The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

Chapter 83

Arrivals from the guard, the temple, and the magic guild to take over occurred belatedly. Even with the Gate running rampant, they had rushed over at the news of the Empire’s hidden hideout.

“Young master Raul, you have once again achieved a great feat. Truly, you are the guardian of Thurium.”

“Young master Raul, who has vanquished the den of demons, shall be blessed by Lord Xenon.”

With the clean-up left to them, Raul returned to his mansion, leaving behind a portion of his troops. Operations room. Raul, Bernard, and other officers were gathered.

“What’s the current situation with the Gates?”

“Out of 50 Gates, 20 have been dealt with. The remaining Gates consist of 25 F-Grade and 5 E-Grade.”

Closing a Gate from which a wave has occurred turned out to be surprisingly simple. Hunting the Elite Guardian that appears at the end of the wave automatically closes the Gate.

This raises a question. The appearance of an Elite Guardian implies that almost all monsters have been released, so is it necessary to close the Gate?

The conclusion is that it is necessary. If a Gate from which a wave has occurred is left as is, the Gate becomes fixed and transforms into a dungeon.

A dungeonized Gate is more difficult to close, and since waves occur periodically, it becomes an even more troublesome entity than currently.

For the safety of the city and its residents, the remaining Gates must be dealt with swiftly.

“Has the central army moved?”

“As you instructed, Master, contact was made with the commander of the central army, and all the forces from the main camp and the Central Army of the 1st Outer City have been deployed to the battlefield.”

“That’s fortunate. And our soldiers?”

“Following your orders, Master, defensive lines have been formed focusing on civilian areas, and some spare forces have been arranged into pursuit teams for operation.”

On the map of Thurium attached to the front of the operations room, troop deployments and monster appearances were being updated in real-time along with complex markers.

‘Hmm. Have we managed well enough?’

Due to the vast expanse of the 3rd and 4th Outer Cities, it was impossible to station troops in every area.

Consequently, the red markers indicating monsters had broken through the Gate blockade lines and spread far and wide, but the residential defense lines prepared in advance were holding their ground.

The situation was worst in the 2nd Outer City.

Perhaps because the First Knight Order had not been deployed, monsters had already spread throughout the city.

Fortunately, the defense networks formed around each guild and temple were still holding strong.

‘The 1st Outer City will manage on its own, I suppose.’

Before the wave broke out, Raul had proposed to each influential noble family that they build a joint defense network.

Mobilizing the knights and private soldiers of each family, it would have been no trouble at all to block the ten or so gates of the first outer city wall.

However, the proposal was flatly rejected. Given the unpredictability of when the gates might be breached, and the argument that defending the capital was the duty of the guard and the central army wasn’t incorrect either.

Instead, Raul managed to secure the cooperation of closely allied families and nobility, establishing a defense line around only the Count’s mansion.

With over 100 knights from the First Knight Order and those from allied families, it seemed unlikely that even the horde of demon beasts, reported by Kane to number around 500 that had been deployed to the first outer city, could breach the defenses.

Considering the fires and screams echoing from beyond the defense lines, the safety of the other families was questionable. Raul, after poring over maps in deep thought for a while, spoke up.

“Unless something extraordinary happens, we’ll maintain our current troop deployment. The extermination of the monsters that have spread throughout the city is not our responsibility; we’ll leave that to the central army.”

Entering urban combat as opposed to maintaining a defense would surely increase the number of casualties. He thought it better to firmly hold the current defense line rather than clumsily split the forces for extermination efforts.

‘I’m not some guardian or savior after all.’

Saving the citizens was admirable but strictly speaking, the citizens of Thurium were not Raul’s direct responsibility. Sacrificing his men to save lives?

Raul had no intention of experiencing losses for such a cause. Mobilizing the troops to block the wave was a purely political calculation.

Saving lives to gain fame and support, preparing for various future scenarios, honing the real combat skills of the newly acquired troops, and instilling pride in the First Knight Order were among his reasons.

Personally, it was about completing quests and reaping various benefits and rewards as a player. These were his secular motives, with justice, humanity, and faith merely being secondary.

By targeting the Imperial Hound’s hideout, Raul had already achieved his primary goal.

‘There’s no need to overexert ourselves.’

That didn’t mean he intended to let his forces idle.

“Assign about ten knights to join the pursuit team led by Dalton, and the rest will be appropriately deployed to the defensive line.”

“Yes, Master.”

After the troop redeployment, only senior knights like Philip and ten armored users remained at the headquarters.

“How much longer will it take to replace the power armor mana stones?”

“The mages say it should be done in about 20 minutes.”

The First Knight Order had a total of 30 armored users. Only four of them had C-Grade power armor or higher. The rest were mostly equipped with E-Grade, lower-quality armors that required mana stone replacement after combat.

Since leaving the County, Raul had continued to strive for securing power armors, but acquiring them was no easy feat. Initially, due to their scarce production, orders were taken through annual auctions, which had already closed for the year.

His only option was to purchase second-hand ones, but items of mid-tier or higher were rarely, if ever, traded.

In fact, out of the thirty power armors, twenty were acquired with his father’s assistance from their family stocks, and the rest Raul had obtained himself, paying more than double their original price for used ones.

Honestly, he wasn’t concerned about the price or the fact that they were second-hand. As long as they worked, power armors were a sufficient strategic weapon in themselves.

Nevertheless, excluding the power armors of Raul and his knights, all were in the process of mana stone replacement, and even after the replacement, they couldn’t exert half their performance without the cooldown period passing.

It wasn’t for no reason they were strategizing over the activation timing of the power armors. Raul took a moment to rest, pondering his next move.

“What’s on your mind so heavily?” Rabel landed beside Raul’s head, asking. She seemed in a better mood, perhaps brightened by the fresh air she had not felt in a while.

“There’s something bothering me a bit.”

“What is it?”

“The Royal Palace.”

“Are you concerned about what that Viscount Plank said?”

“Not exactly…”

Frankly, Raul had thought it didn’t matter much what happened to the king or the royal family. If anything, he had deliberately avoided them, worried that his involvement might twist the future.

He believed that even if history continued as it was supposed to, it wouldn’t be too bad for the Ashton County or himself.

The royal family would become nominal, and the power structure would be reorganized around the prestigious noble families.

“But suddenly, I felt uneasy.”

“Why?”

“Because it seems like the future I know has already changed.”

Things would have been different had Raul not been reincarnated, but many aspects had already shifted.

Not only had the name of the Ashton County, which was fading from people’s memories, been revived, but Raul and the First Knights Order were also gaining tremendous fame.

The County, which was destined to fade away soon, couldn’t just stand by according to Raul. If the Ashton County survives, no, thrives to become a significant power, was it right just to watch the downfall of the royal family passively?

“Maybe it’s better to intervene proactively now.”

Honestly, Raul preferred acting on his initiative rather than sitting and waiting for something to happen.

He didn’t want to be a jester dancing on a stage set by others; he wanted to be the person who builds his own stage. Even in his previous life, he had walked his path without compromising with the major powers.

Despite losing his life and being reincarnated into the world of a game, Raul harbored no regrets about his past. His only lament was that his own strength had been lacking.

Rabel, understanding Raul’s feelings, smiled and said, “There’s no single right answer in life. And I believe there’s no such thing as a predetermined future. Perhaps the information listed at the Connection Cafe is just recording one of many possibilities? I think you don’t need to be too tied down by that information, Raul.”

Spreading her wings, Rabel landed gently on the skill compendium and continued,

“Neither I nor this child are mentioned there. And Raul, you’ve changed so much it’s hard to believe. So, I think it’s okay for you to trust yourself more and move in the direction you wish.”

Upon hearing Rabel’s words, Raul felt a bit more at ease.

‘Right. I think I was too focused on finding the only right answer.’

How could one possibly find the only correct choice in every situation unless they were a god?

While it was true that one needed to be thoughtful and deliberate in their actions, there were times when bold decisions were required.

Reflecting on this, Raul couldn’t help but find his previous demeanor somewhat ridiculous.

After all, the likelihood of changing anything by simply going to the royal palace was low. The palace was teeming with the kingdom’s finest knights among the Royal Knight, formidable opponents beyond his current capabilities.

Thinking it over, a few knights joining him in battle wasn’t likely to alter the overall situation.

‘I’ve become overconfident again. Time to snap out of it!’

His previous successes were due to exploiting knowledge unknown to others, not because of any inherent superiority.

“Thank you. You’ve resolved my worries. Having a supporter truly makes one feel reassured,” Raul praised.

Pushing up her glasses slightly, Rabel responded, “Ahem. Now that you know, feel free to rely on me more in the future. You might find it hard to come across a supporter as exceptional as me. Well, I should be off then~.”

Feeling somewhat embarrassed by her own words, Rabel quickly disappeared back into the skill compendium.

Watching her with a pleased expression, Raul quickly gathered his thoughts and summoned Philip and the other knights.

“Once the power armor maintenance is completed, we head to the inner citadel. Check your equipment and assemble.”

“Are we allowed to enter the inner citadel at this time?”

Entry to the inner citadel was restricted. One needed to apply for a permit from the authorities in advance, and even then, the gates were shut completely after midnight.

“Well, I can’t promise anything, but we have to at least try.”

“Understood, Master.”

Everyone was ostensibly curious about the situation in the inner citadel, where the royal palace was located.

The emergence of a gate in the inner citadel was already common knowledge, and it was somewhat predictable that something had happened there.

A chill ran down their spines from the ominous energy emanating from the direction of the royal palace. Although Raul had tried to ignore it before, now was not the time.

‘Whether to get involved or not, I’ll decide after we arrive. But at the very least, we need to find out what’s happening.’

What exactly was unfolding at the royal palace? Raul stroked Regnator, calming his uneasy heart.

(To be continued)