Chapter 207
Translator: Kell Editor: Weasalopes
Searching for a Compromise
After their conversation, the king and the old man left the chambers . A maid came in and started cleaning . The bed, in particular, was a mess . When Hikaru sneaked in around three in the morning, he found the king sleeping with a few women . He was fortunate he didn’t witness them doing the act .
Hikaru slipped out from behind the curtain where he was hiding and went out the window to the courtyard, pondering things over along the way . The king mentioned he could sense someone even while asleep . However, Hikaru actually got closer than they expected, but his Stealth was too high-leveled for Gerhardt to notice him .
Hikaru’s Instincts, however, did whisper to him not to get too close . How close, he didn’t know . He assumed that if he got close enough to pull out a dagger and stab Gerhardt, the king would have woken up . He wasn’t absolutely sure, though .
Instinct sure is handy . Maybe I should put more points on it . But I might end up in a situation where I need more Strength or Stamina…
A good-old typical grinding was necessary to gain more skill points—killing monsters and earning money, just like an actual adventurer . Unfortunately, war had been keeping Hikaru busy . Unless he stopped the war, he wouldn’t be able to grind in peace .
Hikaru threatened Gerhardt directly to see how the man would react . He even stole the military-use daggers to show that he had the upper hand . But it only served to fuel Gerhardt more . From this, he arrived at a conclusion .
Gerhardt has a lot of confidence in himself . He’s driven by a strong conviction and decided to invade Ponsonia .
Hikaru stifled a yawn . He made his way back to the inn to get some sleep .
Later that evening, when the sun was about set, Hikaru returned to the palace . Preparations for the war were going smoothly . Numerous carts—most likely carrying provisions—were leaving Hopestadt, manned by soldiers holding the national flag .
I could delay things by burning their supplies… Then again, whoever’s in charge of it will have their heads cut off for sure .
Lavia and Paula gathered information during the day about Gerhardt’s nature . He was stern, yet warm-hearted . While he appeared to have a one-track mind, he would look at things in the long-term . Many called him a wise king .
There were also many who incurred the wrath of the king and got executed . This resulted in Gerhardt having plenty of enemies as well . Using these enemies, however, would only bring about another civil war . Hikaru wanted to avoid causing further trouble .
To stop the war without any casualties, Gerhardt himself had to declare that the war be stopped . In that respect, directly threatening him was not entirely wrong .
If I recall correctly, the tournament to select the next king starts next spring . That’s also when Gerhardt’s term ends . He wants to crush Ponsonia, a kingdom that Einbeast had despised for a long time, before then .
Einbeast had developed greatly under the rule of Gerhardt . They now had the power to fight Ponsonia . The kingdom, on the other hand, was weak from the civil war . There couldn’t be any better opportunity than this .
Einbeast despises Ponsonia for its supremacist views, discriminating against Beastmen . But there are humans in this country too, and they’re not really being discriminated against .
Hikaru felt that the country’s official stance and the citizens’ opinions differed . The citizens didn’t like Ponsonia, of course . But surely, they cared about that no more than their daily income . Who cares about issues of a foreign country?
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First, I need to gather data .
Hikaru infiltrated the palace once more .
「Five more days till New Years . 」a beastman patrol said .
「Yup . You got plans?」his partner, a dwarf, asked .
「My wife’s parents’ home is in this city, so we’re spending the eve there . 」
「I see . Oh, you just got a kid, right?」
「Yeah . 」
The soldier scratched his cheeks bashfully . He took a key from a bunch dangling by his waist and inserted it into a keyhole . After muttering something under his breath, he twisted the key . The lock shone blue, and not long after, the soldier felt a response through his fingertips . The door had been unlocked .
The patrols stood before a small U-shaped building . Everyone who worked in the palace knew what the place was—the treasure house .
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The beastman entered first, followed by the dwarf . They held up the magic lamps they were carrying, illuminating the whole building . Red carpet lay on the floor . Treasures were displayed on the side, and thick stone pillars with elaborate designs lined the walls .
「Hey, did you lock the door? Rules say we have to lock it even when patrolling . 」
「Reciting the words every single time is annoying . 」
Nevertheless, he muttered the words anyway .
This time, the whole door shone blue, a sign that it was now locked . In the meantime, the dwarf turned on the lights for the whole building . Faint and warm, orange light filled the interior of the treasure house .
Different things were on display—a huge sword, a huge spear, a helmet, old grimoires, among others . There were even jewelries embedded with fist-sized gems . Only a few people were allowed in here, but everyday cleaning made the place spotless .
The displays stopped midway, even though they hadn’t gone the full length of the treasure house yet . What’s more, there was one pedestal with no item on it .
「I wonder what the king will donate . 」
「We’re talking about King Gerhardt . It’s gotta be a huge sword . 」
This building housed the treasures that a king donated once his term ended . In other words, Gerhardt would have to present one such item soon . It made sense that the whole place wasn’t filled yet .
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The ruler’s name and the name of the item were carved into the pedestal .
「A sword, huh…」the dwarf muttered, downhearted .
「What’s wrong?」
「The weapon that the dragon king left from twelve generations ago was a sword too, right? You know, the one that got stolen . I just thought His Majesty would choose to leave something else because of that . 」
「This one here, huh . 」the beastman said, referring to the empty pedestal . 「If I recall correctly, even with the dwarves’ technology, they couldn’t analyze the weapon . 」
The two approached the pedestal .
『64th King, Representative of the Dragon Clan, Michael Vatex Holger』
『Holy Mana Arms: Blade of Severance . 』
It was none other than the holy mana item that Hikaru found underneath the Tower in Agiapole .
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