I Inherited the Basement of the Tower - Chapter 29

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Inherited the Basement 1 of the Tower – Episode 29

Barkalor was brilliant from childhood, yet born as the second son of his house.
Upon reaching adulthood, he left home and was employed as a steward serving the Border Count as his master.
Thanks to his prowess in strategy, tactics, and magic, the Border Region grew safer with each passing day.
And thanks to his success in administration and commerce, the Border Region flourished no less than the Capital, contrary to expectations.
The Border Count cherished such Barkalor, and the people of his domain loved him.
Yet an empire could have only one sun.
The Border Region had to remain merely a sturdy castle wall protecting the Empire, as it always had been.

-Your Majesty. The people of the Empire are reproaching your incompetence, and they praise the Border Region as a new paradise.

The Emperor found Barkalor an eyesore.
He and his loyal retainers lacked the ability to create a paradise.
So they conceived of a brilliant idea.

Since the Empire is at peace, the people’s hearts grow selfish, and such hearts sicken the Empire itself. Thus, I have decided to usher in a new era.

The Emperor, who could shoot down even a flying sparrow, had marked Barkalor as the protagonist of this new age.

The Empire had prospered most centuries ago, when the Demon King appeared and everyone united their strength.
What the Empire needs now is a common enemy. And a most capable one at that.

The Border Count was a nobleman who valued honor and principle.
A nobleman’s duty was naturally to serve the Emperor.
Barkalor was his most treasured possession.
He was always prepared to offer his treasure to the Emperor whenever he wished.
He was a true ‘nobleman’ among ‘noblemen’.

-I must ask this of you, Barkalor.

The Empire’s greatest intellect, Barkalor, excelled in deduction, observation, and psychology alike.

[Should you refuse, I may find myself forced to relinquish some of the Empire’s territory with tears in my eyes. An arrogant ‘Demon King’ has rebelled against the Emperor, and his people have fallen into ‘demonkind’. Quite a splendid tale, is it not?]

My mind deciphered the tear stains on the Border Count’s face and the contents of the torn letter.
Barkalor had loved the domain he cultivated.
As a nobleman, he had respected the Border Count.
For him, there was no choice but to follow that great decision he had no choice but to make.

Leave it to me. As always, I shall do it perfectly—drive humanity to the brink of crisis.

He, who had shone brighter than the sun itself, extinguished his own light for everyone.
For that faint sunlight, he willingly embraced darkness.
The Empire thus witnessed its second Demon King.
He gathered subordinates, tamed demonic beasts, and mastered dark magic.
He toppled the Emperor, burned the Capital, and threatened all of humanity.

…Decades later, his head was severed by the Hero Party.
In his final moment, he thought:
He felt he could finally understand the identity of the Demon King from centuries past.

* * *

‘…What utter nonsense.’

When I heard Barkalor’s story.
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
He may have been a great lord, but he was no good family man.
Had I been in his position, I would have fought to the end for myself, my domain’s people, and my family—Barkalor.
Even if it were a path Barkalor himself did not desire.

“Master. Where exactly is your mind wandering to!”

…or so I had thought.
That was before I actually faced such a situation myself.

Ding!
【Barkalor is disappointed by your vacant stare.】
【Loyalty decreases by 1.】
-Current value: 69.
-If it falls below 50, the quest fails.

“Ah. My apologies.”

I finally came to my senses and let out an awkward cough.
The manner of speech from a medieval nobleman felt unnatural on my tongue.
First a martial artist, now a nobleman—what’s next?
My head was beginning to throb.
The third task.
It was none other than.

【Third Task ‘The Butler Called the Demon King’ in progress.】
【Clear by maintaining Loyalty 50 or higher for a set duration.】
-Success Reward: Temple Resident Summon Ticket x1. Moonstone x1,000.
-Failure Penalty: Barkalor’s death.

It was a dating sim.

‘Why am I doing a dating sim here of all places?’

And not even with a beautiful girl—with Elder Barkalor.
Well, I suppose I should call him a beautiful youth instead.
The third task’s version of Barkalor held memories from his youth, before he became the Demon King.

“Hahaha!”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all.
I wished Yahwi, wherever he was, could see me like this.

Ding!
【Barkalor is disappointed by your frivolous demeanor.】
【Loyalty decreases by 1.】
-Current value: 68.

“…Wait, I can’t even laugh?”
“What did I tell you?”

Barkalor raised an eyebrow.
Unlike what I’d seen in the Temple, his hair was golden, not white.
His handsome face bore not a single wrinkle.
He truly embodied the image of a proper nobleman.

“No, that’s not what I meant. Sigh.”

I’m going to lose my mind.
At the Temple, I offered complete loyalty thanks to Nix’s contract, but not anymore.
Every time I display a lack of dignity, his loyalty—no, his devotion drops by 1.

【Time remaining until clear: 15 hours 21 minutes.】

And there’s still 15 hours left.
Considering his devotion has already dropped from 100 to 68.
I wasn’t confident I could maintain it above 50 within the remaining time.

‘No. I have to find a way.’

If I fail, it’s not just that I won’t obtain the gacha ticket.
Barkalor dies.
Thinking of that, I had to clear this no matter what.

‘At least the task condition isn’t combat, which is something to be grateful for.’

Unlike Yahwi, Barkalor didn’t receive Nix’s direct salvation.
It was puzzling how he became enslaved as a Temple resident in the first place.
But one thing was certain—he never had a direct encounter with Nix.

‘Otherwise, he would have memories of it.’

The status window was clear.
‘Nix has no memories of the target Barkalor.’
Because of that, I couldn’t borrow Nix’s power like I did with Yahwi.

‘If, like with Yahwi, his memories had been reconstructed at the moment of death—being hunted by the Hero Party—and on top of that, I couldn’t use Nix’s power… ugh.’

Just imagining it made me feel helpless.
I didn’t know what level of power the Hero here possessed, but Barkalor’s combat ability was above average even considering he wasn’t a combat-oriented class.
The Hero Party that defeated him would have been impossible for me to stop with my current strength alone.
I definitely would have lost Barkalor.

‘I really need to become stronger.’

The more I thought about it, the more my desire for the Special Dungeon Layer rewards grew.

“Master. The Emperor will be visiting tomorrow. You don’t have time to remain idle like this.”

Ding!
【A new choice appears.】

‘…Before that, I need to break free from this cursed visual novel system first.’

I swallowed a sigh and gazed at the status window floating before my eyes.

【1. Handle it yourself.】
【2. Very well. Let’s get to work.】

“Very well. Let’s get to work.”
“Yes, excellent. You are truly the master. I shall guide you.”

Ding!
【Barkalor is impressed by your passionate demeanor.】
【Loyalty increases by 3.】
-Current value: 71.

“Let us proceed.”

At least it’s not combat, right?

….

We walked along the Castle Wall.
Certainly, it was beautiful.
Below the cliff stretched a magnificent natural landscape.

“…His Majesty will walk here accompanied by the Knights. He will witness that the Border Count is protecting the border well, and once again take in the beauty of the Empire.”

Barkalor recited tomorrow’s schedule as we walked.
The younger Barkalor rarely showed changes in expression.
But now, pride and fulfillment in his work bloomed across his face in a smile.
It was clear how much he loved this Border Region.

‘…And tomorrow. The Emperor will command Barkalor to become the Demon King.’

Unlike him, I, who knew the future, could not smile easily.

‘If it comes to that, what choice must I make?’

-Current value: 71.

To keep Barkalor, I would naturally have to make the choice he desired.
He would experience another abandonment.
Twice over by masters who were the same yet different.

‘…No matter how much it’s merely a reconstruction of memories.’

Crunch.
I quietly clenched the hand I held behind my back.

‘It sits uneasily with me.’

As I forced a bitter smile, Barkalor opened his mouth.

“Is there something that displeases you, Master?”
“Hmm.”
“…! What is it? As expected, your discerning eye perceives points invisible to me.”

Barkalor adjusted his glasses and asked seriously.
Then, noticing my gaze, he looked in that direction.

“Border Count! Barkalor the butler is here too!”
“Thanks to you both, life feels worth living.”
“This place isn’t paradise for nothing. Back then, it was so dreary because of the monsters. It’s all thanks to you two.”

They were domain residents of mixed ages and genders.

“…Do you mean those people are bothersome to you, Master?”
“That’s not it.”
“Then…?”
“That bastard coming tomorrow irritates me the most.”
“…! Master, you must watch your language.”

There’s a scale before me.
And on each side rest things precious to me.
Which weighs more? What should I choose?

‘…This is driving me mad.’

All this over mere memory reconstruction.
Why does it feel so vivid and real?
Or perhaps I should just destroy the scale itself.

“Barkalor.”
“Yes, Master. I’m listening.”
“What if I just broke free entirely?”
“Master!”

Ding!
【Your reckless remark has left Barkalor bewildered.】
【Loyalty has decreased by 1.】
-Current value: 70.

“I was joking, just joking.”

【Loyalty has been restored.】

“Your jests go too far, Master.”
“You’re right, I apologize.”

…If only I could use Nix’s power alone.

‘No. Get a grip.’

Acting on emotion won’t solve anything.
This is all illusion.
The old man’s joyful wrinkles, the child’s laughter.
It’s nothing but a reconstruction of memory.
What truly matters to me is Barkalor’s survival and clearing the objective.
And the rewards from the Special Dungeon Layer that will follow.

Grrgh—
My teeth ground together.
But I pretended not to notice and moved my heavy feet forward.
There was no saving everyone, after all.
Nix.
So you’re not omnipotent like the legends claim.

“…Next, shall we go see the Border Region knights who will greet His Majesty the Emperor in formation?”

After walking a bit further.
I heard cheers and battle cries mixed together from a distance.

“…Woooah!”
“Victory!”

Barkalor’s face hardened visibly.

“Good heavens. It seems the knights are sparring in defiance of orders. I specifically told them not to get bruised before meeting His Majesty tomorrow.”

His pace quickened.
Knights who defied the Border Count’s orders.
I forgot my worries for a moment and smirked.
There couldn’t possibly be two such blockheads in this world.

“Captain! Captain! Captain!”
“Captain! Captain!”

The knights hadn’t even noticed Barkalor and I arriving, and they were enthusiastically chanting the Captain’s name.
It made perfect sense.
After learning more about this world, I discovered that while magic existed here, aura did not.
In other words, the knights were ordinary humans skilled with swords.
And Yahwi was the strongest swordmaster I knew.
To those who were always outranked by mages wielding mass-destruction spells.
How must a martial artist who could split mountains with a single blade appear to them?

“Stop this at once!”

An enraged Barkalor commanded sharply.

With a heavy thud, a person collapsed to the ground.
The man who appeared to be the cause slowly turned his back and looked toward me.

“You have arrived, my lord.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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