Chapter 132
Chapter 132
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: The King's Intentions
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Meanwhile, Lee Shin, having been safely released, headed straight for Count Parker.
Now that the Union Guild's pursuit was over, he could stride through the mansion without any particular threat.
“……”
He arrived in front of Count Parker's room.
Lee Shin rummaged through his inventory and took out an envelope.
It was the drug he had received from Kaka.
Mysterious White Powder
The drug Kaka used to brainwash Count Parker.
When diluted, it aids blood circulation and restores vitality, and can cause mild hallucinations.
However, be warned that addiction or consuming a large amount at once can destroy the mind, so handle with care.
‘So I just have to make him eat this.’
Having come this far, it wasn't a difficult task.
Without hesitation, Lee Shin kicked open the door to Count Parker's room.
“What!? Who are you… Mph!”
[You have subdued Count Parker!]
He immediately subdued the Count.
Then, he extended a tentacle, forced it into his mouth, and pried it open.
The Count, instantly terrified, began to scream.
“What is this…!”
“……”
But Lee Shin coolly ignored his screams and poured the entire contents of the drug into his mouth.
The effect was immediate.
[You forcibly feed ‘Mysterious White Powder’ to Count Parker.]
[The drug takes effect, providing a beneficial reaction in the Count’s body…]
“Mph-mph-mph-mph!!?”
[Warning!]
[A large amount of the drug has been consumed at once!]
[Count Parker is falling into a state of extreme hallucination!]
[Count Parker is…….]
‘It’s done.’
* * *
A few days later.
“Did you hear? They say the Count has gone mad.”
Strange rumors began to circulate among the territory's residents.
Most of them were about Count Parker.
“Mad?”
“But wasn't he always a madman?”
“No. This time it’s not a figure of speech. He’s really gone mad. They say he’s acting like someone who’s lost his mind.”
“What? Really? Why all of a sudden?”
“Who knows? Maybe he ate something bad? Or maybe someone poisoned him.”
“Well, he certainly had it coming.”
The territory was in an uproar.
Most people reacted with confusion, but many residents were delighted, saying he got what he deserved.
However, these rumors soon died down.
“Nonsense!”
“Anyone who dares to utter such ridiculous words will be executed!”
The territory's soldiers stepped in and forcibly suppressed the chaos.
This, of course, was the work of Lee Shin and Kaka.
As soon as Kaka heard that the lord had been neutralized, he led the guards he had gathered and stormed the lord's castle.
The soldiers and knights of the castle, having lost their leader, were naturally thrown into confusion and failed to respond properly.
If the soldiers were like that, it went without saying for the mercenaries and adventurers hired with money.
They were all busy shirking responsibility, trying to save their own skins.
Some even tried to side with Kaka.
“Should we accept them?”
“No. How can we trust those who have betrayed once?”
“Then I will ignore them.”
“Good. …Ah, did the Union Guild happen to stop by?”
“Union? No. No such guild came.”
“Is that so?”
“Is something the matter?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Lee Shin, giving a vague answer, recalled his last conversation with Grania.
‘Go.’
‘What?’
‘I’ll let you go. Lift the curse and leave.’
‘……!’
Honestly, he hadn't expected her to let him go so easily.
She had a lot at stake too, with quests and contribution points on the line.
Of course, Lee Shin had threatened her with the curse, but…
‘Did she not consider that there might be a penalty?’
A curse that powerful usually came with a corresponding drawback.
It was a skill that could make a person quit the game; it didn't make sense for it to have no usage restrictions.
There was no way a player of her caliber, ranked 6th, wouldn't know that.
‘Then she must have just been flustered.’
High-rankers were still human, after all.
When you're that flustered, human errors are bound to happen.
Having come to his own conclusion,
Lee Shin called for his party.
Gillaim appeared without any major injuries, and Jeong Yu-ra had also escaped unscathed, having left the party as soon as the trouble started.
However, Arthur was nowhere to be seen.
“Where is he?”
“He died. I sent you a whisper about it.”
“Ah, really? So you did.”
He checked and saw that there was indeed a whisper from Jeong Yu-ra.
The timestamp was from when Lee Shin was captured by the Union Guild.
He must have missed it in all the chaos.
In any case.
Having easily secured the lord, Lee Shin had Kaka begin the brainwashing process.
Since the lord's mind was already significantly shattered, brainwashing wasn't difficult.
Kaka, along with the technicians he had personally hired, headed to where the lord was being held and emerged in less than a day.
“…It was a success!”
[Kaka has succeeded in perfectly brainwashing Count Parker!]
[A great evil deed!]
[Kaka is currently subservient to you.]
[Your notoriety increases.]
“Well done.”
“It is all thanks to you, Master… no, Lord Arthur.”
“As long as you know. So, can you handle the next set of negotiations on your own?”
“Yes. Hehe, it won’t take long.”
“I see. Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“Understood.”
After telling Kaka to come to the Edgar territory on his own once he was finished,
Lee Shin exited the mansion.
Gillaim asked.
“Are you heading back now?”
“I have to. I’ve been away from the territory for too long.”
He had heard from Dokgo and Tae-yoon that the territory war was wrapping up.
That meant an investigator from the royal family could arrive soon.
And Lee Shin’s prediction hit the mark.
On his way back to the territory, an urgent whisper arrived from Dokgo.
- We’re in big trouble!
“Why?”
- A royal investigator showed up in the territory… I think you need to come see for yourself.
“!”
* * *
[You have arrived at the Edgar territory.]
As soon as he arrived, Lee Shin went to find the Count.
“Lord Arthur! You’ve returned!”
The Count greeted Lee Shin.
Count Aaron’s complexion had worsened considerably since he last saw him.
It seemed he had a hard time dealing with the investigator from the royal family.
Lee Shin asked.
“First, I’d like to hear an explanation of the situation. Is that possible right now?”
“Of course. Please, come inside.”
After leading Lee Shin and his party into a room, the Count began his explanation.
“First, regarding the territory war. We have succeeded in capturing all nine territories we were targeting.”
“I heard about that. It seems the adventurers put in a lot of work.”
“Indeed. Their numbers have increased by more than twenty times compared to before you arrived, my lord…. In any case, we won the territory war, but a problem arose afterward.”
The number of users was far greater than expected.
Thanks to them, the territory war ended much more easily and overwhelmingly than anticipated, and this had displeased the royal family.
The fact that an investigator arrived just a day after the war ended showed how closely the royal family was watching this matter.
“A side effect, then.”
“Yes, and my image in the capital is not very good… that probably has an effect as well. I apologize.”
“No, that’s fine. It’s something we can resolve now. Didn’t we make a plan for this beforehand?”
“Pardon? Ah, you mean the plan to shift the blame to the adventurers?”
“Yes. Have you forgotten?”
“No, I remember. But I don't think it will be easy. The investigator is scrutinizing the territory very meticulously. I'm not sure if a lie will work.”
The Count replied, shaking his head.
It seemed his counterpart was being quite difficult.
Lee Shin thought for a moment before asking.
“Have you tried giving him a gift?”
“A gift…?”
“In other words, a bribe.”
“Ah, yes. I tried. But there was hardly any reaction.”
“……!!”
No reaction to a bribe?
Lee Shin grunted.
‘So they didn’t send just anyone.’
The original plan was to soften up the investigator with a bribe and then work things out.
In the Eteun Kingdom, there were few problems that couldn't be solved with a bribe, so Lee Shin had never once thought this method would fail.
But the overwhelming victory in the territory war had slightly skewed his expectations.
The incident had attracted too much attention from the royal family.
As a result, the person dispatched had changed.
“What will you do?”
The Count asked worriedly.
Lee Shin thought for a moment before answering.
“I’ll have to meet him first. My status as the territory’s diplomat is still valid, right?”
“Of course, it is. Would you like to meet him right away?”
“That would be good.”
“Understood. I will have someone guide you.”
* * *
With a mix of worry and optimism, Lee Shin went to see the investigator.
But surprisingly, the man already knew him.
“Well, if it isn’t you?!”
“?”
The royal investigator’s eyes widened upon seeing Lee Shin, and he greeted him warmly.
Lee Shin narrowed his eyes in confusion.
‘Who is this?’
He looked familiar, so they must have met before…
His mind tingled, but he couldn't recall exactly who it was.
Lee Shin asked cautiously.
“……Do you know me?”
“Hm? Haha! Don’t you remember? Well, it has been some time.”
“……?”
“It’s Wik. We met in the orc-infested region, didn’t we? You even brought in a wanted criminal back then. A shame you couldn’t capture him alive, though.”
“Wik? A wanted… Ahh!”
The memory finally came back to Lee Shin.
He was the knight who had been chasing Cedric.
Lee Shin feigned a delighted smile and replied.
“I remember now.”
“You should. Didn’t I introduce you to Count Narik? Haha!”
“I am still very grateful for that.”
“Although the Count did pass away right after meeting you.”
‘Ah!’
“That was a coincidence!”
“Hm? Ah, I’m not suspecting you. That case has already been proven to be the work of an adventurer named Arin.”
“……Um?”
Wik stated the culprit’s name so matter-of-factly that Lee Shin didn't even need to make an excuse.
Lee Shin cautiously asked back.
“Did they confess?”
“No. She claimed she was innocent.”
“Then……”
“But not long after saying that, she broke out of prison. In the process, she even freed other criminals locked up and set fire to the city. It seemed to be for revenge… Wouldn’t you say that’s as good as a confession?”
“Uh……”
Lee Shin fell silent.
Freeing criminals and setting fire to the city.
In truth, that had all been his (back when he was Lee Si-eun) idea.
“……”
Therefore, if he had any conscience, he should have felt at least a sliver of guilt towards Arin and her party.
The damage they and the Five Star Guild suffered from that incident was immense, and even now, they were still resented by the other users who had participated in the rescue quest back then.
But Lee Shin having a conscience? Not a chance.
His mindset was always the same.
It’s the fault of the one who gets fooled!
Lee Shin soon replied shamelessly.
“Such a wicked…! You’re right!”
“You think so too?”
“Yes. No, even if they weren’t the culprits, if they were that rotten to the core, they would have eventually committed a crime of a similar magnitude!”
“It seems you and I are on the same page. Haha!”
[Wik has taken a liking to you.]
[Your affinity has slightly increased.]
‘Good.’
Thanks to their previous positive encounter, the atmosphere was flowing quite smoothly!
At this rate, it seemed he could easily persuade him and send him on his way.
“But Sir Knight, what brings you here?”
“Me? Ah, right.”
Lee Shin, inwardly relieved, asked lightly.
…But the answer that came back was beyond anything he could have imagined.
Wik glanced around as if wary of his surroundings and replied.
“Normally, I shouldn’t say this… but since you’ve already proven your abilities, I suppose it’s alright to tell you.”
“Yes?”
“His Majesty the King intends to use this opportunity to eliminate Count Aaron.”
“!!!!”