I Became a Veteran Who Has to Stir Up Trouble to Survive - Chapter 87

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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[087] The King’s Assassination Plot
‘Damn it all.’
The moment I heard Belmont’s words, I sensed I had stumbled into a quagmire from which there was no escape.
Some secrets become a burden the instant they are shared.
‘Regicide.’
Having once lived through turbulent times in Belheim, I understood the weight of those words all too well, and I couldn’t help but curse inwardly.
‘If the King dies, the entire kingdom trembles…!’
As someone operating within this kingdom, I would inevitably be caught in the fallout.
Moreover, the fact that the kingdom’s Grand Mage himself had taken the bait suggested there was considerable credibility to this claim.
And the fact that he had chosen to broach this subject now, of all times….
As I stared at him coldly, Belmont opened his mouth with casual composure.
“Would you care to hear the details?”
“…And if I refuse to listen?”
“Then I’ll bind your tongue and render you mute, or throw you in a dungeon. It would be most inconvenient if you went about spreading what you’ve just heard.”
In other words, now that I had heard this, everyone here was implicated.
Including everyone present—there was no choice in the matter.
Belmont had drawn us into this situation deliberately from the very beginning.
‘This rotten old man…!’
I glared at him once more, then exhaled a long sigh before asking.
“…Very well then. Tell me—who exactly is orchestrating this assassination plot against the King?”
“I don’t know.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“I don’t know either.”
“You’ve gone to all this trouble, yet you don’t even know who it is…!”
“That’s precisely why I allowed myself to be kidnapped in the first place, you foolish wretch.”
With a flick, Belmont manipulated a stone at his feet and struck my head.
“Then… these kidnappers are connected to it, aren’t they?”
“I cannot say for certain. I’ve searched through all their correspondence, but found only one letter related to the King’s assassination, and even that one remained sealed.”
“There’s a deeper mastermind behind this.”
I glanced back at the three of them.
From the start, these idiots lacked the intellect to orchestrate such a meticulous scheme.
Using knowledge from the game, I had equipped them with some decent gear, but that was all.
No matter how much one had experienced through a game, a modern person accustomed to comfort in an advanced civilization couldn’t suddenly dominate a dark fantasy world upon being thrust into it.
I’d need to interrogate them for details, but our first proper encounter with the undead felt somewhat anticlimactic.
“So to summarize the situation… you learned of someone’s plot to assassinate the King, then deliberately allowed yourself to be kidnapped to gather information, and left behind an illusion spell anticipating that we would pursue you?”
“Correct. I knew you’d grasp my intentions.”
“Then offering the ring as an Arena prize was also deliberate on your part, predicting that we would arrive at Ludus Magna and begin our pursuit?”
“A ring? What are you talking about?”
“What? Wait, hold on just a moment…!”
An ominous premonition.
I quickly checked Belmont’s fingers.
“The ring… it’s there.”
The ring that should have been recovered by the kidnappers in the arena was perfectly intact on his hand.
This meant Belmont had never been robbed of the ring in the first place.
After grasping the full context, he slowly opened his mouth.
“…It seems you’ve been played this time.”
“What? What do you mean…?”
“Someone orchestrated this to draw you in. The moment you witnessed the Main House ring offered as an arena prize, they knew you’d take action one way or another.”
Realizing it was a trap, a chill ran down my spine.
I understood there was a mastermind still lurking beneath the surface.
‘The nobleman who hired the Reincarnators to kidnap Belmont…!’
With high probability, this was the same person who leaked the King’s assassination plot to Belmont.
They fed information to Belmont, provided a counterfeit ring to the arena, orchestrated the kidnapping, and lured us to this place.
A meticulous and cunning individual who predicted every move one step ahead and orchestrated the entire flow.
Moreover, this was clearly a trap designed to probe our capabilities.
I’d been caught up in many incidents before, but this was my first time being the direct target of such a carefully orchestrated scheme.
“But… why would they go to such lengths? I’m not exactly a famous adventurer, and my level isn’t particularly high….”
“You probably know better than I do.”
As I traced through my memories, I paused.
‘Could it be… because I prevented the Great Calamities?’
I had cooperated with Belmont to stop the first Great Calamity, and later prevented the second one in the form of the same undead.
Any Reincarnator who understood the flow of this world would naturally find that suspicious.
For instance, weren’t there notes about winged undead that hadn’t been recorded here before?
‘Which means… when that creature saw me causing chaos in the arena in goblin form, it might have realized I have transformation abilities.’
I’d almost let my guard down seeing the three who kidnapped Belmont, but it was clear that Evil Spirits were enemies I couldn’t afford to underestimate.
“…Could that Evil Spirit be involved in the King’s assassination plot as well?”
“It’s likely entangled to some degree, but I can’t say for certain. However, we’re not entirely without clues.”
Belmont quietly pressed something into my hand.
Torn parchment fragments pieced together into a cipher, and above it, a sentence written in a language familiar to Earth.
“You should recognize the language written here, shouldn’t you?”
I slowly began matching the fragments together.
“This is… coordinates? A location in Ludus Magna is written here? The time is… tomorrow afternoon.”
Belmont’s lips curved into a grin as he spoke.
“A secret gathering place of the Evil Spirits.”
* * *
Wearing masks and fedoras, Belmont and I strolled down the Main Street of Ludus Magna as light rain pattered down.
I couldn’t hide my reluctance, but Belmont gazed around with keen interest as he spoke.
“Attending a gathering of Evil Spirits—now this is quite intriguing.”
“…Won’t a Reincarnator walking around with an elderly man stand out too much?”
“It should be fine. Among the Evil Spirits I’ve seen, there were often those with white hair.”
Belmont quickened his pace.
We had decided to infiltrate directly into the gatherings where Evil Spirits periodically assembled to gather intelligence.
It was unavoidable if I wanted to expose the conspirators plotting the King’s assassination, but simultaneously, I felt an odd sense of guilt.
‘After all, I’m a Reincarnator myself….’
Could I really bring someone who was practically the natural predator of Reincarnators to a place like this?
Belmont had likely drained information from and killed countless Reincarnators over the years.
He spoke casually, as if he had read my thoughts.
“Consider it an unavoidable necessity for the greater good.”
“I think you’re misunderstanding. I’m not someone who acts for the greater good.”
“Think about it carefully. The backlash if Evil Spirits were involved in an assassination attempt on the King—or even if it merely failed—what would happen to this Kingdom?”
“…They’d try to kill every single Evil Spirit in this country. Since there’s no way to distinguish between ordinary people and Evil Spirits, the damage would fall squarely on the dark-haired people.”
Life was already harsh enough, and now soldiers would come with blazing eyes trying to execute me.
This was a far more serious situation than I had anticipated.
“…Wait a moment. I think we’re being followed.”
“The Evil Spirits would naturally be watching, concerned that the letter fell into the wrong hands. Act naturally and don’t worry about it.”
Belmont and I conversed calmly as we arrived at our destination.
But all that awaited us was an empty lot between buildings.
“Huh, what…? The location written in the letter should be here….”
“Hmm… You’re not trying to trap me by conspiring with the Reincarnators, are you….”
“A man who could turn this place into a sea of fire if he wished—what are you talking about? Let me look around carefully. There might be another clue hidden somewhere here….”
“Check beneath that rock over there. There are traces of magical power lingering.”
With half-hearted skepticism, I overturned the building debris and found a scrap of parchment inscribed with a familiar language.
─Come to a place two blocks north and three blocks east from here.─
“…It seems they have no intention of revealing the meeting place easily.”
Belmont and I headed toward the location written on the note.
This tedious process did not end with just one instance—it continued repeatedly.
The notes were hidden not only beneath stones but also inside flower pots, between fence boards, behind signs, and in the gaps of old wagon wheels.
After circling around multiple times, we finally arrived at a shabby tavern as the sun began to set.
‘It looks ordinary at first glance….’
“Excuse me.”
After entering the tavern, I deliberately removed my fedora to reveal my dark hair to the Bartender.
Once seated in a secluded corner, the Bartender brought over a menu.
“What would you like to order?”
“Ah, we’re just here to take shelter from the rain for a moment….”
I suddenly noticed tiny script written at the bottom of the menu descriptions.
1. Who was the first President of the United States?
2. What is the capital of Italy?
3. What is the name of the award given annually to outstanding scientists?
4. What is the name of the player who single-handedly defeated the highest-tier demon in Belheim?
“…George Washington, Rome, Nobel Prize, Doran.”
“That’s correct. Do you have an invitation?”
“I have a letter with an encrypted message.”
“Hmm… there shouldn’t have been any old men among the attendees of this council….”
“Ah, well….”
Just as I hesitated to answer, Belmont pulled at his own cheek and spoke.
“This is merely a disguise mask. Since my identity would also be problematic if revealed, I’d appreciate your discretion.”
｢Belmont has employed illusion magic!｣
“Understood. I shall guide you to the council chamber.”
The Bartender nodded as though entranced and opened the basement door for us.
I descended the staircase and whispered to Belmont.
“I must emphasize once more… no matter how they are Reincarnators, you cannot incinerate them with flames.”
“I know the difference between public and private matters well enough. Besides, the Main House is quite favorable toward Evil Spirits to begin with. I won’t kill them outright.”
“That may be true, but….”
I opened the door and stepped into the basement.
A spacious circular chamber lay before me, and beyond thick walls and curtains, I could make out the silhouettes of roughly ten men and women.
Each of their seats was connected by separate corridors.
‘Was this place designed from the beginning for secret councils….’
Secret communities of specific groups were common enough in manga and web novels, so the setup felt familiar.
Apart from the genders of a few attendees I could infer from their silhouettes, I could discern nothing of their race, age, appearance, or anything else—yet the prickling sensation across my skin made it abundantly clear these were no ordinary beings.
｢The soul of the Selurian Golem within you senses the mana of an exceptional Mage!｣
｢The soul of the Undead recognizes the presence of a powerful Necromancer!｣
｢The soul of the lesser demon Imp grows wary of a seasoned demon hunter’s aura!｣
‘…I cannot afford to be careless with some of these individuals.’
These were undoubtedly powerhouses of at least level 100 or higher—titans who each held prominent positions in their respective domains.
In the suffocating silence, as I endured the curious gazes piercing through the curtain, a man’s voice resonated through the chamber.
“It seems everyone has arrived. Let us begin. Welcome to the 57th regular assembly of the Ludus Magna Branch! For those visiting for the first time, allow me to explain—our purpose is to share information in order to survive in this accursed Belheim. First, let us hear from the Witch of the Frozen Tundra.”
“Mm… An ancient troll that was hibernating in the Northern Tundra Region has awakened. Two nearby towns have already been completely annihilated, and the subjugation forces cannot handle the situation. …Next.”
“Strange monsters have been appearing in the Southern Desert lately. They’re like a fusion of camels and humans… it’s content that doesn’t even exist in the game.”
“Is it my turn? The Heretics have begun taking action recently. You know the Neptune priests in Liberta were all assassinated, right? Those bastards were involved in that as well.”
Each time the Reincarnators behind the veil finished speaking, the Moderator used magic to verify the truth of their statements.
The baton passed from person to person until it reached one particular individual.
He fell silent for a moment, then spoke.
“It appears that man Doran has been reincarnated into this world.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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