Novel Full Chapter 246 : Chapter 246
Chapter 246. Are You a Villain? Or a Hero? (1)
King Derius momentarily felt his head spin.
Forcibly steadying his staggering body as it was about to fall, he gritted his teeth and spoke.
“What is the meaning of this? How are the dwarves advancing on the capital? Has the siege been broken?”
“Upon confirmation, the siege remains intact. It seems a small number of dwarves have secretly slipped out.”
“……”
King Derius pressed his eyelids with his fingers and thought.
‘Stay calm. I must stay calm.’
There was no point in holding the chamberlain and questioning him here. He needed to grasp the detailed information and respond accordingly.
With that thought, King Derius spoke quickly.
“Where is Duke Krupa?”
“He is in his office right now….”
“Did you call for me, Your Majesty!”
Before the chamberlain could finish his words, a man burst through the office door.
“Oh, Duke Krupa.”
The man whom the king warmly welcomed was an ordinary-looking man in his early forties.
His dry, brown hair was not well-groomed, and the clothes he wore were so shabby they brought to mind a poor scholar.
But this man was Duke Alexander Krupa.
He was King Derius’ right-hand man and the man known as the real power in the Harbor Kingdom.
From a young age, King Derius knew he was an ordinary man.
And he believed that since he was ordinary, he needed an excellent person by his side to assist him.
The talent he found after scouring the kingdom was this very man.
His right-hand man who had appropriately assisted King Derius with his sound political sense and outstanding wisdom.
That was this Duke Alexander Krupa.
“I will report the situation. Grenburg Fortress, which blocks the path to the capital, has fallen.”
“Grenburg Fortress?”
Grenburg Fortress was a gateway fortress blocking the road to the capital.
If it had fallen, it meant the enemy was just a stone’s throw away from the capital.
To the bewildered king, Duke Krupa calmly continued his explanation.
“According to the information, the enemy is composed of a large number of dwarves and mercenaries hired by those dwarves.”
“Mercenaries? The dwarves hired mercenaries?”
“So it is said.”
Hiring mercenaries for war was not unusual.
In fact, the Harbor Kingdom’s founding king was a former mercenary, so they had enacted many preferential policies for mercenaries, and as a result, the country was overflowing with them, enough to be called a mercenary nation.
“Yes. Mercenaries…. For dwarves, they’ve used their heads.”
A small number of dwarves somehow got out of the siege, contracted with mercenaries to increase their numbers, and are now advancing on the capital, Latenop.
That was the reality King Derius had grasped.
“The scale of the mercenaries seems to be considerable. How many did they gather?”
“I hear that….”
“You hear that?”
“At most, it is a force of about 1,000.”
“1,000? Not 10,000.”
“That is correct.”
King Derius’ mind plunged back into chaos.
“Alexander, does this make any sense? I don’t know what trick the dwarves pulled, but they brought down Grenburg Fortress with only about 1,000 mercenaries?”
“I also judged it to be strange and have requested additional information and rushed here. New information should be arriving soon.”
“Hmm….”
Just then, a knight rushed into the office. He tried to kneel before the king and pay his respects.
“To the just and sole Harbor Kingdom’s….”
“Enough. Report quickly.”
This was no time for formalities. The knight hurriedly stood up and spoke.
“New urgent news. It is a reconnaissance report on the strength of the mercenaries who captured Grenburg.”
“Speak.”
“Yes. First, a large number of orc warriors have been spotted, and elven archers have also been found. Additionally, many magic swordsmen flying in the sky have been discovered.”
Duke Krupa bit his lower lip.
Orcs, elves, and even magic swordsmen….
“With that kind of force, even if small in number, it makes sense that they captured Grenburg.”
King Derius nodded his head.
Beside him, Duke Krupa squeezed his eyes shut and said.
“Were there no human knights in the information confirmed by the messenger?”
“I do not know if they were knights, but a large number of swordsmen using aura have been confirmed.”
“…Did those swordsmen not use twin swords?”
“Ah? Yes, that is what I heard.”
“Damn it.”
Despite knowing the king was right in front of him, a curse escaped Duke Krupa’s lips.
“What is it, Alexander?”
To the king who asked for the reason, Duke Krupa said.
“Your Majesty, it seems…. the Schneider fiefdom has made its move.”
“The Schneider fiefdom? …Ah!”
Only then did King Derius realize.
Elves, orcs, and even magic swordsmen….
There were not many places in the world that could gather such a diverse combination.
On top of that, an aura user with twin swords….
“You mean the Double Dragon has personally taken the field?”
“That is highly probable. Judging by how quickly they captured the gateway fortress of Grenburg….”
“Didn’t they say he just got up from his sickbed?”
“I do not know the reason, but it seems he had enough strength to take to the front lines.”
“Why is that bastard here…. damn it….”
King Derius, who was about to question why Patrick was here, shut his mouth.
Why would he be here?
It was because of the trouble his worthless son had caused.
“The Double Dragon of the Schneider fiefdom has joined hands with the dwarves and is attacking us.”
At Duke Alexander Krupa’s neat summary of the situation, King Derius truly felt what it was like for the sky to turn yellow.
***
Patrick, having captured Grenburg, the gateway fortress to the Harbor Kingdom’s capital, stayed there for the time being to reorganize his formation.
“Now that we’re here, how long will it take to reach the capital?”
“If you travel by horse without rest, it should take two days.”
“So it’s just a stone’s throw away. Then it should be about time for a bite….”
Patrick called Riman and said.
“Hey, still no news?”
“None. The Harbor Kingdom’s siege is said to be still holding strong.”
“…They’re not taking the bait.”
Patrick looked up at the ceiling and sighed.
The gateway fortress to the capital has fallen.
Naturally, this was a startling event for the Harbor Kingdom.
It was as if a blade was at their own throat.
Therefore, the Harbor Kingdom should lift the siege, mobilize all its forces, and move to protect the capital.
And that was what Patrick wanted. But….
“They’re maintaining the siege, huh. Hmm…. This is a problem.”
This changes the plan.
Originally, if he acted as bait here to lure them in, the Harbor Kingdom would lift the siege and attack to retake the fortress.
Then, the dwarves in the Iron Mountains would all come out at once and strike the enemy’s rear, and they planned to annihilate the Harbor Kingdom’s army with a pincer attack from both front and back.
But now that the enemy had deviated from Patrick’s expectations, he had to rethink his next move.
“Tsk, it seems there’s someone who uses their head.”
At that, Hadi, the head of the dwarves, nodded and said.
“It is likely Duke Krupa.”
“Who’s that?”
“The prime minister of the Harbor Kingdom and the king’s right hand. He can be said to be the real power in the Harbor Kingdom.”
“From what I hear, he doesn’t seem like a swordsman…. I guess he’s good with his head.”
“That’s right. I’ve heard that the siege on us dwarves was also his idea.”
“A strategist….”
Patrick sometimes had this thought in his past life.
If he had to turn one of his close friends into an enemy, who would be the most difficult to deal with?
The answer to that question was always the same.
The Ugly Dragon Scholar, Jaegal Hyeon.
Honestly, the thought of this guy becoming an enemy gave him the creeps.
First of all, he would never fight a direct battle.
And it was obvious that he would use his wicked cunning to do only the things his opponent hated.
When Jaegal Hyeon was an ally, following his instructions to play with the opponent, you could actually see the opponent die of rage, bleeding from their seven orifices.
Every time, he thought.
It was a huge relief that this bastard was born in the Jaegal Clan and not some unorthodox sect.
‘He’s the type I find most troublesome.’
Patrick thought.
He didn’t know the level of Duke Krupa as a strategist, but he thought he should be sufficiently cautious. But just then….
“Patrick.”
A mage approached Patrick and spoke.
“What is it?”
“A communication request has come from the Harbor Kingdom.”
“Oh? Really?”
“Yes. Shall I connect it?”
Patrick thought for a moment and then nodded.
“Let’s hear what they have to say.”
And when the mage connected the communication sphere, the voice of the other party could be heard from the other side.
-I am Derius Michael Harbor. The person on the other side of the communication sphere, state your name and identity.
The one who initiated the communication was the king of the Harbor Kingdom.
Patrick nodded his head for a moment and then said.
“I am Patrick Schneider of the Kingdom of Atronia. It is an honor to meet you, even if only by voice.”
-Yes. You are the one who….
King Derius paused for a moment, then spoke with a voice mixed with a sigh.
-Are you there alone right now?
“Of course not. With me are Hadi, the head of the dwarven clan, and representatives of the allied forces who have lent their strength to help me.”
-I would like to speak with you alone.
“I refuse.”
Patrick cut him off flatly.
He had to avoid speaking with the king alone here.
Regardless of the content of the conversation, it could create the misunderstanding that a secret agreement had been made.
“I have nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to hide. If you have something to say, say it proudly.”
From the other side of the communication sphere, a voice with a subtle hint of anger could be heard in response to Patrick’s words.
-Nothing to be ashamed of? You boldly lead troops into our country and intervene in a war, and you have nothing to be ashamed of?
“Yes. I don’t.”
-You…!
“What about me? Keep talking.”
-…….
“Hello? Are you there? The connection isn’t broken, is it?”
The communication was holding steady.
King Derius’ patience, however, was about to break.
From the other side of the communication sphere, a small voice could be heard saying something like, ‘You must endure.’ And after a while again.
-Ahem, my apologies. The communication was unstable for a moment.
The slightly calmer voice of King Derius could be heard.
He continued to speak in a solemn voice.
-I can guess why you have joined this war.
“So?”
-I have failed to educate my child properly. I will issue a formal apology. If you wish, I will also provide compensation. Instead….
“Instead?”
-Withdraw from this war.
“Hmm….”
As Patrick seemed to be contemplating, King Derius quickly interjected.
-Honestly, what do you gain by siding with the dwarves? Was there some kind of deal?
“No. We are allies who have joined hands out of mutual necessity.”
The alliance between Patrick and the dwarves was merely a temporary one to give the common enemy, the Harbor Kingdom, a big, beautiful F-U.
After that, they would just go their separate ways.
King Derius said.
-I will pay 100,000 gold in damages.
“Hoo….”
-I will also issue a formal apology to Count Schneider and the victim, the Countess. And….
“And?”
-I will leave the disposal of my son to you.
“……”
This was a bit surprising.
Patrick thought for a moment and then said.
“As far as I know, that damned son of a bitch is the only heir to the Harbor Kingdom. Am I wrong?”
-As you said, that bastard is a damned son of a bitch.
‘Wow, this old man has a temper.’
King Derius continued to speak in a genuinely angry voice.
-I cannot entrust the future of the country to such a bastard. It’s better this way.
“Uh… that. Isn’t that a bit too drastic?”
-Tell that bastard. Even if he returns, he will never ascend the throne.
“……”
At this moment, Prince Dawson’s value as a hostage effectively vanished.
King Derius had made a firm decision and abandoned his own son.
Roast him or boil him, do as you please.
What value does such a hostage have?
For Patrick, he had lost a useful card in the negotiations. And….
-I will make an additional proposal here.
King Derius pressed on further.
“What is it?”
-Capture and hand over the leaders of the dwarven clan who are there.
The dwarves flinched for a moment.
And King Derius quickly continued.
-If you do so, I will pay an additional 900,000 gold in compensation.
“……”
He was saying he would give a total of 1 million gold in compensation. It was such a large sum that even the great Patrick Schneider was silenced for a moment.
After some time, when he had calmed down, Patrick said.
“The Harbor Kingdom….”
-…….
“Seems to have a lot of money.”
-Of course. That is the truth.
A sense of pride could even be felt in King Derius’ voice. That was how confident he was in his wealth.
The wealth they had accumulated by monopolizing trade with the dwarves for hundreds of years was truly immense.
It was overwhelming even among the three central kingdoms, and it would not fall far behind even when compared to the Empire or the Holy Theocracy.
Purely in terms of financial power, they would be the best on the continent, along with the Mage Tower.
So the 1 million gold proposed by King Derius here was by no means an empty promise.
The Harbor Kingdom was capable of paying this amount in a lump sum, not in installments.
‘Now, then, what should I do?’
Patrick glanced at Hadi and the dwarves.
They said nothing, but their faces were tense.
If Patrick were to abandon them here, the only fate awaiting them was ruin.
Towards the stiffly frozen group, Patrick smirked. And then he spoke into the communication sphere.
“It is a very, very tempting offer. But I refuse.”
-What did you say?
King Derius was startled. And Patrick shrugged his shoulders and said.
“I’m tempted by the 1 million gold. But I’ve already made a promise to the dwarves, you see?”
-…….
“Well, it can’t be helped.”
-Is that promise more valuable than the tangible benefits I have proposed?
“Benefit… value….”
Patrick smiled bitterly.
[Cheon-ah, integrity is truly sublime when it is upheld to the end without considering profit and loss. Do not weigh understanding and profit and loss against it.]
What a frustrating thing to say….
Yes. I know.
I know.
It’s a groundbreaking condition that even a child can understand what the benefit is. But as long as the Master’s teachings are clear in Patrick’s mind, the answer he must give was set.
“As long as the other party does not betray their trust first, I too will uphold my integrity to the end.”
-…….
“That is the way I live.”