The Founding Monarch Became the Mastermind

Chapter 46

“All preparations are complete. Let’s head out immediately.”

Sir Longlive, the knight stationed in the village below the mine to support the Cheolsan Dwarves, led his troops into action.

“That’s just like Si-on!”

“Wow, that’s some fast movement.”

The dwarves could only marvel at Longlive and his soldiers’ prompt response.

However, if they thought about it for a moment, they would have noticed something strange.

Incidents had frequently occurred around Cheolsan before, but they were always caused by monsters or beasts, and typically, a small standby force would be dispatched immediately.

Even if this was a raid by humans rather than beasts or monsters, it was unusual for all the soldiers, including Longlive himself, to be fully armed and ready so quickly.

Most of the dwarves, who were frantic about the unprecedented situation of their comrades being attacked by dozens of invaders, failed to notice this oddity.

“Hmm. Unlike some useless idiots, this looks reliable. I’m counting on you, Sir Longlive.”

Staliff glanced sideways at the dwarf warriors who were finally arriving breathlessly, then the knight, clad in chainmail and armed with a one-handed sword and shield, tapped his shield with his sword.

“Leave it to me. As Cheolsan’s ally, I will certainly punish those intruders.”

“I have no doubt. Indeed, Si-on and the knights of Paloma are impressive.”

Staliff’s words, seemingly praising Paloma more than Si-on, caused Longlive to smile in satisfaction.

“This is true. Paloma is the foremost sword and shield of the great Si-on. But those fellows over there…?”

Noticing the dwarf warriors panting and struggling to form up, Longlive glanced at them, and Staliff wrinkled his nose in disgust.

“Use them as guides. They may be worthless, but they can at least find the way.”

“Very well.”

Smirking at the dwarf warriors with an evident air of disdain, Longlive drew his sword and shouted.

“Sons of Paloma! For our old ally Cheolsan, we shall… huh?”

Longlive, who had been shouting confidently, suddenly squinted his eyes. From afar, a group was emerging from the forest.

Clang!

Seeing a dozen figures approaching, Longlive immediately tightened his grip on his sword.

“Are those the intruders? You bastards, you…!”

“They’re our comrades! Those are our fellow warriors!”

Rangliff’s loud shout overpowered Longlive’s voice.

“What?”

Both Staliff and Longlive uttered the same words at the same time.

Others also looked at the figures in surprise, and as their forms became clearer, the expressions of tenSi-on and fear on their faces gradually faded.

“They’re real! It turned out just like Si-on said!”

Seeing the reactions of his comrades, Rangliff couldn’t contain his elation and shouted joyfully.

“Our comrades have won! And those bastards there, they’re the ones who attacked us!”

The dwarf warriors led three tall humans, bound like skewered fish.

Anyone could see they were prisoners.

“Wooaaah!!!”

The dwarves cheered loudly.

“They actually won? Is this for real?”

“My son is there? How is this even possible?”

Even the two labor council members widened their eyes in disbelief, unable to hide their excitement.

“Did those guys really pull it off?”

“Wow, impressive.”

Even the soldiers dispatched from Si-on’s domain couldn’t help but be impressed.

Although they were allies, even Si-on’s troops had looked down on the Cheolsan dwarf warriors.

After all, even the best among the dwarf warriors couldn’t defeat the weakest of Si-on’s forces.

Everyone marveled and was impressed by the dwarf warriors who marched proudly with their captives in tow.

However, two people, Staliff and Longlive, had slightly different reactions.

While they were just as shocked as the others, their eyes were filled with unease.

Staliff and Longlive were incredibly shaken.

“How did this happen?”

“I… I don’t know.”

Staliff whispered under his breath, standing on tiptoe beside Longlive, his voice laced with confuSi-on.

“What do you mean you don’t know? Did you hire some bottom-of-the-barrel thugs who are barely worth scrap iron?”

“Polimos is not some trash gang. They may not be top-tier, but they’re experienced and quite capable…”

“Hah! And you’re saying these so-called capable guys were beaten by those useless idiots?”

“What’s going on? What are you guys talking about?”

“Eek!”

Staliff, who had unwittingly raised his voice, was startled and turned with a forced smile.

“Nothing at all.”

“Really? But who is that person on horseback? They don’t look like a prisoner to me.”

“Hmm?”

Distracted by their conversation and the shocking sight of the dwarf warriors returning victorious with prisoners, neither Staliff nor Longlive had noticed the figure appearing from the forest.

“…!?”

A huge black horse carrying a man approached, followed by a tan horse loaded with various items.

“He’s a knight.”

Though lightly armed, Longlive quickly realized the tan horse carried weapons and other equipment, making him narrow his eyes.

In Si-on’s domain, knights who traveled with two horses were, nine times out of ten, knights of the Si-on Ducal Family.

Even if they didn’t live in the ducal castle or Paloma, they were almost certainly connected to the Si-on Ducal Family.

“If that’s the case…”

Longlive quickly composed himself, managing his expression, and walked briskly forward.

Seeing this, Staliff hesitated before hurrying after him.

“Is this for real? Did you really beat them and take prisoners?”

“Incredible! Truly incredible!”

They passed the dwarves who were cheering and celebrating as they surrounded the victorious warriors and stood before the calmly approaching knight.

Unlike Staliff, who looked up at the knight with a nervous and troubled expression, Longlive coughed once and respectfully began to speak.

“I am Sir Ethan Longlive of Paloma. May I ask who you are?”

In Si-on’s domain, there were quite a few knights, even if they were not directly part of the Ducal Family’s military.

Among those who came with the Founding Duke Jang Si-on, the descendants of those who had upheld their lineage and become knights themselves numbered over a hundred.

However, not all of them had joined the military for various reasons and instead served as local leaders organizing militia in their towns.

In other words, they were not recognized as nobles by the Ducal Family. So, as a knight of Paloma serving directly under the Si-on Ducal Family’s legitimate heirs, such as Gede Si-on, Longlive felt entitled to act superior.

But for now, he maintained his composure and watched the knight’s reaction closely.

He needed to determine whether this knight was involved in their “plan” or an unexpected variable.

“Longlive?”

“…Yes. You seem to know our family. And you are?”

Longlive’s annoyance flared slightly, but he kept it in check.

To be recognized by name after being identified as a knight of Paloma suggested that the man before him was not of low standing.

‘So he’s just some descendant of those who followed the Founding Duke here, but got pushed out of the competition. A bumpkin lording it over a backwater.’

The men who came with the Founding Duke Jang Si-on were all his direct subordinates and veterans of the Dark Dragon War, rewarded for their service by being settled throughout the Duchy after it stabilized.

Ranked just above commoners, these knights, known as the “White Tiger Knights,” had been set as leaders of various towns in the early days of the Duchy.

Yet, since only the knights themselves were titled, their descendants remained commoners, albeit proud of their heroic lineage.

True knights like Longlive, who continued to serve in the military and earned their titles, were secretly wary but could not openly disregard these descendants.

“Ah, Longlive. So, that’s how it is.”

The knight seemed to nod as if something had come to mind.

Longlive’s shoulders lifted slightly.

Even this country knight seemed to recognize the Longlive name.

But the knight’s gaze swept past Longlive, resting instead on the labor council member, Staliff.

Throb.

A vein bulged on Longlive’s forehead at the blatant disregard.

“Are you the one who orchestrated this farce?”

“…!!!”

Sometimes there are moments when you have to skip the usual icebreakers and pleasantries.

Normally, you’d warm up a discussion or negotiation before diving into the main topic, ensuring mutual understanding and rapport. But there are occaSi-ons when ignoring all that is necessary to reach your desired conclussion.

Especially when you’ve judged the person before you to be an enemy, not an ally.

And Si-on had judged that Longlive and the red-bearded labor councilman next to him were internal enemies.

“Wh-what are you saying….”

Staliff, flustered, stammered at the unexpected direct accusation.

‘This dumb dwarf bastard!’

Longlive cursed inwardly.

He was as surprised as Staliff but had managed to keep his face under control, whereas Staliff, panicked, responded as if something had indeed gone wrong.

“What’s that? A farce? What do you mean?”

Another council member, speaking in a thick western accent, scowled as he stepped forward.

“The prisoners have confessed. They said they were hired to raid.”

“Hired?”

Sensing that things were going south, Longlive quickly interjected.

“Sir, what are you talking about? A farce? Why would Paloma and Cheolsan conspire together? Hah! Are you seriously going to believe the words of those bastards who attacked our allied Cheolsan…?”

“I never said Paloma was involved in the farce, not even once.”

“…….”

Longlive, who had been composedly delivering a dramatic speech, suddenly froze.

He had walked right into a textbook trap.

Though such tactics don’t always work, Si-on had bet that this typical approach would catch him this time.

Because the Longlive he knew was a textbook case of predictability.

‘This guy must be about my great-grandfather’s generation. One of the old-timers who followed me all the way here when he made trouble right after arriving.’

Indeed, the Longlive knew was among those who had accompanied him to the Duchy.

Specifically, he was a royal knight who had followed Si-on’s wife.

Loyal and steadfast to the point of being criticized as rigid, he was weak in adaptability and quick to anger.

Ethan Longlive, the current man before Si-on, bore a striking resemblance to that ancestor, prompting Si-on to bait him with a classic trap that worked just as expected.

“Baseless lies! As a knight of Si-on, I ask you this! Who are you? Who dares to slander a knight of Si-on with lies on Si-on’s land?”

Even his reaction was predictable. When cornered or out of words, he would get angry and try to rely on his authority, just like his grandfather.

Si-on, realizing that lineage truly doesn’t stray far, finally revealed his own identity.

“I am Salen.”

“Hah! Who is Salen…?”

Longlive, ready to burst into a tirade, suddenly clamped his mouth shut.

He, of all people, should have known who Salen was.

After all, his ancestor had served as the royal guard to the princess who became the consort of the Founding Duke Jang Si-on.