Chapter 145 - Runesmith Dexter 1 (1/2)
Moreover, Sion wasn’t the only one to be cured of the disease. All the other infected residents were also cured.
However, since the epidemic was still prevalent throughout the Lydia kingdom, Woohyuk felt the need to meet King Philip II.
'I need his help to infiltrate the Norton kingdom anyways.'
Crossing the border without disguising his status would turn into a headache.
When they arrived in front of the royal palace, the guards blocked their path as Woohyuk and his party were hiding their faces with hoods.
“Who are you! Identify yourselves!”
“This is not a place where lowly peasants can enter!”
Their reaction was natural since they truly looked ragged and poor.
After stopping Reina from stepping forward, Woohyuk presented the token of Lydia’s Royal Family to the guards.
He had received it from King Philip II while they were still in the Dane Kingdom.
The guards immediately stepped to the side with wide eyes as soon as they saw it.
“M-my sincerest apologies for not recognizing you!”
“Prithee don’t punish us!”
All the guards were of common origins, so it would be difficult to make a living if they got fired from their current jobs.
After reassuring the men, Woohyuk entered the royal palace with his companions.
Once they reached the hall, they saw King Philip II discussing state affairs with his vassals.
Worried expressions were plastered on all their faces.
“King Philip II, I have a few things to talk about.”
“Cough… Have you come? Everyone, leave us alone.”
King Philip II immediately recognized Woohyuk, since he was holding the royal token in his hand.
Before long, the hall was empty and Woohyuk spoke aloud again.
“We created a cure for the disease.”
“Oooh, is that true?”
King Philip II was delighted as Woohyuk handed him a note.
“You won’t have a problem supplying all the medicinal ingredients, except for the mandragora.”
“Mandragora? It's my first time hearing of that medicinal herbs.”
“It looks like this. It lives mainly in caves on the west coast.”
Woohyuk took out a mandragora from his pocket and handed it over.
King Philip II observed the Mandragora with great interest.
“Incredible. I didn’t know herbs like this existed.”
“You should be careful when harvesting it. Despite its appearance, it's a plant-type monster.”
“It, it’s a monster?!”
”Don’t worry. It can't resist after it’s uprooted.”
“That’s a relief. I got the chills down my spine for a second there.”
King Philip II sighed as his surprise dissipated.
Woohyuk briefly explained to him how to collect mandragoras, and moved onto the main point.
“That won't be a problem. Tell me everything you need. I am always on your side.”
King Philip II wanted to welcome Woohyuk as his son-in-law.
That was why he hadn’t objected when Joanna said she’d stay in Blackburn.
Woohyuk was a rising hero, and in this chaotic era, an existence like him would become a great powerhouse.
“Then can we go back to the Croa Principality? I want to show the mandragora to Lady Orphelia.”
“Don't rush yourselves. We still have no evidence that the Kazaks are vulnerable to mandragoras.”
If they returned now, there was a chance the mandragoras would be inefficient.
Allen and Reina looked embarrassed at Woohyuk’s words.
“Then we’ll have to do experiments before heading back…”
“It seems we’ll have to accompany you. You did mention that you’d head to the Enoa Kingdom after dealing with your business in the Norton Kingdom.”
From Allen and Reina’s point of view, it would be advantageous to follow Woohyuk.
Woohyuk was satisfied as he watched them discuss their plans for the future.
'I’ll use this opportunity to bring them both on my side for sure.'
He already knew Allen well, so he would pose no problem.
As Woohyuk recalled the characteristics of elves, Helena tilted her head from the side to stare at him.
“What are you thinking about? You suddenly stopped talking.”
“… It’s nothing.”
He had no intention of revealing his plans to Helena before King Philip II.
Woohyuk coughed and looked at the king again.
“Is there any news from the Holy Aperian Empire? I heard that Rosenkreuz recently suffered a major injury, so things might get noisy, no?”
“I heard that rumor. But the Holy See probably manipulated the rumors and limited its spread. I don’t know anything about the details of his injuries. In terms of other news... There are just the stories about Princess Eleonora. Otherwise, most of the Paladins left for the Croa Principality.”
“Eleonora seems to be causing trouble wherever she goes.”
“It's her inborn nature. Well, it would be wrong to say that there was no influence from her surrounding environment as she grew up, but still...”
Eleonora had been experiencing severe training under the guidance of Swordmaster Granbert since her childhood.
She had been chosen by the Holy Sword Ertia, the emblem and heirloom of the imperial family.
Holy Sword Ertia was an S-class artifact that was said to have been granted by the God of Light after Emperor Anikius declared the Light Doctrine as the national religion and dedicated a politically purged county as a papacy.
'I used to struggle quite a bit when fighting against Eleonora because of that holy sword.'
S-class artifacts, especially weapons, had incredible power.
In addition, the Holy Sword Ertia would be a significant threat to Woohyuk since they were of opposite attributes.
Therefore, he had to prepare a countermeasure.
'There is one method, but...’
He could ‘tame’ Princess Eleonora by using the love potion he had obtained from the quest related to Kriemhild.
Then, he would be able to occupy the imperial throne without having to collide head-on with the Holy Aperian Empire.