Chapter 175

The House of Welrose.

In the Tower of Qualifications, Seojin had assumed the role of Robron Welrose, the third in line of the Welrose family, commanding the war.

'It must be the same one.'

There couldn't be two Houses of Welrose in the Camilton Empire.

But there was a problem.

'Do I have anything to gain there?'

It was uncertain if the House of Marquis Welrose that Seojin had interacted with in the game, and the one that currently existed, were the same. Therefore, it was also unclear if the influence Seojin had exerted on the Welrose family in the game had been applied in reality as well.

'The same was true for Duke Ferret.'

It was the first quest he faced when selecting traits. Seojin, as a Valaran spy, had encountered Duke Ferret and managed to alleviate his suspicions using the clues provided.

'But the real question is whether or not this Duke Ferret is the same person I encountered before.'

However, now was not the time to ponder. In front of the leader of these dozens of thieves, Seojin couldn't afford to show any signs of confusion. Hailey, while rifling through files, looked up.

"How about adding two marquises?"

"The titles aren't important, right?"

"Shall I show you our list? Are you looking for someone in particular?"

"Not exactly."

Seojin denied it initially. However, he quickly expressed a moderate level of positivity, as if it was a reasonable suggestion.

"Actually, if I could see a list, that would be nice. Titles, names, and a brief overview of their issues would speed up the conversation."

"You're suggesting your abilities are that significant."

"Quite."

"No need to explain our trading ways then, right?"

"Of course. If you find what I'm offering to be insufficient, feel free to add what you demand."

"Seems you have even more than I thought?"

"Recall what you thought when I held the cards. It will be helpful in your decision."

"I accept. Wait here."

Hailey immediately began working. The volume of data they held was vast, and determining how much to reveal took a significant amount of time. About an hour later, Seojin was finally met with the diligently sorted list she prepared.

"Interesting."

His first words were cautious, so as not to reveal too much to her. Internally, Seojin celebrated.

'There it is. Duke Ferret too.'

From the moment he started Midgard, Seojin never treated any element of the game as a coincidence.

This wasn't the real world, after all.

When anything strange happened in Midgard, it usually meant there was a hidden intention or meaning; that something missed that needed to be reconsidered.

'But Welrose and Ferret at the same time? That can't be a coincidence.'

There must be some link, however minimal, between the quests Seojin undertook in the Tower and these two names.

'But what that connection is, remains to be seen.'

Seojin checked the list again.

One duke.

Three marquises.

Twelve counts.

Viscounts and barons were not within Hailey's scope of handling.

Seojin slid the list back to her.

"Disappointing."

"Even all this isn't enough? Don't push your luck…"

"I'm just saying these options are too limited."

Tap, tap.

Seojin drummed his fingers on the chair's armrest. Sixteen noble houses involved in trouble. Considering the number of nobles in the Empire, it was a tiny number. There might be information of no value omitted, but Seojin's confidence laid elsewhere.

"Are you aligned with the hardliners?"

"…"

"Except for one count, they're all advocating for better relations with other nations. Getting useful information and removing nuisances. Do I look like such a handy errand boy?"

"…That was just a slip-up."

"Even the one hardliner count is looking to switch sides."

Hailey's face displayed clear dismay. The Empire's power players were split into two factions: hardliners and moderates. The former aggressively pursued territorial expansion and the gains the Empire could reap, while the latter preferred the opposite. The basis of their actions were same in that they both wanted the empire's growth, but their values were diametrically opposed.

"So what happens when someone spills water over the contract?"

Hailey bit her lower lip. It was her mistake, underestimating him as a mere adventurer from Valaran.

'He's a new face!'

How could he have such deep insights into the Empire's affairs? She wouldn't have played such games with him had she known.

But as Seojin pointed out, the contract was already made.

"…What do you want as payment?"

"Let's play a game."

Activating stance: Sly Schemer.

League of Deception is activated

Skill effects are significantly increased.

"I'm not going to play a game I know I'm going to lose.."

"Don't assume it's the same kind of game. I'd like to see genuine information, but if you want to hide it, go ahead. As long as you don't get caught by me."

"…And if I do get caught?"

"Anything lies that are caught will be openly discussed, without payment. Of course, if you reveal everything upfront, we can conduct a fair trade…"

Seojin grinned. His opponent was a thief, and their methods were predictable.

"It won't come to that, will it?"

It all boiled down to an extension of the earlier card game. Hailey, too, harbored instincts akin to those of a thief.

The outcome, as expected, was predictable.

* * *

It only took a few hours for Hailey to be completely outwitted by Seojin, her soul practically in his hands. She had concealed the most important information and, to create a smokescreen, mixed in less significant ones in more accessible places. However, Seojin, with uncanny precision, managed to uncover all of it, causing Hailey's face to contort in dismay.

'She has connections.'

The Camilton-Valaran border commander was in cooperation with the hardliners of the empire. Though the thieves didn't have a significant role in this alliance, the information about those using the passageway was known only to these thieves. Occasionally, when valuable information came in, they laid the groundwork for the hardliners to leap into action.

'She would have sold me out too if I just passed through.'

The visit of the adventurer who turned Valaran upside down would naturally attract countless watchful eyes, and any mishap would have provided a pretext for war against Valaran.

"I don't fancy being at each other's throats. Make a fair concession. It's an unspoken rule here not to mess with each other's livelihoods, right?"

"Just hand over two nobles. They're off-limits."

"Why?"

"They're the reason we can roam freely."

"They're power players then."

"It's for your own good. They're not to be trifled with. If you think of them like the other nobles, you're mistaken."

Seojin accepted the offer. She slid forward the dossiers of the nobles she was willing to divulge. However, Seojin, keeping his hand firmly on the papers, stared intently into Hailey's eyes.

"And what if you end up no longer needing them?"

"That's fine. But it's a tall order. Considering the time we spent to get close to them…"

"I don't need your concern."

"If a replacement comes along, fine. I'll happily hand them over."

"So, excluding the useless ones, this is all? They're mostly from the moderate faction."

Seojin pointed out the one duke and four marquises he had identified. Virtually unchanged from the beginning, though the number of counts had increased, there weren't many influential hardliners.

"These counts were carefully selected."

"From your perspective, yes, they were. It seems the limits of your intelligence are clear. Do they provide you info so you can bite on their target's heels?"

"I won't deny it."

If these outer thief groups had a comprehensive grasp of the Empire, it would be more unusual. The chair scraped the floor unpleasantly as Seojin stood up, and Hailey reached out hastily.

"Wait, I haven't heard your story yet."

"I handle elemental spirits."

"…!"

"She's smart enough to understand my opponent's hand and even gives me advice."

As if his profession was that of an elementalist, he even implied his spirit's level was quite high. Hailey squinted in suspicion.

"Are you an elementalist?"

"Who knows?"

"How can you handle spirits without being an elementalist?"

"Who knows? You be the judge. Was the information worth it?"

It was more than sufficient. The moment Seojin spoke, it was as good as granting permission to relay that content to her allied nobles. A mysterious adventurer from Valaran who handles spirits, and exceptionally at that. If the nobles heard of this…

"Ideal for scaring them into action. It'll be easy to say, 'Let's strike first because he's scary.' Our deal stands. We might have more to offer."

"I don't want to expose more than necessary."

"You said you had plenty to offer. I'm not greedy."

"That's something I find hard to pass."

A thief relinquishing greed was an amusing thought. Brushing her vivid red hair, Hailey confirmed Seojin's suspicions.

"I've rated your value to me as much higher."

This didn't mean she wanted to team up with Seojin. It meant his usefulness had increased dramatically, and she was willing to pay accordingly. This was the best goodwill she could offer.

"I'll have to raise my value then. Let's start from scratch. What can you offer?"

* * *

-I have a favor to ask.

-Don't worry. I'll be sticking close. Ever since I woke up, I've been full of energy.

-Steadfast as ever! My Flappy!

With Flappy attached to Hailey, Seojin sat down with Kartna, whose expression was tinged with concern.

"The information should be biased. It's not common, but not unusual either, for nobles to align with thieves. Unless they value you more than those nobles…"

"You're nearly there."

"That's quite astonishing."

What Seojin gleaned from Hailey was significant. He secured a shallow connection with the thieves guild operating within the Empire, gained a more detailed understanding of the nobles' power struggle, and more crucially, heard tales of other "adventurers" who had already infiltrated the Empire.

But that wasn't everything.

These were details already somewhat known, accessible to anyone with even a modicum of interest. He had merely saved the time it would take to gather all this information himself.

Their nationality, their standing within the Empire, the extent of their achievements, as well as their personal inclinations.

"To survive, one must align with the nobles. They must choose a side, be it one faction or the other, to move around freely."

"The emperor has a great interest in adventurers. And has an obvious intent to take in the competent ones… Though it's a blatant strategy. Both hardliners and moderates ultimately serve the Empire's interests, don't they?"

Adventurers found themselves politically aligned, often without keen interest in such matters, but for the sake of smoothly progressing quests.

"Okay then, putting that aside for now…"

Seojin had uncovered another intriguing piece of information, more captivating than the existence of the Marquis Welrose or Duke Ferret.

"The only mining site for Moonstone is in the Camilton Empire, right?"