The Count’s Youngest Son Is A Player - Chapter 52

Episode 52

The main purpose of Raoul’s admission to the academy was to get out of the territory, but there were also things he wanted to take care of on the side.

One is the skill books hidden in the library.

And the other was to recruit promising talent hidden in the academy.

Based on the information recorded in the cafe, we had selected a few candidates that could be recruited, but with Gray’s appearance, the list of new students was completely changed, which was a headache.

Of course, not in a bad way, but in a good way.

The representative figure was Dalton right in front of me.

It’s still unclear how helpful it will actually be to his plans, but the sign he has is enough to make it worth getting to know.

‘Grandson of the swordsman Marquis de Templeton.’

He didn’t seem to think he was that great, but being the grandson of the most powerful person in the country was not something to take lightly.

From the beginning, the relationship between NPCs and players in this Connect world was very subtle.

Ordinary residents and quest NPCs had a close relationship with players, but nobles (especially high-ranking nobles) tended to be reluctant towards players.

Maybe that’s why Raoul, who was at the top of the game, rarely met high-ranking nobles above the count, let alone the duke.

And in fact, even though he was reincarnated as the youngest member of the count family, it was difficult for him to meet the swordsman even with his status.

‘But what if you become friends with Dalton?’

Although it is unofficial information, Dalton is said to be one of the few grandchildren that the swordsmith takes care of directly.

If I could meet the swordsman through Dalton and gain his favor, there was absolutely no harm in doing so.

‘I was worried about how to tempt her, but I guess I’ll make the most of this opportunity.’

Just by looking at it, Dalton was eager to go to the gate.

But now no one could enter the gate.

Unless they received official permission, like Raoul’s First Knights, entry was only granted if they included at least 50 troops and 3 or more formal knights.

Even though he was the grandson of a swordsmith, there was no way Dalton could enter and exit the gate at will.

“good. “If it’s an F-class gate, there won’t be any danger.”

“Cheer up!”

After Raoul gathered his thoughts for a moment and nodded slightly, Dalton clenched his fists and let out a small shout.

Although his actual skills reached expert level, he had no real-world experience.

This is because until the age of 19, he learned sword fighting through training and sparring within his family.

So no matter how much my skills improved, there was no way to check and I was getting tired of repeated training.

‘As expected, it was good to become friends with Raoul. I thought something interesting would happen if I stayed next to this guy, but isn’t this beyond my imagination?’

To be honest, after the Gate incident occurred, Dalton also wanted to participate in the Gate suppression.

But there was nothing he could do within the family.

No matter how much he is loved by his grandfather, he is only 19 years old.

Moreover, even if his skills were outstanding, it was only within his peer group. If you look at the family as a whole, there were many people with skills that were even better than him.

In the end, he had no choice but to suck his fingers and watch Raoul’s activities, so he couldn’t miss this opportunity.

“Thank you Raoul! I won’t forget this favor. When are you going? today? tomorrow? “Just say it!”

When Dalton asked excitedly, Raoul spoke calmly.

“There are conditions. First of all, you are the only one who takes me to the gate. I can’t take anyone with me, be it servants or escorts. “Do you understand what I mean?”

“It doesn’t matter to me. “You know that I don’t normally drag around troublesome people like that, right?”

“And I want you to keep the fact that you’re going to the gate with me as secret as possible. “I want to avoid doing anything that might lead to gossip.”

“That’s okay too. “I don’t want to get involved in my family’s affairs.”

The answer was so cool that Raoul was rather embarrassed.

‘Aren’t you worried about this guy? ‘What if I have a bad mind?’

But at the same time, it made sense.

It was safe to say that there was currently no family in the Kingdom of Ruben big enough to turn the Duke of Templeton into an enemy.

And to begin with, Dalton was not yet a very important figure in the dukedom.

This meant that it would be difficult to gain anything from kidnapping or harming him.

“And finally, get the duke’s permission.”

“what!?”

Dalton looked at Raoul with a puzzled expression, but Raoul looked straight into his eyes and said,

“Isn’t it obvious? What to do if something happens to you. “There should at least be someone who can judge the before and after of things.”

“Okay. Do you have to ask for permission?”

“of course. I need to make it clear that taking you there is not just entertainment, but an official observation. “Even though they are my knights, I can’t bother them with personal matters.”

Dalton reluctantly nodded at Raoul’s firm words.

“Okay then, let’s talk again once we get the Duke’s permission.”

“Phew, okay. Damn it, how do I convince the old man? At least they’ll nag me…”

Raoul smiled slightly, leaving the grumbling Dalton behind.

In fact, the duke’s permission was just an excuse. I just hope that through this opportunity, the swordsman will think of the name Raoul at least once.

It wouldn’t be a particularly bad thing for Dalton either.

Usually adults want their children to be more active.

Wouldn’t you be impressed by your grandson’s passionate will to participate in the sword fight?

‘…Or else. Anyway, I refuse to volunteer for free, friend.’

Whatever the outcome, Raoul will have nothing to lose.

Raoul felt like he could take the class feeling much lighter.

* * *

“Did you have a good trip?”

“Well, it was a bit uncomfortable.”

The mansion’s conference room.

Raoul was talking with Bernard Philippe.

Looking at Raoul’s slightly tired face, Bernard smiled slightly as if he had expected that to happen.

“You wanted it to be like this, right? “If it’s very uncomfortable, should I stop now?”

“it’s okay. I’m a little tired. “It’s not like the effects will last long anyway.”

To be honest, I didn’t have any objection to receiving people’s attention.

Even in your past life, you had many fans through your personal broadcast.

However, that was just an online story and I wasn’t used to receiving this much attention in real life.

‘I’ve received a lot of hostile attention, though.’

Anyway, it didn’t feel that bad.

Even now, gifts left behind by those saved by Raoul and the knights were piled up at the entrance to the mansion, and cheers and encouragement were pouring in from the residents as they entered the gate.

I knew this popularity wouldn’t last long, so I thought I’d enjoy it for now.

“Then we will maintain public opinion management at the current level.”

Raoul asked Bernard’s words.

“for a moment. “How many people have been deployed so far?”

Slurp.

Bernard explained, holding out a document as if he had been waiting.

“For the first two days, we hired about 100 mercenaries as wind catchers and ten bards who regularly solve stories. “On our side, about 20 operatives who have completed basic training at our home office are busy.”

Of course, these alone did not move public opinion.

Raoul met the president of the media company [Ruben’s Voice] directly through Wise Man Gray.

It was a big mistake to think that there would be anything special about a media company in the Middle Ages.

Connect’s media outlets were an elite group centered around ‘wizards’.

In addition, the president of the Press Association was ‘Jennath White’, one of the three wise men of the continent.

No, in fact, it was no exaggeration to say that Jenas White established the current media system.

Thanks to this, even nobles and kings could not exert pressure on the media.

Because it was a challenge to Sage White and a large group of wizards.

In any case, the media played a role in quickly delivering important news to people through the network established by wizards.

[Ruben’s Voice] was a large media company with the greatest influence among the media companies in the Kingdom of Ruben.

Raoul met with the president of [Ruben’s Voice] the day after the Gate incident occurred.

And he relayed some of the information he knew about the gate without any conditions.

There was a rumor that the president was rather embarrassed when Raoul left, leaving only the words, ‘I hope there will be fewer victims.’

Afterwards, it was natural for Raul to become known through the media.

Sometimes not asking for anything is the best means of negotiation.

It wasn’t just media outlets where Raoul spread Gate’s information.

Naturally, it was delivered to the royal palace through the capital guards, and also to the Order of Zenon, which is currently in charge of the Holy Empire’s Holy See.

‘You have to utilize everything you can.’

Now that we have officially started our activities, we need to quickly raise our reputation and build public value.

It was important to preoccupy everything in order to avoid being overwhelmed by the influx of players’ guilds that might arrive in the near future.

‘hmm.’

After checking the relevant documents and thinking for a moment, Raoul opened his mouth.

“Double the number of bards. Mercenaries with a good sense of humor are prepared to be deployed at any time. “Sooner or later, checks will come in from all over.”

“yes? What do you mean by check? “Who…”

Philip, who was probably not used to this kind of thing, opened his mouth as if he was curious, and Bernard answered right away.

“It’s obvious. Aren’t they greedy nobles? Now that the gate situation has stabilized to some extent, they will begin to take steps one at a time.”

“If you’re simply participating in the gate suppression, you’re welcome, but that’s probably not possible, right?”

“If everyone is like Raoul, you wouldn’t know it, but that can’t possibly be the case. They will probably find fault with one another and try to tarnish Raoul’s reputation. That way, there will be more of a mess that will fall down later.”

Raoul said, calming down a slightly excited Bernard.

“There’s nothing for them to take anyway. On the outside, it may look like a goose with a golden egg…”

“In reality, it is no different from a painting. Because nothing can come out of there except the chosen ones. ha ha ha.”

Bernard let out a rare laugh and looked at Raoul as if he were proud.

“So, you’re taking good care of your loot, right?”

“of course. The loot that guild members secretly collected through their inventory has already filled more than half of the underground warehouse. “It was a godsend that we expanded several secret warehouses in the basement of the mansion in advance.”

“We have to keep it a complete secret for the time being. “If it becomes known that the loot cannot be obtained, there are many irresponsible lords who will blame the gate.”

It will be known someday, but the later the news, the better.

Wouldn’t that make greedy lords call up troops and hire mercenaries?

‘And the damage from the coming wave will be much reduced.’

Putting political issues aside, the primary goal was to preserve the kingdom’s power as much as possible.

Raoul will block the capital as much as he can, but isn’t it possible for him to block all the kingdom’s territories?

‘Let’s suffer together during difficult times.’

Of course, I only planned to eat the sweet fruit for Raoul.

(Continued in the next part)