episode_0034

“What are you doing!”

“I apologize. Isn’t it just a spilled cup of water? If you ask for warm water again, will that be the end of it?”

“······I see. I got worked up over nothing.”

Lawrence’s face turned red for a moment.

He soon ordered the servant to bring warm water.

A cup of water with steam rising in front of me was presented.

It was colorless and odorless as usual, but different from usual.

If someone as meticulous as Lawrence is involved, he would definitely test the poison himself.

But this time, it really was just water.

“······.”

As I swallowed the water and raised my head, I met the eyes of the mercenary sitting across from me.

He also just sat there without averting his gaze from me.

‘Could it be that he knows this is poison…?’

An absurd possibility came to mind.

Maybe the mercenary realized my situation.

Maybe he intentionally spilled the cup knowing it was poison.

‘No way.’

That couldn’t be true.

Before any useless hope blossomed, I crushed it.

He was a commoner mercenary of unknown origin.

It would be foolish to try to find meaning in his sudden action of sweeping the table.

It was just a coincidence.

That’s what I decided.

It would put my mind at ease.

“That sword looks quite expensive, doesn’t it?”

“It’s a standard product. I just inserted a medium-grade gem into the handle.”

“Medium-grade gem…? No, is it a high-grade gem?”

“Haha. You have a discerning eye.”

A peaceful dinner followed.

Lawrence and the mercenary chatted non-stop.

I just quietly supported them and smiled.

It was a bit awkward, but these moments were the best.

It was the time when Lawrence had to play the role of a good husband.

It was the time when he didn’t have to worry about suddenly stabbing or poisoning me.

“Come to think of it, I feel like I’ve heard the name Cornelius somewhere before…”

As dessert was served towards the end of the meal, the mercenary turned his gaze towards me.

“You must have mistaken me for someone else.”

“Aren’t you the genius of Hildegarde?”

“How did you…?”

It was a nickname that circulated among the nobles.

A commoner like him wouldn’t know about it.

“You studied theology, right?”

“Yes. I also studied law.”

“You must have never missed the top spot in both.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Then the Cornelius I’ve heard about seems to be correct.”

I had to widen my eyes like a fool and act surprised.

I didn’t expect to meet someone who knew me.

I was at a loss for how to react.

“If you studied theology, you must know runic script as well.”

“Of course.”

“I also learned runic script at one point, but I’m not sure if I remember it well.”

“You learned runic script? Really?”

“Don’t believe me? Then let me prove it to you.”

Soon, the servant brought paper and a pen.

The mercenary began writing on the paper without hesitation.

“Here. Here it is.”

He quickly put down the pen and handed me the paper.

But before it could reach me, Lawrence intercepted it.

“I can’t read it at all.”

“It’s ancient script that is no longer used. Give it to Cornelius.”

“Please don’t refer to my wife like that.”

“I apologize.”

The paper was handed to me.

On it, there were runic characters written in neat handwriting.

It was true.

I thought it was just a bluff.

Suppressing my astonishment, I began reading the characters one by one.

The characters turned into words, and the words turned into sentences.

-That cup of water just now. It’s poison. However, judging by your trembling hands, you seem to already know.

“······!”

“Why are you acting like that, Cornelius? What does it say?”

A chill ran down my spine.

This man knew everything.

He knew that I had ingested poison.

He knew that I knew.

“It’s a simple sentence, Lawrence. Hello. It means nice to meet you. It seems you didn’t expect me to actually know how to write runic characters.”

“Yes, yes. That’s why you were surprised. Right.”

I hurriedly acknowledge and try to recover from my earlier flustered reaction.

When I come to my senses, the mercenary is casually laughing and joking with Lawrence.

With the level of education required to learn runic characters.

And the audacity to pull off such shameless acting.

He even saw through my situation.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

This person.

Only this person can save me from hell.

‘But… is it really possible…?’

Yet, that’s why I hesitate even more.

The moment I ask for help, it won’t just be my life at stake.

If exposed, this mercenary will also end up dead at the hands of Lawrence along with me.

I lack the courage.

I can’t bring myself to ask someone to risk their life for me.

Even in this situation, I’m not brave enough to inconvenience others.

The frustration threatens to bring tears to my eyes.

“Here’s a more complex sentence. Would you like to read this one too?”

Another white paper is pushed towards me.

Gathering my thoughts, I look at the paper, written in runic characters:

“To gain trust, it’s better to reveal your name. My name is Eugene. Cornelia, let’s make a deal. I will take care of Lawrence Bream, so…”

An unexpected lifeline is extended to me.

I can’t help but respond in astonishment.

“Yes… okay…”

“What? What was written there?”

***

[Attribute: Reputation]

[Check your reputation score.]

[Eugene: 1.0%]

[Known to a few people. Low presence. Someone holds strong emotions towards you.]

I’ve reached a 1% reputation score without even realizing it.

It’s only natural.

Since I revealed my name to Cornelia.

“This is tough.”

“Eugene. Food.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll give you some. Just wait a bit.”

I’ve only had dinner and I’m already exhausted.

My stamina has been drained from being in a tense state for too long.

‘Thank goodness for the runic characters.’

There isn’t much information about Cornelia in the game settings.

After all, it was a tool to create Lawrence’s narrative.

The only information available is that Cornelia is known for her sharp intellect and was called a genius.

That’s all I needed to know.

To be recognized for intelligence in the Holy Kingdom, theological studies are essential.

Naturally, she must know runic characters as well, allowing Lawrence to read encrypted messages.

‘He asked me to create a new language, and he cursed me a lot. But this time, he seems pleased.’

By the way, I created the runic characters.

He probably thought I wasn’t doing anything since I was always thinking about dialogue in front of the computer.

I was tasked by the boss to create a language that could be interpreted.

I made it myself, so I can’t forget it.

It’s quite a complex and inefficient language, but the memory of staying up all night creating it is etched in my mind.

‘Did I rush into things too quickly?’

I made a contract with Cornelia.

I will take care of Lawrence and save you, so you must cooperate with me unconditionally in the future.

That was roughly the agreement.

It’s an oral contract with no written documents.

Trust between us is more important than anything else.

In case Cornelia doesn’t trust me, I revealed my real name to Lawrence, whom I haven’t told my real name to.

There’s no turning back now.

Failure means the downfall of both of us.

Despite the risks, I made this decision because I believed Cornelia would help me…

But more so because I can’t stand the sight of Lawrence strutting around like a shameless villain.

Such a cruel and ruthless person has not faced any restraint in the past 12 episodes, which makes it even more unbearable.

I feel like my sense of justice can only be restored if they pay the appropriate price.

“Now, what should I do?”

So, do you have a specific plan in mind?

No. I haven’t thought of anything.

I need to start thinking now.

Isn’t this messed up?

No.

Listen to this.

Viscount Lawrence Bream is indeed a formidable opponent.

He has quite a strong position within the kingdom.

But it’s not beyond my capabilities to handle.

In the previous episodes, I easily took care of a king of a small country.

I shouldn’t have trouble capturing a viscount.

But the problem lies in ‘how’.

Capturing him is easy, but the cleaner the method, the better.

How can I capture this guy in a way that will spread rumors of my success?

First, I can safely hide Cornelia and expose Bream’s misdeeds.

It’s a sure and safe method, but the aftermath is the issue.

On that day, Lawrence will be captured and Bream will be ruined.

Cornelia will be left with nothing.

Ultimately, Cornelia will have to start from scratch and climb back up the ladder.

That way, she can become a figure who can help me in the future.

“A unfortunate widow who lost her husband in an accident and leads the family. This painting is perfect.”

Since the Bream family has no roots, there are no elders who could be considered wise.

If Lawrence were to die suddenly, Cornelia could easily swallow up all the assets.

Lawrence needs to have a ‘sudden accident’.

Since he tried to kill others, he must have been prepared to die himself.

Even if I stab him, he’ll probably die saying, ‘Oh, well, it can’t be helped.’

Now, the remaining task is how to disguise Lawrence’s death as an accident…

“It hurts.”

“Yujin.”

“Why?”

When did this kid climb onto my back?

When I turn around, Mijeong is nibbling on my neck again.

It doesn’t hurt, but it feels strange.

“…I want to help too.”

“Just being by my side is already helpful.”

Since receiving the magic ring, she keeps saying that.

When we were quietly passing time without military talk, and now she wants to help.

[Stats]

[Strength: 13(x5) *Guardian Knight effect applied]

[Health: 15(x5) *Guardian Knight effect applied]

[Mana: 43(x5) *Guardian Knight effect applied]

[Agility: 18(x5) *Guardian Knight effect applied]

[Luck: 14(x5) *Guardian Knight effect applied]

Mijeong is a key member who amplifies my stats just by being present.

It’s more of a nuisance when she tries to do something.

So, I was going to tell her to quietly follow me as usual.

“I remembered. Your task.”

“…Oh.”

I remembered.

The perfect role for Mijeong.

Although she looks human now, she is classified as a monster called a bloodsucker.

“Just kill one person for me.”

“…Huh?”

In other words, a corpse killed by Mijeong will appear as if it was attacked by a monster.

This might make perfect crime possible.