Chapter 104 - The Return of the King 4 (1/2)
Gwak Seyoung was running with an unconscious Thompson on his back.
‘I didn’t think it would go this well.’
Not only did he survive, he also got the opportunity to become a genius.
The corners of Gwak Seyoung’s mouth rose as he recalled the discussion he had with Priscilla in the Corcas Mountains.
'Everyone is frantically trying to get rid of him?’
The true ruler of the Dane Kingdom, Demon King Dantalion, was extremely wary about Woohyuk, because he had defeated Demon King Volak once and killed the Witch of Envy Kriemhild.
If they were to fight against each other, there was a high chance Dantalion would lose.
Therefore, Dantalion devised a scheme against Woohyuk.
He persuaded Priscilla, the Witch of Sloth, to advance through the Corcas Mountains, and asked for Demon King Amii’s aid, a member of the same demon circle.
'They will obtain the Rhine Kingdom.'
While he wasn’t told of the details, their plans were roughly predictable.
They would catch Woohyuk's attention by causing a disturbance in the Corcas Mountains. As Marquis Nelson's army was busy defending Doria Castle, Woohyuk would have no other choice but to send the kingdom’s army to the mountain range.
However, one army alone would not be enough to stop the Witch of Sloth.
Once the subjugation would fail several times, there was a high possibility that Woohyuk would eventually come out to deal with the problem himself.
If that were to happen, the two Demon Kings who stood on the side observing the situation would attack him together and kill him, and would conquer the lands and take over the capital Heidelberg.
'After this war, I will be granted a small fief.'
His role was to monitor Doria Castle and create confusion at the opportune moment.
Considering the strategic importance of Doria Castle, this was an important duty.
If he succeeded, he would be recognized for his achievements.
When he arrived at Doria Castle, Gwak Seyoung got off his horse and spoke to Thompson.
“What will you report to Marquis Nelson?”
“The monster army… attacked... we were annihilated…”
Thompson’s mind had been corrupted by Priscilla.
Gwak Seyoung, who watched him drool like a fool, clicked his tongue.
“Now that he’s a puppet, he’s become completely braindead.”
But it didn't matter much, as Thompson was not very useful for this operation in the first place.
His role was simply to report the situation to Marquis Nelson in an appropriate way. Afterwards, his existence would become meaningless to the plan.
After pulling Thomson off the horse, Gwak Seyoung went straight through the castle with him.
Once he got past the strict identification procedures and arrived at the marquis’ room,
A guard standing in front of the door blocked Gwak Seyoung.
“This is Sir Thompson, Commander of the Corcas reconnaissance army. We are here for urgent business, so get out of our way.”
“The Marquis is currently talking with His Majesty the King, so please wait for a while.”
‘Chun Woohyuk?’
Gwak Seyoung couldn’t keep up his act and his expression subtly turned dark.
“Why has His Majesty come all this way?”
“I'm not sure about that. He simply came with a single escort knight...”
Chun Woohyuk had arrived at a bad timing.
As Gwak Seyoung began sweating and stepping backwards,
Clack!
Leifina revealed her presence by opening the door. The conversation between Marquis Nelson and Woohyuk was over.
”Him? Who are these people?”
“Oh, they were sent to investigate the Corcas Mountains some time ago…”
The guard briefly explained the situation.
Leifina nodded and whispered to Woohyuk, who stood patiently behind her.
“The commander of the reconnaissance army has returned.”
“Perfect timing.”
Woohyuk stepped forward and alternated his gaze between Gwak Seyoung and Thompson.
Immediately, his eyes became sharp. He could feel demonic energy from the two of them, although it was very weak.
“What happened during the investigation?”
”Monsters… attacked... the army...”
As Thompson has been brainwashed, he falsely reported the events within the mountains. Although the story sounded plausible, it couldn’t erase Woohyuk’s suspicions.
“Many parts of it sound suspicious. We’ll need to do an interrogation.”
“…”
Gwak Seyoung's expression immediately darkened. He hadn’t expected something like this to happen even before the plan had been set in full motion.
It would spell trouble if Woo-hyuk noticed that Thompson had been brainwashed.
When his thoughts reached this conculsion, Gwak Seyoung quickly spoke.
“Your Majesty, it was such a sudden attack that we couldn’t gather enough information about it. If you give me another chance, I will go back to the Corcas Mountains and...”
“Leifina, arrest them.”
Woohyuk gave the order as if there was nothing else to listen to.
“Yes, my lord.”
Leifina, who was standing by his side, moved behind the two survivors and grabbed them by the neck. Her movements were so swift and quick that Gwak Seyoung had no time to react.
'I’m completely trapped.'
Gwak Seyoung swallowed his saliva.
Running away in this situation was the same thing as admitting he was a traitor.
Plus, he didn’t have the skills and abilities to run away safely as of currently.
Gwak Seyoung despaired as he watched Woohyuk converse with Marquis Nelson, who had come out of his office in surprise.
***
After an hour of interrogation, Woohyuk was able to make them spit out the truth.