The Founding Monarch Became the Mastermind

Chapter 92

Si-on had learned lethal techniques from masters of various fields in the past.

One of them was a man who had killed countless beasts and monsters with nothing but a spear.

Krip Leukan.

He was a farmer who lived alone at the edge of the forest, a bit away from the Leukan village.

The way Si-on ended up learning spear-throwing from him was both amusing and chilling.

It started when Krip, mistaking Si-on for a two-legged monster passing near the village, threw a spear at him.

At the time, Si-on’s senses and physical abilities weren’t as superhuman as they were now (thinking back, it was probably because he was low-level), and he barely managed to dodge the spear.

Realizing he had almost killed a person, Krip sincerely apologized, but Si-on, impressed by the farmer’s skill in nearly killing him in the dead of night, asked Krip to teach him instead of accepting an apology.

Krip, a generous man (though slightly lacking in common sense), gladly accepted Si-on’s request.

Krip couldn’t read or write, nor could he handle a sword or bow, but he was exceptional at throwing things—he was even good at slinging stones.

Why was this simple, rural farmer so skilled at throwing spears and stones?

The lord of the land where the village of Leukan was located had banned the peasants from using bows or carrying swords longer than a certain length.

But farmers like Krip still had to protect themselves from the wild beasts and monsters that constantly threatened their village.

Especially Krip, who lived alone, isolated from the village (having been ostracized).

So, since he was young, Krip threw “anything,” and soon realized he had a talent for it.

Krip was a master of throwing—not just spears, but anything.

If he threw something, it would always hit its mark (except against Si-on), and despite his small stature, he had enough strength that, if he hit a deer, it wouldn’t get far before collapsing.

The secret to Krip’s devastating throwing technique lay in rotation.

Krip, born with long arms like a monkey (unfortunately, his face also resembled one), and with large hands and long fingers, would apply rotation to anything he threw.

He applied this rotational force not only with his hands and fingers, but also with his shoulders and waist—his whole body.

It sounded simple in theory, but learning it was nearly impossible.

First, one had to be naturally gifted with the right physical traits, and regardless of size, one needed great strength (especially in the waist) to pull it off.

However, Si-on, as a “user” with a perfectly conditioned and enhanced body, didn’t find it difficult.

It just took him a while to understand the concept because the illiterate and somewhat slow-witted Krip, who had learned the skill by himself, couldn’t explain it properly.

In any case, Si-on spent about two weeks learning spear-throwing from the simple farmer Krip, who became the only teacher Si-on didn’t kill and who lived out the rest of his life peacefully.

If Krip had been born a noble.

Or if he had simply been born with average intelligence in a slightly larger village or estate.

He might have become a soldier or mercenary, passing on his spear-throwing skills to many.

But Krip was born the son of a poor, uneducated farmer in Leukan, and like his father, he lived his entire life as a poor, uneducated farmer before dying.

And so, only Si-on knew and could use Krip’s spear-throwing technique in the present world.

“No, it’s a skill now, isn’t it?”

Si-on was certain that one of the talents he couldn’t read on his status window was “Krip’s Spear-Throwing Technique.”

Because this technique was worthy of being called a skill, or an ultimate ability, and everyone recognized it as such when Si-on used it, not just him.

The skill passed down from a simple, uneducated, and somewhat slow farmer who had lived his entire life alone was now about to be displayed at Rozin’s harbor.

And its target was none other than a wyvern, considered one of the most powerful and dangerous flying monsters (as Derkios would emphasize, dragons are not monsters).

The wyvern, which had ruled over the southern end of the Brandin Mountain Range, scoffed when it saw the human preparing to throw something at it.

But the moment the long, dark object left Si-on’s hand.

Swiiiiish!

At an incredible speed, the spear flew toward the wyvern, and the monster instinctively flapped its wings, trying to ascend.

However, it had no way of comprehending the speed and power packed into the skill of the human who had beaten the ogre that had killed its mother.

The moment the wyvern sensed danger and flapped its wings.

Thud!

The spear, imbued with the strength of a superhuman who had reached level 99 and powered by a minimum S-rank skill, pierced straight through its chest.

That was the end.

Protected by tough muscles and even tougher ribs, the wyvern’s heart was shattered, and the beast died instantly.

Whoooosh!

But the momentum of its flight didn’t stop.

“Whoaah!?”

“Get out of the way!”

The enormous monster, with a wingspan of over 10 meters, hurtled toward one side of the harbor.

Boom!!!

With a loud crash, a massive wave of water shot up.

Seawater rained down on the panicked crowd, and a few people were swept away by the force.

It was utter chaos.

Si-on, who had caused this chaos, looked at the scene calmly before turning his head slightly.

Standing there with their jaws dropped were Belin, Miuran, and the other Yazanites.

Not only them, but everyone around Si-on was wearing similar expressions as they stared at the wyvern’s grotesque, unrecognizable corpse.

“Hey.”

“Y-yes, sir!”

“…Y-yes, sir!”

Si-on had called Belin, but Miuran also stood at attention and answered loudly, despite not being the one called.

“Our elf soldiers will handle the remaining harpies. But with the wyvern down like that, the rest will likely flee soon.”

“Y-yes, sir.”

“Gather the Yazan mercenaries and send them back. And you know, right? As agreed, this incident will be billed separately.”

“O-of course.”

“Good. I trust you won’t disappoint me.”

Si-on smiled slightly and walked toward the elves, who were still shooting arrows at the sea.

As they watched Si-on’s retreating figure, Miuran, with his lips parched and dry, swallowed hard, then spoke to the trembling Yazanites.

“It’s probably not the right time to say this, but if any of you were still harboring stupid ideas, I believe those thoughts are gone now.”

“Y-yeah…”

“For the record, I gave up on those thoughts days ago.”

“You’re lying.”

“Wh-what!?”

Miuran flinched at his partner’s cold remark.

“I saw your face when the Deputy—no, the Instructor—picked up his spear. You looked like you were considering it right up until then. Stop lying.”

“Wh-what!?”

“‘What!?’ my foot. Anyway.”

Belin glared at the Yazanites, many of whom wore guilty expressions.

“When you go back, behave yourselves. If you say something stupid and ruin relations between Rozin—no, the Si-on Duchy—I won’t let you off. I’ll find you and kill you myself. This isn’t a warning. It’s a declaration.”

“O-of course.”

“Good to hear. We’re not idiots.”

Would they try something foolish against a monster who could kill a wyvern with a single spear throw?

Against not just a strong knight, but someone with the backing of both the Ducal family and the Royal family?

(If Belin had revealed that Si-on was the owner of the Hexagonal Seal, it would’ve caused an even bigger stir, but that was classified information.)

What a joke.

Hahaha… hahahaha…

Hahahahaha…

As awkward laughter spread, the remaining harpies, realizing their king had been brutally killed, fled in panic.

This was the current state of Rozin.

* * *

There’s a saying that “a word without legs can travel a thousand miles,” meaning rumors spread quickly.

But in this case, it was more accurate to say “a word with legs can travel a thousand miles.”

While Si-on and the Peregrine Division were busy in the southern part of the Duchy, the events he had caused in Pamel County and August Estate had already spread far and wide.

Some of this was due to the letters (threats) sent to various estates on behalf of the Ducal family.

But the biggest factor was the information relayed by Jenna, who had sent Yent to the Information Guild headquarters after receiving Si-on’s permission.

Along with a sealed box, carefully packed and shipped via the royal family’s express carriage.

“Kyaaaaahhh!”

A shrill scream, shockingly high-pitched for a man in his 40s, echoed through the room.

The man who collapsed to the floor, scooting backward on his rear, was Philon, the crown prince of the kingdom.

Before him was a large wooden box with its lid open.

Not just any ordinary box, but a royal box sealed with the royal family’s emblem. Inside, there was a corpse, folded neatly to fit the box.

“It’s… it’s Baron Botan…!”

The corpse in the box belonged to the man known as Baron Botan.

And the man scooting backward on the floor, having wet himself slightly in the process, was Philon, the crown prince.

“What are you standing around for?! Close that lid and get rid of it, now!”

“Y-yes, Your Highness!”

The shocked attendants scrambled toward the box.

Gag!

Ugh!

As they struggled to contain their nausea at the sight of Baron Botan’s grotesque, unrecognizable remains, they hurriedly moved the box out of the room.

“……”

Earl Rundel, who had been watching the scene with cold eyes, finally turned his gaze from the box to his nephew.

Philon, who had been helped to his feet by two of his favorite maids, sat in a chair, his hands trembling as he gulped down water handed to him.

“Your Highness.”

“Ugh…?”

Still visibly shaken, his face pale, Philon looked toward his uncle, Earl Rundel.

“Why is Baron Botan’s corpse in that box?”

“H-how should I know?!”

“This is no time to feign ignorance. That wasn’t just any box—it was sealed with the royal family’s emblem.”

When the box had first arrived, Philon had been overjoyed, thinking that some member of the royal family was trying to curry favor with him by sending a gift.

In fact, even Earl Rundel had shared that sentiment when he first saw the large, ornate box.

But instead, inside was the body of a nobleman closely associated with the crown prince.

“Whoever sent that box will be identified soon enough. But you need to tell me the truth now so we can prepare accordingly.”

“Well… the thing is…”

Glancing anxiously at his uncle, the crown prince hesitated for a moment before finally confessing.

“You remember how the Bettisect family approached you, asking for help? They said their granddaughter was being mistreated by the family she married into.”

“Yes. It was a trivial matter, so I dismissed it. But what does that have to do with this…?”

“The family she married into was from August Estate. The place where that whole whale incident happened.”

“……!”

Earl Rundel’s eyes widened.

In an instant, his mind began to piece together the situation.

“Surely… His Majesty…?”

He hadn’t yet reached the exact truth, but Earl Rundel was already dangerously close to the real answer.