Come to think of it, how did mere villagers get into the capital and the imperial castle for that matter?
Surely someone must have influenced them… There are only a limited number of people who could do such a thing.
‘You’re going to come out like this?’
In the first round, my stepmother and father were clingy when I joined Fabian’s expedition, and after making my name known as a warrior, they even came to the base.
So there was no way Fabian could have known about them… Countess Nerus’s power must have played a role in bringing them into the capital and using them in this way.
It seems that she planned to use my parents to pull me out.
I had no idea that Fabian and Countess Nerus would form a party and end up making several rounds of expeditions.
I guessed that there would be some more sinister and vicious souls, but I had no idea that they would use such means.
I should say that I am fortunate because it is easier to defend against than to use Jeanne. I clicked my tongue low.
Anyway, it was strange. How dare they shove these “parents” in my face.
I didn’t even care because they weren’t even worth being used like that in the first place…
‘Well… if it was me in the first round that Fabian already knew, maybe.’
In the first round, it was my first time in this world in many ways, and as I was not familiar with the fact that I was possessed, there were many things that I was puzzled about.
Typical was concerning parents.
At the time, I did not know that my parents would be so terrible to Jun, and I was more inclined to think that I should have some degree of decorum, first of all, because they were the parents of the body I possessed.
So, wanting to get a good result, I behaved somewhat indecisively, and that was the defeat that pushed their relationship with me to the worst.
But I learned enough about them to be disgusted and completely unsympathetic.
For the sake of the original Jun, I could not see these people carrying the name Jun on their backs.
But it all came in the second round and I was renewed in my resolve.
Fabian seemed to think he had only ever seen me at my wits’ end and warily for my parents, so it would work for me if he used them.
I did not respond as well as my stepmother would have liked and she bit her lower lip.
Perhaps she would have thought that raising her voice in front of strangers and accusing me would have made me come in with my head down to appease them in the face of others?
But I was a human being who could be quite brazen in that kind of gaze. The degree to which people pointed back at me was nothing.
Before, she would have tried to pull my hair out, but now I was a 60-level expeditionary member.
No matter how much I said my stats were trash, there was a big difference between an average person and someone at level 60. I pretended not to notice and said in frustration.
“If it’s something you need money for, don’t go off on a tangent for no reason.”
“How can you say that when Eugene misses you on his sickbed as his older sister?”
“Eugene followed you so well….”
They squeezed tears that weren’t there.
I don’t know what Countess Nerus paid for, but they even seemed to be acting their best. I said it as if I couldn’t win.
“The expedition team is busy right now, so I can’t go back to my hometown.”
“We have a sense of shame, too. Would you like to come back to your hometown knowing that we’re in trouble? We just came up to the capital together to help Eugene recover from his illness. You can go to the inn right now and at least show your face.”
“Okay. If you tell me the location of the inn, I’ll visit him later.”
“You’re not going to come after saying that, right? Poor Eugene is probably waiting only for you…”
It drives people to be very trashy.
Whether I smile outright or not, they quickly grab me by the sleeve to achieve their goal of taking me away anyway.
“Eugene’s condition is urgent. Hurry up and follow me.”
‘I don’t think I can go on if I have to be deceived by being so obvious…’
Of course, the reason I can peek into their true feelings this way may be because I cannot have any feelings at all for them and hate them.
Even Nova, the raw man next to me, was half deceived by their words, because he was so warily trying to figure out what to do and what my mood was.
Certainly, if I had thought that my biological parents were still blood-related, I might not have been able to see them across the river disrespectfully as I did now.
If I was the original Jun… I would never have been able to let the story of my young brother being sick go unheard.
Therefore, it was even more vicious. What a way to take advantage of people’s goodwill and good hearts.
I hid my heart, properly, and pretended not to win.
“Ha… Okay. We can go now. Nova. Go back to the dorm first. I’ll be right back.”
“But I’ll be in trouble, Vice Commander. His Excellency told me that the Vice Commander should not be working alone in individual activities.”
Nova was perplexed and dissuaded me. I stared at Nova and said clearly.
“Special situations” can’t be helped.”
“…!”
It was only after hearing the code that Nova opened his eyes wide as if he had already realized it.
He was also far from a good actor.
I glanced sideways to see if my stepmother and father noticed. Fortunately, they seemed nervous and didn’t notice anything about him.
I continued to speak naturally.
“What’s the big deal? I’m going to see my family. Besides, it doesn’t take long because it’s in the capital.”
“Then… All right.”
Nova was also insinuating. As things went as they planned, the corners of the mouth of the stepmother and father were excited.
I pretended not to know.
“Take the lead.”
“Y-yes.”
Things were going better than they expected, so they deserved to be suspicious for once, but they only hurriedly moved on.
I glanced at Nova and followed them. If you want to catch a tiger, you have to go into the tiger’s den. I stepped forward without hesitation.
They escaped from the rough castle and entered a secluded alley past a nobleman’s mansion.
All the while, it was worth taunting me with absurd words, but they kept quiet and silent until they reached their destination, as if they didn’t want me to be offended and leave.
What they had in front of them was a quiet vacant lot.
‘They found a place like this.’
I looked around and asked calmly.
“So, where’s the inn?”
“…”
My stepmother and father gave no answer with a frightening stiff face.
At that time, a group of people came out from behind us and surrounded me from a distance.
The captain of the group who appeared through people was Fabian. I wasn’t surprised because it was exactly what I expected.
My stepmother leaned flat in front of Fabian and said with her head bowed.
“As you said, I brought Jun here! So, my son…!”
I wondered what he had raised as a price for what they did over there, and it seemed that he had captured and threatened the life of Eugene.
What would happen to me after being dragged away like that should not have been their consideration.
In the end, “Jun” was not a child to them.
I chuckled. The emotion that had been there otherwise was completely gone this time around.
Fabian said it as if my stepmother’s and father’s plaintive cries were bothersome.
“Take them.”
Fearing Fabian’s words would fall, others tied up my stepmother and father.
“Sa-save me! We did everything we were told to do. Please…!”
“So our son, is our son okay?”
They shouted frantically, but Fabian ignored their words, smiling and listening irritably.
“How does it feel to be betrayed by your family?”
“What do you mean? It doesn’t matter.”
“Are you bluffing even in this situation?”
“Is this the only thing you do? You’re not a villain, you’re just a third-rate thug, Fabian.”
I burst into laughter and looked around at the people around me.
Some were members of the Fabian expedition, others were not. I didn’t see any Deca.
I shrugged with room to spare.
“Aren’t you gathering too many to catch one wizard? I’d think you were fighting the Demon King.”
“You’re not just a supporting wizard, but you’re the vice head of the Black Knights, Tyrant. We have to be polite to greet you.”
A spearman replied cheerfully. It was a woman in my memory. I spoke nicely.
“It hasn’t been that long since I’ve seen you, but it’s nice to meet you here.”
She was the head of one of the expeditions I visited in the last few days.
“I don’t think the Black Knights made a very bad offer.”
“In the end, the Black Knights share the leftovers. People may want to eat more.”
“Aha, you’re greedy…. Why? Were you promised that he’d give you a seat at the Grand Duke’s table? Did you fall for that kind of nonsense?”
“…”
At my words, the spearman’s face turned red. It seemed to be the essence. I laughed out loud and gradually moved my eyes to the side.
“What? Why are there so many familiar faces?”
I smiled when I found another one.
Out of the three spies Countess Nerus planted, it was the spy that infiltrated the Yellow Lightning unit.
Her eyes were blue, as if she resented me for the amount of insults I had inflicted on her and kicked her out.
Whether she did or not, her resentment was only ridiculous to me.
The fault was hers, so why pretend to be sorry? I clicked my tongue and shook my head.
“To bring the double swordsman… Do you have no intention of hiding that you joined hands with Countess Nerus, or did you not think of it because you were stupid?”
“That much, I was guessing because it would come out roughly if you collected the information you knew. But you probably don’t even know what I prepared holding hands with the Countess.”
Fabian then smiled with a significant smile. I grumbled at the disgusting appearance of being elated.
“You’re very confident. On the subject of a thug.”
So far, he had maintained composure against any sarcastic words, but Fabian couldn’t hold back and was unbearably indignant because the word thug was quite painful.
Fabian looked a little red-faced and threatened.
“Be careful with what you say. What do you trust in this situation? Meyer Knox? I’ve confirmed again and again that there’s no one after you.”
It seems that people were planted and monitored in the middle. I clicked my tongue and twisted my mouth.
“How thorough. If it were the Commander, he would come after me right away even if he was a little late. Is it okay to hold on to the tail like this?”
“Don’t worry. It won’t take that long.”
“I guess I look easy.”
As soon as I finished speaking, I immediately activated Fulgor’s Pumpkin.
「Scorpion Lightning」
A glistening bolt of lightning in the air fell piercingly toward Fabian and the other incorrigibles.
With a rippling roar, a cloud of dust blocked my view.
