༺ Puzzle Pieces (2) ༻
Banquets were exclusive to nobles.
Simply put, it was one of the few places where nobles, in the midst of their decline, were able to show off and save face.
Feudal lords were no longer as powerful as they were in the past, and being an official of the central government became the primary objective of everyone, which was why the royal family often held these banquets to appease their desire to meet others and show themselves off.
『From where? Ah, that peasant district, huh?』
『From the East. Tch…!』
『Go look for my men by tomorrow. The road management team seems to have caught sight of a demonic beast.』
It was commonplace in games, was it not?
Do this, do that, grab some herbs from the nearby hill, kill 100 demonic beasts…
Why the hell did these stupid NPCs treat national heroes like subcontractors?
Park Sihu and I understood the reasoning behind this only after experiencing these nobles first-hand in the last iteration.
Whether it be superhuman knights, mages, or national heroes, peasants were peasants and the player was considered a barbarian from an unknown territory.
Although the peerage system in this world was in decline, it wasn’t gone just yet and no one looked at us favorably.
They treated us like upstart peasants in the last iteration but…
“Lord Lork. I am Baron Belver, a Grade 3 administrative officer of the royal court. If you do not mind, I would love to invite you to the Baron Club—”
“Count Poitie here. What a perfect pair you two make!”
“Justice of the Peace, was it? That’s a magnificent post. If you happen to visit the Lopital region, please do come for a visit.”
Seriously…
It seemed that having the peerage of a baron was incredibly different from being without one.
Actually, even this probably wasn’t much in their eyes because it wasn’t a hereditary title. The real reason they were being so amicable was probably…
“Ah, hello. Lopital? I think I’ve been there with my family once.
“Wow, Baron Club? My youngest brother is going to be inheriting the peerage of a baron very soon, so I will definitely send him there.”
There were a lot – a bunch of flies going after Marie, the oldest daughter of the Dunareff Dukedom. They probably found it difficult to talk directly to a young lady as male nobles, and their desire to create a connection with Marie through me was incredibly apparent.
I wasn’t very experienced in this field, so Marie stepped up and took care of all of them with ease.
“Fuu…”
“Here’s some water.”
“Nn? Thanks.”
She was busy dealing with the flood of nobles so I handed her a glass of water.
“You know, most people bring wine when they do that.”
“Must be a shrewd little guy. Be careful of those people.”
“Of course. I would have taken it anytime if it was from you though, Korin.”
Marie said with a suggestive tone and smile.
Please don’t provoke this Oppa too much. Be careful otherwise…
“It’s not very different from the time when I was at your house, Senior. Actually, it might be even worse.”
“Nn. It’s rare for our family to come up to the royal capital so that’s why. I’ve also only been here once for my debutante.”
Just like the banquet back in the South, she was at the center of everyone’s attention. I didn’t see this in the last iteration because the Dunareff stayed inside their territory, but this proved just how influential they were.
“More importantly, Korin, don’t you have somewhere to go?”
“…How did you know?”
“You’ve been throwing glances a few times already. There’s someone you need to meet, right?”
She appeared to have seen me stealing glances at Renya Claire and Ednar. I felt sorry for being a bad partner but it couldn’t be helped…
“Quick. You can’t keep that beautiful lady waiting.”
“…”
This was definitely a sign that I shouldn’t go there right? Seeing my feet come to a stop, Marie immediately loosened the tension on her face.
“Hehe, I’m joking. That’s the person from the Intelligence Guild that you introduced to us last time, right? Don’t worry about me.”
“I’ll make it quick.”
“Okayyy~.”
She smiled while taking a sip from the glass of water that I gave her. For some reason, she seemed to be in a good mood today.
There was a meeting place that Renya and I had decided on beforehand – it was the resting room, Room 2103 on the second floor of the banquet hall.
『By the way, when you go into an odd-numbered resting room on the 2nd floor of the banquet hall, a red light comes up, and it is a common rule to not interfere with the room.』
Kuhum… It was a coincidence. I haven’t used this place before… Well, maybe a few times, but I was here for the secret discussion with Ednar, and nothing fishy.
-Knock knock!
The moment I knocked on the door of Room 2103, I was met with the beautiful voice of my acquaintance.
-Drift?1TL Note: *Drift: In Korean novels, it tends to refer to ‘plot drifts’ or sudden changes in genre. Ie. from romance to NTR, or sudden BL drift (Speaking of BL, BL is Boys Love, and hence the following countersign, ‘Boys Not Love’)
“Go to hell.”
-Boys–?
“Not ‘Love’.”
-Click!
The door clicked open from the inside after a set of countersigns.
“Welcome, Boss.”
The executive of the Intelligence Guild who was now one of the top members of the guild, Renya Claire, welcomed me in her dress.
“Looks good. How about you dress up like that all the time?”
“Attracts too many bugs so that would be troublesome.”
Renya was a tall beauty and looked beautiful when she dressed herself up, but was still a normal commoner. She was invited to the banquet for being a member of the Korin Guardians guild but was probably being looked down on for being a commoner, just like me from the last iteration.
“Are you… the guild master of Korin Guardians?”
Grade 4 Officer Ednar. She was a young lady with red hair wearing large glasses, who appeared just like an average government official. She started shivering before me and… looked completely like a normal person.
“W, why would an esteemed guild master such as yourself look for someone like me…”
“Let’s cut to the chase without wasting our time. There’s nothing in it for either of us to stay here for too long.”
“W, what do you mean…”
She still wasn’t showing her true self. Her acting skills were astonishing, to say the least, but I knew of her true nature.
“Ednar the ‘Leopardess’, was it?”
Her face turned stiff for a split second, but she quickly regained her mask before long. She probably wasn’t sure about what I was trying to get.
Was I referring to Ednar the Leopardess of the SM world? Or… was I hinting at something bigger?
Ednar. She was a normal low-end officer of the Kingdom… but that was her disguise. Her identity was that of the Queen of Night, infamous for what she did at night but…
Even that was a disguise.
“Ednar Illusan. The Queen of Cats. How is it? Is this enough for us to reveal our hands now?”
“H, how did you find out?”
Still stuttering, huh?
She had yet to fully remove her mask.
“Last autumn, the secret sexual preferences of you and the higher-ranked officials were almost exposed, and there was someone from the Intelligence Guild that warned you beforehand, right?”
“…Miss Renya Claire.”
Ednar muttered while turning her eyes to the black-haired beauty next to her, who returned a wave with a faint smile.
One of the important pieces of information I told Renya last year to increase her contribution included the story of Ednar.
An SM Queen in control of countless higher-ranked government officials.
If that were to be exposed to the public, it would have resulted in a massive scandal and a great impact on the social power balance of the Kingdom. The reason for that was obvious. Who would be happy to find out that their superior had a special sexual orientation where they loved being whipped and squealing like a pig?
More important than the gazes of ridicule and disgust that they would have to overcome, it was difficult to imagine that they would be able to keep their post after that.
In fact, after obtaining the information from Renya, the Intelligence Guild had tried to work on Ednar.
However… it resulted in a counter-attack and a massacre.
“A quick oppression of the executives and blaming them for the illegal obtainment of information to send them over to the prison island. Aiya~, that was pretty good…”
Marquis Matona,
Chief of Public Order, Gorgel,
And Michelle, the deputy head maid of the 2nd Palace.
Those were some of her esteemed customers. Thinking how these bigshots were masochists in a chicken race, trying to do their best in order to get ‘rewarded’ by the ‘queen’ was… a bit revolting.
“We do have a slightly special preference, but that’s just something we reveal at night. Trying to mess with that… made the customers very upset.”
“It wasn’t just with your customers’ help though, was it?”
“W, what do you mean…?”
“Anyway, putting that aside, it was thanks to the Intelligence Guild being half-crushed that Renya here was able to grab a position. What’s your position right now?”
“District Leader of the Intelligence Guild. Right below the Guild Master, Boss.”
Right, and that was more than enough. The high executives of her level had access to ‘that event’, which was what I had been after all along.
“Ku Shee. Ku Shee the Werewolf. That’s the name you were after, Boss.”
“…!”
Ednar gave a deep scowl. There was no way that she wouldn’t be aware of the value that name had in the Kingdom, and how dangerous it was at the same time.
It might not mean anything to most people, but if that name were to reach the ears of someone specific… it would most certainly result in an unimaginably enormous bloodbath.
That wouldn’t be something that Ednar Illusan could handle, as a ‘beastman’ who already lost dozens of her comrades to a brutal massacre.
“I see. Ku Shee, that motherfucker, huh?”
That was the name of a beastman who would later die in the game in the middle of the bloodbath. Unless I had filtered the information by specifying the time and range, the Intelligence Guild wouldn’t have been able to find out that name either.
This answered one of my questions from the last iteration.
“W, what are you guys talking about…?”
“I wonder, will you still pretend to be clueless even if I were to tell you that I knew of the location of the village of ‘Mound’, the demi-human union?”
“…”
Mound, the demi-human union formed by several demi-human villages. If she continued pretending to be a fool even after hearing that name, I would congratulate her for being so thick-skinned.
“Tch.”
Ednar collapsed on the sofa along with a large click of her tongue. She took off her large glasses and crushed it with her hand.
“Stop showing off, young man.”
Now that she took off her glasses and crossed her legs, she gave off a totally different atmosphere. The clueless Grade 4 official was long gone, and replacing that was the Queen of Night, who was using just her voice and eyes to add weight to the atmosphere around her.
Ednar Illusan – a high-ranked executive of Mound, the demi-human union formed to protect themselves from persecution. They were one of the core parties of the 6th Arc, and a part of the swirling storm around Princess Miruam.
“Korin Lork. A young knight in the 2nd year of the academy, but with skills rivaling that of the Sword Master.”
“Have you looked into me already?”
“Of course. I certainly did look into the player of the century, who has hit on more than 50 girls in that short time frame.”
“…That must be someone else.”
Even the intelligence of Mound had shortcomings, it seemed. I could understand up to 4, but 50? That was slightly less than all my female acquaintances combined.
“So, what are you going to do?” she asked. “Send me off to Princess Elizabeth? That lunatic would love to see me.”
“I would have done that already if that was the plan. You might have guessed already, but I want information about Ku Shee. I want his details.”
“Impossible. That’s a severe act of treason against the Union. I would rather die by myself.”
I knew it. I had never looked down on their bond.
Considering the connection the persecuted demi-humans had forged together to survive, and considering the price that would be paid by betraying that, it was obvious for her to refrain from betrayal.
“That’s not how it is, though.”
“What do you mean?”
“Crazy. You… You are the craziest human I have ever met. How in the world are you going to take responsibility for that?”
I gave her a reason and gave her faith. In a form that she would be able to see later in the future.
“Why would you go to such lengths? No matter how I see it, there’s not enough in it for you.”
“There is only one thing I am after…”
…A happy ending.
That was the only goal I had in mind until now.
“…Hah, interesting.”
After hearing everything, she had a different look in her eyes – she was looking at me with a smirk. Hmm… Didn’t she look at me with this same gaze in the last iteration as well?
“I have a condition though,” she said.
“…What is it?”
“Look for me at night. If you let me eat you up for a night… and if you can withstand it without changing your mind, I will gladly lend you a hand.”
“Damn…”
Not again!
For some reason, this woman was so eager to eat me up.
“…Fine.”
Well, it worked out in the last iteration so… it should work out the same.
“Fufu. I will treat you to a special course. You young little piggy wearing the skin of a wolf.”
…It’ll work out, right?
Anyway, I managed to obtain two of the three puzzle pieces that I wanted to get. There was only one remaining, and my goal was to acquire that during today’s banquet.
***
After the secret meeting with Ednar Illusan, I returned to the banquet hall and enjoyed the night.
“His Majesty! And Her Majesty are now entering the hall…!”
The introduction of the King and the Queen was very simple, unlike the long and fancy introductions of the nobles. It was proof of how the King of the El Rath Kingdom was fond of functional and practical approaches instead of formalities.
-Creaakk…!
The door opened as a middle-aged man and a lady wearing a pink dress stepped onto the red carpet.
King David Joseph El Rath of the El Rath Kingdom, and the mother of Estelle the 1st Princess, Queen Asher. Following the two of them from behind were the two princesses of the Kingdom.
The pink-haired saintess was wearing a white dress, which differed from her usual sacred outfit, and the red-haired princess was wearing her usual dark yet vibrant reddish-black dress.
Both of them gave a smile when our eyes met. The King and the Queen sat down on the highest throne, and the two princesses sat down on the seats that were located a staircase below them.
Whether it be a noble or a commoner, everyone present got on their knees and quietly listened to the words of the King.
“Today,”
A powerful voice, as expected of the King of the dominant Kingdom, echoed through the hall. His shoulders were broad and he was muscular, making him look more like a warrior than a King.
“We are here to commemorate the safe return of my beloved daughter and the Saintess selected by the Lord from the evil hands of mages.
“Although this was evidently thanks to the graceful mercy of the Lord, it is likewise thanks to the devout assistance of various guardians.”
He gave a simple praise to the Lord and continued with a few flowery words. After that, he summoned the ones worthy of a prize, so we kneeled before the stairs leading up to the throne.
Marie, Hua Ran, Alicia, Lunia, Master, Lady Josephine, and me. Aside from us, there were also the Warsky Mercenaries and the half-giants that stopped the mages from escaping. All in all, it was everyone in Korin Guardians who monopolized the glory of this battle.
“First off, Baron Korin Lork. There are many words of gratitude that I must convey to you. I have heard great stories of your actions from my daughter.”
“It is my honor.”
The 1st contribution award. Park Sihu and I had received that same compliment in the last iteration, and we were the ones who chose the reward and not the King.
“Baron Lork, o great knight. If you so wish, I will grant you anything you desire.”
There was a limit to the options that could be chosen in the game, but now that this was the real world, we were able to ask anything of the King.
The King’s rewards were endless and vast.
We could ask for precious treasures, elixirs of incredible effects, peerages, or even a piece of land, and Park Sihu had asked for things he did not have back then.
As for me? Well, I took Princess Miruam.
To be exact, it was an official proposal I had to make because she was already pregnant back then.
However, this time it was different because I was able to keep myself sane from her seduction.
Therefore, I was able to ask for the last puzzle piece that would finish the puzzle.
1 year.
It took 1 year.
For 1 whole year, I had to make Renya Claire a high executive of the Intelligence Guild and used the information from the last iteration to persuade Ednar.
And through this inevitable reward which I knew I would receive, I would be able to at last complete the puzzle that I had been longing to prepare.
“Your Majesty. There is only one reward I would like to ask for.”
“Hoh? Is there something you have thought of already?”
King David looked at me with intrigue as the Queen and the princesses all focused their eyes on me. While feeling the countless gazes of the nobles and servants of the banquet hall… I uttered the sentence that I had been holding onto the whole time.
“Legal Immunity. For one single occasion. I would like to ask for a single Immunity from Persecution – a promise that you would pardon any crime that I may commit in the future.”
Father-in-law?
It will just be a little ‘treason’, okay?
Footnotes:
1TL Note: *Drift: In Korean novels, it tends to refer to ‘plot drifts’ or sudden changes in genre. Ie. from romance to NTR, or sudden BL drift (Speaking of BL, BL is Boys Love, and hence the following countersign, ‘Boys Not Love’)
