Episode 109
Ruby misunderstood me. It was also proof of her innocence. I said, trying to suppress my laughter.
“Yes, that’s good. I think I can send you off with peace of mind. You are as clear as the sky.”
“That, that means… … .”
“That’s what Louis de Breyot told me. I had forgotten about it, but it just came to me.”
Ruby wiped her tears with the back of her hand, and Gaius hurriedly ran over and handed her a handkerchief.
He seemed not to be entirely pleased with this whole situation.
Gaius turned to me and asked solemnly.
“What do you think my temperament is?”
“It’s the sky. But there’s a hole in the sky. It’s leaking rain. The rain will stop soon, but someone has to carry the new sky.”
Gaius opened his eyes wide.
My words might have sounded like an insult to the royal family, and I knew it.
After meeting Ruby, I decided to change my plans. I had only intended to support her from afar, but now that we have this connection, I decided to help her wholeheartedly.
I looked straight into Gaius’ eyes and said.
“I must see Your Majesty. And I will tell His Majesty Gaius the truth. You make your own choice.”
* * *
Before meeting King Zenon, I met with Amy to discuss the matter. As always, it wasn’t a fair discussion. I made the decision first, and Amy came up with a strategy to match.
-I have to shake up the royal family of Zenon.
-What are you doing?
-I will diagnose and treat the king.
-You’re not planning on interfering with the issue of succession to the throne, are you?
-If necessary.
-You know that Hebron is a writer, right? No, you know that even a writer can be dangerous, right?
-Do you think I don’t know?
-… … Let’s put our heads together and make a plan. Two is better than one.
After three days of conversation, we decided to meet the king. The schedule was set by the Zeno royal family, and I teleported to the palace using Gaius’ bracelet.
Until recently, he had no intention of actively interfering with the affairs of the royal family of Zeno. He simply planned to take care of the king’s illness and eat some beans.
That was changed by Ruby’s intervention.
‘Because I have confidence.’
As usual, I massaged the King’s body. I drove out the turbid energy that had accumulated in his body, and I repaired the Aura Road that was twisted or blocked.
Even to that extent, the shock to the body could be reduced. However, that was the limit. It was impossible to restore the body that had already been destroyed to its original state even with the intervention of God.
The King groaned throughout the treatment. He had been confident that he was accustomed to pain, but after being removed from the influence of the artifact that erased all unpleasant emotions and sensations, the King had to experience pain as a natural person no different from any other commoner.
‘I guess I can increase the intensity a bit more. I can’t believe I’ve been able to hold out like this. Maybe I’ll live longer than I expected?’
On the one hand, the king, struggling to live a little longer, seemed foolish.
Even if lifespan is extended like this, it doesn’t seem like the rest of life will be completely happy.
After about an hour of treatment, the king collapsed as if he had been exhausted. He barely managed to regain consciousness, but did not call a priest or drink potions as before.
“Thank you for your hard work. After a few days, you will feel more comfortable using your left arm than before.”
The King stared at me, leaning back on his throne, his artifact’s function having been arbitrarily suspended. He was tight-lipped. He was probably afraid to ask himself, ‘How many years do you think I will live?’
“… … It’s probably five years at most, but it’s better to think of it as three years. After that, there’s a high chance that your condition will worsen.”
The king was not alarmed, as he had already heard that it would take three to five years.
Rather, he seemed to welcome the slightly extended period of time.
The king drank the herbal water that the maid had brought him. His cheeks were flushed. It was thanks to the medicine that Raphael, one of the best doctors in Hebron, had prepared for him.
“Your merits are great.”
“It is for Zeno’s sake, Your Majesty.”
“You have revealed Zeno’s future, so I will reward you accordingly.”
It was an unstable reward. If the king died earlier than I expected, I would be held responsible. This was a position where I took such a risk.
“Your Majesty, I am very grateful.”
“I will grant five hundred slaves to the Viscount Louis de Hebron. I will also appoint him commander of Zeno’s southern forces.”
I expected to be rewarded with a countship for my tongue-twisting.
But the bundle of gifts the king presented contained things I had not expected.
‘It’s not enough, but it’s good.’
The five hundred slave soldiers had been promised to Gaius beforehand. As he used the slave soldiers dispatched by the royal family in Hebron, he realized how useful they were as workers.
Along with this, he wanted the title of count, but the king showed him a hidden card called ‘Commander of the South’.
Strictly speaking, it is a gift with both advantages and disadvantages. In the south of Zeno, there are no nobles who can be called absolute.
Although Count Thalia is said to be the one who has the most influence, he focused his efforts on Zeno’s capital, not the south. He tried to advance to the capital and rise as a noble who would assist the king in all matters, big and small.
The Southern Commander, who oversees the southern nobles of Zeno, has been vacant for a long time. That is understandable, since the fall of the kingdom of Antaria, there was no threat to the south of Zeno. The area beyond the southern border had become a wasteland and was useless, so no nobles paid much attention to the south.
For that reason, the nobles of the south were treated as country bumpkins. It was also for this reason that the strongman of the south, Count Thalia, was obsessed with the central government.
“I will protect Zeno by following the divine command!”
The Southern Commander is not a position that a Viscount can hold. It is a royal position that receives orders from the King, and it is an important responsibility to command the nobles of the southern region.
‘I guess that means I should win the title of count for myself.’
Given a force of 500 slaves, there was no noble in the South who could stop me. Even Count Thalia would have difficulty stopping the onslaught of high-class slaves trained in Sardian swordsmanship.
“You said that Trickster might be active again?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The atmosphere of the royal palace, which I visited after a long time, was peaceful. This was because the new appearances of the branded monsters had stopped. There were still monsters that had existed before that I had not been able to hunt, but those that had appeared near the capital had already been dealt with.
This made Pope Harjan feel proud. The evil deeds that sacrificed hundreds of lives were completely forgotten, and Pope Harjan was revered as a hero who saved the world.
The king beckoned to me. His breathing became much smoother, and his complexion improved beyond recognition. The results were so immediate that the king trusted me and entrusted himself to me.
I approached the king, and everyone except a few people went out. Only me, the king, the two knights, and Gaius remained.
“Pope Harjan has confirmed that the Trickster has been completely sealed.”
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“He was wrong. The trickster is not an easy opponent. His Holiness may have already taken the trickster’s reaction into account.”
The corners of King Zeno’s mouth slightly rose. He liked my answer. It was because the power of the Harjan Pope was weakening the power of the king.
“It is said that the vassals of House Breio also expressed the same opinion as Pope Harjan. The same goes for the vassals of the royal family.”
Although the most talented people in the world put their heads together, there was no expert among them who truly knew the trickster.
I knew the Trickster. I experienced firsthand the arrangements he had in store for his daughter Medusia, and I saw myself unable to escape from the palm of his hand.
Even if Haryan’s judgment was correct, now was the time to increase military power. A justification was needed to increase the royal power.
‘I will take responsibility. If a situation arises where I have to take responsibility with my life… … .’
I heard Gaius breathing beside me. He looked at me and the king with anxious eyes.
‘Gaius, you must be my long-term pawn.’
He would start a fight for the throne with Gaius at the forefront. He said he would not die alone.
But it was a last resort.
The biggest beneficiary of the branded monsters was Adolphe de Braiot. As the eldest son of the Duke of Braiot, he personally led the Knights of Braiot and traveled throughout the kingdom, revered as a hero for saving the people from the branded monsters.
‘In contrast, the royal family’s reputation is rather poor.’
The royal family also worked hard to promote themselves, but they were being pushed back by the Haryan Church and the Duke of Braio. There was still a chance to overturn the situation. They had to increase their power when they let their guard down, and then deal with the chaos that came again.
“They don’t know the trickster.”
“Would you risk your life?”
The king asked directly, and I swallowed a sigh and answered. Without that level of determination, it was an issue I could not have gotten involved in in the first place.
“My life was yours from the beginning.”
“Thank you.”
The king was old. Not only physically, but he had lost the vigorous appearance of his youth. Gaius seemed shocked when the king could easily say ‘thank you’.
“Gaius.”
Gaius, who had been half-asleep, quickly straightened up and replied.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“You have a good person by your side. You are very lucky.”
Gaius was not used to the king’s compliments. He blushed, not knowing what to say, and ended up hearing the king click his tongue.
“Go. Shouldn’t I see my children now?”
I looked back at Gaius. He nodded with even more surprise. It seemed like he had prepared an unofficial meeting with the princes. There was no way he would meet the royal blood without any reason. It would be difficult to create such a grand position even if he spent billions of dollars.
The king added his remark.
“Don’t cause trouble.”
“I will serve Zeno.”
Instead of answering, the king simply wiggled his fingers, indicating that he should go out.
Gaius glanced at me as he crossed the hallway.
He smiled awkwardly as if he had forgotten to say something he had wanted to say earlier.
“My brothers wanted to see you. They are waiting in the reception room.”
Gaius led me to a reception room deep in the palace, a secret space not normally used.
‘It’s not like it was completely unexpected.’
As I became more actively involved in the King’s treatment, my position within the royal family expanded even further, to the point of irritating the heirs to the throne.
‘This will make the Haryans keep Hebron in check. The Duke of Breyo will also see Hebron again. Hebron is too weak to use its brains in between them.’
When I arrived at the reception room, three men and two women looked at me.
“His Majesty the Viscount Louis de Hebron, of the noble blood of Zeno.”
* * *
‘It’s no different now than it was then. Now that I’ve seen it in person, I know for sure what the path is for Hebron.’
This was my impression of meeting the next king. I had met him before when he was still a member of the Breyo bloodline, but compared to the current king, he was an extremely ordinary person.
-Who owns you?
-It belongs to Zenon.
-Keep those words in mind.
-Yes, Your Majesty.
The crown prince is only interested in the succession to the throne. He shows no interest in the safety of his people or the uncertain future of Zeno.
If the crown prince had been born into the Breyot Dukedom, the second son would have inherited the power instead.
‘He’s the second son, but he’s not really that great.’
