The Hidden Ending Strategy of a Veteran in a Dead Game

Chapter 13: The Whole Gang’s Here

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Standing next to the carriage was none other than Eltz von Bayerle, my youngest sister.

“Eltz?”

“Brother!”

Unlike the insufferable Gaiden, Eltz was someone who actually cared about me—or at least that’s what the memories in this body suggested.

“Why are you out here so late? Can’t sleep?”

“I was just worried. The duel is coming up soon.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine.”

Time was tight, sure, but there wasn’t anything to truly worry about—though it seemed Eltz felt differently.

“It might be dangerous this time. Gaiden’s been preparing seriously.”

Well, of course. This was an official duel. If he didn’t want to embarrass himself, he’d have to take it seriously.

It’d be nice if he took it a little easier, though.

“I’m worried you might get hurt.”

“That’s sweet of you, Eltz. Don’t worry, I’m not planning to lose. Besides, the Lord himself will be watching. I won’t go down without a fight.”

I ruffled her hair. Her teary eyes gazed up at me, and it was so endearing that I couldn’t help but smile.

Ah, siblings—brothers are fine, but sisters? Sisters are the best.

“If you want, I can ask Gaiden to go easy on you. He listens to me, you know. I could even tell you what he’s planning. Just say the word, and I’ll handle everything.”

Asking Gaiden to take it easy or digging up his plans? Tempting, but—

“I can’t involve you in my fight with Gaiden. No matter how clumsy I may be, I can’t lean on my little sister.”

I had my pride, after all. Besides, I was already gathering everything I needed for the duel, just like Gaiden.

I adjusted Eltz’s collar and patted her on the back.

“It’s cold out. Go back inside before you catch a cold.”

“Brother?”

I’d love to spend more time with her, but I had too much on my plate.

“Let’s get moving.”

“Understood, young master.”

Eltz waved from the window as the carriage rolled toward Aiselon.

Finally, the alleyway event was reaching its turning point.

* * *

Eltz watched the carriage disappear into the distance and let out a small sigh.

The tearful look in her eyes was gone, replaced by a subtle pout of dissatisfaction.

“He’s changed so much. Kellen used to be… like a timid deer.”

Kellen had always been delicate, prone to tears. Whenever he cried, Eltz had been the one to console him.

He was a gentle, dependent figure—someone harmless and easy to comfort.

Now, that same Kellen was slipping from her grasp.

A confusing blend of frustration and irritation bubbled within her, a twisted form of possessiveness that she didn’t fully understand.

“Well, he’ll be back to normal after the duel. I’d better prepare plenty of handkerchiefs.”

If Kellen ended up crying, she’d need them to wipe his tears.

Humming softly to herself, Eltz walked away with a cheerful spring in her step.

* * *

-Clip clop. Clip clop.

The steady rhythm of the horse’s hooves echoed as I lay in the carriage, lost in thought.

I hadn’t expected Gaiden to take this duel so seriously.

“Not that he’d actually try to kill me.”

Killing was forbidden in official duels.

Even if he had malicious intent, with the Lord and countless powerful individuals present, an “accident” would never happen.

Even aside from that—

“Could Gaiden, a mere fourteen-year-old, truly kill me with intent?”

I doubted it.

This world may have been more brutal and dangerous compared to modern Earth, but killing someone wasn’t so simple.

It required either an unshakable resolve or an upbringing in an environment steeped in violence—sometimes both.

I’d been in deployment zones where I’d killed enemies before, but Gaiden? He was far too young for that kind of experience.

Most nobles were the same. They weren’t sent to the battlefield until they’d developed sufficient skills.

Part of that was for safety, but—

“No one wants to lose their honor by dying recklessly.”

That’s why even the harsh Bayerle training didn’t send children to war before their coming-of-age ceremonies.

At least, not officially.

Of course, there were always exceptions. After all, I’d been out hunting down gang members in back alleys.

“If I remember right, there were others who hid their identities to work as mercenaries or fought in underground arenas before their ceremonies.”

Even the current head of the family, Duarc von Bayerle, fit that mold.

According to the game’s lore, Duarc had become a champion in an underground arena at the age of fifteen.

And not just any arena— It was an illegal pit where retired soldiers, disgraced knights, and all sorts of scum fought to the death.

That wasn’t all.

“The eldest, Zarhil, has already been hunting.”

If my body’s memories were accurate, Zarhil had joined the Lord last year to exterminate monsters and hadn’t stopped since.

By sixteen, he’d already been in real combat.

Rumor had it he recently took down a fourth-grade magical beast on his own. I couldn’t verify it myself, but it sounded plausible.

“Hmm.”

I mulled over it while lying in the carriage.

Now that I thought about it, I should establish a connection with Zarhil as well.

The firstborn of the family— If you excluded me, the child of the Lord’s first wife, Zarhil was the most likely heir.

Though I didn’t know his exact abilities, the rumors were impressive.

“They said he reached 5-star rank.”

Frankly, that sounded like nonsense.

A 5-star rank wasn’t something to throw around lightly. At that level, he’d already be in the upper echelons of the ranking system, nearing elite status.

A minor like that declaring “I’m 5-star rank!” would be enough to make knights from other houses drop everything and beg to join his retinue.

Of course, as a Bayerle, joining another house’s knight order wasn’t an option.

In any case, the key points were clear:

“The Count’s firstborn son. Exceptionally skilled. Trusted by the Lord. And good-looking, too.”

He was the perfect candidate to represent the family.

Which suited me just fine.

I had no intention of inheriting the family. Even if I wanted to, it wasn’t an option.

For now, I was focused on getting stronger, but in the end, my real goal was—

“To betray both the Empire and the demons.”

The fact that I’d be spending a lot of time roaming outside meant one thing—it’d be better to establish a good relationship with Zarhil, the likely future head of the family.

That way, whether I needed support or wanted to leverage the family name, things would be easier down the line.

Good. I made up my mind.

“After the duel, I’ll get close to Zarhil.”

-Screech.

“Young master, we’ve arrived.”

While I was carefully plotting my future, the carriage reached its destination.

I grabbed my gear and stepped out. The coachman tipped his hat respectfully.

“I’ll wait here for you.”

“Thanks for working late.”

“It’s what happens when you get old—you sleep less. Don’t worry about this old man, and take your time.”

With a nod, I headed into Aiselon.

Technically, I shouldn’t have been able to enter at this hour, but I was an exception. This was Bayerle territory, and I had a free pass.

“Let’s get to it.”

With my hood pulled low, I wandered through the streets.

Normally, this time of night would see people out enjoying late dinners or drinking, but tonight was different.

It was eerily quiet, as though everyone had agreed to go to bed early.

Those few who were out hurried along with their collars pulled up.

“Looks like the turf wars have escalated.”

The underworld factions that ruled Aiselon’s shadows had drawn their blades.

For the past ten days, I’d been taking out Deep Worm members nightly.

At first, they might’ve written it off as isolated incidents. But when it happens every single night, even dimwits start to catch on.

“Ah, someone is targeting our organization!”

“It must be another faction attacking us!”

They’d reached this conclusion and gone on high alert.

With Deep Worm preparing for war, the other factions had also scrambled to respond.

“Not that they’d guess it’s all my doing.”

There was no way they’d imagine that a single person—a fifteen-year-old kid, no less—was behind it all.

It had been a pain, though. Avoiding witnesses while catching them wasn’t easy. They were annoyingly fond of traveling in packs.

“This mess is nearly wrapped up.”

Clicking my tongue, I slipped into an alley. Keeping my movements subtle, I stuck to the shadows, hood pulled low.

The alleyway event was nearing its critical juncture.

“More people than usual. Not just errand boys—actual members are here too.”

It wasn’t just one faction. I spotted men bearing the insignias of multiple organizations gathered together.

This was a rare sight.

Normally, each faction managed its own turf, and it was uncommon for their territories to overlap like this.

“What are you staring at? Keep walking!”

“Where’d you come from, you Lak-Lak mutt? Get lost!”

“What the hell? You’ve got a death wish?”

With so many people packed into one area, arguments and insults flew freely.

Despite the heated atmosphere, no one drew a blade. Everyone knew that the first blood spilled would ignite a full-blown war.

They were holding back—for now.

“Looks like all of Aiselon’s factions are here.”

There were three major factions that ruled Aiselon’s underworld:

1- Deep Worm – specializing in drugs and alcohol.

2- Big Hammer – a labor union that often resorted to violence.

3- Lak-Lak (樂樂) – focused on brothels and gambling dens.

While their sizes differed, their combat capabilities were about equal.

– Big Hammer had the numbers, befitting their labor union roots. However, since many members had day jobs, they couldn’t always gather everyone. When they did, they were the strongest.

– Deep Worm wasn’t weak in combat either, given their need to subdue drug addicts and drunkards, but they lacked manpower.

– Lak-Lak had the fewest combatants. While they were strong, protecting their brothels spread them thin. However, their gambling operations provided them with ample funds to hire mercenaries.

If all three factions moved at once, it’d end with at least one being wiped out. That’s why they tread carefully.

“Looks like tonight’s the night. The timing is perfect.”

The same thing happened in the game.

If you targeted one faction consistently, tensions would rise, and the leaders would hold a meeting to investigate.

This event was dubbed the Sacred Night Assembly.

For a meeting of underworld bosses, the name was grandiose, but it always led to something interesting.

“Every time this meeting happens, someone dies.”

The exact circumstances were unclear, but the event always resulted in a casualty.

This would then trigger a full-scale conflict between the factions, leading to a chain of events.

The game offered two main choices during this arc:

Eliminate two factions and earn favor with the Bayerle family.

Ally with one remaining faction to establish your own power base in the underworld.

“I don’t need the first option.”

I was already part of the Bayerle family.

So what was my choice? Take control of the underworld?

Tempting, but—

“There’s no real point.”

If I didn’t have the Bayerle family backing me, building an underworld empire might be worth it. But with the Bayerle name behind me, it was unnecessary.

Which meant—

“I’m going for the third route.”

The Sacred Night Assembly, where all the bosses gathered.

I’d crash the meeting.

This was the Interference Route.

My target? The leader of Deep Worm, Baikal.

Why?

The faction leaders were treated as boss monsters in the game, and defeating the first boss had a unique reward:

“Guaranteed skill drops.”

It was time to acquire a key skill for advancing my Martial Sorcerer build.