The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player 45

Chapter 45

“Report.”

A low, baritone voice filled the room.

“The royal family has shown no special reaction. They’ve only strengthened the patrols of the capital’s guard.”

“As for the Templeton duchy…”

“And the McNeil viscounty…”

After receiving the reports in turn, Silver Zero, the regional chief of the Imperial Hounds in the Ruben Kingdom, slightly furrowed his brow.

The military status of the capital, a key target, had exceeded expectations.

It was all due to the incomprehensible movements of the Ashton county.

“Number 6. Has the Ashton county always been devoutly religious?”

“Not particularly. While they are better treated by the temple compared to other nobles, it’s to a normal extent. I believe we should be suspicious of something else.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Ashton family made their move before the temple announced the oracle. It seems they have another source of information.”

The movements of the Ashton’s forces were troubling.

Knights and troops, previously dispersed across the domains, were being called back for reorganization, and Golden Bear Knights, who had been confined to the main castle, were now being dispatched to strategic locations.

Moreover, considering when mercenaries started to gather in the capital, it seemed reasonable to conclude that the Ashton family had acted well before the temple’s announcement.

Tap, tap.

As Silver Zero tapped his fingers on the desk, lost in thought, Number 8, who was in charge of the capital, spoke up.

“Could it be that Gray has taken action? There have been reports of him making contact with Raul of the Ashton family a few times at the academy.”

“There’s merit to that thought. So, what’s the status with Gray?”

“That’s the thing… There’s been no unusual activity. He seems to be focusing on his academy lectures as usual.”

After a moment of contemplation with his eyes shut, Zero asked, “Number 8. What about the situation with the mercenaries hired by the Ashton county? Have any of our agents managed to infiltrate?”

“I’m ashamed to say, all attempts at infiltration have failed.”

“What? They’re recruiting a thousand men, and you’re telling me not one of us could get in?!”

“We passed the preliminary rounds, but all were eliminated in the final selection. It seems that this Raul character has an extraordinary intuition.”

“Raul. Raul, huh…”

As Zero grimaced in frustration, Number 1, who had been silent, spoke up.

“Do we really need to be concerned? If anything, isn’t this a good thing? I can’t fathom why he’s pouring such a fortune into gathering mercenaries, but in the end, he won’t gain anything from it. You all know it, don’t you? What that item is.”

“You’re right. Initially, they may salivate and rush in, but they’ll quickly realize it’s a poisoned apple. The young fool spending money unnecessarily will likely be reprimanded by his family. The greedy nobles will never be able to stop our grand plan.”

As similar opinions were voiced, Zero nodded in agreement.

“Your words hold truth. Let’s monitor the situation for now. How is the deployment of our agents?”

“Deployment complete.”

“The grand plan is about to commence. The day when a dagger is plunged into the heart of those brutish swine is not far off. Make sure to fulfill the tasks given to each of you. For the glory of His Imperial Majesty!”

“For the glory of His Imperial Majesty!!”

Tick-tock, tick-tock.

The second hand moved ceaselessly, and finally, it pointed to midnight.

“Whoa! What is that!!”

A mercenary waiting in the training grounds caught sight of a meteor streaking across the night sky.

The problem was that the number of meteors was so great, they filled the night sky by the dozens, even hundreds.

Rumble.

“It’s an earthquake!!”

Timed with this, the ground shook, and several frightened mercenaries dropped to the ground, burying their heads.

Swoosh.

Unnoticed by those on the ground, a vast and transparent barrier silently spread across the sky.

And finally, the moment the barrier completely enveloped the planet,

The meteor shower vanished as if it were a mirage, and the earthquake stopped.

At the same time, a large system message appeared in front of Raul.

[Update Notice]

Pre-scenario v1.0 update has been successfully completed.

– Hidden ancient dungeons have been partially opened. More dungeons will become available as the scenario progresses.

– The Dimension Gate system has been activated. Players can now enter the gates. Explore and clear the gates for generous rewards. The limited-time quest [Gate Rush!] has begun.

– Certain NPCs have been designated as scenario NPCs. Damaging these NPCs may result in penalties, so please be cautious.

– The guild system has been updated. Frustrated by a small guild member count? Now you can upgrade to a medium-sized guild. Check out the new features for yourself.

“Phew. It’s finally starting.”

Raul opened the quest window, ignoring the murmurs of the mercenaries outside.

[Limited-Time Quest: Gate Rush!]

Grade: EX

Objective: Clear as many gates as possible.

Deadline: 30 days (Until June 28, year 521 of Connect)

Description: What’s happening? Dimension Gates of unknown origin have covered the world of Connect. Clear as many gates as possible to alleviate the residents’ anxiety.

PS: Worried there won’t be enough gates? No need to worry~.

To celebrate the launch of the scenario, gates will regenerate every midnight.

Rewards: Rewards will be distributed based on ranking. A special gift for the individual and guild ranking first?

Raul’s face hardened as he read the quest.

“What kind of nonsense is this!!”

Bang!

Unable to contain his anger, Raul slammed his fist down on the desk.

The rewards didn’t even catch his eye. After all, he was the only player, and there was only one guild.

There was another reason for Raul’s anger.

Every midnight, the gates are regenerated.

That meant, no matter how many gates were destroyed, it was all in vain.

Raul’s plan to completely clear the gates appearing in the Ashton territory and the kingdom’s capital was shattered before it even began.

‘Just as I feared…’

A sigh escaped from Raul as a term popped into his mind.

[Scenario Compulsion]

It was Connect’s defense system that prevented plays that could disrupt the scenario itself or interfere with the occurrence of linked scenarios.

There were cases like the current quest, which had special conditions attached, but often, additional or sudden quests would direct players’ actions during the scenario progression.

‘Damn it. It’s not going to be easy, is it? Looks like minimizing the damage is the only way to go.’

Biting his lip hard, Raul hurried to the war room.

* * *

The bustling of people filled the air.

Even past midnight, the streets of the capital, Thurium, were overflowing with people, unsettled by the bizarre phenomenon they had just witnessed.

“What’s that?”

In the middle of the street, a semi-transparent rectangular object shimmered in the darkness.

About the height of an adult man, the rectangular object ominously billowed red mists as it floated in the air.

The first man to discover it was involuntarily drawn towards it.

Gulp.

Driven by an inexplicable attraction, the man slowly reached out his hand.

The moment his hand touched the object, he vanished without a trace.

“Eek!”

Someone who had seen this from a distance screamed and fell on their rear.

Other figures caught his eye.

Like they were enchanted, one after another, people touched the mysterious object and disappeared.

“What the… What is this?”

Thinking it dangerous and deciding to retreat, he was about to step back when…

“No! Dicky, come here!”

His 6-year-old son, fearlessly, approached the eerie object.

The man stumbled forward in a rush, grabbed his son, and threw him back.

“Get out of here….”

Luckily, someone behind caught his son.

But fortune was not with him. Before he knew it, he found himself walking towards the monster-like object.

* * *

“A gate has been detected in Sector 32 of Outer City Area B4! Damn it, several people have already been sucked in. We’re moving to protect them.”

Following Philip’s orders, Bernard decided on which members to dispatch, and messengers rushed out frantically.

The number of red dots on the map had already surpassed 30.

“Damn it, how many more will pop up!”

Raul stared at the situation board with a hardened expression.

There was no information on this scenario or quest in the link café.

All they had was the historical fact recorded in the game’s background description, “In the year 521 of the Connect era, gates appeared, causing immense damage to various kingdoms and domains.”

They knew nothing about the number, location, or rank of the gates appearing in the capital.

He wanted to rush out and clear the gates, saving those who were sucked in, but he wasn’t alone.

The priority was to efficiently deploy the guild members and a thousand mercenaries to minimize the number of victims.

Just as he was calming his frustration, an urgent guild communication came in.

“Sector 17 in Outer Ward 3 of Outer Ward 2! The yellow gate mentioned by the master has been found! A yellow gate has been found!”

“Absolutely do not approach! Be careful, as agents could be sucked in too.”

Raul immediately cautioned them through the guild communication and said,

“Designate it as Target Number 1, E-Grade gate, and enter it into special management. Deploy 3 Class B mercenaries and send a letter directly to the captain of the area guard.”

After issuing the orders, Raul clenched his fist tightly.

“D-Grade has appeared now…”

F and E-Grade gates could somehow be managed with soldiers.

But from D-Grade gates onwards, monsters that couldn’t even be scratched unless by Sword Users or others who could manipulate mana appeared.

It meant that numbers could only solve problems up to E-Grade.

Unlike the simple eradication missions for F and E-Grade gates, special conditions for clearing appeared from D-Grade onwards.

Even knights could find themselves unable to escape if they carelessly entered a D-Grade gate.

“Is the domain safe?”

He felt increasingly anxious seeing the situation looking graver than expected.

Before he knew it, the map was dotted with over 40 red points.

(To be continued)