Chapter 241: A Devilish Scheme
After parting with the Third Prince, Kim Tae-hyun headed toward the First Prince's castle with a light heart. Of course, his mind was brimming with dark, underhanded schemes!
How should I get rid of the princes... Gather them in one place and blow them up with bombs? Or make them destroy each other? And how should I handle the nobles?
For other players, this would have been an nearly impossible quest. But for Tae-hyun, it was entirely feasible. He had accumulated an absurd amount of affinity and contribution points with both the First and Second Princes! Thanks to that, they would swallow whatever he told them hook, line, and sinker. And setting traps was Tae-hyun's absolute specialty!
"Mwahahaha!"
Watching Tae-hyun burst into a fit of villainous laughter, Cain thought to himself:
That bastard is cooking up another evil scheme!
While Tae-hyun was laughing merrily, the situation for everyone else was far from good. In fact, the players currently in the Auston Kingdom were in a state of absolute emergency!
At first, people had brushed it off, thinking, Eh, it'll burn out soon, but Sadik's Flame had only grown larger, eventually spilling out of the plains. Even when a village or a fortress was reduced to ashes, players had held onto the hope that surely someone will stop it. Now, however, the fire had spread to a point where such optimistic thoughts were impossible to maintain.
A few guilds had even joined forces to put up a massive bounty. Since castles and cities lay directly in the path of the advancing flames, they had no choice but to be desperate.
★ BOUNTY NOTICE ★
We will handsomely reward anyone who can extinguish Sadik's Flame!
As the bounty grew, several famous explorer players began to eye the prize. Explorers were a class that roamed the vast, uncharted territories of Fantasy Online 2 to gather all sorts of new information. Whenever an unresolved quest cropped up, players always sought out those with the explorer class.
The explorers who had jumped into this matter were currently sharing information with one another.
While the famous explorer players were bickering like that, Tae-hyun arrived in front of the First Prince's castle.
Come to think of it, is there any way I can exploit this ring? Put it up on an auction site? No, that would be such a waste.
"Ah, Count Kim Tae-hyun!"
"...?"
The ones calling out to Tae-hyun as he reached the castle gates were noble NPCs. Specifically, the nobles who followed the First Prince.
"What is it?"
"Wait, let's have a quick chat."
"...?"
Tae-hyun scanned his surroundings. Surely these guys weren't plotting something malicious against him, were they?
Tae-hyun had won the First Prince's favor almost immediately after joining his faction. Naturally, the nobles who had been part of the First Prince's faction from the start wouldn't be pleased. On top of that, Tae-hyun had been squeezing gold out of everyone left and right in the First Prince's name...
This isn't a trap, is it?
Because he had committed so many misdeeds, Tae-hyun's first instinct was to suspect a trap whenever someone asked to speak with him.
"Ahem, cough..."
"..."
"Cough, ahem..."
"I'm leaving."
"W-wait! Count Kim Tae-hyun! Please wait!"
A slightly plump noble clung desperately to the hem of Tae-hyun's clothes.
"If you called over a busy man, you should speak up. What is it? If you want to fight, let's fight. If you set a trap, at least have the decency to shout, 'Ha! You fell into my trap!' Why do you keep clearing your throat?"
"A trap! Why on earth would we set a trap for you, Count Kim Tae-hyun!"
"If I were in your shoes, I definitely would have."
"..."
The nobles pretended not to hear him.
"Ahem, the reason we called you... is to ask for a favor."
"...?"
"The First Prince is absolutely furious right now, isn't he? Because the royal treasury was plundered."
"Ah..."
Tae-hyun immediately grasped the situation. Wait, could it be these guys?
"It seems the Prince suspects us. He even called you in separately. Is that correct?"
There was no need to deny it. Tae-hyun nodded readily.
"Indeed. He told me to find the culprit. He said the thief is likely among you all."
"H-how could this be! Why does the First Prince doubt our loyalty!" an elderly noble lamented.
However, another noble muttered quietly, "Honestly, if there's a culprit among us, it's probably Baron Zirno..."
"W-what? You bastard! Watch your mouth! Are you any cleaner, Baron Hetzel? I know you embezzled the military rations meant for the soldiers!"
"T-that was a mistake, I tell you! Do you think no one knows about the massive gambling debts you racked up? Everyone knows!"
"Why, you little...!"
In the end, the nobles grabbed each other by the collars! With a chaotic racket, they began thrashing around, shouting, "Are you the culprit?!" at one another.
And yet, the real culprit was standing right in front of them!
Now I'm starting to feel a little bad.
Tae-hyun adjusted his posture to the most comfortable position possible. His attitude showed absolutely zero remorse.
Man, I should have brought some popcorn.
Tae-hyun resolved to learn a popcorn recipe whenever he got the chance. It felt like he would have plenty of opportunities to use it in the future.
"Pant, pant..."
"Let go, you bastard! Let go of me!"
The pathetic brawl was finally winding down. Having exhausted their stamina, the nobles lay sprawled on the floor, panting heavily while still clutching each other's hair.
"W-what a disgraceful display! In front of Count Kim Tae-hyun! Get up, all of you, quickly!"
"No, it's fine. You can keep fighting."
"Look at how magnanimous Count Kim Tae-hyun is being! Aren't you all ashamed?!"
"No, I seriously mean it. You can keep fighting."
"Count Kim Tae-hyun, you don't need to say such things! These fellows need to learn some shame!"
The nobles limped back to their feet. The only seemingly sane noble among them apologized to Tae-hyun.
"I must apologize, Count Kim Tae-hyun. They aren't usually like this..."
"Really?"
"...Well, they are always a bit like this, but regardless! They normally don't act this wild. Everyone is just on edge because the First Prince suspects us."
"Well, I can understand. Anyone would be."
"Right?! Besides, the First Prince is incredibly strict when it comes to anyone touching his belongings..."
"Yeah, I know that much."
If the First and Second Princes had one thing in common, it was that they were extremely stingy with their wealth! It was incredibly rare to find NPCs who wouldn't even let a player touch their treasury after they had cleared so many quests for them.
It was only because no other players had managed to do quests around the First and Second Princes yet. If they had, both princes would have easily made it into the "Top 10 NPCs to Watch Out For" on the community forums!
"So, Count Kim Tae-hyun, we beg of you. Please speak well of us so the First Prince clears us of suspicion!"
The Treasury Theft
The theft in the First Prince's treasury. Because of this incident, the nobles serving the First Prince have been cornered. The First Prince is extremely cruel to anyone who touches his belongings. The nobles are pinning their hopes on you, the one tasked with finding the culprit. If you speak well to the First Prince and clear the nobles of suspicion, they will reward you handsomely.
⚠️ Warning: If discovered by the First Prince, your relationship with him may severely deteriorate.
🎁 Reward: ?, ??, Increased affinity with the First Prince's faction nobles.
Tae-hyun grabbed the noble's hand with a solemn expression.
"Of course I believe you all! If I don't believe you, who will!"
"Oh, Count Kim Tae-hyun!"
"But Baron Zirno really seems like the culprit..."
"Will you shut up already?!"
Even though Tae-hyun declared his trust, the nobles couldn't stop suspecting one another.
"Yes, I will tell the First Prince that despite a rigorous investigation, no culprit was found among the nobility."
"T-thank you so much!"
"Honestly, the First Prince... he shouldn't be doing this. Doubting people who show such loyalty. Right?"
Devil's Tongue!
With his Intermediate Speech skill, high reputation, stellar evaluation within the faction, and high affinity, Tae-hyun's words seeped deeply into the minds of the nobles.
Your Intermediate Speech skill has increased. You receive an additional bonus for exercising speech on high-status targets.
The level of your Intermediate Speech skill has increased.
[Intermediate Speech Lv. 8 (4%)]
...Isn't my Speech skill leveling up way too fast?
Intermediate Speech level 8. He was now only a stone's throw away from Advanced Rhetoric. Once it reached level 10, it would promote to Advanced. Even his swordsmanship or Engineering skills, which he used constantly, hadn't reached this level yet.
A natural-born talent!
Let's not overthink it.
The First Prince's faction nobles are captivated by your words.
The discontent of the First Prince's faction has increased. If discontent exceeds a certain threshold, a specific quest may trigger.
"The First Prince does treat his people rather harshly."
"Exactly! And he's far too stingy! He clutches his own purse strings tight while demanding gold only from us..."
Tae-hyun had only tossed out a single line, yet the nobles were already running wild with it! It was clear just how much discontent had built up over time.
"Perhaps it would have been better if we served someone other than the First Prince. Don't you think?"
Under normal circumstances, this was a highly dangerous remark that they would never agree with! However, Tae-hyun's high stats successfully drew out the nobles' reactions.
"That is absolutely true! Look at how much we've dedicated to him!"
"To think he doesn't trust us. He is truly in the wrong!"
Wow, you guys are really easy.
"Hmm? What was that, Count Kim Tae-hyun?"
"Oh, nothing."
The nobles were so easy to manipulate that even Tae-hyun, the instigator, hadn't expected it! It felt like if he were to just quietly dispose of the First Prince and say, Let's march toward a brilliant future with the Third Prince! they would readily accept.
Well, that's that, but first I need to prepare what to tell the First Prince.
If he simply reported that he couldn't find the culprit, the First Prince's temperament suggested he wouldn't take it lying down. The best approach was to bring a scapegoat!
"Is there anyone we can pin the blame on?"
"Hmm... Let's see..."
"Baron Zirno is the culp— mmmph!"
"No one? Well, if there isn't, I'll just make someone up."
"Oh, Count Kim Tae-hyun! Meeting someone like you is a stroke of absolute heaven-sent luck for us!"
"I think so too."
He couldn't help but wonder how the nobles would react if they ever found out that the actual culprit of the theft was Tae-hyun himself.
I should summon the merchants and declare whoever pays the least gold as the culprit.
An absolutely devilish idea! Tae-hyun was a man capable of squeezing a bucket of water out of a dry rag.
Now then, should I call the merchants...
- Master.
- What is it?
- I just sensed the energy of the Sadiq Church from the guy who just walked past us.
- What?
Tae-hyun turned his head. No matter how he looked at him, the NPC looked completely ordinary!
"Hey, you there!"
"?!"
"By order of the First Prince, you are under temporary inspection!"
True to form, Tae-hyun didn't forget to drop the First Prince's name until the very end.