Chapter 111

Chapter 111The Kingdom of Tahalin.

In order to explain this, we must first talk about the Arkhheim Empire, which is currently the most prosperous empire, and home to my family, House Reinhafer.

Basically, Tahalin is a “vassal state” of the Arkheim Empire.

To put it simply.

The people of Tahalin are essentially the dogs of the empire: they must pay tribute every year at harvest time, and they can be conscripted into the army at any time without a choice.

The discrimination the people of Tahalin face in Arkheim is staggering.

So much so, in fact, that even those who played the game felt that the Empire had gone too far.

I can’t even begin to imagine how much anti-Empire sentiment there is among those who actually lived through this tragedy.

‘I thought so too, to a certain extent, until I found out what happened behind the scenes.’

We’ll talk about the behind-the-scenes stuff later.

For now, the important thing is to agitate the prince in front of me.

“You don’t look like you understand. Why the youngest member of House Reinhafer has suddenly traveled to Tahalin. You must want to kill me right now. You have met the child of your parents’ enemies.”

For a moment, Kushan’s shoulders slump, but then they settle back into place.

Apparently, he’s not very good at acting. Well, it doesn’t show up in his talents, so it’s not like he’s blind. Anyway, Kushan continued.

“I am sorry for what happened to you and your mother, but it is beyond my control now. I was weak, and I was defeated by your father, Theo von Reinhafer, Lord of Reinhafer, and that is all.”

“Do you hate me?”

I stubbornly asked one more time.

Then, for the first time, Kushan’s face crumpled.

“You don’t understand ....... Are you doubting Tahalin’s loyalty, or are you trying to collect more taxes.......?”

“No, I’ve had enough of that nonsense. Those taxes aren’t coming back to me, and there’s no reason for an emissary to come and explain such an important matter to you.”

I panicked and blurted out as much as I could.

‘You’re crazy, what are you saying, are you out of your mind?’

That’s how ridiculous it is.

I’ve played Inner Lunatic many times, and I’ve done projects to save the kingdom of Tahalin.

The taxes Tahalin pays to Arkheim are already ridiculous.

Add to that the fact that they would rather die than go to war.

I can’t believe you’re even talking about it.

This is when it becomes clear that Kushan’s hostility is out of control.

Nowhere was this more evident than in the status bar.

__________________

[Basic Info]

Name: Kushan Adrian

Gender: Male

Age: 17

Race: Human

Primary Element: Earth

Achievements: [Direct Line of Tahalin – King Candidate]

[Traits]

Affirmations: [Poison genius] / [Dagger master] / [Martial arts master] / [Serious].

Neutral: [Loyalty – my abilities have not blossomed because I have not met anyone to whom I can give my full loyalty] / Currently has some trust in the court mage Kramser (about 40%)].

Negative: [Self-destructive] / [Self-absorbed] / [Overwhelmed with responsibility] / [Indecisive] / [Flirtatious] / [Temperamental]]

[Stats]

Physique: 11

MP: 7

Luck: 5

Willpower: 4

Charm: 23

[Skills]

Passive Skills: [Venomous Calibration].

Active Skill: [Poison Dagger Intermediate]

*Warning! Hostility towards House Reinhafer has reached its limit.

__________________

The main traits of Kushan Adrian that can be seen here are the following.

That he is overly self-pessimistic and mentally immature.

In the past, when he rebelled in the 27th game, he was tricked by others into starting a war when his intentions were around 90 percent.

He is vulnerable to making decisions on his own and needs to rely on others.

In many ways, he is not a good fit for a king.

Perhaps he is now tenuously dependent on Kramsar, his regent, his substitute in the absence of a king.

Sadly, he doesn’t even know he’s a demon.

I sighed to myself, thinking I should get back to work.

Then, I realize he’s looking at me.

‘Well, not as handsome as I am, but certainly as handsome as a prince in a game, with a rough and tumble personality that shows he’s been living in the desert.’

It’s a distinctly different look from Paracelsus.

I think of his red hair and red eyes framing his nearly chestnut complexion.

His attire is typical of the desert, with a turban and various special effects artifacts.

Most importantly, Kushan wields a traditional sword called the Kukri, which was adapted from a weapon used by the Gurkhas of Nepal. {1}

The only thing that distinguishes it from other weapons is that it has a curved blade.

‘Your equipment is already great.’

Yeah, I’ll take rotten over good.

Aria Adrian bowed her head.

“I’m not good enough, but please take care of me.”

“Okay.”

I nodded, playing the satisfied bastard.

Of course, I couldn’t help but wonder, “Is this right?” a few times.

The stares around me, the prying eyes.

They were all making me dizzy.

But right now, I’m more concerned about saving people than I am about the prying eyes.

I told you earlier that I told Kushan to kneel for a reason, and I don’t have to explain why.

A true scum of the earth, a corrupted demon sorcerer.

To defeat Kramsar.

And to do so, I need to be an asshole.

......Why did I end up like this?

I don’t know, but what can I say?

Given my situation.

Inwardly, I wished they’d just go away, but I continued in a gruff voice.

“Then let’s go. You all get some rest, Elena.”

“Oh, okay! Seobang-nim!”

“Seobang-nim again... Ha, I don’t know. Anyway, follow me. You’re coming with me. Christopher too.”

“Chung! I understand, as the proud head of the Knights of House Reinhafer, my mission is to serve the youngest, Young Master Nox! This Christopher...... is deeply impressed.......”

I haven’t even gotten to the end... and I’m already feeling a little dizzy.

The rest of the characters are staying in some sort of accommodation at the Tahalin Royal Castle. Fortunately, there are no major dangers.

“Young Master, are you sure you’ll be okay without me?”

Zitri asks, concerned.

I nodded and put on a reasonably cheerful face.

Why?

[Your Health stat is temporarily reduced by 1 due to the effect of the Talent ‘Time Limit’].

[Due to the effect of the attribute ‘Time Limit’, Blood Lv2 is applied].

Because my short life span is starting to get to me.

However, I’m a scoundrel who possesses the [Master of Acting] trait.

“Zitri. You’re taking too much care of me. What’s the matter, do you want to rest again?”

“I’m not going to drink any more tea from you .......”

“Even though your master is giving it to you?”

“.......”

Zitri was silent.

Mei secretly worried about sending Elena off on her own.

The others were fine with it, but the pitying glances from even Rona made her feel like she was doing something she couldn’t do.

For the record.

I’ve seen some of the Black Sword Knights attach themselves to others, so I’m sure the safety of my companions will not be a problem.

Perhaps Theo’s orders were to spread out and protect them.

‘He wants to make me a Patriarch somehow... no way!’

I thought to myself as I finished my light meal on the terrace.

A wrinkled old man waiting nearby watches me move away at a brisk pace, then smiles to himself.

I take only a sip of the wine on the table.

It contains a bit of poison, but it doesn’t matter.

‘This must be enough to poison me.......’

I don’t see many people.

The profession of alchemist is not yet popularized.

I’m sure he thought Nox wouldn’t be able to overcome the poison, but that’s a sadly foolish mistake.

I crinkled my brow, remembering yesterday’s little hiccup with Elena. I took another sip of my drink.

-Eh... I mean... you should take this potion beforehand... so that the poison won’t enter your body at all, and you’ll recover quickly. And just in case... it’s....... No drinking in front of anyone but me, your future wife, I promise...!

At the time, I was given a safe poison purging potion by Elina, along with a bizarre promise.

Thanks to her, I am now perfectly poison immune.

Kramsar has apparently decided to try to mess with me by forging some unknown Tahalin-specific poison, and I’m not having any of it.

The longest playing gamer in this game (probably)!

That would be Gamer Yoochan.

He doesn’t know it, but I know all the poisons on the continent, and I have a million ways to overcome them in my head. I have nothing to worry about.

I step outside and look crossly at Christopher and Elena.

“I don’t know if you guys can feel it, but this guy.......”

Christopher immediately raised his eyebrows and reported back to me.

“Yep. Aria Adrian, the only sister of Prince Kushan Adrian, rumored to be extremely fair, and currently.......”

“To the point.”

“She’s under the influence of illusion.”

Yeah.

That’s why I’m carrying a useful unit with me.

First of all, I have Kushan’s sister.

In other words, I’m going to break Kramsar’s Curse spell on Arya Adrian.

{1} : Kukri doesn’t really make sense here the author should have used Khanjar or Jambiya for the daggers and Scimitar for the sword iirc.