Chapter 38: The Shrimp Among Whales

As the sun began to set, Levan followed the soldier’s advice and headed to the shores of Lake Valdern to wait for Leon.

And just as dusk fell, an NPC bearing the name tag Leon Calagher appeared overhead.

‘In casual clothes, he looks just like Uncle Soon.’

The Leon Calagher Levan had seen on the official site was the very image of a legendary knight clad in magnificent armor.

Yet, dressed in plain clothes and with a fishing rod slung over his shoulder, he was no different from an ordinary middle-aged man.

‘Of course, his build is still quite different.’

Levan quietly held his breath.

He didn’t meet Leon’s gaze.

He merely stared absentmindedly at the lake, keeping a respectful distance until Leon settled down.

When Leon finally took a spot and cast his fishing float into the water, Levan approached and plopped down beside him.

“......”

Sitting next to Leon, Levan said nothing.

He just watched the float bobbing on the water alongside him.

Soon, a fish bit the bait.

Splash!

One shot, one kill.

As soon as a fish bit, Leon pulled the rod back without hesitation and caught it.

The way he fished was almost combative—no wonder he was a knight.

But after catching the fish, Leon immediately released it back into the lake.

Only then did Levan ask, “Why do you let them go?”

“They’re not needed.”

“I see.”

After the answer came a silence.

Levan watched as Leon caught and released fish several more times.

Finally, after releasing his last catch, Leon stood and said, “What’s your name?”

“Levan.”

“Do you have business with me?”

“Yes.”

“Then why didn’t you say so?”

“I didn’t want to disturb the pleasure of someone who came here to fish because of my business.”

“You speak with considerable consideration. Very well, I appreciate that and will hear you out. What do you want to say?”

“There’s something I want to show you.”

“Something you want to show me?”

“Yes.”

Not all NPCs are kind.

Yet many beginners assume every NPC is friendly, which leads to careless mistakes.

So Levan approached cautiously—he was not a beginner who would make such errors.

Leon nodded at Levan’s reply.

“Let me see it.”

At Leon’s request, Levan handed over the Book of Wisdom he had brought.

Leon’s pupils dilated at the sight of the book.

“This is...!”

Recognizing the book, Leon’s expression hardened as he asked Levan, “Where did you find this?”

“I received it from someone living in the Royal Library.”

“Received it?”

“Yes.”

“Who in the Royal Library?”

“From Mongus.”

“Mongus? The one who died in prison?”

“Yes. That magician who was imprisoned and died long ago.”

“Strange. He should be dead, so how could you have gotten this from him? Are you his descendant?”

“No. Mongus became a lich and now lives as a spectral guardian in the library. At the same time, he’s waiting for someone to clear his name. I was asked to help him. This book was given to me during that process.”

“A lich? A lich?”

Leon’s face grew even more serious at the mention of a lich.

Understandably so—the library was inside the royal palace, a place that must be safer than anywhere else in the kingdom.

But whether Leon was shocked or not, Levan calmly responded.

“Yes. Mongus is a lich.”

“If that’s a lie, you will pay a heavy price.”

“You may come see for yourself. I’m only the messenger.”

Levan said plainly, and Leon studied his eyes for a moment.

Then, seeing sincerity in Levan’s gaze, he softened and changed the subject.

“...That man is a criminal. There’s nothing unjust about it. You’ve been played by his word games.”

“No. He told me he took the blame for Latel’s crimes. He says he has proof of his innocence and evidence of Latel’s guilt.”

“Can he prove it?”

“Come with me. He still dwells in the library.”

Seeing is believing.

After some hesitation, Leon agreed.

“Very well. But there’s a place we must stop by first.”

“A place to stop by?”

“Follow me.”

With that, Leon tucked the Book of Wisdom under his arm and took the lead.

Levan hurried after him.

‘He walks really fast.’

Was it urgency or just his natural pace?

Levan half-ran to keep up.

Eventually, they arrived at the royal palace.

At the entrance, two guards chatting nearby spotted Leon and immediately straightened up, stiff with discipline.

“Loyalty!”

The soldiers saluted, and Leon responded with a slight nod.

He continued leading, and Levan followed closely.

At one point, Levan caught the eye of a bribe-taking guard, whose startled expression was quite entertaining.

‘Kid, don’t be so surprised.’

Levan winked at the guard and kept following Leon.

They kept moving.

Leon said nothing about their destination, walking quietly ahead.

They passed by a sign indicating locations inside the palace.

Looking at the sign...

‘Uh, this way leads to the main palace?’

The direction Leon headed was none other than the main palace.

That was when Levan’s heart began to race.

Swallowing his nervousness, Levan quietly pursued Leon.

“Loyalty!”

As they moved forward, a passing royal guard saluted.

The closer they got to the main palace, the more frequent the salutes became.

Each time, Leon merely nodded without a word.

There was something undeniably impressive about that.

At last, Levan stepped inside the main palace.

‘Wow, I’m really inside the main palace.’

It felt surreal.

He had never once entered the main palace in any country while playing Warlord.

That just showed how hard it was to get in.

‘I need to record this and upload it later.’

The deeper they went, the more Levan’s heart pounded.

When Leon finally stopped, four knights clad in dazzling armor stood guard before a door.

“Loyalty, have you come?”

“The Majesty?”

“He is inside.”

“Knock.”

“Yes.”

“Uh, uh, uh?”

Wait.

The Majesty?

Levan didn’t fully grasp the situation for a moment because it was said so naturally.

But the door was already knocked upon.

Creak—

The door opened with an invitation to enter.

Beyond the door stood none other than the fallen nation Pasna’s king, Evergran.

‘Damn, no way...’

Levan froze at the door swinging open without any warning.

Why hadn’t anyone warned him if they were going to visit the king? Leon said there was a place to stop by, and now they’re at the king?

But the moment had already come, and Leon gestured sharply.

“Come in.”

“Ah, yes, yes!”

Well, whatever.

Even if he was a king, Levan wasn’t about to be intimidated by a mere game character.

…Or so he thought until he faced Evergran.

‘Good heavens...’

Is this what it feels like to see someone truly handsome?

Evergran was young—barely past fifteen.

Yet his cold blue eyes, royal blonde hair, and snow-white skin carried an elegant beauty that subtly crushed the will of anyone who met his gaze.

Levan was overwhelmed.

By a presence of an entirely different dimension, unlike anything he had ever experienced.

Evergran sat at a desk, reading a book.

Leon bowed lightly and said to the king, “Your Majesty, I apologize for disturbing your reading, but I have urgent matters to discuss and have come despite the imposition.”

“Not at all. If it is you, then it must be important. What is it?”

“I have found the Book of Wisdom.”

“...What?”

Upon hearing that the Book of Wisdom had been found, the king’s blue eyes grew even larger.

They looked like sapphires, perfectly cut and polished.

The surprised king closed his book, stood, and approached.

Leon handed over the Book of Wisdom tucked under his arm.

“This is...”

The king looked almost dazed as he quickly skimmed through the contents.

Then, as if reunited with a long-lost family, he closed his eyes and swallowed a deep sob.

“Ha, ha ha...! It’s true. The lost diary has truly returned...!”

The king seemed deeply moved, holding the Book of Wisdom to his chest as he waited for his emotion to settle.

When the tremors subsided, he opened his eyes, misty, and said to Leon,

“Who is the one who found this?”

“This is the person.”

The king’s gaze shifted to Levan.

At that moment, Levan’s body stiffened involuntarily.

Simply being looked at by the king was enough.

Evergran emitted an indescribable aura that words could not capture.

The king said,

“What is your name?”

“Levan.”

“I see. Levan, then where did you find this book?”

“From Mongus in the Royal Library.”

“Mongus?”

“Yes.”

Levan glanced at Leon, who nodded quietly.

Then Levan told the king Mongus’s story just as he had told Leon.

The king listened quietly.

After hearing the whole tale, the king nodded solemnly.

“If what you say is true, we must restore Mongus’s sullied honor and punish Latel. But—”

But?

Levan waited for the king’s next words.

But Evergran showed a sorrowful expression instead of answering.

Leon answered for him.

“...We cannot grant Mongus the revenge he desires, not yet.”

‘Damn.’

Levan had guessed as much.

He had expected it, but seeing the frailty of the royal authority in person made him feel oddly sympathetic toward the king.

Leon continued.

“However, Your Majesty once promised great rewards to whoever finds the Book of Wisdom. So you should have the reward given to Mongus on your behalf and leave the rest to us.”

‘What?’

What kind of nonsense was that?

Absolutely impossible.

Because the quest Levan had received was not about some trivial reward, but about building favor with the king.

If he got involved any further now, he’d be pulled much deeper into this mess than intended.

But at the same time, he couldn’t just abandon the quest.

So, Levan had no choice but to intervene in this bloody political struggle.

Closing his eyes tightly, he said,

“...That cannot be.”

“What did you say?”

Leon’s glare turned murderous.

An intense murderous intent.

But Levan stood firm and continued,

“I have a way. A sure method to punish Latel.”

A shrimp has entered the whale’s fight.