The Returned Sword King Decided to Become a Tyrant Episode 15
To change the future (4)
As soon as they returned to the palace, the one they called was George, who had stayed behind to gather information.
I was curious to know what information you had found out since you treated the guy’s mother, and I also had personal business to attend to.
dripping-
“Come in.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, George came in, giving off an air of annoyance.
As expected, his attitude had not changed.
As soon as he entered the office, the guy pushed up his glasses and said.
“You look different than before.”
It’s like catching clouds in the sky, saying that the first words you say when you meet someone after a long time are different.
When I looked at him with eyes that seemed to say I couldn’t understand, he shrugged and added some more explanation.
“It is said that the prayers that His Majesty feels have changed.”
“Can you even know that?”
“I’m only half joking. Before, it felt like a wild beast, but now it feels like a predator waiting for its prey.”
“Hoo.”
Should I say it’s unconscious?
Actually, after absorbing the magic power from the hideout, I was able to take more actions.
It was part of an attempt to extract information from assassins who would have been killed without question or inquiry.
‘Of course I had no intention of being tolerant.’
I wasn’t soft enough to forgive those who tried to take my life.
However, it is true that I was lenient in the process of handling this.
“It seems you have an eye for seeing.”
Should we really call him the future chief of staff? … … .
I’m already starting to wonder how much help the information he’s gathered will be.
My thoughts were revealed from the corners of my lips slowly rising.
“Then let’s start reporting slowly.”
“yes.”
Then, the guy took out a document he had been hiding in his bosom.
It was a single sheet of notepad with some rough scribbling on it.
“I have confirmed that some nobles are swaying public opinion toward His Majesty.”
“I guess so.”
“There are twelve confirmed cases. Suspiciously, six of them were nobles who had no major connections with Asus, the cause of the public opinion turning sour.”
At this point, there are seven nobles who have joined Asus.
There are six, excluding Viscount Onoreo, whom I killed and eliminated.
The six nobles that George did not mention were inevitably the remnants of Asus.
I nodded and started reading the note the guy had written.
– Around 16:00 on May 10th. The Count of Balmons’s servant spreads a false rumor among the palace servants.
– Around 5pm. The attendant had a secret meeting with Count Lucinz’s subordinate outside the palace.
– They exchanged suspicious letters. After that, they left their seats after a 10-minute gap.
– Around 11 o’clock on May 11th… … .
The contents were arranged in chronological order throughout.
It was noticeable that the investigation was focused on forces that were worsening public opinion, and whether the order was faithfully carried out.
The first thought that came to my mind was this.
“Your handwriting is bad.”
“I remember that His Majesty was no pushover either.”
“I won’t deny that.”
It’s bad handwriting anyway.
Although he didn’t show it, the notepad he was handed was not very satisfactory.
Rather, it is a subtle level.
Because this level of research is something that anyone can do.
‘Did I expect too much?’
If you think about it, the content was somewhat disappointing.
How on earth does a new aide who just entered the palace bring the information he wants?
This was especially true when it came to investigating nobles.
‘Still, this is enough evidence.’
I leaned back against the backrest and put my feet up on the desk.
The second notepad was handed over next.
“… … This is?”
“We have questioned the relationship between the six nobles and are conducting further investigations.”
“Hmm.”
Well, what I originally hoped for was to combine my knowledge and draw out information. That was exactly it.
I took the notepad and started reading it with my expectations as low as possible.
and.
“Haha, hahaha!”
The moment I read the first line, I couldn’t help but laugh.
Because it’s so different from what you expected?
Is it because the level of investigation is so pathetic that it doesn’t even bring back memories of how it was before the regression?
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no.
-The six nobles were not normally on friendly terms, but they had something in common.
-The fact that everyone owns an iron mine in their own name and supplies it to a specific trading company in the capital.
-To confirm this fact, infiltrate the company and steal the ledgers.
I could express it in just one word.
“That crazy guy.”
I’m not in my right mind.
Are you saying that you can sneak in there and get information?
Even if the method is secondary, it won’t be something to be taken lightly if caught.
“He said that any method could be used, but he didn’t say anything like “empty the ledger.”
“We had no choice but to do so in order to conduct the investigation.”
I admit it.
I was wrong.
No matter how young and inexperienced he may be, he was a staff member of the Carrot Federation Empire.
There was still too much I didn’t know about him to judge him by my own judgment.
‘They are doing this just because they are supplying goods to the same company… … .’
An eye for reading the flow.
There must have been some intuition and confidence in that process that I didn’t know about.
Thanks to that, the corners of my mouth didn’t even think about lowering as I read the following content.
-After reviewing the contents of the ledger, we are certain that the iron ore is in the hands of a certain noble.
-Perhaps they didn’t want anyone to know about the flow of goods.
-However, since the main ledger was not acquired and all subsequent traces were erased, further tracking was impossible.
The page was torn off at the end of that sentence.
But this was enough. I knew it without reading the rest.
“Wow, that’s great. Thanks to you, I have confidence.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’m talking about the identity of the force that is trying to oppose me.”
I have already organized the dynamics of the nobles based on memories from before the return.
A relationship that takes into account all the factors that no one knows at this point, such as politics, business, geography, etc.
Didn’t you say that if you had a little bit of evidence, you would be sure?
Given the evidence right in front of me, it would have been foolish to act cautiously.
That’s why a cold smile suddenly appeared on my face.
‘Duke William. Are you after the throne this time?’
Duke William, the maternal grandfather of the second prince, was the one below all others and the highest of all men before Asus ascended to the throne.
Unlike before his return, when he had a solid position as the crown prince thanks to the central figure called Asus, this time he seemed to be trying to take advantage of the gap and do something foolish.
I relaxedly waved my arms and enjoyed the moment.
‘That’s interesting.’
By now you should have heard that the assassination attempt failed.
It must have been long-awaited news, but I couldn’t help but feel regret.
Perhaps, given his personality, the Duke’s family’s belongings would not have remained.
‘It’s only natural that they would have taken action to silence him.’
It was safe to say that there was no need to think about the Assassins’ Guild any longer.
While I was thinking like that, George with a frown on his face asked a question.
“Are you saying that you figured out the nobles’ backers just by looking at this content?”
“hmm.”
“… … .”
But he still looks unconvinced.
Or maybe he thought I was bluffing.
In this field, I was probably more confident than anyone else.
“Your investigation direction was not wrong. The information you brought back was quite useful.”
“I guess so.”
“But in the end, we couldn’t tie up the knot. Why do you think that is?”
There must have been some obstacles preventing information gathering.
It could be a lack of manpower, or perhaps class barriers have limited one’s range of action.
But that was just an excuse to cover up my own shortcomings.
“How much do you know about the relationships between the Esteban nobles?”
“… … .”
“The six nobles are not related to Asus? Then what do you think is the reason?”
“……that.”
“It’s a simple reason. It’s not that they’re not related, but that they couldn’t get close to Asus, the center of the King’s faction.”
The most basic thing about gathering information is how diverse your knowledge is.
To some it is decisive evidence, to others it is trivial gossip that can be overlooked…
This is literally the realm of ‘basics’.
But what about George’s case?
Although it was located in the countryside, I was able to gather a lot of information while working at the store.
I was also well aware of my ability to grasp the flow, so I was able to confidently penetrate the core while carrying out this task.
But that’s just it.
“You are only certain of what you see. You could say that it obscured your vision.”
What if he had just done a little bit of basic research beforehand?
You will inevitably notice the opposition forces that have been unable to get close to Asus.
Naturally, at the end of it all, it would have been pointed out that the roots of the six nobles extend from the Duke William’s family long ago.
The fact that I blindly trusted my own abilities and made mistakes that even beginners wouldn’t make.
That was why George’s weapon turned into a weakness.
“Every situation has an intention. And information always has an axis running through it. Do you now understand why I ordered you to collect information?”
“… … I understand.”
“Good.”
I raised the corners of my mouth as I put the notepads in the drawer.
This will probably be a positive experience for the guy too.
I will work even harder to rebuild my broken self-esteem.
It was like killing two birds with one stone, as I was able to gain the experience I was looking for and learn about new enemies.
“That’s enough reporting, so go out and see.”
“All right.”
“Until further instructions are given, you will be taught under the Baron.”
“Yes. Okay, that’s it.”
Clank-
“You look agitated.”
With that, George left the office with a look of realization on his face.
It wasn’t an illusion that the gaze looking at me had slightly retreated.
“Well, I’ll take care of it, so don’t worry… … .”
Now it was time to take care of personal business.
I took out the ring that I had kept carefully in my pocket.
It was the ring that Baron Vidor had found in his hideout.
Woof-
“Huh?”
A guy who releases hidden magical powers that are scary to pick up.
Is this a form of self-protection?
Although it didn’t damage his body because it was protected by aura, I was intrigued by the more intense reaction than I had expected.
“I guess this is an ancient artifact.”
If you were to choose the most precious artifact, the artifacts of the ancient wizards would naturally be the best.
Not only is its performance lacking, but because it is such an ancient object, its discovery itself is a rare case.
Perhaps it was an item arranged by the warlocks for research.
“You were lucky.”
Of course, if you were to ask whether ancient artifacts were unconditionally good, that would not be the case.
On the contrary, in many cases, their performance was significantly lower than that of modern ones, and in the case of artifacts known to have good performance, they were expensive and rare, making it difficult even for nobles to view them.
And in that sense, this artifact was off the rails.
“Magic imprint.”
A magical seal so named because, when activated, it is absorbed into the body and strengthens the user.
It not only restores the user’s condition, but also improves overall physical abilities.
A performance that can be said to be subtle in some ways.
However, the best advantage of magic engraving was the convenience of not having to bother activating it since it automatically absorbed mana in the air.
And this was a great advantage that was worth using even if it meant enduring the absurdity of not being very effective.
“… … Of course, that’s the story now.”
I looked at the ring and smiled faintly.
An artifact for great magic defense.
The magic engraving was an item whose true value was revealed by a wizard about ten years later.
To be exact, a method to activate a complete ‘imprint’ has been discovered…
Until then, they were nothing more or less than convenient artifacts, and most of them were treated so insignificantly that they were consumed for the research of magicians.
‘In the end, even I was unable to obtain the magic seal of the highest quality until the very end.’
I chuckled and grabbed the ring.
Looking at the transparency of the black beads, it is at least a high-quality item.
I’ll have to check it out later to find out more details, but at this point, there’s no harm in using it right away.
If you really don’t like it, you can just undo the imprint.
Swish-
I slipped the ring onto my right index finger and wiggled my fingers.
A sort of signal to begin when you’re ready.
Fortunately, the artifact seemed to understand the user’s intentions.
Woohoo-
The mana in the air began to be absorbed around the ring.
Activation has begun.
“Oh, indeed.”
Although they called it activation in a grandiose way, in reality it wasn’t even a process.
All that was visible was the mana absorbed from the atmosphere seeping into the forearm, and at best, the only thing visible was a translucent shape of the mana being absorbed into the forearm.
… … Unfortunately, that really was the end.
“Is this literally a dragon head snake tail?”
The mana that entered my body moved organically and soon enveloped my entire body.
Normally you would think that the activation was over at this point, but the real start was from now on.
Because I haven’t activated the ‘complete’ imprint yet.
Where then… … .
I held the highest grade magic stone I had prepared in advance to my forearm.
Then he began to tighten his grip, muttering a simple command to activate the imprint.
“Engrave it.”
Clang!
The mana flowing from the magic stone began to cover the forearm that had absorbed the ring’s energy.
If the absorption of manners was the process of making a path, now was the stage of applying a magical coating like tattooing on top of it.
And the pain was worse than burning skin.
“It’s hot.”
There was no way that sending magic power through the skin would not feel painful.
But for me, who had already reached the level of a superhuman, it just felt like a sting.
So, I sipped the teacup on the desk and waited for the process to end.
After a while.
-ping!
The ring crumbled into thin air, finally ending all activation.
A white light of mana was gently swirling over the geometric tattoos on his forearm, and the instructions on how to use the artifact were naturally flowing into his head.
This black tattoo was the true form of the magic seal.
… … Let’s see where.
My right hand naturally went to the magic tool in the room.
Then, I felt a slight tingling sensation, and the mana flowing through my magic tool suddenly became cloudy.
I nodded calmly, looking at the powerful magical power I felt in my arm.
“I’m satisfied because the rating is high.”
Magic interference.
It was a unique ability of the magic engraving that could temporarily disperse the target’s magic power by consuming the magic power accumulated in the tattoo.
In other words, it meant that magical tools such as artifacts could be neutralized.
But that doesn’t explain everything about this artifact.
As you absorb the magical power in the air, your rate of assimilation with the imprint will increase, and if you reach a certain level of synchronization, you will gain greater power.
A power that is incomparable to such a temporary disruption of magical power… … .
“There are new things to take care of.”
Swish-
Before I knew it, my gaze was turned to the calendar hanging in the office.
There are four days left until the Federal Empire’s delegation arrives.
“Just wait.”
Not only the Federation Empire and Asus’ gang, but also the internal enemies who dared to assassinate me.
Now it was time to fully reveal the tyrant’s actions.
