I’m the Slit-Eyed Character at the Academy, but I’m not the Mastermind - Chapter 223
Only Krnovel
Episode 223
Episode 223. The Third Force (9)
It was about three hours later that Charon returned.
Distinguishing, collating, and organizing information. And then coming back here.
You must have had a very busy time.
Of course, I wasn’t just playing around during that time.
I sat on the chair, dozing off, waiting for Charon, who might arrive at any moment.
We can say that he has done a great job, no less difficult than Caron.
‘I hope you didn’t get caught.’
I am the owner of a cross-eyed person who cannot see.
If someone were sitting with their legs crossed and their arms folded, everyone would pass them by, mistakenly thinking that they were lost in thought.
I often used it in class, so it’s a pain to explain its effectiveness.
“Haha, it took a long time. I almost fell asleep while waiting.”
“… … Wipe off the drool from the corner of your mouth and then speak.”
Oh, I hadn’t thought of that.
As expected, this is the empire’s rat, Charon. You can’t let your guard down even a little.
“Anyway, it’s true that it took a long time. Didn’t you already know about it?”
“We were aware of the number of dead and missing. However, among those who had not been active recently, there were many families that had not reported missing. It just took some time to contact them and confirm.”
If what Charon said was true, it wasn’t slow; it was incredibly fast.
“What are the results?”
“… … There are now seven more people. The number of missing people is eight, and the number of people who died suddenly is five.”
So that’s a total of twenty.
I don’t think ‘Rett King’ Brocken would have killed all those people.
‘There must be a number of people who died or actually disappeared after being involved in other incidents.’
But what was significant was that there were twenty casualties in the Empire.
If we assume that other countries also suffered similar casualties as the empire, such as kingdoms, principalities, etc.…
‘At least a hundred people must have been affected.’
The number hundreds.
The weight was by no means light. Especially when it came to those with 6-star or higher powers.
“I hate to admit it, but I can’t help it. I was wronged.”
“Why are you so sure?”
“Four months ago, Gardner, the hero of the Kingdom of Celvis, died a mysterious death. At the time, it was thought to be sudden death, but… … .”
Although he was on the older side, he was too healthy to suddenly collapse.
The fact that the weapon I always carried with me was gone.
To the point where some parts of the flesh had turned black and rotted away.
“Upon closer inspection, there were more than a few suspicious points.”
“Why did you assume it was sudden death back then?”
“Because there were no traces of battle. It is realistically impossible to leave no traces of battle against a nine-star knight who has been given the title of hero.”
That’s right. A 9-star knight is a being that has transcended human limitations.
If you started a fight, you would have left a mark in some way.
If only the opponent wasn’t ‘Brocken’.
“It’s highly likely that this was the work of the last of the Four Heavenly Kings.”
“It’s safe to say that it’s true. Not just anyone can kill a hero. There’s a warlock who can kill a hero… … It’s hard to believe, but I guess I’ll have to accept it.”
Caron’s face became serious.
Is there a warlock who can kill a hero in one blow?
It meant that everyone in the empire was at risk of falling into his clutches.
“Is there only one dead hero?”
“Yes. Each country may be hiding their deaths… … but that is unlikely.”
“Haha, this is the worst.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Even heroes are capable of killing each other in one go. But only one hero died. Isn’t that strange?”
“no way…….”
Unfortunately, that guess is correct. He nodded and continued speaking.
“They’re deliberately killing people who don’t stand out. So that no one notices that something’s wrong.”
Yes, the Four Heavenly Kings were moving secretly but steadily.
In the game, the existence of ‘Rat King’ Brocken is only discovered in Chapter 4. At that time, the number of people killed by him exceeded 500.
500 people with 6 stars or higher who could be treated well anywhere lost their lives to Brocken.
And from Chapter 4, where his true identity is revealed, he begins to assassinate heroes and those with similar abilities.
It was only natural that the human coalition forces gathered to fight the Legion Commander were weaker than before.
In this way, the continent is led down the path to destruction by the legion commander and the Four Heavenly Kings.
“I see. If heroes keep dying one after another, everyone will feel something is wrong and start to deal with it. Skill is one thing, but… … He’s quite a smart guy. No, is it confidence?”
A hero beyond human categories and a 9-star knight.
The confidence that you can kill them whenever you want.
It was also a strategy that allowed us to see Brocken’s strength.
“And if this assumption is correct… … I will move actively from now on. The existence of the Four Heavenly Kings has been announced to the continent.”
“… … !”
Charon’s eyes widened.
Now that the continent has become aware of the existence of the Four Heavenly Kings, killing the six-star knights is a loss.
A situation where it would be much more advantageous to kill the hero and the 9-star knight before preparing a countermeasure.
We had to prepare countermeasures before Brocken made his move.
“It would be better to stick together in groups for the time being.”
“Will that be enough?”
“It won’t be enough, but it will be harder than usual. If we’re lucky, there will be traces left behind and we’ll be able to find out what his powers are.”
Was it because he thought it was reasonable, or because he had no immediate solution? Caron immediately began writing a note.
You might think that calling it a countermeasure is somewhat inadequate.
But no. This is the ‘correct answer’.
‘Brocken was granted the power to specialize in curses.’
Even when there is only one enemy, it has the characteristic of increasing all attack damage by five times.
It’s a trait so fraudulent that it’s tongue-wagging. But.
This only applies when the opponent is ‘one’.
If there are two enemies, the damage is reduced by 50% instead of five times.
If there are three or more, only 25% damage can be inflicted at once.
This means that Brocken is at his strongest in 1:1 matches.
‘The current strength of Brocken is much weaker than I know. If knights of 6 stars or higher stick together, they won’t fight each other recklessly.’
Of course, even in this situation, you will be able to deal with about a dozen six-star knights.
however.
‘That itself is a trap. Of course, you can find out the strength, and the location.’
Charon must have thought about this too. That’s why he’s moving around so busily.
“It would be good to let other countries know too.”
“We have no such obligation. You know very well that it is something you can do without touching your nose.”
Charon’s eyes gleamed menacingly.
If the Empire’s defenses were tight, Brocken would move to target other countries, and it was obvious that they would suffer enormous damage.
It is natural for Charon, who sacrificed his life for the Emperor, to have such thoughts.
‘This is where the match will be decided.’
In the final chapter, how many of the legion commanders and the Four Heavenly Kings are alive? How many humans are left on the continent?
Depending on that number, the final boss’s specs and skills will change.
This is also why I am spreading the [Fleur Family] throughout the continent.
The more people who survive on the continent, the weaker the final boss will be.
‘It is not easy to persuade Charon, who is loyal to the Emperor.’
But I must do it. To defeat the final boss, which has been my goal for 18 years and has now become my life’s goal.
“Haha, even if you rule the continent, if life cannot exist on that land, there would be no reason to unify the continent.”
“… … .”
“People are also a problem. After the warlocks massacred all the people, if there is land but no people, it is not a victory. Rather, it will cause various problems.”
“… … I see.”
After answering like that, Caron started writing a new note.
‘Huh? Are you satisfied with this?’
After a brief moment of caution, Caron was busy writing a note to deliver to the rat.
It was really strange. I thought there would be some serious back and forth that would make my head hurt.
‘Well, I guess my speech got through.’
I decided to think positively. Because good things are good.
A moment later, Caron muttered, holding the note in his bosom.
“By the way… … This time, too, it was as you expected.”
“yes?”
“I’m talking about the Four Heavenly Kings. How can they find so many clues with such small ones? It’s truly amazing. Don’t you think so?”
I avoided Charon’s gaze by turning my eyes to the side. Of course, since I was squinting, he wouldn’t be able to see my eyes moving!
‘Hmm… … Did I rush too much?’
I am the one who uncovered the existence of Lucius Black, Lizvelt, and Volcan.
But I managed to vaguely figure out the existence of even the last one.
It was natural for Caron to be suspicious.
‘It was urgent. If Adonis dies at this point, the story will fall apart without a solution.’
He scratched the back of his head and bowed his head slightly.
In times like this, it’s best to pretend to be an idiot.
“Haha, I was just lucky.”
“Luck is a part of skill. You were born with luck.”
“Huh, huh huh… … Is that, a compliment? Thank you.”
Caron let out a snicker. He enjoys seeing me flustered. He’s a total psychopath.
I don’t know. It was like that before, but now I don’t understand Caron’s thoughts at all.
Why does the phrase ‘When a person changes, he dies’ come to mind at times like this?
Of course, it’s Caron who’s changed, but I’ll be the one who dies.
Because Caron is a bad ending maker.
Charon approached slowly, perhaps intending to snap my neck.
A special skill exclusive to Caron. It was when he was trying to use a friend shield using Luna.
“This deal is over. It’s time to give you compensation. Do you want anything else?”
“… … Compensation?”
“Aren’t we business partners? Volkan and the new Four Heavenly Kings were discovered thanks to your information, so you should be compensated appropriately.”
Only then did I come to my senses.
As Caron said, we have a business relationship. As long as I have value to you, I won’t treat you carelessly.
Of course, being dragged away and tortured is a separate issue.
‘Compensation… … ‘
I had something in mind originally, but now that the sixth quest, ‘Adonis’s Doubt’, has begun.
It became more urgent than ever to prove to Adonis that I was on his side.
‘It’s a complicated problem… … but it’s actually simple if you use Charon.’
Zero is just a strange kid, not a suspicious person.
If you tell me just that much, Adonis won’t try to kill me.
If you bring up ‘compensation’, it’s a very simple solution that even Caron has no choice but to accept.
But there was one problem with this.
If you say, ‘Adonis is after my life, please clear up the misunderstanding!’, Charon’s first question will be ‘Why?’
On the surface, Adonis is fifteen years old. He is just a child sent from the Holy Kingdom.
Do I feel fear towards him like that?
Charon will think it’s strange and will figure it out right away.
‘Zero knows that Adonis is actually Lord Douglas? A secret that not even ten people in the Empire know?’
They’re going to drag me into the new torture chamber right now.
‘So what I have to do now is… … .’
Through deduction, we figured out that ‘Douglas = Adonis’. Let Caron know that fact.
That was a prerequisite.
‘Even if it’s just a little bit of information, I’ll somehow get it to the bottom of it.’
Since it was a matter of life and death, I had to do my best.
He cleared his throat and opened his mouth.
“As compensation, I would like information about Mr. Douglas.”
“Dismissed.”
“Haha, considering the value of the information I’ve provided so far, I think that’s possible.”
“You’re making fun of confidential information. Most of the information you gave me was something I could only verify by going there myself. That means I worked harder. Let’s see… … Okay, your share will be around 2%.”
What a bad guy. Look at that shameless attitude of not giving even the smallest piece of information.
I am the liver, the gallbladder, the love(?). I gave it all to you!
This is why in this world, being kind is a loss.
‘It’ll get crooked.’
Pulling out Regé’s bangs, kicking a trash can and getting points from Rodelin, bullying Luna… … .
“Ugh!”
I had no choice but to hold my stomach, because Luna in my imagination kicked my stomach.
Well, come to think of it, it seems impossible to harass Luna. Let’s put that on hold.
Anyway, I’m going to change to a bad student. And I won’t give any more information to Caron.
“Are you upset? You’re being very arrogant.”
“… … Then what should I do? I just got information unilaterally and didn’t get what I wanted.”
“Well, if you really want to know, there is a way.”
Charon sat down on the window. At the same time, a system window appeared before his eyes.
[Previous Quest]
Changed job to special occupation, ‘Caron’s Mouse’.
Benefit: Acquire skills exclusive to the Rat.
You can learn Charon’s secret technique whenever certain conditions are met.
You can receive the information you want based on your favorability rating with Caron.
Rejection Penalty: Favorability decreases by 2 levels, ???
[Would you like to change your profession to ‘Caron’s Mouse’?]
“Zero, become a rat.”
The imperial rat Charon extended his hand to me.