The Extra Strategist’s Royal Road Chapter 233
The raid on the magic stone storage was classified as top secret, and information was strictly controlled.
If this fact became public knowledge, it was obvious that citizens would try to flee to Alliance territory without exception.
In that case, the kingdom would collapse before anything could be done.
Therefore, they decided to control the information while quietly preparing for the situation.
I also decided to share this information with only some of my vassals.
“The magic stone storage was robbed!?”
Ash asks with widened eyes.
“What madmen would do such a thing! They must have known what would happen to the world if those were stolen!”
In modern terms, it was like pressing the nuclear launch button. And it was a nuclear bomb set to go off in 4 months.
“You’re not joking, right?”
“This is no joke.”
Having worked as a mercenary and cleared various dungeons, Ash seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation. His usual carefree demeanor was nowhere to be seen.
“C-can I ask just one thing?”
“Ask anything.”
“I heard rumors about this, but… Is it true that the royal palace’s magic stone storage stores magic stones from the most vicious dungeons? You know, what people call the Top 10 Dungeons. I heard that two of them were stored there.”
“They were, but they’re gone now.”
Gulp! Ash swallowed hard.
“W-we need to evacuate the citizens right away. This is an impossible situation!”
“Calm down. We’re thinking of countermeasures.”
“Forget countermeasures! You just don’t know how terrifying dungeons are!”
While Ash was making a fuss, the other vassals were different.
Master Ilya showed interest, seemingly curious.
“Dungeons… I’ve killed monsters before, but I’ve never conquered a dungeon.”
“Same here.”
“Even you, Elena?”
“I was on the Elves’ island all along. No dungeons ever appeared there.”
Gunther, Erina, and Estelle had the same reaction. Even Yumir, who hadn’t even encountered monsters let alone dungeons, showed no sense of crisis.
Ash couldn’t hide his frustration at their responses.
“None of you have experienced how terrible it can be! Think about why the people of this continent nearly faced extinction in the past!”
Gaspar backs up this statement. “Ash is right. I once searched the lost lands looking for missing people. Though I didn’t exactly conquer dungeons, I could feel their danger clearly enough. I could sense several monsters that sent chills down my spine.”
The words of the veteran Gaspar carried weight.
Finally, everyone seemed to recognize the severity of the situation and their expressions hardened.
Gaspar turned to me. “What will you do now? In this situation, I don’t see any need to stay in the kingdom. I think it’s better to abandon the kingdom and move to somewhere safe.”
At this, Erina jumps up. “Abandon the kingdom! That’s not acceptable! We can’t abandon Princess Rosa!”
It was an expected reaction.
Erina, Ash, and Elena were in favor of helping the kingdom.
On the other hand, Gaspar, Estelle, and Sophia thought it better to cut ties. The rest were neutral.
Sophia’s coldness was particularly severe. Just hours ago, she was discussing future measures, but in the vassal meeting, she said there was no hope and we should abandon the kingdom.
The earlier discussion was just to humor Rosa.
Abandon the kingdom or help it. The two opinions were in sharp conflict, but the abandonment side had the stronger argument.
Those arguing to help had nothing beyond loyalty to support their position.
‘This is what I was worried about.’
The division among the vassals.
I had to step in before the conflict escalated further into an emotional battle.
“I’ve made a decision regarding this matter.”
I revealed the negotiations with Rosa. Most seemed to understand, but Gaspar was disgusted.
“What nonsense is that? It’s already overwhelming just trying to find a way back, and you’re talking about traveling between worlds? You agreed to such nonsense?”
“If we can’t find a way to travel between worlds, we agreed to forget about it.”
“Well, that’s a relief, but I doubt they’ll just let us go. Finding a way back is already pie in the sky.”
“Not necessarily. We have a clue.”
“What?”
I looked towards Elena.
Elena understood what I meant and continued. “On the Elves’ island, there are pure-blooded elves who migrated from the Kuravel Holy Nation. We might be able to learn about transfer magic circles from them. However, the island is inaccessible from the outside. Although Elaine recently infiltrated, it was nearly miraculous. If anything, security against outsiders has probably become much stricter because of that.”
While there was a clue, the means to uncover it were unclear.
Therefore, for now, the policy was decided to investigate ways to enter the elves’ island.
* * *
Rosa’s grand coronation ceremony began.
While many events were planned for this coronation, the most important were accepting the nobles’ requests for an audience and welcoming the Alliance’s congratulatory delegation.
The former showed that domestic nobles acknowledged Rosa as their lord, while the latter meant that foreign nations recognized Rosa as king.
Rosa welcomed the Alliance delegation with a tense expression. She was observing each delegate’s face, trying to find some clue.
However, finding nothing noteworthy, her expression soon darkened.
‘So they don’t intend to show their hand so easily.’
After confirming the lack of results, I left the audience chamber and headed to the palace garden to exchange opinions with Sophia.
That’s when it happened.
“So it’s you, the one who turned my plans against me.”
“…!?”
A thin-faced man suddenly blocked my path. I vaguely remembered his face.
It was Viscount Pax who had been by Paris’s side during the last succession battle.
It was strange that he, branded as a vicious traitor and wanted within the kingdom, would boldly appear here.
“How brazen of you to show your face, you’ve got some nerve.”
“I wanted to have a conversation with you that badly, Wade. Or should I call you Ars?”
“…”
It seemed an investigation into my background had already begun.
‘Judging by his fearless attitude, he must have some kind of Teleportation effect prepared.’
If so, killing him would be pointless.
Though I wanted to capture him, he seemed to be on guard against that too, so it seemed better to talk and extract information instead.
“…It was you, wasn’t it? Who ordered the raid on the magic stone storage.”
“Oh? Why do you think that?”
“Because you specifically tried to contact me here in the palace.”
If he wanted to talk to me, there was no need to do it here. I live outside the palace after all.
For someone wanted by authorities, it would naturally be safer to make contact outside the palace.
Yet he attempted contact here and now to demonstrate that this palace was in the palm of his hand.
In other words, it meant he had an informant inside the palace. Therefore, it was natural to think he ordered the magic stone storage raid.
“Indeed, you’re quite sharp. Then do you also know who let me in?”
“…”
“Who knows? Queen Rosa might even be in cahoots with me, hahaha!”
He lets out a laugh meant to make me fear the traitor who must be nearby.
“Is that all you have to say?”
“No, the real talk starts now.”
“Then shall we move somewhere else?”
“Don’t even dream about trying to capture me.”
Seeming pressed for time himself, he quickly got to the point while keeping an eye on his surroundings.
“You really did well turning my plans against me. My plan to make Paris king by making Joseph and Landis clash. Even I didn’t expect Rosa to intervene there. That girl who seemed more suited to playing in flower gardens, to think she would overwhelm all her brothers.”
“They say women can change suddenly.”
“Nonsense. I know you were behind it all. There’s no way Rosa could show such decisiveness otherwise.” He continues speaking with cold eyes. “I hate to say this, but I enjoyed it at first. The thought that someone dared to oppose me sparked my competitive spirit. But competitive spirit only exists before victory is decided. Once I realized I had lost, only frustration and irritation remained.”
He directed his hostility towards me very honestly. “You see, I can’t live with being in debt. I have to resolve this grudge… I’ll take everything from you. Soon you’ll be begging me to stop, pleading for forgiveness. When that time comes, I’ll torture you by cutting off your limbs one by one before forgiving you. Look forward to it. I’ll keep you alive while making you writhe in agony for days.”
This was his declaration of war against me.
“…You’ll be the one begging for forgiveness.”
“Hmph, you inexperienced youngster. I can tell. You don’t understand the underground world. You only know intellectually how the shadow world operates, but you don’t truly understand its depths. Do you think you can defeat me like that?”
He hit the mark.
I was vulnerable to underground dealings. Not only did I lack experience, but I also didn’t like such activities.
However, that didn’t mean I had no confidence in winning.
I would probably win in the end.
But I would have to pay a heavy price for it. Most notably, the lives of my acquaintances and vassals.
His declaration to take everything from me was an open warning of exactly that.
‘Can I endure that situation?’
I’d be the final victor but with no one left around me.
The irony of winning yet losing.
That’s why I feared the man before me.
“Heheh, hehehehe!”
He seemed to read my fear and laughed with a chilling voice.
“You’ll deeply regret stepping into the underground world without being prepared. It’ll be so fun watching you fall into the abyss. I’m really looking forward to it!”
“Ugh…!”
“Go ahead and struggle all you want, Wade…!”
Just then, an arrow was shot from somewhere. The arrow aimed for between his eyes, triggering instant movement. His figure disappeared without a trace.
“Tch!”
I ran toward the direction the arrow came from, but only traces of someone’s presence remained.
To have hidden so quickly means they must be quite skilled.
‘A spy within the palace…!’
I felt an itch on my back. It felt like a spider crawling up my spine.
Simply put, if I left that spy alone, the lives of Erina and Sophia who frequent the palace could be in danger.
“Damn it!”
My nerves were on edge without me realizing.
Suddenly everyone around me felt like an enemy.
“Are you alright!”
Even the guards who came running after hearing the commotion seemed suspicious.
If they had done their job properly, could Pax have really snuck in here?
“Did something happen?”
“…I’m fine.”
Feeling like I might get a headache if I stayed, I decided to head to the mansion instead of remaining at the palace.
* * *
His declaration of war to take everything from me.
If it was just me, I wouldn’t have been afraid, but I wasn’t his only target for revenge.
All my acquaintances were targets. That included my mother and my daughter Ryuna, with no exceptions.
‘I don’t want to fight.’
Even if I win, countless people will die.
They say you avoid dung not because you’re afraid of it, but because it’s dirty, right? There’s no need to fight unnecessarily.
But that would ultimately mean abandoning Rosa and the Ellan Kingdom. It would also hurt my personal pride.
‘What does pride matter when my family’s lives are at stake.’
On the other hand, I thought it could be the opponent’s bluff.
If it’s a bluff, I’d end up running away out of premature fear.
“Damn it!”
His words about me not understanding the underground world flashed through my mind.
The fact that I’m agonizing like this now probably proves his point.
‘What should I do…’
Just then, there was a knock knock! along with a servant’s voice.
“Lord Wade, a guest has arrived.”
“Tell them I’m busy right now.”
I was in my office created within the palace. I had been holed up here since yesterday to investigate information about Pax.
“They insisted on leaving a message, saying you would meet them if you heard it…”
“What message?”
“They said you would definitely meet them if I mentioned Juras Pamilion. Should I send them away if this means nothing to you?”
“Juras… You say!?” [TL/N: Yes!!! He is back.]
I couldn’t believe my ears.
Hi guys, please check out the new novel I picked “I killed the Demon King. It was a mistake.”
TL NOTE:
Schedule: Everyday
Hope you enjoyed the chapter! If you would like to support me or read up to 30 chapters ahead, you can do so via patreon.com/ChibiGiant. OR by unlocking chapters.
You can also Rate this series in your free time @NovelUpdate.
