Chapter 127
Chapter 127
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 127
Chapter Title: Scouting and Infiltration
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“This must be the place.”
Lee Shin had made his way to the vicinity of the count’s mansion.
In order to formulate a plan of entry, he first needed to assess the mansion's layout and the state of its security, which was why he had come alone with Gillaim.
“Hmm.”
Lee Shin narrowed his eyes.
As expected, the security was tight.
Not only was the entrance to the mansion heavily guarded, but there were also a great number of soldiers patrolling inside.
‘…Just as I thought, this won’t be easy.’
He had to get past the watchful eyes of all those soldiers.
Even if he successfully scaled the wall, there would undoubtedly be more soldiers inside the mansion.
Perhaps even the adventurers or mercenaries the count was said to have employed.
Gillaim asked.
“……It’s a bit late to be asking, but can the two of us really do this?”
His voice was slightly subdued.
While the state of the mansion’s security had shaken his confidence, the primary reason was his concern for Lee Shin’s safety.
“What? Me?”
“Yes. It will be dangerous if you are discovered by the soldiers inside. I may not be able to protect you on my own.”
“I suppose so.”
“If you were to be captured…”
Gillaim shook his head firmly.
That couldn’t happen.
“Why?”
“That man is a noble with connections to the central government. While not at the core of power, he is at least on the fringes.”
“And why does that matter?”
“It means he knows a certain amount about the royal family’s affairs. During interrogation, is it not possible he might realize that the deceased prince is, in fact, alive?”
“Hm? Ah, hmm…”
Lee Shin tilted his head for a moment before letting out a low hum.
He understood why Gillaim had said that.
Normally, an NPC could not forcibly extract any information from a player.
That was only natural, as things like interrogation or threats wouldn’t inflict any real pain or psychological pressure on a player.
The most an NPC could do was imprison them for a few days before executing them.
Therefore, Gillaim’s words shouldn’t be taken at face value.
Translated into terms a player could understand, it meant this:
‘He’s talking about an Encounter Event.’
An Encounter Event.
It was an event that automatically occurred when an NPC with a specific relationship or a player with a particular class met, designed to facilitate quest progression or add an element of surprise to enhance the game's enjoyment.
A prime example was when Lee Shin met the lich; a quest was automatically generated even though Lee Shin had no prior information about him.
Because of this system, Gillaim was worried that Count Parker might somehow discern Lee Shin’s true identity.
‘……’
Of course, all of Gillaim’s worries were needless.
Because Lee Shin wasn’t the 8th Prince.
Unless a bug occurred, there was no way an Encounter Event would trigger.
It was more likely that the count would recognize him as Salseong.
‘Hmm…’
However, he couldn’t just say that.
Gillaim firmly believed that Lee Shin was the hidden 8th Prince.
So, Lee Shin simply offered a suitable response.
“Then I just won’t get caught.”
“I am saying this precisely because we cannot guarantee that.”
“If I get caught, well, I can just die.”
“What? What a dreadful thing to say…”
“You know, I’ll just come back to life anyway. There’ll be some loss, but it’s much better than being captured. Don’t you think?”
“……”
I’ll just kill myself!
Gillaim was momentarily speechless at Lee Shin’s casually thrown-out words.
But a moment later.
He quickly composed himself and nodded with grim determination.
“If you are that resolved… I understand.”
“What? What resolve?”
“Doesn’t this mean you are putting forth your all, willing even to face death? After all, if this succeeds, you will gain control of Kaka and the Red Thorn Tribe.”
[Haipen Gillaim is overwhelmed by your resolve.]
[Haipen Gillaim’s loyalty has increased by 1.]
“……!”
He hadn’t thought that far ahead, but… Gillaim’s favorable misunderstanding was perfect!
Lee Shin promptly nodded.
“Exactly.”
“!”
“To achieve a greater cause, one sometimes needs the courage to leap into the fire, knowing full well the danger. Now is that time.”
“……I see. In that case, I understand. Do as you will. I was presumptuous to have misjudged your highness’s resolve.”
“No, it’s understandable.”
Thanks to Gillaim’s misunderstanding, the persuasion ended on a good note.
Now, Lee Shin turned his gaze back to the mansion and spoke.
“I don’t see an opening right now, so let’s scout around the mansion first.”
“Understood.”
* * *
While Lee Shin and Gillaim were circling the area and planning their infiltration, Jeong Yu-ra headed to the guild with Arthur.
[You have entered the guild.]
[You can receive territory quests and hire mercenaries.]
Her purpose was to blend in with the other players and gather information related to the lord, as Lee Shin had requested.
Inside the guild, various players were gathered in small groups, chatting.
Jeong Yu-ra asked Arthur.
“I just need to find someone among them, right?”
“Yes.”
“Where do you think would be good?”
“Uh… I’m not sure about that. But I think any guild with high contribution points would be fine. Since you’re the one joining, shouldn’t you decide?”
“……”
Nod.
At Arthur’s words, Jeong Yu-ra gave a reluctant nod.
Although she had accepted Lee Shin’s proposal because it was mentally better than doing nothing, what he had ultimately asked of her was the role of a spy.
In a word, betrayal!
Of course, compared to the betrayals Lee Shin had committed so far, this was a very passive level of treachery, but for her, who had always lived an honest life, even this was a strong jolt.
“……”
As a result, Jeong Yu-ra stood there, hesitating.
Watching her, Arthur spoke up.
“I know why you’re hesitating, but you can’t back out now. You already said you’d do it.”
“……Yeah. You’re right.”
He was right.
Even if it felt wrong, she had to do it.
Instead, she decided to choose a party as carefully as possible.
‘People I’ll feel less sorry for…’
She thought that if she joined a party of malicious players instead of ordinary ones, it might be easier on her conscience.
And this was likely not a difficult task.
The Eteun Kingdom was the region with the most malicious players of all the kingdoms!
Even with the recent influx of outsiders, she should be able to find an infamous party easily just by looking around a little.
“Hmm…”
Jeong Yu-ra scanned her surroundings.
Her eyes landed on a spot where an unusually large number of players were gathered.
No, it wasn’t just players; all the guild staff were gathered there too, discussing something together.
‘What’s going on over there?’
They looked like VIPs at a glance!
It caught Jeong Yu-ra’s interest, but Arthur shook his head and said.
“Ah, not there.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Seeing all the guild staff gathered there, that must be the Union Guild. They won’t accept us at our level. And it’s a bit dangerous, too…”
The Union Guild was crawling with rankers from Avala Online 1.
Of course, they had never been directly involved with Lee Shin, but one could never know.
After all, they hadn't come away completely unscathed from avoiding Lee Shin.
It was best not to attract their attention if possible.
“Really?”
“Yes. Of course, it’s unlikely they know you, but if it gets out that you know my brother, there’s no telling what might happen then.”
“What do you mean, you don’t know?”
“They might kill you just to vent their frustration.”
“……I-I see. Okay. I’ll be careful of them.”
A chilling warning!
Jeong Yu-ra, who didn’t know the full extent of Lee Shin’s past, nodded grimly.
At the same time, she thought to herself.
‘…Just how many people did he kill back in the day?’
Jeong Yu-ra’s questions only grew.
In any case.
Now that she knew where to avoid, she turned her attention elsewhere.
Towards a group that seemed to have fewer members but a higher notoriety.
‘……’
Generally, marauder parties shared a common characteristic.
They had a suspiciously high number of rogue-class players in their party.
This was because the rogue class was best suited for assassination and also excelled at making a quick escape.
Having spent a long time with Lee Shin, Jeong Yu-ra had developed a keen eye for such things, and it didn’t take her long to find a suitable party.
‘Found one.’
A party consisting of seven rogues and two swordsmen.
Of course, such a composition wasn’t impossible, but…
To Jeong Yu-ra’s eyes, it looked incredibly suspicious.
She cautiously approached them and spoke.
“Uh, excuse me.”
“So… huh? Yes?”
“What?”
“Hm?”
“……”
“……Gasp.”
Thud.
The party, which had been chattering noisily, instantly fell silent.
At the same time, they turned to look at Jeong Yu-ra with uncertain expressions.
Their faces seemed to ask, ‘Us?’
Meeting their gazes, Jeong Yu-ra hesitated for a moment before asking.
“Do you happen to need a priest?”
“A priest? We don’t really need one…?”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. But why do you ask?”
“I’m a priest, and I thought it would be great to party up if you needed one. But if you don’t, I guess there’s nothing to be…”
“Gasp?! No, wait a minute…!”
* * *
The man’s attitude changed in an instant.
“We need a priest!”
“What? But you just said…”
“We need one! We’re doomed without a priest!”
“……”
Such a swift change of heart that even Jeong Yu-ra, the one who made the offer, was surprised!
It was a bit bewildering, but…
Ultimately, it was a good thing.
“But my level is a bit low.”
“That’s fine, you can just heal from the back!”
“Heal? Ah, I don’t have any healing spells…”
“What?”
“I’m a Dark Priest.”
“That’s fine. Then you can just cast curses!”
“Um, and, my infamy is a bit high… I hope I won’t be a burden to the party?”
A probing question!
Normally, one should feel a bit of a chill at this point.
After all, who would ask to join a party while mentioning their high infamy?
Nine times out of ten, they were a suspicious person.
However.
“Haha! That’s fine!”
Despite all that, the man nodded enthusiastically.
Suspicious was fine!
No, in the first place, he wasn’t even thinking she was suspicious.
With looks like that and being a priest-class on top of it, she could get into pretty much any party she wanted. There was no reason for her to be suspicious.
So rather than that, he was worried that Jeong Yu-ra might change her mind and leave.
The party leader spoke urgently to the awkwardly standing Jeong Yu-ra.
“It’s really fine!”
“……”
“Besides, we all have high infamy scores anyway, so it’s not like you’ll be a burden!”
“Oh? You have high infamy?”
“Huh? …Ah, yes. Well, you know how it is, right? It’s unavoidable when you play in the Eteun Kingdom. It’s not like we wanted our infamy to get this high.”
The party leader confessed and rambled on with excuses without even being asked!
Thanks to that, Jeong Yu-ra let out a sigh of relief inwardly.
“I see.”
‘…What a relief.’
This way, she wouldn’t have to feel too sorry.
They were just ordinary(?) marauder players.
“I’ll send a party request.”
“Okay.”
[Party request has been accepted.]
[Current Party Members: 7]
[Open the status window to check detailed information.]
Having successfully joined the party, Jeong Yu-ra.
She immediately got to the point.
“Have you collected a lot of territory contribution points?”
“We’ve gathered a lot. We were originally active in this region.”
“I see. …Then, by any chance, have you recently received a quest from the lord?”
“Huh? How did you know?”
“!”