Offer a Tribute and Become an Archmage - Chapter 169



Only Noblemtl

Offering Tribute to the Archmage Chapter 169

Nightmare [5]

Episode 169.

“Hey, kimchi. Kimchi stew!!”

Ronobe jumped up and looked around, startled.

“My lord!!”

“Whoa! What the! Oh, is that Liam?”

“yes!”

I was wondering what something dark was coming in, and it was Liam.

“Uh… where is this?”

“It’s the count’s territory. The war is over.”

“Ah… I see.”

war.

Now my mind is starting to clear up a bit.

I remember fighting Light and seeing Benny and the Gradas army.

“What happened?”

“Let me tell you.”

Liam slowly told them the story of where Benny had led the troops.

“devil?”

“Yes. There was a black devil. Madam led an army to kill the four evil fanatics who made it up and defeated the devil.”

But that wasn’t the end.

Even though he killed the fanatic, there was a black egg in the devil’s arms that he could not break.

It is said that while he was fidgeting about, the egg broke on its own and Ronobe emerged from it, standing upright.

“I see.”

The timing seems to be just right.

Ronobe recalled what had happened in his dream and reflected on the many things he had gained there, wondering if there was anything he could gain from it.

‘Imagination is power.’

That’s what Yonterion said.

Indeed, in Wright’s nightmare, imagination soon became a force.

That was the kind of place dreams were.

‘Can’t we make a nuke out of magic?’

If it’s Karanqal’s magic, wouldn’t it be possible to produce power comparable to a nuclear explosion?

Right now, it’s at a level where it can’t even explode the oil underground, but someday.

Maybe someday it will be possible.

“What about Benny?”

“I am meeting the Count. The Count also said that he would like to see you when his lord wakes up. After all, you were the one who ended the rebellion.”

“Is that so?”

“Isn’t that obvious? That wizard named Light was the mastermind. The one who defeated him is the main character of this war. He is the hero!”

“What is this? Have you finally realized the greatness of your master?”

“I was suspicious when I thought about his usual appearance.”

“This kid?”

He seemed to know that the rebellion in the Aulort County was his fault. Of course, he didn’t seem to know that the reason he did it was to bring out Ronobe.

It was information that didn’t necessarily need to be made known.

“Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m a little dizzy, but I’m okay. I’ll feel better if I drink some potion.”

Ronobe took a potion out of the snake cage, drank it, and then stood up.

“You could rest a little more.”

“There’s no need for that. I have many questions. What happened to Light’s body?”

“We decided to handle it in the county.”

That’s not what I was curious about.

“Are you talking about the grimoire?”

“huh.”

“My wife took care of it separately. She said it was a small doll.”

“I see.”

It seems like something I saw in Light’s dream.

He always had a doll in his arms.

“This is Baron Hopper. I have come to see the Count, so please guide me.”

“Yes. This way…”

As I came out of the VIP room and walked down the hallway, I saw a maid and asked her to guide me.

The maids were all young virgins.

Ronobe unconsciously fell over as he stared at the maid’s clearly visible cleavage and thighs in her short skirt.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“If the master falls, you should catch him right away. What are you doing!”

“No… why are you falling down on a perfectly fine road?”

“Oh, I guess you’re not feeling well yet!”

Ronobe shouted in embarrassment for no reason and walked down the hallway again.

The earldom is the earldom. The castle was certainly large and spacious. After walking for a while, Liam spoke to the gatekeeper in front of the earl’s audience room.

“This is Baron Hopper. Open the door so that we may have an audience with the Count.”

Now, even though he was a knight, he didn’t even have a rank, and he started acting like a total noble.

As I was snickering at Liam, saying that the place makes the man, the door opened and the Count was seen sitting on the throne.

‘You’re young.’

As Elicia had told me, the count was young. A little older than Ronove.

He was a young man who looked to be about eighteen.

Short brown hair with a reddish tint.

The count didn’t have a particularly noble appearance. He was just an ordinary young man you could see anywhere.

However, his status is a count.

It was a position far higher than that of Ronobe, who was only a junior baron.

Ronobe hurriedly prepared an example.

He knelt on one knee and bowed his head.

“Great heir apparent. Meet Count Auloth.”

The ostensible justification for the rebellion is the poor management of the estate and his unclear lineage. Since Count Auloth’s mother was a commoner and not a noble, Auloth’s collaterals were suspicious of his lineage and rebelled.

So, the title of heir apparent was the best flattery to the count.

“You are the wizard of the empire. The hero of Gradas who defeated the Nightmare Light?”

“The title of hero is too much. The hero of Gradas is not mine, but my master Gaisha’s achievement.”

The more the rice ripens, the more it bows its head.

The humility of a hero is a great virtue.

Ronobe knew that well.

There is nothing more unsightly than a person who is more talented than another person who is more talented. So, wouldn’t it be nice to be humble when you are putting gold on your own face?

First impressions count for more than half of a person’s judgment. After all, he’s the count, so he’ll definitely be rewarded with something, so it wouldn’t hurt to get points.

Of course, the Count was a little different.

“You’re so young. Amazing.”

“…”

The count looked around at his vassals gathered around him and said:

“This young one defeated the wizard of the empire. I can’t believe it. He’s a kid who can’t even hold a sword properly, let alone swing a staff. Even if he uses magic, it won’t be much of a deal.”

No one dared say anything to the count’s words.

Most of those who had rebelled were imprisoned in the count’s territory or beheaded. The justification was his, and although he was young, he was at the peak of his power as a count. If he did not want to be linked with the rebels and executed together, it was natural for him to flatter him.

Of course, Ronobe didn’t know much about it.

“I heard that the wizards of the empire are extremely outstanding. They are said to have the power to destroy a castle alone. You took down such a wizard alone? I can’t believe it. I don’t believe what I haven’t seen with my own eyes. Where am I wrong?”

“That is a valid point.”

“You’re younger than my grandchild. Hehe!”

Even the vassals followed his will.

As if we had already kissed.

Ronobe didn’t open his mouth hastily.

‘Based on my experience in the Middle Ages, if I open my mouth now, I’ll just get cursed at more.’

It’s better to keep your mouth shut if possible.

Anyway, I didn’t really expect much from the Count, and she’s not a pretty woman, so I don’t really want to be friends with a guy. If she’s not a wizard, I’m even less interested in her.

Benny said he brought the grimoire, and he probably brought everything else, so there was no need to respond to the Count’s provocation.

It was clear that the Count was belittling Ronobe’s achievements because he felt it was a waste to reward him.

If you raise the ball, you should be given a proper reward. If the safe is robbed during a siege, it will be robbed, not filled.

‘Still, I’m sure you’ve packed quite a few things.’

It seemed like he didn’t want to give anything.

‘Maybe I’ve gotten pretty smart?’

They say that after three years of studying at a private school, a dog can recite poetry. Even Ronobedo has become a person.

“Baron Hopper. Am I right?”

“It wasn’t just my power alone that defeated the Wizard. It was Gradas’s power that was there. I could never have defeated him alone.”

He looked straight into the count’s eyes and said.

The count kept his mouth shut, as if he was feeling uneasy.

“I heard that the Imperial Wizard’s grimoire has disappeared. Do you know its whereabouts?”

‘This little brat?’

Now you even want the grimoire?

He was a very greedy man.

Ronobe answered, clenching his fists.

“I was seriously injured and just woke up, so I have no idea where it is. If I find it, I will definitely report it to the Count.”

“Hmm. Well, I guess so.”

“It is only right to present it to the lord, so please wait. Surely the people of Gradas do not know this?”

“Right. Heh.”

Only then did the count’s mood seem to lighten a bit. He was demanding that I hand over my bundle after I saved him from being defeated by the rebels.

It was an outrageous act.

‘That’s why rebellions happen. They want to overthrow the country.’

As expected, nothing in this world is in vain.

That’s how the rebellion happened.

Just then, as I was internally lamenting that I had blocked it for nothing, the Count suddenly started saying things that he shouldn’t have said.

“Baron Gradas, you too. You didn’t even have to send reinforcements. You could have just stopped them. You’re just sending the people to trouble yourself. It’s obvious that the knights and magicians of the countship are superior to those of the barony. You don’t have to know the long and short of it to know. There’s nothing more to see. Go ahead. But since I came to help, I’ll take care of your travel expenses.”

The count shook his head and waved his hand, signaling for them to step aside.

“Morning, unlike you, your wife is quite excellent. It is not common for a woman to become a knight. With her fair complexion, there must be an easier path… If you are interested, tell her that she can come under me. Do you understand? It is only natural that a count’s concubine is better than a baron’s wife.”

“…”

It was obvious sexual harassment. And it was about another man’s wife. He said he enjoyed women, but he was so lustful that he coveted another man’s wife.

Ronobe endured it.

No matter what, it’s something that can’t be killed.

Enduring saved me and the precious people around me.

His one action could have given rise to a war between the barony and the earldom.

I had to endure it.

“They say that the body of a knight has its own unique flavor. I’m really looking forward to it.”

However, he couldn’t hold back the blood seeping out of his tightly clenched fist. The moment a drop of blood flowed from Ronobe’s fist and fell into the audience room.

Quazajak!!

The blood spread in an instant, spreading out like a pure white chill, freezing the surrounding area.

“This, this… what is this!!”

It wasn’t frozen enough to kill me.

Just to the point where I can’t move my body.

That was about it.

But that was just enough.

The knights who were escorting him were frozen in their armor and could not move, and his retainers were shivering in fear from the cold. The count was stuck to his throne and could only scream.

“You think you can survive like this! Murdering a noble is no different from challenging the kingdom!! Murdering a noble will result in your limbs being torn off, and the woman of Gradas, whom you serve as your lord, being killed!! Aaaah!! My body is cold! My skin is stinging!!”

Despite the Count’s screams of terror, Ronobe said nothing and just looked at him quietly.

“What, what are you doing! Guards! Hey, guards!! Protect me!! Sir Bintelso! Sir Modre!! Come and protect me! What, what are you doing!! Catch this guy who insults the nobility, behead him, and throw him outside the castle!!”

But despite the Count’s cries, no one came.

Even if he came, it was clear that it would be useless.

Liam was guarding behind Ronobe, and even without him, there wasn’t a single knight here who would be immune to the cold air he gave off.

The cool chill was scattered with every step Ronobe took.

Ronobe slowly approached the Count sitting on the throne.

“Oh, don’t come! Don’t come!! What are you doing!! Hurry up and protect me! Risk your life! Protect your master!! Aaaah, aaaah! Don’t come! Me! I’m the count!! I’m the count!!”

Until then, Ronobe had not said anything. Ronobe had come up to the count’s nose and looked down at him.

“If you kill me… the kingdom will never. Never. Let this happen, will never…”

The count was soon so frightened that he could not say anything. Only when the man closed his mouth did Ronobe speak.

“If you die, the next successor will come from among the vassals of that branch. It doesn’t matter if you die. The count who stopped the rebels will die with all his might, and the next successor will continue Aulort. Do you know what I mean? It doesn’t matter if you die. Just be born to good parents, you punk.”

“That, that can’t be! When I die, my followers will definitely tell the kingdom about your sins… your sins!!”

Ronobe turned his head to his vassals.

Among those who were so pale that they could not speak, an old man answered.

“…It doesn’t matter.”

Damn it!

Ronobe froze everyone except him.

“Norbert!! Didn’t you swear allegiance to my father!!”

“I swore by Auloth, not you.”

He is a quick-thinking old man. Ronobe’s gaze turned back to the count.

“S-save me. Please save me! I, I was wrong! Da, you are the hero who protected Aulorot! Mo, I will give you everything! All the rebels’ wealth from the war! I will give you everything! So please. Please…”

“There is no reason to spare the life of a man who insulted my wife. At least not for me.”

Sigh.

“ah…”

The spear of ice pierced the count’s heart.

Count Aulrot died in vain, without even leaving a will.

“What are you going to do?”

I asked the old man Norbert.

“I will make my son my successor and rule Aulot. Most of them are dead… so there will be no one who will oppose me. Of course, I will not forget to show my deepest gratitude to our ally, Gradas.”

“The Count’s death?”

“If he was a nephew who was always a womanizer, and he died intoxicated by women, no one would suspect him. That’s the kind of person he was. If the other vassals were to die intoxicated by the joy of war, they would be suspicious, but they wouldn’t dare tell anyone. If they want to find out the secrets of the nobles, they will have to give up their lives.”

Ronobe nodded.

“Rather than that, I would like to become closer to you. Since the main character of the war has also arisen, I think I should throw a banquet.”

“Are you saying that by showing me your son?”

A line appeared at the corner of Norbert’s mouth.

He wanted to solidify his position as successor by showing his son.

The army of Gradas who ended the rebellion and the new master of Auloth who ascended to the throne.

It was a nice facade.

“He is a talent that is truly unfortunate to be in Gradas. How about coming to the county?”

“If you are greedy, you will get into trouble. Just like that old count.”

Ronobe turned his back.

Before we knew it, all the ice that had covered the audience room had melted away.

“I’ll leave the cleanup to you.”

“Don’t worry. The knights and their retainers died at the same time, but this was not a time of chaotic rebellion. Sometimes, there are mysterious deaths that make the world go round.”

Before Ronobe leaves.

I didn’t forget to warn him either.

“The law may be far away, but magic will be near. At least for you.”

“…keep in mind.”

*

A few days later.

Ronobé is Norbert’s son.

He attended the banquet and greeted them, along with the declaration that Barrier Auloth was the rightful successor.

“Barrier Auloth. Auloth will always welcome the heroes of war.”

“Thank you for your hospitality, Auloth.”

The new count seemed afraid of Ronobe, but tried to befriend him.

However, he declared Gradas’ army as the main force in this war and gave them a very generous reward and various prizes.

Most of them were gold, iron, and weapons, but there were also some specialty products from Aulot.

“soap!!”

In Aulot, they were making soap. It was quite expensive as it was a luxury item for the nobles, but it was what Ronobe liked the most.

“Did you put a lot of incense oil in it? It smells so good! Benny, take a whiff!”

“Okay. But it’s expensive. This one costs three silver coins…”

“We have a lot of money, so we can spend it.”

“But why did he give so much? I heard he practically emptied the safe.”

I tried to smile and pretend not to know Benny’s question.

Lonobe returned to Gradas with a large bundle of gold coins and soap in his arms.

It was a golden return.