Alliance
King Ardeus looks at the knight in the corner of the room, the knight walks to the head and checks it.
"It is indeed the Chief Leader of the Tiger Bandits." He says before he takes the head and walks out of the room with it. Several maids came in and cleaned the bloodstains quickly and left.
"Impressive, but how did you do it?" Ardeus says.
"I-"
Mina stops me and takes out a recording device.
!
She places the device on the floor and a hologram pops up, revealing my actions that led to the kill.
The throne room is filled with gasps from the nobles.
"You used your heavenly tribulation? How are you still alive? Were you hiding your strength?"
"My apologies, even I do not know how that happened, all I did was grit my teeth and endure the pain. In addition, how can I hide my mere strength in front of you?" I say.
"True, miracles cannot be explained. Now, how did you find the bandit's hideout?"
"We tortured a bandit and the bandit vaguely told us that the base was in the Mountain of Husk. Knowing that the base of the Tiger Bandits changes every time, we decided to go after them ourselves." Mina says.
"And you used a suicide method?"
"That's the only way we can defeat a core formation," I say.
After every operation, whether a success or failure, the Tiger Bandits will always change their base hideout. Thus, the imperial army is unable to track them down even if they did torture information out of bandits.
"I see. Now that the suspicions are out of the way, let's move on to the reward ceremony. Mina, tell me, what would you want as a reward?" The king asks.
Mina ponders about it before she finally says. "Money."
"Understood. As for you Loi, you have committed a serious offence and crippled the son of a marquis family, the Calesta Family." Says the king.
The captain smirks at me as he has waited for this moment.
Calesta? Then that bastard must be Vincent Calesta, famous for being worthless trash who bullies the weak and indulges himself in women every day.
"However, seeing that you achieved a remarkable feat, your reward will be freedom from your punishment."
"WHAT?!" Vincent exclaims. "That's fucking bullshit! So what if he found the bandits by chance and survived, he crippled me! ME! WHO IS HE TO LAY HIS HANDS ON ME-"
Vincent stops his anger when he sees the king glaring at him. The princes both stare at Vincent with detest for his arrogance.
"With that, this will mark the end of an era of horror and this day will be celebrated for centuries-"
"Excuse me, your majesty, but I felt that your judgement is unjust." I interrupt the king.
!!!!!!
"Y-You...." Vincent mumbles.
"What do you mean?"
I take a recording device and place it on the floor.
"A-Another one?" A noble mumbles.
A hologram shows up, exposing the actions of Vincent from the time he challenged me to a duel to the time I crippled him.
"T-That's!! I was just wanting t-to teach him some manners and put him into place. Just a simple duel yet he decided to cripple me when I was planning to knock him out on his nape." Says Vincent.
...
The king's eyebrows narrow.
"It is as Vincent said, what can you use to support your accusation?"
...
He is purposely siding with the nobles.
I don't want to provoke the king but...
"Your majesty, you are my evidence."
His eyes widen. "Hm?"
"Your Majesty, you are strong and wise enough to see the truth in this video, I wouldn't dare to doubt your words, so, please look closer and make your right judgement." I emphasise 'please'.
"Insolence! Are you stating that the king is being unfair-"
Ardeus raises his hand to interrupt the knight from speaking.
He smiles. "I've taken a closer look, you are right. His sword blade was positioned at your nape and from his arm, he has no intention to use the pommel to knock you out."
!!
"W-Wait! I'm-"
"As such, Vincent Calesta have committed a capital crime and will receive a punishment of 50 whipping and 10 years of imprisonment. Is that satisfactory for you, Loi?"
I smile. "Absolutely, thank you very much."
Two knights walk into the room.
"W-Wait! You bastard! Stop, don't touch me!" Vincent yells as the knights apprehend him. "FUCK! DON'T THINK THIS IS THE END, I WILL KILL YOU! YOU WILL DIE! I WILL PAY BACK THIS HUMILIATION A THOUSAND-"
The knights punch Vincent in his stomach as he vomits and coughs to shut him up. He was then dragged out of the room.
"No!! My baby!! How dare you! Mere commoner-"
The fat lady beside Vincent walked toward me but was stopped by some knights.
"Y-You!!! Just watch, every single one of you will regret going against the Marquis family." And the fat lady storms out of the throne room, oblivious to the fact that she cursed even the king.
"Now that it is settled, Loi, what do you want?"
...
"A title," I say.
!!!!!!!!!!
"I understand. This will conclude the reward ceremony, a festival will be held in the first and second section at 3 pm later in the afternoon." The king says as the broadcast ends.
...
The nobles glare at me as they walk past me. Mina and I rise from our kneeling and proceed to walk out of the throne room as the king suddenly stopped me.
"Ah, Loi, do you mind staying behind? I want to discuss something with you."
...
I nod. Mina glared at the king as she closes the door of the throne room.
"Yes, your majesty?" I say.
"Drop the formality, talk normally. I assume you are aiming for the open Baron position left behind by the Igniz family? You do know that the plot of land they own is worthless, absolutely tainted by their corruption and laziness."
"I do, why?"
The old man smirks. He takes off his jewel crown and places it on the armrest of his throne chair.
"You remind me of my past self. Brave and tenacious, yet calculative and manipulative."
...
"What do you think of the Calesta family?" Ardeus asks me.
"Piece of shits," I say.
"Right. That's what happens with every noble family. They do not bother to even show me respect."
"Isn't this your fault?" I ask.
...
"Do you know I used to be a commoner? That was...well...hundreds of years ago, everyone forgot about it." Says Ardeus
!?
"What?"
"I am a bastard born from an affair, so even though I have royal blood in my veins, I am still a commoner... That's a common fact known by every single noble. Thus, I have very little power despite being a king."
Huh?
"That makes no sense, you are at the top of the hierarchy! Why are you suppressed by people from below?"
I clench my fist in anger. "Bastard, do you know how much my family suffered under your rule-"
"What can a King with no followers do?" Ardeus says.
!
"A king with no loyal followers is nothing more than a puppet. I thought I was the one controlling them, but it was the other way round. The nobles were controlling me, making use of me to do whatever the fuck they want. Each and everyone one of them is fucking selfish, an endless amount of greed isn't even enough to satisfy them."
...
The King sighs. "Even my two children, they are plotting against each other just like my past self, they know I am going to die soon... That's when you appeared."
?
"You... You have a bold aura... Like an old veteran in a child's body. The way you act and talk isn't something people at your age will do."
!!!!
...
"You are special, you have the guts to go against those nobles. So I want to make an alliance with you."
"...What?"
"You are seen as an eyesore for every noble here. They will do whatever they can to get rid of you and your family... So I will support you. Items, artifacts or money, name it and I will try and get it for you. You can ask me to help you in any way." Says Ardeus.
...
I see what is going on. Since the noble is going after me, by helping me and keeping me alive, I can get rid of the nobles for him.
A give and take situation but an unfair one.
Still, I do not have any reason to reject it. "Sure," I say.
"Good. But let me warn you, I cannot help you too often, it will be too suspicious. Who knows, the nobles may have planted spies in the castle."
The King raises his hand and something explodes in the throne room. I look at the pillar where the sound came from, it seems to be a spy device.
"May I make my first request now?" I ask.
"Sure."
"Zerpen Artifact and a few soul essence pills. Can you get those for me?"
!!
The King scratches his hair.
"Haha... How do you even know about those?" He asks.
"Why? You can't get them?"
"No... I can... But uh... Soul essence pills are very rare so it might take some time and the Zerpen artifact is eyed by the Calesta family..."
That is precisely why I requested them.
The King sighs. "Fine. I will get them within 2 weeks and will personally send them to your residence. Speaking of which, your family should pack up tonight. Some workers will pick your family up tomorrow, congratulations on becoming a Baron."