The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 163

163.

A message popped up out of nowhere.

Instinctively, I looked around and soon spotted it.

A necklace inside a small glass case, placed as a decoration between the corners of the wall.

Red light was seeping out from it.

A necklace glowing red, piercing through the darkness in the corner of the throne room?

‘This is definitely something.’

It looked suspicious at a glance.

And that thought was right.

Because a message popped up as I moved my steps as if possessed.

Do Hyun widened his eyes as he checked the message.

[You have discovered the fourth fragment of fate, ‘The Broken Necklace of Truth.’]

[Acquire a clue about the fragment of fate.]

[You have cleared the main quest ‘Fourth Fragment of Fate (1).’]

[The linked main quest ‘Fourth Fragment of Fate (2)’ has been generated.]

‘Fragment of Fate!’

The most important thing had appeared.

I thought there was a high probability it would be in the royal castle, but I never imagined I would find it this quickly.

Compared to when I barely found Sargis after all sorts of hardships, this was like 5G, far beyond LTE [Long-Term Evolution, a 4G wireless communications standard].

Excited, Do Hyun swallowed hard and hurriedly spoke.

“Could I take a closer look at that necklace?”

“What……?”

Then Gilberun’s eyes widened.

It was the first change in expression I had seen from him.

It wasn’t just the king.

“……What did you just say?”

“Yes?”

-Ugh……!?

The atmosphere suddenly turned grim.

As if they would cut me down if I didn’t answer, fierce energy was pressing sharply from all directions.

-……My Lord.

Charlie’s expression hardened as he sensed the energy.

His hand was ready to draw his sword at any moment.

He was gauging the situation, as drawing his sword would be a serious crime and put his lord in a difficult position.

-Hic? What is this!

-Li, Liza!

Jihad and Eliza were also startled, but they were also taking a stance.

Do Hyun was just as dumbfounded.

‘What is this situation?’

Just a moment ago, he was indifferent as if he wasn’t affected by anything in the world, but what was with that reaction?

And what was with the knights’ sensitive reaction?

Even after racking my brain about the sudden, imminent situation, I couldn’t understand it.

The only thing that was different from before was that I had mentioned the necklace…….

‘……Could it be?’

Was I not supposed to talk about the necklace?

That was the only possibility given the circumstances, but even so, it was strange.

Since most users were bloodshot over Hidden Pieces, there was no way no user had discovered the necklace.

There was no way he would have suddenly exploded like that every time.

But that thought was neatly off the mark.

“……How did you know?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Are you asking because you don’t know?”

The king frowned as if he was displeased and gestured as if asking what I was trying to deny.

“How did you know that the necklace was hidden there?”

“……?”

“His Majesty is asking. Why can’t you answer quickly! Depending on your answer, you may be severely punished. Answer carefully!”

-How dare you…….

Loyal Charlie was not one to tolerate such a threat.

Now, he was going beyond gauging the situation and had his hand on the sword hilt. One could see his firm determination to draw his sword if necessary.

He was truly a loyal knight, but for Do Hyun, it was driving him crazy.

‘……No, damn it. Things are happening without any warning.’

My head ached from the chaotic situation.

While Do Hyun was clutching his throbbing head at the sight of the knight commander, a middle-aged man with an imposing impression, and Charlie growling at each other silently as if they were having a battle over who was more loyal.

“I asked the White Magic Tower Master to install not only transparent magic but also a barrier that obscures mana detection. Even the most skilled assassins in the Empire wouldn’t be able to see that in this short amount of time! How do you know about the necklace!

-……Hmm?

“Huh?”

The knight commander shouted.

At the same time, Charlie and Do Hyun paused.

They realized that things were proceeding differently than they had thought.

And it was too late when they realized that.

“I don’t understand. How does an Apostle know about something that is kept in utmost secrecy? So tell me quickly.”

Tears welled up in Gilberun’s low, calm voice as he gritted his teeth.

“How did you recognize Angela’s…… my wife’s keepsake?”

“……?”

I was momentarily stunned by the completely unexpected answer.

Do Hyun, who quickly grasped the situation, nodded silently.

……I think I’m screwed.

* * *

Do Hyun and his party, who were almost kicked out of the royal castle, sighed in relief.

-Oh, my gosh. I was so surprised. I thought I was going to die.

-Lizariza.

-……I didn’t know there was such a story, My Lord.

Should I call this fortunate?

To put it simply, I wasn’t completely screwed.

Perhaps it was because the epithet of the greatest wise ruler in history was not an empty one, he accepted it after somehow explaining the situation.

-……Honestly, it’s hard to believe, but I’ll let it go since it doesn’t seem like you have any impure intentions.

It couldn’t be helped that I was met with some suspicion.

‘If it ended at this level, it was a good defense.’

I had brought up the king’s dead wife’s keepsake, which was a top secret that even the king had deliberately hidden, and I wasn’t imprisoned.

If Gilberun had been even a little bit evil-minded, Do Hyun would have been stuck in prison.

There were only a few knights gathered there, and how many knights were in the castle.

It was impossible for Do Hyun to deal with all of them.

I could have run away, but that was only a temporary measure.

The NPCs [Non-Player Characters], who were sensitive to the crimes of the Apostles, would not have let it go, and a wanted order would have been issued.

‘If a wanted order is issued, the Empire will step in.’

Then it was over.

It was safe to say that there were no criminals who had not been caught even after the Empire stepped in.

The only sun on the continent.

The arrogance that only the Emperor of the Empire is the king did not come out for nothing.

Even if I used the Levedad Chance I received before, it would not be able to handle it if the Empire decided to take action.

In a word, I was almost screwed, but I was released thanks to Gilberun’s generosity.

-Kaiser, was it? I remember your name.

-As for the necklace…… I trust you will handle it wisely. I hate those who have loose lips.

However, it was only the worst that was avoided, and the situation was still not favorable.

[The favorability of ‘Gilberun,’ the King of Fratel, is low.]

[Hostile relations may be formed if you offend him.]

Because I was firmly targeted by Gilberun and the knights.

‘To be in a hostile relationship with the king of a city…… The thought alone is terrible.’

Maybe if I reveal information about the necklace or get caught committing a crime, I’ll have to delete my character?

In other words, there would be no major problem as long as I didn’t reveal information about the necklace or commit a crime, but for Do Hyun, it was a frustrating situation.

[Fourth Fragment of Fate (2)]

-Grade: Main Quest, Job Quest

-Description: Royal castle where the King of Fratel resides.

The fourth fragment of fate was found there. Find a way to obtain the fragment of fate.

-Quest Success: Acquire the fourth fragment of fate.

-Quest Failure: Failed to acquire the fourth fragment of fate.

-Time Limit: None.

‘How am I supposed to get it if it turns out like this…….’

It was as good as the way to obtain the fragment of fate had disappeared.

Should I have approached it more carefully?

As a result, there was no denying that I was hasty, but that was only when considering the result.

Do Hyun felt wronged.

Logically, who would have imagined that the fragment of fate would be the keepsake of the king’s dead wife?

‘Now, beyond inheriting what the lord has inherited for generations, you’re telling me to bring the king’s wife’s keepsake?’

There’s a limit to how many mountains there are on top of each other. This is too much.

Isn’t it absurd to make this to be cleared in the first place?

Curses naturally came out, and I was dumbfounded, but what could I do?

‘Haa……. Well, when was it ever easy?’

I can’t give up, so I have no choice but to keep rolling.

The only fragment of fate that I had obtained easily so far was the first fragment I had obtained from Raven.

I’ve cleared all those difficult conditions, so there’s no way I can’t clear this one.

‘Angela, was it?’

Perhaps other users wouldn’t know, the name of the dead queen.

First of all, I was going to find as many clues as possible based on this.

Why did the king hide his dead wife’s keepsake?

Why is he so sensitive and why is it top secret? What is the story behind the king’s soulless appearance?

‘Anything is fine, just let me catch one thing.’

Burning with determination, Do Hyun jumped into the crowd of NPCs.

* * *

How many hours had passed?

It was when I thought that it was no exaggeration to say that I had searched every nook and cranny of the wide Fratel that Do Hyun stopped walking.

It was more accurate to say that I was forced to stop rather than stopping on my own.

“No, why doesn’t anyone tell me anything?”

-I know. It’s not like they’re going to die if they say something, but they’re horrified and avoid it.

-Lizariza.

-……It’s definitely strange, My Lord.

No matter how much I asked, not a single resident gave me a proper answer.

“……What did you just say? How does an Apostle like you know that name?”

“I’m sorry……. I have nothing to say about her to you, who I don’t even know what you do.”

“Oh my gosh, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

“I don’t know how the Apostle knows…… It’s been a long time since I’ve heard that name. She was a really beautiful and kind person…… Her wisdom just shone.”

“I can’t forget her sacrifice.”

They were often horrified as if they had heard a name that should not be taken out, and even if they weren’t, they were clearly reluctant to answer.

The only ones who didn’t avoid answering were the elderly, but even then, there was nothing to gain.

‘Beautiful and kind. Wise……. Ugh.’

Isn’t that something anyone can say?

Is the fact that they can’t forget the sacrifice a clue?

‘It’s like VolXmort [a fictional character from the Harry Potter series whose name is taboo], really.’

……Isn’t it? Maybe it’s really like that?

It seems like it would be better to seriously consider that possibility without dismissing it as a joke.

Was it thanks to all the effort I had made?

I was able to get a little bit more clue.

“Are you talking about Angela? Of course, I know her. You can say that she is the benefactor of all of us. She was a wonderful person.”

“People call Gilberun the greatest wise ruler in history, but in fact, there are those who value Angela even more. Because she is the reason why Gilberun is who he is now.”

“That’s all I can say. I don’t know more than that…… and it’s a little difficult to say.”

“Her life was sacred in itself.”

Do Hyun sighed as he finished talking to the last NPC.

‘She’s a very secretive person.’

At this point, I think I’ve asked all the NPCs I can ask right now.

With just this much information, it was impossible.

Clearing the escort knight linked quest and meeting the king again…… I don’t think that’s a good idea.

Should I meet the knights again, even though I’m worried about being watched?

Do Hyun, who had a lot of worries, was scratching his head.

“Why are you asking about someone who has already left this world? It’s embarrassing.”

A clear voice heard from somewhere.

And a casual tone that contrasted with it.