Royal Road of the Extra Scribe

32

The hidden truth about Als that I heard from King Parain.

I could only be shocked.

‘To think there was such a hidden story about Als.’

I vaguely knew it wasn’t just an extra story, but the story I heard was of a different level. It was a groundbreaking content that could be the core of the story.

‘If that’s the case, there is one thing that makes sense.’

It was the major incident Yumir caused towards the end of the story. The event where Als was betrayed and led to ruin.

The assassination attempt on Yumir’s protagonist.

‘But if that’s the case…’

The story becomes complicated. The foundation of the story I knew starts to shake.

It becomes unclear whether Als is truly on the side of the protagonist.

‘With the possibility that Als was really the traitor.’

It took quite a long time to organize this confusing thought.

‘It’s too early to draw conclusions. There must be more stories that I don’t know.’

I had to gather more information on this part.

And one more thing.

It was about the Seven Divines.

The meaning of these Seven Divines could be reversed depending on whether Als was a traitor or not.

I had one underlying assumption about them.

That they were individuals who unwaveringly sided with Als in any situation.

‘But if Als truly was a traitor?’

There is a high possibility that among those seven, there was another traitor plotting to trap Als along with the protagonist.

Or conversely, if we assume Als is not a traitor, there could be an infiltrator posing as a traitor to monitor Als. Given Als’s hidden identity, that would make sense.

Whatever the case, my vague trust in the Seven Divines crumbled.

‘First of all, you can trust the master. You must trust.’

But what about the other six?

Starting from the route agreed to meet in a few days, there was no choice but to doubt.

Rutger, who acts blindly for his frail daughter, may have another background.

And naturally, it was she who raised the stock when the situation turned like this.

“Hey.”

“Yes? What is it?”

She replied with an innocent and sincere expression.

‘You can trust Hey. No matter when.’

It was unexpected that she could be obtained in the first place. Surely Jurass did not intentionally lose the chess match.

“I trust you. Thank you always.”

“…!?”

Hey stammered, then her expression softened with a laugh.

“It is an honor for me to serve you!”

If this was all an act, he decided to just cleanly deceive.

* * *

After finishing the Alhyan of King Parain, I set off with the Rainpolo knights.

Meeting with Rutger Rosenburg. Given the current situation, I could no longer fully trust him, but I still wanted to meet him in person.

After spending a day in Crosshon, planning to leave the next morning, Hey hesitated and spoke to me.

“Um… Lord Als. I have one request.”

“Speak freely. What is it?”

“Could you give me a week off? There are people I want to meet in Crossing.”

She was referring to the people of the Kurabel Kingdom who were devastated by Crossing. Most of them had become slaves, and Hey wanted to see their living conditions.

“If that’s the case. But I feel a bit uneasy leaving you alone.”

Although I intended to assign Anton, who had recently pledged loyalty to me, to accompany her within Crossing’s territory, Hey showed a clear dislike for it.

“Yumir, accompany her. I will go with Anton.”

“But, my lord.”

Anton still couldn’t be trusted. I nodded to Yumir, who was about to say so.

“That’s why I want to spend time together. If Crossing had any ill intentions towards me, I would have been dead already.”

“Understood.”

By having Yumir with her, it might help mitigate Hey’s impulsive tendencies.

I decided to head to Rainpolo, located in the southern part of Crossing, with Anton.

* * *

Rainpolo, a mid-sized city with a population of 140,000.

With a population of 140,000, it was subtly substantial, but there was still no lord here.

It was due to the border dispute between Crossing and Caliper.

“You’ve arrived. …Wade.”

The master calmly changed his words after looking at Anton beside him.

“Master, it’s fine. This man also knows my true identity.”

“A Knight of the Enemy? I swear… What on earth happened in the capital?”

When the mentor confided in his master about the Parine King’s affairs, the mentor nodded.

“So, the Parine King had that in mind. Even though the methods may be extreme, he is also considering the future of the continent.”

“Are you speaking as if you’ve come to some understanding?”

“After living in Crossing, I started to understand. This nation is not just a failed state as others might think. There’s a reason why this country is a superpower.”

“Yes, I was also amazed when I saw the cities in Crossing. The technology there is quite advanced.”

“Indeed. This place has a well-established cycle from the citizens to the nation, and back to the citizens. It’s made possible by the absence of nobility.”

If nobles were present, they would take the taxes collected from the citizens before it reached the national treasury. If they used these taxes properly to benefit the citizens, it would be an ideal form of decentralization, but many nobles do not do so.

After filling their own pockets, paying the allocated taxes to the nation, there isn’t much left to benefit the citizens.

“Furthermore, Crossing benefits from an extremely cheap labor force due to the slave system. Investing the wealth produced by this cheap labor force into the citizens under the guidance of the nation makes it a superpower.”

Of course, this structure could quickly crumble.

If a king driven by greed were to ascend the throne instead of the current Parine King, Crossing could collapse in an instant.

Moreover, despite adopting a republican system, the republican government had become a toothless institution. It was no different from a monarchy. In such a scenario, there was a high possibility of the nobility system making a comeback with just a small trigger.

“That’s why the succession issue in Crossing might be complex. Alss, you must know this. Just a few years ago, the Jurass Pamelion was the first in line for the throne.”

“Could it be that the Parine King couldn’t find a suitable heir among his own children?”

“That’s a high possibility. However, things have changed now. The Parine King has passed on the right of succession to the last prince. There are rumors circulating that his true identity is shrouded in mystery, not simply a fabricated story.”

“Hmm.”

Looking at Anton, the mentor smiled and said, “It’s not a fabricated story. The prince who received the right of succession is definitely real. He’s now sixteen years old. You might meet him someday, Alss.”

“I see.”

The mentor, realizing Anton’s presence once again, exclaimed, “Oh, I got carried away with our conversation and forgot about the guest. Please come in.”

“Don’t worry. I enjoyed hearing both of your opinions.”

Guided by the mentor, I entered the temporary lodging within the Mercenary Association, planning to meet with Rutger the following night and complete the transfer to the Rainfall Intermediate Academy until then.

With the connection to Crossing stronger than expected, I felt the need for a new base of operations.

Bringing Anton to our territory could potentially cause various disturbances. Besides, the mentor had been active only in Crossing recently.

In that sense, Rainfall, on the border between Crossing and Caliper, could be the optimal base of operations.

It took unexpectedly long to find a mansion.

The value of mansions had risen significantly due to Rainfall’s recent rapid development.

Drawing on memories from modern times, I purchased a two-story mansion with land for ten million silans.

If Rainfall continued to develop into a metropolis, I could easily resell it for more than three times the price.

After acquiring the mansion, the night grew late.

Feeling a bit tired, I considered postponing the meeting with Rutger until the next day, but whether the mentor had informed him of my arrival or not, Rutger abruptly barged into the Mercenary Association’s lodging.

“Let me meet him!”

He was a sturdy middle-aged man with a determined posture. He was in his mid-forties, not very old, but his face bore the marks of deep struggles.

The mentor, looking puzzled, was trying to dissuade him.

“Please wait a bit longer. We have our own circumstances here.”

“Consider our circumstances too. I’ve been here for a month already. I can’t wait any longer! Please, let me meet him!”

He seemed worried that I might suddenly disappear. Indeed, Wade had that kind of reputation among people.

With just a gray helmet, one could easily impersonate him, and there were many who took advantage of his name, boasting an unparalleled level of anonymity and mystery akin to legendary figures at the slightest rumor.

“…If I were to be here.”

As I put on my helmet, Rutger’s eyes widened. The attendants, George and Ings, signaled to Rutger that the voice they heard was indeed correct.

“You, you… are you Wade, who played a role in the recent Triad War?”

“Who might you be on that end?”

“They call me Rutger Rosenberg. I heard you knew my name, but maybe not.”

“Well, I do know your name. Rutger of Jade. Rutger of the Iron Fortress, quite famous, I must say.”

Perhaps due to our different meeting times, the illustration I remembered looked different. In the illustration, he was an old man with snow-white hair, but now he appeared more fitting for his age.

“So? Why did you want to meet me?”

“Don’t beat around the bush. Didn’t you treat my daughter?”

“That did happen, yes. Well, I don’t remember every single detail of my work.”

“Every single detail… I see. Maybe that’s how it is for you. But for me, it was a turning point. It was the first time there was progress in my daughter’s illness. Thanks to you, those loathsome lesions began to be controlled.”

“Oh, I vaguely remember now. A patient with large lesions all over the body. Did you bring them here?”

“Of course, I brought them here.”

“Then shall we check on the progress?”

“I’ll bring them right away!”

Rutger left with eager steps and soon returned with Estelle, who was concealed under a wide cloak.

As the cloak got wet, her appearance was revealed, causing even the sternest of mentors to furrow their brows momentarily.

“Still, she has improved a lot.”

The mentor was astonished, thinking, ‘This is considered a significant improvement…?’

On the other hand, Rutger vigorously nodded his head.

“Yes, indeed. She is a different person compared to before. Now she can even take a stroll on her own.”

Estelle, with eyes mixed with fear, gazed at me.

“Well, that’s good enough. I hope you continue to strive and live on.”

As I turned to leave, Rutger leaped as if struck by lightning.

“What are you saying!”

“What do you mean? I just saw the patient as requested. I assessed the progress after the treatment I provided.”

“But you didn’t cure the illness!”

“So what?”

“So…!”

“Are you asking me to cure the illness?”

“Isn’t that obvious!”

“Ha!”

This was a kind of power struggle.

With the vague trust in the Seven Gods shattered, it was necessary to establish a new relationship.

Until now, I had aimed to gain the loyalty of the protagonist by collecting in advance, but now it was different.

‘First, I need to secure firm loyalty on my side.’

As such, I decided to firmly take control of the situation.

“Why should I do that? I’m not a doctor. If you’re asking me to sacrifice for the patient, you’ve got it wrong.”

“Master, I will pay the price!”

“How much can you give? It will take approximately a year until the treatment is complete. Can you afford the amount for that period?”

“I don’t think it’s impossible.”

“That’s interesting. Just so you know, Crossing paid me 40 million silars for a month of employment. For a year, it would be 480 million silars. Do you think that’s possible?”

“480 million…!”

Rootger, who had currently relinquished his fief, had no means to pay such a sum.

“Moreover, you are a figure of the Albad Kingdom. We are in a hostile relationship.”

“Are you suggesting that I might return to Albad and become hostile once my daughter recovers?”

“It’s a possibility.”

“I swear. I will not return to Albad again. I have already abandoned my title and fief. Although I am being sustained by the king’s favor, I have no intention of going back.”

Upon this, George and Ings widened their eyes.

“It seems the two behind you might not share the same sentiment?”

“I will convince them. And I will make arrangements for the amount, no matter what it takes. So please, heal my daughter.”

“…”

“Please!”

Thud! Rootger fell to his knees, banging his head.

“If you still think I pose a threat, then cut off my arms! Cut off my legs! Pull out my tongue! I don’t care as long as I can see my daughter getting better!”

Upon this, Estelle burst into tears like a fountain.

I feel like I’m becoming the villain here.

“Wade, perhaps it would be better to suggest to Lord Rootger to join our side. Then you can closely monitor the progress of the illness. If you work under him, he might be willing to be lenient on the financial aspect.”

The teacher had said so, considering Rootger’s wife’s circumstances.

Truly a nice assist.

Pretending to be helpless, I spoke to Rootger.

“Sigh… Then there is a condition.”

“Anything, just say it!”

“Could the two over there step out for a moment?”

George and Ings hesitated at my request, but upon Rootger’s order to leave, they reluctantly exited the room with a grim expression.

“The condition is simple. Rootger Rosenburg, pledge your loyalty to me. Be prepared to turn your blade against your homeland, Albad, and come under my command. If you show that level of determination, we will start the treatment without any financial compensation.”

“…”

A brief silence. Rootger nodded firmly.

“I will gladly do so.”

“Good. Shall we proceed with the discussion then?”