The butler and the servants stood in line at the door, waiting anxiously. Their faces were pale, evidently fearing for their family's master's safety for a long ti.
"Master! You have finally returned!" The butler, overwheld with tears, greeted him with a sobbing voice.
Count Reinhart, ignoring the dust on his face, imdiately summoned Baron Fabio and General Brandon, along with several other surviving nobles, for a secret eting in the manor's hall.
"Everyone! Our survival is entirely thanks to Lord Jack!" Count Reinhart's voice was hoarse but firm, "We must report his heroic deeds to the King imdiately and fight for everything he asks for! This is not only to fulfill our promise but also for our own safety!"
He cast a aningful glance at General Brandon, hinting at the "wolves" in the Royal Capital.
Baron Fabio nodded heavily, his fat face full of caution after fear: "The Count is right! Those relatives in the Royal Capital... they're probably already waiting to see us fail, or worse, waiting to take our lives! Only by pushing Lord Jack in front of the King as the Kingdom's hero can we receive protection!"
General Brandon exchanged a knowing look with Count Reinhart; he understood the implication.
When leaving Golden Harbor, they surely chose only the most loyal servants and guards, so there's no way for there to be any "traitor."
Even so, along their journey, Beastn continuously managed to track them accurately and launch attacks.
And each ti, this Lord Jack managed to perfectly handle the situation.
Obviously, if anyone had the biggest issue, it was certainly this Lord Jack.
However, what Baron Fabio said was also true; forcing a withdrawal from Golden Harbor cost them most of their strength.
Facing other predatory relatives, indeed soone with enough weight is needed for intimidation.
Likewise, this mysterious Jack is also the best "enforcer."
He said solemnly, "I will personally write the report detailing his heroic deeds in Golden Harbor."
"Great, I will also write a report together!" Count Reinhart smiled in agreent.
Thus, a polished and embellished yet impactful "heroic deeds" report was swiftly delivered to His Majesty the King's desk.
The report depicted Jack as a formidable rcenary who fights not for money but for the Kingdom and honor, his strength depicted as nearly miraculous, saving the bloodlines of several important royal families in dire circumstances.
His Majesty the King, Ottolek III, was a sovereign in the pri of his life.
He was frazzled with the Beastman invasion and the front-line warfare when the nobles' reports arrived.
Upon perusing these reports, a mischievous gleam danced in his eyes.
"This person, is he truly that brave?" Ottolek III set down the report, tapping the table, "What do you think?"
The Chief Minister bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Count Reinhart and others have personally vouched, and the few guards they brought back also corroborated the report's contents. This 'Jack's' strength is indeed extraordinary."
"Don't act innocent with !" Ottolek III rolled his eyes, breaking decorum, "I don't believe you haven't noticed the issues with this guy."
The Chief Minister remained emotionless, "Your Majesty, this Mr. Jack's background is indeed mysterious. If we speculate based on the Counts' report, it's highly likely he's a spy placed by the Beastn. However, there's no evidence for this..."
"Alright, don't play dumb. Golden Harbor's five legends couldn't escape, indicating the Beastn's attack force was formidable. How could a group of nobles survive in such circumstances?" Ottolek III waved dismissively.
"We have a eting with the Beastman delegation in a few days, and now suddenly appears such a person. Saying he's not a Beastman spy would be odd. But the real trouble isn't this guy..."
The Chief Minister interjected, "In openly endorsing this Jack, it's likely he's just a pawn in the open, while the Beastn secretly have other agents..."
"The nobles who ca in with them...?" Ottolek III sneered, "Certainly fits the character of those cowardly greedy people."
"What should we do about this Jack? Rumors about him have already spread throughout the Royal Capital; arresting him without evidence might be unwise."
"Why arrest him?" Ottolek III tilted his head, "If we really arrest him, we won't catch the 'rat' hiding."
"Do you want to..."
"He achieved such great deeds, of course, we should reward him hugely!" Ottolek III stood up from his throne.
"He's just a pawn, not even a legend. There's no point in arresting him. Keeping him and letting him move around the Royal Capital holds value!"
"Understood!"
Jeming soon received a notification from the Kingdom's minister.
"Jack! By our King's order, today you are appointed as the Kingdom's 'Special Level Consultant'! You will hold a special position in the Kingdom's intelligence departnt, enjoy absolute freedom of action, and access all public historical archives, geographical maps, and intelligence agency information!"
"Your duty is to provide your 'consultant' advice to the Kingdom, without bearing any cumberso responsibilities. Additionally, His Majesty awards you a mansion in the Royal Capital to honor your achievents!"
"Thank His Majesty for His grace!" Jeming bowed, expressionlessly accepting the dal and docunts from the Royal Guard.
"Mr. Jack, congratulations, obtaining such favor upon arriving at the Royal Capital is rare indeed."
The minister issuing the order watched Jeming accept the docunts, his previously serious expression turning into a smile.
Jeming also softened his expression, "I must thank His Majesty's grace..."
The two exchanged pleasantries, and after Jeming handed him a bag of gold coins with a smile, the minister reluctantly left with his guards.
Turning to look at the mansion that now belonged to him, Jeming gazed at the dal in his hand, his smile morphing into one of mockery:
"Special Level Consultant... is it? A nice-sounding title indeed."
But that's all it is—a nice-sounding title.
It seems prestigious and powerful, but in truth, it holds no real power.
The information accessible is only "public" info, the problem being a docunt's public status depends entirely on the Royal's mood.
As for so-called freedom of action, it's probably as limited as any regular noble.
Overall, besides this mansion full of unknown surveillance, Jeming received only a titular post.
"But... it suits just fine!" Stowing the dal, Jeming looked at the mansion before him with a genuinely satisfied smile.
As he originally put it, everything was unfolding exactly as he anticipated.
"It seems the public intelligence from the Wizard Camp wasn't wrong; this Ottolek III truly is a clever, ambitious man."
Thankfully, he's a smart one. A brute would have been more troubleso, but a clever man considers more.
"In their eyes now, I likely appear as a discarded spy from the Beastn, right? After all, my thods of passing convoy info to Beastn were rather crude."
While pondering, Jeming smiled as he pushed open the door, strolling through the courtyard of his newly acquired mansion.
Jeming's thods might not be sophisticated, and his flaws were apparent.
Thus, as an astute monarch, Ottolek III wouldn't overlook these flaws.
But to Jeming, being deed a Beastman spy ant his goals were achieved.
His assud identity didn't matter because, from the beginning, his aim was rely to masquerade as soone from "this world."
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