I Became a Veteran Who Has to Stir Up Trouble to Survive - Chapter 89

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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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[089] The Royal Capital’s Information Broker
The moment I stepped through the Portal into the Royal Capital, a gasp escaped my lips unbidden.
The landscape was so overwhelmingly magnificent that it made even the bustling Ludus Magna seem like a backwater village.
Towering white stone structures pierced the sky in abundance, while lifelike sculptures and fountains adorned the Plaza with vivid elegance.
The Noblemen who strolled through the streets with casual affluence wore garments that radiated wealth, and carriages glided silently across the pristine cobblestones without a sound.
This place felt like civilization had advanced a century ahead of everywhere else.
Radi stood with his mouth agape like a country mouse freshly arrived in the city.
“So this is the Royal Capital… it’s far more magnificent than I imagined! I can’t even see the end of the city in one glance… Is that where the Royal Palace is over there?”
Radi rose onto his toes, craning his neck to peer beyond the towering buildings, before eventually giving up.
Belmont turned to follow an attendant’s guidance.
“Then I shall depart for the Main Headquarters now.”
“Wait? You’re leaving after coming all this way with us?”
Belmont fixed me with a steady gaze and sighed.
“I’ve come to the Royal Capital to investigate this treason, so I must have an audience with His Majesty, issue a warrant for arrest, and attend to the accumulated matters of state. Do you still have the Portal permit I gave you before?”
“Yes, this one? Of course I always carry it with me.”
“The Main Headquarters’ seal is on the back, so if you find yourself in trouble here, show it to them. I’ll dispatch Investigators separately as well—the moment you discover which Nobleman orchestrated the assassination, report it immediately.”
With those words, Belmont departed.
Left standing alone with my companions before the Portal Gate, I faced a daunting reality.
Our only clue was a single name: Nihid. With nothing more than that, I had to find one person in this vast Royal Capital.
“Why don’t we start by visiting a Tavern and asking around? Even so, it’s a place where all sorts of city information converges….”
“Radi, you’re saying that because you still don’t understand how enormous this Royal Capital truly is. Even if we’re lucky enough to find someone, the odds of them being a namesake are high.”
“So that means we need to approach this differently than usual.”
There was no point in crudely eavesdropping in Taverns or asking random people on the street.
What should we do?
“Let’s try going to a place that sells information.”
The Royal Capital had several officially registered Information Guilds.
These were typically used by Merchant Caravans seeking to understand the current situation, or by those who wanted to accept Quests without going through the Adventurer’s Guild.
We rode in a carriage throughout the Royal Capital, stopping at various Information Guilds.
But every response was identical.
“You’re looking for a single person? Without knowing their appearance, we’re afraid we can’t help much….”
“Nihid, you say? That’s far too common a name.”
“Hmm… it does sound vaguely familiar… but wouldn’t you be interested in purchasing a regular membership to our Guild? Right now we’re offering half price….”
Having struck out everywhere, we trudged dejectedly through the Street.
‘It seems impossible to track someone down in the Royal Capital with just a name.’
Malton muttered while crossing his arms.
“It appears the official channels won’t work. After all, we’re not even certain if this name is their real one or an alias.”
“You’re right, Malton. And if this person holds the key to a plot to assassinate the King, they’re hardly an ordinary individual—they’re likely hiding somewhere in secrecy most of the time.”
My companions huddled together, pondering the problem.
I too fell silent for a moment, resting my chin in thought.
‘Actually, there are people who would be perfect for a situation like this….’
During my time in the game, such individuals operated in the shadows of the Royal Capital where I was active.
A group with information-gathering capabilities that surpassed even legitimate Guilds. Experts thoroughly versed in intelligence collection.
“Really? If such a place exists, wouldn’t it have been better to visit there first?”
Radi immediately questioned my account, but there was good reason I hadn’t sought them out immediately.
“Because they’re an Evil God Cult.”
“What? You mean Heretics who serve the Evil God operate openly in the Royal Capital?”
“Well, there are different kinds of Evil Gods. Some of them are too ambiguous to touch, so they’re left alone.”
‘And there’s another problem—two years have passed between when I played and now.’
They periodically shifted their bases of operation, so the location information from the game was useless.
But there was one method I could use to find them quickly.
Heretics always left behind marks that only they could recognize.
And….
I trudged toward a nearby Exchange House, exchanged silver coins for a heap of copper coins, and walked back out.
Not only that, I purchased large quantities of rye bread from a nearby Bakery and bought soup by the pot, then had laborers load it into the cart’s cargo bed.
“What are you going to do with all this?”
“You’ll see faster if you just watch. Come along.”
I climbed into the cart and headed south of the Royal Capital.
As we quickly passed through the bustling Market District, increasingly dilapidated scenery began to come into view.
The buildings were old with peeling paint on their outer walls, and the bridges spanning the Waterways had broken railings.
It was considerably better than most cities, yet utterly different from the glittering Royal Capital I’d imagined.
Radi, who had gazed around with dreamy eyes when we first arrived at the Royal Capital, now sat in his seat with a slightly disappointed expression.
“Until just now, every building was refined and gleaming… I didn’t know the Royal Capital had places like this.”
“Slum Districts exist everywhere, after all.”
I directed us toward the Central Plaza, where the most people gathered even within the Slum District.
The moment we descended from the cart, beggars sprang to their feet and swarmed toward us, but upon seeing our noble attire, they hesitated and withdrew.
“Malton, help me move this.”
I unloaded the cauldron and supplies from the cargo bed, then shouted loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Attention, everyone!”
「The beggars gathered in the Plaza focus intently on your words!」
「They simply hope you won’t drive them away from this Plaza!」
“I’m about to begin distributing food rations, so all who are hungry should come here and form a line!”
“Food being given away…? Is that really true?”
“Why would nobles go to such trouble personally? Is this a trick? Are you recruiting us as cannon fodder for war…?!”
The beggars murmured with suspicion, but among them, a Young Girl in tattered clothes stepped forward and asked hesitantly.
“Um, are you really giving it away for free?”
“That’s right. We have bread and warm soup, so bring a bowl.”
“Then, could you give me one more piece of bread? My younger sibling is starving…!”
“Of course, child.”
I distributed the food while wearing the most benevolent and compassionate smile I could muster.
When I pressed a copper coin into her hand as well, the Young Girl bowed so deeply her head nearly touched the ground before dashing off somewhere.
The beggars who saw that sight swarmed in from all directions like clouds.
“Noble sir! For two days now, I’ve eaten nothing but grass! Please, have mercy!”
“Gracious sir, do not turn away this wretched soul!”
“P-please, just one bowl of soup!”
“Alright, everyone will receive their share fairly. Form two lines! …Malton, organize these people for me.”
“Understood. …Listen here! Everyone gather in two lines over here!”
As I distributed food and coins, the beggars eagerly stretched out their arms to receive them.
Of course, this act of charity was not without purpose.
“…All of you, pay close attention. When you hand out food and money, look carefully—you’ll find people with distinctive tattoos on their wrists.”
“Tattoos…?”
“Yes, find those people. They’re marked as followers of the Evil God Cult.”
The group I sought were those who served the ‘Beggar God’.
They primarily operated in the Royal Capital where money flowed, observing and hearing everything from the lowest places.
With eyes and ears everywhere, no one in this city could match their intelligence network.
However, my companions who heard my whispered words showed reluctance.
“A Beggar God? I’ve never even heard of such a thing.”
“Can something so dishonorable even become a god? Even if there are many divine beings….”
As Karen and Radi looked at me with confusion, I replied quietly.
“The Beggar God became an Evil God precisely because everyone avoided becoming its follower. Ordinary people have no reason to seek its blessings, and since it’s such a secretive organization, many don’t even know it exists.”
This was a different reason than those classified as Evil Gods due to twisted doctrine or followers committing atrocities.
I continued distributing food while gathering information whenever the opportunity arose.
“Has anything unusual happened in the Royal Capital lately?”
“Hmm… What sort of matters do you speak of, sir?”
“Suspicious movements among the nobility, unsettling rumors circulating. Oh, and I’m also looking for someone named Nihid. An old acquaintance of mine—I’ve lost contact with them recently.”
“Hmm… There haven’t been any particularly notable signs. As for your acquaintance… I’ll mobilize all my connections to search! Hey, Kim! Come over here!”
Though considerable time had passed since we began distributing food, the line only grew longer as beggars from neighboring plazas heard the news and flocked here.
「News of the philanthropist in the Southern Plaza is spreading among the beggars of the Royal Capital!」
「Numerous impoverished people are gathering in the plaza district!」
「Due to [Chaos], all stats increase by 5!」
‘…At this rate, we’ll run out of bread and soup soon.’
“Karen, could you take the carriage and order more bread and soup? Also, sweep up any eye-catching food from the nearby street stalls.”
“Sure, that’s no problem.”
Karen drove the carriage out of the plaza.
‘Indeed, a nobleman’s wealth is reassuring in times like these.’
But while I was in the midst of distributing aid to the beggars, Radi flinched and quietly approached from behind me.
“…What is it? Something wrong?”
“No, it’s just… I suddenly felt a chill….”
“If you’re cold, wear more clothes.”
“No, that’s not it… There’s a smell I’ve never encountered before. It’s hard to describe….”
Radi pointed to one corner of the plaza.
There stood a boy, motionless in the shadows.
His eyes gleamed with piercing sharpness, and his striking features were so refined they made his tattered appearance seem irrelevant.
‘What is this? Why does my spine suddenly crawl with unease…?’
As the boy approached with heavy footsteps and looked up at me, I forced a smile to greet him.
“Hello there? Are you perhaps hungry…?”
“Playing the fool again, are we? What are you doing here, Antagon?”
“Huh, what do you—”
Only when I felt Radi tugging at my sleeve from beside me did I finally notice.
On the boy’s left arm was a distinct coin-shaped tattoo.
At that same moment, a brilliant crimson alert blazed across the edge of my vision.
「You have encountered one of Belheim’s Absolute Beings!」
「Exercise extreme caution! The level disparity between you and your opponent cannot be measured!!」
「The Absolute Being reveals their true name of their own accord!」
「The entity standing before you is [The Beggar’s Coin of the Alleys], the Beggar God Diogenes!!」

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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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