RGS Volume 5 Part 14

‘Well then, um, Commander of the Royal Guards, please check on the knights.’

‘What should I do?’

When the Commander of the Royal Guards asked bluntly, Abel replied with an awkward smile. Then, with a serious expression, he added.

‘According to the servants, no new people have been hired in the past month. Occasionally, outsiders come to help, but that’s irregular work. However, I heard that they have been recruiting knights recently. Moreover, they are also in charge of the security inside the mansion, so they can easily enter. I think there might be a spy sent by Truyde among them. While the Commander of the Royal Guards searches for Truyde’s subordinate among the knights, I will search for the hidden object of the Marquis. Fortunately, I have a good relationship with the maid who I went on an errand to, so I might be able to investigate inside under the pretext of helping with the work inside the mansion.’

It wasn’t a particularly special plan, but the Commander of the Royal Guards had no better alternatives, so he nodded in agreement. He spent the day inspecting the knights and soldiers, just as Abel had suggested. It wasn’t difficult to frame it as a newcomer’s curiosity. In fact, he spent the day so leisurely that he felt a bit impatient. However, in the evening, when the Marquis had left the mansion, someone came looking for him.

“Is it you? Trying to make a big deal out of that cheap piece of meat.”

The voice was full of irritation. Instead of responding, the Commander of the Royal Guards took a moment to observe the person named Erei. Dazzling blonde hair, beautiful features, and a small frame. Skin so pale it looked like it belonged to a woman. As Norhox’s Regas, he likely had skills to entertain men.

With such looks, even someone who wasn’t interested in men might become curious. However, in the eyes of the Commander of the Royal Guards, he didn’t seem attractive at all. Rather, Lylie, who had bruised eyes, seemed much more…

Huh?

The Commander of the Royal Guards flinched in surprise at his own thoughts as Erei’s voice continued.

“F*ck, are you crazy? Where are you trying to sell such a lowly food at a high price?”

The Commander of the Royal Guards woke up from Erei’s fantasy and looked at Erei expressionlessly. Erei’s voice became more aggressive as he considered it as him ignoring his words.

“You must not know who I am. If I tell the one taking care of me about this, you could die without anyone knowing. Understand? Your life is worthless… Hey! You, where are you going?”

The Commander of the Royal Guards stopped walking towards the door and glanced back.

“I don’t want to die over such lowly food, so I’m leaving.”

As he replied and headed towards the door again, Erei called out to him in a flustered manner.

“W-Wait! You have to give me that!”

“Give it to you? I don’t have any cheap pieces of meat to give to Lord Regas.”

“What? B-But you’re the one who gave it to me.”

“The only food I have is worth more than money can buy. But didn’t Lord Regas say he wanted something cheap? Moreover, I definitely don’t have anything that carries the risk of dying without anyone knowing.”

Erei bit his lower lip hard enough to draw blood, out of frustration. However, his clenched fists could not remain still due to his restlessness and he kept fidgeting. The Commander of the Royal Guards stared at him for a moment, then turned his body again.

Click, clack.

Just as he was about to grab the handle, he heard a voice calling him from behind.

“Fine! D*mn it, how much do you want?”

The Commander of the Royal Guards held back a scoff and casually made a demand.

“I don’t need money. I just need information.”

“Information? What kind of information?”

“Everything Lord Regas is doing here. Have you been snooping around the mansion?”

“…”

Realizing that the other person wasn’t an ordinary knight, Erei shouted with a pale face.

“Who are you? Did Marquis Norhox send you to spy on me?”

But then, as if he remembered something important, he shook his head.

“No, you said you were a new knight, didn’t you? Then who are you? Who sent you?!”

“That’s for you to figure out. If you don’t want to accept the dried meat from me, there’s no need for you to know, right?”

“…”

Erei couldn’t respond and clenched his trembling fists, glaring at him. The Commander of the Royal Guards left him and assessed the timing internally.

Within two or three days, he would hear everything from him.

No, given his lack of patience, perhaps even by tomorrow.

He quickened his pace as he stepped out of the mansion. He needed to go and inform Lylie right away.

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

It was not difficult to mix Melmond’s medicine into the emperor’s food. Since Ashler himself carried them under the pretext of watching over the food, he just hid the bottle in his hand and sprinkled it on the steaming food.

The second dinner after the death of one of the King’s Heart members was exceedingly bizarre.

All the servants had left the room, and there was no one to attend to the meal, however, there were no complaints heard from inside. It seemed that they were only satisfied when they personally added the black potion into the emperor’s food. Moreover, they didn’t care about the inconvenience of having no attendants because they were intent on watching the emperor as he ate.

The last thing Ashler saw as he closed the door was the ridiculous sight of everyone except Truyde seasoning the food themselves. It was laughable to see them seated in their seats, doing something they had never done in their lives just to watch the emperor.

It was when he returned to his quarters with a complicated mind that he received a letter in question. Though there was no recipient’s name, the seal on the letter was that of the Kin family. He hurriedly unfolded the letter.

Where on earth were they and what have they been doing?

However, the contents were not what he was curious about.

[Contact Sir Tom of Marquis Yan’s household.]

Tom?

Ashler frowned and quickly read the rest of the letter.

[Precisely inform us of the situation in the palace. If you believe His Majesty is in danger, request help in the letter sent to Tom. Further details will follow later. Make sure to contact Tom.]

Ah, so who is this Tom?!

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

The next day, someone arrived at the knights’ quarters of the Marquis’ household with an urgent message. He asked the first knight he met.

“Is there a knight named Tom here?”

“Tom? I think I’ve heard the name. Hey, you there!”

The knight called out to another passing colleague for help.

“Is there a knight named Tom among us? Wasn’t he a newcomer?”

The colleague shook his head firmly.

“No. He is Garasu.”

The knight confirmed to the person who brought the letter.

“There is no knight named Tom here.”

The letter was returned.

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

It wasn’t difficult for Kin to find another war profiteer. Not far from the capital was a place that had recently become famous for producing fragrance oil. In a village where more than half the residents had fled due to poverty, the production of fragrance oil had attracted people back, and it had now become the wealthiest town in the surrounding area.

The war profiteer, who had created this miracle, was not the lord of the village, but he was called the lord by the people. The real lord had long since gone bankrupt and fled, making this possible. Since the war profiteer had bought all the lord’s land, it wasn’t strange for him to be called the lord.

When Kin arrived late at night, the war profiteer welcomed him like family and provided a place to rest. Thanks to this, Kin, who hadn’t slept for days and had only been running around, was able to get a good night’s sleep in a comfortable bed. He was well-rested enough to ride and continue his journey the next day.

“There isn’t enough supply for everyone?”

“Yes. We only started expanding the fragrance oil cultivation this year. To produce that quantity, we won’t have enough raw materials until the end of the year.”

However, the lord’s face wasn’t dark. Instead, he smiled as if he found it intriguing.

“But it’s quite strange. The area His Majesty recently occupied is warm and abundant with raw materials for fragrance oil. With rumors spreading that the war had ended, a merchant contacted me. They said that they intend to process a large amount of fragrance oil in that area.”

“Did you buy it?”

Yes. The lord nodded again and calmly replied.

“They are currently sailing up the river.”

It’s really fortunate.

Kin sighed inwardly with relief and asked about the location where the fragrance oil would be unloaded from the ship, deciding to go there himself. There was an order to spread the fragrant oil quickly, so he felt that it had to be completed within at least a month. After all, it was uncertain how long Karas could withstand the black potion. Kin briefly discussed with the lord how to distribute the fragrant oil as soon as possible and then prepared to leave.

“Are you planning to leave right away?”

“I must.”

He replied curtly and then added briefly.

“Thank you.”

It was a simple thanks, but it was far from enough compared to what the lord was about to do. He was essentially giving up all the wealth he had accumulated without any complaints. The lord smiled again at Kin’s thanks.

“No. After all, everything I have was given by His Majesty, so it should be used according to his will. And I have been living too comfortably compared to that person. Rather, I’m grateful to have something to do.”

Kin instantly knew who the lord was referring to. The war profiteer hiding within the King’s Heart.

“That’s interesting. I heard he doesn’t have a good reputation.”

“Everyone thinks he betrayed them.”

“Don’t you?”

The lord squinted his eyes and smiled at Kin, who had once been his superior.

“It was because the one who recommended him is none other than Sir Kin. I trust Sir Kin.”

Though it was essentially a compliment, Kin frowned as if displeased.

“Don’t say such unnecessary things. The Commander of the Royal Guards, who should be trusting and following me, only argues with me… huh?”

Suddenly, Kin narrowed his eyes and fiercely stared at the empty air. When the lord, surprised, asked, “What’s the matter?” Kin remained still for a moment before muttering to himself.

“I suddenly have a bad feeling.”

“What?”

The lord’s question was heard once again, but Kin just shook his head as if trying to shake off his uneasiness. The lord then returned to the original topic and spoke seriously.

“If he is not a traitor, I believe he will play a significant role in bringing down the King’s Heart. However, I’m worried that even if we defeat the King’s Heart at the top, the common people might not follow us.”

He gazed out the window with eyes that had quickly grown somber.

“When I first came here, this place was so poor that half of the residents had fled, yet the King’s Heart’s temple still came here to exploit them. It was like watching a dying animal’s last drops of blood being drained. When this place became a fragrance oil cultivation area, and skilled workers came in, the village prospered. For several years, the thing I put the most effort into was finally changing people’s minds.”

His voice lowered as if reminiscing about the past.

“I persuaded them not to give money to the temple anymore. I told them that the temple was just a tool, not a god. I even built a separate place for prayers in the village and warned them that they would become poor again. However, we couldn’t overcome the curse that the King’s Heart poured on those who didn’t come to the temple. Thanks to the temple that has dominated everywhere for hundreds of years, the people accepted the curse as if it were death itself. Just words, yet they held such power.”

The lord let out a hollow laugh as he recalled those times.

“So, some of them strongly resisted and refused to work for me. Do you know what’s interesting? Even they know that the King’s Heart is bad. They know it, yet they can’t break free. I have now given up on them. I can only hope they realize and act on their own. Even now, more than half still give money to the temple as demanded.”

Kin seemed to understand what the lord was worried about.

“His Majesty is wise. He must have thought about it as well..”

“Yes, I know. But I’m just a bit scared.”

Of what?

At Kin’s question, the lord hesitated and lowered his gaze.

“The people are now used to suffering. If you look at history, they endured until the very end, and only after making great sacrifices only then did they express their anger. Just to survive. The King’s Heart is exploiting the people, but for them to turn their backs, the situation would have to be even more extreme. I just hope that what His Majesty is planning isn’t the worst case.”