A Treacherous Courtier Manages the Empire Well

27 – Who Am I? Where Am I?

A few days later. The hundreds of rebel hunters, who had reunited with their families and ate well, slept well, and were well-dressed, were having a serious discussion in the square of the Bellhem Village.

“Commander Seolic, the people in the village are living very well.”

“Hmm…”

“They say Randor created all of this. Can you believe it? We can’t understand what happened during the ten years we were trapped.”

The rebellion arose against the nobles’ looting, so they could live like humans. They were beings who rose to ensure that their families would not starve.

But when they came out into the world, they found out that their families and the empire were living well. Moreover, it was an idealistic sight that they couldn’t even imagine.

Well-maintained roads and buildings. Well-equipped sewage systems. Clean houses with heating and hot water through stone stoves. In addition, the ovens used for cooking had been replaced by devices that would immediately emit fire with the push of a button, providing safety and convenience.

“Because of some fast-food restaurant or something, Randor extended his hand to the villages in the southern region, where there were many poultry farms, and made them much bigger and more efficient.”

“I heard that too.”

“He cleared the roads, built buildings, and maintained the sewage system… People from the Ironblood Legion, known as combat engineers, and construction workers came and built everything in just a few months and then left.”

“He even transformed the poultry farms into much bigger and more efficient ones.”

“Now the entire village is overflowing with money. I even had snacks at my house!! Snacks!! I was curious about the taste of the desserts we used to eat in the capital, so I bought some. Is this… Is this even possible? Nobles investing money in lands that aren’t even their own territories?”

The reason for the formation of the rebellion had disappeared. The hundreds of rebel hunters were perplexed.

There had to be a reason behind the generosity provided by the nobles. And that reason usually had to do with larger and more ruthless looting. The hunters, who had already been betrayed countless times, knew this well.

But what the hell was Randor up to?

In the villages of the hunters near the southern jungle, there were no lords. In other words, they were destitute people who had no one to protect them and were easy to prey on.

“So the lords with territories near the south repeated the practice of allowing the hunters to come to their territories for trade and then mercilessly extorting large sums of money from them. Landohr himself didn’t directly participate in the extortion, but he was known for his ambition and desire for power. So why did he do something like this?

What benefit did he gain by pouring money into the southern villages, making them so clean and presentable?

Seoric raised his hand.

“No imperial noble shows kindness without reason!”

It was one of the few truths they could be certain of.

The well-made roads, the elegant houses, and the overflowing gold coins were tempting, but they couldn’t erase the deep-rooted distrust of them.

“We will proceed as planned, rise to the commercial city of Porto, assassinate Landohr there, and take care of his lackeys and destroy their castle! Just as we have always done!”

The anticipation spread with those words.

“Do we really need to do that?”

“Thanks to the fast-food business, the village thrives. Without Landohr, there is no business.”

“I’m afraid it will cause our families to starve again, Commander Seoric.”

But Seoric was resolute.

“There must be some sinister scheme behind this. When the southern lords buy the game we hunt without paying taxes, it was just a preparation for forcibly extorting more leather and meat from them!”

“But the village…”

“It’s the same with this! Landohr may not have directly extorted, but he is a traitor who nibbles at the empire! Are you going to believe the words of a betrayer who has deceived the ambition of the capital, the emperor, and the princess!”

The hunters grew silent at those words.

Seoric solemnly declared with fiery eyes.

“It will become even more certain when we go to the commercial city of Porto and the duchy of Elond. The people there are bound to be unhappy. They may seem splendid on the surface, pretending to work for the people, but the nobles are just obvious scoundrels. It is evident that they are embezzling money and making people unhappy behind the scenes! That’s why we must kill them! Get your guns ready! All the nobles must be eliminated!”

The hunters nodded in agreement.

“Yes, Commander. We were momentarily deceived.”

“Get your guns. Let’s pierce their heads with lead bullets.”

“Yes!”

And so, hundreds of hunters, disguised with the disguises provided by the Duke of Phelings, changing the color of their hair and eyes, and carrying their large rifles used for hunting monsters in the subspace pockets after obtaining fake identification, dispersed inconspicuously, each making their way to the commercial city of Porto.

For sure.

For sure, they believed that when they arrived there, they would discover Landohr’s true wicked plan and what new form of brutal extortion he was planning.

But their expectations were completely mistaken.

What the hundreds of hunters, who had perfectly disguised themselves as hunters and ascended to the commercial district of Porto, saw was…

“What are you doing? Hurry up and carry it!”

“Shall we go watch a movie in the evening? A new movie is coming out in a few days!”

“I want to go to Elond’s amusement park. They say you can ride sleds and skis there.”

“Addition is easy, but division and multiplication are too difficult.”

It was a scene of an extremely happy and busy city landscape.

Seoric was bewildered.

Soon, they were determined to carry out a large-scale terrorist attack in the Portu commercial district.

Assassinating nobles and security chiefs, looting their warehouses and distributing them to the poor beggars, and setting the castle on fire – that was their plan.

If they had hundreds of well-trained hunters and those who had already carried out several terrorist attacks on nobles, it would be more than possible.

So he went to find his daughter and son, who were said to be receiving education in the Portu commercial district, first. He wanted to evacuate them.

“I don’t want to.”

Surprisingly, his son and daughter firmly expressed their refusal.

“Ren. Rio. You don’t know. Landor is a bad person. He becomes a puppet emperor, controlling the princess, and wielding power from the capital to the tip of his tongue. He has no reason to show kindness to people. Dad has to turn this world upside down.”

“Lord Landor is kind.”

“He made us study letters and mathematics.”

“When we’re sick, we can go to the hospital for treatment.”

“We can take hot showers and eat delicious food at restaurants. Have you tried Dad’s boneless chicken, pizza, and hamburger?”

“We like Lord Landor.”

Seoric closed his eyes tightly.

That damn puppet.

Even his own children had been brainwashed.

“Ren, Rio. Listen to Dad. It may seem good now. But before long, he will reveal his true colors. Plundering people and seizing their money…”

“But Lord Landor is already the richest man in the empire. Why would he take plunder?”

“Dad. It’s great to see you after such a long time…but it seems like you don’t understand the world’s affairs.”

Late teens.

In a word, adolescence.

Seoric was very surprised by the stubborn and willful opinions of his adolescent son and daughter. Before he left, the two of them were just as hateful towards nobles as he was.

“Stay here for just one month. Then you will understand why we’re saying this.”

“Then I’ll go back now.”

Seoric quickly grabbed his son and daughter as he saw them trying to disappear while waving goodbye.

“Wait! Where are you staying?”

“For students who come from far away to study, the elementary school provides dormitories. We’re staying there.”

“What about food…”

“It’s all free. The tuition is free, and you can stay in the dorms for free too. It’s all thanks to Lord Landor.”

“……..”

“Dad, please. Just stay here for a while. Lord Landor is not the kind of nobleman you think he is, right?”

“I love you, Dad!! Come visit sometimes! Let’s watch movies and eat chicken together!!!”

There was no skepticism on the bright faces of the children.

Seoric watched blankly as his son and daughter disappeared, then headed towards the rebels’ secret hideout.

“Commander Seoric, what should we do? Should we start the plan right away?”

“It might be a bit difficult with the iron-blooded army serving as guards instead of the regular security forces, but it’s not impossible to proceed with the assassination.”

“We’ve brought enough explosive powder to use as bombs……”

Seoric raised his hand, his face filled with confusion. After a moment of silence, he gave one order.

“Head towards the slums. Let’s see where the poorest and weakest people in this city live. Perhaps we can determine Lord Landor’s true nature by observing the weakest individuals in the city.”

“…..Commander Seoric?”

“Assassination and terrorism will follow. We need to be certain that Landor……the Landor of today is truly the villain.”

The hunters nodded in response to his words.

They dispersed throughout the city, and Seoric also frequently went on night walks to visit the city’s slums.

“Oh darkness.”

The ancient magic of the southern hunters.

He was highly skilled in dark magic.

Magic that silenced footsteps and erased presence.

Magic that perfectly engulfed his own existence in darkness, making him disappear.

And magic that could read the memories entwined in objects.

With this magic, the southern hunters were able to track and hunt efficiently in the southern jungle, teeming with monsters, without dying.

Seoric concealed himself and blended into the darkness of the city.

He observed various parts of the city.

He watched as the poor and weak struggled to survive.

He came across an elderly grandmother with an illness and a young man taking care of her.

“Grandma, I brought your favorite boneless chicken. You’ve been enjoying this recently, right?”

“Oh, my dear grandchild!! You’ve come again! Thank you!! These days, I live for the taste of this chicken.”

“hahahaha!! Please eat a lot! You should eat a lot for your health.”

The old woman was receiving treatment from doctors from the western continent in the hospital, and the young man was easily paying for her medical expenses and providing her with delicious food.

Seoric went out to find someone.

He found a very young brother and sister who had lost their parents to the looting of the nobles.

“Oh, I’m full. Right? Hamburgers are really delicious.”

“They are cheap and delicious. Lord Landor, you’re really amazing! Oppa!!”

“Let’s say hello to Lord Landor in the picture and go to sleep.”

“Thank you, Lord Landor!!!”

The two siblings were attending elementary school. They seemed very happy sleeping and eating at the free dormitory for students.

“No!!!!”

Seoric shouted in the darkness, watching everything.

“He’s not such a good guy!! He was trying to overthrow the Empire with flattery and deceit! It was clear!!!”

He may not have engaged in direct looting, but he was a betrayer who tilted the Empire just as much.

That was the Landor he knew.

One of the evil ones he had to assassinate along with the nobles at Vineyard party must not be like this.

He tried his best to look into the slums and the poor in the city.

But no matter how hard he looked.

“There are no slums?”

There were no slums.

There were poor people.

People who had just come up to the city.

“Dad, can we buy this kind of thing?”

“It’s thanks to Lord Landor. Our daughter. We borrowed 300 gold settlement funds from the bank, which is for newly arrived farmers like us. The interest is very cheap. We just settle with that. So…eat without worry.”

“Yeah! Dad! The pizza is delicious!! Heehee!!”

They borrowed money from the bank, bought a house, settled down, and were living well.

There was an abundance of cheap and delicious food, and there were plenty of jobs, so even the newly arrived poor people were able to work, repay their debts, and become normal members of society.

All day long.

Seoric, who had traveled all over the city without eating or sleeping, finally stopped scouting.

“Landor is a wicked guy! This…this can’t be true……”

He dropped his head weakly.

The grounds for assassinating him were all disappearing.

It was the moment they first felt like villains, trying to commit terrorism in this perfect city.

In the midst of trying to calm their confused mind while standing on the rooftop.

“Scre…PLEASE!! PLEASE DON’T DO THIS!! I’ll call the security guards!!”

“Kehehehe. There are no security guards coming to this alley, miss!! Stop saying that and come here to play!!”

Several drunken men, their faces red with alcohol, were seen by Seo-rik attempting something dubious with a woman in a dark alley. Having been someone who couldn’t just pass by after putting a bullet in the heads of the nobles who plundered with a sense of righteousness, it was an unforgivable sight.

“…Bastards are everywhere.”

Without a word, Seo-rik silently infiltrated the darkness and emerged from the shadows near the thugs.

“Gack!! Wh-What is this!!!”

“Let go of the woman.”

“This bastard is trying to interfere!!! Kill him!!!”

The hooligans drew their knives and aimed them at Seo-rik, but Seo-rik wordlessly took out a shotgun from a hidden pocket on his waist and pointed it at the thugs.

“There are 13mm high-caliber rounds used for hunting monsters loaded in the chamber. If you guys get hit, your head will disappear cleanly without a trace.”

“A s-shotgun???”

“Why would a weapon that can only be seen in the south be here!!…”

“When I say it nicely, f*ck off.”

“Ughhh…Ahhhhh!!”

The thugs screamed and disappeared. Seo-rik sighed and slung the shotgun over his shoulder, approaching the woman.

“Are you okay?”

“Sob! Thank you! Thank you!! Those guys have been stalking me for the past three months! Sob!”

“You’re safe now. Please go back.”

“Thank you! Thank you! I’ll repay you for this!!”

“No need for that. I just did what needed to be done.”

After saying that, Seo-rik turned his back and disappeared into the darkness.

Until that moment, he had no idea what the consequences of his actions would bring the next day.

The next day.

“The brave citizen who chased away the hooligans! Everyone, please applaud!!!”

“Wow!!!”

Seo-rik stood on the platform, receiving applause from the crowd and being awarded the title of brave citizen by Rendor.