A Horror Novel’s Supporting Character Wants to Live as a Human

Chapter 268

Chapter 268

Dardin had known since childhood that his mind was exceptional.

Not just exceptional in intellect. He knew how to handle various tasks complexly and simultaneously while also planning other schemes in his head.

And now he was systematically conveying the information he had gathered with his mouth,

While examining Yesung with his eyes and thinking about him.

After Evana raised doubts about him,

Dardin had tried to extract information about him using spies he had planted in various families, including the royal family.

If Yesung was indeed a person sent by the Queen's faction for espionage as Evana said,

He had already half-formed plans on how to leak false information to Yesung and disrupt the Queen's faction.

However, on the night he went to report this,The 3rd Prince, who was staying at a shabby inn, immediately cut off his words.

-That's an unnecessary worry.

-Your Highness, her suspicions are valid. I also thought we needed to be cautious about Yesung's identity. If he's a person from the Queen's faction...

-He doesn't belong to the Queen's faction. I guarantee it.

Dardin was at a loss for words.

The 3rd Prince was not someone who carelessly mentioned guarantees.

Yet he would personally guarantee the identity of someone he had met barely two days ago?

-Have you met him before? Before coming to the royal palace, perhaps?

-Let's say that's the case.

An ambiguous conclusion.

Dardin fell into thought in front of the 3rd Prince.

He wasn't present when Yesung was discovered,

But hearing the story Cellinne had told, it seemed the 3rd Prince had indeed acted strangely.

-Then why don't you acknowledge knowing him? Because he's not of much help?

-He's not worth bringing in. Just having you all with me already increases uncertainty sufficiently.

-You say that again. Then I'll temporarily suspend the investigation into Yesung.

The 3rd Prince said, barely audibly like a sigh, 'You're focusing on strange things,' and didn't mention it further.

But what change had occurred in such a 3rd Prince last night?

He had taken Yesung away without warning, returned after quite some time had passed,

And informed those who remained at the campsite.

-Yesung will join us from now on.

After a brief silence at those words, Evana was the first to exclaim.

-Your Highness! That's!

-There's no taking it back. If there's nothing else useful, use him as a porter. He's someone who keeps his mouth shut, so there won't be any leaks.

-No matter what you say-

-Dardin, I'll leave his role to you.

Next to Evana, who was speechless, Dardin reflexively smiled.

Wasn't this the same person who until yesterday had said 'Yesung has no value' and 'I don't want to increase uncertainty'?

He didn't know what Yesung had said to make the 3rd Prince return so exhausted.

But that was that, and this was this.

-May I ask one presumptuous question?

-Go ahead.

-Can Yesung read and write?

-I believe so.

-That's fortunate. Then I'll find a use for Yesung.

Since Yurik had commanded it, Dardin had to obey without a single error.

Whether Yesung was a great schemer or a country bumpkin ignorant of worldly affairs didn't matter.

Dardin would find a place for Yesung to be used,

And Yesung would be utilized for the 3rd Prince down to every strand of hair.

Yesung, who had been reading the visit list of Queen faction leaders beyond royal trends, raised his head.

Meeting his eyes, Dardin smiled with genuine kindness.

* * *

Dardin's report was quite substantial and... very detailed.

To put it nicely, it was detailed; to put it badly, one could never grasp the causality of the events contained within just by skimming through it.

He hadn't noticed when he had roughly flipped through it,

But listening to Dardin's explanation while referring back and forth, things finally began to catch his eye.

From domestic trends like relationships between families and the Queen faction's movements to international trends like small-scale conflicts between Brythunia and Asgard.

Had Dardin organized all of this?

That was amazing, but the problem was that their personnel didn't exceed the fingers of one hand.

So this meant Dardin had hand-copied the same report seven times to distribute.

He recalled Dardin when they had returned to the campsite last night.

Could it be that he had been doing that to make a copy for his portion?

Even thinking of any monster, god, or demonic beast wouldn't have been that frightening.

But he felt true madness from Dardin, who had completed preparations for briefing while collecting information and hand-copying thick reports seven times.

Look at this. Everyone was lying down saying they were dying, but only Dardin kept talking without rest.

The saying about clear-eyed madmen wasn't for nothing.

"...Since the policy has changed slightly from before, please all confirm this."

"I-is it over? It must be over, right? My back hurts too much to sit any longer. Show some respect for the elderly."

"Yes, sir. It's finished. Everyone worked hard having two days' worth of meetings all at once."

"It's over!"

Walter stood up beating his back, and Cellinne screamed as she left her seat.

In terms of perception, it had been a meeting equivalent to a three-hour lecture.

Yurik also stood up without saying much, and everyone began to scatter to pack their luggage.

Just as he was about to stand up while rummaging through the report thinking there might be something he missed, Dardin called him.

"Yesung, wait a moment."

"Why?"

"I wanted to ask if there were any parts you didn't understand in today's meeting. Since it's your first meeting, I thought it might have been a bit overwhelming for Yesung, who wasn't aware of these circumstances."

Of course, he hadn't perfectly mastered all of this.

But how many regressions had he lived as a duke in the past?

Having been rolled around like a seodang dog, he had the experience to roughly understand.

Moreover, he thought it would be more comfortable to ask Yurik than Dardin, so he hadn't intended to ask questions.

"It was well-organized so I could read it easily. But I'm curious about why the Queen's faction is acting so extremely."

"This is because of an incident that occurred before the Young Master, that is, His Highness the 3rd Prince entered the royal palace."

"An incident?"

"Originally there were the 1st Prince and 2nd Prince, born of the Queen. But both lost their lives on the same day at the same time due to unfortunate accidents. The next heir to the throne suddenly disappeared."

"I see. Then Yurik..."

"The Young Master is not born of the Queen, but he has royal bloodline. Though it's not my lord's pride, he went through a short adaptation period and grew into the heir everyone desired."

Wow, he never dreamed he would hear the story that Yurik was an ideal king candidate here.

The Yurik he knew was either the mad tyrant garbage Yurik or the filial son Yurik - only those two types.

He added a new slot for 'ideal king Yurik' in his head and asked.

"If he's a suitable successor, why is the Queen acting like this?"

"There's joyful news scheduled for either the end of this year at the earliest, or early next year at the latest."

"Joyful news? ...Ah, perhaps."

"We don't know yet whether it will be a prince or princess, but the fact that the baby will become the Young Master's strongest competitor once born won't change."

But even so, it would just be a toddling baby.

He looked down at the report once more and asked.

"It seems like the Queen, not the baby, is practically Yurik's competitor."

"That's an accurate expression."

"Hasn't the King announced the crown prince yet?"

"For some unknown reason. He rejects all audience requests and doesn't show himself. Some say it's because he's ill, but nothing has been revealed."

He didn't know well, but anyway, it seemed the King was in a completely powerless situation.

So it made sense that the Queen was gathering her forces and keeping Yurik in check.

So Yurik was really wandering around after being driven out of the royal family.

...But wasn't he not the type to meekly take it from someone like the Queen?

"Then what plan does this side have?"

"That's a good question. You've been asking sharp questions from the beginning, and I'm starting to understand a bit why the Young Master took notice of Yesung."

Yurik did that? When?

As he blinked and quietly looked at Dardin, he smiled slightly.

"Excuse me. You asked if there was a plan. I think you might be a bit surprised if I tell you."

"I won't be surprised."

"Do you know about the first emperor of ancient Acheron?"

He had asked if there was a plan, but suddenly asked such an out-of-the-blue question.

He couldn't understand what intention Dardin had in asking, so he just silently shook his head.

Even if he said 'Ah, I know him. It's Yurik?' here, Dardin wouldn't know.

"No."

"Being the first emperor, there are many stories, but among them is the most famous anecdote. About the first emperor's abilities."

"Abilities? The first emperor had mysterious abilities? Like magic?"

"Magic is wondrous enough, but it's content that's been explained to some extent."

Dardin rolled his eyes and smiled.

"He was said to know how to rule and command 'things that were not named.'"

"What does that mean?"

"Beings that lived in this world but were not human. Terrible and fearsome monsters. Unpleasant and shocking shadows that were hard to describe in words. Demons that crawled up from underground... They came like disasters, left only destruction and scattered, but in the world, only one person."

"......"

"Only the first emperor of ancient Acheron was said to be able to freely command those beings."

Old memories flashed and burst like flashbacks.

The sand with will that had swept away tribespeople.

Yurik's voice murmuring while sitting on top of it.

The setting value given to him as the villain of this world.

Dardin's words buzzed dimly.

"Before he died, he drove all his demons into a place called the Leng Plateau. Because there was no one else who could rule them besides himself."

"And then?"

"He hid the Leng Plateau from maps and used a device with special power to lock the location so that not even one in ten thousand could enter the plateau."

"What does that have to do with us now?"

"It's related. Very much so."

Dardin's empty hand pointed to the carriage set up over there.

Yurik and Cellinne were having a conversation together. They seemed unaware of what conversation was taking place here.

"The Young Master, our His Highness the 3rd Prince knows how to rule them. The demons exiled from ancient Acheron."

Yurik suddenly looked this way.

Seeing his bright red eyes, somehow his stomach began to churn slightly even though he hadn't eaten anything.

Somewhere, an alarm bell was ringing.

"We are looking for the Leng Plateau and the relic of the first emperor who locked the plateau. Based on records of those who wandered seeking taboos from the past, we've narrowed down the search range quite a bit."

"And then?"

"Pardon?"

"After entering that plateau place and bringing out the demons, what's next?"

"What's next, you say."

Dardin tilted his head.

His face, still bearing a kind and polite expression, hadn't changed at all.

"We'll eliminate everyone in the castle. Yesung. His Highness the 3rd Prince promised us that. We are loyal to him solely to see that moment with our own eyes."

This was a world from a horror novel,

And someone had to inevitably fall into madness.

Having awakened after a long time, he had overlooked that law.