Chapter 188: |
Chapter 188
Tears welled up in Raymond’s eyes.
When he thought about dying for real, the last thought that came to his mind was surprisingly not about wealth and honor.
It’s the joy of treating patients.
The first thought that came to his mind was that he would never feel that pleasure again.
And the second thing that came to his mind was, unexpectedly, King Oden.
‘I haven’t received an apology yet.’
Raymond gritted his teeth.
The cause of all his suffering.
The person he hates the most!
‘Fuck.’
But he couldn’t continue thinking any further.
After a fleeting moment.
Mana finally started to come into his hands.
It was a strange and alien feeling that made Raymond shiver.
At that time…
[Your rank is very low compared to the skill’s grade! The skill’s effectiveness is greatly reduced!]
[Most of the mana is not absorbed and evaporates into thin air!]
“… … !”
Raymond’s eyes widened as if they were going to tear apart.
It was an unexpected message.
The mana was really not being absorbed into his body and was disappearing into thin air.
As evaporated water leaves behind drops, occasionally a dark red liquid would fall to the mine floor, making an eerie sizzling sound.
‘Well, thank goodness… … .’
But not all the mana evaporated into thin air.
[Due to the skill’s fatal inefficiency, a very small percentage of mana is accumulated in the body compared to the amount of mana absorbed!]
Raymond gritted his teeth.
‘What is this!’
At first glance, a considerable amount of mana was flowing into his body. It felt like hid body was going to burst.
And when that feeling reached its limit, Raymond finally couldn’t hold on any longer and collapsed.
Before his vision turned dark.
Finally, he saw the messages floating up.
[All mana is absorbed and the skill’s use ends!]
[You prevented a great disaster with your own power!]
[‘Achievement: The One Who Prevented Disaster’ has been achieved!]
[Big achievements give bonuses!]
[Level up bonus!]
[Level up bonus!]
[Level up bonus!]
[You will be awarded 200 bonus skill points!]
[Your great achievements will be praised by the entire kingdom!]
Just before losing consciousness, Raymond laughed at the message.
‘… … I’m going to die, so what’s the use of such achievements?’
He felt like hus whole body was going to explode.
Raymond had a gut feeling.
He himself will die.
It was natural that he had accepted the mana in that way. And that mana was impure and defective.
‘Well, I have to do something…’
Raymond clenched his teeth, but no strength left his body.
Eventually, he lost consciousness completely and lowered his head.
So he didn’t see it.
Additional messages that come to mind:
[You have received impure mana beyond the limit of your bloodline!]
[Your forbidden ‘unique ability’ works for the survival of its owner!]
[Your ‘unique ability’ devours impure mana and permanently confines it in a biological subspace!]
[Your ‘unique ability’ expresses satiety!]
[The corresponding mana cannot be used through bloodlines due to a defect! You can use it after unlocking the ban of your ‘unique ability’!]
[Some pure mana is mixed in to increase mana stat by 30!]
[Congratulations on your mana upgrade!]
* * *
Thanks to the existence of the communication crystal ball, rumors were transmitted quickly in Laipentaina.
In particular, what happened in the Rafald region this time was such a huge disaster that the entire Kingdom of Houston was paying attention.
Thanks to this, the work Raymond accomplished quickly spread throughout the kingdom of Houston.
“Have you heard? What our prince did in the Rafald region this time.”
“Oh, I heard. He stopped the plague?”
“This guy didn’t hear you properly. It’s not that simple.”
The middle-aged man with a mustache, who had been a fan of Raymond from the beginning, spoke passionately, spitting out facts.
“Didn’t you hear that Count Trenby was so stubborn that the magic stone mine was on the verge of exploding, but he prevented it?”
“Oh, is that true?”
“Yes, they say that they couldn’t just sit by and watch the people’s crisis, so they stormed into the magic stone mine and put an end to the rampage. If it weren’t for the prince, a huge disaster would have occurred!”
“But how did the prince control the magic stone’s rampage? Wasn’t the prince a healer?”
“Oh, you still don’t know our prince. Nothing is impossible for him! He can perform any miracle for his people.”
People kept exclaiming in admiration.
“How much does he do for us?”
“I can’t even count them.”
People looked moved.
Yes, that’s right.
This wasn’t the only incident.
Raymond had done all kinds of things for the people of the capital even before the war, and had thwarted the schemes of Archduke Berard.
Moreover, not only did he lead the war to victory, he also prevented another great disaster.
He is literally the light.
No, even the word light wasn’t enough.
“Light of hope…”
Someone muttered something like that.
Yeah, he wasn’t just a light.
Like the word ‘gwangmyeong’ (Bright future), which means ‘light containing hope.’
Raymond was their light of hope.
“Majesty Raymond!”
“Our light, Prince!”
“Praise His Shining Lord!”
So Raymond’s praises resounded throughout the kingdom of Houston.
[Your fame rises!]
[Your fame rises!]
[Your fame rises!]
.
.
.
[Your fame rises!]
Raymond received so much praise that such messages kept coming to his mind.
[Fame value has exceeded the standard!]
[As you gain great fame, existing titles (‘Savior of the Poor’, ‘Beloved by the Commoners’, ‘Hero of the Royal Army’, ‘Lord Respected by the People of the Territory’) will change!]
All of the above-mentioned titles are the prestigious titles that Raymond has earned so far.
[The above titles evolve into one and you obtain a new title, ‘Houston’s Benefactor’!]
[Houston’s Benefactor (Middle)]
Description: A glorious title given to those who have done many good deeds to the Kingdom of Houston.
Title rank: Kingdom level
Additional effects:
-(+previous title effect maintained)
-We are so happy that the people of the Kingdom of Houston are with you!
-Great support from the people of the Kingdom of Houston!
-A significant portion of the people of the Kingdom of Houston desire and respect you!
-Have considerable influence over the people of the Kingdom of Houston!
The title effect was something incredible.
Also, he got this title.
[You have overcome the shackles of being an illegitimate child by your own power!]
[Title: ‘The King’s Illegitimate Son’ evolves into ‘The King’s Great Son’!]
[The King’s Great Son]
Description: A title given to the great son of a king.
Title rank: Kingdom level
Additional effects:
-People look at you as a great son of the king!
It was a title that filled his heart with pride.
Finally, the stigma of being an illegitimate child has been thrown off.
Now no one will denigrate him as an illegitimate child.
However, there were not only positive effects.
There were also negative effects.
[Warning: Your enemies are very wary of your excessive fame! Caution is advised!]
It was a story that could very well happen.
Because there were many people who said this.
“I just wish Prince Raymond would become king.”
“That’s right. Then I wouldn’t have anything more to wish for.”
Many people have told such stories.
Of course, the people had been hoping for Raymond to become king for some time.
But that was just a fleeting thought.
Because it was impossible for an illegitimate child to become king. It was like a light dream.
But now the nature of the wind has changed a little.
They really began to wish that Raymond would become king.
Of course, this voice did not come to the surface.
Because the princes with the right to the throne were sitting there, it was a problem that could lead to a reprimand if you said something wrong.
But quietly, yet clearly, such voices spread. Voices that were by no means small enough to be ignored.
Moreover, it was not only the people.
The nobles talk quite the same.
They also paid close attention to the situation as it was unfolding.
‘It is now certain that Count Penin will become the great lord of the Rafald region.’
‘Then what will happen to the political situation in the future?’
The nobles were skeptical of King Oden’s intentions.
‘’The king is not going to hand the throne over to the Count of Penin, is he?’
They don’t know
But one thing is certain, becoming a lord is not the end.
Count Pennin, whether he wanted to or not, found himself squarely in the middle of the throne storm.
Even if he doesn’t want it, Kairn and Lemarton will never leave Raymond alone.
Because Raymond had become the most powerful threat to their position.
Anyway, such heavy and complicated stories belong to high-ranking people.
The people laughed and chattered and sang songs praising Raymond’s accomplishments.
“This is Joseph. I have come to you with a new song.”
Joseph.
He was the most popular bard in the Houston Kingdom recently!
By the way, Joseph was the minstrel whose son was saved by Raymond in the past.
He lived his life singing only for Raymond, just as he had sworn that day, and his deepening musicality was gaining explosive popularity.
‘It’s all thanks to the prince. The prince gives me endless inspiration.’
Even though he was composing songs solely praising Raymond, he never ran out of material.
It was because Raymond was doing so much.
“The name of this song is… … ‘Our Prince, the Light of Rafald.’
It was a sonata form piece that explained what Raymond had accomplished in the Rafald region, but before he performed it, he received an unexpected protest.
“The light of Rafald! The prince is our light!”
“That’s right! Our prince doesn’t belong to those Rafald alone!”
Everyone was feeling jealous of the people of the Rafald region!
‘How dare you serve our prince as your lord!’
‘Who are they to be enjoying such blessings? The prince was originally ours!’
‘You lucky guys!’
Joseph was momentarily taken aback by the protests of such people, but then he used his wit.
“Yes, Raymond is a treasure of our Houston kingdom. The next song will be ‘Raymond, Houston’s Most Rare Treasure.’”
Only then did people calm down.
Soon, melodies praising Raymond filled the square.
Raymond, who stole the hearts of the people of the Houston Kingdom.
He was smiling broadly.
* * *
‘Hahaha! I can’t believe I’ve become this successful! I’m glad I’m alive!’
The corners of Raymond’s mouth went up as if they were going to split.
There was a reason why Raymond was so happy.
Last night, he received a call from Prime Minister Galman via the telecommunications port.
‘A few days later, at the meeting, it was decided that you would be appointed as the High Lord of the Rafald region.’
Galman looked happy as if his own son had succeeded.
‘Congratulations on becoming one of the five lords of the Kingdom of Houston! Marquis Penin!’