Chapter 79

“Scour.”
The ordered guards scattered in unison. They ran, trampling on rugs as fine as the royal carpet. The manor’s hired hands dropped like cattle.
“You can’t do this, Your Majesty!”
Count Bedelov sank to his knees, desperately pleading his case. Adrian, on the other hand, could only stare down at my barge with cold eyes.
The Count hastily removed his grip on Adrian. If he clung to him any longer, he would slit his wrists. The prince’s temper had always been fierce, and he didn’t know what he would do.
But we couldn’t just sit on our hands.
“What a bunch of bullshit house arrests!
Dangerous. There were too many things in the mansion that could not be shown to the royal family. It was a matter of degree, because no nobleman was completely innocent.
‘If it’s found out…….’
Political lives are at stake. Call it a clique, but not everyone in the clique is on the same page. There are plenty of people who will bite you if you make a dent.
You have to stop it somehow.
“What on earth do you mean by that…! You may be a member of the royal family, but even in a relationship with a military god, there are certain boundaries that must be observed. Is your majesty aware of this matter?”
“That’s a lot of noise.”
Adrian didn’t even bother to listen.
“There was an accusation, and I took it seriously.”
“Go, an accusation. I don’t know the details, but it’s an accusation. How dare you!”
“Why, are you going to retaliate if you find out?”
He snorted.
“Wait and see, if you are upright, nothing will come of it. If you are found innocent, I will bring your accuser to kneel before you. I, too, will apologize from the bottom of my heart.”
Having said that, Adrian followed the guards into the manor, his demeanor stern and unwilling to accept any further argument.
“Damn it!
Count Bedelov stared at the prince’s back and clenched his fists.
I had to think of the following numbers News would quickly spread through the nobility. The nobles of the Mountain Clan, fearing their turn, will hide their books and protest to the crown.
Today is the last time Adrian will be allowed to act like a bully. Unless there is evidence of treason, his current behavior is reprehensible, no matter how well it is dressed up.
The situation itself is not bad, but…….
“I’m the shield.
This is why I can only pray. That only the lightest possible offense would be found.
The search was meticulous.
“The list of vassals is quite thick.”
Adrian patted the stack of papers he’d been handed.
“The Earl must have a lot of connections, because he’s hired this many people in less than a year, which is a far cry from when he reported last year.”
“That, that’s…….”
“The numbers are way over the norm. For some reason, it was necessary to raise troops on short notice…. I have my suspicions.”
His eyes flashed with ferocity.
“You’re going to war.”
“No way!”
“If so, explain.”
“We’ve actually been reorganizing the Knights… and we’ve had to rewrite the roster a couple times because there’s been so much turnover and so much detail.”
“This list is wrong?”
Count Bedelov’s head is spinning. He’d be found out if he investigated, and spouting lies would only invite more Chapter.
“It looks like there was a mistake in the paperwork you submitted at …….”
“You’re saying I made a false report.”
The Count narrowed his eyes. Not only would he be fined heavily, but his hard-earned knighthood would be forcibly disbanded. That alone was enough to make him bleed.
But that was a minor sin compared to the next one.
“Count, let’s see if you can excuse these, too.”
A chapel built on the grounds of a mansion. Explosives were found in a shed used to store cleaning supplies. Piles of plastic bombs were stacked in cloth-covered boxes.
That wasn’t all.
Ting, ting!
A misshapen creature banged its head against an iron cage. A miniature chimera, a cross between a meinrat and a pigeon. It was similar to the creature Adrian had seen.
“Have you nothing to say?”
“Heh, heh!”
Adrian lifted the cage and held it in front of his eyes, and the Count snapped his hip. The chimera’s fluids splashed over the bars. Its crimson eyeballs scattered the light in the darkened room.
“Well, something is wrong.”
“Of course not. You didn’t expect to get caught.”
“I don’t know about that!”
The earl clung to Adrian’s feet as he paced the ground.
“It’s a trap. I swear, I never let these, these things into the mansion.”
“Who are you saying framed the Count?”
“Yes, it certainly is. The truth must be revealed, please, Your Majesty…!”
He was really frustrated.
There were other things I wanted to keep hidden. For example, the slaves he kept in the basement, but it was the bombs and chimeras that were discovered.
You’ve seen them. They are ‘gifts’ from the Legion. But as I said, I didn’t bring them into the manor. They were not meant to be here.
More importantly, it seemed to be a little different.
Among the weapons the Count received were explosives, but mostly firearms. The mutants also differed in appearance from one another.
The Count sensed the malice of others. He realized that someone unknown was targeting him, which is why he was able to shout “Injustice” without any shame.
“Hmm.”
Adrian seemed to ponder for a moment. But in the end, his conclusion was far from the Count’s expectations.
“The Count would know better than anyone.”
He looked at me like I was a bug.
“Even if it’s actually a hoax, it doesn’t change anything.”
There is no way to prove your innocence. Time is not given. Count Bedelov has excluded several enemies in a similar fashion.
The Count slowly dropped his head, and then a voice spoke.
“I could have the Earl executed here and now for treason. But I don’t want him to go out in a blaze of glory, after all, he’s been a longtime supporter of the crown.”
“I, Your Highness……!”
The earl’s complexion brightened markedly as he lifted his head again and looked up at Adrian. But there was not a trace of compassion in the prince’s expression.
“I’ll give you a choice.”
Adrian said, as if issuing an ultimatum.
“Tell me everything. What you’re up to, in places I don’t know about.”
* * *
A deserted nighttime street.
Kim fiddled with her hair as she walked down the street. It felt awkward. The horns swayed slightly with every movement, and it was annoying.
“I don’t even accessorize, and you’re wearing all these horns.
These are not the actual horns of the Pecatum. It’s just a rough approximation of one. It’s a crude object that’s easily seen up close, but it’s quite useful at night.
‘Because it’s annoying if you get into a fight.
The return of Ainoa may have lightened the mood somewhat, but Minos is Minos. Discrimination remains. It’s funny how a prank like this gives you the freedom to act.
I walked into an alleyway and saw drunks and homeless people lying around. There are no security cameras. In Bastitera, even the most prosperous capital city has its fair share of crime.
Criminals are arrested every day, but the placenta is just one of them.
There are gems among criminals.
“I heard. They took care of it.”
“Yes, because it’s work.”
“You broke in without being seen.”
“Whatever, haha….”
The Castus boy, who looked like a middle schooler, smirked. Kim grinned back and tossed him a pouch. The boy opened the pouch and gulped.
“You’re giving me this much? That seems like more than the promised balance.”
“I put some more in, because I liked the way things were going.”
“Oh, thank you…!”
“Don’t get caught bragging.”
“Well, I guess so.”
Someone saw him and hastily hid him in his arms. No matter how you look at it, it was an innocent youth. But I couldn’t just look at him with a smile on my face.
‘You’ve got the wrong number of shoots.
A character who would not appear until three years later. When the civil war broke out, he left the country and joined a large mafia organization. Despite being an outsider, he quickly rises to the top of the organization.
Currently, Bastitera is overrun with these characters.
“He’s not an important character, but whatever.
There’s no reason to leave a rolling gem alone.
“You don’t need a job, do you?”
He’s a bit of a drag to bring into Dustborn, but that’s okay. Introduce him to Kushan, and he’ll make good use of him. He’s got a good eye for people.
“Anyway, that’s the end of the hassle.
It’s time to watch the transformation.
* * *
One by one, the nobles entered the inner dining hall. The number of chairs prepared was fourteen. Thirteen people were invited to the banquet, not including the host, who would be seated at the head table.
“What a surprise, a dinner party, what a whirlwind.”
“You’re right. His Majesty needs to grow up.”
“Well, well, well, don’t complain too much.”
Marquis Genned looked around.
“These are all familiar faces. The king has finally realized. that the military’s support alone is not enough to run the country.”
“Haha, I’m glad to hear that.”
They were all nobles categorized as mountainous. A faction that had an uneasy, if not confrontational, relationship with the prince. And yet, why did he invite them?
‘I heard that the guards were at Bedelov’s mansion, and I wondered what had happened… but it seems that no one was punished.
No nobleman is dust-free. Even the worst of them would have been caught tax evading or embezzling. And yet, the prince turns a blind eye.
The intent is clear.
‘Does he mean to make a connection with the Earl, and thus establish communion.
It’s no secret that the prince finds Princess Ainoa to be an eyesore. She’s been causing trouble lately, bringing Minos with her, and he’s determined to keep her out of his life.
‘You’re surprisingly sneaky.
You’ve fired a fear grenade to take the initiative. It’s not an unpleasant situation, even for a mountaineer. You can take a house search as a threat, but it has a different meaning when you turn it around.
As long as the relationship was on good terms, the prince could be used as a backup. The leash could be put on later. It was a win-win situation.
Now all that stands in the way is the princess.
“Viscount Hardy, how is the courtesy case coming along?”
“Well, I don’t see a lot of opportunities….”
“The Marquis de Mobillet’s daughter must be quite capable.”
Marquis Genned clicked his chiseled tongue.
“Well, there’s no rush.”
“What? They’re pushing me to get it done as soon as possible.”
“That’s their business.”
He laughed through his nose.
“Minos can’t be our master.”
Our partnership with the Legion is out of necessity. We do not intend to sit on our hands forever. Bastiterra must be owned by Bastiterans.
“In that respect, the princess is a fool, being so foolish and being manipulated by Minos.”
“Haha, maybe those nasty rumors have more credibility than I thought.”
“Rumor?”
“Haven’t you heard, why, a man named Hyun is in the Crystal Palace…….”
There was a lot of gossip.
Jumbuck.
His eyes snapped to the crisp echo of footsteps. A familiar figure stepped across the carpet and into the hall. The booming voices fell silent for a moment.
‘……Princess Ainoa?
It was a sight that should have been familiar, but felt unfamiliar. Ainoa wasn’t wearing a dress; she was wearing a hunting outfit that clung to her body. She wore boots instead of shoes.
She wore no jewelry. Her gait was regal, even though her skin was covered in bits of clothing she had never seen before. As she reached her seat, she glanced around the room.
“I’m a little late.”
The dinner party had begun.
Surviving as a One-Star in a Dead Game – Chapter 80 (80/223)