Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Gift (2)
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Looking at the Imperial Inspector’s vacant eyes, I was at a loss.
His condition wasn’t just serious; it was dire.
I was well aware that the Black Knight’s Mind Sword went far beyond simply distracting one’s attention for a moment.
Was I just aware of it?
I had even experienced it myself.
Several times a day, hundreds of times over.
At first, it was just a fleeting illusion, but at some point, every strike made me experience a near-death state.
It was a truly, horrifically terrible experience.
But to say it would render a person this useless was another story entirely.
This wasn’t some ordinary person, but a former professor of the Cradle, no less.
To become such a wreck after being struck by the Mind Sword just once.
It was utterly baffling.
My initial goal of making him never again dream of attempting such foolishness—like treason or appeasement—had been achieved, but at this rate, hadn't he become completely useless?
It seemed I would have to patch him up a bit and put him to use.
“I know from experience, that thing is truly awful. My case is a bit different, but I have similar nightmares every night.”
First, I exercised my empathy to break the ice.
“Do you want to be freed from the pain?”
After building some common ground by badmouthing Roman, I got to the point.
The effect was tremendous.
For the first time, a light flickered in his vacant eyes.
Nod, nod.
His head soon bobbed up and down as if it would fall off.
He looked like he would sell his soul if it meant he could be free from the pain.
Not that I had any use for such a weak-willed soul.
“Then let’s do this.”
At the very least, he had some value as a contact on the Empress’s side.
“If you do me a favor, I’ll free you from that pain.”
The half-baked Carpet Knight nodded without a second thought.
“First, an oath.”
The man before me already had a record of breaking faith, so I couldn’t trust him on a single nod.
“I, Jamal Rudiger, swear to grant your request with all my heart and soul.”
A Knight’s Oath was not a simple promise.
It was a contract with one’s soul as collateral, a shackle that must be fulfilled.
There were no more obstacles.
“What I want is information on the Imperial Palace.”
The Imperial Inspector, Jamal Rudiger, shot his eyes wide open.
His face showed he had belatedly realized his own carelessness.
But what could he do?
The oath was made, and an oath must be kept.
If he wanted to protect his meager soul and what little dignity he had as a knight, that is.
“I won’t ask for overly sensitive information, so don’t worry.”
I wasn’t just saying that.
I doubted such a naive man would know any sensitive information about the Imperial Palace anyway.
I could tell just by looking at him.
The half-baked Carpet Knight before me was nothing more than a disposable pawn.
And no master gives a disposable pawn more information than necessary.
But for now, that was enough.
I would be more than satisfied with just knowing the atmosphere of the Imperial Palace and information about its key figures.
In both my past and present lives, the Imperial Palace was an unknown territory.
I had heard things from my second Master, Lucas, but they were merely fragments.
I needed to know what the Imperial Palace of this era—the palace before the Empire’s fall—was like.
“You… weren’t you a man of His Highness, the Crown Prince?”
I frowned.
This was precisely why I hadn’t asked the Crown Prince, my most reliable source of information, about the palace’s affairs.
He would answer if I asked, of course.
Information of a quality incomparable to anything this half-baked Carpet Knight could provide.
It would be a lie to say I didn’t want to know.
The problem was that the moment I heard it, I’d be completely on the Crown Prince’s leash.
I was already being mistaken for one of his men; I wanted to avoid getting any more deeply entangled.
“Her Majesty, the Empress, must have been gravely mistaken.”
Jamal Rudiger said with a look of relief.
He seemed to feel a great burden lifted by the fact that I was not one of the Crown Prince’s men.
To believe someone’s words so easily, this Carpet Knight was truly naive.
Of course, it wasn’t as if I had lied.
“If… if you are not one of His Highness the Crown Prince’s men, then why are you curious about information on the Imperial Palace…”
“That’s enough questions. What we’re doing is a trade. We each give what the other wants, and that’s it.”
His face contorted, his pride apparently wounded by my insolent tone even in his ruined state.
“If you don’t like it, shall we stop here?”
I didn’t care one way or another.
He should have properly confirmed things first, instead of immediately making an oath.
“Ugh.”
Jamal Rudiger let out a groan.
“So, do we have a deal?”
“…Deal.”
Watching him reluctantly agree, I reached into my coat.
I took out a small vial I had gotten from Professor Yuria at the infirmary before coming here.
“…What is that?”
“Medicine that’s good for the body.”
Jamal Rudiger looked like he wanted a more detailed explanation, but I ignored him.
I had no desire to ramble on, explaining that this was the very first prototype potion a certain mad White Knight had barely managed to create just this afternoon, with the blood drawn from a certain pitiful squire—who gets pulled up to the sky whenever he becomes a Starseeker due to taking Gaecheondan—as its primary ingredient.
‘There have been so many guys getting sent to the infirmary lately, I haven’t been able to confirm the side effects. Still, the ingredient itself is an auspicious one, so it probably won’t be harmful. Probably?’
This decision was made purely out of consideration for the person who was about to ingest a medicine with unknown side effects.
It certainly wasn’t because I had any intention of conducting a clinical trial on this naive Carpet Knight, nor was it because I had anything to hide.
“…Hmph.”
Jamal Rudiger eyed the vial suspiciously.
Just a moment ago, he was acting like he would sell his soul to be freed from the pain.
I was right to make him swear an oath first.
“Yurendel of Regeneration. The person who made it is one of theirs.”
Only after I revealed the medicine’s origin did Jamal Rudiger’s face brighten.
“This is going to be a long conversation. A clear head would make it go more smoothly, don’t you think?”
As if doing him a great favor, I handed the vial to Jamal Rudiger.
*Pop, click.*
“Ugh. The smell…”
He sniffed the vial and wrinkled his nose.
“Good medicine is bitter. Have you not heard?”
“That is true.”
Jamal Rudiger hesitated for a moment before putting the vial to his lips and gulping it down.
“Oh.”
I let out a short exclamation of admiration at his spirited chugging, then observed his condition for a while.
“Ooh.”
His complexion improved noticeably.
The bluish tint under his eyes, which had made him look like a dead man walking, returned to its original healthy color.
The light had even returned to his once-dull eyes.
“Truly a secret elixir of the Yurendel family.”
Amazed by the medicine’s effects, Jamal Rudiger repeatedly praised the Yurendel family.
Watching him, my stomach suddenly twisted.
*I should’ve drunk it. I shouldn’t have given it to him, I should’ve drunk it.*
Regret washed over me as I witnessed its outstanding effects.
The jealousy was unbearable.
That was, until I saw the top of Jamal Rudiger’s head.
*Rustle, rustle.*
The crown of his head was bare, his scalp exposed.
“Truly incredible. To think such an elixir exists in this world.”
Oblivious, he continued to pour out his admiration.
“I feel as if my head has been completely opened up.”
It wasn’t your head that opened up, it was your crown.
I struggled to avert my gaze, which kept drifting to the top of his head.
It was hard to keep a straight face while looking at it.
*Swoosh.*
Jamal Rudiger rose from the bed.
“My body feels much lighter than before, too.”
Thanks to that, the bald spot that had been at my eye level was now far above me.
It was a relief for me.
Out of sight, out of mind.
“Well then, since you’ve received what you wanted, how about you give what you promised?”
Jamal Rudiger glanced at me as I spoke, rubbing my hands together like a third-rate loan shark, and opened his mouth.
“There are currently two masters in the Imperial Palace.”
He began his tale.
* * *
Jamal Rudiger explained the things he had experienced during his time in the palace in far greater detail than necessary.
It reached a point where I couldn’t tell if I was hearing about the Imperial Palace or the life story of a man named Jamal Rudiger.
But if you were to ask if Jamal Rudiger failed to properly fulfill his oath, that wasn’t the case either.
He fulfilled his oath with more sincerity than I had expected.
Among the key ministers and nobles who frequented the imperial court, who held real power, and who was close to the Empress.
For a naive Carpet Knight, he knew a surprising amount.
He tried to frame it as his way of being helpful to the Empress, of getting closer to the heart of power, a means to realize his ambitions, but to me, it sounded completely different.
Who he shouldn’t get on the wrong side of, and who he had to flatter.
These were things he had naturally learned while being pushed around and walking on eggshells.
Whatever the reason, it wasn't a bad thing for me, as I had unexpectedly learned the palace’s affairs in great detail.
It was a considerable gain for tossing him a single vial of medicine with a terrible side effect.
A satisfactory transaction.
It seemed Jamal Rudiger was also quite satisfied with this deal.
“Let me give you a piece of advice.”
Otherwise, there was no reason for him to offer advice I hadn’t even asked for.
“The Empress. Be wary of her family.”
“Her family, you mean…”
“Haime of the Twin Stars.”
Haime of the Twin Stars was the second-ranked Ascendant Noble Family among the Empire’s Eight Great Families.
In my past life, it was a family that had vanished along with the Empire’s fall.
As for being wary, there wasn’t really any reason for our paths to cross.
“You’re not listening to me properly. You must be trusting that knight from Gaznae who protected you that day.”
Misinterpreting my expression, Jamal Rudiger continued to speak.
“I assure you, the Empress’s background is not inferior to Gaznae’s. Therefore, you must not act rashly, trusting in your backer.”
Within the Eight Great Families, the Gaznae family’s standing was unparalleled.
Though only one rank apart, Haime of the Twin Stars was in no position to challenge them.
It was a story everyone in the world knew.
Naturally, Jamal Rudiger must have known it too.
Despite that, his expression was serious.
It didn't seem like he was trying to salvage his pride by disparaging Gaznae now.
“The reputation Haime has in the world was built with only half of the twin stars.”
As he said this, Jamal Rudiger was terrified.
“Why are you telling me this…”
I couldn’t understand why he would take such a risk to tell me this, trembling in fear just from mentioning it.
“Consider it the change for the elixir.”
Because the information I provided earlier isn’t enough to balance the scales.
His unexpectedly fair calculation made my eyes go wide.
Seeing me, Jamal Rudiger shouted.
“The deal is done, so get lost. I can’t stand the sight of you, you little brat.”
As he said, I had no more business there, so I left his room.
“Since you gave me advice, let me give you some too. If…”
“I already know without you having to say it. I was planning to conduct myself with restraint while staying at the Cradle anyway.”
He said he didn’t want to meet that Gaznae knight again.
He shuddered.
“Then, farewell.”
I gave him a small bow.
It was my own form of respect for the surprisingly knightly side he had shown at the very end.
*Shoo, shoo.*
He waved his hand dismissively.
I left the room just like that.
I would probably never see him again.
That’s what I thought, but I was wrong.
The next day, Jamal Rudiger appeared, the crown of his head looking even more desolate.
“Hey, why do you keep following me!”
And he stuck by my side all day, refusing to leave.
“When you follow me around like that, you make me look like the culprit!”
Of course, I *was* the culprit.
In any case, this was driving me mad.