Chapter 243

“It’s already been six years since His Majesty fell ill! In those six years, the kingdom has weakened! But even so! Does it make any sense for a mere mercenary to trample on the honor and authority of Linelt?”

Gerlan Linelt shouted with a torn heart.

“He tried to intimidate and kidnap me, the regent! And he used that as an excuse to conspire against the kingdom…!”

“This is a crisis for the kingdom, and all of Linelt must overcome it together!”

“I, Gerlan Linelt, second prince of the Kingdom of Linelt and its regent, swear that the Mercenary King will without a doubt…!”

“Waaaaaaah!”

“Long live the regent, His Highness!”

“Execute the Mercenary King!”

With the burning cries of the crowd, Gerlan finished his speech and collapsed into a plush sofa.

“You’ve worked hard, Your Highness.”

A servant brought him a glass of iced water.

“It was an excellent speech. The reaction is fervent.”

His assistant applauded.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Even if he was exalted as the Mercenary King, in the end, he was nothing more than a mercenary.

That a prince and regent had been attacked by a mere mercenary was more than enough reason for the whole kingdom to erupt in anger.

It was a natural reaction, and Gerlan had taken full advantage of it.

“They don’t suspect that this speech implies a special tax.”

“Some may suspect it.”

When they calmly analyzed the speech, they’d end up understanding. But most would only realize it after being forced to pay.

“By the way… why was I going to impose a new tax…?”

Gerlan tilted his head, strangely unable to remember, as if a fog covered his thoughts.

“Wasn’t it to track the Mercenary King and bring him to Linelt’s tribunal?”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

The Mercenary King was a Royal Knight, and to capture him they needed someone at least of his same level.

That’s why they needed money to hire another Royal Knight or an Archmage.

“Count Pirandello also said he knew someone.”

“That’s right. And we decided that, when the special tax was collected, we’d entrust it to him.”

A dull headache made Gerlan frown.

Then, a piece of paper sticking out from under the table caught his attention.

“This?”

He picked it up instinctively. It wasn’t a document as he thought, but a letter.

[Have you been well, little brother?]

It began like a normal greeting between brothers.

[Thanks to your gifts these past years, I’ve been doing very well.]

But between those serene lines, there was poison. Gerlan’s hand gradually tensed.

And the ending was clear.

[Tomorrow at noon, in the fourth secret pavilion. If you don’t come, it doesn’t matter. But then all your misdeeds will be revealed to the world.

With that, I end.

Fondly, your brother.]

It was an invitation. No, a threat disguised as an invitation.

“My brother escaped…?”

The problem was that he had never received such a report.

“What… what is going on here?”

He froze. Wasn’t his brother securely confined in the special mansion he himself had arranged?

No report of trouble had arrived.

“It’s an impostor, Your Highness. How could the first prince leave the residence where he’s being held?”

His assistant firmly denied it.

“But this is clearly his handwriting!”

“Handwriting can be forged, Your Highness.”

“Yes, but the content! These are things only my brother and I know!”

“But isn’t it strange that a letter from the first prince just happens to appear right here, don’t you think?”

“That’s true, but…”

This wouldn’t do.

Gerlan stood up abruptly.

“I must verify this myself! I must see with my own eyes that my brother is fine!”

“Your Highness, you should send someone first to check…”

“Prepare everything at once!”

“No, Your Highness.”

“What did you say?”

The assistant grabbed his shoulder and forced him to sit again with an irresistible strength.

“You dare disobey me now?”

“I’m doing it for your own good, Your Highness.”

“Nonsense! I must confirm my brother’s status right now!”

But the pressure on his shoulder intensified, causing him pain.

“What are you doing?! Let go of me right now! How dare a mere subordinate of mine…!”

Suddenly, Gerlan’s mind became clouded.

“Subordinate?”

Since when did he have a subordinate with that face?

“Well…”

The assistant sighed.

“I knew this would be unstable. After all, suggestion and hypnosis aren’t his specialty.”

“What… what did you say?”

At that moment, the door opened.

“Your Highness, are you all right?”

“Count Pirandello? How timely! There’s a stranger here who…”

“Your Highness.”

Their gazes met. A chill ran through Gerlan’s mind, and his eyes dimmed.

“Your Highness saw nothing. That letter never existed.”

“And the first prince never escaped. He’s still peacefully enjoying his confinement in the residence.”

“…Do you understand?”

“…Nothing…”

He saw nothing. Nothing happened.

Gerlan murmured dazedly.

***

Crack.

The letter was torn to pieces.

[Have you been well, little brother?]

The content was identical to the previous ones, except for the meeting location.

“I told them to handle it properly.”

Count Pirandello muttered. His new assistant, Alphon, bowed his head.

“My apologies. We reviewed all the correspondence addressed to the second prince, but somehow he always ends up reading it.”

It was already the fifth time that letter had reached Gerlan.

The first two times they had managed to intercept it. After that, it would magically appear right in the prince’s path.

They never found any trace of who was leaving it, even after replacing all the servants and installing detection devices.

And each time, Gerlan insisted on going to check the mansion where the first prince was confined, forcing them to call Count Pirandello.

“The whereabouts of the first prince?”

“We’re sorry.”

Answered one of the men in charge of the search.

“It’s been two weeks. You still haven’t found either the prince or my missing treasures?”

Count Pirandello smiled bitterly.

When he discovered that all six mansions and their secret storerooms had been looted, his rage was mixed with astonishment.

How did they find out? How did they steal it? How did they go undetected?

There was no answer.

“It’s not the work of an individual, but of an organization.”

One with enormous scale, a vast information network, and spies.

“There can’t be many like that.”

Three names appeared in his mind Schwaben, Pellenberg, and Alprosen.

“Has the Mercenary King been located?”

“Not yet.”

“Find him. He’s surely connected to them. If we catch him, we’ll find the thread that leads us.”

“Yes, sir.”

Although deep down, he had doubts.

Whoever was moving all this like pieces in the palm of their hand wouldn’t leave such an obvious trail.

“In any case, we can’t stop those letters. They’ll keep coming.”

The matter returned to the starting point.

“The second prince’s mind is becoming resistant. We won’t be able to keep this up much longer. It’s better to give them what they want.”

“Are you serious?”

“If they so desire a meeting, it would be rude not to go.”

After all, they knew they were corrupt.

Even if they hadn’t known before, they would have discovered it after rescuing the first prince.

Even so, they remained silent.

Even after manipulating public opinion against the Mercenary King and causing chaos with Gerlan, they only sent letters.

“And on top of that, they stole all my treasures…”

Were they playing around? Mocking them? Or looking for something specific?

‘Whatever it is, they won’t get away with it.’

Even though the power to activate the magic circle had been lost, the construction was already complete.

With the additional magic crystals obtained thanks to the taxes, Linelt would be finished.

Then they’d regret having taken all this so lightly.

‘Fine, then. Let’s see their faces.’

Count Pirandello felt his blood boil for the first time in a long while.

He knew his enemy was behind all of this.

“I’ll go with the second prince. I want to see with my own eyes who they are.”

And while they burned with rage over the letters…

“Safe journey, Wooden.”

— Gwoong.

Wooden placed another letter in a small subspace pouch and left the Golden Turtle’s secret hideout, heading off to deliver the sixth missive.

With the hope that someday, his hand would carry not letters—but the shield.

***

The second prince, remembering what had happened with the Mercenary King, departed with a much larger escort. Count Patrick and his trusted men accompanied him as well.

The second prince and Count Patrick had cast the king into illness and, after banishing the first prince, had gradually replaced the palace personnel with their own men.

Because of this, many inevitable gaps had formed within the palace.

And the first princess of the Kingdom of Linelt, Yuli Linelt, held her breath and slipped through those gaps.

“Your Highness, this way.”

It was one of the royal guards who, even amid the chaos caused by the second prince and Count Patrick, secretly maintained his loyalty to the royal family and guided the princess.

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. From the start, the fact that Your Highness the princess couldn’t see His Majesty made no sense.”

What harm was there in a daughter visiting her sick father?

If the order for isolation had at least come directly from the king, it might have some justification, but as it was a scheme by the second prince and Count Patrick, there were several in the palace who did not approve.

Soon, Yuli stood before the king’s room.

“I will take my leave. For twenty minutes, no one will come.”

“Thank you again. I’ll never forget this favor.”

The guard bowed silently and vanished. Yuli took a deep breath and softly opened the door.

Inside, covered with dark curtains, was a dim room where only a faint, ragged breathing could be heard.

“Father…”

Yuli approached the bed and pulled back the canopy. At first, she couldn’t make out anything, but as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw that longed-for face.

He was much more emaciated and skeletal than when she had last seen him years ago.

“…Damn bastards!”

The fury burst out on its own. If she could, she would have torn the second prince and Count Patrick to shreds right then and there.

But she had neither the power nor the authority.

For now, the only thing she could do was cling to the rope that Fernan Pellenberg and Aint Armian represented, and lean on them.

“Will this really work?”

Truthfully, she didn’t know. But there was no other choice.

Pop. Yuli uncorked the bottle Fernan had given her. In her subspace pouch she carried several more; he had told her it was holy water.

He assured her it was quite effective against corrupt magic, and that if the king had been affected by it, he might show some improvement.

There was nothing left but to trust.

“…Father, I’m sorry.”

Yuli poured the holy water onto her father’s lips.

“It’s not enough for him to drink it. He must be fully submerged.”

“You want me to torture my sick father with water?”

“It’s not torture, it’s treatment. And it’s the only way to save him. Though if it bothers you that much, there is another option.”

“What is it?”

“The eyes, the mouth, the ears, the nose. Pour holy water into every orifice at the same time. Ah, and also on the head.”

“……”

Yuli uncorked five vials at once and poured them directly onto her father’s face.

“Grrrrrr…!”

The king’s weak breathing suddenly turned rough, as if he were about to collapse at any moment.