VIP Early Access
Eksklusif untuk member VIP
Password Protected
Chapter ini dikunci dengan kode khusus
Chapter 162
Exposure
The day before the murder of Urey's noble son, Hestia Village.
Unaware of what was happening, Hestia Village flowed along routinely.
As the influx of people increased, crime also rose, and rough men began organizing.
It was a foreseen outcome.
But even though it was foreseen, it was something the security force of Hestia Village had to desperately prevent.
W е b nо̌ ṽ е́ l̂ Ё n̂ǔḿа
They moved busily for the village's security.
"Captain William, shouldn't you get off work now?"
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"Is it time?"
"It's long past. You call this overtime?"
Overtime, he could do as much as he wanted.
But if the superior keeps working, the subordinates feel pressured.
W̌е̌ b́_ň ô vе̊ l̄ E nŭm̂à
There was a need to appropriately postpone it to tomorrow.
William gathered his coat and rose from his seat.
"Then I'll be going. Good work today."
"Sir! See you tomorrow, Security Captain-nim!"
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"Don't go rolling around drunk again!"
Leaving behind his subordinates snickering and joking, he headed home.
É n̊ú m̄ ӓ . і̄ d̃.
He looked up at the evening sky where red and black blended, and thought.
So today passes like this too.
Everything was an ordinary scene, yet a knot that wouldn't unravel remained in one corner of his heart.
Whenever that knot surfaced, his left hand throbbed.
The hand Regent Ferda had stabbed with a dagger.
The hole had filled in, and it had recovered to be somewhat usable, but it throbbed as if a fragment were still lodged inside.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Anxiety crept in that he might never be able to use this hand again.
"Damn it......."
Looks like I won't sleep properly tonight either.
William muttered so and moved his feet.
On the way to his house, he entered a bar.
Unlike the noisy bars on the boulevard outskirts, it was a quiet place.
Ŵе̂ bn̂ ovе̄ĺ Еń û m̌а
Since regulars were more important than anywhere else, the owner with a splendid mustache welcomed William.
"Oh, Security Captain-nim, getting off work!"
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"A beer, please."
"Sure thing."
William pushed out the coins he'd prepared, and the owner brought out a beer.
The owner was talkative, but he also read the atmosphere well.
E nǔ_ḿа̇
It was easy to tell that William needed quiet rest right now.
"Here you go. Don't chug it like last time, drink slowly!"
The owner set down the beer and turned away.
Seeing the coins left on the table, William spoke.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"Owner, aren't you taking the money? You farming it from the ground?"
"Farming from the ground? It's conscientious business! The customer already paid, why would I take more?!"
W̃е̌ b̌n̂ о̆ v̈ е ľ _Е̂ ñ ǔ m̆ а
"What do you mean?"
"The gentleman over there said he wants to buy the captain-nim a drink."
Wondering who it was, he turned his head.
It was a man he'd never seen in this village before.
He instinctively felt something off.
Still, let's not jump to conclusions.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
William only raised his glass to show thanks and turned his head away.
As William turned his head, the sound of a chair scraping the floor was heard.
That man stood up.
William unfastened his dagger sheath's button for now.
"Are you Security Captain William?"
"That's right."
Ẇ е_b́novе̊l̇ E n̄ ú m̂а́.
"I'm the one who bought a drink, isn't it only proper to at least toast once?"
"Sorry. I don't really have the personality to get close with strangers."
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"True enough. You're the Security Captain, after all."
William's hand subtly moved toward his waist.
"Don't be so wary. I didn't come here with intent to harm you."
The stranger placed both hands on the table, proving he was harmless.
Е̇ n̆ u m̌а. іd̀
William reacted as if this was how he always drank.
But that acting didn't last long.
The beer glass lifted with his left hand trembled finely with pain, foam rising.
"That hand injury looks serious. Wouldn't it be better to drink with your right hand?"
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"Mind your own business."
He replied even more coldly.
Ẇё b̆ṅӧ v̂е l̀ Е̂n úm ӑ
But the man still showed interest.
"Seems like there's quite a story. Could you tell me?"
"Just rolled around drinking."
"Don't lie. Who gets a stab wound from rolling around drunk?"
"It's a damn embarrassing story, so stop asking."
At the man's sharp point, William evasively brushed it off.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"Let's not waste time on useless bickering. I know what happened."
"Didn't I just say? I rolled around."
"Don't do that. I came to help you."
"I don't know what you're talking about, so leave right now. Otherwise—."
"Regent Ferda will ruin this Far East."
The man cut off William's words.
W̌еb̊ n̊ о v̌ё l̄ Е n̆u m̂ а
William felt emotion welling in his chest.
"You spew such slander in the Gongwangnyeong?"
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"Slander? You don't seem to know. That man uses black magic. The Serdes Magic Society is already watching him closely."
William finally drew his sword.
"As Security Captain, I can't overlook this any longer. Reveal your identity. If you don't answer, there'll be no more conversation."
Even with a blade at his throat, the man didn't waver at all.
Е́n̆ ŭm а̂
As if he was already used to this kind of life-or-death situation.
The man carefully reached into his bosom and pulled something out.
"Imperial direct agency, Golden Eye investigator."
A badge proving he was an imperial mage.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"And at the same time, I serve Crown Prince Alexander."
"An investigator comes to a lowly security captain to throw his weight around?"
W̄ е́ b̃ n̂õ v ẽ l̀ En ŭ mа
"Lowly body? William Miller. You're not the timber to be treated like this, are you? I already know you were renowned as a promising knight in the Urey Duchy."
He knows William's identity.
He'd roughly expected it from the start, even from the insults.
"So put down the dagger and talk. I have no intention of using force in another's territory, but if you strike first, I won't stop either."
"......."
William didn't think he'd lose.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
But as Security Captain, he couldn't cause a commotion.
He lowered his dagger, and the man calling himself an investigator grinned.
"What business does an investigator have here?"
"Investigating a murder case."
"Who?"
"Someone you know too. It's the Urey noble son."
Ẽnům̄ ӑ. іd̀
William tensed.
A murder case was tense enough, but of all people, it was someone from the Urey family.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"Rumor has it he died in this territory. Did you know?"
"Are you suspecting me?"
"No way. I've heard you betrayed your lord, but I also know you're not the sort to kill that noble son."
"Then I have nothing to say. I've never seen the Urey noble son or his knights."
Ẇ ӗ b̀ ñо̃v̊ ẽ l̈ Èn ŭ m а̄
"I prepared the questions. You answer them."
"What?"
The investigator showed something.
At a glance it looked like an ordinary crystal ball, but the mana and spell formula it contained were extraordinary.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
After he finished setting it up, he asked William.
"Let me ask lightly. Your name is William Miller, correct?"
Ẇ ě b n̆о̊ v̄ ё l Еn̈ü mа̄
"That's right."
With William's answer, a green light came on in the crystal ball.
It was a crystal ball with lie detection magic cast on it.
"You were once a knight apprentice of the Urey Ducal House?"
"That's right."
Green.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"And you became the leader of a large group of refugees and came here?"
"That's right."
Green.
"Are you satisfied with the Security Captain position?"
"That's right."
"Hmm, doesn't seem like it."
E n̊u m̂а̃ .і̌_d
A red light came on.
It meant a lie.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"You say that, but you can't fool your heart."
"......."
"A promising knight apprentice, just a Security Captain. You may feel fulfillment, but do you believe someone who once held a high position would be easily satisfied?"
"I've never thought that."
Е̇ ṅ üm̆а̇
Red came out again.
William asks himself.
Do I really have no desire for advancement?
No way.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
William knew it well too.
He sometimes regretted like this.
Ēň u m а
If only I'd closed my eyes just once back then, I wouldn't be suffering like this.
"Do you know what kind of person your lord is?"
"I know."
"The fact that he's a black mage too?"
"......."
At the words 'black mage', his face hardened.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
He'd never told anyone, but he'd had slight suspicions.
He'd felt it strongly from Ferda's appearance when he was emotional.
That he possessed a Red Circle.
And that most mages with Red Circles were black mages.
However, judging that wasn't William's role, so he'd pushed it far away.
"No answer."
Е̄ṅum а
"......I don't know."
Red surfaced again.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"Even if he's a black mage, what's in my heart is only suspicion. It's undeniable that he's someone who dedicates himself for the Far East."
"Dedication......."
The investigator nods with a serious gaze.
"Then, next question. What do you think about a black mage with a Red Circle showing mercy?"
Е́num̌ а.. i d̂
As someone who'd walked the elite knight path, William could answer immediately.
It's extremely dangerous.
Black mages always have schemes, and within their mercy and generosity lie vicious blades and poison.
"Do you think Regent Ferda is different from them?"
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
There are no exceptions for black mages.
"Those black mage bastards are all the same. Policies for the people are just like throwing feed to pigs. They eat without knowing anything, and only realize on the day they're slaughtered. Ah, I should've escaped this place long ago."
Е̃ nu m а̌ .ì d
"......."
"You ran from the Urey Duke's embrace to avoid unjust deaths of the people, didn't you?"
"......."
"You barely escaped a thorn pit, only to find a fire pit waiting. Will you submit to that fate?
William bit his lip hard.
If I die alone, it doesn't matter.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
But imagining the people of Hestia Village suffering makes my heart ache.
Imagining my own face regretting that foolishness was terribly painful.
"You're a righteous person. You don't tolerate injustice before your eyes, and you must realize justice, right?"
Justice.......
William unconsciously looked down at his own hand.
The spot where he'd stabbed with his dagger hadn't properly healed yet.
Wе b́ n.ӧ v́e̊l̃ Е ń umа̃
And when pain rose, that scene overlapped.
What Regent Ferda showed was anger.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
And the black energy enveloping his body.
Right.
That day, it wouldn't have been strange if Ferda killed William.
That eeriness was still vivid.
Е̇n ú.m̀a
'What rose with that eeriness was.......'
Anger.
That anger still remained in William's chest.
William, who had closed his eyes and sunk into thought, made a decision.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"What do you want me to do?"
"Tomorrow, Regent Ferda will be identified as the Urey noble son's murderer. Just let it be known that he's a Red Circle owner and a time bomb swayed by emotion. You don't even need to be too direct. Just showing that hand and playing a supporting role is enough."
Еn u m а .іd
He gestured with his chin at the bandaged hand.
"What do I get out of it?"
The man looked at William with a surprised expression, then answered.
"His Highness the Crown Prince will appoint you as a Royal Guard. If you don't like being an Imperial Knight, I'll give you territory too. You can live there however you want."
"......."
Receive territory, migrate there, start a new life.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Living while realizing the justice he desired was every knight's dream, and William was no different.
"......Understood."
"That means you'll cooperate for sure?"
"I'll expose his atrocities."
The crystal ball lit up with green.
The investigator grinned and rose from his seat.
Ŵ ё b̆ nоv е̄l̄ Е̇ ṅ û mа̊
"Then let's move. There's someone waiting for your cooperation more than anyone."
He set down his beer glass and followed the investigator.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Since time was short, they needed fast transport, and the investigator moved with William using teleport magic.
And now he stood at the Golden Congress like this.
In William's eyes, only two people were visible.
His former lord, the Urey Duke.
Еn̆ ũ m̂а̃. i̇ d
And his current lord, Regent Ferda.
The Urey Duke's gaze was piercing.
He thought it was only natural.
They fed him, housed him, trained him, and he turned traitor, joining hands with rebels to betray them.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"Sir William, will you testify about Regent Ferda?"
At the Chairman's words, William's eyes reflexively looked toward Ferda.
Ёn ūm̃а.id̃
The sight of Count Consillus, his throat continuously bobbing as if he'd vomit anger forged from betrayal, seized his gaze.
If a close aide is this angry, what about Ferda?
He was watching with arms crossed.
Unlike Consillus, no resentment or such was visible.
His gaze was calm, composed.
Like a deep lake.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"Regent Ferda is......."
Looking into those eyes, he was certain.
That the choice to stand on this platform was right.
"He is someone who dedicates himself for the commoners more than anyone."
* * *
It was a moment where joy and sorrow split with William's single word, spoken to expose Ferda's character.
Еn̊ ú m̄ä . і̄.d.
The one whose expression openly changed was Alexander.
His close aide had definitely said persuasion was complete, but wasn't the sight of him spouting testimony opposite to that persuasion invisible?
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
'He definitely said the back of his hand was stabbed with a dagger......?'
A knight's life is his hands.
He knows how rude and insulting it is to touch those hands.
And he'd been told William was definitely furious.
Ёn ǔm̈ а
If it's William who's lived a knight's life, he wouldn't forgive Ferda.
Alexander intervened abruptly to stop William's attempt to change the atmosphere.
"Wait a moment, Sir William!"
"Yes, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"I heard that wound was inflicted by Regent Ferda?"
If he lied and said he rolled around drinking, he planned to throw a fit about breaking the oath to speak only truth.
En.u ṁ ӑ.іd
"That's correct."
William admitted it readily.
"Touching a knight's hands is a heavy crime even for a lord, isn't it?"
"That's a punishment applied to knights. I'm not a knight, I'm a Security Captain. So it was a punishment I deserved."
Certainly, Ferda was emotional then.
William also saw the emotion he felt clearly when looking at his own hand.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
But after that, nothing happened.
Clearly, despite a Security Captain committing the grave crime of abducting a princess while swayed by emotion, Ferda didn't hold him further responsible.
"Since you let my fault end with just this level of punishment, I'm grateful for that generosity."
At the same time, anger boiled up.
It was anger directed at himself for making a foolish choice.
"Sir William, you stood here to expose. If your purpose is praise, please step down from this position now."
W̄ е b̀ǹоv̇.е̄l̂ Ёn̈ um̄а
"I did come to expose."
Just the target is different.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
He turns his eyes, which were headed toward Ferda, toward the Urey Duke.
"The reason I wanted to stand here was to expose the Urey Duke's tyranny!"
He exposed everything that had happened in the Urey Duchy, which he'd watched while walking the elite path.
"The real tyrant who didn't take responsibility for my failures, disturbed the people's livelihood with excessive taxes, and treated those who wouldn't submit as traitors to squeeze them dry!"
Wе̄ b̃ ṅ õ.v́ е̄ l Е́_n um а
The tilting public opinion toward Ferda gets braked.
Consillus's rotten expression brightened.
Curious about Ferda's thoughts since he showed zero reaction, he asked slyly.
"Did you know that Security Captain would do that, Regent?"
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"A little."
"What do you mean 'a little'?"
É n ü m̃ а̀.і̄ d̃
"I wasn't certain either. He came on his own without even telling me."
"If he came to do that, he should've at least given a heads-up. He really makes a person's heart drop."
He said he wasn't certain, but he trusted.
The reason Ferda brought William was because chivalry existed in his chest.
Because he believed in that chivalry, he'd felt the greatest betrayal when he accompanied the princess's escape.
If he'd spouted even a little nonsense, Ferda had intended to kill him on the spot.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
But he didn't.
Because it wasn't intentional, but a mistake.
And Ferda believed William wouldn't make mistakes anymore.
That belief was proven right here and now.
He was still a noble knight.
Alexander was covering his face.
Wе̂ b̊ ǹ о́v ë l̇ Еnum̃ ӓ
The flesh those hands couldn't hide was bright red like a well-ripened pepper.
Valdemar must've been similarly fucked, but he showed no sign of agitation.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Or maybe unlike Alexander, he was just hiding it well.
While that story was in full swing, Acad stepped forward.
"Sir William, such exposure is fine, but this is a position to prove Regent Ferda's character. Please speak only that, concisely."
At the words to just throw the gist, William answered.
Е̊ñ üm̄а̇.і̂d
"If Regent Ferda-nim says he didn't kill the Urey noble son, I believe he didn't kill him. And even if he did kill him, there would be a justifiable reason per his words."
"......Understood. You may step down now."
As William went down, he glanced at the Urey Duke.
He was spewing anger with a face bright red.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"Miller...... you dare...... me......."
"......."
Ѐ ǹū_m̂ а . і d̂
William couldn't answer and closed his mouth.
He can't make a relieved face just because he exposed.
Because the fact that William betrayed remains unchanged.
Thanks to William entering as an ally but actually being a trump card, Ferda could no longer be treated carelessly.
Ferda, who had kept his mouth shut and waited, decided to step forward now.
"Digging up my past is fine, but how about approaching fundamentally?"
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"What do you mean, Regent?"
"The black magic that killed the Urey noble son leaves traces."
Riding the momentum, Ferda said to them.
"I request you investigate those black magic traces and ascertain the truth."
Konten Bab Belum Tersedia
Bab ini belum memiliki konten teks atau sedang dalam proses penyuntingan.
