Level Up Machine

Chapter 64 Armor of the Demon God (9)

The news that King Hendrick von Elnote of the Elnote Kingdom had been assassinated spread like wildfire.

This news shocked people as much as the report that the northern border had been breached and the Dragonian forces, along with their monster army, were invading.

The main culprit identified in this royal palace attack was Luan von Elnote, the son of Hendrick von Elnote and the crown prince who was next in line for the throne.

He was identified as the main culprit due to the actions of the masked assailants who attacked the palace.

They blatantly praised Luan, inscribing on the castle walls that only Luan could be the true king of the Elnote Kingdom.

The nobles and ministers of Hendrick’s faction pointed to these facts, claiming that the faction supporting Luan had taken advantage of the palace’s weakened defenses—due to the troops being out on a monster subjugation mission—and launched a treacherous rebellion.

Luan’s supporters found such claims absurd. No, why would they advertise their identities all over the place while committing the ludicrous act of attacking the palace?

Even if they had actually planned the attack, they wouldn’t have declared their support for Luan. Moreover, Luan von Elnote had an alibi: he was leading his knight order, the Granblue Knights, and had joined the monster subjugation forces.

Luan’s supporters began to argue that this was a self-made incident orchestrated by Hendrick’s faction.

In fact, even Hendrick’s faction found it hard to believe that this incident was the work of Luan’s supporters, as there were too many questionable points.

However, what mattered to them was not whether Luan had truly staged a rebellion. What mattered to them was the “political justification” to attack Luan.

The public, as usual, reacted sensitively and overly simplistically to sensational news. Upon careful consideration, it was clear to everyone that the evidence of Luan’s rebellion was extremely weak and likely fabricated.

However, most people who heard the news didn’t think that way. It wasn’t because they were stupid or uncivilized. It was simply because the news of Luan’s rebellion sparked hope in their hearts—it was “good” news to them.

People tend to think in ways that are beneficial to themselves and align with their desires. They had been hoping for the incompetent king, Hendrick, who was considered the worst in history, to be overthrown and for Luan to ascend the throne. Therefore, they accepted the news of Luan’s rebellion as it was.

Hendrick’s death was a thunderbolt to the subjugation forces preparing for a confrontation with the Dragonian. In such a chaotic situation, the subjugation forces couldn’t be maintained, and eventually, the troops who had left the palace began to return to the capital.

From Luan’s perspective, being falsely accused was infuriating, but the situation was spiraling out of control.

The power-hungry elites, who had flattered Hendrick to fulfill their greed, feared that Luan would have them purged if he took the throne. So, they tried to frame Luan as a traitor and establish a puppet king.

Nobles who supported Luan couldn’t just stand by. They began to highlight Luan’s innocence and the numerous atrocities committed by King Hendrick, arguing that all of this was a self-made incident by Hendrick’s faction to usurp the throne.

At the worst possible time, with the northern border collapsing and a massive monster army advancing towards the capital, a civil war erupted within the Elnote Kingdom. Because of this political turmoil, the Salvator Guild managed to avoid suspicion.

In fact, it wasn’t difficult to deduce that the attackers of the palace were from the Salvator Guild. They had stolen the Archangel’s Blessing from the royal vault and taken the body of Duke Erman, who had been buried in the underground prison.

While it’s understandable to steal the Archangel’s Blessing, an S-rank rare item, there was absolutely no reason for those who supported Luan to take the body of Duke Erman, who had been held hostage in the palace and died.

However, given the dire political situation, it was too risky for either faction to voice such obvious doubts. The pro-Hendrick faction had to paint Luan as a heinous, unfilial son who killed his father to ascend the throne. Conversely, the pro-Luan faction needed to frame all of this as a fabricated incident orchestrated by the pro-Hendrick faction aiming for the throne.

Had Hendrick performed his duties as king,

such a thing would never have happened, but he was the worst king in history.

Yeong-sik devised a plan that capitalized on this political turmoil. His plan was so successful that members of the Salvator Guild, en route to the fortress city of Talion, were in an unexpectedly peaceful mood, almost doubting if this was really happening.

“…This is terrifying.”

Having heard about the kingdom’s situation through the information guild,

Han-seong let out a hollow laugh. He felt a thrilling chill run down his spine.

The subject of his terror was Yeong-sik.

‘How did he come up with this in such a short time…’

Yeong-sik’s plan wasn’t perfect. In fact, one might even call it a crude plan.

What sent shivers down Han-seong’s spine was Yeong-sik’s attitude toward the plan.

As soon as Tiria decided to exact her revenge on the kingdom, Yeong-sik casually laid out a plan as if he had already thought it through. Despite the high possibility of failure, Yeong-sik was brimming with confidence, as if he had foreseen this grand success.

This wasn’t simply a matter of intelligence. It was something that required a complete understanding of human psychology and the confidence to exploit it.

‘He’s like…’

Han-seong thought Yeong-sik resembled an emperor of a colossal empire, incomparable to a mere guild like Salvator.

‘That can’t be true, though.’

Yeong-sik, with his ordinary Korean appearance, being the emperor of a vast empire in the past was an implausible notion.

‘Or maybe the CEO of a large corporation…’

Han-seong recalled a popular superhero movie from Earth. The protagonist was the CEO of a massive weapons company who became a hero by creating a high-tech mechanical suit.

What if Yeong-sik hadn’t built a mechanical suit but had instead implanted machinery into his own body?

‘…That can’t be.’

Han-seong shook his head, letting out a hollow laugh. After all, that was just a story from a movie.

‘What are you, really? Yeong-sik?’

Han-seong wanted to ask, watching Yeong-sik walk beside Tiria.

“…I’ve heard that a civil war is likely to break out in the Elnote Kingdom soon.”

Tiria spoke up after hearing Han-seong’s report.

Yeong-sik nodded in response.

“Yes. I’ve made sure it will happen.”

Tiria fell silent at Yeong-sik’s nonchalant remark, gazing at him with a complex expression.

“Does that mean the Salvator Guild is completely safe now?”

Yu-na, who was walking ahead, turned her head and asked. When she had decided to kill Hendrick to avenge Tiria,

she had been prepared to fight for her life, endlessly pursued by the kingdom’s public security.

However, since Yeong-sik’s plan had been so perfectly successful, there was no longer any need to run and hide, leaving her feeling both relieved and oddly empty.

In response to her question, Yeong-sik shook his head.

“No. Once this civil war ends and Luan ascends the throne, the target will shift to us.”

“…Do you think Prince Luan will win?”

“Yes. That’s what will happen.”

Yeong-sik replied with a calm expression. Yu-na gulped at his confident answer. No matter how many times she heard it, his tone, as if he knew what would happen in the future, was hard to get used to.

“Then the only option is to grow stronger and prepare for the future.”

Tiria said in a composed voice.

“Yes. That’s part of the reason we’re participating in this monster subjugation.”

Participating in this monster subjugation wasn’t just to ease their guilt for attacking the palace in such a dire situation.

The monsters beyond the northern border were powerful, and the rewards were substantial. For Salvator, which needed massive amounts of gold to expand its influence, this was an excellent opportunity. Additionally, they might acquire the black cube of the S-rank boss monster through this subjugation.

The black cube was useless to anyone other than Yeong-sik, but for Salvator, where Yeong-sik’s power had become one of the core strengths of the guild, the value of the black cube couldn’t be ignored.

“Hehe. Still, having you, Yeong-sik, gives me peace of mind.”

Tiria smiled, looking at Yeong-sik, who guided the guild like a strategist, pointing out their direction and immediate tasks.

Yeong-sik had become an indispensable presence in the Salvator Guild.

“Hmph, I admit you’re competent.”

Yu-na said, looking at Yeong-sik with a feigned haughty expression.

“I see a village ahead.”

Hwang-hyeon, who was scouting at the forefront using the exceptional vision of his ranger class, spoke up.

“Then let’s spend the night in that village since it’s late, and start again tomorrow.”

“At this pace, we should reach Talion by tomorrow.”

Currently, the fortress city of Talion was where guilds were forming an alliance to block the monster army advancing toward the capital, Leopold.

The guild members wore tense expressions, burdened by the pressure to build an untouchable power before the war with the monsters and the civil war in the Elnote Kingdom ended.

Tiria watched them, lost in thought. She gestured to Yu-na, who was walking ahead.

Having secured lodging, the members of the Salvator Guild went to their respective rooms to rest.

The guilds that had assisted them in attacking the palace—The Pacer Guild, Laira Guild, and Cheonseong Guild—were also heading separately to Talion to avoid the kingdom’s scrutiny.

With their support separated, the few members of the Salvator Guild could each take a room and rest comfortably.

“Now then…”

As soon as he entered his room, Yeong-sik opened his inventory and took out the “Armor of the Demon God.” The hard metallic feel of the mechanical suit transmitted through his hands.

“Structure Analysis.”

Yeong-sik used the Structure Analysis skill on the Armor of the Demon God.

-Ding.

[Structure Analysis has failed.]

[The level of the Structure Analysis skill is insufficient.]

‘As expected.’

Yeong-sik nodded without much disappointment. He had anticipated that the Armor of the Demon God was not an ordinary item from the first time he saw it. He would have been disappointed if it had been something low-grade enough for the Structure Analysis to succeed.

“Let’s try it on first.”

Failing the Structure Analysis didn’t mean he couldn’t use it.

Yeong-sik placed his hand on the black suit, trying to figure out how to wear it.

At that moment, a familiar mechanical sound echoed in his ear.