Chapter 143:

Chapter 143

At that time, fortunately(?) something happened that made him let out a breath of relief.

Duke Raif’s face turned pale and he knelt down!

“Your Majesty, Duke!”

Raymond urgently checked the condition of the Duke Raif.

‘I’m exhausted. I couldn’t even recover properly, so I overdid it.’

“You must remain absolutely still and not move.”

“Okay… … I have something to tell you… … .”

Raymond thought he would say, “Learn swordsmanship,” so he spoke first.

“Don’t say a word. You need absolute peace, so you must remain quiet and keep your mouth shut.”

“……Fine.”

“According to medical knowledge, opening your mouth while Your Majesty is in this condition could seriously worsen your condition. So you must remain silent.”

“…”

“Close your eyes. Just sleep soundly.”

‘Just sleep well and don’t talk nonsense!’

Fortunately, Duke Raif followed his instructions.

He closed his eyes for a moment and then collapsed as if he had fainted.

Raymond shook his head and spoke to others.

“We’ve lost a lot of time, so let’s go open the gate right away.”

Now it was time to capture the castle.

* * *

After Raymond and his party opened the gates, things went smoothly afterwards.

A special force hiding near the north gate entered the castle, and the defenders, who were already weak in their will to fight, raised the white flag.

The captain of the garrison, who was a member of the Berad faction, fled, and thanks to this they were able to capture the capital of Droughton without shedding a single drop of blood.

[Quest completed!]

[Achievement: ‘Capture the enemy capital’!]

[Get 50 bonus skill points!]

[Your reputation goes up!]

[All friendly soldiers on the battlefield will salute you!]

That wasn’t all.

[You played a huge role in subduing the enemy Sword Master!]

[Your reputation goes up!]

[The achievement ‘The Dwarf Who Defeated the Giant’ has been upgraded to 3+!]

[Level up bonus!]

[Get 30 bonus skill points!]

[When fighting an opponent stronger than you, you can unleash a mysterious power that is ‘slightly’ stronger!]

That message went out, and Raymond received another reward.

It was from the young king.

“It’s all thanks to you, Baron Penin.”

The young king’s eyes turned red as he looked at his restored throne.

“I can’t believe I can return to this throne.”

Moreover, he didn’t just come back.

Previously, he was just sitting on the throne as Berard’s puppet.

But now he has returned as the true owner of the throne.

It was all thanks to Raymond.

“Thank you so much. Not only did you save my life, but you also gave me back my honor.”

The young king was so grateful that he ended up shedding tears of gratitude.

Raymond smiled gently.

He was happy too.

This has brought them closer to the yolk territory.

The young king’s joy was soon his own joy.

But the young king said something unexpected.

“I have received such a great favour from you, so I must express my gratitude to you.”

Raymond’s eyes lit up.

It was his favourite reward time!

‘What kind of compensation?!’

Raymond’s heart pounded.

Money?

But the probability of that happening was low.

Because Macapel III was a poor king who had everything taken away by Berard.

‘Since they are enemies, it would be difficult to give him titles.’

Raymond was curious.

What kind of gift did the young king prepare?

“Because the royal family’s circumstances are not good, we cannot prepare a large reward. Instead, we have prepared a gift with sincerity, so I hope you will like it.”

Soon a servant came carrying something wrapped in cloth.

When I opened it, a plaque with the emblem of the Droughton royal family was revealed.

The pattern had letters engraved on it.

[To the benefactor of the Kingdom of Droughton.

I present this plaque with the utmost gratitude and respect.

On behalf of all the people of Droughton, King Macapel III.]

It was a plaque of appreciation bestowed in the name of the King and the Kingdom of Droughton.

Raymond kept his mouth shut.

‘It’s not a gift worth money, though.’

This kind of gift wasn’t bad either.

Because it is the most sincere gift that contains the sincerity of the young king.

It was also the most honourable gift.

Raymond felt his heart swell with pride.

“Thank you. I am truly happy.”

That was the moment when he received the gift, an unexpected message came to mind.

[Obtain a ‘special item’!]

[King Droughton’s handwritten plaque of appreciation]

Type: Auxiliary Accessory

Grade: Rare

-This is a handwritten plaque of appreciation presented by the young king on behalf of the kingdom.

Effect: The favour of the Droughton people towards the owner of the plaque increases!

‘Huh?’

It was a message that came to mind during the previous ‘Winter Sword’ and ‘Ramen Dagger’.

‘I guess special effects can appear even if it’s not a weapon?’

Since the effect was goodwill from the people of Droughton, it seemed like it might be helpful later when the war ended and they received the territory.

Because he will receive the territory of the Rafald region where the people of the Kingdom of Droughton live.

At that moment, Sir Nekels called the young king.

“Your Majesty, the people are waiting.”

They decided to make the king’s presence known to the people and to declare Berard a traitor.

Macapel III had a tense expression on his face.

He is smart, but he is still a small boy.

This is especially because he is a puppet king and has little experience standing in front of the public.

Macapel III thought about it for a while and then said:

“Baron Penin, will you join us?”

“yes?”

“I think I can do it if you’re with me.”

Raymond made a troubled face.

‘I’m not confident about standing in front of the public either.’

Although he ended up doing many things, he was fundamentally a timid person.

‘I’m not suited to be standing in front of others.’

“Please.”

But when the young king said so, there was no way to refuse.

Suddenly Raymond found himself standing before the people of Droughton.

‘How many people are there?’

Countless.

Countless people stood waiting for the young king to speak.

‘… … I’m just going to stay by his side anyway. Is that okay?’

Raymond tried hard to think that way, but he felt unnecessarily nervous.

The people of Droughton looked not only at their king, but also at Raymond.

“Isn’t that Baron Penin of the Houston Kingdom Army?”

“He allowed His Majesty the King to return to the capital?”

“No, it’s not just that. They say he saved His Majesty the King’s life with his great healing skills, and took the capital without shedding a single drop of blood with his meticulous strategy.”

“They say that if it weren’t for him, there would have been a lot of bloodshed in our capital. He really is an amazing person.”

“As expected of the light of the Houston Kingdom Army!”

It seemed like the rumour had already spread far and wide.

Everyone looked at Raymond with eyes full of awe.

‘… … It looks like they want me to say something?’

Raymond was sweating profusely.

Indeed, the young king’s speech did not end badly.

“Then, let me introduce you to the benefactor who has shown His Majesty an unpayable favour. He is Baron Pennin of the Kingdom of Houston.”

When Macapell III introduced him like this, it was a splendid energy that had returned!

A cheer as if they were going to leave rang out.

Everyone gathered in the square watched Raymond with delighted eyes.

A situation that cannot be passed without saying a word.

‘… What should I say?’

Fortunately, a message emerged.

[As a guardian doctor on the battlefield, you are working hard for many people!]

[Skill, ‘Heart of Steel’ is activated! Skill is strengthened with attribute effects!]

[Skill, ‘Doctor’s Charisma’ effect is activated! Skill is strengthened with attribute effects!]

Raymond’s heart stopped pounding.

A strong will settled in his heart.

Additionally, it naturally exuded a sense of trustworthiness.

Those who watched Raymond swallowed their saliva.

‘Is this the majesty of Baron Penin?’

‘At first glance, he looked a bit messy, but when he stood in front, I realised how majestic he was.’

‘he really is as the rumours say.’

That wasn’t all.

[The skill ‘Speech’ is activated!]

[Skill, ‘Speech’ has a synergistic effect with ‘Heart of Steel’ and ‘Doctor’s Charisma’!]

The three skills have a synergistic effect!

Thanks to this, Raymond was able to convey his iron will and trustworthy charisma in his speech.

“I am Baron Penin of the Kingdom of Houston. It is a great honour to be here with you.”

Raymond looked around at the people.

“First, I want to make something clear. The enemy that our Houston Kingdom Army fought was not you, but the evil Archduke Berard.”

After that, he continued his speech without hesitation, and his voice dug deep into the hearts of the people of Droughton.

It was a famous speech that later became included in Droughton’s Royal Academy textbook.

Later historians gave Raymond’s speech that day a title which went like this:

“Therefore, on behalf of the Houston Kingdom Army, I hereby proclaim to Heaven that we will work together with His Majesty the King of Droughton to punish the villain Berard… … .”

The ‘Light of Houston’ declared the end of the ‘Darkness of Droughton’’.

* * *

The Return of King Macapell III!

The capital has fallen!

The news shook all of Droughton.

What Raymond did also spread.

“His Majesty the King has recaptured the capital and declared Berard a traitor?”

“Yeah, really.”

“How on earth?”

The person who brought up the story said as if to tell us not to be surprised.

“Thanks to Baron Penin of the Houston Kingdom!”

“What?”

“They say he saved His Majesty the King from the brink of death and led to the fall of the capital!”

“Huh! Is that true? But isn’t he a member of the Houston Kingdom?”

“Baron Penin said in his speech that he was fighting the evil Archduke Berard, not our Droughton Kingdom. He said that we should join forces to drive out Archduke Berard.”

Others chimed in.

“Yes, that’s right. It’s all a mess right now because of him. Everyone is gathering to get rid of that bastard Berard.”

Wherever the news spread, so did Raymond’s accomplishments, and his name became known throughout Droughton.

[Your reputation goes up!]

[Your reputation goes up!]

[Your reputation goes up!]

[The people of Droughton praise your accomplishments!]

[Get bonus level ups for great achievements!]

[Level up bonus!]

[Get 50 bonus skill points!]

After hearing the story, many of the Droughton people rose up.

“They say people are flocking to the capital right now. I’m planning on leaving right now.”

“I, I’ll go with you! Let’s join forces to drive out that bastard Berard!”

“Long live His Majesty the King!”

“Long live Raymond, the light of the Houston Kingdom!”

The repercussions did not stop with the people of Droughton.

The Kingdom of Houston with King Oden.

Rumors spread there too.