The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

Chapter 92

A week had passed.

The Gate Outbreak in the capital of Thurium had been somewhat mitigated. All the Gates had vanished, and the majority of the monsters that poured forth had been subdued.

The toll on the residents was over fifty thousand. Despite the best efforts of Raul and the First Knight Order, it was impossible to completely prevent the damages.

Compared to his past life, one might argue the situation was better, but having witnessed the ghastly sacrifices of the residents firsthand, Raul found little comfort in that thought.

“If only we had prepared a bit better….”

Raul bit his lip hard as he looked upon the residents crying over their family’s bodies amidst the rubble of half-collapsed buildings.

“Still, the damage would have been much greater if not for you, Master.”

Philip offered consolation to Raul in the carriage heading to the palace.

“If those Central Army idiots had just listened to us, the casualties could have been cut in half.”

Jake also expressed his dissatisfaction with the situation outside the window.

Currently, Raul and the knight order’s officers were on their way to the castle, summoned by the king himself. This was in recognition of their efforts in rescuing members of the royal family during the crisis.

Even without that, having garnered significant support from the capital’s citizens following the Gate incident, it was inevitable that the royal family had to acknowledge Raul’s achievements sooner or later.

“With such a great loss, they needed an issue to rally the public mood and normalize state affairs.”

By turning Raul into a hero, they could distract the residents while focusing on repairing the damages and demonstrating the royal family’s resilience.

“From my point of view, it’s a favorable situation, but….”

The chaos seemed far from over.

Though the Gates within the capital had been dealt with, monsters were still appearing outside the city walls, and the state of provinces yet to report in was likely far more dire.

Moreover, what unsettled Raul was the fact that the Imperial Hounds weren’t completely dealt with. They had hoped to extract a wealth of information from Viscount Plank, a key suspect, but to no avail.

Even after undergoing Kane’s interrogation and having his memories probed through magic at Gray’s Tower, they only managed to identify a few bribed underlings.

Documents retrieved from his mansion provided some general information, but nothing concrete enough to fully expose their identities.

Cunningly, the inner circle ensured their identities remained concealed, even amongst themselves. The only one who knew everyone’s true identity was the branch leader, “Silver Zero.”

“Out of ten officers, we’ve only managed to capture two…”

Jose, a senior royal knight, and Viscount Plank, the treasurer. This meant that there were still those hiding their identities, operating somewhere within the kingdom.

It had been reported that, aside from the demonic cavalry, a significant number of the enemy agents who had occupied the royal castle had escaped.

Though Raul did have a fleeting thought that he should have stayed till the end to fight them off, he was in no condition to continue the battle due to the side effects of the Regnator at that time.

Moreover, there were royal family members he needed to protect, making it impractical to confront the enemy’s main force head-on. Nonetheless, they managed to take care of two of the enemy’s leaders and their stronghold within the capital.

With this achievement, it would now be difficult for the enemy to kidnap more citizens to create demonic cavalry, and having lost a considerable amount of their forces, their momentum would surely wane.

The carriage jolted.

Before long, they had arrived at the royal castle. Walking through the gate into the main castle area, the scorched garden and the toppled walls reminded them of the day’s battle.

After waiting momentarily in the guest room, they were called to the grand hall.

A herald announced loudly, “Enter young master Raul de Ashton, the third son of the Count of Ashton, and his three knights!”

The doors creaked open. Hundreds of nobles lined up on either side of the grand hall, watching as Raul made his entrance.

Seated on the throne atop the splendid stage inside the grand hall was King Thadeus II, looking somewhat wan, with the five surviving princes standing in a line a step below him.

Besides Raul and his party, there were others waiting in the center of the hall to receive their awards, among them, surprisingly, was the figure of the commander of the central army.

Jake bristled at the sight, but Philip calmed him down. Objectively speaking, it wasn’t possible to say the commander was at fault. After all, Raul was not his superior, and whether to heed advice was the commander’s choice.

Moreover, regardless of how initial responses were managed, it was the central army that had dealt with the remnants of the monsters; it was unjust to claim the commander had no merit.

The award ceremony proceeded smoothly, and finally, it was Raul’s turn.

“…therefore, we bestow upon Raul de Ashton the title of baronet, along with lands and a mansion in the capital.”

Amidst the applause, Raul received the insignia symbolizing his title, along with the blank estate documents and land deeds.

While there were some nobles who eyed him with jealousy, most acknowledged his accomplishments and congratulated him.

And rightly so, as his deeds were not earned in some distant battlefield, but right before their eyes, defending against the monsters.

The specifics of Raul’s land and mansion were to be ‘discussed’ later. Currently, the tied-up Viscount Plank, the treasurers related to embezzlement, the betraying royal knight Jose, and their accomplices were waiting trial.

It was highly probable their assets would be seized, and Raul was to have his choice among them.

Following the ceremony, a modest ball was arranged. It might have been omitted, given the recent calamity, but it seemed necessary to uphold the royal family’s dignity and to comfort the nobles.

It was Raul’s first actual ball, but being the day’s hero, he felt at ease. The real challenge was finding time even to eat properly, due to the nobles coming over to acquaint themselves with him.

However, contemplating his future, Raul tolerated the inconvenience.

After finishing a conversation with a group of nobles and barely managing to catch his breath with a glass of water, a servant approached Raul and spoke to him.

“The Prince wishes to see you, Lord. This way…”

Following the guidance, Raul found himself in a small study, a short distance from the ballroom. There, the Third Prince was waiting, sitting cross-legged with an arrogant posture, leisurely sipping wine.

“Your Highness, you called for me.”

As Raul bowed, the Third Prince silently gestured for him to sit down with a nod of his chin. Despite being in his early thirties, the Third Prince appeared fit from diligent training, his slightly angular face and jutting chin suggesting a stubborn character.

“You’ve achieved great things at a young age. On behalf of the royal family, I express my gratitude.”

“I merely did what was necessary,” Raul responded.

The Third Prince nodded, though his expression revealed dissatisfaction.

“Yes, the necessary thing. A subject should obey their master’s commands and sacrifice their life if needed. But it seems there are too many who forget this, only looking out for their own gains…”

Raul frowned slightly at the Third Prince’s authoritarian words but quickly masked his expression, nodding quietly in apparent agreement.

“As you know, my father’s condition is grave. He may not last much longer. Regrettably, I’ve also lost both my elder brothers.”

It was clear he was aiming to discuss his succession to the throne. With the Crown Prince fallen in battle, it was natural for him to have aspirations.

“Once I ascend to the throne, I plan to dispose of the corrupt old guards currently in power and bring in fresh talent. Be prepared; I’ll call upon you when the time comes.”

Without waiting for Raul’s response, he took another sip of his wine. Taking that as his cue to leave, Raul quietly stood up, bowed slightly, and exited the room.

‘Astounding.’

The Third Prince seemed to take his ascent to the throne for granted and dismissed Raul without considering his opinion, revealing his disregard for him.

‘Is he underestimating me because I’m young, or is his insight truly that limited?’

Raul sighed, reflecting on the Third Prince’s lamentable behavior. In his previous life, following the scenario of Connect, the Third Prince was destined to be king after outliving the Eighth Prince.

He became a puppet king, losing real power to the aristocracy after treating them arrogantly and trying to wield power without restraint.

Without the royal family’s hidden support, it was unlikely the masters would obediently follow the king’s word.

‘He should have promised benefits instead of wielding authority to sway the nobles to his side.’

Moreover, this time, five princes had survived, with no guarantee that the eldest would ascend to the throne.

Raul had expected the Third Prince to attempt some persuasion. Yet, he was met with baseless remarks.

He had hoped things would follow the original scenario, but if that man became king, it would undoubtedly lead to troublesome times.

“There’s still time left, so let’s think it over slowly.”

Despite being an ailing king, he is expected to hold on for more than a year. The throne’s succession battle won’t break out immediately, so it’s not too late to decide on the next steps based on how the situation evolves.

After returning to the ballroom, Raul managed to head home only after interacting with other royals, including the 4th and 6th princes.

***

“It’s been a while since we’ve met.”

Raul was in a modest official residence within the Academy. This place was set aside for visiting professors who didn’t own a mansion in the capital, among whom the famous sage Gray resided.

“I’ve heard about your recent feats. You’ve done quite splendidly, haven’t you, Mr. Raul? Or should I address you as Baron Raul now?”

“No, Professor. ‘Mr. Raul’ will suffice.”

Upon Raul’s insistence, Gray flashed a sly smile.

“Alright, Mr. Raul. Shall we dive into the details then?”

Although he had been informed through letters and servants, Gray wanted to hear about the recent events directly from Raul.

Raul, having details that couldn’t be communicated just through letters, calmly spoke about the Imperial Hounds, the Gates, and the Guardians.

“Hmm. So, that’s what happened.”

After listening to Raul’s story, Gray closed his eyes to organize his thoughts before speaking.

“Not only the Ruben Kingdom but all four major kingdoms were attacked, and the seals they were safeguarding have been broken.”

It was clear that the Empire’s main goal was to release these seals. After the Gates appeared, Gray had warned the royal families of each kingdom about the potential dangers, but ultimately they couldn’t prevent the disasters.

Even a sage had limitations in political influence. Instead, Gray, along with the Tower Masters, had managed to create an astonishing artifact.

“Is this it?”

“Yes. [Dimensional Barrier Stone] or [Gate Prevention Barrier Stone] if you will.”

The fist-sized black stone was intricately engraved with fine magical runes.

To the naked eye, it may seem like nothing more than a rough stone, but its essence was a Barrier Stone – an item not easily acquired even with a hefty sum.

Once activated, it prevents the creation of new Gates within a certain area.

These Barrier Stones were being installed in every city with a Mage Tower branch.

Maintaining the barrier consumes Mana Stones regularly, but such expenses were trivial in comparison.

Gray gifted Raul with no less than five of these precious Dimensional Barrier Stones as a reward for his commendable actions and in exchange for the prisoners and information he had provided.

“Jackpot.”

A sly grin spread across Raul’s lips.

(To be continued)