The Founding Monarch Became the Mastermind

Chapter 7

Almost everyone who knew Si-on’s true identity had long since died.

It was safe to say that no one in the Duchy knew that he was still alive.

But there’s no such thing as absolute in the world, and Si-on believed that a few people who knew about him still existed.

Among them, the number of people whom Si-on himself had told about his identity was incredibly small.

Setting aside the confusion it could cause in the world, there was no reason to reveal his identity, especially for the safety of himself and his descendants.

That was certainly the case.

At least, it was until recently.

However, after meeting Derkios, Si-on’s thinking changed.

He decided it would be better to reveal his identity to at least a select few.

Other Users would come to this world.

And when they did, he would need a “faction” to get ahead.

But Si-on didn’t need to create a new faction.

He already had the Si-on Duchy and the Ducal Family.

Why bother building a new power base when he already had one?

Ultimately, what Si-on needed to do after meeting Derkios was clear.

He needed to bring the Si-on Duchy and the family back under his influence.

To achieve this goal as neatly as possible, he needed competent and useful personnel in various fields.

And the person before him, Jenna Olrot, despite having few similarities to her father, seemed like a fairly valuable asset.

Moreover, Si-on needed personnel who were not only capable but also possessed fear, reverence, and loyalty toward him.

There were many ways to instill those qualities, and having lived as the legendary hero Duke Si-on for so long, Si-on knew a highly effective method.

“You don’t believe that I’m Duke Si-on, do you?”

“Ah! Eek? Uh! Ah!”

Si-on calmly observed Jenna, who responded with a mixture of shock, fear, and disbelief.

“Have you ever thought about why your father stayed here until he died?”

“Uh, well… I thought it was because of the Dragon’s Wasteland…”

“It was because of me.”

“…!?”

“A few key figures in the Information Guild probably know something about me. They also know that I was quite fond of your father. That’s why they established a branch here and assigned your father to it. The Dragon’s Wasteland was just an excuse. They couldn’t exactly say they sent him to monitor Duke Si-on, who’s been living for nearly a hundred years without aging or dying.”

“Ah…!”

Jenna gasped as she realized the truth in a way she hadn’t expected.

Indeed, it had never made sense that her father, a verified talent, would be stuck in an isolated place like Burgos for years just because of the Dragon’s Wasteland.

Now she also understood why she had succeeded her father as the branch chief.

While there was still a possibility that Yent had kept her here out of spite or rivalry, it was highly likely that her initial appointment as branch chief was exactly as the customer before her, who had just identified himself as Duke Si-on, had stated.

Assuming what he said was true, of course.

“But why are you telling me this…?”

Surely, he didn’t expect her to broadcast this information to the Information Guild.

“I have something I need to do. And I need an information network for that.”

“You’re not asking me to betray the Information Guild and leave, are you…?”

“Do you think you’re that valuable? If I poached you, it would sour my relationship with the Information Guild.”

“……”

Jenna felt a surge of indignation but couldn’t argue with his logic and remained silent.

“You don’t want to stay here forever, do you? Given that I’ve left the Dragon’s Wasteland, the upper management of the guild will likely send you somewhere else.”

“Oh…”

“Then again, they might not.”

“…!”

Her fleeting hope of finally escaping this wretched backwater suddenly plummeted.

It made sense.

If he was truly Duke Si-on, and if Jenna had succeeded her father as Burgos branch chief to keep an eye on him, the Information Guild would have no reason to maintain the branch now that he had left the Wasteland.

But if that conniving Yent started scheming or talking nonsense, she might end up rotting here indefinitely.

“The reason I’ve told you my identity is simple. Stay in the Information Guild but remain loyal to me. And don’t start spouting nonsense about betrayal or whatever. You’re not naive—you must know that none of the key figures in the Information Guild lack connections to powerful families or influential individuals.”

“……”

Jenna was growing increasingly convinced that the man before her was indeed Duke Si-on.

He still looked the same after more than ten years, and his statements reflected knowledge of the guild’s internal workings that only someone who had observed it for a long time would have.

And then…

Thud.

“Here are 200 gold coins. They’re from the Enkaine Empire during the Dark Dragon War. Check them. They should be worth about 2 million dien.”

Jenna swallowed hard and carefully opened the heavy pouch, gasping.

It was full of imperial gold coins, known for their high purity.

One imperial gold coin was roughly worth a million won, so 200 coins amounted to about 200 million won.

While a significant sum, it wasn’t enough to sway someone in her position as branch chief of the Information Guild.

Clack.

Si-on placed something else on the table.

Two palm-sized, intricately decorated silver-foiled documents.

“Checks from the Brelian Bank. Each worth one million dien.”

“Gasp!!!”

Dien was the standard currency of the Kingdom of Obla, and one million dien equaled a thousand imperial gold coins—a massive sum.

And there were two of them.

“This is the first investment. You can use it however you want—bribe people in high places, buy top-tier information, or just spend it all on yourself. However, I expect you to be officially assigned as my contact in another location within six months.”

“I will do my best!”

“You’ll do your best? Is that the best response you can give?”

“……!”

Though Si-on’s lips curled slightly in a faint smile, his eyes remained still, making Jenna hastily correct herself at lightning speed.

“No! I will make it happen!”

“Good.”

Satisfied, Si-on leaned back comfortably on the sofa.

The most effective way to instill reverence and loyalty in capable individuals was to pair authority with money—a great deal of money.

* * *

“Here, I’ve brought everything.”

“Hmm.”

Si-on received several sealed letters from Jenna, who had grown significantly more deferential, and used a small knife to break the seals.

The reason Si-on had come to the Burgos branch of the Information Guild was precisely for this.

After his eldest son Theo passed away, Si-on had tried not to pay attention to the Ducal Family and the Duchy.

However, fully ignoring the family and the estate he had built with his own hands was impossible, so he had tasked the Information Guild—specifically, the now-deceased Olrot—with collecting information on the Si-on Ducal Family every year.

Olrot had been diligent and trustworthy, faithfully carrying out the task even when Si-on had not shown himself for years.

“Let’s see… Until I entered the Wasteland, nothing major had happened…”

His grandson Byron, though not as capable as his late son Theo, had managed the family and the estate reasonably well.

From Si-on’s perspective, Byron was overly emotional and easily swayed, struggling to maintain his stance, but the retainers Si-on and Theo had built up were strong and reliable, so he wasn’t overly concerned.

And just as Si-on had expected, the reports indicated that the Duchy was running smoothly, despite some minor incidents.

However, the most recent report was different.

“…What?”

Si-on froze while reading the report from two years ago.

With a suddenly grim expression, he read the rest of the report and then spoke to Jenna, who was watching him nervously.

“Is this the last one? What about last year’s?”

“It hasn’t arrived yet. The guild headquarters usually receives it in December, and it reaches us in February.”

Unfortunately, it was January now.

He would have to wait another month to learn what had happened last year.

“Do you have any personal knowledge about the Si-on Duchy? Do you know what happened last year?”

“I’m sorry. News rarely reaches us this far out.”

Jenna apologized with a regretful expression.

Si-on inwardly clicked his tongue but couldn’t blame her.

The only communication methods in this world were direct messengers or using pigeons or hawks.

Moreover, monsters, wild animals, bandits, and other criminals were scattered everywhere, making long-distance communication even more difficult.

It was thanks to the Information Guild’s capabilities that news from the distant Si-on Duchy reached here in just one month.

“Hmm…”

Si-on fell into deep thought.

The news he had just read about the Si-on Duchy from two years ago was shocking even to him, who was not easily rattled.

Moreover, it directly involved his direct descendants.

‘And it’s been over six months since this happened. Should I act immediately?’

After a brief deliberation, Si-on shook his head.

Going now would achieve nothing.

With things already having progressed as far as they had, it would be better to thoroughly investigate the situation and plan before acting.

Si-on looked up and gazed at Jenna.

Being part of the Information Guild, her curiosity was evident.

‘This is a good opportunity for her as well.’

Having made his decision, Si-on spoke.

“I’m changing the plan.”

“Yes.”

“You have two months. You said the information for last year would arrive next month, right? Gather not just that, but all possible information on the Si-on Duchy and the Ducal Family by any means necessary. Can you do it?”

“I will make it happen.”

After seeing his unchanged appearance for over ten years and witnessing the wealth and audacity he showed by casually presenting century-old gold coins, Jenna was now almost completely convinced that this man was indeed Duke Si-on.

Isn’t it strange for a person to live a hundred years without aging?

It is.

But what could she do?

Duke Si-on was the hero of the Dark Dragon War and one of the greatest rulers of his time.

It was easier to assume he possessed unknown magic or some other mystery.

And besides, if he were a villain, why would he spend so many years pretending to be dead and staying quiet?

He would have taken over the world or caused chaos by creating some evil force.

Most importantly—

‘I trust my dad’s judgment.’

Though he was so stoic that they hadn’t been particularly close since she became an adult, Jenna respected her late father.

Even evaluating him as a member of the Information Guild, not as family, her father was a remarkable man.

And this man before her was the person her father had maintained a relationship with for over ten years.

That fact alone was enough for Jenna to follow this customer, or rather, Duke Si-on.

“Forget the earlier reports; they don’t matter. Read this one and burn it.”

“Huh? Oh, yes.”

When Si-on handed her the final report, Jenna felt a bit touched.

The information a first-class customer commissioned was not for just anyone to see.

It was likely to be valuable information, not easily accessible, even for those with money, and only a select few top officials in the guild would be privy to it.

For him to reveal something so precious to her so easily—

‘He’s as generous as he is wealthy…’

“Gasp…!”

Jenna’s breath hitched involuntarily, and she looked at Si-on with trembling eyes.

The content of the report was shocking.

It indicated that the late Duke of Si-on, who had died suddenly last year, might have been poisoned, possibly by his younger brother.

It also stated that tensions were escalating between the nephew and uncle over the ducal title, with the family’s retainers and neighboring estates also getting involved.

It was a truly stunning revelation.

“There’s a lot to look into, isn’t there? Investigate Gede Si-on, Blint Si-on, and everyone connected to the Si-on Ducal Family, both direct and collateral lines, as well as the retainers. Find out everything you can about Pamel Estate and August Estate, too. I need to know what’s going on and what’s happened. Then, I’ll have to punish those who deserve it and eliminate those who must be dealt with.”

Although Si-on’s voice and demeanor were calm, Jenna couldn’t help but shiver, feeling as though she could almost smell blood.

Having experienced various things while following her father around since childhood, she could tell—

This man was someone who had “dealt with” many people.

Now, Jenna was completely certain.

This man was truly Duke Si-on.

Who else but Duke Si-on himself could casually declare his intent to punish and deal with the prestigious Si-on Ducal Family, one of the most renowned noble houses?

Cleaning up a chaotic household was the responsibility of the highest elder.