NOVEL NEXT Chapter 202
Chapter 202. The Beggar Siblings – Why Me?
“This drawing room is beautiful. Did you decorate it yourself, Count?” Leo asked, resting his arm on the back of the sofa as he glanced around the room.
The drawing room of the Peter family was almost divided in two, with different wallpaper colors on the window side and the interior side.
The wallpaper on the window side where Leo was seated was a light sandy color. In contrast, the wallpaper across the table was a deep ocean blue, a choice that seemed too bold to have been made by the unadorned Count Peter.
“No, it’s my wife’s taste. I’m glad you like it.”
“I see. She must have a great sense of aesthetics. But… perhaps because I’ve lived in poverty, it feels a bit cluttered to me. If I had to choose, I’d prefer something more unified. What about you, Baron?”
Unified. The prince was now trying to reclaim his share.
Feeling that Leo was getting to the point rather quickly, Gustav remained silent for a moment before giving a careful answer.
“I believe there are pros and cons. Rare as it may be, there are times when being divided can be beneficial.”
He still didn’t know what kind of person this prince was. He had heard Leo was a Swordmaster, which was hard to believe. Remembering someone he had barely met over a decade ago indicated he was a genius, but it wouldn’t hurt to play it safe.
However, the prince’s response was somewhat unexpected. Or rather…
“Haha. Is that so? I didn’t expect you to say that, Baron. In that case, what might be a situation where division is beneficial, Count?”
Unpleasant. Count Peter’s eyebrows twitched upward.
Baron. Count.
This guy was playing with his titles. If not that, he was provoking with, ‘Why are you not in your homeland but here?’ His intent was unclear.
Was he threatening to blackmail him for having a foot in both kingdoms? Gustav scoffed, responding with a meaningless retort.
“It would be better than mixing and becoming filthy.”
The advantage of noble conversation. If you didn’t like the way the conversation was going, you could just utter some nonsense to end it. But,
He’s pissed. Leo read the true feelings in the curt words. Another advantage of noble conversation. Even nonsense carried an inherent undertone.
Hating the filthiness of mixing. That means he…
Leo pondered the Count’s true feelings and soon understood what it meant. Remembering the backstory of the Monarch family from the second-to-last beggar siblings’ cycle, told by “Xenia Zachary,” made it easy to deduce.
According to Xenia, the Monarch family had an heir, “Bailey Monarch,” a lady, “Grainen Monarch,” and an illegitimate son, “Varric Monarch.”
Varrick Monarch, who was sent to the cathedral supposedly to be offered to the gods, was highly likely to be Bishop Berg. At the time, there were rumors that the unmarried Lady Grainen was pregnant, and the son later adopted by Bailey Monarch, who had no children, was Gustav Monarch. Considering Gustav’s resemblance to Bishop Berg, he was undoubtedly born from an illegitimate relationship.
No way to know exactly what happened, but based on the outcome, Gustav had a very sordid birth.
Aside from his parents’ relationship, in a society with a clear class system, having a noble mother and an illegitimate father made it worse. Especially if it was an extramarital child not recognized by the family.
Hating the filthiness of mixing.
So, the Count’s offhand remark carried a deep inferiority complex. Leo felt he could understand why Gustav hated his father and why he lived as a noble in a foreign country. The problem was…
‘…This isn’t something I can solve. What am I supposed to do about it?’
This was a mess. He thought the normal route was to connect with Bishop Berg through Count Gustav, but that was not an option.
A seemingly valid but completely blocked route. Leo, feeling deceived again, could hardly contain his rising anger. Screw it, I’ll do things my way. He stood up abruptly and drew his sword.
“Ah! Count!”
The knights behind Gustav stepped in to protect him. Seeing the blazing aura blade, they swallowed hard, but Leo did not move.
“Baron Gustav Monarch. I need your help. Do you think I’m an unworthy prince, or am I a prince deserving of your loyalty?”
The aura blade, casting a shadow on Leo’s face, was extinguished. He sheathed his sword, and the knight hesitantly took the offered sheath.
“Choose.”
As Leo sat down, the knights were at a loss. Not knowing how to handle the enigmatic Swordmaster, they were bewildered, and just then, the Count, who had been intently watching the prince, intervened.
“Everyone, stand down.”
“But Count…”
“It’s fine. Everyone, please leave for a moment. I need to have a private conversation with this gentleman… and make sure to keep your mouths shut.”
The knights and the butler left like an ebbing tide. The only ones remaining in the drawing room were Leo, the count, and the steaming teacups.
Gustav took a sip of tea and then spoke.
“You are more impatient than you seem.”
“…”
“I don’t know why you’re in such a hurry, but it’s not good for people to know that you’re a Swordmaster. I have a very frightening friend, Benard Tatian, a high-ranking noble. If he notices you, you will be in a very difficult situation.”
“Thanks for the advice, but I want an answer first.”
Gustav leaned back against the sofa. After a moment of pondering, brushing his silver hair, he spoke.
“Alright. I will help you. But I will not assist you directly. I don’t want to return to the Kingdom of Conrad.”
“…Then what exactly will you do for me?”
“I can provide financial support. You will likely travel throughout the Kingdom of Conrad for a long struggle. If our Monarch Barony doesn’t directly participate in the rebellion, it can become your final refuge. Consider it a stepping stone for your comeback if you fail.”
“You speak strangely. If I fail in the rebellion and flee to the Monarch Barony, the barony won’t remain safe.”
“It’s fine. I should at least do that much since I can’t help you immediately.”
“…”
This is ridiculous. Leo looked incredulously at the count, who acted as if he was doing something grand.
A plan to kill with a borrowed knife.
This man was thinking of using someone else’s blade to get rid of everyone in the Monarch Barony. Given his sordid birth and likely mistreatment in his youth, it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible. However, the count’s attitude of not caring whether the rebellion succeeded or failed was somewhat puzzling given past events.
─ “Seeing you grown so much is touching, but unfortunate. If you, the prince, are alive, ‘our’ Kingdom of Conrad will be chaotic. Please, do not forgive me.”
In the cycle when Leo first met Count Gustav Peter, this was the result. The count had discovered Leo’s identity on the day he was to be adopted by Marquis Tatian and reported it to the marquis, whispering this just before Leo was chased away.
In other words, at that time, Count Gustav Peter didn’t want a succession dispute in the Kingdom of Conrad.
But why now…?
Of course, the situation now is very different from back then.
At that time, Leo was just a thug. His swordsmanship wasn’t remarkable, and he had few achievements, so Gustav probably saw him as a hopeless troublemaker. Leo was so incompetent that Gustav chose to discard him.
In contrast, now Leo is a Swordmaster, and the count cannot stop his actions. Furthermore, with the achievements from meeting the prince and the attributes {King’s Blood} and {Nobility}, the count likely decided he couldn’t discard Leo, even if it meant causing chaos in the Kingdom of Conrad.
So another question arises. Even if now is unavoidable, why didn’t the count want chaos in the Kingdom of Conrad before?
Thinking back, in a previous cycle, Gustav had said, ‘I will help you. But I need to check something, so please wait.’ He refused to meet after Leo caused a major scandal by kissing Princess Tatallia.
My head hurts.
Leo felt a severe headache but decided he had to take a chance.
“Alright. I appreciate your help. When I reclaim my rightful place, I will reward you generously. However…”
A show of humanity.
“It pains me to think the kingdom will be troubled by my ambition. Do you have any advice for me?”
“…Well? I believe the wise prince will manage well…”
It’s obvious he’s scheming. Leo pretended to earnestly seek advice, leaning forward, and the count, stroking his chin, opened his mouth after some thought.
“In the Kingdom of Conrad, aside from Prince Eric, there’s another scoundrel aiming for the throne. I regret to say it, but it has nothing to do with me, so I’ve been turning a blind eye. Bishop Berg…”
Damn it.
Leo clicked his tongue inwardly, realizing something significant. He finally understood the reason for Count Gustav’s existence.
Count Gustav Peter revealed that Bishop Berg was secretly nurturing priests and holy warriors. He warned Leo to closely inspect the “Granian Orphanage” if he ever visited Rutina, the capital of the Kingdom of Conrad, which was information Leo already knew.
So, the order was all mixed up.
In the fourth cycle of the beggar siblings, where Leo gathered knights to attack Prince Eric, he learned about the relationship between Bishop Berg and Count Peter from Xenia Zachary. At that time, though, he didn’t understand how Bishop Berg could be useful in ousting Prince Eric.
As a result, he tried to overthrow Prince Eric with only the knights, without the Bishop’s help, and met Oriax, leading to a disastrous ending. It was only after reading the ending text that he realized why Bishop Berg was necessary.
But if he had heard this story from Count Peter first…
The Count’s suggestion to topple the Bishop and start a rebellion—had he known about the relationship between the Count and the Bishop from Xenia Zachary after hearing this story, he wouldn’t have met such a terrible end in the fourth cycle.
Thinking this far, Leo found it hard to keep his expression in check.
This damn game has twisted the order in the most irritating way. To have a conversation with Count Peter, one must have accumulated various achievements, but gathering knights to attack Prince Eric in the Kingdom of Conrad wasn’t particularly difficult.
Offering an easy solution as bait and then mocking him with, “Actually, it was this! You idiot,” made Leo’s face flush red. It was stupid of him not to realize, but it was also incredibly frustrating.
“What’s the matter?”
“…Nothing. I’m just tired. Let’s discuss the details later…”
Meanwhile, I am still a beggar. Leo cleared his throat and continued speaking, despite feeling humiliated.
“May I ask for a room to stay in for a few days before I leave?”
Count Peter looked slightly taken aback. Leo brazenly lifted his chin but couldn’t quite meet the Count’s eyes, pretending instead to look around the drawing room.
Yeah. The beggar siblings’ scenario is always like this…
But the frustrating situations weren’t over yet.
During the few days Leo stayed at Count Peter’s mansion to prepare for his journey, he occasionally went to see Katrina. He taught her swordsmanship and, hoping to clear her quest, said, “Today is the last day. I must leave now. You’ve quit the knighthood, right?” expecting her to have completed her quest.
Katrina, stalling and pretending to be preoccupied, replied defiantly.
“I didn’t quit the knighthood. Why would I? I’ve learned everything.”
……What?