Translator: AnubisTL
After enduring several more days of hardship, sleeping under the open sky and eating meager rations, the group was now utterly exhausted and ragged. Even the once-proud nobles were reduced to mere shells of their former selves, their faces gaunt with fatigue and their spirits numb.
Their faces were streaked with dust and weariness, yet a faint glimmer still flickered in their eyes.
For on the horizon, like a mirage, loomed the majestic silhouette of Elosia City, the kingdom's capital!
Their long and brutal journey was finally nearing its end.
The towering city walls stretched endlessly like mountain ranges, constructed from massive, sun-baked stones that radiated an aura of impregnable strength.
Upon the walls stood dense ranks of guards, motionless as statues, with arrow towers rising every hundred meters.
Faintly visible runic arrays pulsed across the walls, emitting a faint, ethereal glow.
Within the city's depths, the spires of cathedrals and the ramparts of grand castles rose and fell in the mist, while glimpses of smoke-wreathed residential districts and occasional bursts of magical light pierced the sky.
"Look! The royal capital! We've made it!" Earl Reinhardt exclaimed, his trembling finger pointing toward the distant colossal fortress. His voice, hoarse with relief and elation, carried the weight of survival.
He looked like a child, tears welling in the corners of his eyes.
Baron Fabio and General Brandon, equally moved, leaned out of their carriages.
The sight of the familiar royal capital instantly filled their eyes with hope and relief, as if all their weariness had been washed away in that moment.
"We... we finally survived!" Baron Fabio murmured incoherently, his plump face now radiant with joy and relief.
The surviving nobles in the convoy erupted in unrestrained cheers, while the exhausted guards roared in unison, raising their weapons high to celebrate this hard-won destination.
Even the horses seemed to sense the joy, their steps quickening with renewed energy.
"Lord Jack! Thank you so much for escorting us all this way!" Baron Fabio exclaimed, leaping from his carriage to seize Jieming's hand, his entire body trembling. "If it weren't for you, I'd probably be dead on the road by now..."
Earl Reinhardt, his hands shaking, stepped forward. He accepted a heavy, gold-inlaid chest from his attendant, its contents gleaming with jewels and gold coins, and presented it respectfully to Jieming.
"My lord! This is a small token of our gratitude! Please accept it!"
At the same time, he solemnly pledged, "Upon reaching the royal capital, our families will spare no effort in securing the highest royal honors for you!"
Jieming accepted the chest, glanced inside, and nodded with a faint smile, though his eyes held a hint of mockery.
These nobles pretended to be thanking him, but once they reached safety, they immediately began testing his boundaries again.
Truly worthy of being called nobles, he thought.
Their ability to turn on a dime is simply absurd.
As the convoy waited for inspection by the royal capital's gate guards, Jieming observed the city's defensive systems.
The massive, imposing gate was fronted by a deep moat, and the drawbridge slowly lowered.
The city walls bristled with dense ranks of guards and defensive weaponry, including catapults and giant crossbows.
Patrols passed by every few moments, and intricate magic formations etched into the walls radiated faint energy fluctuations.
With so many nobles present, the inspection proceeded swiftly. The convoy soon began moving, slowly entering the city.
The first sight that greeted them was a wide, flat stone-paved street lined with shops and bustling with pedestrians.
Uniformed sentries lined both sides of the street, their silver-armored city guards sharp-eyed and alert, a stark contrast to the routed soldiers of Golden Harbor.
Children played and frolicked by the roadside, while vendors enthusiastically hawked freshly baked pastries and vibrant silks.
In the distance, the majestic castle spires pierced the sky, and the bells of the various temples chimed in harmonious succession, their solemn resonance filling the air.
This was the true heartland of civilization in the Elosia Plane.
As the nobles' carriages entered the city gates, they immediately drew the attention of the street's residents.
Though their clothes were tattered and their carriages caked in mud, the luxurious materials and the barely concealed arrogance beneath their weariness betrayed their noble status.
Keen-eyed residents recognized the crests of prominent families like Earl Reinhardt's emblazoned on the carriages, sparking hushed whispers and gasps of surprise.
"Heavens! It's Earl Reinhardt! They... they actually made it back alive!"
"Didn't Golden Harbor fall? How did they escape?"
"Look at their disheveled state... they must have endured terrible hardships..."
Earl Reinhardt sat in his carriage, peering through the curtains at the bustling royal capital. The long-lost sense of security washed over him, finally releasing the days of suppressed fatigue and fear.
He quickly snapped out of his relief at surviving, his gaze sharpening.
"Hurry! Send messengers to the royal palace immediately! And to all the temples! Report 'every detail' of Lord Jack's heroic deeds!" Earl Reinhardt leaned out of the carriage window, barking orders at the servants flanking the vehicle.
The servant, a veteran who had served the earl for decades, immediately understood his master's meaning. He nodded respectfully. "Yes, Master!"
Upon reaching the royal capital, the procession drove straight into the noble district.
Here, the streets were wider, lined with opulent mansions of varying architectural styles, each proclaiming its owner's status and wealth.
As the carriage halted before Earl Reinhardt's family estate, the gates stood wide open.
The butler and servants were lined up to greet him, their faces pale with worry for their master's safety.
"Master! You've finally returned!" The butler rushed forward, tears streaming down his face, his voice choked with emotion.
Earl Reinhardt, without even bothering to wash the dust from his face, immediately summoned Baron Fabio, General Brandon, and several other surviving high-ranking nobles to a secret meeting in the mansion's grand hall.
"Gentlemen!" Earl Reinhardt's voice was hoarse but resolute. "We owe our survival entirely to Lord Jack! We must immediately report his heroic deeds to His Majesty the King and secure everything he has requested! This isn't just about honoring our promises—it's about our own safety!"
He cast a meaningful glance at General Brandon, hinting at the "wolves" lurking in the royal capital.
Baron Fabio nodded heavily, his plump face etched with fear-induced caution. "The Earl speaks truly! Those relatives in the royal capital... they're likely already waiting to laugh at our misfortune, perhaps even plotting our demise! Only by presenting Lord Jack to the King as a national hero can we secure royal protection!"
General Brandon exchanged a knowing look with Earl Reinhardt, understanding the unspoken implications.
When they fled Golden Harbor, they had undoubtedly chosen only their most loyal servants and guards to accompany them. There could be no traitors among them.
Even so, throughout their journey, a relentless stream of orcs had precisely tracked them down and pursued them relentlessly.
Each time, Lord Jack had flawlessly eliminated their pursuers.
If anyone was to blame for their troubles, it was undoubtedly Lord Jack himself.
Yet Baron Fabio's words held truth. Their forced retreat from Golden Harbor had cost them most of their forces.
Faced with other ambitious noble clans eyeing their territory, they desperately needed someone of sufficient stature to deter them.
And this mysterious Jack, with his unknown origins, was the perfect "enforcer."
He declared solemnly, "I will personally draft a detailed report chronicling Lord Jack's heroic deeds at Golden Harbor."
"Excellent! I will co-author the report and submit it as well!" Earl Reinhardt replied with a smile.
Thus, a polished and embellished account of Jack's "heroic exploits," while still retaining its awe-inspiring impact, was rushed to His Majesty the King's desk.
The report portrayed Jack as a formidable mercenary who fought not for gold, but for the kingdom and honor. His strength was exaggerated to near-divine levels, depicting him as a savior who had single-handedly turned the tide in dire circumstances, rescuing the bloodlines of several key royal families.
His Majesty King Otto Reich III was a monarch in the prime of his life.
When the reports from the two nobles were presented to him, Otto Reich III was already overwhelmed by the orc invasion and the frontline battles.
But as he read the reports, a curious glint immediately appeared in his eyes.
"This man... is he truly so formidable?" Otto Reich III set down the reports and tapped the table. "What do you think, Chief Minister?"
The chief minister bowed deeply. "Your Majesty, Earl Reinhardt and the others have personally testified to the truth of these accounts. Moreover, the small number of guards they brought corroborate the reports' contents. This 'Jack's' strength is indeed extraordinary."
"Don't play coy with me!" Otto Reich III rolled his eyes, his regal composure momentarily slipping. "I refuse to believe you can't see the glaring problems with this man."
The chief minister maintained his usual impassive demeanor. "Your Majesty, Mr. Jack's origins remain obscure. Based on the earl's report, it's highly probable he's an orc spy. However, there's no concrete evidence to support this..."
"Enough, enough. Stop pretending to be ignorant when you know perfectly well. None of the five legendary figures from Golden Harbor escaped, which means the orc assault force was exceptionally powerful. How could a group of nobles possibly survive such an attack?" Otto Reich III waved his hand dismissively.
"We're scheduled to meet with the orc delegation in a few days. For someone like this to suddenly appear now, it would be stranger if he weren't an orc spy. The real problem isn't this guy..."
The chief minister interjected, "If that's the case, then openly promoting Jack like this likely means he's just a pawn meant to distract us. The orcs probably have other informants working in the shadows..."
"The nobles who came in with him...?" Otto Reich III sneered. "That certainly fits the cowardly nature of those craven fools."
"What should we do with Jack? Rumors about him have already spread throughout the royal capital. Arresting him without evidence would be unwise."
"Why would we arrest him?" Otto Reich III tilted his head. "If we did, we'd never catch the real 'rat' hiding in the shadows."
"You mean...?"
"He's performed such a great service! Of course, he deserves a grand reward!" Otto Reich III rose from his throne.
"He's just a discarded pawn, not even worthy of the title 'legendary.' Capturing him would be pointless. It's far more valuable to let him move freely in the royal capital!"
"Understood!"
Soon after, Jieming received an official proclamation from the kingdom's chief minister:
"Jack! By order of His Majesty the King, you are hereby appointed as the kingdom's 'Special Advisor'! You will be granted a special position within the kingdom's intelligence department, granting you absolute operational freedom. You will also have access to all publicly available historical records, geographical maps, and intelligence agency information!"
"Your sole duty is to provide the kingdom with your 'advisory' insights, free from any tedious administrative responsibilities. Furthermore, His Majesty will bestow upon you a mansion in the royal capital as a testament to your distinguished service!"
"I thank His Majesty for his graciousness!" Jieming bowed, accepting the medal and official documents from the Royal Guard with an impassive expression.
"Mr. Jack, congratulations! It's rare for someone to receive such honors so soon after arriving in the royal capital."
The chief minister, who had delivered the proclamation, immediately switched from his stern demeanor to a beaming smile as Jieming accepted the documents.
Jieming reciprocated with a slightly warmer expression. "I am deeply grateful for His Majesty the King's benevolence..."
After exchanging pleasantries, the minister finally left with his Royal Guard escort, not without a hint of reluctance, after Jieming handed him a bag of gold coins with a beaming smile.
Turning to gaze at the mansion that now belonged to him, Jieming glanced at the medal in his hand, his smile gradually turning mocking.
"Special Advisor... is it? What a grand-sounding title."
But that was all it was—grand-sounding.
Though it appeared to confer high status and considerable authority, it held no real power.
The information he could access was limited to "public" records, but whether a record was considered public depended entirely on the whims of the royal family.
As for the supposed freedom of movement, that was just lip service. Jieming estimated his actual range of movement would likely be no greater than that of an ordinary noble.
In short, aside from this mansion, which was undoubtedly riddled with surveillance devices, all he had gained was a hollow title.
"Still... it suits my purposes perfectly!" Jieming tucked away the medal, his gaze sweeping over the mansion before him, a genuine smile of satisfaction spreading across his face.
Just as he had predicted from the start, everything was unfolding exactly as he had envisioned.
"It seems the public information provided by the Wizard Camp was accurate. Otto Reich III is indeed an ambitious and intelligent man."
Thank goodness he's intelligent. Dealing with a brute would have been far more troublesome, but an intelligent man will think things through more carefully.
"My current identity in their eyes must be that of a discarded orc spy. After all, the method I used to transmit caravan information to the orcs was far too crude."
Jieming pondered this as he pushed open the gate with a smile and strolled through the courtyard of his newly acquired mansion.
Jieming's methods were far from sophisticated, and his disguise was riddled with flaws.
As a wise ruler, Otto Reich III would naturally seize upon these weaknesses.
But for Jieming, the moment they branded him an orc spy, his true objective had already been achieved.
His perceived identity didn't matter. From the beginning, his sole purpose had been to masquerade as someone from "this world."
(End of the Chapter)
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