Chapter 113
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: Failure Means Rebellion, Success Means Revolution, But Ruin After Success... (5)
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“You fucking bitch! Ungrateful wretch who doesn't even know the grace of being born and raised by me!”
Orlando stormed out of the Hassler branch of the Adventurer's Guild as if he were being chased away, unleashing a furious roar.
Lin and Sigrion, who had dared to betray him without fulfilling their duties as children by serving their parents.
Because of those two, he couldn't hide his rage.
“How... how could this be?!”
Bang! Bang!
Unable to contain his anger, he lashed out wildly at the wooden crates stacked in the alley.
Though he was getting on in years, the crates couldn't withstand the punches from a man who possessed a hero's strength and began shattering one after another.
“Please calm down, Your Majesty. There's no choice. We have no option but to seek help from the neighboring countries...”
His escort knights tried to restrain him, advising him to request aid from the surrounding nations.
Honestly, that was the proper course of action.
Lin had been discarded from the start, after all.
“Insane nonsense! Do you have any idea how much those bastards will gouge us?!”
But Orlando couldn't concede on that point.
Because if he regained the kingdom with the help of others,
the neighboring countries that provided aid would inevitably demand all sorts of concessions.
He simply couldn't bear the thought of having his own possessions taken away for such a reason.
'Asking the Empire or other great powers is out of the question.'
They would completely exclude him and seize the opportunity to turn the Pacific Kingdom into a vassal state.
No, perhaps the beings behind Sigrion,
those who wielded demonic power at will, might be the ones moving to make Pacific a vassal for that very purpose.
'In any case, right now, the only ones I can possibly ask for help are these guys...'
Judging by Lin's attitude, getting her help seemed impossible.
'That fucking bitch... Even when I offered to let her return to Pacific...'
Orlando ground his teeth, racking his brain over what to do.
'If Lin won't work, then other adventurers?'
The Adventurer's Guild.
People who would do anything as long as you posted a request and paid the appropriate reward.
Lately, they'd supposedly cleaned up their act for some reason, but until recently, they were a ruthless bunch who'd kill people or even kidnap and sell non-humans for the right price.
In simple terms, give them money, and they'd fight even a demon army.
They had forces like Jenny Harkur or the Scarlett Party that could stand toe-to-toe with demons.
But the problem was,
'Honestly, I don't have any rewards to offer right now.'
Rewards.
An absolutely essential element to move adventurers.
Moreover, to enlist adventurers on the level of Jenny or the Scarlett Party, you'd need an enormous payout.
But there was no way he'd grabbed precious jewels or treasures while fleeing for his life in a panic.
Naturally, Orlando was now penniless, a total beggar.
He'd only made it this far by selling the armor of his escort knights and a few accessories he was wearing to cover travel expenses.
'I should have at least brought a national treasure.'
Orlando sighed deeply at the thought.
The crown, the king's scepter.
And unlike the flashy sword he'd given Lin, the jeweled sword crafted by a true master artisan.
The three national treasures that only the King of Pacific could possess.
Among them, not the one symbolizing the king's authority,
but the jeweled sword, selected purely for its immense value.
That would have sufficed as a reward.
But the crisis had come so suddenly that he hadn't even had time to grab a national treasure.
'That's why I pinned my hopes on that daughter of mine.'
No matter that she'd been exiled, Lin had been desperate for his approval.
So he figured promising to restore her princess status would make her jump at the chance.
And if he could just pull Lin in, maybe he could leverage her connections to get Jenny, Scarlett, or other S-rank adventurers for free.
“That fucking bitch! Ungrateful wretch!”
Bang! Bang!
With no solutions in sight, Orlando vented his rage wildly,
and the innocent wooden crates were the ones getting smashed to pieces.
Then, suddenly,
“Destroying property to that extent could get you arrested, you know.”
A voice came from the alley entrance.
“What?”
Orlando scowled and turned toward the entrance, wondering who this insolent pup dared speak to him that way.
There stood
“Why not stop before the guards see you?”
a man with neatly combed chestnut-brown hair and tidy clothes, his appearance somehow inspiring trust.
“You...”
Orlando remembered seeing him earlier at the Adventurer's Guild.
He was the strange guy who'd been next to Lin, listening to his story and butting in.
“Insolent fool! How dare you give orders to His Majesty Orlando!”
“And holding your head so high!”
The escort knights raged at his irreverent attitude,
but the man ignored them nonchalantly and spoke.
“Want to talk more about what you mentioned earlier? I think I can help.”
“...What?”
Help?
With the Pacific Kingdom?
'What the hell is this lunatic babbling about?'
Of course, that's what Orlando thought.
Who was this guy to decide whether he could help or not?
He looked like a seasoned adventurer at best, but Orlando sensed no extraordinary power beyond that.
“If you make a request to me, I'll arrange for the finest forces to assist you.”
But the man was confident.
As if he could mobilize everyone in Hassler.
“Hmph, you commoner. Overstepping your bounds.”
But even as Orlando dismissed him, something nagged at him.
'...Come to think of it, this guy. Lin seemed to hold him in high regard.'
She'd warned him not to talk to Mr. Kane,
and she'd been icy toward him, her own father, but warm to this man.
'Maybe...'
Maybe this man was Lin's lover?
It was certainly possible.
Though he couldn't fathom his princess daughter dating some shabby commoner.
But she'd been exiled from her nation, stripped of status.
If someone helped her in her hardship and exhaustion, even a commoner might win her heart.
'That's why he's so brazen. One word from him, and Lin moves?'
He didn't love the idea of his daughter—who only had eyes for him—obeying some outsider,
but it definitely offered hope.
But why?
Why had he come alone to bring this up?
“What do you want?”
There had to be something he desired.
“What do I want? Hm.”
Kane pondered Orlando's question for a moment.
“First, let's make this official.”
With that, he suddenly pulled out a magic stone.
“This magic stone has a recording spell on it. I want a firm promise.”
“......”
A recorder?
What kind of demand was he planning?
'Whatever. If he asks for something ridiculous, I'll beat him senseless and send him packing.'
Whether it recorded or not, as long as Orlando promised nothing, it didn't matter.
“Ah, yes. Recording now.”
While Orlando was thinking, Kane activated the magic stone and began recording.
“King Orlando Pacific of the Pacific Kingdom. That's you, correct?”
“...Yes.”
“The Pacific Kingdom has been occupied by demons, and you'd like to request our assistance. Is that right?”
“Yes, that's correct.”
As Orlando answered Kane's questions, a thought suddenly struck him.
'Why am I putting up with this? Why should I let some commoner push me around with a recording...'
But then,
“Understood.”
Kane smirked for some reason.
And, to ensure it was clearly recorded, he spoke deliberately into the magic stone.
“...I, Kane, as proxy for Emperor Karr 17th of the Karr Empire, hereby accept the request of King Orlando Pacific of the Pacific Kingdom.”
“Wh-what?!”
At the sudden mention of the Karr Emperor, Orlando panicked.
Why was the Karr Empire coming up here!
If this was real.
If he was truly accepting as the emperor's proxy,
then Orlando would have formally requested aid from the Karr Empire in his own name.
“Th-this is absurd! How could a punk like you be the emperor's proxy...”
“Huh? I have the appointment letter right here.”
Kane blinked innocently and unfurled a sheet of paper.
It bore the emperor's name, acknowledging Kane as his proxy.
And... the emperor's mana signature was imprinted on it.
'C-crazy. It's real... This bastard isn't just some guild instructor?!'
He vaguely recalled something about being an instructor.
How did he suddenly become the emperor's proxy!
“N-no, I never said anything like...”
Click!
Orlando tried to protest, but Kane immediately stopped the magic stone
and smiled brightly.
“Yes. I never once said I was an instructor at the Hassler branch of the Adventurer's Guild.”
He shook the magic stone for emphasis.
Then delivered the final blow.
“Oh, about that thing I want? His Imperial Majesty will discuss it personally, so don't worry.”
Seeing him grin as he landed the decisive strike,
Orlando's mind completely shattered.
“N-no... No!!”
The Karr Empire.
The world's strongest nation.
Them helping Pacific meant Pacific falling into Karr's hands.
At best, a vassal state.
At worst, outright annexed as Karr territory.
Demands from neighboring countries would seem trivial by comparison.
He'd avoided the fox's den only to stumble into the tiger's lair.
“K-kill.”
His mind utterly broken, Orlando thought of the worst possible move.
“Kill that bastard! Snatch the recording stone and appointment letter and smash them!”
He already knew that attacking Kane, whom the emperor had personally appointed, was tantamount to insulting Karr 17th.
Anyone who thought about it could see that.
But with his mind in ruins, Orlando had no room for such considerations.
“Urgh!”
The escort knights, following the king's order, had no choice but to attack Kane.
“How dare you...”
Suddenly,
Orlando and the knights felt the surrounding air freeze over.
Crackle!
“Hngh?!”
“M-my feet...!”
“My feet won't move!?”
And in an instant, from the ground up to their ankles,
pure white ice had frozen solid.
“How dare you, how dare you, HOW DARE YOU!!!”
And from who-knows-where, Lin appeared, guarding Kane.
But her eyes had lost focus.
From the back of the alley,
“Attacking my big brother? Do you have multiple lives or something?”
a red-haired twintail girl smiled sweetly, but radiated a terrifying aura.
From atop the alley,
“Hey! Don't get rowdy unless you wanna die.”
Thud!
a stunning red-haired ponytail beauty, wielding a massive greatsword the size of an adult man in one hand—utterly mismatched with her innocent looks—descended from the sky.