The Governor's Rotten Stench
Cain suddenly felt a surge of emotion.
Sure, he was dumber than Tae-hyun. Especially when it came to evil things. Especially those.
Cain had always prided himself on having lived a fairly wicked life, but in front of Tae-hyun, he had no choice but to humble himself.
Ah... so everything I've done up till now was basically nothing!
"Did you think I was asking because I didn't know my own name?"
"Th-that... yeah, good point."
"If I've gone through the trouble of getting myself made a Count, I ought to use it at times like this."
At Tae-hyun's words, Cain nodded.
He was right. A title was useful for exactly this kind of thing.
While other players were busy brawling outside the arena grounds, Tae-hyun could use his noble rank to meet the Governor, the lord of this city.
A shortcut, basically. A cheat code.
"Let's go."
"Ohhh, as expected of you, Tae-hyun-nim! I've always believed in you!"
Beside him, Ed-an rubbed his palms together and sucked up shamelessly.
Rufo, standing next to him, shook his head as if he found the whole thing pathetic.
But Abalab City turned out to be tougher than expected.
"What? A Count? If you're a Count of the Atali Kingdom, then go to the Atali Kingdom. Why are you coming here and causing trouble?"
"......"
Total humiliation!
When Tae-hyun showed proof of his title, the guard in front of the Governor's building barked at him arrogantly.
Tae-hyun first checked his surroundings.
If there had been no one around, this guard would've already been a dead man.
But fitting for the building where the Governor stayed, it was large and imposing, and naturally packed with soldiers.
"Tae-hyun-nim, please endure it!"
Rufo grabbed Tae-hyun's hand. Tae-hyun's twitching fingers were an extremely bad sign.
"Haha. You don't need to worry. I'm not angry at all."
"...You seem very angry."
Rufo knew Tae-hyun's capabilities all too well.
Mechanical Engineering in particular was a very convenient skill for throwing a few bombs at someone you hated and running off.
The dignified Avatar of Archisus couldn't exactly be branded a criminal in the Espa Kingdom.
Tae-hyun reined in his anger and addressed the guard again.
"I've come because I have something to say to the Governor, and this is how you treat me? Fine. Then when I meet the Governor later, I'll make sure to tell him exactly what happened today."
"?!"
Not only the guard, but the others in Tae-hyun's party were startled too.
"Tae-hyun-nim. You know the Governor here?"
"Of course not."
"......"
Tae-hyun lied without even pausing to lick his lips.
Rufo was so dumbfounded he just shut his mouth.
You gain a bonus to your lie from Intermediate Eloquence.
You possess the title of Count. Additional bonus applied to the lie.
Your Fraud skill increases.
Your Fraud skill has leveled up. Beginner Fraud has advanced to Intermediate Fraud.
At last, his Fraud skill had reached Intermediate!
Intermediate Eloquence, Intermediate Fraud, and on top of that, a Count's title.
With all that backing him, even fairly outrageous lies coming from Tae-hyun sounded believable.
"Urgh... my apologies. I was under orders..."
In the end, the guard caved.
"If you're sorry, does that fix your career as a soldier?"
"I-it's just that so many adventurers have been coming... the Governor ordered us not to let anyone in..."
"If you say you were under orders, does that fix your career as a soldier?"
"......"
He really knew how to hold a grudge.
Rufo whispered from the side.
"Let's stop here. I don't think it'll do us any good to linger."
"Yeah. Let's."
Tae-hyun shoved the guard aside and strode in with utmost dignity.
The adventurers passing nearby tilted their heads when they saw it.
"Didn't someone just go into the Governor's residence?"
"What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Everybody knows you can't get in there."
Quite a few people had tried to contact the Governor somehow and raise their Affinity or Contribution Points in hopes of profiting off the arena.
Because of that, the Governor had completely blocked adventurers from approaching.
"A Count of the Atali Kingdom? Why would a Count of the Atali Kingdom come all the way here?"
"I've already heard that one."
The Governor frowned as he looked at Tae-hyun.
"The fools outside aren't doing their jobs properly. I told them not to let anyone in. How did you get in?"
"I told them I was a Count, and they were so moved they burst into tears and stepped aside."
"What? That's absurd..."
The Governor looked like he couldn't believe it.
"In any case, Count. It's not that I don't respect your authority, but this is the Espa Kingdom, and I'd appreciate it if you understood that I have no obligation to do anything for you."
His attitude was razor-sharp.
Twisting his V-shaped mustache, the Governor spoke coolly.
But Tae-hyun didn't flinch.
He had dealt with countless NPCs since Fantasy Online 1.
There was no way he was going to back down just because an NPC was difficult.
"Haha. Come now, why be like that? Even if our kingdoms are different, we're still nobles with the same blue blood, aren't we? We're nothing like those lowborn adventurers wandering around out there. Our station is entirely different!"
"Hmm. That's true enough..."
Conversation successful.
The Governor's Affinity has increased.
For Tae-hyun, who was loaded down with buffs related to Eloquence and Affinity, this much was easy.
Just then, a thumping sound came from outside the door.
"...?"
"What now?"
At the Governor's annoyed question, a subordinate hurried over and opened the door.
Outside stood Cain, wearing an awkward expression while clutching Yong-yong in his arms.
"S-so, what happened was..."
"Can't they even stay quiet while their master is talking? This is exactly why adventurers are such a nuisance..."
Clicking his tongue, the Governor sneered, and Tae-hyun immediately chimed in.
"Exactly. This idiot Cain! I took him in out of pity, and now he goes around causing one accident after another!"
Cain nearly choked with indignation.
He hadn't been the one knocking on the door.
He had been waiting in the next room with Rufo and Ed-an when Yong-yong suddenly darted out and started banging on the door.
He thought there'd be trouble if he left it alone, so he'd rushed over to grab the dragon, and yet...
That Governor bastard is annoying, but Kim Tae-hyun is even worse!
Sometimes the sister-in-law holding you back was more hateful than the mother-in-law beating you.
Cain ground his teeth inwardly.
Whether he did or not, Tae-hyun and the Governor were carrying on a warm, friendly conversation.
Thanks to Tae-hyun's performance, his Affinity had risen even more.
"It must be hard for you too. The underlings are lazy and base to the core. If I don't crack the whip, they won't even do their jobs properly. Managing them is no easy burden."
"I know. I know. You have no idea how much I suffer managing my own underlings... that fool over there would've never amounted to anything if I hadn't taken him in."
When the hell did you ever take me in, you bastard?!
As they talked, Yong-yong sent Tae-hyun a telepathic message from Cain's arms.
-Master. Master.
-What is it? I'm busy making friends here.
-I sense a bad aura from that one.
-What? From Cain? I knew I shouldn't have trusted that bastard. Should I take care of him right now?
-...Not Cain... that Governor.
Cain, now pitied even by Yong-yong.
But the one Yong-yong had pointed out was the Governor.
-I sense an evil aura.
-Well, nobles tend to give off a bit of an evil vibe in general. He may look like that, but he and I might actually get along surpris—
-Master!
-I'm joking.
-I don't mean that kind of evil aura! That one carries the aura of a demon!
"...!"
Tae-hyun froze in the middle of smiling and chatting with the Governor of Abalab.
The aura of a demon?
-What do you mean, he carries the aura of a demon?
-If his demonic aura is strong enough for me to feel it, then either he's a mage with extremely powerful demon summoning arts... or he's a demon in disguise. I think he's a demon transformed into human form!
It was easy to forget, but Yong-yong was a Divine Beast.
Even if he was currently disguised as a puppy and trotting around on the ground, that didn't mean his nature as a divine creature had disappeared.
As such, he was highly sensitive to corruption and defilement.
-The Governor is a demon in disguise? Come on. Sure, instead of governing the city properly, he built up the arena, gathered people in, and doesn't interfere at all even when adventurers kill each other inside, but...
-.......
-Now that I think about it, that does sound demonic.
To the point that he couldn't believe he hadn't realized it sooner.
If the Governor's bizarre behavior came from the fact that he was a demon in disguise, then it all made sense.
What's a demon doing here?
It was exactly the kind of information that looked like it'd trigger a quest on the spot, but Tae-hyun didn't act rashly.
The first thing he needed to secure was still the Authority of Archisus.
He could find out where that was first and fight after.
Besides, he had no idea how strong his opponent was.
If it was a demon, it definitely wouldn't be weak.
And this is its lair...
Even if he exposed the Governor as a demon, no one would believe him. If the Governor gave his subordinates an order, Tae-hyun would be trapped.
What was needed at times like this?
Control of his expression.
Tae-hyun clasped the Governor's hand with an even friendlier smile.
Demon or not, if he could get close to him, what did it matter?
-Come to think of it, if we're getting along like this, couldn't I just cozy up to him, find the item containing the Authority, and leave?
-Master! Is that really something an Avatar should be saying?!
-Hey, I'm only human! Do I have to save the continent from disaster every single time? Demons have to make a living too. If we can avoid getting in each other's way, wouldn't it be fine to just leave him alone?
After the Marquis Marden quest, Tae-hyun had softened just a little.
He had bullied a lot of monsters and realized that if you pushed them too far, they snapped.
Fighting could wait until after he found the Authority.
-Master. A demon is dangerous. If that demon possesses the item containing the Authority, then it's even more dangerous.
-Dangerous how, exactly?
-A demon has no reason to like an item imbued with a god's power. It wouldn't be strange if he destroyed it.
-...And yet the divine oracle pointed me here, which means...
Tae-hyun's mind raced.
-So he doesn't know whether there's an item containing Archisus's Authority here either?
-That could be... But Master.
-What now?
-How do you know that there's an item here containing Archisus's Authority?
-I saw it with divine power.
-Then that's settled.
He had wanted to confirm whether the Authority really was here.
-...No way. Surely a god wouldn't scam me li—would he?
Suddenly Tae-hyun's voice grew weaker.
Come to think of it, even he, as an Avatar, scammed people all the time...
-Wait. If this guy's a demon, how come he doesn't realize I've got divine power?
-I think the mask you're wearing is concealing your abilities.
Marquis Marden really was an excellent vampire. Not even "model vampire" would be enough praise.
Thanks to the items Marquis Marden had left behind, Tae-hyun had unknowingly escaped a crisis.
If not for that, the Governor might have attacked him immediately the moment he sensed Tae-hyun's divinity.
The Demon Governor of Abalab
You have personally confirmed with your own eyes that the Governor of Abalab City is a demon.
Though you do not know what the demon is doing in Abalab City, the outcome can hardly be good.
For the sake of the continent and for justice, expose the demon's identity and slay him.
🎁 Reward: ?
Are you insane?
Tae-hyun ignored the quest window floating before his eyes.
What mattered right now was the item containing the Authority, not justice or the continent.
To be blunt, if he could get the Authority and get out, he wouldn't particularly care even if this demon burned Abalab City to the ground.
-Aside from making adventurers kill each other, he's governing pretty well in his own way. Let's not be prejudiced just because he's a demon.
-Master, if that isn't evil, then what is?!
-Quiet. I need to negotiate with the Governor, so stay silent over there.
Tae-hyun shut Yong-yong up and turned his gaze back to the Governor.