julius is immensely large in scale, so the rewards will be significant as well.

By continuing to perform quests, Otto could build up an affinity with Julius and potentially receive even greater rewards.

‘If it’s a quest given by Julius, it can’t be bad. As long as I maintain an appropriate distance…’

Knowing Julius well, Otto accepted the quest.

[Notification: You have accepted the quest ‘Julius’s Proposal’]

“Great. I will assist you to the best of my abilities.”

“Thank you so much.”

Meanwhile, Kairos was furious.

[You brat!!! Surrender immediately!!! Right now!!]

His deep resentment towards Argon the Great was so strong that upon seeing his descendant, Julius, he couldn’t contain his rationality.

***

That night.

After the party ended, Otto had a conversation with Kairos.

[Are you saying that the descendants of Argon are still alive?]

“Of course they are. They hide the fact that they are descendants of Emperor Argon. When the Arad Empire collapsed, the nobles had to hide and live in secret.”

[What do you plan to do with that d*mn descendant in the future?]

“What huh?.. hmm”

[Do you intend to associate with him?]

“If it’s necessary? If I have something to gain, I’ll cooperate.”

[What?!]

Kairos shouted angrily.

[Don’t you have any loyalty? Even though you clearly know about the relationship between me and Argon…]

“So what? Are you saying we shouldn’t be friends just because he is a descendant of Emperor Argon? It’s not like Emperor Argon himself is involved.”

[You! You’re a person without loyalty… I have saved your life more than once… and now you want to get involved with his d*mn descendants…]

“Who said anything about getting involved? We’ll just use each other appropriately. Besides, Julius is not an easy opponent. If anything, I might end up being betrayed by him.”

[What do you mean?]

“That’s his specialty. He chooses a good lord to support, and then he strikes when the time is right.”

[…!]

“He gradually erodes their power while providing support. And when the time comes, he betrays them and takes over their power completely. Manipulating the lords while acting as a merchant is also a way to find a parasitic power. Like a parasite.”

Otto’s words were true.

Julius was not one of the player characters that players could choose, but a pure NPC. And such Julius had gained a notorious reputation, to the extent that players called him ‘Julis the Parasite.’

In other words, he wasn’t a suitable opponent to form a deep relationship with just because he was helpful.

[S-same… isn’t it the same as what that b**tard Argon did to me?]

“Hmm? Now that I think about it, you might be right.”

Otto replied as if he suddenly remembered, tapping his forehead.

The methods of Argon, the Emperor, and Julius’ behavioral patterns were exactly the same.

“Ah. So Julius’ role model was Emperor Argon?”

Kairos asked Otto.

[Even though you know that, do you still plan to get involved with such a person?]

“Well, as I said earlier, what harm could it do?”

[What?!]

“Hey.”

Otto turned to Kairos and spoke decisively.

“Since I know he might betray me, do you think I’ll be foolish like you to give him everything?”

[…? How dare you talk to like that, you little punk…]

“I can use him and betray him if I want.”

[…!]

“Now that’s quite something haha.”

A sly smile appeared on Otto’s face.

“After I’ve taken advantage of him, I can betray him first, right?”

[Huh?]

“Is that okay?”

This was a development that even Otto himself didn’t expect.

Players often kept their distance from Julius at least once, so Otto also did the same. Despite developing numerous optimized builds through research, Otto had never actively utilized Julius.

“It’s a double-edged sword… but if used well, it can be tremendous. It might be a bit risky.”

No one likes being taken advantage of knowingly.

Julius was an incredibly wealthy person. If he could use that wealth to his advantage, he could bear a certain level of risk.

“Well, then I’ll also use him and discard him. Just like what Emperor Argon did to you.”

[…]

“If it’s revenge, this isn’t revenge? It’s paying him back in the same way, trying to take over the continent using the same methods as Emperor Argon’s descendants.”

[……Well, I guess you could see it that way…?]

“Of course, it won’t be as easy as it sounds… but if an opportunity arises, I’ll give it a try. Let’s think about it… think… about using that guy to my advantage.”

Otto started contemplating how he could maximize his benefits by utilizing Julius and recalled the information he had about him.

It was an opportunity he hadn’t anticipated.

***

The next day, in the afternoon.

“Well then, I’ll be going.”

“When do you think you’ll be back?”

“Based on my estimation… I think I’ll be back in winter.”

“Alright. Don’t be late. Do you think the next lord can keep the seat empty for a long time?”

“Hahaha…”

Otto bid farewell to Conrad and left the Koutachi Kingdom, returning to the Iota Kingdom.

By Otto’s side were the forces provided by Camille and Conrad, and behind them were wagons filled with gold ingots.

“To achieve greater things, a large amount of military funds will be needed. Since this old man is giving you pocket money, don’t refuse and take it.”

Conrad not only provided troops but also generously gave him some allowance.

‘How much can we earn in ten days…?’

Camille wondered what Otto gained from the Koutachi family as he thought about it.

He obtained the power of the Invincible Emperor, and secured the position of the Koutachi family’s heir. acquired various skill books and items, received elite troops, and even obtained hundreds of kilograms of gold ingots…

He began to understand why Otto suddenly mentioned going to his mother’s house.

‘The next step… is it the Rosan Kingdom?’

Meanwhile, Otto was thinking about his next plan as he headed towards the Iota Kingdom.

To survive the upcoming World War, it was crucial to establish a foundation during this period, leaving him no time to rest.

‘After returning and strengthening my military power… I should head straight to the Rosan Kingdom. Something is about to happen soon.’

Then.

[Hey, youngster.]

Kairos approached Otto and spoke to him.

[I have a favor to ask.]

“Declined.”

[I didn’t even say anything?]

“I said no. If you’re going to pester me, don’t bother. I have a lot on my mind right now.”

Otto thought Kairos wanted him to drink alcohol again, but that wasn’t the case.

“I don’t want to suffer from a hangover…”

[That’s not it.]

“Then what? Ah, do you want me to destroy your mace and get you some rest? Just wait a little. After returning…”

[That’s not it either.]

“Then what is it?”

[Prepare me a physical body.]

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

[I mean, prepare me a body that I can use.]

“Suddenly?”

[I want to live.]

“Didn’t you say you had no regrets?”

[Didn’t you do the same? You said you would use and betray that d*mn descendant of Argon.]

“That’s right.”

[I want to help.]

“….”

[I want to help you and give that b**tard Julius a taste of revenge.]

It seemed like Kairos had reached a point where he wanted to resolve his resentment, even if it meant taking down Julius.