The Elf Journey In The Western Fantasy World-Chapter 37: The King’s Secret

Seoryun, who had been on the verge of a breakdown, gradually calmed down.

His expression became less distorted, and he started to look more normal.

"You’re right. Darius is such an upright knight, and aside from being my subordinate, he was also my best friend. How could he possibly tolerate me for turning a lot lover into a legitimate spouse?"

Narae eagerly fanned the flames. "Captain Darius is a role model for all the knights in the royal capital! He embodies the very virtues that a knight should possess!"

"He embodies the very virtues that a knight should possess," Seoryun repeated, then suddenly let out a manic laugh.

Narae felt chills run down his spine, but he kept piling on the praise for the former captain of the knights while mentally apologizing to Darius.

Sorry, Captain Darius! I’ll visit you later and apologize to you in person!

Somewhere far away, Darius suddenly sneezed.

Who was thinking about him?

Illiya and the others followed Darius as he swiftly led them out of the palace, putting as much distance as possible between themselves and that unsettling place.

Darius took them through a series of turns, finally arriving at a shadowy alley corner.

He knocked on the wall in a rhythmic pattern—three heavy knocks followed by three light ones, repeated twice.

A burst of white light flashed, and a black door suddenly materialized on the wall, along with a tray.

This was the most common and portable type of inn on the continent.

Summoning one only required knocking the correct password on any wall.

These inns were extremely secure, but they were also incredibly expensive.

On a continent where the cost of living was relatively low, the price of one gold coin per night was already enough to deter most people.

Not to mention, the price could increase at any time.

Darius smoothly retrieved a gold coin from his spatial bracelet and placed it on the tray.

The door showed no sign of opening.

Frowning, he added another gold coin.

The door barely shifted, opening just a tiny crack.

Darius: "..."

These merchants were getting greedier by the day.

Just as he was debating how many more coins to put in, he caught a glimpse of a familiar silver-white hem of a robe from the corner of his eye.

When he looked up, he noticed that another gold coin had mysteriously appeared on the tray.

Now, there were three coins in total.

At that moment, the black door finally stopped hesitating and swung open swiftly.

Illiya calmly withdrew his hand. "Our contract isn’t over yet. We agreed on full coverage for food and lodging beforehand. Elves never break their promises."

Darius’s eyes welled with tears. "Elves really are the most generous employers. I strongly recommend long-term contracts—you get great value for your money, and deals like this don’t come around often."

Illiya neither confirmed nor denied this, stepping through the doorway without a word.

Seeing this, the others quickly followed him inside.

A faint white light flickered, and the door shut again, causing the wall to revert to its original appearance, as if nothing had ever happened.

A familiar wave of dizziness from teleportation washed over Illiya.

When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in a beautifully furnished room.

The space was fully equipped with every amenity one could think of.

He didn’t have to wait long before his companions appeared in the room as well.

As soon as Darius regained his balance, he rushed to the table, poured himself a glass of water, and drank it down in one go.

"My instincts were right all along. Even back in Haneulseong City, I had a gut feeling that something was wrong with Seoryun. I tried to dismiss it on the way here, but after I meet the King today, I have no choice but to accept the truth. The king isn’t Seoryun... but at the same time, Seoryun hasn’t met with any misfortune."

His words were so convoluted that it was easy to get confused.

Eoryun was one such person.

"I understand that when you say ’Seoryun,’ you mean your friend, and when you say ’the king,’ you’re referring to the man we met today. But then... has Seoryun actually run into trouble or not?"

Illiya was also curious.

How could someone be both in trouble and not in trouble at the same time? freeωebnovēl.c૦m

Speaking of this, Darius was also speechless.

When Seoryun first explained it to him, he found it ridiculous.

However, after traveling together and experiencing certain events, his perspective broadened.

It was all a tale of hardship and sorrow.

Thinking of this, Darius poured himself another glass of cold water and drank it down to clear his mind.

After a brief pause, he spoke in a tone filled with philosophical weight: "Here’s the thing. Seoryun once explained to me some secret truths about the royal family."

Eoryun immediately pulled a chair over and sat next to Darius, while Drow silently shifted behind him.

Although Illiya didn’t show any obvious reaction, his straightened posture and slightly twitching ears betrayed his interest.

Darius had no words for this group of gossip-hungry companions.

He rubbed his face in resignation before beginning his explanation in detail: "It’s not the dramatic soap opera plot you might be imagining—there’s no romantic entanglement, no melodrama. It’s simply about why the kings of this country have always come from the Jinmu family."

Back when Illiya was still among the elves, he was often pulled aside by bored elders to listen to ’interesting’ stories about the continent.

As a result, he had developed an excellent skill in playing along.

"Oh? And why is that?" Illiya asked.

"It’s because the Areuseon Kingdom has a rather bizarre passive trait," Darius replied. "And this passive trait has led many would-be rebels to abandon their ambitions of taking the throne. Instead, they shift their efforts toward becoming the king’s right-hand man."

Eoryun raised his hand like a schoolchild and jokingly asked, "Don’t tell me this passive trait means that if someone else becomes king, the entire country collapses?"