LIGHTNOVELONLINE The Nerd Turned Out To Be The Tyrant
Chapter 119
To a knight, disobedience is a luxury. To a wandering knight, not a lifelong knight, disobedience was even more of a word that didn’t exist.
However, Franz recently found himself wishing he had the luxury of refusing, a foolish thinking indeed. ‘Calling it a mission is one thing, but to openly be used as a spy, especially in the Imperial Palace!’ The county of Menelick was different from what he had heard. And of course, not in a good way. It was true that it was a wealthy city, but its base was ridiculously small compared to its economic scale. A small number of merchants monopolized the wealth, and rumors spread that these merchants were owned by the lords. It was a strange behavior where the lords, who were supposed to be neutral, paid for their merchants and bought things. It’s typical tax evasion. It would be unimaginable in Rodante. He can clearly see Yohan getting all worked up if he found out Wherever money accumulates, it’s not just people who gather; crime also follows. Yet, the lord, who should be actively maintaining public order, was solely focused on building higher walls around the castle. Even if it’s a count’s autonomous domain beyond the reach of imperial laws, he wondered if it was okay to run the territory like this. Compared to the territories he had previously overseen, there were more than a few oddities in Menelik County, but Franz deliberately avoided facing these strange things. The county’s salary was high enough to more than cover all of that. The thought that he should settle down now for his family kept his mouth shut. Franz came to the capital with Friedrich, the young lord. For a while, he did nothing different from a guard—standing watch and escorting carriages. His young master, who resembled a red fox, was quite busy every night, wandering around alone. Franz wondered why he even hired a knight if this was the case, but he heard that he was supposedly looking for someone. Now that he thinks about it, Friedrich had asked while looking at the letter of recommendation. “You’re from Rodante.” “Yes, that’s right.” “You wouldn’t know about a girl with red hair, around 16 years old, would you?” “As far as I know, there isn’t one.” “Yeah, that’s likely the case.” The conversation was completely meaningless. What was he laughing at while asking? Was he really curious, or was he just trying to confirm? The only girl Franz knew who lived in Rodante was a girl of about 16, Lucette, who had brown hair, so he answered truthfully, but he felt uneasy. It was a time when he occasionally felt disillusioned with the monotony of his life. Friedrich called for him and inquired about the work he had done in the territories he had passed through, especially in Bradbury. Franz answered nothing beyond what was stated on his certificate. His intuition whispered. Friedrich was testing him. The reason he had managed to live safely as a wandering knight was that he knew when to open his mouth and when to keep silent. It wasn’t a matter of conscience; it was a matter of increasing his own value. While he might chat freely with his family, he couldn’t do so in front of his master. Especially since his young master was a person of great mood swings and unpredictability. Whenever he was about to forget, Friedrich would call him and trouble him, but Franz never responded. It was exactly on the seventeenth time he was called in. Friedrich, with an unusually excited expression, said something a bit different from usual. “Sir, you will be dispatched as the contact officer for the palace. I didn’t realize it would take so long to find someone who is both tight-lipped and has a family.” After spending a few days at the Empress Consort’s palace, it became clear. While the mention of family initially seemed like a threat to use them as hostages, it had another meaning as well. Friedrich needed someone who wouldn’t engage in pointless, frivolous activities with the Empress Consort. He required a person with a family who would not harbor any ulterior motives towards the beautiful Empress Consort, and someone who wouldn’t secretly open the letters they exchanged. He felt ashamed that he was pretending to be a servant and delivering letters, even though he was a knight. It would have been better if he had just delivered letters. The reason for disguising a knight rather than a maid or a servant and placing him at the heart of the imperial palace was all too obvious. ‘He told me to report everything I witnessed and heard in the palace. He didn’t say it directly so that he could evade his responsibility later if a problem arose, saying that he never ordered such a thing to happen. He used a knight instead of an ordinary servant so that I could handle it secretly. Ha, damn it.’ It was better for him to be on the bloody battlefield. He even missed the days when he heard behind his back that wandering knights like him, who moved from place to place, were no different from mercenaries doing any money-making job. Here, neither his experience nor his skills were of any use. It was the worst. His self-esteem was being torn apart. He had to wait in the corner until the Empress Consort replied. He had been hidden behind a column for three hours. Franz looked around with gloomy eyes. He could see the palace knights patrolling the hallway. There were so few of them. ‘Just as the rumors said. It’s surprising that there are no knights at the imperial palace.’ The lack of knights was a problem, but the ones who were present were barely doing their jobs. Even though he had disguised himself as servants delivering letters, anyone could see that his well-trained physique wasn’t easily overlooked. They must be either incredibly oblivious or inexperienced. It seemed that the guards at the Empress Consort’s residence had recently been replaced. Franz recalled the rumor that the guards had been greatly reduced since the Emperor disappeared. Shouldn’t it be the opposite? Was there some sort of hidden trust or reassurance? Were there troops hiding in secret passages or something? The life of a wandering knight had instilled in him the habit of not overlooking even the smallest details. Rumors often meant money, and eavesdropping could be a valuable source of information. Franz listened intently to the chatter of the knights, who were oblivious to his presence. “It’s good that nothing serious has happened, but it’s still clear that they’re watchful.” “Why?” “His Highness the Prince has been consistently refusing Her Highness Empress Consort’s lunch invitations. While it’s less of a concern for us, the palace officials who have to go back and forth are looking miserable. They say their blood is drying up.” It seemed like the relationship between the mother and son was strained. Listening to what they were saying, it seemed like it wasn’t just a simple argument. “So, does Princess Ximel only have meals with Her Highness Empress Consort? I thought she was going back and forth because of His Highness the Prince. You know, conversations before the engagement and all that.” “You really don’t know anything about imperial etiquette. You might not know when His Highness Prince Delmar was alone, but you can’t do that now.” “What do you know so much about? You’re being sarcastic.” “The Prince of the North Tower is here. His marriage needs to be processed before Prince Delmar’s marriage can take place. It’s called imperial law and regulations or something.” “So, is it possible that the princess’ visits to the palace are, perhaps… because of the Northern Tower Prince?” “That’s probably the case, isn’t it?” It was the story of the Prince with red eyes. Franz had heard other knights from Menelik County whispering about it. He narrowed his eyes. “I only heard that the Prince was in the North Tower, but I have never seen him. Did he ever come out of the North Tower?” “That’s right. Why didn’t he show up after his achievement of reclaiming Peter?” ‘The prince handled the reclaiming of Peter, not the Empress Consort?’ Even if they didn’t know he was there, the fact that they spoke so openly meant that it was an open secret in the imperial palace. Franz was confused. What was revealed to the world and what the knights were talking about were so different. Was this the kind of information Friedrich wanted him to gather? ‘No, he’s so close with the Empress Consort that they even exchange letters, so that must be why he frequently visits the palace. With the knights in such poor discipline, Friedrich surely knows about this. So what is he expecting from me?’ “That’s what I’m saying. It seems like only Crown Prince Delmar visits the Northern Tower, which makes me curious. I wonder if his eyes are really red, too.” “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not like we can just go to the Northern Tower to see it.” “Wouldn’t it be okay if we go secretly?” “All the knights in the tower know our faces, so how can we go secretly?” The whispering voice grew distant. ‘…The Empress Consort wouldn’t tell me about her stepson, so is he expecting me to find out on my own?’ How should he satisfy his superior who doesn’t give specific orders? Franz glanced once towards the north and then at the Empress Consort’s room behind him. * * * “Lucette, how is the analysis of the medicine going?” “Yes. About halfway.” “Already? How long has it been since the machine was fixed?” Arthur knocked on the basement door, and Luce took off her goggles and smiled. “What kind of medicine is it?” “I’ve identified the base, but I’m still working on the active ingredients. Nothing matches so far.” “Even just identifying the base is nearly as good as solving it.” Rev’s medicine analysis was going smoothly. Hello! You can also buy the advanced chapter in Ko-fi now, just click the ko-fi button and look for the title of the novel in shop. Thank you for your support!
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