The Founding Monarch Became the Mastermind

Chapter 47

“Se, Salen? Are you, no, could you really be Salen?”

“You’ll find out if you check, won’t you?”

Longlive, with eyes trembling violently, swallowed his dry spit and closely examined the identification badge Si-on had handed him.

And then.

“I apologize! Sir Salen! Knight Ethan Longlive! I sincerely apologize!”

Longlive saluted sharply and bowed his head deeply.

“Ah, no, what is this….”

Staliff and the Labor Council members were baffled by Longlive’s sudden change in attitude, but this reaction was only natural.

Longlive, a former court knight, had settled in the duchy by following Si-on’s wife.

And his wife’s middle name was Salen.

To the current ‘Longlive’ knights, who took pride in their ancestors that had served alongside the wife of the Founding Duke Jang Si-on and national matron, Salen was just as emotionally significant as the Si-on Ducal Family.

“Wasn’t Longlive the knight who followed the princess to the duchy? How did he become a knight of Paloma?”

Si-on posed a question for which he already knew the answer.

“After the late Duke Jang Si-on had his second son inherit the name of Salen and sent him to Paloma, our family accompanied him.”

To be precise, the middle name had been passed down to the second son from his wife.

It had already been discussed with the King of Obla at the time, so there were no issues.

Therefore, the Si-on standing before Ethan Longlive was the original lord his great-great-grandfather had served, and when the Si-on Ducal Family separated, the one who had been specially granted the middle name to continue their legacy—the true ‘Main House.’

“I see. Then, as a descendant of the knight who once served the princess, Salen, a royal, asks this of you, Sir Ethan Longlive. Will you now speak the truth?”

‘Damn it.’

Being from the Main House Salen was overwhelming enough, but now, the royal family was also involved.

Longlive instinctively looked back at the soldiers standing by. What if he used them to silence everyone by force?

‘Not a chance.’

There were too many eyes watching; such a thing was impossible.

“First, let’s go see the Mine Master. I had business there anyway.”

“Y-Yes….”

Like a cow being led to the slaughter, Longlive had no choice but to follow.

* * *

The Mine Master of the Cheolsan Dwarves, Sminov, was a stout man in his mid to late fifties with fierce, sharp eyes.

He had risen to the position of Mine Master, the chief overseer and representative of the miners and artisans, about ten years ago and had recently been troubled.

The date for contract renewal was approaching, but the Si-on Ducal Family was plagued by internal strife.

After the suspicious death of the previous Duke a few years ago, the position of Duke had not yet been filled.

Normally, the previous Duke’s successor, Blint Si-on, would have inherited the title, but the issue arose because Blint was not of age at the time of the previous Duke’s death.

Until Blint came of age, the previous Duke’s brother and Blint’s uncle, Gede Si-on, was supposed to serve as regent for just one year.

There was no major issue up to this point; it was only a matter of time.

However, during Gede Si-on’s regency, problems concerning the deaths of Blint’s two older brothers, who had died long ago, resurfaced.

The deaths of the two brothers—one from a fall and the other from illness—were rumored to have been intentional accidents and poisoning.

Naturally, suspicion fell on the third son, Blint.

More specifically, on Blint’s mother, Madam Katrina, who was the second wife of the previous Duke.

For this reason, Blint’s ascension to the title of Duke was postponed until the truth could be uncovered.

Gede did not return to Paloma but continued to hold the regency.

However, the loyal retainers who had long recognized Blint as the heir demanded that he step down.

Fearing the issue could escalate into civil war, Gede accepted the demand, stepped down from the regency, and returned to Paloma.

However, he made a bombshell declaration that if the truth was not properly established, he would push for Paloma’s independence.

Thus, the internal strife of the Si-on Ducal Family was becoming increasingly complicated and bizarre….

‘Complicated and bizarre, my ass. It’s just a power struggle between an uncle and his nephew.’

Sminov didn’t care about any of it; he just wanted the contracts renewed as quickly as possible.

Whether it was Gede or Blint, the lives of Sminov and the dwarves in Cheolsan wouldn’t change much.

They were well-fed and living comfortably in Cheolsan.

But then.

A secret proposal made to him not long ago had shaken his resolve.

—If you support me as the next Duke, I will renew the contract in favor of the Cheolsan Dwarves.

The Cheolsan Dwarves had no say in the internal matters of the Si-on Ducal Family.

But wasn’t that what alliances were for?

The Cheolsan Dwarves’ technology significantly aided the Si-on Duchy’s development, and their master artisans still served as key personnel.

As such, the collective opinion of the Cheolsan Dwarves, represented by the Mine Master, would inevitably have a considerable impact on the competition for the Duke’s title.

So Sminov agreed to the discreet proposal.

They had benefited from the protection of the Si-on Ducal Family for decades, but they also felt it was reasonable to gain a small advantage after years of service.

The other side had laid out the specifics of the plan.

Although some dwarves might get hurt, none would die, and they had promised that the plan would be scrapped if even one person lost their life.

And the plan was to be executed soon.

In fact, when Sminov heard moments ago that dwarven warriors had been attacked, he knew today was the day.

Now, all that was left was for Longlive and Paloma’s forces stationed here to swiftly and decisively subdue the attackers. Then, using that as a pretext, he could announce his support for Gede, and everything would….

“Mine Master! Master Sminov!”

“What’s the matter?”

Sensing that the time had come, Sminov stepped forward with dignity.

But the words of the Labor Council member who rushed in betrayed his expectations.

“Our warriors defeated the attackers! They even captured some and are bringing them here now!”

“…….”

* * *

The moment Sminov saw the warriors proudly leading the captives, his heart sank.

Just to be sure, Sminov looked for Longlive, but he, too, dashed any remaining hope, walking slowly with his head down.

‘Damn it!’

Sminov clenched his teeth, pretending to stroke his beard, and soon locked eyes with someone.

A young knight walking right behind Longlive, leading a massive black horse that was at least two spans taller than an ordinary steed.

‘Is he…smiling?’

A knight Sminov had never seen before was smiling at him.

Sminov’s face hardened.

Though he wasn’t fully aware of the current state of the world, he knew that dwarves were still a rare sight.

For someone to look at him and smile so casually meant they were familiar enough with dwarves not to be fascinated, and such individuals were mostly found within the Si-on Duchy.

But those from the Si-on Duchy, especially members of the ducal family, would never smile at the Mine Master of the Cheolsan Dwarves.

Not now, when the family was in such turmoil.

‘Who on earth is this guy?’

While Sminov was still feeling a bit puzzled, the knight standing before him nodded slightly and spoke.

“Jang Salen. Are you the Mine Master of Cheolsan?”

‘What an insolent brat….’

Sminov’s anger flared.

However, as soon as Longlive, who had come with the young arrogant knight, intervened, Sminov’s fury was immediately tempered.

“Salen is a royal bloodline of the Kingdom of Obla, Mine Master.”

Sminov flinched.

No matter how much protection they received from the Si-on Ducal Family, the Cheolsan Dwarves could not disregard the royal family of Obla.

Their access to the duchy was also facilitated by the Obla royal family in various ways.

“I’m Sminov. I hold the position of Mine Master of Cheolsan.”

Still, this was his own domain, so Sminov straightened his shoulders and focused even more strength into his already intense eyes.

The knight then stepped forward, looked down at Sminov, and spoke in a low voice that could only be heard by those very close, like Longlive, who was standing just behind.

“How much do you know about Paloma’s plans for this incident, Mine Master?”

“…!!!”

Caught off guard by the direct and probing question, Sminov was startled.

‘You idiot!’

Watching this, Longlive squeezed his eyes shut, barely holding back a sigh.

Like Staliff, Mine Master Sminov had revealed his true thoughts without any resistance.

‘These damn dwarf bastards! Did you all age in reverse?!’

They weren’t young or in low positions.

They were middle-aged dwarves who, compared to humans, were like lords and core retainers, yet they were behaving like greenhorns. Longlive wanted to grab both by the collar.

But Si-on, the one who had reduced these high-ranking dwarves to amateurs, had anticipated all of this.

Si-on knew the dwarves, especially the Cheolsan Dwarves, better than anyone else.

‘The Cheolsan Dwarves have been under our protection for generations, only negotiating and conversing with us.’

They weren’t slaves.

They believed themselves to be in an equal relationship based on a mutual contract.

However, for decades, the Cheolsan Dwarves had worn invisible shackles in the form of Si-on’s protection.

Even the so-called contract renewal negotiations with the Si-on Ducal Family had simply been a continuation of the same terms over the years.

Because of this, their negotiating skills had regressed significantly.

—Si-on will handle everything.

—There’s hope, right? We lived without hope during the Dark Dragon War, but….

That’s exactly how it was when Si-on first accepted them.

The dwarves, who had once endured hardships, had been living well in a safe place for decades, eating white bread and meat soup without ever engaging in real negotiations.

No matter their age or position, if you poked at them, their true feelings would inevitably be exposed. (Though, in truth, it was simply because they were too shocked.)

“T-That, that, what do you mean… I, I… We….”

“The captives have already confessed. The same goes for Sir Longlive here.”

When did I ever?!

It was maddening, but Longlive had no way to protest.

It was obvious that the captives had confessed, and Sminov’s reaction, following Staliff’s, was as good as evidence.

To deny it now would only make him look foolish.

With Salen—a member of the royal family most closely connected to both the Si-on Ducal Family and the Longlive family—directly interrogating him, there was no room for deceit.

“I-I don’t know. I really don’t know.”

Nevertheless, the clueless (though he would never admit it himself) dwarf kept parroting his futile denial like a child.

Si-on lowered himself slightly.

He whispered to the Mine Master, who stubbornly maintained his ‘I don’t know’ stance.

“Your father is Kalikov, right? He liked the sulfur hot springs in Namsan. And when you were little, you often bathed there with your father. Don’t you remember?”

“…!?”

At the sudden mention of his father, who had passed away over a decade ago, Sminov became even more flustered.

And naturally, he closely scrutinized the young knight’s face.

“You once caught a bear cub at the hot springs when you were little, and the mother bear charged at you—you almost got into serious trouble. Do you remember who saved you back then?”

“…Heek!?”

Holding Sminov’s shoulder down, Si-on smiled.

“How have you been, Vodka?”

Sminov still didn’t know what ‘Vodka’ meant or why he was called that.

But he vividly remembered who had saved him from the bear as a child and that this person alone had called him ‘Vodka.’