Chapter 329
Chapter 329 I Have So Many Questions. (1)
The sight of the wailing advisor looked incredibly unjust. But Raoul stared at the advisor with a blank expression and said,
“Are you joking? You bring this trash to me and say those guys are weird?”
Upon hearing this, the reporting advisor began to tremble in fear. The other advisors around him were no different.
Raoul was a ruthless man, famously known as the ‘Crippled Demon.’ Not a single one survived who fell into his sights.
Still, the advisor summoned his last remnants of courage and spoke up. He could not accept dying unjustly because of Penris’s bizarre group.
“I—I swear it’s true. Everyone says the rumors aren’t normal. I’ve checked multiple times and sent spies to report back.”
Seeing his desperate look, Raoul, who would ordinarily send him straight to prison, stifled his anger and asked,
“Are you sure you didn’t bring back the right information?”
“No. The territory residents say the same thing. They are all notable figures in the territory, so there was nothing to hide.”
Raoul glared at the advisor for quite a while. It didn’t seem like he was lying.
The fact that everyone said it wasn’t normal implied something was indeed off with other individuals too.
Taking a deep breath, Raoul flipped to the next page.
[Ogre Slayer, King of Leather from the North, Mad Dog, Genius of Violence, Arrogant Fool, Rebel…….]
[Knight Kaor]
This guy had some unusual nicknames too. No matter how you looked at it, he didn’t seem like someone worthy of a knighthood.
The next page detailed the guy’s duties in the territory.
“Ugh… Responsible for public order in the territory, trains occasionally, supervises prisoners, and goes out to fetch leather?”
“Yeah.”
“This guy is just some jack-of-all-trades?”
“…Looks that way.”
Raoul pressed his temples a few times and then glanced at the next page.
[Nanny of the Dark Force, Belinda]
He didn’t even dare read this in detail. Even if he did, it seemed hard to believe anyway. So, he decided to just ask the advisor directly.
“What is this?”
“She is the Chief Housekeeper of the castle and has been a tutor for Count Penris since he was young. However, there are rumors she’s manipulating the lord from behind. Especially…”
“Especially?”
“They say she doesn’t tolerate food complaints.”
“……”
[Mathematician of the Devil, Lowell]
“What’s this?”
“They say he can calculate extremely fast. There’s a rumor he can mentally calculate up to seven-digit numbers instantly.”
“Oh? If that’s true, he should be in charge of finances in the territory.”
“They say he is a spy. The Chief Officer won’t allow anyone to manage money. He’s obsessed with money.”
“…I see.”
[6th Circle Maid Mage, Vanessa]
“……Maid?”
“Yeah… They say she came from doing menial tasks in the Mage Tower.”
“A maid can become a 6th Circle Mage?”
“Surprisingly, that’s true. And…”
“And?”
“She apparently loves explaining things.”
“…What does she explain?”
“Anything at all.”
“…Okay.”
[The Great Blacksmith, Galbarik]
Raoul unconsciously put on a welcoming expression. Despite the obvious greatness of the title, he seemed normal.
“They say that dwarf has raised the technology of Penris’s territory several levels.”
“Good, find out more about this dwarf. If he has exceptional skills, we need to secure him.”
“Understood.”
“Finally, we might get proper information. Now, moving on to the next one…”
[Uncontrollable Rage, Ascon]
“…What’s this?”
“He’s an elf but has anger management issues.”
“……”
I thought a normal person would appear, but here we go again. Raoul flipped to the next page.
[Saint of Juana, Piote]
“A saint?”
Raoul, who was about to flip the page haphazardly, suddenly froze at an unexpected term. The emergence of a saint wasn’t an ordinary event.
“What does this mean? If a saint appeared, news of this should’ve spread throughout the kingdom by now. Wasn’t there a report to the royal family?”
No one could touch a place where a saint resided, which was why he reacted so sensitively.
The advisor shook his head vigorously in response.
“No, we checked with the Juana Sect and they say there’s no such occurrence. He’s just a priest who seems to have gained favor from the territory’s residents, thus receiving that title. However…”
“However?”
“Many have claimed to witness him receiving revelations. So, I think further confirmation is needed.”
“Is it true that the testimonies of those who have seen him receiving revelations are consistent?”
“Yes.”
“Then, he could really be a saint, right? What if the sect is hiding it or refusing to admit it due to internal power struggles?”
“Well… According to the sect, he’s a man. A man can’t be a saint, can he? He simply looks like a woman, but they say he’s definitely a man raised by the sect since childhood. This has been confirmed multiple times.”
Raoul unknowingly pinched the bridge of his nose. What kind of perverse individuals were these? In this situation, even if he wanted to understand who they were, he couldn’t get a clear picture.
With a headache, Raoul closed the report. He didn’t want to see any more.
He gazed at the advisor with a cold look and said,
“I’ll consider the time constraints, but you can investigate properly again.”
“Oh, understood. But… can I not show you more?”
“It’s all likely just weirdos anyway. You can bring it back once you investigate again.”
“That’s… true, but…”
With ‘Lumine, the friend of words and children’, ‘Wendy, the aide to the Chief Officer’, ‘Gordon, the muscle-piddler’, and many others yet to be mentioned,
Even if he could overlook those, there was one individual who had to be checked.
“You should check the information regarding a person named Alfoy.”
“Alfoy?”
“Yes, the rumors are rather concerning…”
At those words, Raoul nervously opened the report.
[The Man Who Defeated a God, Alfoy]
“…Is this a nickname that can be attached to a normal person? How can we let this type roam free?”
Defeating a god? With a nickname like this in the current era, one would immediately become the enemy of all sects. Essentially, it meant he was treated as a dark sorcerer.
If he didn’t want misunderstandings, Count Penris should have caught and killed this one long ago. But the report indicated he openly called himself this in the territory. There was no greater sacrilege than this.
“Is this true?”
“Yes, many have witnessed him withstanding the power of the goddess. That’s probably why Count Penris dares not touch him.”
More accurately, taking an interest in him was the truth. But due to his overwhelming nickname, everyone had solidly misunderstood him.
Raoul pressed his temples again, feeling a splitting headache. He couldn’t tell what was true and what was false.
There were already abundant rumors about Count Penris being a madman. When he personally saw him, there was definitely something off about the guy.
But for his subordinates to be stuck with such insane nicknames?
“Did you say he’s from the Tower of the Bloody Flame?”
“Yes. We found out that he’s regarded as a promising heir from there.”
“Hmmm, then he must be quite talented… or exceptionally skilled.”
“That seems to be the case. The advisors came to a primary conclusion through discussions… This may very well be Penris’s hidden strength.”
“Hidden strength?”
“Yes. It’s odd that someone who’s not widely known has such a nickname. Clearly, something must have revealed that hidden power. Since he’s from the Tower, he must be hiding his identity as much as possible.”
“I heard it arose from some gambling incident or something, didn’t I?”
“It seems that when his hidden power revealed itself by chance, they manipulated the rumors to cover it up. It’s absurd to think such a nickname came from something as trivial. An heir of the Mage Tower gambles? The Tower of the Bloody Flame was once the renowned number one in the North.”
Raoul nodded in agreement with those words.
“I see. For now, let’s classify this Alfoy guy as a special management target.”
There wouldn’t be a nickname like that without reason. Regardless of whether it’s true or not, he clearly was someone with something going on.
Thus, Alfoy was categorized as a ‘dangerous individual’ and entered the list for special reports and management.
Raoul’s eyes gleamed sharply as he continued speaking.
“Check how the Tower of the Bloody Flame and the Tower of the Bloody Flame are progressing again. Because of Penris, that side has become sluggish. Also… the fact that all the major figures’ rumors are this strange clearly suggests some manipulation at play. They must be intent on avoiding outside scrutiny.”
That wasn’t true. Ghislaine was too busy hiding the territory’s major production capacity, military strength, and new technologies.
He had no intention of concealing guys like Claude or Alfoy.
But the advisors, unaware of this, made their speculations as reasonably as possible. Having too many thoughts turned out to be more of a poison.
Since Raoul had no choice but to rely on the reports brought by his advisors, he ended up concluding similarly.
However, he was not someone who would trust such suspicious reports blindly.
“I’ll provide unlimited manpower and funds so investigate further. If the same information keeps coming up, I’ll reconsider at that time.”
“Understood.”
Despite having conducted precise investigations, the Duke made the decision to pour unnecessary effort and time into it again.
Raoul, having set aside information about Penris, asked about something else.
“What about Amelia?”
“I sent someone to manage her. They should arrive soon.”
“Good. Come up with a strategy to keep Penris in check using Raybold. Just ensure that Penris’s brat doesn’t pop out from the North. After dealing with the Crown Prince faction, we’ll take care of the North.”
“Understood. But, um…”
Noticing the hesitating advisor, Raoul frowned.
“Speak.”
“Amelia’s demands are becoming increasingly excessive.”
“What do you mean?”
“She still hasn’t quelled Baron Valua’s rebellion, and due to fighting the Northern Lords, our finances are running low.”
“So soon? How much has she requested?”
“Right now, supplies and horses, military weapons, timber, iron, runestones, herbs…”
The list the advisor rattled off seemed endless. The quantities were staggering. Even Raoul, who rarely flinched at various matters, momentarily lost his words.
Dealing with Count Penris was enough of a headache, but now Amelia became a problem in another sense.
Other advisors chimed in angrily.
“A talentless woman seizing the territory is already shaking up our finances, isn’t it?”
“We need to bring her under control quickly. At this rate, the territory may end up in ruins.”
“Why on earth did Count Desmond support such a woman? It seems the Fourth Prince Davin would have been better off with no power.”
Unlike the outraged advisors, Raoul simply smiled coldly without saying a word.
‘Is she intending to use her position to take a hefty share? She seems to have decent political insight, but she must not realize that she’ll be cooked once the hunting ends.’
Raoul wasn’t well acquainted with Amelia yet. For that reason, he only assumed from the current situation that she was acting beyond her means.
“For now, provide only half of what she wants. After all, we’ll send someone to manage her. If it seems difficult to control, we should also prepare a plan to change her master.”
“Understood.”
“The North is going nowhere since Harold already failed, so progress with sealing off the regions. What about the Crown Prince faction?”
Raoul had sent a warning filled with threats to Marquis Branford. A warning to yield his position and cede the throne.
Naturally, Marquis Branford wouldn’t accept such a humiliating proposal.
“Marquis Branford is said to be extremely enraged. The Eastern Army is preparing for war.”
“Marquis Macquarie is summoning the Kingdom Army. He’s currently on standby, threatening to act at any moment.”
“Count Ailzbur has also reportedly put forth a massive sum of military funds. It seems they’ve prepared quite a lot.”
Raoul nodded as he listened to the advisors’ words.
“They’re quite greedy. After sitting on the throne for so long, it’s about time they step down.”
In reality, he knew well that the moment Marquis Branford stepped down would spell disaster for the royal family.
So Marquis Branford would not leave even if he wanted to.
“Hmmm, in any case, their recent moves are somewhat different. It seems the others are not afraid either.”
In the past, even the nobility of the Crown Prince faction would flinch at the Duke’s slightest cough. They generally aimed to avoid fights and mostly just watched from the sidelines.
The atmosphere had changed like this thanks to just one person.
“It seems that… since Count Penris kept on winning, they think it’s worth a try.”
It was the Northern powers called Count Cabaldy and Count Desmond who were utterly smashed one after the other. And by someone reputed as the Northern’s mad dog, no less.
Thus, the Duke appeared to be more manageable. It was no wonder the Crown Prince faction was acting more assertively.
Raoul smiled bitterly.
“He’s completely tangled everything up.”
“Why was Marquis Branford supporting such a madman? There must be reasons for it. There’s been plenty of talk among the Crown Prince faction, but they suppress it all.”
“Right, Marquis Branford has never been an easy man to deal with.”
Raoul acknowledged him. If it weren’t for Marquis Branford, the kingdom would have met its end a decade ago.
Marquis Branford led the pathetic nobles of the Crown Prince faction, who cared only for their own well-being, in opposing the Duke until now.
He was also the one who had given that brat Ghislaine the push to grow this much.
With Count Desmond, once known as the strongest in the North, also fallen, he couldn’t deny it anymore.
Marquis Branford’s gamble had succeeded.
The advisor cautiously glanced at Raoul’s expression and asked,
“With the failure in the North… there aren’t many nobles left who can be persuaded or threatened. The situation has already calmed because of Count Penris. It’s clear the situation will likely progress as Marquis Branford intended.”
“In other words, that means we’re left with only civil war as an option.”
“If we initiate a war now… we’d inevitably suffer some damage as well. If that happens…”
Raoul smiled bitterly again at the advisor’s words.
“Yes, developing the Forest of Monsters will become even more challenging.”
He swallowed the unspoken thoughts that the advisors didn’t know.
‘…To find “that”.’
This was Raoul’s reason for desperately trying to avoid civil war and conserving military strength.
It all revolved around the Forest of Monsters.
