The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

Chapter 25

A single tear rolled down Nakia’s cheek at Raul’s words. She managed to suppress the overwhelming emotions in her heart and said in a choked voice, “I will give my life if I have to… I will definitely accomplish this.”

And at that moment, she decided. She would live the rest of her life sincerely for this young master.

* * *

“Phew~!”

After sending Nakia away, Raul stretched and relaxed, easing the tension. This way of talking and acting was still unfamiliar to him.

Though he had Raul’s memories, in reality, he was an ordinary citizen from 21st century South Korea.

The cheesy manner of speaking and various formalities felt out of place for him.

“But I have to practice regardless. After all, this is where I must live, and these are the people of Connect I must deal with.”

In any case, didn’t he reap a benefit today?

Instead of a subordinate simply given to him from the start, he had won over someone’s heart through pure effort for the first time. And it was an alchemist who could be a main character in history, which felt quite moving.

“I wonder if she will successfully complete the cure?”

The ‘great alchemist of ancient times, now lost to the world’, he mentioned to Nakia was Nakia herself in her previous life.

After Niki was killed by the empire’s spies, a vengeful Nakia fought not only against the empire but also against ‘Mana Filariasis’, an incurable disease that ruined her life. Eventually, her long research yielded a cure.

Though many sacrifices were made and she crossed many forbidden bounds, earning scorn, what did it matter now?

Fortunately, the details of the cure developed by her were saved in screenshots taken by a player who received a related quest, preserved in Raul’s “Connective Link Cafe”.

Deliberately handing over incomplete data was because he hoped Nakia would grow through the research process. He also hoped it would help alleviate her guilt towards Niki by contributing to the cure of Niki’s disease.

As long as the cure is developed in time, all will be well. If not, it could be revealed later.

Thus, all the plans devised in Mira had come to fruition. Raul looked out the window with a light heart and muttered,

“Shall I set off now?”

His destination was the capital of the Ruben Kingdom, the vast city known as ‘Thurium’, the Tomb of Swords.

* * *

“Wow. It’s really different in the capital!”

Jake whistled, his eyes wide with amazement.

In the distance, the gates of the capital Thurium came into view. A line stretched out from the gate like ants, reaching all the way to where Raul’s party stood.

The size of Raul’s party had significantly decreased.

Philip, Jake, Pierce, and newly expert knights Homer and Davison – five knights in total, along with Bernard and two servants, making nine including Raul.

The rest stayed in Mira to continue training and questing, as the guild house erected there was to be the center of their growing influence.

Bypassing the long queue, the party rode their horses straight towards the gate. Being affiliated with the Ashton household, they didn’t need to wait like the others.

After easily passing through the checkpoint, Raul’s party had no choice but to stop at the square in front of the gate.

“Didn’t we send a message saying we were arriving?”

“Yes, we definitely did…”

Despite looking around, there was no carriage or guide bearing the Ashton household’s crest in sight.

“That’s odd. They should know that His Highness is arriving…”

Jake murmured, puzzled, while Bernard, with a flushed face, bowed deeply to Raul in apology.

“Your Highness, it’s my oversight. I will head to the mansion first and call for someone.”

However, Raul shook his head.

“Do you know where the mansion is? If we have to search for it now, we might as well move together.”

Regrettably, no one in the group had ever visited the Count’s mansion in the capital. They had sent a message in advance, but for some reason, no one was there to greet them.

Thurium was an enormous city. Its walls had been expanded multiple times to consist of five layers, and in terms of size, it was comparable to that of Seoul.

Of course, there was an exclusive district where only nobles resided, but without a specific address, finding the mansion was next to impossible.

Since the sun was already beginning to set, there was a sense of urgency. As Raul and his party moved towards the noble’s district, they asked people about the location of the mansion. However,

“Do you happen to know where the Count Ashton’s mansion is located?”

“The Count Ashton? Oh, are you talking about the martial family from the frontier? But did they have a mansion in the capital as well?”

Many were unaware of the mansion’s existence,

“The Count Ashton?” There were even those who had never heard of the Ashton family at all.

Even the patrol captain they asked upon arriving in the noble’s district had a laughable response.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve never heard of a ‘Count Ashton’s mansion’ within the noble district.”

It was frustrating to hear such responses.

‘I didn’t expect our family to be famous, but this is too much. Aren’t we one of the kingdom’s five prestigious martial families? What’s going on?’

Although no words were exchanged, the knights’ expressions grew solemn. Eventually, Jake, unable to contain his dissatisfaction, burst out,

“Can you believe these people? Right now, in our Ashton territory, soldiers are dying to hold back monsters pouring out of the forbidden lands. And they ask who Ashton is? Do they even realize who they owe their peaceful lives to?”

While Jake’s feelings were understandable, it was inevitable that the citizens of the capital were unfamiliar with the Count Ashton’s household due to the distance, and because Count Melvin, their father, only visited the capital once or twice a year.

The real issue was that nobody knew of the mansion’s existence. It was thought that a large mansion had been secured to facilitate exchanges with other noble families and receive news from the royal palace, with a steward appointed and huge operational costs being supported ycounty.

But now, faced with this situation,

Believing there was no other way, Raul’s party eventually visited the administrative office and only after checking the registry were they able to determine the mansion’s location.

Upon their return to the noble district and presenting the documents to the same patrol captain, he asked in confusion,

“Are these documents authentic? Because, according to this address, it should be Baron Zender’s mansion.”

“Baron Zender?”

“Yes, he has been residing there for over ten years.”

The captain looked at Raul’s party suspiciously, as if they were the odd ones.

“Understood.”

They had no intention of arguing with the captain, so they quickly left the guard station.

“Bernard?”

As Raul called out with a stern face, Bernard pulled out a notebook and read information about Baron Zender,

“Yes, Baron Zender. A 50-year-old male, the Count’s sixth cousin, that is, the seventh cousin to you, sir. He has been serving as the steward of the capital mansion since the current Count took office.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

A suspicious air began to emanate.

However, they decided to set aside their doubts for the moment and proceeded towards the mansion.

* * *

“Who did you say you are?”

“I am the third son of the Count Ashton’s household, young master Raul. Where is the steward?”

“The Count Ashton’s household? Did you perhaps bring an invitation?”

“An invitation? What invitation?”

When Philip asked, the guard stiffened his face and spoke,

“Are you saying you’ve come to the party without an invitation? Please wait over there for now, and I’ll go in and ask.”

As the guard pointed to a shabby temporary tent next to the entrance, Jake’s anger exploded.

“What kind of nonsense is this? Telling the owner to wait in a doghouse? Call out Baron Zender or whatever his name is, right now!”

As he grabbed the guard by the collar with one hand and shouted, the other guards, pale-faced, blew their whistles and screamed,

“An intruder!!! An intruder has appeared!!”

But wasn’t the first response to an intruder supposed to be drawing weapons? After shouting, they threw down their weapons and ran inside the mansion.

“What now? What’s happening here?”

Everyone was at a loss for words in astonishment.

Homer and Davison, who had half-drawn their swords, sheepishly put them back.

“Cough, cough. This is… cough.”

Only the pitiful voice of the soldier, dangling in mid-air from Jake’s grasp, filled the ensuing silence.

After waiting for several minutes with no one coming out, Raul sighed deeply and said,

“Let’s go in.”

With a whoosh and a thud,

The soldier that Jake had thrown ran away without looking back.

Everyone crossed the garden leading to the mansion without saying a word. It was only after a good while that they finally encountered someone.

The sound of rushing footsteps.

A knight leading ten soldiers blocked their path.

“How dare you enter here without permission! Identify yourselves!”

“Count Ashton, Golden Bear Order’s Chief Knight Philip. Where is Baron Zender?”

“Why are you looking for the baron? Wait, just a moment. Count Ashton??”

The knight’s eyes darted around for a moment before he bowed deeply in surprise.

“My apologies. I had heard you might be coming today but it was so late… I will inform the baron immediately. What are you doing, men! Lead them to the reception room!!”

“Understood!”

The confused soldiers sheathed their weapons and led Raul and his party towards the mansion. Raul followed them, unable to utter a word.

The count’s mansion was very large. It took 5 minutes to reach the main building even by carriage from the entrance, and there were nearly ten buildings besides the main building.

The three-story main building was reserved for the count and his direct family, while the annexes and outbuildings were prepared for relatives of the Ashton countship and guests.

This meant that the main building was exclusively used by Count Melvin and Raul’s brothers.

But why, as they approached the main building, did they hear music and noisy voices, and why were all the lights in the building brightly lit?

Moreover, carriages were lined up around the entrance to the main building, and in various parts of the garden, young children were rolling around in pairs.

Raul felt uncomfortably disturbed. Noticing this, Jake asked a soldier walking beside them,

“Hey, is there an event today? I overheard something about a party countier?”

“Are you unaware? Today is the birthday party of the third son of Baron Zender, the owner of the mansion, Lord Aaron. True, we have parties so often that even we sometimes get confused.”

“What? Who did you say the owner of the mansion is?”

Just as Jake was about to press the soldier, the knight who had hurriedly left countier came back with an elderly man.

“Let’s see, you’re Raul? You’ve grown so much since I last saw you.”

Baron Zender, the owner of the mansion, appeared before Raul.

(To be continued)

TL’s Corner:

My blood boils when a shameless side character is introduced.