Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: The Hidden Truth About Als from King Parain
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The hidden truth about Als that I learned from King Parain.
I couldn't help but be shocked.
‘To think Als had such a hidden backstory.’
I’d vaguely known he wasn’t just a simple extra, but the story I heard went far beyond that level. It was explosive content that could form the core of the entire plot.
‘That explains one thing, at least.’
It was the major incident Ymir caused toward the story’s end. The event where Als was branded a traitor and met his ruin.
Ymir’s failed assassination attempt on the protagonist.
‘But if that’s the case…’
The story gets complicated. The very foundation of the plot I knew starts to crumble.
It throws into doubt whether Als was truly on the protagonist’s side.
‘The possibility that Als really was the traitor becomes all too real.’
It took quite a while to sort through this tangled mess of thoughts.
‘It’s too soon to jump to conclusions. There’s definitely more I don’t know.’
I needed to gather more information on this point.
And there was one more thing.
It concerned the Seven Retainers.
The meaning of those seven could flip entirely depending on whether Als was a traitor or not.
I’d been operating under one major assumption about them.
That they would stand by Als’s side unwaveringly, no matter the situation.
‘But what if Als really is the traitor?’
Then the odds were high that one of those seven was another betrayer, working with Als to trap the protagonist.
Or, conversely, if we assume Als isn’t the traitor, then one of them could be a spy planted to monitor him. Given Als’s hidden identity, that would make perfect sense.
Either way, my vague trust in the Seven Retainers had shattered.
‘For now, I can trust my master. I have to.’
But what about the other six?
I had no choice but to suspect Lutger Rosenberg, whom I was set to meet in just a few days.
Lutger was the type to act blindly for his frail daughter, but he might have another agenda.
And with the situation unfolding like this, one person’s standing naturally rose.
“Eo.”
“Yes? What is it?”
She replied with her usual pure, unmasked expression.
‘Eo is trustworthy. No matter what.’
The fact that I’d been able to acquire her in the first place had been unexpected. There was no way Juras had intentionally lost that chess match.
“I trust you. I’m always grateful.”
“…!?”
Eo stammered for a moment before breaking into a wide, goofy grin.
“The honor is all mine to serve you!”
If this was all an act, I decided to fall for it hook, line, and sinker.
*
*
*
After my audience with King Parain, I turned my mount toward Rainpole.
The meeting with Lutger Rosenberg. With things as they were, I couldn’t trust him completely, but that only made me want to meet him face-to-face all the more.
I stayed the night in Croschon and planned to depart for Rainpole the next morning, but Eo approached me hesitantly.
“Um… Lord Als. There’s one favor I’d like to ask.”
“Speak freely. What is it?”
“Could you grant me about a week’s leave? There are people I want to see in Crossing.”
She meant the citizens of the Kurabel Theocracy, destroyed by Crossing. Most had been enslaved, and Eo wanted to check on their living conditions.
“If that’s all, sure. But I’m a bit worried about sending you alone.”
It was within Crossing’s territory, so I considered assigning Anton, who had newly pledged loyalty to me, but Eo clearly wasn’t thrilled at the idea.
“Ymir, go with her. I’ll take Anton.”
“But young master.”
I shook my head at Ymir, who looked ready to protest that Anton couldn’t be trusted yet.
“That’s exactly why I want to spend time with him. If Crossing meant to do me harm, my head would already be on a pike.”
“Understood…”
With Ymir along, Eo’s troublemaking tendencies would at least be somewhat covered.
I set off for Rainpole at Crossing’s southern edge with Anton.
*
*
*
Rainpole, a mid-sized city of 140,000 souls.
140,000 was a decent size, but it had no lord yet.
It was a border dispute zone between Crossing and Caliper.
“You’re here. …Wade.”
My master calmly switched names upon spotting Anton beside me.
“It’s fine, Master. This man knows my true identity too.”
“The Red Knight? Good grief… what in the world happened in the capital?”
When I explained about King Parain, my master nodded.
“So that’s what King Parain had in mind. His methods are extreme, but he’s thinking of the continent’s future.”
“You sound like you get it.”
“After living in Crossing, I see it. This nation isn’t the rotten hellhole others make it out to be. I understand why it’s a great power.”
“Yes, I was surprised by Crossing’s cities too. The governance is impressively solid.”
“Exactly. It’s a cycle: from the people to the state, and back to the people. That structure is well-established here.”
“Because there are no nobles.”
When nobles stand in the middle, they skim taxes from the locals first. If they used those taxes properly to benefit the people, it’d be ideal local autonomy, but most nobles don’t.
They fill their own pockets first, pay their dues to the state, and little trickles down to the locals.
“Plus, Crossing’s slave system makes labor absurdly cheap. They channel the wealth from that cheap labor back into the people under state direction. No wonder it’s a powerhouse.”
Of course, this system could collapse in an instant.
It held together only because King Parain was doing right by them. If a selfish king took the throne, Crossing could crumble overnight.
And despite adopting a republic, its republican institutions were mere window dressing. It was a kingdom in all but name. That raised the risk of a noble system reviving at the slightest spark.
“That’s probably why Crossing’s succession is so messy. You know it too, Als—until just a few years ago, that Juras Pamilion was first in line for the throne.”
“King Parain couldn’t find a suitable heir among his own children?”
“Likely. But that’s changed now. He passed succession rights to his youngest prince. Rumors say it’s all fabricated since the kid’s identity is so shrouded in mystery, but…”
“Hmm.”
I glanced at Anton, half-expecting something. He smiled.
“It’s no fabrication. The prince who received succession rights exists. He’s thirteen now. You’ll meet him someday, Lord Als.”
“I see.”
My master, suddenly mindful of Anton’s presence, caught himself.
“Oh dear, I got carried away talking and forgot our guest. Please, come in.”
“No mind at all. Your insights were enlightening—like my mind was being pried open.”
Following my master’s lead, I entered the temporary lodging prepared within the mercenary guild. I planned to link up with Lutger that night, and until then, handle transferring to Rainpole’s intermediate academy and securing a mansion.
With my Crossing connections stronger than expected, I felt the need for a new base.
For instance, bringing Anton to our territory could stir up noise. My master had been operating solely in Crossing lately too.
In that sense, Rainpole—on the border between Crossing and Caliper—was the perfect outpost.
Finding a mansion took longer than expected.
Rainpole had boomed recently, driving up prices.
Drawing on modern memories, I snapped up a two-story grand mansion with land for 10 million silan.
If Rainpole kept growing into a new city, I could flip it for triple that.
By the time I’d secured the place, night had fallen.
I was a bit tired and considered postponing the Lutger meet, but my master had apparently tipped him off about my arrival. Lutger barged straight into the guild lodging.
“Let me see him!”
He was a slender middle-aged man, mid-forties, but his face was shadowed by heavy worry.
My master looked troubled as he tried to calm him.
“Please wait just a bit longer. We have our circumstances too.”
“Consider our side as well. It’s been a whole month here already. I can’t wait any longer! Please, let me see him!”
He seemed afraid I’d vanish like a ghost. Fair enough—Wade had that reputation among people.
With just a gray helm, anyone could impersonate him, so fake Wades were everywhere. By rumor alone, he rivaled Hong Gildong in elusiveness.
“…I’m right here.”
Once I donned the helm, Lutger’s eyes bulged. His attendants, George and Ings, signaled that it was indeed the voice they’d heard.
“You’re… you’re the Wade who shone in the Three Lions War?”
“And who might you be?”
“Lutger Rosenberg. I heard you knew my name, but apparently not.”
“Well, I know the name. The Jade Rosenberg. The Iron Fortress Rosenberg. Pretty famous.”
Perhaps because we met earlier than in the game, he didn’t match the illustration I remembered. There, he was a white-haired old man; now, he looked age-appropriate.
“So? Why did you want to meet me?”
“Don’t play coy. You treated my daughter.”
“Did I? I don’t recall every little thing.”
“A little thing… Maybe to you. But to me, it turned my world upside down. It’s the first time her condition ever improved. Those hateful boils started subsiding thanks to you.”
“Ah, vaguely coming back now. The patient covered in huge boils all over, right? You brought her here?”
“Of course.”
“Shall we check her progress, then?”
“I’ll fetch her right away!”
Lutger rushed off excitedly and soon returned with Estelle, her form hidden under a voluminous cloak.
He pulled it back, revealing her. Even my battle-hardened master winced for a moment.
‘Still, she’s much improved.’
Compared to when I mistook her for a drowned corpse, she at least looked human now. Bald from scalp boils, scarred with boils across her body—it was eerie—but her features were clear.
“Much better.”
My master recoiled at my words, as if to say, ‘This is much better…?’
Lutger, meanwhile, nodded vigorously.
“Yes. Night and day from before. She can even take walks on her own now.”
Estelle stared at me with eyes tinged in fear.
“Well, that’s good enough. Keep at it and live on.”
As I turned to leave, Lutger jumped like he’d been struck by lightning.
“What’s that supposed to mean!”
“What? You asked me to check the patient, so I did. Since I treated her before, I checked progress.”
“But the disease isn’t cured!”
“So?”
“So…!”
“Are you asking me to cure it?”
“Of course!”
“Ha!”
This was a power play.
With my blind trust in the Seven Retainers broken, I needed to redefine our relationship.
Before, I’d planned to gather them and have them pledge to the protagonist in the end. Now was different.
‘I need to secure their firm loyalty to me first.’
So I seized control thoroughly.
“Why should I? I’m not a doctor. If you’re saying I should sacrifice for a patient, you’ve got the wrong guy.”
“I-I’ll pay!”
“How much? Curing it fully will take at least a year, roughly. Can you pay for that whole time?”
“I wouldn’t assume it’s impossible.”
“Funny. For reference, Crossing paid me 40 million silan for one month. That’s 480 million for a year. Can you swing that?”
“480 million…!”
Lutger, who’d surrendered his fief, had no way to muster that.
“And crucially, you’re from Albad Kingdom. A nation at odds with me.”
“You mean I might return to Albad and resume hostilities once my daughter’s healed?”
“Possible.”
“I swear it. I’ll never go back to Albad. I’ve already forsaken my title and lands. The king denied my resignation, so I technically hold them, but I have no intention of returning.”
George and Ings glared in shock.
“But those two behind you don’t seem to agree.”
“I’ll convince them. And I’ll scrape together the funds somehow. Please. Heal my daughter.”
“…”
“I beg you!”
Thud! Lutger prostrated himself, forehead to the floor.
“If you still see me as a threat, fine. Cut off my arms so I can’t harm you! Hack off my legs! Rip out my tongue! As long as I have eyes to see my daughter heal, I don’t care!”
Estelle burst into sobs, tears streaming like chicken droppings.
I felt like the villain here.
“Wade, why not invite Lord Lutger to join us instead? Then you could monitor her condition up close. And on the money side, we could cut him some slack if he works under you.”
My master, pitying the father and daughter, offered the perfect assist.
Pretending reluctance, I turned to Lutger.
“Sigh… Fine, but there’s a condition.”
“Name it!”
“First, have those two step out?”
George and Ings hesitated, but obeyed Lutger’s order, leaving with sour faces.
“The condition is simple, Lutger Rosenberg. Pledge loyalty to me. Swear to draw your sword against your homeland Albad and serve under me. Show that resolve, and I’ll start treating her without any payment.”
“…”
A brief silence. Lutger nodded firmly.
“Gladly.”
“Heh. Good. Then let’s get down to business.”