No Honor Among Thieves
Even if he ended up burning down the First Prince's castle later, he had to play along and smile for now. "Of course, Your Highness."
"As expected, there is no loyal subject quite like Count Kim Tae-hyun! Hahaha!"
The First Prince, whose booming laughter shook the room, suddenly stopped and asked with a deadpan expression, "So, how much do you plan to contribute to the war fund?"
"..."
For once, Tae-hyun had met his match.
"Did you call for me, Lord Tae-hyun?"
Ed-an, meeting Tae-hyun after a long time, whistled as he scanned his surroundings. Fitting for the stronghold of the First Prince, Canaan Castle was grand and magnificent. And a castle of this size meant there was plenty to steal! The blood of the Great Thief was practically boiling.
"Ed-an, are you already planning to steal something the moment you arrive?"
"What? No, of course not! Absolutely not! I definitely wasn't thinking about slipping through the courtyard window, scaling the wall, and cleaning the place out without leaving a single trace!"
"..."
Realizing he had just confessed of his own accord, Ed-an quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, Lord Tae-hyun! I heard you defeated the orcs. I don't know what kind of method you used, but it was truly magnificent!"
"Well... I think you'd change your mind if you actually heard how I did it..."
The correct answer was Sadiq's Flame, which was currently blazing fiercely outside!
"Fufu. So, what did you summon me for? Judging by the fact that you called me, it must be a task that only someone with ironclad courage and outstanding patience can accomplish. Am I right?"
"Yeah. Go steal some stuff."
"..."
You have ordered your subordinate to steal from Canaan Castle. If caught, your relationship with the First Prince of the Auston Kingdom may deteriorate.
Your Infamy will rise.
As if that matters now... His Infamy was already so high that a little petty theft wouldn't even register.
"I mean, I know I'm a Great Thief, but..."
"You don't want to do it?"
"I would absolutely love to!"
Ed-an immediately showed his true colors! Just as a sparrow couldn't pass by a granary and a cat couldn't ignore a fish market, Ed-an couldn't resist a castle and city ripe for the plucking.
"Good. Make sure you only swipe the most valuable treasures. I'm going to take all of it back to use on my fief."
"Understood."
"And if you get caught, don't you dare say I ordered you to do it."
"..."
"Well, I have to go somewhere else for a bit, so handle it well on your own."
"Huh? Where are you going?"
"The First Prince demanded a war contribution, so I'm off to find some money."
"You're actually going to pay him?!"
"Are you insane?"
"Fufu, as expected of Lord Tae-hyun."
"But I still need to hand over the money first, so hurry up and steal it."
"??" Ed-an tilted his head, completely baffled. What did that mean?
"I'm going to pay his war fund with the gold you steal from him."
Ed-an's jaw dropped. Truly... when it came to sheer wickedness, Tae-hyun was in a league of his own!
Tae-hyun told the First Prince, "Aigoo, Your Highness, I shall depart for a short while to secure the funds to dedicate to your noble cause." Despite having just met, the First Prince—whose affinity with Tae-hyun was already maxed out—grinned foolishly and replied, "Aigoo, our dear Count Kim Tae-hyun, safe travels!"
"By the way, where are we going?" Lee Da-bi tilted her head from atop her horse. It wasn't a horse bought with her own gold. It was a mount she had handpicked from the First Prince's stables! Looking around, the members of the Power Warrior Guild were also riding horses they had selected.
In Fantasy Online, horses were far from cheap. High-grade mounts could cost as much as real-world cars. Naturally, average players struggled to even lay eyes on one. Having acquired free mounts under these circumstances, everyone's faces were flushed with pure joy. After all, nothing beat free stuff.
A rumor was currently circulating among the Power Warrior Guild members:
"If you follow Kim Tae-hyun, you'll always get a piece of the pie!"
Of course, there was the minor risk of having to witness him pull off insane stunts, like trying to pull an eat-and-run with items right in front of Smith or Lee Se-yeon. However, the members of the Power Warrior Guild didn't particularly fear dying in-game.
"So what if we get a penalty!"
"Even if we don't get penalized, it's not like we can compete with the high rankers anyway. Who cares? Let's just farm gold and cash it out!"
It was a petty yet incredibly realistic mindset! The Power Warrior Guild members didn't harbor grand ambitions of becoming in-game tycoons to strike it rich. People with those kinds of dreams didn't join the Power Warrior Guild in the first place. The people who joined the Power Warrior Guild were those who believed in the philosophy of "slow and steady wins the race." They were perfectly content with earning a modest amount of gold.
Initially, only Lee Da-bi and her core guild members followed Tae-hyun, but as word spread within the guild, everyone clamored to tag along.
"Guild Master, can't we tag along too?"
"I can do a good job too. My inventory weight capacity is huge, so I'm great at carrying luggage..."
Of course, Lee Da-bi didn't just accept anyone.
"If you want to follow Kim Tae-hyun, you'll have to raise your rank within the guild first, right?"
"Ah, come on! How long is that going to take?"
"Exactly. We've already been blacklisted from so many places."
There was a reason the Power Warrior Guild members groaned. To earn a higher rank in the guild, they had to contribute. And one of those contributions was spamming promotional comments! Even as the guild members grumbled, Lee Da-bi didn't bat an eye.
"What, did you expect to get an opportunity like this for free? No way!"
In these matters, Lee Da-bi was absolutely ruthless.
"Where are we going?" At Lee Da-bi's question, Tae-hyun replied nonchalantly, "Did I not tell you?"
"No. You didn't."
"We're going to Beal Castle."
"Beal Castle? Beal Castle... I've heard that name somewhere before..." Lee Da-bi furrowed her brows, lost in thought. It seemed to be a fairly famous castle in the Auston Kingdom. Otherwise, there was no way she would have heard of it.
"It's the Second Prince's castle."
"Ah, the Second Prince's castle... Why on earth are we going there?!" Lee Da-bi gasped in shock. Tae-hyun had already aligned himself with the First Prince. Naturally, the Second Prince would view Tae-hyun as an enemy. Furthermore, what if the First Prince caught wind of them visiting the Second Prince's castle? She didn't even want to imagine the fallout.
"With the First Prince acting like that, do you really want to pin your hopes on him? He's clearly a lost cause. We should have gone to the Second Prince from the start. Surely, the Second Prince is a guy with an actual brain, right?"
"Do you think so?"
"Honestly, there's no way both brothers are complete lunatics, right? It's not like the Auston Kingdom is some den of street thugs."
Oh, but they were.
"I am the one true King! That bastard has absolutely no right to the throne! Don't you agree, Count Kim Tae-hyun?!"
"..."
"A king is born, not made! Just like everything else! Look at me! Am I not majesty personified?!"
"Ah, yes..." He looked less like a king and more like a back-alley thug. Tae-hyun thought to himself, What is wrong with the royal bloodline of this kingdom? The First Prince looked like a treacherous sycophant, and the Second Prince looked like a street punk! Oblivious to Tae-hyun's thoughts, the Second Prince continued to rant passionately.
"Every man is born into his rightful place, and he must live according to that station! A king belongs on the throne! Lowly scum belong in the dirt! Count Kim Tae-hyun, what do you believe loyalty is?"
"...?" Tae-hyun was taken aback by the sudden question. What was this guy blathering about? Tae-hyun glanced at Cain. Is he talking about some carrot-and-stick method?
"I'm getting a really bad feeling about this..." Cain muttered, sensing something off. Ignoring him, the Second Prince slammed his hand on the table and roared.
"Loyalty is acting in accordance with one's birthright! It means those born beneath me must dedicate everything they have to me without expecting anything in return! That is loyalty!"
"..." At that moment, Tae-hyun realized. Ah, this place is a bust too... Both the First and Second Princes were obsessed with unpaid labor! Tae-hyun shook his head in dismay.
"So, Count Kim Tae-hyun. I heard you visited the First Prince first. Is that true?"
Disliking the Second Prince was one thing, but keeping up appearances was another. Tae-hyun instantly put on a sorrowful expression and spoke in a trembling voice.
"*Sob*, the First Prince's men held blades to my throat and threatened me. I had no choice."
"Is that so?"
You hold a noble title. The Second Prince's attitude toward you changes.
Due to your Threaten skill, you receive a bonus to the Second Prince's attitude toward you.
You possess the Intermediate Speech skill. You receive a bonus to the Second Prince's attitude toward you...
These message windows were all too familiar by now! It was virtually impossible for NPCs to see through Tae-hyun's lies. Sensing that the Second Prince was buying it, Tae-hyun pressed on.
"But because I have always believed that you, Second Prince, are the one true King, I managed to deceive the First Prince and escape his clutches."
"Yes! This is true loyalty!"
"If you would grant me the opportunity, I wish to serve under the First Prince as a double agent to aid you, Second Prince!"
"Oh! Count Kim Tae-hyun! What do you require!"
"May I take a look around your castle's treasury and take a few useful items?"
"I cannot allow that."
You cheap bastard... Tae-hyun had truly met his match after a long time! Normally, with this level of affinity and such a compelling excuse, an NPC would readily open their treasury and let him take a few items. Yet, both the First and Second Princes stubbornly refused to open their vaults. Their stinginess was almost admirable! Tae-hyun wanted to curse them out, but he hadn't lost his mind just yet. Calm down. Stay calm. There's still a way to squeeze something out of them.
"Then... I shall find another way."
"Count Kim Tae-hyun."
"...?"
"Deceiving the First Prince is well and good, but what I truly need is an army. I would like you to procure some troops from somewhere and present them to me."
The Second Prince's Request
📍 Objective: The Second Prince has requested military forces from you. The larger the number and the higher the quality of the troops you offer, the more satisfied the Second Prince will be.
"...Understood." The Second Prince was shamelessly making demands without offering a single thing in return! Tae-hyun's murderous intent began to simmer.
"Why are there so many highway robbers in this world?"
Are you really one to talk? Cain thought to himself. By the standards of highway robbery, the First and Second Princes were mere amateurs. Compared to them, Tae-hyun was the King of Thieves! His extortion skills were on an entirely different dimension.
"Ah... seriously. Is there really no way to squeeze anything out of those cheapskates?"
Originally, Tae-hyun's plan was simple. Pretend to be on the First Prince's side to the First Prince, and pretend to be on the Second Prince's side to the Second Prince. Play both sides, milk them for all they were worth, and then make a run for it! Since they would be too busy fighting each other, they wouldn't have the leisure to pursue him. But because both of them were so incredibly stingy, they hadn't given him a single copper. Their tightfistedness only fueled his stubbornness! His brain was working at maximum capacity.
Watching Tae-hyun burn with determination, Lee Da-bi thought to herself, To think someone could put so much effort into planning something so wicked...
Bump.
"...?" While Tae-hyun was deep in thought on the street, someone bumped into him. The NPC who bumped into him immediately snapped in irritation.
"What the! You insolent comm— Ah! Count Kim Tae-hyun! My deepest apologies!"
Gargo, a merchant of Beal Castle, recognizes your noble title and bows his head.
You receive an additional bonus due to your Reputation. Gargo is terrified.
Gargo bowed deeply and scrambled away in a panic. Watching this, Lee Da-bi remarked,
"Even though you're a noble from another kingdom, he's incredibly polite, isn't he?"
"Well, that's because I'm currently on good terms with the Second Prince and have high Reputation... Wait a minute?" Tae-hyun froze. In the Atali Kingdom, if he caused trouble, other nobles or the King would turn on him. But in the Auston Kingdom?
"Hey! Gargo! Freeze right there!"