Chapter 85
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Everything I Say is True
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Narcopeth's face flushed red and purple, as if it might explode.
"Wh-what...?"
"Does the Brad royal code of conduct include a directive to act like an arrogant prick when dispatched as an envoy?"
I approached him and grabbed the reins.
It was such a leisurely movement. His attendants, sensing no threat, didn't try to stop me. The holy light radiating from me probably made them hesitate to step forward.
I leaned in close and spoke softly, just loud enough for Narcopeth to hear.
"Embarrassed to death, huh? This is just a momentary humiliation. You ought to be grateful to me. I'm doing this so you survive—and your men too. Have you lost touch with reality, lounging in the palace? Fake Prince?"
Narcopeth's eyes filled with bewilderment.
Rumble—
A distant bolt of lightning lit up the contours of his face.
'Nice timing.'
Sure enough, when you put in the effort, even the heavens pitch in.
The location was right in front of the castle gate, with only his subordinates as spectators.
I'd seized the initiative, but it wasn't the ideal spot to corner him completely.
I loosened the reins I'd been gripping tightly.
"Holy Knight Kalruk Seid welcomes the Seventh Prince of Brad Kingdom, Narcopeth, to the Sanctuary."
I sauntered forward in a wide-legged swagger, swinging my left arm dramatically. Follow me—
To an outsider, it might have looked like a servant escorting a noble.
"Let's not make a scene here. Come inside and talk."
I tugged the reins and led him inward.
"Wh-where are you... Huh?"
Narcopeth stammered in confusion.
I muttered under my breath with a grin, too quiet for anyone else to hear.
"You've been kidnapped."
Once inside the castle, I raised my hand toward Cruk, then lowered it.
Robin Hood and his band of thieves spotted my signal and lowered their bows. If those guys had loosed their arrows, Fred and I would've been the first to get hit.
I halted in the fortress square, strewn with Lebeck's rock fragments. Right, this was where Ibu had slumbered.
Maybe he was anxious that his own head might end up like those fragments. Narcopeth scratched his head and muttered softly.
"This place isn't suitable for holding talks..."
"It's a most sacred spot. Where the disaster slept—and awoke again. The sanctuary of sanctuaries, you get me?"
I spread my arms wide in exaggeration.
"Ahh, I see. I agree."
Narcopeth forced a smile, mumbling "disaster" and "sanctuary" under his breath.
The guy was probably chilled to the bone right now, so I'd let the awkward grin slide.
Steron and Roginin, who'd been waiting atop the walls, along with Ibu and Hama, came running over.
I waved them off too.
"Fred, stay back at a distance. Everyone else, withdraw. I'm meeting the prince alone."
"Shiba— No, damn— Damn it, Boss! Ibu wanna staaay—!"
Ibu was dragged away, one arm each held by Roginin and Steron. Hey, quit thrashing. Your dress is flapping everywhere.
I'd anticipated Ibu's rebellion.
How clingy must a kid be to their favorite doll?
It hurt my heart, but it was necessary. Ibu would've stood by my side, glaring at Narcopeth like she wanted to devour him.
There's an old saying: Grill your first prey just right, and everything falls into place.
...Or not?
Anyway, Narcopeth was prime game.
Overpressuring a catch that's already hooked can backfire.
"I-I..."
Left alone, the dumbfounded Narcopeth stuttered.
See? The prey was trembling.
Man, he might faint at this rate.
"Can't mistreat a prince and envoy, now can I? The magnanimous and benevolent Holy Knight Captain Kalruk Seid permits close escort for Narcopeth."
With that, I bowed my upper body toward him.
That declaration was for his men anyway. I had separate whispers for Narcopeth.
"But you cool with them overhearing our chat? Seems they don't know you're not the late king's real son. Even if they did, you wouldn't want that fact blared publicly, right?"
Narcopeth's flushed face went deathly pale.
He immediately waved his arms, dismissing his guards.
"You lot, stand by at a distance. I'll confer alone with the Holy Knight Captain."
"Understood."
Good enough situational awareness, at least minimally.
"Well done. Not that you lot could do squat with your skills anyway."
I chuckled pointedly at his escorts.
After his chest heaved and fell several times, Narcopeth let out a long sigh and met my eyes.
"What do you want?"
"Odd question."
More like, wrong question.
He had a knack for reading the room, but his brain wasn't the sharpest.
"You're the ones who came here wanting something."
Narcopeth blinked twice and nodded.
As if steeling himself to say something else, he clenched his jaw.
"I don't know how you learned my weakness, but—"
"That hardly matters, does it?"
Irrelevant chatter, unrelated to intent or purpose, was just trash talk.
A busy Holy Knight like me had no time to get dragged into it.
That was why I cut him off.
"Then..."
Brad's Seventh Prince sighed like a man at wits' end, words failing him.
He'd come with grand ambitions, only to find nothing went his way—and now ensnared in the clutches of a ragtag Holy Knight. The lament of realization. I knew all about it.
Suddenly, my chest felt stuffy.
'Knowing too much is exhausting.'
The Insight Ability was a clear advantage.
But did it hold for an ordinary human like me?
If you're just averagely smart, quick on the uptake, and wise enough, it might seem convenient.
But I was reminded anew: those with an edge in information face challenges as naturally as breathing.
What was obvious truth to me wasn't to others. The disconnect bred misunderstanding's barrier.
"Brad's in the dark about news. Too tiring for a long explanation—let's keep it simple."
"I'm listening."
"As your eyes can see, I'm a Holy Knight. I possess the ability to discern truth from lies. Essential for interrogating and judging heretics... Ahem."
I couldn't finish.
My Insight Ability twitched in my heart at the lie I was spinning.
Figure it out already.
"I get it. Through a Holy Knight's discerning eye, you've pierced my true origins."
Right on.
"But I won't question your status. There's probably a story you can't share. That's outside my interest anyway."
"So you've grasped that I won't exploit it for now."
Narcopeth wasn't the brightest, but he got the point. Note to self.
"Alright then. Speak. What brings Brad's envoy to the Sanctuary?"
Not asking out of ignorance.
Just verifying specifics.
"His Majesty the King—my brother—desires the fortress returned."
"Claiming it's rightfully Brad's territory, right?"
"Indeed."
"A few months after Hellite's Star declared it a Sanctuary, some lucky nobodies snatched it up. That the thinking?"
I propped my chin on my index finger, squinting sideways. Bet this looks cute.
Narcopeth glanced away.
Cocky from his status, but at least he knew shame.
Staring at a small rock fragment, Narcopeth spoke.
"His Majesty is magnanimous. If you have nowhere else, he could accept you as subjects. Manage this place and pay taxes, and he'd preserve your rights. You'd be lord of the castle."
"Clever king. Don't you think? You'd agree."
"Having outmaneuvered his other brothers for the throne, he's certainly..."
I raised a hand, cutting Narcopeth off.
No interest in messy family drama or dirty succession squabbles.
"You probably flattered him, calling it a great idea. But can't offer real advice, huh?"
Narcopeth narrowed his eyes at me.
Worldly-wise, but not truly sharp.
"Hey. Didn't I already explain what that rock you're sitting on is?"
He stared blankly, as if asking what I meant.
His eyes brimmed with fear he didn't comprehend the source of.
This is why dimwits are trouble.
Have to spell everything out.
The world is vast, and fools are plentiful.
Didn't realize there were so many dumber than me, though.
"I'm the one who awakened the disaster—and made it an ally."
Narcopeth's eyes widened.
Finally realizing the fear's origin.
"We're the ones who cleared out a horde of ogres."
I straightened my bowed posture.
Narcopeth's face, forgetting to breathe, turned ashen.
"What do you demand of people like us? Allegiance? Taxes? Aren't you deluded? Brad's army might've handled the ogres—at great cost to you. But you didn't. Once the ogres were gone, you'd face a bigger foe. Fiore right on the border again. Just Fiore? You abandoned this place out of fear of Hellite and the disaster. And now you lot say what?"
"That's—"
As Narcopeth tried to retort, I raised a hand to silence him.
"Hear me out. You planned to swallow the fortress whole if push came to shove. Handing over me—your main target, Kalruk—to Hellite for atonement. Or sweet-talk me into blocking Fiore while squeezing taxes."
Narcopeth tilted his jaw, blinking.
'Prince my ass—this guy's a total fool.'
Impressive he's survived this long.
Narcopeth seemed to weigh the plausibility of my words.
They say plausibility is for dogs.
Damn, pissing me off now.
Firefighter Kim Jang-gun becoming Holy Knight Kalruk Seid nuked plausibility from the start.
'Or maybe not? Was it the Star's prepared plausibility?'
I vented my frustration and stuffiness on Narcopeth.
"You demand tribute from me—after I handled a headache even your army couldn't—on top of no reward?"
"Not tribute, but—"
"What else is it? Trying to freeload off what I earned with my power—what I possess?"
"Ah, well..."
Not brilliant, but not stupid. Quick enough, but not lightning.
'Average human.'
Arrogant on status, yet prudent in unfamiliar fear.
"Now you see your brother's scheme as king, right? Everything I say is true."
Throughout, my heart stayed calm.
Insight Ability certified true! True! True!
It's true, damn it!
"And one more thing I can tell you."
"What?"
Narcopeth looked up.
His eyes trembled like a monk's enlightenment.
"The Brad King planned to use you as a scapegoat."
"Hmm..."
I expected outrage, but Narcopeth just hummed thoughtfully.
Not clever, but no fool.
Should I ease this middling fool's pondering?
"You got thrown under the bus."
Man, you're the sacrificial knife.