Episode 163. I came to save you (Phuhu!) (2)
Each noble has an item that symbolizes his or her status.
Sometimes, as a way of showing gratitude to someone who has shown them kindness, they carry around several of these as a protection, such as the silver badge they received from Jenny.
It is possible to receive it if you make a great contribution to the family or become an indispensable member. It often becomes a protection that protects you from the thugs of the city.
And the most important use is to let people know that you are related to the family. This is because when you meet someone from that family, you will be required to reveal your identity.
If you are a member of the family and are accused of being a suspicious person, it will be extremely frustrating. Instead, if you can prove it through a token, not only will your frustration be relieved, but you will also have at least a minimal right to speak in front of them.
In short, if you have a token, you can gain their trust. Of course, Fine Travel can’t do anything for me in the family register, but what I want is not a sacrifice.
I just want to trust that I’m not the enemy.
“It’s not you, it’s this way. Trust me and follow me.”
As a result, Travel began to guide us purely. Wasn’t he the guy who kept his mouth shut no matter how much we interrogated him until yesterday?
I wonder what process was involved in Travel’s attitude changing so suddenly. However, for them, the result was not a bad one.
There was a cadet named Radon who was confident that it would happen from the beginning, and it was only his efforts that led to success.
“That idiot. He was so cynical about the world, but his face turned upside down when he saw the badge. It was creepy.”
When I went to see him last night before he went to bed and showed him the badge, he changed his stance without a hitch.
Of course, at first I doubted if it was fake, but I was able to confirm that the badge, like Jenny’s silver badge, was real by projecting a sign into the air.
Travel, who had seen the signature of the head of the Viold family, his father’s signature, only then began to listen to me.
However, there were a few questions that needed to be addressed.
-There is no way my father would carelessly give his badge to someone else.
-How did Radon Crowler get the job of being a spy working directly behind the scenes for the family?
-How did you end up on your father’s side when he had betrayed you?
Of course, Travel asked me that, but I was able to fool him by putting on various acts.
-Duke Harkel, the lord of the Bayold family, personally furnished our home.
-At that time, my younger sister was malnourished and my mother was ill and collapsed, and there was no other savior.
-When I asked him why, he said it was because I was the person who was closest to his son.
-In return for receiving these benefits, I was given a great mission.
-That is Travel, the release of his only son.
I preached all those words while acting pathetic. My current acting skill level is 11. There is no one in the Academy who acts better than me.
He couldn’t help but be swayed by my natural facial expression management, because it didn’t look like a lying expression at all.
Above all, the badge is the decisive evidence. Travel, who fell for my sweet talk, was currently accompanying us.
“Excuse me, but…”
“What is it?”
Travel, who was almost at the very front, asked Tariel, who was walking right next to him.
He was in the lead as he was the highest in all fields, and when he raised his voice appropriate to the position, Travel cringed.
“I really… just need you to take me to the entrance of that area?”
Still, Travel musters up the courage to open his mouth. Although he stutters a bit, he is able to convey his thoughts confidently.
Tariel said to Travel, who was trying hard to hold onto hope, while wiping his face.
“Okay, once you get there, your work is done. After that, you can return with the knights over there.”
“Oh, thank you! Thank you so much.”
“Shut up.”
“….”
Tariel cut off Travel’s words as if he was disgusted by the gratitude of a criminal. Nevertheless, the bell of happiness rang in Travel’s heart.
The current party includes five Alighieri cadets including Radon Crowler, members of the Saint Arrow mercenary group, and several knights dispatched from the Empire.
However, according to Radon Crowler, all of those knights are on Travel’s side.
It may not be a lie, but… he turned his head and called me.
“Why all of a sudden.”
Radon Crowler, who seemed annoyed by the noise, tried to run to the front.
Trabel asked him as they started walking side by side.
“Those knights… Are they really the ones who would sneak me out?”
“How many times do I have to tell you? Your father heard about this train accident. He was worried that you might have been hurt because of it, so he sent me and bribed those drivers.”
In fact, it’s been a year since Travel was locked up. If it were up to the power of a father who’s a duke, he’d be able to get it out in no time.
However, if he tried to bring it up openly, it would be revealed and he would face another crisis of losing his position. So he lied and said that his father had been waiting for a secret timing.
The timing was none other than the train overturning. It would be best to take advantage of the confusion of this incident to get out.
“You’ve been rotting in the oven for so long that you don’t know what it’s like outside, but the Bayold family has been hit hard since you did that at the Academy. They’ve been so focused on cleaning up that they haven’t been paying attention to you. It’s not like I brought you back late for nothing.”
“Is that so? After all… Father didn’t abandon me!
“Be quiet! I can hear everything around here.”
“hmm…”
I warned the guy to be careful not to get caught, because up until now I had been talking in a low voice to keep it a secret.
“Anyway, once you part ways with us, stick close behind those knights and follow them. After that, it’s up to you.”
“Hahaha! This time you’re trustworthy. Radon Crowler.”
“Then do your best. Password.”
“This kid!”
I went back to my seat after giving him one last reminder. I decided not to see him any more, just to make him a little more angry at the end.
The words I spoke about releasing the guy I mentioned earlier… of course, they were all lies. Thanks to lying on top of lies, I was able to greatly reduce the erosion rate.
You bribed the article that was spying on you? If you believe that and follow them, what will happen? I’m really looking forward to it.
“Hey, you piece of shit. Why don’t you try being a playwright? How can you come up with such interesting scenarios on the spot?”
‘Stop talking nonsense.’
It’s enough to be a reporter, but a playwright would freeze to death. Doesn’t this snake guy know that words can become seeds?
Then Trisha walked close to me and asked,
“You’re really amazing. How could you use a guy like that?”
Trisha looked down at my pockets, her gaze flickering with admiration.
“Is it because of that badge?”
“You saw it.”
“Honestly, it’s understandable that a guy like that would suddenly change his stance in such a surprising way. How on earth did he get it?”
It makes no sense for an ordinary cadet to be carrying the symbol of the Duke’s family. I’m not the type of person to contribute anything to such a place.
Trisha, who knew that fact, couldn’t help but look at it with a puzzled look. It was impossible to believe that it was obtained through a normal route.
“This is it. I got it from a friend.”
“What kind of friend are you?”
I said, looking at the moon in the sky that was gradually darkening the forest.
“There it is. A very strong one.”
Actually, before I set off on my mission from Alighieri, I heard from someone. I saw Travel on the list of prisoners and wondered if I could use him for something.
When I think of Travel, the first thing that comes to mind is the Lycanthrope incident, and when I think of the wolf monster, the first thing that comes to mind is the spy that Travel used at the time.
And the one who defeated the spy was the protagonist, and he must have also confiscated and dropped his loot.
I approached the main character and asked for the drop item I got then. That item was this badge.
‘I was able to obtain the highest badge thanks to being a spy directly under the head of the household.’
It’s an item that can actually be seen in the game, but it’s not really used. However, it felt novel to see it used like this.
Lately, I haven’t felt embarrassed when I see Lyman. My face has gotten a lot lighter since I realized I’m an anomaly.
Moreover, he even told me to take good care of them while he was away. Since their attitude towards me became more flexible, I was able to get the badge easily.
And I had a conversation with the guy.
-Are you going to enter Shaikhar’s territory?
-I don’t know much about that. If the prisoners escaped into the forest, we had no choice but to rush in.
-If that happens, be careful. That guy has become very violent towards humans.
It was Lyman who treated the spirits of the highest rank as if they were his neighbors. He spoke with a bitter expression, feeling the wind all over his body.
-Still, as long as you don’t do things that guy hates, you’ll be safe in that forest.
-Specifically?
-Stay close to Mary as much as possible. If the child spirit is nearby, the forest spirits won’t mess with it. But I haven’t been there in a long time because my conscience has been pricking me, so I don’t know what the structure will be like. And…
It had been a long time since I had heard Lyman’s heavy tone, and it was an important piece of advice he had imparted.
As I was thinking about that time, I heard Mary talking next to me.
“But why does the Spirit King here hate humans? Isn’t he afraid of being alone?”
“Thirty years ago, that great spirit’s friend died at the hands of a human. It was such a miserable death that just hearing about it brings tears to my eyes.”
“Wow…”
As Replane explained, Mary let out a gloomy sigh. Then Tariel, who was at the forefront, intervened and said,
“That friend was actually a saint. The previous saint was raised in Shaikhar’s arms since birth. She was a beautiful woman with outstanding empathy and wielding a red sword.”
Shaikhar was like a mother to the previous saints. She must have felt an unparalleled affection for the child who was abandoned in the forest and raised him with her own hands.
Later, when his daughter used her power to behead the Demon King and gained the trust of the people… Shaikhar could not have predicted it.
Surely, the people who supported my daughter… would murder her so miserably.
“Even though the saint died that day, I was so helpless. As a knight of the sect, I was ashamed.”
“Excuse me, sir… Were you a priest before you became a mercenary?”
Trisha asked cautiously. Tariel closed his eyes for a moment, lost in thought, and finally spoke with a bitter smile.
“Haha… It’s just an old story, so don’t worry too much about it. Anyway, how far do we have to go now?”
“We’re here now. Let’s see… It’s right there!”
Travel, who had been running suddenly, stopped in the middle and pointed to the other side.
At first glance, it looked like there was nothing there, but Mary, with her exceptional sensitivity, could sense that there was another dimension beyond it.
“Over here, over here!”
Mary ran excitedly and swung the spirit formula in her hand vigorously.
Then, a rift in the dimension split open and a hidden space was revealed.
“This is it…”
“Is this the territory of the Spirit King that I only heard of through rumors?”
“Hey, prisoner number 123. Is this the right place?”
When Tariel asked seriously again, Travelel swallowed dryly and said.
“I’m sure of it…! I definitely witnessed other prisoners entering this space.”
“Then your work is finished.”
“yes?”
“What are you doing? It won’t turn off right away.”
Although the words were heartless, Travel accepted them with emotion.
“thank you!”
And Travel followed the knights who were waiting behind.
There were five knights in total… three followed them into the space, and the other two were in charge of transporting the traveler.
“If anything happens, I want you to activate the magic sensor attached to your shoulder. Then, good luck.”
“ancient!”
The knights who were parting ways exchanged salutes of their own. And then, as they all disappeared into space… I felt relieved but also worried.
Hoping for a safe return, they walked the way they came. There were signs posted along the way, so there was no need to get lost.
Trabel was walking along the road, internally screaming with joy.
‘Finally… finally liberation! This is goodbye to this miserable prison life!’
It was as if the family he thought was dead had returned and he didn’t know what to do.
The highest emotion a human can feel.
But Travel did not know grace.
`That guy Radon, will he die in the spirit king’s domain? It doesn’t matter though. He abandoned me once anyway.`
When the Lycanthropy incident was over, I went to visit Radon in the hospital. Even though I cried out for help, he just pretended not to know.
“Do you have any proof?”, “Who are you?”, “Ouch! My body hurts!”
… he is a guy who openly even gave me medicine.
At that time, Travel had already decided that he would definitely take her as his traveling companion.
`But you’re the one who’s going to die. Hahaha! You idiot.`
I had a hard time controlling my facial expressions because I burst out laughing in my head. The reporters looked at that part strangely.
“What are you laughing about all of a sudden? Are you sick somewhere?”
“Of course it is! You will be released soon.”
“what…?”
What kind of nonsense is this?
The knights tilted their heads in bewilderment.
“Why do you two look like that? I bet you were asked to do this by our father.”
“What is this kid talking about?”
It was an expression of complete ignorance.
Even though I told him about my father, he didn’t respond at all.
They just spoke rather sarcastically.
“Stop talking nonsense and just follow me!”
“Huh…? Why….”
Something was strange.
In this unbelievable situation, Travel slowly felt ominous. The more he felt it, the more he felt like he was being dragged into the darkness of the forest.
The ominousness gradually grew closer to the truth, and the closer it got to the truth… Travel was swallowed up in darkness.
“Don’t mess with me! I’m going to get released.”
And yet, all that could be heard was Travel’s denial of reality.
Surviving as an Academy Fraudster
