419 - To Jeruite, the City of Kings #1

"That fellow's name is Pride Friedrich. For now, he is called my son."

At the King's explanation, a man's face floated before my eyes.

The day of the trial where Friede almost fell into slavery.

It seemed the reason Friede's trial had been pushed back was due to pressure from someone high up, and the Prince Friedrich who appeared on the day of the trial was that very person.

Some time had passed, and because the situation itself was so hectic back then, I didn't remember his exact features or appearance. Nevertheless, the peculiar aura of that man called a prince remained vivid in my memory.

A prince loved by the people.

Unlike me, who was an arsonist at the time, the prince looked like a flawless, perfect superhuman who had jumped straight out of a Disney fairy tale.

With a presence and appearance said to be blessed by the gods, he was even called by the nickname 'Friedrich the Proud'.

And that prince is the son of Byeokryeokje, who stands before me.

Because of that, I couldn't understand.

When he said he was commissioning the extermination of a monster in the royal castle, I had been tense, thinking there might be an ancient demon or some kind of dragon sealed in the basement for generations.

To think he's saying the identity of that monster is his own son, the prince.

The possibility that immediately came to mind was whether this was a power struggle between father and son.

Just like many kings of the Joseon Dynasty, I wondered if there was a problem between the King and the Prince.

Without even going back to the Joseon Dynasty, on this Gaia Continent, the tragic model of a father keeping his son in check and a son having to usurp his father's throne is quite famous.

They say it was so for the Chief Deity Jupiter and his father Saturn, and for Saturn and his father Caelus. And that is also something that could one day happen between me and my father.

I asked.

"Is it some kind of political struggle? Like the Prince's influence has grown too large, and the King is trying to keep him in check. Something like that?"

"If it were something like that, I wouldn't have even said this. Pride is a real monster. No, in truth, my child died a long time ago, and now only a shell remains."

Seureuk-.

At that moment, Byeokryeokje fell to his knees. He even went as far as prostrating himself before me, pressing his aged face and forehead against the dirt floor of the graveyard.

I was more than a little flustered.

It seemed the same for Natatos, the second-in-command of the knights guarding the King, as he showed his bewilderment openly beneath his armor.

"Your Majesty, for the earthly representative of Jupiter to prostrate himself before a mere young god...!"

However, paying no heed to such things, the King, with his head lowered, spoke.

"All of this is my-no, a foolish father's karma for trying to defy the will of the world. But I can no longer stomach that monster living on while claiming to be my son; it's nauseating."

"...."

"Please, help this old father. I am not asking this as the King of this country or a high-ranking official, but as a father who has lost his child."

Odeul-odeul-.

The man was trembling. In his continuous coughing amidst the cold late autumn night wind, I could even sense the aura of a severe lung disease.

If he stayed prostrated on the cold ground like this, his health might deteriorate.

I decided to grab the old man's wrist and help him up for now.

Diring-.

『Name: Theo Friedrich lv. 24

Status: 《Curse of Senility》 《Chronic Arthritis》 《Alcohol Dependency》』

Arthritis and alcohol dependency, huh. Pretty ordinary.

The Curse of Senility is a type of curse I've never seen before, but it must be related to how he's sickly beyond his years.

Byeokryeokje spoke while brushing the dust off his forehead.

"There are not many in the kingdom right now who can be trusted. I cannot tell who is that fellow's person and who is his confidant.... Therefore, I had to act as if I knew nothing."

Acting?

Does he mean everything this man has done was just an act?

I asked.

"Was liking Nymphs also an act?"

"No, that is real. Nymphs are pure and simple, are they not? They are like a ray of light in this world full of lies."

This guy is the real deal.

"So, because there's no one to trust, you're asking me?"

"That is so. You are more trustworthy than anyone else in the current situation."

After that, the old King hurried his story. It seemed to be because "Soon, that fellow's confidants might notice my absence, so there is no time to explain."

This is the story I heard from the King.

When he was very young, Pride Friedrich suffered from a great fever and hovered between life and death for several days. After he woke up, he supposedly started acting like a completely different person.

For instance, the boy who couldn't eat peanuts due to an allergic reaction would suddenly shove peanuts into his mouth by the handful.

Or he would awaken magic power he previously had no talent for. Things of that nature.

He was clearly his own child, but it felt like he was no longer the one acting.

"But, since a dying child had come back to life, everyone was happy. In fact, his personality became even brighter. However, I am the one whose blood is linked to him. Therefore, I can tell. That fellow is a monster."

The prince who grew up like that was said to be leading the government of the royal castle instead of his aging father, taking the lead in various reforms and changes to regulations.

"More than half of the achievements I currently possess are merely credits that fellow attributed to my name. The same goes for me having the brilliant nickname of Byeokryeokje."

The old King's explanation was rambling, so there wasn't much I could fully grasp, but I could tell that this man was driven by extreme urgency.

"Bringing in hordes of Elves who serve foreign gods to this land, and collecting high taxes from the existing Temples. I do not know what he intends to do. And I cannot stop him."

"...."

"Surely one day, I will die. The moment that fellow no longer finds any utility in me, I will die like a pig in a slaughterhouse. I do not care about that. But, I must at least stop that unknown thing from sitting on the throne...."

It was right then.

Ppiiiiik-.

A sharp whistle sound, like a bird of prey crying in the sky, erupted. At that, both the King, who was rambling on, and Natatos, who had been quietly listening beside him, flinched and trembled.

"Oh dear, time is up. If you believe my story, please come to the royal castle."

Then, as he seemed to be hurriedly leaving, I decided to ask one thing I was curious about.

"Why is it that I can be trusted? If the Prince has planted confidants all over the kingdom, couldn't I be one of them too?"

"Ah, there is no problem with that. That monster fellow absolutely hates the Chief Deity Pluto. Surely he would hate you, his son, as well."

And then he added one more thing.

"And there is also this proverb on the Gaia Continent. No one who travels with Nymphs is a bad person. Since you are leading many Nymphs, could there be anything more trustworthy than that?"

"Your Majesty, we really must go now. If we are delayed any longer, there may be those who notice our departure."

Toward those fellows moving so busily, I added one more word.

"Then, what is the reason I should trust you?"

"I see. That is also an important matter. Take this. This is my gift. It means you may do as you wish with what is inside."

MnZBMElkRjFKc3ZCR0RiWklQRlA5WlZINzRaZThhUzZ1cnMyS01IbEgxWjF4Q0NVZkJVSU1xSUtONWd3Q0RZeQ

Pingreureu-.

Byeokryeokje flicked something toward me and finally disappeared into the darkness from which he had appeared.

The thing he threw that ended up in my hand was a key. To be honest, I had hoped it might be a skeleton key, but it looked a bit different from that.

A small note was attached to the key.

「Sodomora Mars Guild Underground Dungeon, Room 5.」

* * *

As dawn approached, the weather was quite chilly.

A time when everyone should be asleep.

At that time, I headed to the Mars Guild's underground dungeon. The reason was that the gift the King gave me was the key to the underground dungeon.

━You shouldn't stay too long. And, could you possibly give me an autograph on your way? My parents like you, Hassan-.

"Got it. Keep up the good work."

After giving a 1 silver coin to the guard watching the entrance, I opened the basement door.

Cheolkong-.

The eerie and cool smell of basement mold feels strangely good. Why do I like this smell? Am I a pervert?

Jeobeok, jeobeok-.

As I descended the stairs one by one, there was a rustling presence from deep inside.

"Light-."

As I moved forward, illuminating the surroundings with the 1st-tier light magic I could use, I saw a beast crouching inside a deep corner cage.

It was like a captured four-legged beast. A beast with a mix of brown and black fur. It was truly a solitary predator itself.

Of course, its identity was Gloria.

Gloria locked in a sturdy steel cage.

So the key the King gave me was the key to the temporary prison where Gloria was confined.

But in the first place, is a prison even effective for Gloria?

I don't know why that sturdy-looking prison looks so fragile. In fact, if it were Gloria, bending those bars and escaping would be totally possible.

Yet she didn't do that.

She was just lying on the floor, curled up in a ball.

That appearance looked so much like an animal that had been scolded for breaking a bowl placed up high that I even felt a sense of pity.

She must know I've come.

Since she's someone with extraordinary senses.

However, she just turned her back to the bars as if she weren't interested, only making the sound of soft, rhythmic breathing.

I spoke.

"If it's you, you could easily break those bars and run away. Why aren't you running away?"

"...What's the point of running away? No one's going to welcome me anyway."

"I see."

I wondered if she might not answer even if I asked, but fortunately, it seems her mouth hasn't lost its energy.

"And this is a punishment."

"Punishment?"

"Because I lost myself again. My friends, my family, they all left me for that reason. I have to fix it. That's why I'm taking the punishment."

"And once you've finished that punishment, will you go back outside and run wild again?"

"...."

Paseuseuk-.

Instead of answering, Gloria pulled her leather cloak over her head and curled up even more. I guess that means she doesn't want to hear it.

Jalgeurang-.

I toyed with the key in my hand.

This key is the gift Byeokryeokje gave me.

Since he said I could do as I please with it, it was clear that opening or closing the door Gloria was locked behind depended on my will.

I fell into thought for a moment.

After a few seconds of silence between us, I held the key and unlocked the cage.

Jeolgeureok jeolkeok-.

At that, Gloria, who was lying with her back turned, said a word.

"I told you. I'm not going out of here. It's no use opening the door."

"Whether you do or not. I didn't unlock the door for you to come out. I unlocked it so I could go in."

"What?"

Gloria, who had been lost in her own rules and hadn't shown much interest in me, seemed to make a bewildered sound for the first time since this meeting.

Regardless, I slowly pushed myself into the cell.

Dugeun-.

From then on, my heart pounded so much that I wondered if this was how zookeepers felt when entering a lion's cage with their bare bodies.

Seureuk-.

Gloria sat up. In the dim dawn, her eyes, shining in my rudimentary light magic, were very dark.

The emotion contained within them was probably suspicion.

Well, of course she'd be suspicious. A dark man had entered the prison where a woman was confined. It would be natural to be suspicious.

Of course, her attitude was calm for that.

I think it's because she trusts her own strength.

She says.

"You came to touch me with a cocky heart, thinking you beat me, didn't you?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"There were many men who took an interest in me. All of their wrists were crushed. Aren't you trying to do that now too?"

"It's similar, if you want to call it that."

The Gloria I saw before felt like she had gone crazy with anger. Being locked in a prison like this, she seemed like a different person.

In her sparkling eyes, there was a sense of her own kind of wisdom, along with suspicion.

Is she some kind of double personality caused by intermittent explosive disorder?

I was curious, but right now, that didn't matter. I slowly reached out my hand to grab Gloria's wrist.

Seueuk-.

Seeing her raise her guard as if it were natural made me feel a bit amused. Did she think I was going to hit her?

Well, I suppose there were only people around her who wanted to hit her.

Whether she raised her guard or not, I made up my mind to do what I had intended to do earlier. As I lightly grabbed the wrist that was guarding her head.

Diring-.

As always, letters floated before me.

『Gloria lv. 45

Status: 《Curse of Infidelity》 《Anger of the Family》 《Hatred of the Nine-Headed Dragon》』

Seeing the grand figure of level 45, my head felt dizzy as expected. I feel like I was very surprised by this number before too.

But shouldn't what I focus on be the curse, anger, and hatred written in the status, rather than the level? I hadn't known that back then.

Seureuk-.

At that moment, Gloria tried to pull her wrist out of my hand. Was she offended that I touched her body as I pleased?

At that, I said.

"You said the rule of the Samarians is for the loser to submit to the winner, right? You lost to me earlier. Everyone saw it clearly, so you can't even deny it. So, stay still while I take a look."

"What kind of perverted talk is that? Stay still while you... touch me?"

"No, pervert? Oppa is just going to take a look-."

After saying it, it ended up sounding like a line from someone trying to commit grooming sexual violence.

Anyway, what I was trying to do was actually something that would help her.