Chapter 42 : Chapter 42
Chapter 42
“Hey, I said no matter what you say, it's a no!”
The soldier guarding the western forest's border shouted at the masked man.
“Count Mogul is furious about something!
There are many others behind me, so even if you get past me, you'll be caught soon.”
At the soldier's firm words, the masked man frowned.
To think the defense forces would move just when he was about to start the hunt.
“How many troops are guarding this place?”
“Well over 100?
It seems a few knights have been deployed too, so whatever you're hunting inside, forget about it.
Tsk, I don't even know what's in the Demonic Beast forest to cause all this fuss in the first place.”
After a moment's thought, the man handed a pouch to the soldier.
“Is there no way for about 20 people to sneak in?”
The soldier's face, who received the heavy pouch, was momentarily colored with greed, but he soon returned it and spoke.
“Right now, it's a situation where not even my squad leader, let alone me, could let you pass secretly.
Demonic boars also appear in the eastern forest, so you should try going there.”
The soldier, unaware that the masked man was an elf hunter, spoke as if doing a favor, but to catch elves, they had to enter the western forest.
“A hundred men…….”
The elf hunter turned away, his eyes glinting with greed.
* * *
“The entire western forest's security has been strengthened.
It seems the elves of the western forest requested help from the Moner family, but it's not certain.”
At the elf hunter captain's words, one of the members who was listening asked.
“The Dark Elves?
The Moner family moved because of those cursed things?”
The hunters were confident that the Moner family wouldn't move for the likes of Dark Elves.
In the first place, if their prey hadn't been Dark Elves, they would never have snuck into the Moner family's territory.
“It's not yet certain if it's because of us.
It would be nice if we could wait and see a little longer, but…….”
The captain's gaze turned to the count's son sitting to one side.
“Young master, given the situation, can you postpone the delivery date a bit?”
At the hunter captain's words, Treon frowned and replied.
“It cannot be delayed any longer.”
They had already spent a tremendous amount of funds preparing for the hunt for over a month.
The bigger problem was that the hunters had stayed in the domain for too long.
“If the tail is too long, it's bound to get caught.
No matter how much you say there won't be any repercussions, there must be absolutely no connection between you and our Obsol.”
Since this was something done without his father's knowledge, if they couldn't produce results right now, it might be a better choice to just give up.
Especially now, when talk about the Moner family was spreading throughout the Lord's Castle.
“It's a shame, but since it's come to this, let's look forward to the next time.”
It was regrettable that they had gained nothing for over a month, but thinking it was unavoidable, he was about to turn back when one of the members spoke.
“Captain, if this is the last chance anyway, wouldn't it be better to give it a try?
Our target isn't just any elf, but a Dark Elf, right?”
They had already invested over a month in this hunt alone.
Moreover, the Dark Elves, whose residence had already been discovered, might start moving at any moment.
In other words, if not now, the golden opportunity to catch a Dark Elf would never come again.
“Frankly speaking, the Moner family is probably just turning a blind eye because they don't know those filthy bastards are hiding in their land.
When you think about it, us hunting them is actually helping.”
“Exactly!
We sneak in, bring out a few if we can, and if we get caught, we just pretend to be lost demonic beast hunters.
Surely they wouldn't kill civilians, would they?”
In that moment, all the hunters' eyes turned to the captain and Treon.
“Hmm…….”
The vast western forest was home to quite a few rare monsters, and there were always hunters aiming for them.
As his subordinate said, they could just pretend to be a group of hunters out for an Ogre hunt or something, and then pay a fine of a few hundred gold, and that would be the end of it.
Having made up his mind, the captain looked at Treon.
“Let's do that, shall we?
If we're unlucky and get caught, we'll take responsibility.
Like that guy said, we can just pretend to be hunters.
You should go back, young master.”
“Wait……!”
A sinister premonition rising through his entire body made Treon try to refuse, but the hunters who had already made their decision had formed a group and started moving.
Seeing this, Treon sighed as if he had no choice and spoke.
“Absolutely, under no circumstances, should you reveal your connection to Obsol.
If you succeed in hunting the Dark Elf, we will only help with the sale.
Even if you are caught by the Moner family, Obsol will absolutely not intervene.
Do you understand?”
The hunter captain chuckled at Treon's warning and said.
“Don't you worry.
An elf hunter without trust is just a corpse.”
Soon after, Treon left for Obsol, and the group of hunters began to infiltrate the western forest, looking for a weak spot in the soldiers' guard.
Deep in the forest, high in the trees beyond the hunters' sight, the dark brown eyes of Rangers watched them, shining quietly.
* * *
Having heard the news that the elf hunters had invaded the western forest, Ian dressed up in the morning and left the inn.
“The royal family…….”
At dawn today, the Elves who had gathered information spread on the streets said that a member of the royal family seemed to have arrived in Obsol.
‘So the royal family is planning to intervene after all.’
They must have stepped in hastily as the clouds of war gathered between Obsol and Moner.
‘The royal family will unconditionally side with the three domains.
I need to create a situation where even they cannot easily intervene.’
For example, like the hunters who just happened to invade the western forest.
“First, I need to check who came.”
If it was someone who would survive for the next 10 years, I would definitely know their character's disposition.
First, I headed to the Lord's Castle to see who had arrived.
* * *
“Your Highness!
Your Highness!
Just a moment……!”
“I'm saying I'll solve the problem, so what exactly is the issue?”
Count Obsol was sweating bullets from the morning, trying to stop the prince who insisted on heading to the Moner family.
To head to the Moner family without even listening to the circumstances of the other three domains or the merchant guilds' stories.
It was absolutely unacceptable.
‘Damn it, damn it, damn it!’
Until he had spoken with the second prince, the count had been confident he could coax him into a favorable negotiation, but in just one day, he had completely changed his mind.
Thinking back to last night's conversation, the second prince was an unpredictable being.
He tried his best to stop him, thinking he absolutely couldn't let him act as he pleased, but the prince, who had already made up his mind, did not stop walking.
“Your Highness, please, just listen to me once.”
“This is a problem that must be resolved as quickly as possible, even for the count's sake.
If it is a misunderstanding, it must be cleared up quickly, and if it is not, shouldn't they duly compensate and ask for forgiveness?”
The count faltered at the prince's cold voice.
“Th-that is… If the Moner family finds out the royal family has intervened, they will surely try to hide the truth!
For a proper judgment, wouldn't it be right for us to form our own investigation team?”
It was an excuse with obvious intentions, but it was hard to refute.
If the Moner family investigated, the three domains wouldn't believe it, and the Moner family wouldn't believe an investigation by the three domains.
In the end, only a royal investigation team was left.
A royal investigation team, influenced by the crown prince, was bound to produce results favorable to the three domains.
‘If I can't send him, I just need to make someone else investigate.
I just need to formally request an investigation team from the royal family to prevent him from moving rashly.’
Ultimately, the person responsible for deciding on the mediation would be the second prince, but even he wouldn't be able to make a decision that ignored the investigation team's findings.
As he was formulating his next plan, an adjutant ran up from a distance and whispered in his ear.
“My lord count, the young lord of the Moner family has requested an audience.”
Damn it.
Why on earth was that rascal here now?
“Natasha, send that wench to…….”
Just as he was trying to figure out a way to buy some time, a monstrous shout calling for the count echoed from the distant entrance of the Lord's Castle.
“Oooobsooooool!!!”
At Ian's mana-infused roar, all sorts of objects and windows around them trembled, and the gazes of the pale-faced count and the prince, whose eyes sparkled as if he'd found an interesting toy, locked in mid-air.
“Y-Your Highness, my apologies.
Some madman at the entrance…….”
Just as the count was trying to smooth things over with an awkward laugh, the monstrous shout continued.
“The young lord of the Moner family has arriiiiived!!!!”
A brief silence fell between the two.
“Hahaha!
It seems that madman is the young lord of the Moner family.”
The prince's roar of laughter filled the hallway.
* * *
Guided into the reception room, Ian smiled as he looked at Natasha, who didn't know what to do.
“Should I shout one more time for the count to come?”
“Hic!
N-no!
Young Lord!
The count said he is on his way right now, so…….”
Seeing her on the verge of tears in an instant, I let out a chuckle.
“By the way, making me wait twice, the count must be really busy these days, huh?”
“I heard an important guest arrived yesterday.”
At Natasha's words, Ian's eyes turned to her.
“You ‘heard’?
Not that you've met the important guest?”
A member of the royal family visited the Lord's Castle, and he didn't introduce his daughter?
‘I heard she was the daughter of a maid, but he didn't even introduce her to the prince?’
It was something that couldn't be understood by common sense.
Regardless of his affection for an illegitimate son or daughter, the opportunity to introduce one's child to a member of the royal family was an incredibly important chance for a noble.
‘Did he judge the second prince to be a problem, not an opportunity?’
Just as Ian was getting close to the answer, the door to the reception room opened, and the count and the prince entered.
“Ah!
We finally meet!”
Ian turned his head at the voice, which was filled with a joy as if meeting an old friend.
A face so handsome it could be called the epitome of beauty, golden hair illuminated by the sunlight shattering through the window, and golden eyes that held a mysterious aura, as if containing jewels.
“I am the second prince, Trimia.”
Ian, whose eyes met the prince's, also swallowed hard and whispered.
“The Mad King ?”
* * *
The Mad King , Trimia.
Unlike his name, his role in the game wasn't significant, but he was a character no one who played Lost Chronicle could ever forget.
Because the one who first bought Ian, who had become a slave swordsman, was none other than the Mad King Trimia.
People preferred the name 'Righteously Mad King ' over the term 'Mad King'.
He was the king who was the first to jump into the front lines after the war with the monsters began, the righteously mad king who, while other nations and characters were busy lining their own pockets, devoted himself solely to slaughtering monsters.
The sight of him, his madness flaring up in battle, charging alone at 20,000 Orcs was so special that I could recognize him even after seeing his face from 10 years ago.
The problem was.
‘The Mad King is a real prince?’
The Trimia I remembered was not a king.
Trimia, who, like the madman he was, called himself a king, had neither people nor land.
All he had were a few bandits who followed him.
The reason Ian was obsessed with bandits was because of their appearance in the game, which was cooler than the knights.
“Ha, ha!
I know I'm handsome, but it's a bit embarrassing to be stared at like that, Young Lord.”
At Trimia's call, Ian, who had been lost in thought, came to his senses and looked at the two men standing before him with trembling eyes.
The count with a constipated look on his face and the Mad King Trimia.
It was a combination I simply could not comprehend.