The Bastard Swordsman Of The Imperial Guard [EN]: Chapter 22

The Lucky Letter Requires Caution

Ra-El bit his lip and frowned.

He felt like strange things had been happening a lot since he joined the Special Guard.

‘Why is someone like Perma taking an interest in me?’

Ra-El slowly recalled information about the Blue Magic Tower Master.

Since the original novel was an academy story, Perma only appeared in the later parts.

‘The only things I know… are that he’s crazy about magic and that he really likes gambling and betting, right?’

As befitting the title of the Empire’s strongest wizard, he was often mentioned, but since he wasn’t a main character, there were no detailed character settings.

It was fortunate that he wasn’t fundamentally a bad person.

‘But why is he interested in me and not the main character? I shouldn’t have done anything to attract the Magic Tower’s attention….’

The Blue Magic Tower is in District 1 of the capital, and Ra-El hadn’t even been near there.

Of course, he had been mobilized for imperial events a few times, but that was quite a while ago.

“Damn it! What are we supposed to do now! Ra-El!”

Zenith said in a resentful voice.

Bageus’s growth had finally gotten on track, but a heavyweight that didn’t match their size got involved.

The Blue Magic Tower was too much of a burden for Bageus, who wasn’t strong enough yet.

“… First, calm down, Zenith. What kind of information are they exactly asking for?”

“Information about you that can’t be obtained officially. And they said they need on-site information about the Special Guard where you belong….”

Zenith handed Ra-El the documents provided by the Blue Magic Tower Master.

Ra-El frowned as he read the documents.

The Blue Magic Tower Master had already requested information about him from the Central Guard.

He was demanding detailed information that the Guard hadn’t provided.

‘If he made an official request, it seems like he doesn’t fully know about my specialness… Was it just out of curiosity?’

The problem was that he didn’t know when or where he had piqued Perma’s interest.

Ra-El shook his head in disbelief after reading the documents.

“The Special Guard is an imperial secret, so they’re entrusting the investigation to Bageus… Aren’t these guys completely crazy? It’s like they’re telling us to completely betray the imperial family.”

It was understandable that the Imperial Special Guard was an imperial secret.

The Empire would be turned upside down if the fact that the Thousand Slayer Sword Lord, a dragon, and the King of Ghosts were all living in District 5 of the capital became known.

The problem was the Blue Magic Tower, which had requested to dig that up.

“That’s what I’m saying. Damn it. Now that the request has been made, it’s hard to refuse.”

Requesting to dig up imperial secrets requires quite a bit of courage, even from the Blue Magic Tower.

If the fact that they made such a request gets to the imperial family, it would be a hassle for them too.

‘Even if we refuse… there’s a high possibility that we’ll be eliminated to get rid of the evidence.’

The medieval fantasy world is full of malice.

You die on a daily basis if you let your guard down even for a moment.

“First of all, the information… Tsk. What should I do? This has become really annoying.”

Ra-El frowned as he pondered and stared at the documents.

Fortunately, or perhaps not.

The official information of the Guard did not include information about the orphanage.

It was simply written that he was from an orphanage, and his origins were not specified.

Of course, this was natural since Ra-El was just a guard member, not the captain of the Guard.

“Should I pass on fake information? It’s not difficult to manipulate.”

“Do you want the whole slum to burn down if we get caught? Wait, I’ll think about it for a while.”

“…”

Zenith just shut his mouth.

Ra-El frowned for a moment, pondered, and then continued.

“If you read the request… the Special Guard is being investigated because it’s my affiliation, and the ultimate goal is me, right?”

“Yes. It seems like they don’t want to be deeply involved in imperial secrets over there.”

“Hmm….”

Ra-El continued to ponder.

The reason why Perma was interested in him was a fact he couldn’t know right now.

If so, he had to respond to the situation in front of him first.

“Then let’s pass on my information for now.”

Suddenly, an idea came to mind.

If they’re digging up information… shouldn’t we just give them the information?

“What, what?! What are you talking about, Ra-El?”

“I mean exactly what I said. Let’s give them all the information they want. I think it’s better to establish trust first.”

Perma doesn’t know the relationship between Bageus and Ra-El.

Instead of making them commission another organization, it might be better to provide information stably from our side.

Except for the important information that only Ra-El knows, we should convey all the facts.

“But… joining hands with the Blue Magic Tower, which is digging up imperial secrets, means turning our backs on the imperial family. It will be very difficult to operate in the future if we do that….”

“Don’t worry about that. We have a stock that’s about to skyrocket.”

Anyway, the emperor will change within 10 years.

You can think of all the information guilds that are currently siding with the First Prince, the Second Prince, and the First Princess as being screwed.

“Skyrocket? What does that…?”

“Okay, write this down. Name is Ra-El. Age is 25. Height is 175cm. Weight is 70kg. The size of my important parts is… 18cm?”

“Wait. Wait a minute! Ra-El, what do you mean by leaking it little by little?”

Zenith put the paper and pen on the table and asked.

“We’re using the Blue Magic Tower as a stepping stone for growth. If Bageus is recognized by the Blue Magic Tower, the best magic tower in the Empire, we can quickly rise to become a central information guild in the capital.”

If you can’t avoid it, enjoy it.

Now that things have come to this, we have to milk the Blue Magic Tower dry until the end.

Originally, if a large company is attached to a sponsor, the credibility increases.

If Bageus and the Blue Magic Tower make a deal even once, we can use that as an excuse to win other deals.

Of course, it might be a little difficult until the emperor changes… but we have to endure that much for the future.

The information about Ra-El that they’re requesting can be provided directly by Ra-El.

If it’s personal information that I say myself, I can give more detailed information than anywhere else.

Age 25.

Height 175cm

Weight 70kg

Important parts 18cm

Etc….

Besides, most of the information about the Special Guard can be found by asking the outer guard in District 5.

If it’s information that anyone can find out anyway, it’s better for us to tell them and take credit for it.

“Then what are we going to do about the orphanage?”

Zenith carefully asked about the orphanage.

Ra-El became sharp every time the story of the orphanage came up, so he had to gauge his intentions in advance.

“… Hide the information about the orphanage for now. I don’t think I’ll be able to go to the orphanage for a while, so spread a lot of beggars around. Use guys who can use their strength.”

We must not let the other party know about the orphanage.

That place was Ra-El’s only weakness.

“We should move the inn just in case. Anyway, even if we accept the request right away, we’ll have a few days, so let’s finish the preparations by then.”

“Hmm, I understand. I’ll deliver the information in a few days.”

“I wish I knew the detailed requirements of the Blue Magic Tower… Try to find out.”

“I’ll deliver your personal information first and then receive a more detailed request.”

First, we need to find out how Perma thinks of himself.

Based on his personality in the original work, there is no possibility that he will approach maliciously.

Maybe he just happened to see Ra-El and felt interested.

‘I need to know where he felt interested in me.’

The course of action has been decided.

Ra-El read the documents one last time and then smiled at Zenith.

“Thank you anyway, Zenith.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You could have betrayed me and given all my information, but you told me first.”

“… Tsk! It’s not like that, so don’t thank me.”

Bageus is ultimately a place where most of the people are from the streets.

If you betray Ra-El in such a place, the trust of the guild members themselves will collapse.

Of course, that wasn’t all.

‘This guy isn’t completely bad after all.’

He said he bought a lot of food for the orphanage today too.

It is also true that the lives of the commoners in District 4 have improved thanks to his cleaning up District 4.

Ra-El was a guy who was hard to hate even though he was rude.

“Ra-El. But there’s a limit to giving information, right? What are you going to do at the last moment?”

Zenith was worried about Ra-El.

This could be an opportunity for Bageus, but it could also be a crisis for Ra-El.

“There’s no choice at the end. I have no choice but to break through head-on.”

“… What?”

Ra-El is going to use Perma to grow Bageus.

Once he increases Bageus’s influence by carrying out the Blue Magic Tower’s request, the next step is a head-on breakthrough.

Ra-El recalled Perma’s first appearance in the novel.

Perma, who likes gambling and betting, is interested in the protagonist’s shining talent when he first meets him.

And from the first meeting, he makes a bet with the protagonist.

[Are you the hero of the Order? Hmm, good. Let’s make a bet. If you solve this problem, the Blue Magic Tower will protect you from now on.]

The protagonist solves the Magic Tower’s difficult problem that had not been solved for a hundred years in just one week.

Perma and the Blue Magic Tower, who confirmed the protagonist’s talent, take the protagonist’s side from then on.

“If I think I’ve grown Bageus enough… I’ll have to negotiate directly.”

It won’t be that difficult to persuade Perma.

Because we have a secret weapon here.

If I sacrifice about 500ml of my blood… I can get help from the ‘Progenitor of Magic’.

Ra-El had no confidence in losing a bet with a magician.

*

Chirp- Chirp chirp-

Ra-El pulled the blanket over his head at the morning sunlight coming in through the window.

He must have closed the curtains before going to bed, but it seems that Ms. Sarah came in and opened the curtains.

Sarah still thought of Ra-El as a child.

Chirp- Chirp chirp-

Even if he covered himself with a blanket, he couldn’t avoid the birdsong.

Ra-El slowly woke up from the ear-piercing chirping.

“Haa… I’m so tired.”

He was at Bageus until late last night.

This was because there was a lot to talk about with Zenith about the appearance of a heavyweight named Perma.

“Today, first of all… Huh?”

Ra-El, who got out of bed, bent down after seeing the letter under the door.

It was a strange phenomenon since he had never received a letter in his life.

“What is this?”

When he turned the letter over, the contents were visible.

—————————

Lucky Letter.

This letter started in the snowy north and appears on the continent once a year to spread good luck.

Anyone who sees this letter must write seven copies by hand within a week and distribute them to those around them.

You must distribute 7 copies. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know them.

If you write 7 letters, good luck will come to you.

But if you don’t write 7 copies within a week, three generations will be unhappy….

And at 12 o’clock at night, a ghost without eyes will come….

.

.

.

—————————

“What the fuck.”

Ra-El sighed deeply after reading the letter halfway.

“Wow, are there people who fall for such stupid letters?”

Such tricks don’t work for Ra-El, who is a high school graduate.

Anyway, there were idiots in every world who fell for this kind of thing.

“… But a lucky letter in a medieval fantasy, it’s a bit unsettling.”

Ra-El frowned for a moment, stuffed the letter into his pocket, and went downstairs.

He was going to tell Ms. Sarah because it seemed like someone was spreading lucky letters in the inn.

“Good morning. Ra-El.”

Ms. Sarah was waiting on the first floor.

She makes breakfast for the long-term residents and then goes to the orphanage.

Ra-El yawned, sat down at the table, and took out the letter from his pocket.

“Ms. Sarah. Good morning. I woke up and found this in my room. I think one of the long-term residents of the inn put it in… Tell them not to do this.”

“Huh? Aha, I put that in?”

Sarah smiled as she put the stew on the table.

Ra-El blinked at her reaction.

“… Yes?”

“Ra-El. You should quickly write 7 copies and give them to people around you! It says good luck will come to you!”

“Ah. Yes. I have to write it quickly….”

He couldn’t bring himself to shatter Ms. Sarah’s bright smile.

Ra-El smiled awkwardly and ate the stew.

‘I still didn’t understand medieval fantasy enough.’

These people were just… naive.

If Ra-El had tried to do business, he would have become a millionaire, and if he had tried to cheat, he would have become a billionaire.

“That’s right. Ms. Sarah. I’m going to move inns starting tomorrow.”

“Huh? Why? Was the stew not good yesterday?”

Sarah was flustered and approached Ra-El’s table.

She still saw Ra-El as a child.

“No. I got involved with criminals a while ago. The inn could be in danger, so I’m going to stay somewhere else for a while and come back when things are resolved.”

“Ah. Is that so…? I can’t help it….”

“So I don’t think I’ll be able to go to the orphanage for a while either. I’ll go for the last time today to say hello.”

Sarah nodded with a sullen face.

Even she, who believed in lucky letters, understood the intuitive explanation that he was involved with criminals.

“If you’re involved with criminals, you have to write a lucky letter to have good luck. Ra-El. Got it?”

“… I understand.”

He would have cursed if someone else had said that, but he couldn’t curse because the other person was Ms. Sarah.

‘Ms. Sarah is simple-minded, but she’s pure… I can understand.’

Ra-El said goodbye to Ms. Sarah and left the inn.

And… he was able to grasp the situation only after receiving more than 10 lucky letters while heading to the Special Guard.

The people in this world were too susceptible to scams.

“Yeah. Well, they’re uncivilized people, so I can understand. I can understand….”

Giving way 100 times, humans can do that [a Korean idiom meaning to be understanding and forgiving].

There is no compulsory education in medieval fantasy.

“Reina. Are you really falling for this? Why are you writing that?”

But… Ra-El couldn’t help but be disappointed in this world if even a long-lived species who had lived for over 100 years did this.

Reina in the Special Guard was writing letters more diligently than ever.

Ra-El was disappointed in this world as he watched her.

“Can’t you see this? It says three generations will be ruined if I don’t write it. I was already in trouble because I didn’t have 7 people I knew around me, but this is good. Take one too.”

“I’ve already received and thrown away more than 10.”

“You, you’re really crazy? Write it with me right now. You don’t seem to have any friends either, so let’s go out on the street and hand them out together.”

“Reina. Please stop talking nonsense. I think I’m going crazy….”

Ra-El shook his head as he looked at Reina.

Reina’s hand movements, which seemed more urgent than when she obtained the branch of the World Tree, were so pitiful.

“Mr. Ra-El, good morning. Is something wrong?”

At that time, Yuri, who was inside the building, approached.

Ra-El looked at Yuri with a doubtful look.

Surely even the imperial family wouldn’t fall for this, right?

“Yuri. You didn’t write that letter, did you?”

“Hmm. I did receive one from Reina earlier, but I didn’t write it because it felt strange….”

“Ha, that’s a relief.”

Fortunately, not everyone was naive, but the proportion of naive people was high.

The latter is a big problem, but the former means that there is still hope in this world.

“Yes. And as I was reading the letter, I felt uneasy, so I put it in my desk drawer.”

“… An uneasy feeling?”

Ra-El, who heard Yuri’s words, fell into thought for a moment.

Come to think of it, he felt uneasy when he grabbed the letter earlier.

Besides, Yuri, at least.

You can’t ignore the intuition of the next emperor.

“Phew. I finally wrote the remaining 3 copies. I gave them all to the Special Guard, but who should I give them to now…?”

“Reina. Give me one if you’ve written them all.”

“Thank you, Ra-El! Now I have to spread 2 on the street!”

Ra-El, who received Reina’s letter, stared at the letter.

He had crumpled it up after reading it halfway earlier, but this time he read it from beginning to end with concentration.

As expected, it was nonsense with no great content.

‘Nothing special… Huh?’

And Ra-El’s face crumpled as he read the letter to the end.

The last part of the letter.

Ra-El felt a hard-to-explain ominous feeling for a very brief moment.

‘A curse? No. If it was a curse, Reina and Yuri would have noticed.’

This is not a curse but something else.

The ominous energy was so weak that ordinary people could hardly notice it.

To compare it, it was similar to the magic of the demons.

“… Reina. Did you give the letter to Tia too?”

“Yes. I threw it away earlier.”

“Is that so?”

Wouldn’t that dragon find out anything?

Ra-El hoped that the feeling he had just felt was a mistake and headed to the lake where Tia was.