The Founding Monarch Became the Mastermind

Chapter 41

The initial reason Si-on decided to reveal his true identity to only a select few when he began getting involved in the Duke’s affairs was due to concerns about attacks from the nobles and religious figures of the Kingdom of Obla.

If a human who had neither aged nor died for nearly 100 years suddenly reappeared and began acting openly, chaos would inevitably ensue.

And that chaos would most likely harm both Si-on and the Duke’s family.

Couldn’t the current King of the Kingdom of Obla, who held unprecedentedly powerful royal authority, help him?

Even though the current King of the Kingdom of Obla, who was practically a nephew to him, could privately support Si-on, revealing his identity would place him in a difficult situation.

Everyone knew the close relationship between Si-on and both the former and current kings, making it impossible for the current King to openly support Si-on.

Would the King side with the Si-on Duchy, which was almost like a semi-independent state, or listen to the nobles who faithfully paid taxes every year?

As King, he had no choice.

Choosing the former would destroy trust between the royal family and the nobles, leading to attacks on the King by his ministers and nobles.

Thus, Si-on concluded that reappearing at the forefront of the Duke’s family was not worth considering.

It was far better to achieve his goals by revealing his identity to key members of the Duke’s family, negotiating, or suppressing them with force.

Though the future was uncertain, this was the best option for now.

And that path, no matter how one tried to put it nicely, was that of a manipulator or mastermind.

“A mastermind, huh.”

A hero who saved the world from the Dark Dragon, now a mastermind? And that too, behind the family he had founded?

Bael was flabbergasted.

Yet at the same time, a strange sense of déjà vu crept up on him.

“Now that I think about it, I remember your old friends used to obediently listen to whatever you said back in the day.”

“Those guys? Your memory must have deteriorated since I last saw you, Bael.”

From the notoriously ill-tempered one to the gloomy one whose thoughts were inscrutable, and even the fake priest who posed as a zealot while secretly taking bribes.

Recalling his former comrades, who were called heroes but were either missing a screw or had a peculiar mental world, Si-on shook his head.

“Hm. Elves don’t joke, Jang. I think it’s you whose memory has faded. Ah, maybe you’ve only maintained your appearance while becoming an old man inside, unlike me.”

“What the….”

What was this? An elf making jokes?

Had a dwarf possessed him while they hadn’t seen each other?

“Anyway, come to think of it, even back then, you were good at soothing the heroes and bringing them together. Technically, the leader of the heroes was the Crown Prince, but if you look closely, the heroes always moved according to your opinions. Oddly enough.”

“…….”

Si-on couldn’t refute Bael’s words, who vividly remembered the past even after many long years.

Because it was true.

“If we go by rank, you were the lowest. The Crown Prince received the greatest glory among the six heroes, and the other heroes also gained immense glory and honor, but you, Jang, only received a title that was good in name and this land, which at the time was insignificant and worthless.

Moreover, everyone thought the Crown Prince had sent you here to keep you in check. Many even said that it was an excessive reward for you.”

“…The only thing excessive for me was my wife. The rest was fair compensation.”

“That’s only because the princess threatened the King and Crown Prince that she would set the palace on fire if they didn’t let her marry you.”

“…….”

Husband and wife are of one mind.

Even though his beloved wife had long passed, Si-on responded by invoking his right to remain silent when her dark past was brought up as testimony.

“And rumors went around that even that threat was something you subtly suggested to the princess, which she then carried out.”

“No, that’s….”

Si-on tried to defend himself but closed his mouth again.

When his wife had asked for advice, he had absentmindedly said, “Just set something on fire or something,” never imagining she’d actually do it.

“Looking back, it seems you were always skilled as a mastermind. And now, after so many years, your talent has likely been refined, and your methods have become more sophisticated…”

Bael smiled warmly at Si-on and continued.

“It suits you well, and I think you’ll do an excellent job, mastermind.”

“…….”

Although he had brought it up himself, Si-on somehow wanted to take it all back.

* * *

“Not even seeing a woman, and we didn’t even strip? This is a scam….”

Among the group, which had stayed one night at the Buksan Elf Village and had to leave before sunrise, the youngest mercenary, Mista, grumbled incessantly.

But none of the group paid any mind to his nonsense and continued through the forest, guided by Friel and the Buksan Elves.

To reach the Si-on Duchy, they would have to use the highway, but their destination was far off the beaten path.

So the elves riding on gau were leading the way, but their speed was significantly slowed, and their visibility was limited, leaving everyone a bit on edge.

Of course, Si-on remained calm.

‘Nothing’s changed here.’

When Si-on had first been granted this territory long ago, he had traveled with just as much tension as the group now, but now the tranquility of the forest felt more like comfort.

In his prime, Si-on would lead elves and a few knights here to hunt wild animals and monsters.

As those memories came flooding back, the people traveling near him felt strangely new.

A few knights brought by Yonas looked somewhat familiar, likely descendants of those who had accompanied him to this land.

He hadn’t noticed before because he hadn’t paid close attention, but as old memories resurfaced in the forest, he naturally recognized it.

‘Memories really are strange.’

It was a different feeling than looking at his own descendants, Yonas and Sirvan.

It was less about the cliché of the past and present being connected and more like walking through the past and present simultaneously.

The forest was unchanged from back then, and those walking with him were descendants of those who had walked with him before.

In the end, nothing had changed.

The only thing that had changed was the Duke’s family, which he had built himself.

‘But that, too, is something that needs to be verified in person.’

Yonas, despite being a bit inflexible, was not as entitled or obstinate as his first impression suggested.

In fact, his loyalty to the family and Si-on himself was genuine.

The same went for his grand-nephew, Sirvan.

Though young and brimming with youthful arrogance, he wasn’t a lost cause.

Had he been a bad seed or an utterly hopeless case, he would never have obediently listened to his uncle Yonas, whose official position in the family was high but whose real power was limited (a sign that his influence had waned).

Si-on knew well how insolent the direct descendants of high-ranking noble families, who were guaranteed future power, could be.

Yet, Sirvan, who was assured of a position in Paloma, one of the most coveted port cities in the Si-on Duchy, still respected his uncle, who had no wife or children.

This alone was enough to draw the reasonable conclusion that the problem was not the Si-on Duchy itself but a select few of its members.

‘Maybe just a few need to be cut out.’

Of course, that would not be easy.

Identifying and removing only the infected parts required an extremely delicate touch.

The healthy tissue near the wound must remain unharmed, and performing such a task in relationships deeply intertwined with family ties was far more complex than any surgical procedure.

Lost in his thoughts, Si-on heard Piotr’s voice.

“This is rather strange.”

“What do you mean?”

Piotr, who had been strictly warned not to reveal Si-on’s true identity, cautiously observed the dense forest as he spoke.

“We’ve come this far, and I haven’t heard the sound of birds or animals. Does this forest have no wildlife?”

Si-on, who was about to answer, glanced at Stelman, the Janstrick Mercenary Commander, who vigilantly watched his surroundings.

Stelman spoke on Si-on’s behalf.

“This is how it usually is near habitats of medium-to-large monsters, my lord.”

“Monsters?”

“Yes. It’s not that there’s no wildlife; it’s just hiding its presence. Also, this forest is quite famous among mercenaries.”

“Here?”

Piotr tilted his head in confusion, prompting Sirvan to step forward.

“Oh, Uncle, you’ve never heard of the Forest Without Echoes?”

“The Forest Without Echoes? Is that what this place is called, nephew?”

“Yes. It’s also called the Forest That Swallows Sound. Once you go in deep enough, no matter how much you scream, the sound won’t reach outside, so it got that name. But the truth is….”

“The forest stretches over 80 kilometers east to west and extends 20 kilometers north to south. It perfectly separates the peninsula where the Si-on Duchy is located from the mainland of the kingdom.

No one knows how many wild beasts and medium-to-large monsters live within. This forest is why the Si-on Duchy has been safe from external threats for such a long time.”

Low mountains ranging from 50 to 100 meters composed this vast area, and each mountain was home to wild beasts or medium-to-large monsters.

So when Si-on first received this peninsula, including the forest, his impression was:

‘I thought this must have been what medieval Korea was like.’

They said that in Korea’s mountains, there were always leopards or tigers, or some kind of beast?

The Si-on Duchy back then was no different, if not worse.

Moreover, countless monsters inhabited the long, towering Brandin Mountain Range along the eastern coast of the duchy, and creatures pushed out from territory battles there frequently flowed into the forest, leaving no days of peace.

In the distant past, the Si-on Duchy was a realm of wild beasts and monsters, and the Forest Without Echoes was their playground.

“How ironic that monsters made the territory safer.”

“Of course, there were attempts to invade.”

“Once, the Pamel Count’s Family, a major territory, attempted an invasion.”

Sirvan quickly chimed in, eager to demonstrate his superior knowledge of the duchy over Si-on.

“The Pamel Count sent an army of over 3,000, but nearly half disappeared while passing through the Forest Without Echoes. In effect, they were wiped out before even engaging in battle.”

Si-on chuckled fondly at Sirvan’s eager storytelling.

It wasn’t just that his descendant knew the history of the duchy and family well; it reminded him why he had decided to fight within the duchy, despite various objections, instead of battling outside.

“The esteemed founding patriarch, Duke Jang Si-on, persuaded the elves to devise the strategy.”

“Oh? The founding patriarch?”

Piotr glanced over, catching a faint smile from his usually stoic great-grandfather.

That smile made Piotr recall the conversation he’d had with his patriarch the previous night.

—Once, the Pamel Count invaded the duchy through the forest but was utterly defeated. This time, we’ll do exactly what the Pamel Count did.

—You mean we won’t go straight to the Duke’s castle?

—Now that we’ve identified the main culprit, we must deal with the accomplices first and eliminate any escape routes.

—By accomplices… do you mean the Pamel Count’s Family?

—Looks like they still hold a grudge because we didn’t deal with them properly back then. But this time will be different.

The patriarch’s face, who had declared himself the mastermind for the sake of the family, was truly terrifying.