How to survive as a beggar count

Chapter 18

The next day.

Things proceeded smoothly.

The kingdom’s judges had already sent me the verdict stating that I had no guilt following the duel trial. Along with that, they also provided the documentation proving the ownership of the Valdig Dungeon.

That bastard, Count Benner.

When he wakes up, he might lose consciousness again.

“Heh heh!”

I could almost smell the sweet scent of victory from here.

Ownership of the dungeon.

It was quite a neat little profit.

The treasures in the dungeon had long since dried up, but it’s still a dungeon. Monsters frequently appear, and countless travelers come and go to level up.

Just collecting entrance fees could alleviate the dire financial situation a little. Though, the deficit would remain unchanged.

Now that the immediate problem was solved, it was time to address the next source of concern.

The participants in the duel trial had gathered together.

Two members of the Impera family and the wandering knight, Klood. That made three of us.

Creak.

The heavy armor clinked as it rubbed against itself, making a small noise.

That guy was still wearing his armor even at tea time. Was he obsessed with it or something?

“I’m so glad things worked out well! Sir!” Ilene said, bringing a fragrant cup of tea and adding a comment.

“Yeah, I know right.”

“And…”

She was about to say something to the knight sitting next to her, but upon meeting his gaze, she quickly shut her mouth.

She seemed terrified by his sharp eyes.

“How about relaxing your eyes a bit? Things are going well.”

“I hate wasting time. Just tell me what you need.”

“Of course. We gathered here for that, didn’t we?”

“…”

Aemon, still shaken from the previous shock, cautiously glanced at Klood.

He must have witnessed it too.

The terrifying power of Klood, overwhelming a Rank 5 knight in an instant.

“Excuse me, but I should introduce myself. I am Aemon, head of the Impera family.”

“Yeah.”

Klood just nodded briefly, showing little interest in formalities. It was a rather rude behavior in front of nobility, but Aemon didn’t mind at all.

No matter his manners, he was the hero who saved his family. He owed him such a huge favor that his entire family’s fortune wouldn’t be enough to repay it.

“…I will never forget the favor from the other day.”

“It wasn’t really a favor. This was just a contract.”

“A contract…?”

Klood, seemingly too lazy to speak, subtly gestured at me.

“Father.”

“…Speak, my son.”

Seeing his son’s serious expression, Aemon was somewhat surprised and asked.

“I’m sorry, but from here on, I would prefer that only I and this person speak.”

“Oh… What exactly is going on here?”

“That… I cannot explain.”

Father! Actually, he’s part of the Eternal Knights! He’s dreaming of restoring the empire! I promised to help by revealing the location of an artifact that will be crucial to their cause!

If I said something like that, he’d probably faint in shock.

Sometimes, it’s better not to know.

“Haha… Well, if you say so, then I guess I have no choice.”

Aemon, though somewhat disappointed, seemed pleased in a way.

He must be impressed by how his son had changed from the reckless young man he once thought he was.

“Thank you for understanding.”

“Yeah. Well… I’ll step aside for my son’s ‘drinking buddy.'”

Aemon smiled warmly and left the room.

If Klood ever heard the words “Eternal Knights,” he wouldn’t be able to smile like that. Just being associated with them would be a capital crime, one that could bring ruin to his family. This was a risk I was taking, and I was prepared for it.

“Phew.”

“Now, shall I reveal the location as promised?”

“I was about to do that.”

It was time to pay the price for our agreement.

Rustle.

I unfolded the map I had prepared earlier.

It was a large map that covered the entire continent.

“…”

Klood leaned forward, clearly excited, his body edging closer to the map.

It made sense—this was the location of the artifact his Order had been searching for, for over a decade.

“The artifact of the Order is…”

“…Hurry up and speak. My patience is starting to wear thin.”

If I jokingly said, “It will be revealed in 1 minute!”, he would probably cut off my arm in a fit of anger.

“Heh heh… you’re rushing me! Fine, fine!”

I said, pointing my finger at a specific area on the map.

It was none other than a forest located in the central-southern part of the continent.

It was the area where the Celibert Great Forest lay.

Upon seeing this, Klood’s brows furrowed in anger.

“Are you kidding me?”

He was on the verge of drawing his sword to decapitate me. I quickly added to prevent that from happening.

“Wait, wait! It really is there!”

“Hah! I was a fool to trust this damn brat! You actually think that makes sense?”

The Celibert Great Forest was the land of the elves.

Even during the war between the Empire and the United Kingdom, the elves had remained neutral.

The artifact of the knights is hidden in their land?

Logically, it didn’t make sense.

But if you think about it differently?

The remnants of the Empire hadn’t been sitting idle for the past decade.

Even after searching the old lands of the fallen kingdom, the artifact hadn’t appeared.

In that case, it was entirely possible that it was hidden in a completely unexpected place.

“Then have you ever thought about why the artifact of the knights hasn’t been found all these years?”

“That’s…”

“Because you’ve been thinking in a fixed way. Naturally, you’d assume the artifact would be in the Empire’s land or the United Kingdom’s land. That’s why it hasn’t been found.”

“…If this is a lie, you’ll pay the price.”

“Of course. You can even destroy my in-laws and distant relatives. If this is a ‘lie,’ that is.”

“…”

“Is that all?”

“Hmph.”

Klood finally calmed the murderous aura that had been radiating from him.

His pants were a bit damp, but he tried to act as if nothing was wrong.

Creak.

He packed his things and stood up, empty-handed once again, just like when we first met.

“Whoa! Are you leaving already?”

Ilene, who had just brought some snacks, asked him.

“Forget it. We’ve honored our promises, so let’s let him go peacefully.”

“But we haven’t even served the tea yet…”

“…I’d prefer not to meet again.”

Klood glanced briefly at Ilene before continuing. Ilene, who didn’t understand why, only tilted her head.

That glance was a warning to me.

If this was a lie, it meant he would kill not just me but everyone in the estate.

But he would come back.

The artifact of the knights really is in the Great Forest. However, ‘activating’ it is an entirely different matter.

Once he realizes that, he will likely return to kill me, but it will take him at least a month to reach the forest.

‘I’ll think about that when the time comes.’

I collected my thoughts and said half-teasingly to him.

“We’re even. Let’s not meet again.”

***

After parting ways with Klood, news came that Count Benner had woken up.

I didn’t know if he had passed out again after learning about the dungeon ownership, but it didn’t matter much.

At least he had lost the dungeon he had taken from me.

“Heh heh…”

There was some good news, but it was still too early to relax.

He was surely sharpening his fangs against the Impera family.

He would fight to get the dungeon back, and to stop him, I needed to make preparations.

“And…”

While I had prevented the first death flag, that wasn’t the end of it.

King Aarongold II of Isoter had likely caught on to something strange.

It wasn’t just any random knight who lost, it was Priyana.

Klood had left in a hurry, so there wouldn’t be immediate consequences from the Eternal Knights, but Aarongold would definitely extend his reach again for his original goal.

The nobles were already preparing for the bloody civil war of the last decade.

They were waiting for the right moment to ignite the conflict.

So, what then?

I needed to acquire a powerful force that no one would dare target.

Magic Rank 2 and Swordsmanship Rank 3 were still far from enough.

“Hah.”

I began preparing early in the morning, before the sun had even risen.

“Gather the shield… and also grab ‘this’…”

The Valdig Dungeon may have been a worthless dungeon, but it was useful for certain things.

It was mainly used for hosting the coming-of-age ceremonies for the children of noble families and gathering random odds and ends.

Still, a dungeon is a dungeon.

Every day, when the sun rises, the monsters reset, just like always.

“Young master! Are you leaving again today?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Hmm…”

Ilene seemed concerned about the sudden changes in my behavior lately. They say people usually die when they change suddenly.

She couldn’t ask too many questions, so I could see her fidgeting in concern, which made me feel a bit sorry.

“Don’t worry. When I get back, I’ll give you plenty of tasks. Do we still have some jerky left?”

“Yes…”

When someone lingers like that, it tends to get more concerning. I quickly packed the jerky Ilene handed me and left.

***

The place I headed to early in the morning was, of course, the Valdig Dungeon.

Usually, dungeons are off-limits after the sun sets due to the influence of the Moon God, Selene, which strengthens the monsters at night.

As a result, the area around Valdig Dungeon was eerily quiet.

“It’s been a while.”

As far as Ian could remember, he had only visited the dungeon a few times when he was a kid, following Aemon. Back then, it was owned by the Impera family.

“I’ll have you perform your coming-of-age ceremony here at Valdig Dungeon when you grow up.”

Ian vaguely recalled something his grandfather had said.

But what he spoke of never came to pass.

The Valdig Dungeon was taken by Count Benner, and Ian grew up to become a wild fool, unfit for a coming-of-age ceremony at the dungeon.

I wondered if this place would be of any help to Ian’s memories, but it seemed not.

‘No use. There’s nothing useful here.’

At the entrance of the dungeon, the traces of a duel trial were still visible.

The footprints left by Klood were clearly etched into the ground.

He was someone who contended with the protagonist for dominance.

To leave such clear traces with just his stride.

If someone like Klood had risen to this level, future tasks might have been easier for him.

‘When I had the Valhalla system, even I could have done this easily…’

It was a pity, but no point in lamenting. That power was already gone.

I clenched my fist and steeled my resolve once more.

Even if the power is gone, I can rebuild it. Today’s actions would be the first step toward that.

“Yawn…”

“Yawn…”

Two guards at the dungeon entrance were yawning and exchanging bored glances.

They were probably irregular workers dispatched from the Dungeon Guild.

Most dungeons were owned by nobles.

Some dungeons had their own guards to protect them, but since ownership changed hands frequently, they sometimes outsourced security to the Dungeon Guild.

In addition to guarding, the guild handled miscellaneous tasks like selling dungeon byproducts, treating the wounded, and providing accommodations.

It was a symbiotic relationship where they also earned commissions.

I quietly approached the two guards standing at the dungeon’s door.

I must have looked a bit ridiculous.

I was carrying a large wooden shield made from a door.

I thought it would be useful, so I hastily crafted it.

“…Whoa! You startled me!”

Apparently, they hadn’t noticed me until I got up close in the dark.

“Until dawn, entry to the dungeon is restricted. Come back later, once the sun is up.”

“…”

I ignored the guard’s words and stared at him silently.

“Do you have something to say?”

“…Aah! Y-Young master!?”

“Hmm? Young master, you say?”

One of the guards finally recognized me and immediately saluted.

“Ah! You’re the heir of Count Impera… but why are you here…?”

“You idiot! Haven’t you heard that the ownership of Valdig Dungeon changed?”

“Re-really?”

“I’ll apologize on his behalf! He’s been out of sorts, so…”

Ian couldn’t stand being looked down on, especially by commoners.

It was fine if it was other nobles, but if a commoner dared to treat him with disrespect, he would immediately take action without hesitation. That’s how he ended up nearly getting into some bloody situations.

According to rumors, the situation could have escalated to violence.

Though Ian had improved a lot, he still hadn’t completely shed his reckless, wild nature.

But I had no intention of doing that, nor did I have the time for it.

“Then, is no one inside?”

“No! Due to the influence of the Moon God Selene, entry is restricted after sunset. Everyone has already been sent outside.”

“Well, that works out.”

As the guards prepared to let me in, they broke out in cold sweat.

“We’re sorry, but it’s still a bit early! At least another hour before you can enter…”

If I let someone in too soon and something went wrong, these two guards would be the ones held responsible.

I let out a deep sigh, then pulled out a piece of paper from my coat and started writing something down.