Chapter 154

The nobles in Valaran royal palace were plunged into unprecedented chaos. After finishing a delicious breakfast prepared by their servants and just about to start lunch, they found that their usual dining companions had vanished.

"They've disappeared."

"The minister of finances too?"

"Yes, indeed."

"Unbelievable. What's happening!"

People were being ghosted away. They belatedly conducted thorough searches throughout the palace but realized that the missing individuals were nowhere to be found. Moreover, those who disappeared were influential figures who could execute budgets of tens of thousands of gold with a single gesture or overthrow a lower noble family if they wished to.

But the nobles were not just concerned about their power.

"All those who disappeared were neutrals."

"So, are they gathering somewhere? For what reason?"

"Perhaps they're devising a strategy."

"Against what? Regardless of who holds the power, they have always remained steadfastly neutral."

The nobles pondered over it but could not find a clear answer. If it were inconsequential figures, they wouldn't have bothered.

Whether Duke Merrychild, aligned with the Ironblood, ascended to the throne, or the current king retained his position, their status would not have changed.

The nobles here were also those who, basking in the afterglow of these neutrals, proclaimed their neutrality without backing either side.

"Let's wait for their return."

"But even their closest aides are clueless as to where they are."

"What else can we do? If they've decided to hide…"

It was a realistic conclusion. Despite being nobles, they still had to bow to those higher than themselves.

* * *

However, some nobles had realized what was happening, albeit a step late.

"That's him, isn't it? That treacherous liar, the prince's mask."

"No doubt about it. Who would have thought such an atrocious act would occur on such a bright morning?"

"Nobody expected it. Neither did I, nor Duke Merrychild."

These nobles, openly hostile to the royal family, had eyes and ears around the kingdom, gifted to them by Ironblood. Adventurers, freer than any assassin, moved through the shadows and swiftly conveyed the unfolding events.

"Seojin, that adventurer. We can't just let him be, can we?"

"I've already passed the information to Ironblood's adventurers. Since they have deployed their own adventurers, we have no choice but to do the same."

They faced only four adversaries, while they had hundreds, thousands of elite adventurers on their side. If they had a confrontation, the outcome seemed obvious.

* * *

"They'll move soon."

Seojin's knew all of their movements through Flappy.

The prince sensed that the speculations he had made were becoming reality.

"Huh…"

It was hard to accept. He had long felt the weakening of royal power. But now, with the king incapacitated, they were brazenly baring their fangs against the royal family.

"This must have been unimaginable before the adventurers appeared, right?"

Heinrich nodded weakly. He too was part of the change brought about by the adventurers. Despite being mocked as a puppet, the king was still the king. There were plenty of nobles who sought to profit from his shadow, but none had yet dare to challenge his authority.

"This is the list I've compiled. Please check if there's anything different from what you know."

Flap.

The prince received a roster from Seojin: those absolutely loyal to the royal family, opportunistic neutralists siding with the winning team, and active rebels.

The prince closed his eyes for a moment, then reopened them.

"Count Corona was likely coerced into participation."

"Then we proceed as planned. Coerced or not, a dog that bites the hand that feeds it should not be kept."

With a resolute voice, the prince sighed but nodded in agreement.

* * *

Seojin returned to the underground prison and saw Roth, who appeared excited, joyful even.

"Roth, did you find out anything?" Seojin asked.

"Ah, you're here. Not just anything, I found out a lot," Roth replied.

"Really?"

"I've never seen this demon be so cooperative before. Thank you."

Roth's's face showed genuine gratitude.

'How much did he suffer?' Seojin thought.

There was a saying about choosing to be a warlock meant testing the limits of one's patience. It's no wonder demons are often referred to as patience meters.

"Do you want to talk directly to the demon?"

"Yes, but… it absolutely refuses to come out again."

"Can't you force it out?"

"It pleads for its life."

"You should show some sincerity when asking for a favor. Tell the demon to do something for you. Then it might listen."

"…Is that okay?"

"Also, tell it to stay close and answer immediately when I ask."

"Thank you."

Roth closed his mouth, still wearing a smile of sheer delight from his conversation with his contracted demon. Then, moments later.

Whoosh!

In an instant, black flames engulfed Roth's entire body before disappearing.

"Oh"

"Is that a power-up? I've seen it before."

"Yes, I'm much stronger now."

"How much?"

"I'm not sure, but my stats went up by about 50%."

A 50% boost in stats! Considering he had just reached level 100, a simple calculation meant that his stats had increased by almost 150 points. However, Seojin shook his head in disapproval.

"Typical of a demon, playing tricks even now. Better I talk to it myself."

Whoosh!

The flames flared up more intensely than before, and the demon seemed to be sweating. Roth exhaled a sigh of disbelief, as if the situation was completely absurd.

"I got double what I got before."

"Now we're talking. So, what'd it say?"

"It said that's all it can give, it can't offer any more."

"No, not about that. The man." Seojin pointed to the still unconscious criminal.

"Oh, that."

Roth's response was awkward. What Seojin had just done for him wasn't something that could be casually acknowledged with a simple thank you. However, Seojin waved it off, indicating that the situation was urgent.

"It's okay. This is very urgent now."

"Ah, yes. Thank you. And yes, it was indeed black magic."

And yet demons weren't supposed to lie.

Clue obtained.

Clue 2. The assassination attempt on the king was the work of a warlock.

Separate from that, another clue was added. Seojin immediately asked, "Was the caster a player? It wasn't an NPC, right?"

"No, it was Duke Merrychild himself who cast it."

Clue Obtained

Clue 3. Duke Merrychild is a warlock.

"Whoa."

This news was somewhat surprising. In any nation of Salevania, black magic was never tolerated. Though adventurers were somewhat of an exception, even they had suffered significant penalties for being users of it.

Yet, an NPC, and a high noble at that, was dabbling in black magic.

"It also mentioned he shouldn't have dabbled in it long. The rank of the demon he contracted is higher than mine, but an NPCs definitely can't acquire a medium for such a contract."

"So it must be from Ironblood."

If it was a normal job, the factors determining strength were clear: level, skills, equipment, and proficiency in a Qualification obtained after level 100.

But for a warlock, the demon's rank was a more critical factor in combat power.

And the specific medium used for the contract with said demon. Mediums could easily be bought at auction houses if one had the money.

"I'm pretty sure it's of legendary-grade. Even the one I carry is unique-grade, and this one's above that."

"That powerful of a demon shouldn't follow the orders of just anyone, though."

"Exactly. There must have been a player involved, with exceptional skills." Roth shrugged. "Or the demon's interests coincided with the warlock's."

"Don't NPCs go insane after learning black magic?"

"Almost all do. Mine grumbles from time to time too, saying that adventurers are immune to mind control."

That was all that Roth had discovered so far.

"Thanks for your hard work. Now, please check if there are more cases like this in the palace. And if the demon doesn't listen, contact me immediately."

"Is it okay for me to walk around by myself?"

"I'll assign a knight to you. Try to keep the fact that you're a warlock hidden if you can."

"Understood. Thank you so much."

Roth expressed his sincere gratitude again. More than anything, he seemed grateful for his well-behaved demon.

"It's nothing… Ah, can I ask you something about the CEO?"

"I'm just a simple road manager, so I don't know much. But I'll tell you what I can."

He had an endlessly proactive attitude. Seojin smiled and posed his question.

"From your usual interactions with him, what kind of person is he?"

* * *

The Valaran's royal palace had many unique structures.

Centered around the king's residence, three towers came together to form a perfect triangle.

The Tower of Valor.

The Tower of Guardianship.

The Tower of Dragon Magic.

Rumors swirled that the kingdom's three sacred artifacts were sealed within these towers, accessible only to the reigning king. But one thing was certain: each tower was equipped with mechanisms to activate the palace's major functions.

'This game really loves its towers.'

It was probably the developers' preference. Perhaps even a bit of their own quirky philosophy. But that aside, securing these three towers was the most crucial task in this quest.

The Tower of Valor was not a problem. In line with the founding spirit of the kingdom, where the highest knight leads the charge, this tower was traditionally under the firm control of the king's forces.

However, the other two towers were different.

'The king and nobles shares the duty as knights of equal status. Maybe that might have worked back when the kingdom was founded.'

But in the current Valaran, this was clearly nonsense. And ultimately, the Tower of Guardianship was now under joint management, with the king and nobility each holding an equal share of authority. The Tower of Dragon Magic was completely under the control of nobility, originally intended to assist the leading knight.

"If we can secure the three towers, it'll be possible to fend off even a dragon, or so I heard. This applies not just to external, but internal threats as well."

"…Then if those guys capture the towers, the same thing happens? We'd be the enemy then."

"Exactly."

It was a truly frustrating situation. Seojin momentarily wondered why a prince of a country would be in such a state, but he soon refocused.

'I can't expect too much from NPCs. Right.'

NPCs were always like that. They gave the impression of being fellow comrades in arms, despite the fact that the player was likely going to end up handling everything by themself. But that wasn't always the case.

'Sometimes, a capable NPC makes it feel as easy as riding a bus.'

Salevania, the forest that shared the name with the continent, happened to extend right up to the capital of Valaran.