Chapter 133
Chapter 133
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 133
Chapter Title: A Necessary Betrayal
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'This is insane!'
The elimination of Count Aaron.
To put it simply, it meant Count Aaron was now a target of a royal purge.
And by extension, it also meant that Lee Shin, bound to Count Aaron by a lord-vassal relationship, could not escape the fallout.
Lee Shin asked.
"So suddenly?"
"Hmm. I admit, I wondered if it had to come to this, but what can I do? These are my orders. It seems the King has taken this matter quite sensitively."
"I-Is that so."
Lee Shin's mind raced.
*...How did it come to this?*
He had waged the territory wars a bit flamboyantly, but was that really a threatening enough move to warrant a purge?
Or had the king always held a poor opinion of Count Aaron, and this incident was just the final straw?
For now, there was no way to know.
But one thing was certain.
He had to get through this situation unscathed, no matter what it took!
Snapping back to reality, Lee Shin urgently called out to Wik.
"...No, wait! Please wait."
"What is it?"
"It's just that this conclusion seems flawed. As far as I know, the territory wars were not initiated by Count Aaron."
"Not him?"
"That's correct."
A flicker of interest appeared in Wik's eyes.
"Then who was the instigator?"
"The adventurers."
"Adventurers?"
"Yes. Their numbers have swelled recently, haven't they? Intoxicated by their own strength in numbers, they coveted the wealth of the neighboring lords and raised an army on their own accord. You'll find this to be true if you simply ask the residents."
Lee Shin spoke with confidence.
Wik readily nodded.
"......Indeed, that does seem to be the case."
Investigations into each territory had revealed a surprising fact, just as Lee Shin had claimed: not a single resident viewed Count Aaron's rule in a negative light.
This served as counter-evidence, suggesting Count Aaron was not the primary actor in this incident.
After all, if Count Aaron had truly forced a war to seize another's territory, such a response would have been impossible.
Far from offering support, they would have resented the count for starting the war.
"It's quite the opposite. His lordship didn't start a war; he took in the people who were left lordless by the adventurers' rampage."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. You'll see the truth if you look into how much wealth the Count distributed to aid the residents."
"Hmm..."
Just as Lee Shin said, as soon as the territory wars ended, Count Aaron had released a vast amount of wealth to relieve the residents who had been impoverished by the adventurers' plundering.
Of course, most of the gold used for this came from taxes collected from the adventurers.
In other words, he was taking full credit using the very money the adventurers had taken from the people.
But since the residents couldn't possibly know the details, it was only natural that their support for Count Aaron grew even stronger.
"......Certainly. What you say seems to be correct."
Wik had sensed this as well.
Wik glanced around and nodded.
But that didn't drastically change his mind.
"Then..."
"But the outcome remains the same. I'm sorry, but I'll have to pretend I never heard a word you said."
"...!? Why is that?"
"The reason is simple. Because that is what the King desires."
"Ah..."
Lee Shin let out a sigh.
Wik was a knight belonging to the Royal Knights.
It was hardly strange for him to act in accordance with the King's will.
Wik glanced at Lee Shin's expression, sighed, and said.
"......Hah. You said you were the territory's diplomat?"
"Yes."
"It seems you already hold a position in the territory. That's quite an accomplishment for an adventurer, not an easy feat."
"Thank you."
"But take my advice. If you wish to avoid disaster, leave Count Aaron at once. I'm sure you understand why."
"..."
Perhaps thanks to the rapport he'd built in the past, Wik surprisingly seemed willing to turn a blind eye to Lee Shin's involvement.
But this kindness was of little help to Lee Shin.
After all, their fates were intertwined; if Count Aaron was in danger, Lee Shin would inevitably be in danger as well.
*'What should I do?'*
Lee Shin's mind spun rapidly.
How could he get through this situation safely?
*'...Should I kill him?'*
The thought surfaced before it could even be properly processed.
Wik was clearly a very strong knight, but Lee Shin had aces up his sleeve as well.
Namely, the Lich and Gillaim.
Gillaim was, needless to say, a powerhouse, and the same went for Adam, who had reached the state of a Lich.
If he could somehow lure Wik to Adam's workshop, they could attack him together and surely be able to kill him.
But.
*'No.'*
Lee Shin quickly shook his head.
It would buy him some time, but if the dispatched knight ended up dead, the King would only grow more suspicious of Count Aaron.
He might even use it as a pretext to eliminate the Count for good.
In other words, he had to resolve this without resorting to force...
'...'
For that to be possible, there was only one way.
He had to present a better alternative than eliminating Count Aaron right now.
Only then would Wik be convinced and back down.
"Sir Knight."
After a moment of rapid thinking.
Lee Shin called out to Wik, who was turning to leave.
"Hm?"
"It likely won't be an easy task."
"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"Count Aaron. Even with the Royal Knights involved, eliminating him will be no simple feat."
Lee Shin's words were true.
Now that all the territory wars had ended in victory, the Count's influence over the local populace was even stronger than the King's.
If he decided to dig in and mount a resistance, it would undoubtedly be a difficult fight, even for the Royal Knights.
"Even right after the territory wars?"
"Have you forgotten? The instigators of the territory wars were the adventurers."
"...!"
"Thanks to them, the Count's military strength remains intact. In fact, with his territory expanded, his forces have likely grown. If need be, he could even rally those numerous adventurers by issuing territory quests."
"Surely the adventurers wouldn't side with him against the royal family..."
"Sir Knight. They're adventurers. Do you really think they care about such things? They'll do anything, as long as the reward is right."
This was true.
The King's command, the authority of the royal family—hardly any user genuinely feared such things.
Of course, any user who planned to stay in the Eteun Kingdom long-term would have to be cautious, but most of the users who had recently flooded in had no such intentions.
If things went sour, they could just leave.
"Isn't that right?"
Lee Shin's words carried a heavy dose of reality!
As a result, Wik's expression hardened.
"...Then what are you proposing?"
Seeing that Wik was now taking his words seriously, Lee Shin delivered the lines he had prepared.
"It's simple. We must prepare slowly."
"Slowly?"
"Yes. If we ascertain the location and number of his private soldiers, then strike all at once, we can drastically reduce the losses for the Royal Knights."
"......Mmm."
[Wik is disappointed by your words.]
"Who doesn't know that?"
"Pardon?"
"Anyone can see that your approach is sound. But the method is the problem, isn't it? How do you propose we obtain that information?"
"You have me, don't you? I will help you!"
"You... Pfft!?"
A declaration of betrayal without a hint of hesitation!
Wik couldn't help but let out a small snort.
Quickly composing himself, Wik wiped his mouth and asked.
"Weren't you the Count's subordinate?"
"Me?"
"..."
"Haha, not anymore. A man has to look out for himself, doesn't he?"
"If you're just lying to get out of this situation..."
Wik eyed Lee Shin with suspicion at his sudden change of tune.
But Lee Shin easily resolved Wik's doubts.
"Count Aaron is a son of a bitch."
"...Gasp!"
"@#$%&!*#@$!..."
"!!!!!"
[Wik is appalled by your severe profanity!]
[Wik feels a slight sense of disgust toward you.]
[Wik's affinity for you has decreased slightly.]
[If word of this reaches Count Aaron's ears, he will be greatly saddened.]
"Should I go on?"
"That's enough!"
* * *
"......In any case, I understand your intentions. I will accept your proposal."
"Thank you!"
*Ting.*
<Kingdom Quest – The Purge>
The King of the Eteun Kingdom wishes to solidify his royal authority.
Therefore, any noble who opposes his will or possesses enough power to be a threat is mercilessly added to the King's list of purge targets.
Count Aaron is one of them.
It was only natural for him to draw the King's suspicion, as he had never been an active supporter of the current royal family.
Amidst this, the rapid expansion of his power following the territory wars was more than enough to become an eyesore for the King.
Assist the Royal Knight Wik and eliminate Count Aaron, who threatens the King's authority!
If you succeed in eliminating Count Aaron through your contributions, you will capture the King's interest.
• Quest Objective: Eliminate Count Aaron
• Quest Reward: A Royal Summons.
After reading the entire quest description, one of his questions was finally answered.
He had been wondering what the Count had done to deserve a purge...
*'So that's what it was.'*
The current King of the Eteun Kingdom had ascended to the throne through a rebellion.
As such, it was no surprise that he reacted sensitively to every little thing that could threaten his royal authority.
And at this critical moment, Count Aaron had caught his eye.
He was already on the King's bad side, and waging territory wars against so many domains at once was the final straw.
*'Bad luck.'*
Lee Shin sighed inwardly.
If he had known the circumstances, he would have proceeded more slowly.
It was a shame, but what's done was done.
Lee Shin said to Wik.
"First, the Count must not suspect me. I will return and act as I always do."
"That sounds wise."
"And it would be best to deal with the adventurers beforehand. We must prevent the Count from being able to bind them with quests later on."
"Their numbers are far from small. How would you do that?"
"That is..."
Lee Shin trailed off.
Originally, he had planned to use the adventurers to help Count Aaron avoid suspicion.
A plan to frame them as the main culprits and divert suspicion away from the lord!
But now that the situation had changed, so had his thoughts.
Since his conversation with Wik had gone well, he wondered if that was still necessary.
Such a high density of users gathered in a specific area was, in itself, a massive labor force.
If he could use this properly, he could undertake large-scale construction projects or even massive quests that would normally be unthinkable.
"Could you perhaps apply some appropriate pressure on them?"
"Pressure?"
"Yes. Just enough to make them feel a sense of crisis. I'll take care of the rest."
"Hmm, they did dare to raise their swords against a noble of the kingdom, so they're not exactly innocent. That shouldn't be too difficult. Very well."
"Phew..."
Lee Shin breathed a sigh of relief.
At first, he'd felt helpless, not knowing what to do, but in the end, everything had worked out somehow.
Wik asked.
"So, what's your plan now?"
"I said I'd help, so that's what I'll do. I will secretly leak important information about the Count to you."
"How will we stay in contact? Should we set up a meeting point nearby?"
"Hmm..."
That wouldn't do.
It was better to meet somewhere far away so that Wik would learn about what was happening in the territory as late as possible.
Lee Shin quickly came up with a suitable excuse.
"The Count's influence is too strong around here; it's dangerous. Instead, I'll travel to the capital periodically."
"Won't the Count get suspicious if you come and go too often?"
"Haha, that won't be a problem. That fool will never dream that I've betrayed him."
"I-Is that so? Very well, then... I'm counting on you."