The Founding Monarch Became the Mastermind

Chapter 35

“Rise.”

“How could I possibly…!”

“Just get up.”

“Yes!”

Yonas wiped his tears and sprang to his feet.

Although he knew it was disrespectful, Yonas couldn’t help but glance at Si-on’s face and the sword being sheathed once more.

His heart pounded again.

‘It’s unmistakable! It’s definitely him!’

Though he hadn’t seen it as often since he became an adult, it was the same face he’d seen hundreds of times since childhood in portraits.

‘So the reason he always wore a mask for as long as I can remember…’

It finally made sense.

The elders of the family claimed that the Founding Patriarch wore a mask because his face had been disfigured by illness, but the truth was different.

He had to hide the fact that he hadn’t aged in decades and still looked exactly the same.

The identical face as the one in the portraits, his knowledge of the past known only to a few direct descendants of the Ducal Family, and the sword often used by the Founding Patriarch.

There was no room for doubt.

However.

Was something like this even possible?

Could a person live for over a hundred years without aging?

The doubts that any reasonable person might have lingered in one corner of his mind.

“You must still have a few doubts here and there, right?”

Si-on didn’t miss the change in Yonas’s expression.

“No, no such doubts!”

Yonas, caught off guard, raised his voice in denial.

“Come on, even with all the rumors, it’s only natural to be skeptical when someone who was supposed to have died decades ago shows up without aging. It would be stranger to believe it all just like that.”

Si-on, with a faint smile, turned his gaze outside the window.

“In a few days, I’ll erase all your doubts completely.”

Si-on’s voice reached Yonas, who instinctively turned his head to look out the window as well.

“There may be none in the family, but in the Duchy, there are still some who would remember me. You know them, don’t you?”

“…!”

Yonas’s eyes widened again.

Si-on was right.

No one in the Ducal Family remembered the Founding Patriarch directly, but there could be some in the direction Si-on was gazing.

“Elves…”

The elves that the Founding Patriarch had personally brought to the Si-on Duchy were still living there.

If elves, who live twice as long as humans, were there, some would surely remember the Founding Patriarch.

“Yeah, some of them who know me should still be around. Anyway, sit down now.”

“Yes!”

Yonas carefully sat on the sofa as Si-on, seated at the head, signaled with a glance.

Naturally, the arrogant posture of lounging against the back was nowhere to be seen.

He sat with his back straight at a right angle, hands neatly placed on his knees, like a new recruit just entering training.

“You know, you can sit more comfortably.”

Si-on, feeling sympathetic towards his descendant who, at over forty, resembled a disciplined rookie soldier, gently suggested. But Yonas, keeping his gaze at a 45-degree angle, responded crisply.

“This foolish descendant is comfortable like this!”

“Speak more comfortably… never mind.”

For now, it was better that Yonas was feeling intimidated, so Si-on changed the subject.

“You must have many questions about me. What I’ve been doing all this time, why I’ve returned to the Duchy now, and why I’ve revealed myself to you.”

“No, I do not. How could this foolish descendant even fathom the vast and benevolent intentions of His Grace? I only await your commands!”

“Good grief…”

Si-on could only click his tongue, half expecting Yonas to shout “Long live our Great Leader!” at any moment.

* * *

“Rest well, Grandfather.”

When Si-on allowed Yonas to speak casually and call him ‘Grandfather,’ Yonas was so moved that he nearly fainted as he bowed deeply.

“Yes. Be careful with your words when there are others around.”

“I will dedicate my life…”

“Yes, yes.”

Only after swearing repeatedly that he would keep the secret from everyone else did Yonas finally leave.

Si-on found it absurd that Yonas, without being asked, made wild promises like cutting off his tongue and gouging out his eyes if he ever spoke of it.

But it confirmed how genuine Yonas’s respect and loyalty toward him were.

‘Now that I think about it, it’s fortunate that someone like Yonas ended up here.’

If a less reliable descendant had come, things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.

Yonas, the great-grandson, cared little for personal gain or fame; his priority was the Ducal Family itself.

‘He may be a bit rigid, but his personality is exactly what I need right now.’

What Si-on appreciated most was that Yonas didn’t ask any questions despite having countless things he surely wanted to know. He simply obeyed Si-on’s every command.

While his overly reverent behavior—practically worshiping Si-on as though saying “Our revered Founding Patriarch uses teleportation!”—was a bit much, Si-on understood where it came from.

To the citizens of the Si-on Duchy, especially the members of the Ducal Family, Founding Patriarch Jang Si-on was more than just a revered ancestor.

He was an almost divine figure, much like the “Great Leader” of a certain twisted, ruined regime in the north.

Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

Anticipating who would enter, Si-on responded to the knock, and the door opened.

Jenna, bowing respectfully, handed over the documents she had tucked under her arm.

“I saw the noble from the Ducal Family in the corridor. It seems the conversation ended sooner than expected, so I came right in. But…”

“Yes?”

As Si-on looked up from the documents, Jenna hesitantly continued, gauging his reaction.

“He seemed… a bit off.”

“Off how?”

“He wasn’t smiling, nor was he crying… When he saw me, he seemed to compose his expression, but as soon as he passed, he clenched his fists and shook them. His breathing was so ragged, I thought he was losing his mind. Was there some kind of incident?”

“There wasn’t much. I just told him who I am.”

“Ah, yes. Not much… Pardon?”

Jenna’s eyes widened at the mention of Si-on revealing his identity.

Realizing her mistake, she quickly bowed her head.

“I-I’m sorry. I was just so surprised.”

“Surprised, were you?”

“Yes… Until now, you hadn’t revealed your identity to anyone but me…”

Even with Piotr, who had spent months with Si-on, he hadn’t disclosed his true identity.

That’s why Jenna, believing she alone knew Si-on’s secret, felt a slight sense of pride, thinking she had been specially chosen.

“Well, I didn’t originally plan to tell him, but it just happened. I felt that he might have an important role to play.”

“If it’s an important role, what kind would that be?”

“After pulling out the weeds and tilling the ground, there’s only one thing left to do.”

“Ah…”

“Someone has to cultivate the land again. And if that someone loves and cherishes the land more than the previous farmer, all the better.”

Especially if that farmer were deeply loyal to the landlord.

Yonas would become a key figure in representing Si-on’s will in the Duchy.

“Anyway, that’s probably why Yonas seemed so elated.”

“Oh… Yes.”

Jenna swallowed her doubts and awkwardly smiled.

After hearing Si-on’s explanation, it seemed clear that Yonas had been overly excited about meeting his idol.

Even though he was over forty, his behavior was somewhat creepy.

‘To the direct descendants of the Ducal Family, His Grace is more than just an idol.’

Si-on, a hero known throughout the world who had built the Duchy from the ground up, was almost a god to the Ducal Family.

Meeting their eternally youthful, ‘superhuman’ grandfather in person—it made sense that a descendant would be thrilled.

“Your Grace, so what’s the plan now?”

“We stick to the original plan. You stay here, finish the work, and keep gathering information. It’ll be easier for you to operate here than in the Duchy.”

“Yes, understood.”

Jenna would remain in the August Estate with her subordinates from the Burgos Branch and some of the Janstrick Mercenaries.

Although they had fully seized control of the lord’s castle, the local officials and retainers couldn’t be entirely trusted, so someone needed to stay behind and oversee things on Si-on’s behalf.

Moreover, given Jenna’s role in information gathering, it was more practical for her to be based at the August Estate, which served as the gateway to the Si-on Duchy on the peninsula and connected to various estates of the Kingdom of Obla.

“There are plenty of ways to keep in touch, so don’t worry. If anything happens, I’ll be here within a day.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Though she was curious how it was possible to cross the Si-on Duchy—a narrow stretch of land over 100 kilometers long—in just a day, Jenna didn’t ask.

If Si-on said it could be done, it would be done.

He’d never been wrong before, and he wouldn’t be this time.

“Hmm. Anything unusual?”

Si-on flipped through the documents as he muttered, and Jenna quickly responded.

“It’s in the report as well, but we’ve received information about you from the royal capital. It seems Earl Rundel, Crown Prince Philon, and Duke Lloyd have all become aware of your activities in Burgos and the Lagos Estate. The same goes for the Jetman Estate incident.”

“In other words, the folks at the capital have caught wind of what I’ve been up to in the northeast?”

“Yes.”

Si-on carefully examined the documents before setting them aside.

“It’s a bit quicker than I expected. Did something leak?”

“I am ashamed to report that some information seems to have been leaked from our guild headquarters. We haven’t identified the culprit yet, but we should be able to track them down soon.”

Jenna, though not personally responsible, anxiously watched Si-on’s reaction.

“Just leave it be. It’s bound to come out eventually, and a little earlier doesn’t change anything.”

“Yes, understood.”

Whether Si-on wanted it or not, the Information Guild’s headquarters would hunt down the culprit and punish them severely.

Beyond displeasing a VVIP client, this was a direct attack on the guild’s credibility, and in the information business, trust was everything.

‘Whoever they are, they’re done for.’

Not just their job—maybe even their head.

Sending a brief, silent condolence to the unknown, daring offender, Jenna cautiously spoke.

“Also, there’s word that Earl Rundel and Duke Lloyd are planning to send someone. Should we prepare for that?”

“Let them send whoever they want. It won’t matter.”

“Pardon?”

Si-on smirked, poured himself a glass of wine, and continued.

“You mentioned that the Crown Prince and Duke Lloyd are secretly vying for the throne, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Whoever among them sends someone to me will lose out.”

“…???”

Seeing Jenna’s puzzled expression, Si-on pointed upwards with his index finger.

“No matter what they do, who makes the final decision? That’s right, the King.”

“….”

“The King can’t completely ignore the sentiments of the capital and the high-ranking nobles, but he’s still the one with the final say. And by the way.”

Si-on smiled as he downed his wine in one go.

“Do you know who the current King is?”

“…Pardon?”

Jenna, momentarily dumbfounded, quickly caught on to Si-on’s implication, thanks to her sharp mind.

“C-Could it be that His Majesty the King knows Your Grace…?”

Si-on nodded.

“Yes. The current King knows me. When he was young, I fought the Dark Dragon alongside his father, and we even bathed together in the stream. I’ve seen it all.”

-What’s your uncle doing?

-He was a hero, fought dragons with Dad.

The elderly King, over eighty years old and one of the most feared by the great nobles of the Kingdom of Obla, had known Si-on since his bedwetting days—a relationship akin to that of an uncle and nephew.

“So, does His Majesty know who you really are?”

“Yes.”

The King was one of the very few people who knew that Si-on, still young and very much alive, was roaming the world without having aged a day.