Chapter 149 : Education Fee

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I see. Then I suppose it was a coincidence after all…”

Seeing the king lost in thought with a seemingly relieved expression, Muno suddenly recalled what he had heard about the terror attack on the royal palace.

– The 4th Prince, Leon Iron, foresaw the signs in advance and prevented it with minimal damage.

The king’s current demeanor meant he still harbored doubts about that situation.

However, if that was the case, something didn’t add up.

“Forgive my impertinence, but if Prince Leon had not discovered the signs, Your Majesty would have…”

“Yes. I would have died.”

At the king’s calm discussion of his own life and death, Muno let out a hollow laugh.

No matter how strange Prince Leon’s sudden growth was, and how coincidental the situation,

He suspected his own son, of all people?

‘Honestly, it’s a little strange, but still, it’s his son.’

For the first time, the weight of the king’s position felt heavy.

And even with my words, it didn’t seem like he had completely dispelled his suspicion.

The atmosphere had grown heavy along with it, so he immediately changed the subject.

“Did Prince Leon place some sort of unreasonable condition on our spar?”

“Yes. As if he had become a different person.”

“Isn’t that possible at his age? He’s still young.”

“Young? I believe he’s the same age as you.”

“Ah, yes. Well, I’m young too.”

At that banter, the king finally let out a chuckle.

Thanks to that, the atmosphere seemed to lighten a bit.

“The boy belatedly expressed his desire to participate in the succession war. He said he would prepare his own forces. That’s what fueled my suspicion. Most of the nobles have already joined factions, you see.”

The conversation returned to a heavy topic again.

‘Damn it…’

Whatever the circumstances, I didn’t want to know any more.

To be precise, I didn’t want to get involved in the royal family’s affairs.

If the king was this suspicious, then even if Prince Leon was really involved with the Demon Cult, he would be taking precautions.

“Sir Muno, you’re too easy to read.”

“…Pardon?”

“Even now, your desire not to interfere in the royal family’s affairs is written all over your face. Even though the king is speaking right in front of you.”

Fuck, what should I say?

“Ah. Ha. Ha…”

“Well, that makes you more trustworthy. Hoho.”

I had nothing to say, so I could only laugh awkwardly.

Then, a startling statement followed.

“For now, for Leon’s education fee, would a grant to your family be sufficient?”

“Pardon?”

“As far as I know, you’ve sent most of the money you’ve earned to your family, haven’t you? If you don’t like that, shall I give it to you directly?”

“Ah, no. I can earn the money I need separately.”

“How?”

“Pardon? Ah, that’s…”

By shaking down gangsters.

What he had gained from wiping out the Ted Family was not just a huge amount of wealth, but also an idea for a way to raise funds quickly in a big city.

But I couldn’t tell the king that.

So I hesitated, but the king came at me with a hook.

“Don’t tell me you’re thinking of getting it by shaking down some hoodlums again?”

“Ah…”

Why is this old man so interested in me?

As I was too flustered to answer properly, the king cut me off with a laugh.

“…Gangsters are often secretly connected to nobles, so be moderately careful. Well, I doubt any noble would dare to antagonize the Black Knight these days.”

“…I will keep that in mind.”

“But besides that, is there anything else you wish to ask of me?”

“Pardon?”

“Looking at your armor earlier, it seems there won’t be any artifacts in the Royal Treasury that would be of great help to you, even if it were to open.”

Ah.

“There’s no need to wait. If there’s anything you need, you can say it now. Ah, of course, I’m not forcing you.”

The king’s words shook the foundation of a vague desire I had.

‘…He’s not wrong.’

In fact, apart from the question of whether I had the capacity to equip a new artifact, having many artifacts didn’t necessarily mean I could fully utilize their power.

‘That necklace from before… would it even be helpful to me now?’

There was a limit to the capacity a person’s body or mana could handle, and more importantly, there were compatibility issues between artifacts.

In my case right now.

‘They’d probably all be crushed by the Red Heart’s mana. If I’m going to use one, I need an artifact of at least a similar grade.’

There was a reason why even the great Dragon Sword Duke only handled two artifacts, his armor and his Dragon Sword.

Therefore, I wanted to check one last thing.

“…Are there any named or mythic-grade artifacts in the form of a necklace, bracelet, or ring in the Royal Treasury?”

“No.”

…The answer was so firm that I wondered if he was just saying that because he didn’t want to give me one.

However.

“A named or mythic-grade accessory? If such a thing existed, I or the royal family would all be wearing it. Even if it chooses its master, something of that level, we’d find a way to use it somehow.”

The king added a persuasive explanation.

If that was the case, the remaining items in the Royal Treasury wouldn’t be of much help.

No matter how treasure-grade an artifact was, if it was inferior to the Red Heart, it would have little effect on me now.

Rather than getting a piece of protective gear for my family, receiving regular support for my family would be more effective in the long run.

The king’s words were probably pointing that out.

In the end, I decided to be satisfied with receiving support for my family.

“Then, regarding Drasen…”

The moment a smile spread across the king’s face, as if he was thinking, ‘So that’s it,’

Another thought suddenly flashed through Muno’s mind.

The memory that had surfaced when he was hit by the hydra’s mental attack.

The beautiful and peaceful home, and the black-robed figure that shattered that peace.

“…Your Majesty, have you ever heard of the Exeo family?”

At the words that came out as if possessed, curiosity appeared on the king’s face.

“Exeo? Let me see? Are they a noble family of our kingdom?”

“…I don’t know. Could you possibly investigate that family or a person named Exlam?”

“Hoh? May I know the reason?”

It seemed unnecessary to lay out all the circumstances messily.

Just.

“That… man named Exlam might be the real Demon Cult Leader.”

That one sentence was enough to make the king’s expression change drastically.

“What!? You’ve found out his name?”

“It’s not certain. But even if he’s not the Demon Cult Leader, he’s at least a close aide.”

“…Yes, that’s enough. Any other characteristics?”

“He probably has gray hair.”

“Gray hair…? Hmm, there was no such mention in Anthony’s report. Did you find out later?”

“Yes. Personally.”

Fortunately, the king didn’t press any further.

“Anyway, good. Exlam, and the Exeo family?”

“Yes.”

“With those hints, we should be able to narrow down the scope. Of course, the best thing would be for the Duke and the Red Iron Knights who are currently chasing them to bring back his head.”

He said that, but it didn’t seem like the king was actually expecting that much.

“Then I will receive the information on that family and that man as the reward for my merits. Would that be alright?”

“Hoh… Hahahaha. As expected, you are trustworthy.”

“Pardon?”

“You’re asking for information on our primary enemy, whom we must exterminate anyway, as a reward for your merits? While also providing us with information we didn’t know?”

“Ah, that’s…”

Because I’m much more desperate.

Before I could even answer, the king abruptly rose from his seat, came over, and suddenly patted his shoulder.

“Good. Of course, I’ll grant that request. In addition, I promise to support the Drasen family with 5,000 gold annually. I believe their yearly budget is about that much, so their lives should improve a bit, right?”

“…Pardon?”

A dazed response followed.

“And I will also look for a named or higher-grade accessory-type artifact you mentioned. Of course, even if I do find one, I’ll give it to you when you achieve another merit in the future. That should be enough, right?”

What more could I say here?

“I am overwhelmed by Your Majesty’s grace!”

Muno’s posture instantly became extremely low.

* * *

– For now, rest in the royal palace. I don’t know about a wanted notice for the man named Exlam, but I’ll find information on the Exeo family right away.

It was the third day of lazing around and resting in the royal palace, trusting the king’s promise.

As his mind, which had been tattered by the fierce battle with the hydra and the Dragon Sword Duke’s atrocities, began to regain its stability, other thoughts arose.

‘Did the king forget his promise? Is it that hard to find information on a family?’

He was slowly starting to distrust the royal family’s intelligence capabilities.

Meanwhile, he had already commissioned El of the Reid Merchant Guild for the personal curiosities he couldn’t bring himself to mention to the king.

– I can prepare all the information on Sir Karina, the Knight of the Gale, within three days. But Rauel? Hmm, she’s from Aslan but was Sir Muno’s colleague… you say? I can’t promise about her, but I’ll try my best.

‘It’s about time. Should I go visit El again?’

The moment that thought occurred to him.

The area outside the annex suddenly became noisy.

– Excuse me…!!

– You’ve come…!

Murmur murmur.

‘Hmm?’

He quickly deployed his armor and stepped out of the room.

He felt a huge shadow whip past the door.

‘A wyvern!’

His gaze instinctively turned to the sky.

– Waaaaah!

– It’s the Dragon Sword Duke!

– It’s the wyvern Castaria!

Even without confirming its form, the voices coming from afar told him who the owner of the shadow was.

‘If that’s the case.’

Muno naturally headed for the Steel Palace, the largest palace within the royal castle.

‘I’ve got an excuse to meet the king.’

For him, that was more important right now than the fact that the Dragon Sword Duke had returned.

However.

In the Steel Palace, which he had reached with such difficulty, he couldn’t inquire about the information he had been waiting for.

“The Scepter of Glory was found destroyed!?”

At the king’s contorted face, the duke immediately bowed his head.

In his hand were fragments that seemed to be the remains of the giant golden staff Muno had seen before.

“Even the spirit’s core reaction has disappeared. It is presumed to be destroyed. Therefore, there is no longer a way to track it, and under my command, all of the Red Iron Knights are returning.”

At the Dragon Sword Duke’s report, delivered in a cold tone, the king was speechless for a while.

Then.

“The spirit’s core… It’s not something that can be destroyed so easily, is it?”

Words, slightly trembling as if suppressing anger, flowed out.

At those words, the old man nodded with a heavy face.

“We found traces of magic of at least 7-Circle being cast at the site of destruction. We’ve only gained the certainty that the Demon Cult’s mastermind, a Seven-Star, exists.”

“Hah…”

As the king, whose complexion had turned pale, looked at Viscount Trauni, he continued the report.

“The palace’s anti-magic barrier and the spirit consecration circle will soon cease to function. To reopen the Royal Treasury without ‘approval’, we will need at least three Spirit Masters of 6-Class or higher to gather.”

“If that’s the case…”

“I will send a communication to the Tower of Spirits. However, I cannot estimate the contract conditions they will demand or the time of restoration. There is also the distance to this place…”

At Viscount Trauni’s report, the king squeezed his eyes shut.

Then, he let out a sigh and.

“For the time being, all the royal knightly orders will enter an emergency alert posture. And the scheduled succession war will be suspended within three days, and the results up to that point will be reflected!”

“Your Majesty!”

“If you do that…”

The ministers were agitated, but the king did not waver.

“Iron declares the Demon Cult as its primary enemy and will mobilize all its capabilities to exterminate them. This is a top-priority measure that even considers cooperation with the Deus Empire, so everyone, keep that in mind!”

What on earth was that Scepter of Glory, that spirit’s core, that the king was so angry?

‘It doesn’t seem like it’s just the core of the royal castle’s protective barrier…’

It was bewildering from Muno’s perspective as well.

But as if to show the standing the royal family held in Iron, the commotion in the Great Hall quickly subsided.

And.

“We will follow your command!”

As one voice echoed through the Great Hall, following the Dragon Sword Duke’s lead.

It was the moment when the war to exterminate the Demon Cult, which had been hushed up and carried out under the surface until now, finally came to the surface.

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