Chapter 134
Chapter 134
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 134
Chapter Title: A Civil Conversation
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After finishing his conversation with Wik, Lee Shin went to see Count Aaron immediately.
He needed to explain the changed circumstances and plan their next move.
"...So, that's what happened."
"Uh..."
...
"...I see."
Aaron nodded, his face dazed.
He looked utterly bewildered.
It was only natural, really.
Just learning the inside story—that he was secretly a target of a royal purge and an investigator had been dispatched for that very reason—was shocking enough...
But Lee Shin knew that investigator.
And it didn't just end there; he had used their high level of intimacy to switch sides and even received a quest from him.
It would have been stranger if he *wasn't* confused.
"I had no choice."
"No, yes. I understand why you had to do it."
Just as he said, Lee Shin volunteering to be a spy was unavoidable.
There weren't many options available to change Wik's mind on the spot.
Count Aaron understood this part.
"However, it doesn't seem like the fundamental problem has been solved."
"That's true. In the end, this problem only ends with your death."
...
*If I just try to kill you, there'll be significant resistance, so why don't I help you find a way to minimize the damage?*
That was, in essence, what Lee Shin had said to persuade Wik.
In other words, just as Aaron said, the matter had only been postponed, not resolved.
"I've thought of two solutions."
"There are two?"
"The most certain one is for us to start a rebellion before you're killed."
"Uh, but that's..."
"I know. It probably won't work."
*We'll eliminate the enemy before they can get to us!*
It sounded plausible, but realistically, it was not an easy method.
In fact, it was safe to say it was impossible.
While the Edgar Fief had grown significantly through the recent fief war, its absolute military power was still sorely lacking.
Their mage forces, essential for large-scale battles, were still close to zero, and even their remaining troops weren't overwhelmingly powerful.
Simply put, they would need to grow their forces by at least several dozen times to even have a chance against the royal family.
Hence, the second method.
"We deceive them."
"Pardon?"
"Or we could divert the king's attention elsewhere so he can't focus on this."
"...That's easier said than done. Will it work?"
As Count Aaron said, with him already firmly in the king's bad graces, diverting the royal gaze would be difficult.
But there was one thing.
There was someone the king would have to pay even more attention to than Count Aaron.
"...? Who would that be?"
"Me."
"You? ...Ah! Don't tell me?!"
"What you're thinking is probably right."
The abandoned illegitimate child of the royal family.
The 8th Prince, the very person Lee Shin himself was impersonating.
***
However, the situation changed after the current king ascended to the throne through a rebellion.
Because the current king had purged the remaining bloodline of the previous royal family, the prince's status was unintentionally elevated from 'tainted blood' to 'the sole remaining heir of the former dynasty'.
The seed of a rebellion that could ignite at any moment.
Or, the only hope to revive the failing Eteun Kingdom.
Either way, the current king would have wanted to eliminate him for good.
And so, he had indeed made several moves to kill the 8th Prince.
This was clear from what happened when Lee Shin first met the 8th Prince.
The prince was being hunted by royal knights with a massive bounty on his head, and he had nearly been killed by them at that time.
But the situation changed when Lee Shin intervened.
The prince died at Lee Shin's hands, and the royal knights pursuing him were all killed by Gillaim, who arrived shortly after.
In other words, the king had no way of knowing whether the 8th Prince was dead or alive.
With all the knights he sent dead, he would have only confirmed the existence of a figure hostile to the current royal family.
But what if, in such a situation, rumors about the missing 8th Prince were to resurface?
"...Ah!"
"He'd lose his mind, wouldn't he?"
"He would."
Count Aaron nodded.
Since the king himself had risen to power through illegitimate means, he would be even more conscious of it.
"But wouldn't that be too dangerous?"
"What is?"
"Even if it's just a rumor, if it gets out that you're alive..."
"Oh, that's fine."
"Pardon?"
"Because, obviously, I'll frame someone else as the prince, not myself."
"...!!!"
Incitement and fabrication!
One of Lee Shin's specialties.
He didn't have a concrete plan yet, but Lee Shin was confident he could pull it off.
"We'll figure out the details later... Count."
"Yes."
"By any chance, is there anyone you've always wanted to kill or wished misfortune upon?"
"N-Not particularly?"
"Really? How strange."
...
...
"But why do you ask...?"
"If there was someone, I was going to frame them."
"!?!"
"Hmm. A shame there's no one. I guess I'll just have to pick someone at random later."
Or, it wouldn't be a bad idea to find someone who might become an obstacle later and frame them.
"An obstacle...?"
"For example, a noble loyal to the current king. Wouldn't it work to frame them as secretly protecting the 8th Prince?"
"It would be great if it did, but would the king really suspect those loyal to him... He might, actually."
Count Aaron spoke worriedly, then changed his tune mid-sentence.
On second thought, the current king was the type of person who would suspect even his own people!
"Then it doesn't sound like a bad idea."
"Good. Let's think about the specifics later."
"Why not now?"
"I have people to meet right now."
"...?"
***
The people Lee Shin mentioned were the nobles defeated in the fief war.
Following Lee Shin's orders, they had all been captured alive under the leadership of Dokgo and Tae-yoon and were now imprisoned in the lowest level of the fief's dungeon.
Now that the immediate crisis was averted, Lee Shin planned to meet with them first.
[You have arrived at the lowest level.]
[This area is inaccessible without the lord's permission.]
"We will wait here. Please call us immediately if anything happens."
"Understood."
The knights escorted Lee Shin to the entrance and then stopped.
Lee Shin took only Jeong Yu-ra with him as he walked down the long corridor.
...
How long had they been walking?
From far away, the faint echo of someone's shout could be heard.
"How dare you! Do you not know who I am!"
"Release me at once!"
"Do you not fear a royal investigation!?"
"What's that?"
"Must be the nobles. ...Still full of energy."
They even have the strength to shout.
It seemed his strict orders to capture them alive had been followed a little too well; they appeared to have been locked up without a single scratch.
Lee Shin scratched his chin and muttered.
"...Hmm, this wasn't really necessary."
"Huh?"
"I just needed them breathing, so this was unnecessary. Oh well. I guess I'll have to start preparing for our conversation."
"...!"
*Flinch!*
Sensing something in his words "preparing for our conversation," Jeong Yu-ra's shoulders twitched.
Having been with Lee Shin for a long time, she instinctively knew that the "conversation" he mentioned was not a normal one.
"I'll wait outside."
Jeong Yu-ra's decision was incredibly swift.
"Huh?"
"I'll just wait outside. Call me when you're done."
"Ah, okay."
He was going to ask her to cast some curses from the side.
But it didn't really matter if she wasn't there.
There were plenty of other methods of conversation he could use besides curses.
*Creak.*
"Hm? Who are you!"
...
"How dare you...! Do you not fear a royal investigation!? Release us at once!"
Spotting Lee Shin, the nobles pressed against the bars, seizing the opportunity to shout at the top of their lungs.
Lee Shin didn't answer. He approached the cell, placed a chair in front of it, and sat down.
"...?"
"Wh-what are you doing...?"
His unexpected action left the nobles staring at him, their faces clearly asking, *'What is this adventurer doing?'*
"Summon Eidolon."
"...!?!?"
Lee Shin began the torture immediately.
***
*Swish. Whoosh!*
Seven tentacles coiled around the nobles.
Packed tightly into the narrow cell, the nobles couldn't escape.
*Grasp!*
After grabbing one noble with each tentacle, Lee Shin meticulously controlled them to torment his captives.
The effect was exceptionally good.
"Huk!?"
"Mmph! Mmmphh!!"
"...It went in my mouth!"
"What!? Th-that place... Hngh?!?!"
[The nobles have suffered severe mental trauma.]
[Infamy has increased.]
[You have mercilessly molested a noble! This is a server-first achievement. You have acquired the title, <One Who Knows a Noble's Backdoor Affairs>.]
<One Who Knows a Noble's Backdoor Affairs>
Nobles may now feel a strange sense of fear towards you.
The higher your Infamy stat, the greater the effect.
However, be warned.
For some nobles, the opposite effect may occur.
'Hmm? Ah, don't tell me what I just poked was...'
*Thrust.*
"...Hyaaaaaah!?"
"Kuhuk, such humiliation...!"
'...Looks like I was right.'
Lee Shin nodded grimly.
No wonder their reactions were so intense...
There was a good reason for it.
It wasn't intentional, but anyway.
Thanks to that, their initial murderous glares were gone, replaced by tears of shame as they begged for mercy.
"Sob! Please stop!"
It was a truly pitiful sight!
...But Lee Shin shook his head firmly and did not stop.
"No."
"Why!?!?"
"Because I have something to ask you."
"You crazy bastard...!? Then ask your damn question first!!"
"Who in the world starts with torture befo—! Hnngh!!!?"
"Someone might."
Instead, he pushed the nobles even more harshly than before.
And there was a good reason for this.
It was because of a common trait among nobles.
They fundamentally looked down on adventurers, so if he didn't break them completely from the start, they might try to be clever.
...Of course, that was just Lee Shin's perspective.
To the nobles, Lee Shin, who silently continued the torture without asking for anything, was simply a psychopath who enjoyed torture for its own sake.
"Hieek...!"
"Please, stop...!"
Thanks to that, only their pitiful screams echoed through the underground prison.
***
Ten minutes later.
*Tiring.*
[The nobles have been completely subjugated.]
[Obedience has reached its maximum level. This will slowly decrease over time.]
Finally, their declaration of defeat!
Lee Shin retracted his tentacles.
Then, he approached the bars and asked.
"Hh...?"
"Now it looks like you're ready to talk."
...
"Hmm? No answer. Are you not ready yet?"
*Wriggle.*
"Gasp!? Of course not!"
"Ask us anything! We're ready to answer everything we know!"
"Really?"
"Yes!"
"Then, do you know anything about the previous Salseong?"
He asked just in case they knew something.
Just like how Count Narik had known about the previous Salseong.
However.
"...?"
"The previous Salseong...?"
"You mean that serial killer?"
"Yes. His last will, or any hidden achievements. Do you know anything?"
"Uhh..."
The nobles exchanged awkward glances.
At this, Lee Shin clicked his tongue.
*Tsk.*
'Looks like they don't know.'
Unfortunately, they knew nothing.
"N-Not right now, but if you release us, we could look into it..."
"No, it's fine now."
"!?"