Chapter 82: A Royal Meeting?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 82: A Royal Meeting?
Pasto, the capital of the Kingdom, was located slightly to the west of Lukart.
As the seat of the royal palace, the central nobility, and the headquarters of global public institutions, the people of Pasto were notoriously arrogant.
With the headquarters of the Adventurer Guild, the World Central Bank, and the Carriage Station all located there, it was easy for them to believe that Pasto was the center of the universe.
This sense of elitism was prevalent among the commoners of Pasto, and it was even more pronounced among the nobility and the royalty.
In fact, there were likely no people more ignorant of the world and more conceited than those gathered here in the royal conference hall.
Count Dakuus and Nasian, the Bank Manager of Dakuren, couldn’t help but find the people before them loathsome.
“The murderer Yobeste is a man of the Duchy. Just how did the Duchy manage their war veterans for something like this to happen? We must summon an envoy immediately to demand an explanation and compensation. More than three men have died!”
Baragra, the head of the Adventurer Guild headquarters who had co-founded the guild with Mirachi Bichante, brought up the matter of Yobeste.
This elderly woman conveniently omitted her own blunder—how she had been swayed by the flattery and bribes of a one-eyed fool to appoint her as the Lukart Branch Manager.
Count Dakuus felt his blood boil, but he held it in.
“Since the matter of Yobeste was suppressed by the strength of our Kingdom, it is only natural to hold them accountable. However, requesting action from the Duchy is one thing; we must also discuss the compensation for the adventurers who took Yobeste down.”
He hated himself for spouting such nonsense just to respond to their stupidity.
But such was the nature of politics.
Even though anyone with half a brain could find the right direction, they all chose to spout obvious platitudes or utter nonsense to protect their own interests, merely looking for an opportunity to find fault with others.
“The Carriage Station has also suffered loss of life and property due to Yobeste. They must be held responsible as well. If all else fails, we should incite a strike among the carriage drivers within the Duchy to deal them a blow.”
Isend, the head of the Carriage Station headquarters, spoke with his chin held high, acting pompous.
Even for this crowd, that was going too far.
“The Adventurer Guild and the Carriage Station are bound by neutrality agreements. Furthermore, inciting a strike among the Duchy’s carriage drivers would cause issues with the Kingdom’s imports and exports. This is a matter that requires a cautious approach.”
“If that is the case, our World Central Bank can provide interest-free loans to the carriage drivers during the strike period.”
Noane, the President of the World Central Bank who had been silent until now, chimed in.
Nasian, the Dakuren Bank Manager, could read the glint of greed for money in her eyes.
Noane likely intended to set strict loan conditions and then squeeze the Duchy’s carriage drivers with harsh interest rates once the strike ended.
Not bad, but that’s not what’s important right now.
Though Nasian loved money, she wasn’t so foolish as to not realize that everything would be futile if the world were to end.
Tisara, the High Elder of the Church’s Council of Elders, simply maintained a gentle smile while observing the atmosphere of the room.
Alto, you brat. You were wrong.
There are far more sly old foxes and snakes here than me.
If you had seen this yourself, you would have carved them all up.
The mere thought was cathartic, but the reality was far from it, leaving Dakuus feeling stifled.
On the other hand, all these people were shallow.
In the end, there was one person they needed to bring up, yet everyone was keeping quiet about him.
The moment someone spoke his name, that person’s institution would be the first to be attacked for its failures.
It was the third day since they had arrived at the royal palace, and the reason the meeting was dragging on without a conclusion was simple.
Count Dakuus, who had no reason to mention it first, was leisurely biding his time, while the others were desperately trying to avoid having the arrow of blame pointed at them.
Finally, the one who couldn’t endure it any longer—the one at the very pinnacle of sovereignty and dignity—opened his mouth with an air of self-importance.
“What of Alto Bertrand?”
It was an old man.
To Dakuus, he was just an old man slightly older than himself.
However, the crown resting upon his head added a heavy weight to his voice.
That weight was so immense that all the chattering mouths fell into instant silence.
“The Victory Commemoration Ceremony is less than a few months away, yet that fool Yobeste couldn’t even keep his own woman in check and went on a rampage before dying.”
With his chin resting on his hand, he scanned everyone in the room with a look of displeasure.
“And at the hands of Alto Bertrand, no less.”
His gaze landed on the head of the Adventurer Guild headquarters.
“I heard he was in Lukart.”
“T-That is…”
“They say it’s darkest under the lamp, but to think he was right under my nose.”
Alto Bertrand.
The meaning of that name was special to the King.
“He dared to refuse my invitation and lived in hiding for five years. Was he residing in Lukart as if to mock me?”
“It seems he simply wished to avoid the spotlight and live a quiet life while doing his job.”
The one playing peacemaker was even more grating; Baragra frowned at Count Dakuus for his nonchalant addition.
However, Count Dakuus, a war veteran himself, met her gaze with a sly, fox-like smile.
His mouth was smiling, but his eyes were not.
Only then did Baragra realize her place and averted her eyes.
Even if Count Dakuus wasn’t a noble of Pasto, she was in no position to oppose him.
“For this Victory Commemoration Ceremony, we intended to gather all the war veterans to establish the Kingdom’s prestige. It was a project the Crown Prince himself planned to execute.”
The Adventurer Guild headquarters, the Carriage Station, the World Central Bank, and the Church’s Council of Elders all already knew what Lukart had done to Alto and what had transpired afterward.
And those reports had long since reached King Biseric Lokan.
“Though he is a National Merit Recipient, he was originally a commoner. According to the reports I received, it didn’t seem like it would be difficult to win him over with even a small reward.”
To the King and the central nobility, bringing Alto Bertrand back seemed much easier than they had expected.
To think he left because he was hurt by the infidelities of the women in his party.
Compared to the record of the ‘Bloodhound’ who rampaged across the battlefield, it was a very trivial and human reason.
For someone who had skipped the Victory Commemoration Ceremony even if offered millions, his reason for leaving was quite underwhelming.
Because of that, the palace’s anger was great.
They underestimated him, thinking the whole matter could have been settled by simply handing Alto Bertrand a few submissive women.
“There must be a traitor who envies the prosperity of our Kingdom.”
At the sudden mention of treason, everyone except Count Dakuus gasped.
“Otherwise, there is no way Lukart would have been left to let such a thing happen.”
“Your Majesty, Lukart has been branded a City of Sin through the strict measures of our three organizations and the Council of Elders. It was a measure taken to realize Your Majesty’s will and hold them accountable…”
Bang!
“Do you take me for a fool?”
Baragra’s excuse only served as kindling for the King’s rage.
“I heard the entire city of Lukart kept it a secret that those wenches in his party didn’t even sleep with Alto Bertrand for five years, instead neglecting him and playing around with other men?”
The King interrogated them, his beard trembling with fury.
And for good reason—Alto Bertrand was an individual that any nation would consider an essential asset.
“The Adventurer Guild failed to manage him properly and allowed it to happen.”
Baragra bowed her head.
“Even if you couldn’t stop his withdrawal, you foolishly transported a war hero to an outside city.”
Isend also bowed his head.
“And you couldn’t even immediately resolve the fact that a war hero was a victim of loan fraud.”
Noane tasted bitterness in her mouth.
“And I heard there was even a priest in that unfaithful party?”
Tisara’s smile vanished.
“You lot are like rebels. Every single one of you is a traitor.”
The Crown Prince had left for Lukart because of this matter—to rule the City of Sin in place of Yarismal Bichante.
The aging King found it difficult to contain his anger over his beloved son leaving him and the fact that the Crown Prince’s work had been interfered with.
“Your Majesty, there is still a glimmer of hope for a resolution.”
“A glimmer? After making such a mess, where on earth is this glimmer of hope?”
As Count Dakuus gave a silly grin, the King’s arrow of anger turned toward him.
However, the Count began to pour out words like a flowing river.
“Despite experiencing such things, Alto Bertrand stepped forward personally to suppress the murderer Yobeste. In other words, it is proof that he is deeply concerned about the Kingdom’s safety and is striving to maintain it. His absence from the Victory Commemoration Ceremony was likely due to the burden and fear of realizing he is a commoner and knowing that such a position was beyond his station.”
“That was a position I personally invited him to.”
“What would a commoner know? He only thinks of what scares him. Just looking at how he lived like a dead mouse in Lukart afterward and couldn’t even say a word to his women while they cheated on him, one can easily guess that he is a timid individual outside of the battlefield.”
The King felt inwardly refreshed to hear a war veteran belittling another war veteran.
On the other hand, Count Dakuus, who was insulting Alto for the sake of survival, had to suppress the irritation rising from a sliver of guilt.
“And there is a matter more important than that.”
“More important? Are you saying there is a matter more important than the Victory Commemoration Ceremony and Alto Bertrand right now?”
That meant it was more important than the affairs of the Palace and the Crown Prince.
As the King raised his eyebrows again, Dakuus quickly continued.
“Do you know the reason why Yobeste settled in the border region?”
“I do not.”
“It is said that a new evil lies dormant there.”
“What?”
Except for those who had been at the scene, this was news to everyone.
“After being abandoned by his family and failing to find solace in the Duchy, Yobeste wished to return to the time of the war when he was at his most glorious. That is why he moved to the border region where evil dwells, intending to stir up and destroy the energy of that area so that the Demons would flourish once again.”
“If those words are a lie, I will not let it slide, Dakuus!”
“Your Majesty. If it weren’t a matter related to the Demons, why would the Bloodhound have stepped forward? Does Your Majesty not know better than anyone else the immense hatred he harbors for the Demons?”
As if.
The King and Alto had almost never met face-to-face.
It was merely flattery to suit the other’s mood.
“In fact, the rank of the Dakuren Dungeon has increased since then. Intelligence suggests that the night air of the Duchy has become more eerie, and variables in magic experiments at the Magic Tower have increased.”
“Yobeste… that bastard…! Just how did those people in the Duchy manage their war veterans!”
The Demons were beings feared by both the Kingdom and the Duchy.
One only had to look at the state the nations were left in after the Final War to know why.
The reason Alto Bertrand was a top-priority asset was so that he could serve as the nation’s weapon to oppose the Demons should they ever appear again.
“Find Alto Bertrand! I heard he came to Hus and then vanished after the Yobeste incident. Dakuus, you shall be responsible for finding him!”
“Your Majesty, do not worry.”
“How can I be calm when there are signs of evil flourishing!”
“Your Majesty, a quest to eliminate that evil has already been issued for the Dakuren Dungeon, and an adventurer party has actually been deployed to carry out that quest.”
“As a war veteran yourself, do you not know better than anyone that an ordinary adventurer party cannot handle it!”
“Of course.”
He grinned openly.
The King, who had been annoyed by the smile, soon quickly read Dakuus’s intention.
“Your Majesty, since it concerns the Demons, I have sent someone who has reached the pinnacle as a party member.”
“Someone who has reached the pinnacle regarding the Demons?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Just how much of a pinnacle has this person reached that you are so confident?”
He had to buy time.
To even begin the sketch of the picture Dakuus wanted, he had to buy time and gather the painting tools within that window.
So, for now, he had to endure even if his stomach turned.
“He is a magnificent hunting dog. One who cannot resist when it comes to Demons.”
It was practically a declaration that he had sent Alto Bertrand.
“Hehehehe, Hahahahaha!”
The King laughed with satisfaction.
He was reminded once again that Dakuus was a noble who had been dedicated to the Palace since before the war.
“Very well, what kind of dungeon quest did you issue?”
“It is nothing much, Your Majesty.”
Now, for the finale.
“I told them to clear the Dakuren Dungeon.”
“Clear the dungeon!”
The elderly King felt strength surging through his body for the first time in a long while.
King Biseric stood up from his seat and shouted boisterously, as if he had returned to twenty years ago.
“If that party clears the Dakuren Dungeon, I shall grant them any fief they desire and immense wealth! And a woman of the royal family! That shall be the reward for the quest!”
“As you wish, Your Majesty.”
This was the spectacle of the royal meeting that took place the day after Rene’s party received the Dakuren Dungeon clear quest.