Yet Again, 1st in Contribution

When the old man’s attitude first changed.

Ethan thought it was strange.

He didn’t know that the grumpy expression and grumbling tone were all an act.

The old man who brought up serious topics was as polite as the mayor of Serdin on duty.

His identity was also peculiar.

A character with a name like the protagonist of a light novel titled “Regarding How a Prestigious Noble Became a Staunch Republican and Cried for Revenge.”

But that wasn’t the end of it.

“I have committed a great sin. I’m truly sorry.”

“?”

He couldn’t have imagined.

That he would change his attitude once again here.

The old man spilled his true colors.

When he revealed that he had intended to play a big trick on Ethan and steal his wealth and run away if necessary.

Ethan felt greater fear than when he faced Targan.

‘So if I had acted even a little wrongly, I would have died?’

The Greg’s master he knew is a tremendously skilled person.

After the Kingdom of Heikel collapsed due to the madness of simultaneously declaring war on three surrounding countries.

The republican government had to somehow resolve the war started by the royal family.

But the three countries, seeing the main forces collapse and the royal family fall through internal revolution, didn’t agree to armistice negotiations.

Instead, they planned to destroy the republic and divide the land.

In this desperate situation where the entire country was occupied and allied forces were pushing to the doorstep of the capital.

A hero appeared.

‘That was this gentleman.’

Leading a small force at the forefront, winning a total of five victories and defeating the allied forces one by one.

Then, as an example, he destroyed one principality in the southernmost part of Kragent, establishing the current border lines.

That expert was the old man before his eyes.

If he had decided to kill Ethan.

Ethan would have been dead long ago.

[‘Maintenance’ cautiously says that as long as it has its mana blocking ability, such a thing won’t happen.]

‘Yeah, no. Even if he can’t use aura, I’d lose due to the overwhelming difference in base stats.’

[Dejected.]

‘Be quiet for a bit. Let me think.’

Ethan was able to quickly calm his excitement and regain his reason through the composure stat.

‘I’m getting used to this as I use it.’

The composure stat maxed out.

Previously, it seemed to activate unconsciously when flustered, but.

Having experienced such situations often, he had somehow grasped the knack of using it.

At least being able to calm his excitement now was more than 70% due to Ethan’s will.

‘But why is he suddenly confessing?’

There was no particular reason for the old man to change his attitude.

They had only exchanged a few words of conversation.

And even that was mostly the old man’s tragic life story and lamenting his circumstances.

‘What I can guess is that I told him to take revenge himself and he felt sorry for Greg as he reflected on himself… Ah, so that’s why?’

The old man had lived a lonely life in a mountain cabin.

Then he came to stay at a mansion bustling with people and full of delicious alcohol and food.

‘Did his sharp and prickly heart soften a bit?’

Don’t they say that as you get older, you regret the past and become more mellow?

‘Saying revenge is meaningless, it’s exactly like the appearance just before death in the story.’

When no one intervened in the main story, the timing for regret was just before death.

Perhaps the old man now, with various things changed due to Ethan’s intervention, realized a little earlier.

‘If so, that’s good.’

“I sincerely apologize. No, you probably won’t believe me with just words. I wouldn’t have either if I were you. So this…”

“?”

The old man drew out his aura.

A clear flow of light flowed into his heart.

Aura that protruded from his chest and stretched like a long string.

The old man placed it in Ethan’s hand.

Then.

• Whoosh!

  Part of the aura flowed into Ethan’s body.

  “It’s a way of swearing only for knights where the contractor loses their life if they break the promise with the one holding the string.”

  “No, why…”

  “Please believe that I am sincere.”

  The old man added seriously.

  “From this moment on, if I antagonize you, this old man will die. So there will be absolutely no antagonizing you.”

  ‘Why is he going this far?’

  Ethan was even more confused as he didn’t know the reason.

  And.

  “Then this old man will take his leave now. Please take good care of the little one.”

  “Pardon?”

  “Don’t worry. I won’t seek revenge.”

  “No, wait a moment.”

  Ethan was dumbfounded.

  “Why are you giving up on revenge?”

  “Well…”

  “I told you to do it yourself instead of passing it on to Greg, I don’t remember telling you to give it up?”

  And Ethan said he would help with the revenge.

  While presenting a very specific method.

  ‘The corrupt republican government? It becomes too strong after the main story starts, so that’s troublesome.’

  The Heikel Republic is one of the late-story areas just before going to the high-level zone of the Eastern Great Forest.

  ‘I can’t just let go of the top-class swordsmanship instructor I’ve obtained like this. Help with the revenge while also getting some hidden pieces from the republic.’

  So he seeks the cooperation of locals to thoroughly exploit it.

  ‘Also make up for not feeding experience to the kids in Etre.’

  For the growth of his wards.

  He marked Heikel as the next destination.

“Hm?”

“What’s wrong?”

“No, I felt some presence.”

Oros sat back down in the chair.

The three special forces members were taking a short break in the temporary quarters where the Silver Wings prisoners were held.

“What presence? No one knows the location of this place unless it’s the young lady returning.”

“You have quite a sharp sense, indeed.”

“How did you get here!”

The three special forces members immediately reacted and drew their daggers.

“Calm down. We’re now in the position of serving the same master, so don’t be too wary.”

“…Pardon?”

“I just came to talk with those fellows for a moment.”

The suspicious old man newly hired as the mansion’s swordsmanship instructor.

It was that old man Levi had ordered them to watch.

He ignored the special forces members and.

Walked towards the bound Silver Wings prisoners.

And he kicked the leader who was hanging his head with a dumbfounded expression.

“Wh-What?”

“Little genius Ricky, long time no see. Do you remember me?”

“…Co-Commander- no, Count Kaidel?”

He raised No. 1, Ricky, and.

• Slap!

  Suddenly slapped him.

  “Let’s have a little chat after a long time. You damn traitor.”

The next morning.

The Douglan Expedition’s departure was slightly delayed due to hangovers.

“Why don’t you rest one more day and leave?”

“Ah, no. If we do that, we’ll surely go down to the basement again.”

Slan, who knew exactly that he couldn’t control his desires.

He said he would crawl out even if it meant leaving now, as he might become unable to leave the mansion if he stayed a few more days.

“If that’s the case, there is a way. Elyssia, could you help a bit?”

“Okay!”

The three middle-aged men recovered enough to move after receiving Elyssia’s <Comforting Touch>.

“We showed a mess until the end. Sorry about that.”

“It’s alright. Oh, and I prepared a gift for you all.”

“Hmm? A gift?”

Ethan handed out one potion per person.

“Potion?”

Though it wasn’t a simple potion.

“It’s something that raises your abilities a bit. If you drink it, it should help with future labyrinth explorations.”

“Hoho, thank you. We’ve only been receiving without giving anything in return.”

“What do you mean only receiving? Didn’t the Douglan Expedition return happiness to Ponya?”

Dusty laughed heartily and thought.

That was also your achievement.

The Douglan Expedition said goodbye to Levin, Dolti, and Ponya before leaving.

As the commotion from the morning was ending like that.

Julius walked towards the mansion from far away, dragging men tied with ropes.

“What…”

“These are the ones who tried to infiltrate the mansion last night. It seems they followed me from the republic, but I took care of the rest, so don’t worry.”

Of course, the children played a big role in intercepting the Silver Wings, but.

Following Levi’s policy so far, the special forces members told Julius that ‘If Ethan-nim knows the wards worked hard, he’ll take action himself,’ and.

‘It’s disloyal to make him manage such trivial matters directly.’

Julius readily agreed to this and.

Covered it up as if he had ‘subdued’ a small number of people himself.

“…Did you beat them up?”

All their faces were swollen.

“I gave them a little pep talk. Kekeke.”

Julius yanked the rope hard, making the prisoners roll on the ground.

“Now, speak up.”

“We’ll tell you everything! Please spare our lives!”

“From this moment on, we, the Silver Wings, will devote our loyalty to the true hero, Ethan-nim!”

‘Silver Wings?’

Just as he had an ominous feeling.

• Ding!

  [The main story’s hostile force, ‘Republican Covert Operations Unit Silver Wings’ has been prematurely eliminated.]

  [Heikel Republic, Capital Heines Story Quest Acts 1, 2 skipped, Act 3 cleared.]

  [Congratulations to ‘Ethan’, who ranked 1st in contribution.]

  [‘Ethan’ is awarded the title ‘One Who Broke the Corrupt Wings’.]

  [Special rewards will be given.]

  Sure enough.

  The notification window brought news that the republic’s elite covert operations unit ‘Silver Wings’ had been annihilated.

  ‘No, why again!’

  At this rate, the experience points for the kids disappear.

  Ethan was frustrated.

  Whether he knew Ethan’s inner feelings or not.

  Julius smirked and said this.

  “If we use these guys, it wouldn’t be impossible to overturn the republic.”

  “Y-Yes! Of course! Please tell us anything!”

  Ethan had mixed feelings.

With slightly complicated feelings.

Ethan walked in the yard.

‘Is this really okay?’

The Silver Wings were annihilated overnight.

And he was marked as 1st in contribution.

Even for <Isilium Legend Maker>, which was often called a bug-ridden shit game, this was a bit much.

Because special rewards kept popping up and stories were being cleared while he himself did nothing.

‘I need to find the cause.’

Thinking he should try clearing the next main quest in a slightly different way.

As he walked slowly, Ethan soon passed the main gate and came to the front of the house.

“What’s this?”

He discovered a puddle of unpleasantly shaped green liquid and immediately avoided it.

At that moment.

[The World Tree’s root asks if it can speak now.]

‘Huh? What’s that all about suddenly.’

[It answers that it was carrying out the order because the user told it to be quiet.]

‘Ah.’

He did order ‘Maintenance’ to be quiet when it was making unnecessary noise.

‘It’s okay now. What, do you have something to say?’

[The World Tree’s root conveys that it detected familiar residual mana from the bodies of those ‘Silver Wings’ people earlier.]

‘Familiar mana?’

What could be familiar mana to the World Tree’s root?

Ethan brightened up.

‘Another root?’

[‘Destruction’ affirms.]

[‘Maintenance’ is proud, saying it succeeded in pinpointing the location by backtracing the mana flow.]

‘Where is it?’

[Northeast from the current location, in the country called ‘Heikel Republic’ in human terms.]

[It conveys that the sibling found is ‘Creation’.]

The effect of the Creation root Ethan remembered was at least above average, if not great.

‘The republic… I guess I should go?’

However, for that, first.

“I wonder when Levi will return?”

The main ward, Levi, needs to return from her hometown.

“…Everything I’ve said matches the content I’ve reported.”

“Good work.”

The long and tedious time of meticulously checking the special forces members’ memories and matching them one by one with Levi’s testimony finally ended.

The ‘possibility of Imperial Princess Levia’s betrayal’ raised by some was immediately discarded.

“Leave the outside affairs to you from now on as well.”

“I will do my best.”

‘Now I just need to return.’

After answering that she would do her best to the formal order to not delay regular reports.

Levi and the special forces members left the village.

“Second Elder, do you have any special forces raised separately, not under Levia’s command?”

“Of course, Your Majesty. Shall I put them on standby?”

“No, it’s not time yet.”

The old man on the throne who felt something strange.

He muttered while stroking his beard with his hand.

“Just have them prepared to be sent out at any time.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Because Levia, bound by the curse, had never shown her own emotions even once in her life.

That bothered him.