Chapter 146
Chapter 146
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 146
Chapter Title: Uncovering Treason
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[You have deceived the knight and entered the secure area.]
[Be warned!]
[If this is discovered, you may be punished according to the territory's laws.]
‘It worked.’
In the end, Lee Shin had made it inside safely!
By cleverly mixing truths with his lies, he had completely fooled the knights.
[Entry is permitted for one hour.]
[Time remaining: 00:59:59]
Perhaps because it was a secure area, there was a time limit, but he hadn't planned on staying inside for that long anyway.
Lee Shin stepped inside.
“Hmm.”
The first thing he saw upon entering were piles of documents stacked high before him.
Lee Shin let out a low hum.
The sheer volume was too much to go through one by one.
‘Do I have to look through all of that?’
If he'd known, he would have brought Jeong Yu-ra.
He felt a moment of regret, but fortunately, his worries were unfounded.
The moment Lee Shin’s hand touched the nearest pile of documents.
[You have reviewed the ‘Martinez Territory Monster Hamlet Subjugation Log for the Year 774’!]
[You have reviewed the ‘Martinez Territory Monster Hamlet Subjugation Log for the Year 775’!]
[You have reviewed the Martinez Territory’s…]
[…]
[…]
[You have acquired information regarding monster habitats near the territory.]
[You have grasped the general overview.]
*Ding.*
The Martinez Territory was a good place for people to live, but the same was true for monsters with similar habitats.
As a result, the plains surrounding the Martinez Territory always teemed with monsters like orcs and goblins. When food became scarce in winter, they would descend upon the outskirts of the territory, causing severe damage to residents and facilities.
Therefore, in the year 774.
The lord organized a large-scale subjugation force and began clearing out the monster hamlets near the territory.
After nearly a decade of subjugation operations, the number of monsters near the territory decreased significantly.
Thanks to this…
‘I don’t need this.’
There was a longer explanation that followed, but Lee Shin skipped it immediately.
The territory’s subjugation status wasn't the information he was looking for.
However, that didn't mean his efforts were fruitless.
[You have acquired general information about the territory’s subjugation forces.]
[This information can be reviewed at any time in your status window.]
[Your knowledge of the territory's history has increased. Your affinity with the territory's administrators and knights will now increase more quickly.]
[While holding the position of diplomat for the Edgar Territory, you have secretly stolen military intelligence from the Duchy of Martinez!]
[This is a great achievement. You have acquired the title, <Spy>.]
<Spy>
A spy must be stealthy.
At the same time, they must be natural.
The probability of NPCs being deceived by your lies will change based on your actual actions.
Simply put, it meant the probability of an NPC believing a player's lies varied greatly depending on the player's acting skills.
For Lee Shin, who committed fraud and betrayal as easily as he breathed, it was a very useful title!
Lee Shin nodded in satisfaction.
‘Nice.’
Best of all, he didn't have to read through every single document himself.
Perhaps for the sake of game convenience, the information was automatically summarized just by touching it.
At this rate, he could handle it alone.
“You start over there.”
“Understood.”
Lee Shin and Gillaim began examining the documents.
[You have acquired information on the changes in the territory’s tax rates.]
[You have acquired information on the territory’s total revenue.]
[You have acquired information on the changes in the size of the territory’s army…]
Detailed information about the territory's internal affairs scrolled past.
How much time had passed?
*Ding!*
[A discrepancy has been found between different documents.]
“Hm?”
A discrepancy?
Lee Shin looked up.
Before he could even process it, messages began to pour in.
[The territory’s total revenue and total expenditures do not match.]
[There is a difference between the territory’s total military strength and the number of troops on paper.]
[There is a difference between the map drawn by the territory’s military and the one drawn by the administrative body.]
[The territory’s…]
…
[Document forgery has been discovered!]
[A special quest has been generated!]
<Special Quest – Uncover the Truth>
Expenses lower than the actual total revenue, more actual troops than documented, and so on.
What these errors pointed to was clear.
Duke Martinez has been secretly embezzling the territory's taxes to build a secret army, and you have noticed.
Thoroughly investigate the lord's corruption and report it to the royal family!
If your report proves to be true, you will gain the attention of the royal family.
Quest Reward: The Royal Family's Interest, ??
[Do you wish to accept the quest?]
[If you refuse, the <Special Quest – The Hidden Truth> will be generated instead.]
“……!!!”
***
Lee Shin stepped outside first.
Once he was out, he thought to himself.
‘…This is insane.’
Of course, he had hoped to find something when he started digging into the Duke, but this discovery far exceeded his expectations.
“What is it? Did you find something?”
Gillaim asked, puzzled.
However, after hearing Lee Shin's explanation, his expression became identical to Lee Shin's.
He muttered in a voice filled with shock.
“This… is…”
Manipulating the territory’s revenue and using that money to raise an army?
The reason wasn't certain yet, but they could make a very likely guess.
Gillaim looked around before whispering under his breath.
“…Treason.”
He was secretly building an army to claim the throne.
Lee Shin thought the same.
The fact that the Duke was the King's in-law did nothing to negate this suspicion.
When it came to power, family ties meant nothing.
Actual history proved as much.
Gillaim asked.
“What do you intend to do?”
“…”
He didn't answer right away.
Lee Shin also needed time to think.
He carefully organized the choices available to him.
‘First, what happens if I refuse?’
This quest had a refusal option.
If he refused, a new quest called "The Hidden Truth" would be generated.
He didn't know if he could refuse that one as well, but since he intended to choose one of the two, it wasn't a problem.
What mattered was the meaning behind these quests.
‘Uncover the Truth’ and ‘The Hidden Truth’.
He didn't know the details of the latter, but the somewhat contradictory names alone suggested that the issue between the Duke and the royal family was not so simple.
In other words.
‘…This might not be a simple power struggle.’
It could be a grudge.
Or perhaps he was after something other than power.
He wasn't sure, but Lee Shin was almost certain that was the case.
It was because of the Duke's surprisingly clean administration of the territory.
He had already felt that many things were off, and this could simply be because there were still many hidden aspects.
To put it simply, it came down to this:
Should he report this to the royal family and collect a decent reward?
Or should he dig deeper for the whole story?
‘…’
The more he thought about it, the more Lee Shin leaned toward the former.
It was safer and guaranteed a clear benefit.
Most of all, he liked the idea of gaining the royal family's favor.
Count Aaron was already in danger of being purged by the royal family, so if Lee Shin performed a great service, it would give them some breathing room.
It was a more certain and long-lasting solution than trying to divert the King's attention by spreading rumors about the 8th Prince.
On the other hand, it could also mean throwing away an opportunity to use someone else's power to weaken the royal family…
But that was too much of a leap at this point.
Besides, Lee Shin's current situation wasn't good enough to be drawing such a big picture.
“That is true.”
Gillaim nodded.
At the same time, Lee Shin made his decision.
[You accept the quest.]
[Now, gather concrete evidence and report the Duke to the royal family!]
***
After making his decision, Lee Shin acted immediately.
His task was simple.
Infiltrate the lord's estate and obtain concrete information.
Only the location had changed; it was similar to what he had done before.
“Isn’t the location the problem? Our opponent is a Duke. The security will be formidable.”
“…That’s true.”
The Duke was one of the most powerful figures in the Eteun Kingdom.
Naturally, skilled knights would be guarding the estate, and it was possible that even Gillaim couldn't guarantee victory.
However, compared to before, there was one advantage.
He could use more drastic methods.
‘All I need is evidence.’
As long as he found the evidence, it didn't matter what kind of commotion he caused in the process.
Minor details could be spun nicely: ‘It was for the sake of the royal family,’ or ‘I suspected treason and had no choice.’
Of course, even though such methods were possible, it was still best to just sneak in and out cleanly…
‘That’s not going to work.’
That thought vanished the moment he got near the estate.
Soldiers and knights were packed tightly together.
Even with his stealth abilities enhanced by various skills and title effects, this was impossible.
Lee Shin muttered.
“We're going to need an incident.”
“An incident…?”
“Yeah.”
An incident or an event so shocking that even the soldiers inside the estate would come rushing out in alarm.
Lee Shin figured there was only one way to create that kind of impact.
“What would that be?”
“Let's set a fire in the territory.”
“A fire… you say?”
Gillaim tilted his head.
He was asking if a simple fire would be enough to make the soldiers rush out.
“Will that work? They’ll probably just mobilize workers.”
“That would be the case if it were a small fire.”
“…?”
“So, we need to set a big one. A huge one. So big the flames will be visible from inside the estate.”
“…!!!”
As he had confirmed when he set fire to Drake's pirate island, arson was, fortunately, one of Lee Shin's many specialties.
Lee Shin had set fires in a wide variety of places.
Other people's territories, hunting grounds, or even dungeons where other guilds were hunting…
It would be faster to list the places he *hadn't* set on fire.
Thanks to that, as long as he had a few helping hands, starting a massive fire in a short amount of time was no big deal for Lee Shin.
He already knew the methods inside and out.
And right now, he had those helping hands ready.
‘This is the way.’
Lee Shin's decision was swift.
He sent a whisper to Yu Han-seong.
-Yu Han-seong?
Fortunately, he was still online, and a reply came back quickly.
-What is it? I thought we were done for the day.
-This is something else. Would you be able to help me with something?
-…What?
-It’s simple.
-Simple or not, why the hell would I…
-Of course, I’ll pay you.
Lee Shin cut off Yu Han-seong's indignant reply with an offer.
And it was an offer Yu Han-seong couldn't refuse.
-I'll let you meet her right away.
-What?
-Lee Si-eun. I know where she is right now. Help me, and I'll arrange a meeting immediately.
-……!!!