Chapter 11: Entering the Main Plot (4)

"What did you say?"

Count Rubel widened his eyes. He turned around and looked at Arthur with an incredulous look. He thought, with Arthur's reputation, that man would probably keep quiet or blame himself inwardly for the actions of others who were mean to him.

"Yes, you are trash. Being a high noble because of your parents' heritage is good?"

Count Rubel frowned. "Aren't you the same way?"

'That's right. Kang Seongje, wake up. Now you are Arthur.'

Fixing his facial expression, Arthur said, "I'm not saying I'm good. I'm just self-aware that it's a privilege from my parents. In order to keep it, I have to study and try to maintain it."

He rose from his seat and stood in front of Count Rubel. The clothes Count Rubel wore were very neat, he tried to shake off the dust on his shoulders. "People who don't support or insult people who are learning are trash. Are you that trash, Count Rubel?"

'Fuck everything. I'm already playing this game.'

In Arthur's mind, perhaps he was still struggling to synchronize his condition to become Arthur. He thought that somehow making Count Rubel, personally would help him. He thought he might fail, but that was not what he got.

"Hey, awesome! You ... will you come with me to become a member of the Crown Prince Faction? Instead of remaining a Neutral Faction, it's better for you to join me." Count Rubel showed a different treatment.

"Why?"

Count Rubel grinned. "Because a know-it-all like you is very useful in the Crown Prince's faction that is full of orders."

Instantly, Count Rubel let out his laughter. He laughed as he moved away from Arthur's body. As he sat on the sofa, he pointed to the sofa in front of him. "Sit down, you are the owner. Forgive me for not thinking things through."

'He's tamed just like that?'

Arthur sat down on the sofa opposite Count Rubel. He also apologized for his earlier insult, but still insisted that his thinking was correct.

"Yes, I know. My offer to enter the Crown Prince's faction is serious. We have no shortage of supporting nobles, but it's good to have more supporters."

'This bastard, he asked someone with a higher position than him like that? How low is Arthur Rudolf in his eyes?'

In the original unrevised "World of Level Up" novel by Woo Jihyuk, Count Rubel's character was very difficult to deal with, with just an offer. The evidence that he was blamed for the summoning failure later, made him hate the upper class nobles. For now, his only stage is a dislike for the old nobles who look at him like an errand boy.

Like him, a young potential successor like Arthur, it was obvious that he disliked it. Arthur looked like his past self.

"Why did Duke Rudolf calling me as your tutor when someone from the Queen's Faction had already sent you a tutor before." Count Rubel asked while taking the tea on the table.

He took a sip of the tea and conveyed his impression. "This ... green tea from the southern region?"

With that, Arthur smiled. The Queen's faction was centered in the south, where the war continued and the necromancer's origins were. The tea could mean something else.

"Wait, Duke Rudolf is a Neutral Faction. Yet, still supported by the Queen's Faction? Didn't they split up already?"

There were 4 major factions within the Marithus Kingdom. The Crown Prince's Faction, which supported building the kingdom to be number one in the Gigana Continent. The Queen's Faction, who still wanted the Marithus Kingdom to be less prominent in the eyes of the world. The Neutral Faction, which does not want to interfere with both. The last is the Young Nobles Faction, where the contents are nobles who are looking for a new ideology.

"The Neutral Faction still exists because of the support of Queen Cosette to balance her own family who suddenly led a faction with herself at the center. She wanted to escape from that place, but couldn't." Arthur explained.

Count Rubel thought for a while, he didn't know that matter. All he knew was that the Queen's Faction had the queen as its leader. However, it turned out to be her family?

'The queen can't stay in the old rules, it suffocates her as a necromancer descendant. Meanwhile, her son secretly wants to become a necromancer. She must be in trouble.'

Arthur moved to his desk. He had prepared something that they would do outside of class. After all, Arthur didn't really want to learn it.

He brought a board with a black and white checkered image. He placed it in front of the table between himself and Count Rubel.

In terms of learning, he was poor. However, any kind of game, Arthur, who used to be Kang Seongje, clearly excelled.

"I want to bet with you." Arthur put down the board as he said that.

Count Rubel, who realized it was chess, then asked, "What do you want to bet?"

"Your offer earlier. I'll go straight in if you win. However, if you lose, you must be willing to enter my fax there."

Count Rubel was interested. He used to play chess with other old nobles. For a novice like Arthur, he could probably easily beat him. "Well, get ready with regrets."

***

'How could this happen!'

Count Rubel grimaced inwardly. In just 7 rounds, he was unceremoniously defeated by Arthur with 3 wins and 4 losses. Ladder Mate was the kind of checkmate that Arthur always issued.

During the game, Arthur engaged him in a conversation about his work in his own region. Of course, he answered confidently and used himself as an example for future use.

'This is it! He's blurring my focus with a topic I love!'

Count Rubel seethed at his own mistake. He had unknowingly gotten sucked into Arthur's game.

Arthur's mouth was the most dangerous things in the world, that's what Count Rubel thought. That man wanted to slam the table. They went to round eight.

"This is going to be a draw, just stop it here." Count Rubel still tried to look relaxed in front of Arthur. Of course, Arthur, being the master of the moment, let out his final words.

"Really? Just check."

Smothered Mate.

Even though it was a very short round and had only been running for a very short time. Count Rubel lost again.

"What do you think? Keep losing or want to quit and declare defeat?"

Arthur played cleverly. At first, he let Count Rubel win the first 3 rounds. For the next rounds, he immediately played mercilessly even though his mouth invited Count Rubel to talk. Until this 8th round.

"I'm not asking you to leave your fax now. I just want you to be my spy. That doesn't harm you either, right? You can still be loyal to the Crown Prince." Arthur calmed her down.

Count Rubel was annoyed. "It makes me dishonorable to be a traitor."

"Instead of getting out of there right away, you don't want to, do you? I'll give you the facts of what the Crown Prince will do. The Crown Prince wants an event that will be remembered by all the nobles, right?"

Clinch!

Count Rubel was surprised by that. He wanted to reply, but was cut off by Arthur. "You suggested organizing a special theater, didn't you? But the upper nobility underestimated you. Now you want to get the Crown Prince's attention with that."

Twice he was surprised. It was a secret he had not shared except with his brothers. How could Arthur know?

"I will help you. Within a week, you will find a proposal written in your name, bearing the royal seal."

"Hey, I've never sent any proposal!" Count Rubel was evasive.

Count Rubel stood up from his seat. He no longer cared about Arthur's game.

"I will return with the lesson. The rest I will not respond to you. See you later, you bastard!" Count Rubel cursed Arthur first before walking out of the study.

Brugh!

The sound of the door slamming was very loud. Arthur just laughed inwardly at Count Rubel's attitude. Perhaps his experience of being played by the upper nobility had damaged him.

'Just wait, I've prepared Dean Volton to do it.'

On the other side, Dean Volton who was on a tour of duty, felt his ears burning. From the Tryton Kingdom border, he passed through the Senova Empire to go straight to the war site.

There was a call from there that required him to come. All the members of his guild were scattered across the Gigana Continent. However, many of his executives were stationed at the war site.

He also brought Cindy Esperen as his representative this time. Leon was useless in the war zone.

Dean asked one of his swordman members there. "Who needs us?"

"Marithus Kingdom is asking for us!"

'Oh, that's better.'

Dean immediately aimed at Cindy. He pushed the girl forward, towards the swordman. "Take him to help you guys."

The swordman looked incredulous at Cindy. He asked Dean, "Why only this little girl to help, Master-nim? We need your power."

"No, she's enough. After all, she is a citizen of the Marithus Kingdom. Cindy, help them!"

Cindy was surprised that their Leader knew her identity. However, she still nodded and answered with enthusiasm. "Okay!"

Dean watched Cindy's steps as she joined their troops. They could sometimes be shadow soldiers like this. It was also beneficial for the members who rarely fought to improvise their skills. Yes, even if the price was death.

'Arthur Rudolf, a strange man. He could easily hint that he had found a circle 5 mage. Even circle 5 mage in all the kingdoms are old. I'm like getting a diamond for free.'

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1. Smothered mate is a checkmate term in chess, where the king is suffocated and has no room to move because he is trapped in a congested position by his own pieces. Usually, this position has a pawn that does not move, then the king's position is behind it, and is trapped due to the closed road and free space position.

2. Ladder Mate is the softest position and is not too close to the checkmate king. Usually, this position in checkmate is similar to the illustration of a ladder. Then, it can be done by a rook pawn with a rook or a rook with a minister who traps the king so that it cannot have space to escape from a fairly far position.