The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

The demonic beasts and Imperial forces that had invaded the city of Porta in front of the wall were all exterminated. The Saintess and the mages from the wall’s division cleaned up the remnants of the damaged ancient seal, and the wall was restored to its functional state, albeit temporarily.

The first reinforcements, comprised mainly of the Rubens Kingdom and players, didn’t stop at merely reclaiming Porta; they crossed the wall. This was because the main Imperial forces were still besieging Forward Base Gamma.

The path to Gamma, neglected for days, was infested with undead and monsters. However, the morale-boosted reinforcements, bolstered by the players’ aggressive offensives, secured the highway with ease and continued their advance.

When they finally reached Forward Base Gamma after three days, “…We made it just in time.”

The allied forces’ flag still fluttered atop Gamma’s walls. Though parts of the walls had collapsed and some buildings were scorched by flames, the Imperial forces had not breached Gamma’s walls.

The wall’s allied forces, led by Supreme Commander Julius and Vice Commander Tavion, had successfully held off the attacks of over a hundred thousand Imperial troops for more than a week.

‘Of course, part of it was that the Imperial forces weren’t attacking sincerely.’

Even though the main forces were here, the primary target was the city of Porta. Once Porta fell, there was no reason to suffer losses by pursuing the trapped allied forces.

‘… Even so, a victory is a victory.’

Raul felt a surge of emotion as he looked at the soldiers on the wall, cheering for their victory, clad in armor stained with blood and soot. In a way, their sacrifice and struggle might have prevented the dawn of a much larger war.

As the reinforcement corps from the wall appeared, the Imperial main forces orderly withdrew, organizing their formation with perfect discipline and retreating. Even players eager for achievements dared not provoke such a composed army.

Nevertheless, with the retreat of the Imperial forces, the invasion of the wall was truly concluded.

Though the battle had ended, the aftermath lingered. The wounds of the invasion were severe. About one-third of the soldiers and knights stationed at the wall’s front lines had perished. Numerous temporary bases and supply routes, painstakingly established, were entirely lost.

Consequently, the special exploration team’s mission to block access to forbidden zones was a failure. As the Imperial forces retreated, they destroyed all the dungeon pathways and terrains they had secured, and the altered landscapes became havens for the undead and monsters.

In the end, supreme Commander Julius made a difficult decision. The wall’s allied forces abandoned Forward Base Gamma. They lacked the manpower to defend it and could not secure supply lines. It took nearly fifteen days to retreat to Forward Base Beta and complete minimal repairs.

During this time, the year changed, making Raul 18 years old, and it had been a year since Connect’s official service began.

***

“Supreme Commander Julius has arrived!”

The military headquarters within the wall.

In the largest conference room, dozens of people were gathered.

The attendees were distinguished. High-ranking officials from the wall, including Duke Hansley, duke Tavion, and Commander Adhart from Alpha, were present at the front.

To the left side of the room were Count Melvin de Ashton, Marquis Fidel de Greer, and several other nobles including Lawrence, Raul, and Dalton from the Ruben Kingdom.

On the right side were a few archmages and nobles from the Leslie Kingdom who had joined the reinforcements. Next to them were representatives from several families of the Brennan Republic and mercenary leaders from the Marcus Kingdom.

At the back center, members of the hero party, along with some Paladins and bishops dispatched from the Holy Empire, were seated.

Although the size was small, it wasn’t an exaggeration to call it a continental assembly of the Connect continent’s united forces, excluding the Empire itself.

The commonality among those gathered was that they had responded to the wall’s plea for reinforcements, regardless of how quickly or slowly they arrived. The reason for this gathering was Duke Julius’s request for a brief meeting and his gratitude.

“Thank you all for gathering here. On behalf of the Wall Allied Forces, I sincerely thank you for putting everything aside and responding to our desperate call,” Duke Julius said, bowing deeply at a 90-degree angle from the podium.

Truthfully, under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t have been necessary for him to bow so deeply. Sending reinforcements when the wall was in jeopardy was a duty of the kingdoms.

‘The issue was that this time, the reinforcements weren’t from the central armies of the kingdoms.’

Raul quietly clicked his tongue as he observed the gathered individuals. The expected central army generals or knights from any kingdom were nowhere to be seen in this meeting.

While the Marcus Kingdom couldn’t send troops due to its distance from the wall, kingdoms that bordered the wall like Ruben, leslie, and the Brennan Republic had no such excuses.

Even though there was a small number of central army border guards stationed near the wall, they hadn’t been mobilized. If they had, the troops could have arrived at least a day earlier than the current reinforcements.

‘But no one moved.’

It meant that the current reinforcements were entirely made up of private troops from noble houses, families, and mage towers.

“This is unacceptable! No matter how chaotic the internal situation of the kingdoms may be, the wall is the gateway protecting the entire continent. What are the royal families thinking?”

The conference, starting with the commanders of the wall criticizing the current situation, moved on to assessing the continent’s status, predicting future scenarios, and discussing what was needed to defend the wall.

Though they had managed to avert this crisis, there was a consensus that they might be in danger with another invasion if things remained as they were.

Duke Julius and the leadership of the wall concluded that they would formally protest to the royal families about this incident and seek new agreements for future support.

Everyone in attendance knew it wouldn’t be easy. But realistically, they had no other alternative. They couldn’t abandon or hand the wall over to the enemy just because the royal families neglected them.

Nonetheless, the attendees voluntarily offered their support for the wall and promised to assist in negotiations with the royal families, making the meeting not entirely without results.

As the meeting adjourned, Raul met separately with his father and his second brother Lawrence.

“Turmoil is coming.”

“What do you mean, out of nowhere?”

Lawrence asked, looking bewildered.

“Everyone is distracted by the fact that the wall was invaded, but a bigger problem has emerged.”

“More significant than the fact that the Empire almost breached the wall?”

“Yes. It’s already begun.”

Lawrence tilted his head in confusion, but Count Melvin de Ashton trusted Raul’s words.

“Explain it in detail. We need to be prepared.”

With a swish, Raul pulled something out and laid it on the table.

“A divine message has come. The Second Gate Incident is upon us, and the era of superhumans is about to commence.”

What Raul had laid out was a transcription of the global notice from the Connect system.

『Notice』

The third-stage ancient seals that had been suppressing the dimensional gates have all been lifted except for one. With the third-stage seals lifted, the gate encroachment accelerates.

A-Grade gates and below will now randomly appear.

Ancient races, long forgotten, will begin to reveal themselves through the gates.

The mana concentration in the world of Connect will increase significantly. Residents will find it easier to awaken mana. The likelihood of some residents surpassing their limits will rise dramatically.

The growth of flora and fauna will be significantly accelerated. Over time, new species may emerge. A significant amount of demonic energy has been introduced into the Connect Continent. Dark entities will soon roam the continent beyond the gates.

Caution is advised. As humanity’s growth accelerates, stronger and more terrifying enemies may emerge. With the third-stage seals lifted, new scenarios will be introduced.

The war with the Empire was not the main scenario. The critical point was that the Empire had unveiled ancient seals hidden near the wall. Though Raul had managed to protect the last sealing stone within the forbidden zone, it wasn’t enough to reverse the situation.

‘The wall may have been protected, but the Empire still achieved some of its goals.’

The Empire’s main forces likely withdrew orderly for that reason, knowing that the lifting of the seals would weaken the kingdom’s power over time.

“Is this… is this true?”

Lawrence’s eyes wavered slightly as he confirmed the information. Like Raul, lawrence had also joined the First Knight Order, thereby becoming a semi-player.

When they had met in the forbidden zone, Raul had almost forcibly enrolled his brother into the guild, helping him escape the trap of being a mere guardian.

Although Lawrence still viewed the Connect system as divine power, he understood the implications of Raul’s words.

“Dealing with the Empire is problematic enough, but now we have to worry about gates and demons too….”

Count Melvin’s brow furrowed slightly, but Raul was more concerned about another issue.

“It’s the kingdom that worries me more.”

“What do you mean?”

Melvin asked.

“If the divine prophecy is accurate, many will soon break through their limits—people who have been stuck at the same level for a long time will finally break free.”

“……!”

Count Melvin’s expression darkened.

“Why is that a problem? Isn’t it a good thing if more masters emerge? More skilled individuals would make it easier to fend off gates, demons, and even fight the Empire. Though, that means the Empire might also see an increase in superhumans, right?”

Lawrence asked, not grasping the full picture.

In simple terms, lawrence was correct. More superhumans among humanity would enhance their capacity to resist external invasions.

“…A war is imminent.”

“Yes, it’s highly likely,” Raul confirmed.

“…? A war? Suddenly?”

Raul calmly explained to the bewildered Lawrence, “How many masters are there in our kingdom?”

“Three, as far as we know—Sword Saint, Marquis McNeil, and Count Randal.”

Raul nodded and asked again, “Imagine if suddenly two or three masters emerged within a single noble house. What do you think the head of that house would feel?”

“…They’d probably think their house has become the strongest in the kingdom.”

“So would they stay put, or try to gain something?”

“Obviously, they’d try to gain something. Oh…!”

“And with the royal family currently lacking an officially designated heir, and many territories barely able to sustain themselves due to the gate overflow… What do you think will happen?”

Lawrence finally understood. The emergence of such power was too valuable to simply hold onto. The lords would not be able to resist their greed. And if such power emerged in a prestigious house, even moreso.

“But is it certain that masters will emerge concentrated within a single noble house? If multiple houses gain masters, wouldn’t balance be restored like now?”

Raul nodded at Lawrence’s query.

“That’s also correct. If they knew other houses had gained masters, there might be balance. But how could they know that? Heads of houses will not easily announce the birth of a master.”

“Why wouldn’t they? Achieving the supreme status of a master is a tremendous honor for any swordsman! Why keep it a secret?”

“If it were a peaceful time, you might be right.”

“…….”

“Even our house kept Father’s achievement of reaching master status a secret, didn’t we? And even if they did announce it, many issues arise. What do you think would happen if we announced that both you and Jake, along with Sir Kane, had all reached the supreme level?”

Lawrence fell silent. Though he was somewhat out of touch with the complexities of the world due to his focus on swordsmanship, he wasn’t ignorant of worldly affairs.

Flaunting strength beyond one’s means would only attract enemies on all sides. History had proven time and again how envy, jealousy, and blind fear could lead to catastrophic outcomes.

“A war will happen. We need to prepare for it.”

Lawrence bowed his head, clutching his hair at the decisiveness in Raul’s voice.

“Hah, it’s truly difficult. Instead of uniting our strength, humanity will be fighting each other.”

“I also hope such a situation won’t arise, but… sigh.”

Raul had already seen it. The title of the next main scenario was….

(To be continued)