I Entered a Gacha Game That Had Been Abandoned for 10 Years

Chapter 45

45 – What?

Kim Hyun-woo thought seriously.

Did he have any connection with the Duke of Tesnoka?

But no matter how much he thought, Kim Hyun-woo couldn’t think of any connection with the Duke of Tesnoka.

After all, he had only been in this world of Arteil for a few months, and even if he considered the connections he had when he enjoyed Arteil as a game, it didn’t make sense.

Moreover, the result he confirmed showed that there was no relation to the Tesnoka domain in the domain relationship.

So, with a blank expression, Kim Hyun-woo looked at the confident Duke and the secretaries who were slightly flustered behind her.

Soon, perhaps due to his unshakable composure, the bewildered emotion quickly settled, and he opened his mouth.

“You have quite a sense of humor.”

“It’s not a joke, though.”

Again, the thump! sound rang out from behind.

“I’m actually sincerely proposing to the lord of Lartania.”

-Thump!

The sound echoed once again at her words.

In fact, by now, Kim Hyun-woo felt a certain discomfort, but without questioning the sound, he rolled his head to confirm Viscount Tesnoca’s intentions with a bewildered expression.

“Do you have something you desire from me?”

He replied.

“Why do you think that way?”

“Logically, it wouldn’t make sense for a noble like yourself to fall for me at first sight.”

In response to Kim Hyun-woo’s continued words, Viscount Tesnoca chuckled as if he liked something and said, “Why? Couldn’t it be that I fell for you at first sight?”

“To say you spoke because you fell for me at first sight, there’s no shyness, but rather a confident smile.”

“Is that so? The marriage proposal was sincere.”

“Well then, it seems you want something through marriage with me.”

Looking at Tesnoca Viscount with a somewhat surprised expression at Kim Hyun-woo’s calm voice, he then said, “Excuse me,” and promptly took a seat.

Different from his self-satisfied appearance a while ago, Viscount Tesnoca, who now had a slightly more composed expression, opened his mouth.

“…That’s right. Surprising, isn’t it?”

“What part?”

“Well, if I have to talk about it, there are several aspects, but usually when I propose marriage, everyone lights up and rushes at me. Perhaps you don’t know who I am?”

“I heard that you are Viscount Tesnoca.”

“That’s right. Those who know that fact are usually desperate to do something about me, but you, my lord, are surprisingly calm.”

“In this world, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Of course, your lordship’s attractive proposal isn’t free either.”

Kim Hyun-woo answered neatly.

“…You know it well.”

With an amused smile again, Viscount Tesnoca extended his hand.

“First of all, I know who I am, but I apologize for the late greeting. I am Rania Tesnoca, the lord of the Tesnoca territory and the viscount of the Norba Kingdom.”

He soon reached out his hand.

“I am Kim Hyun-woo, the lord of Lartania.”

Shaking hands, Kim Hyun-woo could now engage in a proper conversation with her.

And after a short while.

“So, the reason you came to our territory was because you heard about me dealing with disasters?”

“That’s right. Originally, I was planning to send someone, but after hearing the story, I felt like meeting you in person and came. Anyway, I wanted to meet you before any other lord.”

“…Another territory?”

“Yes, at least your news would have reached the Kalan Kingdom.”

Kim Hyun-woo nodded approvingly at Duke Tesnoka’s words. Though it could be considered a disaster in many ways, from Kim Hyun-woo’s perspective, who now had to manage the Labyrinth City in the face of this crisis spreading externally, it wasn’t all that bad.

Nevertheless, Kim Hyun-woo was entertaining another thought.

‘But in the end, that means they were just watching and didn’t really help.’

Of course, Kim Hyun-woo knew there was no need to harbor negative emotions just because they didn’t offer assistance. It was unreasonable to expect them to help with a territory like Lartania, which had no connection to them in the first place.

However, understanding this logically didn’t prevent a tinge of displeasure from rising in Kim Hyun-woo’s heart. Yet, he decided to view it positively.

After hearing this story, Kim Hyun-woo could guess her purpose and also check how he appeared to the surrounding territories.

So.

“Anyway, in conclusion, I assume you’ve come to establish a good relationship with me, is that correct?”

“That’s right. Oh, and the marriage proposal is sincere.”

“Why are you so fixated on marriage?”

“I don’t want to miss out. And it’s fascinating.”

“…?”

From Noble mtl dot com

Kim Hyun-woo gave a puzzled expression at the Duke’s words. He never had any intention of getting married.

Arteil, the game he played, was not only a territory management game but also a cute girl gacha game. Naturally, apart from affection, there existed an invisible liking system for heroes.

As the liking level increased, the behavior of heroes changed, and if it reached the maximum, marriage was possible. Moreover, after marriage, heroes’ behavior became extremely lovely, and if the heroes got along well, even remarriage was possible. Therefore, raising affection and marrying a hero in Arteil was considered almost a rule.

However, Kim Hyun-woo, who knew all this, had no intention of getting married. The reason was the incident where a ranker, “Abyss,” who had risen to rank 33 by marrying eight 5-star heroes, had his territory destroyed due to improper happiness management.

The incident, known among Arteil users as the “End of the Demon Lord,” was quite simple. Abyss failed to manage the happiness of eight heroes properly, leading to marital conflicts among the heroes and the complete destruction of his territory.

As a result, Abyss, who was ranked 33, plummeted to rank 80 in an instant. Despite trying to restore the territory and manage the heroes’ happiness, it was almost impossible to manage the happiness of eight heroes that had already been shattered, leading to the collapse of the territory.

Because of this, users gave Abyss the title of ‘The Last One to Use the Demon Lord’ and the perception that ‘marriage equals disaster’ was deeply ingrained in users’ minds, making everyone avoid marriage.

Kim Hyun-woo, who had not yet become a ranker at that time, remembered the bitter expression he made when he stopped trying to increase the heroes’ affection. He cleared his throat and spoke after organizing his thoughts.

“…Anyway, I have no thoughts of marriage.”

Two hours later.

“Well, then, do you think you’ll come to see me next time?”

“Since you came to see me once, I’ll come visit you next time. Also, we can discuss the details of the deal through the trading post.”

After receiving the greetings from Lord Kim Hyunwoo of Larvania, Rania left and boarded the enormous magical carriage guarded by knights, leaving the territory.

Shortly after leaving Larvania Territory.

“How was it?”

In front of the duke, Roman asked with a smile.

“It was fascinating.”

“…What part?”

“The mana didn’t work.”

“…The duke’s mana… you say?”

In fact, the reason the duke continued to propose marriage to Kim Hyunwoo was precisely because of her unique mana.

Enchanting mana.

It wasn’t as powerful as the legendary ‘mana’ that could perfectly captivate a target, but when combined with her appearance, it was sufficient to demonstrate its effectiveness.

Furthermore, the mana that had been one of the weapons allowing her, despite her young age, to skillfully manage the territory and diplomatic relations, strangely did not work on Kim Hyunwoo.

No matter how many times he tried.

And the duke’s surprise wasn’t just about that.

‘Quickly deducing the situation and obtaining what she wants with just a few pieces of information.’

Of course, given their pre-existing friendship, it was a plausible story that he had come to help her, but even so, the duke felt that Lord of Larvania was impressive.

The position of a duke, and on top of that, the lord of the Tesnoka Territory, naturally imposed pressure on the other party.

Of course, due to the limited time for conversation, they couldn’t delve into more profound matters, but in return, through that brief conversation, the duke grasped the value of the Lord of Larvania.

‘I want her.’

At least, as far as the duke could discern, the Lord of Larvania was a treasure.

Just two hours of conversation was not enough to see the bottom, indicating that she harbored many hidden treasures.

Therefore.

‘…In the end, failing to draw her under me, surprisingly, it’s okay. Obtaining a treasure all at once would be dull.’

The duke thought with a smile.

At that moment.

Merilda, who had been silently watching the duke leave from beyond the hill, thought,

‘…If I kill him, the master probably wouldn’t like it?… It’s not something to be praised.’

With a genuinely regretful expression, she crushed the stone in her hand into powder, wearing a truly disappointed look.

“Three seconds should be enough.”

Merrilda mumbled, glaring at the carriage.

However, since Merrilda had already sensed that Kim Hyunwoo had intentions of gaining some advantage through her, she couldn’t bring herself to kill the duke.

Therefore, she wore a sorrowful expression.

‘…If I don’t kill him, it should be fine, right?’

She thought with a somewhat sinister smile.

About five hours later.

On the mountain path where the territory of Larutania was no longer visible.

Crash!

“Agh?!”

The high-quality carriage that Duke Tesnoka was riding in was shattered by a flying rock from somewhere.

####

And so, at the moment when the duke escaped from the territory of Larutania.

In the commercial territory of Rapengan.

“Is this the place?”