Chapter 100
“Hm? What is it?”
“Also, I have a couple of favors I’d like to ask you . ”
Prihi stared at Seol Jihu, who suddenly turned serious . What was the youth trying to say?
“I’ll listen to the favors first . ”
“Can you prepare a new habitable land in Haramark using this gold bar?”
“…Land?”
Prihi’s tone went up, and his usually-calm eyes narrowed slightly . It was as if he heard something completely unexpected .
Seol Jihu continued without a pause .
“In addition, please lend me Master Ian . ”
“Ian Denzel?”
Prihi’s eyes clearly narrowed to a slit, his expression forming a frown . Ian Denzel was a Magician affiliated with the royal family and one of the few Earthlings Prihi trusted . There was no need to even mention the value of a Magician . He might understand if the youth gave a good reason, but he didn’t feel good being told to ‘lend him’ out of the blue .
“Father . ”
When Teresa tried to step in, Prihi raised his hand to stop her .
“Is this related to what you wanted to tell me?”
“Yes . ”
Prihi gave the young man a deeply profound look . Seeing this gaze that seemed to be asking for an explanation, Seol Jihu opened his mouth . He told him about the village head of Ramman Village and the ghost saintess trapped in the Forest of Denial’s tomb . As the story continued, the king’s indifferent expression changed to one of interest .
“…I see . ”
Prihi leaned forward, locked his fingers, and rested his chin on them .
“You want us to accept the villagers into the city . ”
“I heard that the castle has limited capacity, but I’d like to ask you if it is at all possible . ”
“Hm, to be frank, it is quite difficult . The castle is already at max capacity . A couple dozen might be acceptable, but accepting hundreds of villagers is a bit… . ”
Prihi sounded reluctant . Helping a large group migrate wasn’t an easy task . If he simply allowed them into the city and forgot about them, they would only become homeless and displaced . If that were to happen, it was better to not accept them in the first place . Thus, granting Seol Jihu’s request meant he would have to prepare them shelter as well as means of living .
“Your Majesty, you said that the royal family is fair in rewards and punishments . One is a retired old man living in seclusion and the other is a soul, but I believe they have the right to be rewarded more than anyone else who participated in this mission . ”
Seeing the king in thought, Seol Jihu pleaded earnestly .
“…It is true that Ramman Village is in an awkward location . I won’t deny that I thought it couldn’t be helped . ”
Prihi let out a deep sigh and nodded his head .
“This isn’t a matter I can decide on easily . But with this gold bar, I can examine it favorably . ”
“Then!”
Just as the youth rejoiced… .
“But, why?”
Prihi’s eyes suddenly flashed .
“I want you to hear me out without misunderstanding me . Are you not an Earthling?”
“Your Majesty . ”
“I am not trying to discuss philosophy, nor am I trying to discuss right and wrong . It is just that… you are an Earthling . ”
Prihi emphasized the last line .
“Setting aside the matter of the Forest of Denial, is there a need to do so much for Ramman Village?”
“… . ”
“I don’t doubt that you understood me, but I will be frank . The villagers will be ecstatic and grateful if you simply send them a supply of food . You will also have repaid your debt to the village head . ”
It wasn’t that Seol Jihu hadn’t thought of this . A part of him wanted to put on airs and take the gold bar for himself .
“If it is weighing on your conscience, I shall tell you this . The current Haramark cannot afford to look after its people . I can easily decline your request of kindness given the circumstances we face . ”
He was right . Pleading with the king only to be turned down because it was difficult . What better excuse was there?
“In other words, no one will criticize you for taking this gold . ”
He was right again . Who would criticize him? All he had to do was keep his mouth shut . Moreover, he would become rich as long as he took this gold .
“You want to use this gold for a cause which will not benefit you . I can’t help but be curious about your ulterior motive . ”
Right, it wasn’t that he was selfless . However, to him, there was something even more important than the gold in front of him . If he didn’t look at the gold bar with his Nine Eyes, he wouldn’t have noticed it until the end . But he had seen it and come to a conclusion .
“There is nothing I’d call an ulterior motive . ”
He could now say this without hesitation .
“I am only acting according to my rule . ”
“Rule?”
“If you owe a debt, it is only natural to pay it back . An opportunity to do so has landed right in front of me . What reason do I have to not take it?”
Prihi looked dumbfounded .
“I do not understand you at all . You don’t seem to be the type who likes to play with words . ”
Seol Jihu almost answered, ‘I do, actually’, but he managed to stop himself from ruining the tension . He got to the main point .
“I call it the Golden Commandment . ”
“Golden Commandment?”
“The ghost saintess and the village head . Both of them treated me well . I cannot shamelessly pretend the achievements were mine alone, and it is improper for me to compromise with myself when I am treating others . After all, doing so would be deceiving my benefactors . I would rather not treat them unless I do it to my fullest power . ”
“… . ”
“Your Majesty, if I cannot pay my debts to those two, I cannot expect them to treat me the same again . That is what I fear the most . ”
When the youth looked up at the king after a long monologue, he saw the king blinking his eyes repeatedly . He looked as if he had taken a blow to his face .
“You cannot expect them to treat you the same again… . ”
A few minutes went by before the king decided to open his mouth again .
“Indeed . ”
He leaned back on his chair and said as he massaged his nose .
“I am beginning to understand you better . Humans all have a limit to their vessel . The same goes for ghosts . ”
‘A limit to their vessel… . ’
For some reason, that line touched him . He felt like it was the perfect summary of the Golden Commandment .
“Thank you for your understanding . ”
“I didn’t give a clear answer yet, so I want to ask you one final question . ”
Prihi asked in a soft voice .
“Is this truly what you want?”
“Yes!”
Seol Jihu answered with hesitation . Rather than being uncomfortable, spending the gold this way made him feel a thousand times better . Seeing the bright smile on the youth’s face, Prihi made his decision .
“…I see . ”
So this is why you wanted me to meet him so much . He murmured to himself quietly so that Seol Jihu couldn’t hear him .
“Then fine . ”
Finally, the decision was announced .
“I, Prihi Hussey, hereby permit all villagers of Ramman Village to settle in the city . The gold bar rewarded to Seol Jihu shall be used to support them both materially and spiritually . ”
A royal decree . Although his position no longer possessed the glory it once held, the weight it carried made it such that his decisions could not be flipped lightly .
“Furthermore, we shall partially support the appeasing of the pitiful soul trapped inside the Forest of Denial’s tomb . ”
Partially support? What did that mean?
“He means he will raise the level and quality of the Ceremony . ”
Teresa whispered in his ear .
“Her status does not disappear just because she became a soul . Although it was hundreds of years ago, didn’t you say she was canonized by the Empire? I mean to show her the appropriate level of respect . ”
Seol Jihu’s jaw dropped at Prihi’s statement . He had been expecting a simple rite where she was offered food and someone to talk to .
When he imagined how much the saintess would rejoice, a smile bloomed on his face . And seeing this satisfied smile, Prihi rested his chin on his hands .
“And?”
“Pardon?”
“We can finish discussing official work here . Why don’t we continue what we were talking about before? Something small, if possible . ”
Seol Jihu wasn’t an idiot . He realized what the king was implying right away . Although he put a restriction of it having to be small, he was saying he wouldn’t allow the young man to return empty-handed .
“Uh… well… . ”
The king waited patiently, but Seol Jihu didn’t know what to say . This truly meant that the youth did not want anything other than what he requested before .
“You can take your time . The night is long . ”
After saying so with benevolence… .
“I will have to get going . I’m not the type of person who likes to procrastinate . It will take a few days for us to come up with a solid plan . ”
He picked up the gold bar and got up .
“Father, you’re leaving? You should stay a little longer . ”
Teresa muttered as if she was asking how he could leave a pair of healthy man and woman alone at night . Prihi looked dumbfounded .
“Hoho, I have quite the vixen as my daughter . Don’t say something you don’t mean a tiny bit . The one who told me to look for an opportunity to leave was… . ”
He was mumbling with a wry chuckle… .
“I came up with the perfect excuse to leave you two alone . How can you be so blind?”
Crack, crack- But he changed tune as soon as he heard the sound the bones cracking . Teresa, who was cracking her neck and knuckles, smiled brightly .
“Oh, this young lady misunderstood her father’s intention . Please leave this to me and focus on state affairs . ”
“My… . It’s like I am entrusting a fish to a thieving cat . ”
“Did you say something?”
“I’m going to risk my well-being and just say this . You can enter the storage, but don’t touch anything from the royal treasury . ”
“Geez, don’t be such a worrywart . Besides, it’s not like the royal treasury deserves to be called that . ”
Teresa grumbled, and Prihi smiled bitterly .
“I’m just telling you not to empty out the way of living . I know that a married daughter is no better than a stranger, but have some self-restraint . When your older sister got married, she… . ”
“Eii, who do you think I am? I’m not like Older Sis . I’ll leave the furniture and tableware at least . ”
While saying that, Teresa stealthily avoided Prihi’s gaze . By now, even a fool would realize what they were talking about, yet Seol Jihu was staring at them blankly with an innocent face .
Prihi clicked his tongue .
“Really, both in this world and that world, heroes are quite the peculiar group of people . Maybe it isn’t a matter of genes, but some sort of outside interference . ”
He mumbled regrettably before saying his farewell .
“That was an interesting story and an enjoyable meeting . It was a time well spent . I’ll take my leave so you can enjoy at ease . ”
Seol Jihu didn’t know what he meant by enjoying at ease, but he quickly got up as well . However, Prihi placed his hand on his shoulder as if such motion was unnecessary and spoke .
“Also . ”
His clear eyes stared at the young man, and a gentle smile spread across his face . It was the first smile he was showing since their meeting . Teresa’s eyes widened .
“Thank you for saving my daughter . ”
At that moment, the sense of incongruity Seol Jihu had been subtly feeling disappeared instantly . Should he say the distance between them had shortened drastically?
“I’m humbl-”
“Ah, please . ”
“N-No problem . ”
With a chuckle, Prihi tapped on his shoulders twice before leaving .
“…Well that was a surprise . ”
Teresa also chuckled, seemingly caught off guard by her father .
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen Father laugh . ”
“Does His Majesty not laugh often?”
“Rather than that, he… . ”
Teresa was about to say something but swallowed her words back down . She felt like it was something she didn’t need to mention .
“Anyways, why don’t we go somewhere cozy and finish talking about your reward?”
“Oh, are we going to the storage?”
“Aii, geez, don’t be in such a rush . Let’s chat while we slowly seat some dessert . We have lots of time . ”
‘Dessert!’
Seol Jihu didn’t have any reasons to refuse . He was nervous and full of tension while he was eating, so he could barely taste the food . Now that the talk had gone well and he was left with someone he was more comfortable around, his taste buds returned and were roaring to eat . He gulped .
“I’d love to try it . ”
“You can look forward to it . Once you taste it once, you’ll never be able to forget it . ”
After announcing this confidently, Teresa got up .
“Alright, let’s go!”
“Where?”
“My bedroom . ”
“Huh? We’re not eating it here?”
It was a justified question given that they were in the dining room . Teresa giggled .
“This dessert has to be eaten in a secluded place . Though, eating it where you can be found out would give it a special flavor as well . ”
The youth tilted his head . Teresa made an alluring smile and wagged the bait seductively .
“Come on, get up . Hurry! Not anyone can eat this dessert, you know!”
“Wow, it must be really precious . ”
Teresa looked as if that was obvious .
“Of course, it is . Father and Mother only made one in the world . ”
The king and the queen personally made it?
“What is it called?”
“It’s no fun if I tell you beforehand . ”
“Eii, come on, tell me . ”
Seol Jihu asked again, wondering how eating a dessert could be fun in the first place .
“Hn~ng . ”
Teresa licked her lips before staring at him coyly . Then, she exclaimed .
“It’s me . ”
*
Seol Jihu refused vehemently, but when Teresa threatened to not give the reward, he bit the bullet and followed her to her bedroom . Thankfully, the dessert was a true delicacy . It was soft and flavorful, making him devour it eagerly, forgetting about saving face .
He enjoyed eating Teresa Hussey, and because the Princess got happy seeing him eat so tastily, he was able to return with all sorts of additional rewards she gave .
‘Who would have thought there was a dessert like that?’
There really was a dessert called ‘Teresa Hussey’ . It was a cute, no, a refreshing strawberry-flavored pink cake . Apparently, the king and the queen had personally made it for their youngest daughter, who was a helpless sweet-tooth . The cake was then given Teresa’s name as it was created on her birthday .
‘That was great . ’
He wanted to taste it again . Enjoying the cake’s sweetness still lingering in his mouth, Seol Jihu returned to the office .
‘It’s a good thing I went . ’
He felt like today was his lucky day . Not only was did he pay back the debt he owed the village head, but he was also able to care for the ghost saintess .
That wasn’t all . Looking at the rewards he put on the office table, a feeling of satisfaction spread across his face . Although he didn’t get to enter the nominal royal treasury, the items he received made him wonder if it was okay .
First was a metallic mace called ‘+2 Thorn of Steel’ . Crafted by refining a meteorite, it boasted hardness that was ten times that of ordinary steel, and it was enchanted with magic that doubled its attack power when it successfully hit its target .
‘Chohong should love it . ’
He got it as a gift for Chohong, who was likely to become a High Ranker soon . He could only imagine how giddy she would be .
He also received a crucifix artifact . Although it wasn’t as good as the Proof of Chastity, it was still an item that money couldn’t buy . He was certain it would be an excellent bait to lure out Maria when he needed her .
When he was about to leave the palace’s storage room, thinking just these two were enough, Teresa told him to wait before bringing him a black belt . The belt was enchanted with a permanent ‘Pocket’ magic, allowing it to store two bags’ worth of items .
The one thing that bothered him was how she carefully looked around the area while telling him to hide it on his way out . When he asked if he could really take it, Teresa immediately exclaimed that she didn’t steal it from the royal treasury . As Seol Jihu trusted her wholeheartedly, he took it at ease .
Finally, she handed him 500 silver coins, saying it was a ‘small expression of gratitude’ .
“Ah~”
While he was happily looking at the items, he suddenly remembered the bracelet the ghost saintess gave him . He immediately took it out from his pocket .
‘I wonder what effect it has . ’
Since it was an item from the Empire, it was unlikely to be simple . Seol Jihu activated the Nine Eyes’ color of General Observation and gazed at the golden bracelet .
Soon… .
“…Hah?”
His smiling eyes opened wide .
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