Chapter 83

This story is a work of fiction.

The characters, organizations, and names are all fictional and have no connection to any real entities.

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078 - Grissom and the King

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The monsters on the 8th floor of the capital dungeon are only merfolk, but they always gather in groups of dozens. A group of 20 is considered small, and at times, there can be nearly 100 of them. Each one isn't particularly strong, but their numbers are troublesome. Being surrounded by 100 merfolk is quite terrifying. However, we don't back down because we aren't that weak.

"Let's call it a day. I'm pretty tired."

"Indeed."

After eliminating 80 merfolk, we decided to pick up the dropped items and return to the mansion.

In this exploration, we fought and defeated over 500 merfolk. The dropped items included 462 D-rank magic stones, 17 magic swords, 15 magic spears, 13 magic bows, and 2 magic staves. Annelise, Gandarban, Bartz, Jyjok, Rin, Solidia, and Rosalina have all reached level 43. Colon and Caron are at level 32.

I, the reincarnated hero, am at level 42, the dual-wielder hero is at level 41, the assassin is at level 41, the enchanter is at level 38, and the swordsman is at level 42. With everyone's levels increasing, I've been focusing on leveling up other jobs instead of the enchanter. I've finally caught up to Bartz, and I plan to surpass him.

When we exited the dungeon, the sky was pitch black. We spent more time in the dungeon this time but didn't reach the boss room. This means the battles with the merfolk took a lot of time. The mapping didn't progress much, indicating the high density of monsters.

Damn. I saw an unpleasant face. It's Grissom. He's about to enter the dungeon.

"………"

We passed by Grissom's group without exchanging words. Perhaps because of what happened last time, he avoids making eye contact with me.

"Gandarban, please take everyone back."

"Don't overdo it."

"I understand."

I sent everyone back and decided to head to Grissom's mansion.

"I'll be back soon."

I placed my hand on Annelise's cheek, which is as smooth and beautiful as always. She looks at me with worried eyes.

"Please come back quickly."

"Sure, I'll be back soon."

After parting ways with everyone, I activated the Stealth skill and ran to Grissom's mansion. In the familiar house, I phased through the walls and searched for any presence. I discovered that the slaves were locked in cages. Even though they were given food and water, this is unacceptable. He's truly a scumbag (angry).

I want to free them, but if I do so now, it will reveal that I've sneaked in. I tried to leave the cages with a heavy heart but felt something was off. What is it...?

Ah, one person is missing. Grissom's party consists of six people, but there are only five slaves here. There used to be six, so one is missing.

I checked the five slaves with Detailed Appraisal, but there's no record of the missing one. Even with Detailed Appraisal, it doesn't record information about other slaves.

However, I learned one thing. The missing slave was Grissom's favorite. In a party of six, three men and three women, the slaves were also three men and three women. The missing one is a female slave who was always by Grissom's side. Unpleasant thoughts run through my mind. I can only hope she's not...

I'll check on the slaves from time to time in the future. When I entered Grissom's room, it was different from usual.

"Is this blood?"

There were dark stains on the carpet that looked like blood. With Detailed Appraisal, I confirmed it was the blood of a slave. That bastard...

The amount of blood indicates a fatal wound. But where is the body? Ah, in the dungeon. The dungeon absorbs bodies, making it perfect for covering up evidence.

"Scumbag!"

I'm angry. I feel terrible.

I want to make him suffer the same way, or even worse.

But how can I get evidence of his crimes? He's a scumbag, but he has no evidence.

No, there is some evidence. It's reflected in his Record Card.

The father has evidence, so I could destroy the father first and then turn Grissom over to the guards. That way, he can't escape using the father's power.

I really want to get solid evidence, but if I leave him alone, more people will suffer.

Why is his job still a Weak Caster? He could easily be a Thief. What's the trick?

Could he have a way to bypass the divine crime system? When I appraised him, there were no such cheats. Maybe he has an item? I have no idea...

Returning to the duke's mansion without evidence, Annelise, Rosalina, Rin, Solidia, and Kanzaki-san were elegantly enjoying tea. The men were in the bath.

"Hey, a tea party. It's a feast for the eyes with all the beautiful ladies."

"Welcome back. Your equipment?"

Annelise tried to take my equipment.

"I can do this myself. Annelise, go chat with everyone."

"That's not acceptable. This is my job!"

The pressure is intense... What's going on?

"I'll help too."

Rosalina too?

"Ah, I... I'll help too."

Kanzaki-san as well? What's happening?

"No, really, I can do it myself."

"「No, you can't!」"

Hey, Rin, Solidia, help me out!

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Ah, I had a rough time.

The three of them competed to take off my equipment. My equipment is set to Quick Equip, so it can be removed instantly. What's up with them suddenly?

Since the duke isn't here, I have to present the evidence to the princess. She's not a bad person, but she seems a bit unreliable due to her upbringing. Is it really okay to hand over the evidence? I have some doubts.

And how to hand it over? I can't just say, "Here's the evidence." That would draw unnecessary attention from the princess.

I can't sneak into the princess's bedroom either. Sneaking into a woman's room is a no-go for me.

By the way, the king is ill. I should check on him. It would be good to find someone who understands the situation.

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The next day, I sneaked into the castle to check on the king.

The duke's castle had strict security, but the king's castle had even more guards.

But a Level 41 Assassin can go anywhere.

I entered various rooms but couldn't find the king's room. There were too many rooms.

Finally, I entered a room with very strict security. This must be it.

A man was lying on a luxurious canopy bed. His face was ashen, and he didn't look healthy at all. His originally blonde hair had turned almost entirely white. His breathing was shallow, and it was clear he was severely ill. It would be impossible to talk to him in this state.

―――Detailed Appraisal.

"………"

I see, this is quite serious.

The king has been poisoned. The poison causes symptoms similar to Dargan's disease.

The question is who poisoned him. It couldn't be the princess... The princess's appraisal didn't show any such indication. It wasn't the finance minister or Earl Elbasil either. There must be another culprit.

The king has been poisoned, and the ministers and high officials are enriching themselves. This country is probably doomed. The only hope is that the princess is serious and there are still decent people like the captain of the knights. But the scumbags are definitely in control. The country faces a choice between a major cleanup or destruction.

The king is in a very serious condition, but all I can do is inform the princess.

The king's death doesn't matter to me, but I can't ignore the poisoning. Even if it's too late to save him, it feels wrong to do nothing...

I heard from the duke that the king decided to summon a hero. Emotionally, I want to punch him a few times, but it seems he did it purely for the country's sake. He didn't consider the heroes who would be brought in.

Thank you for reading.

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＜Notice＞

On 2/16, I added some content to "076 - Various Things to Lead to Destruction."