Ch 207: Do you even have mercy, Dorian?
Ch 207: Do you even have mercy, Dorian?
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*Omniscient POV*
While Dorian Aranis bragged about the Golden Archer's achievements in front of the audience, Emir failed to notice that the Three Annoying Beauties were there in the middle of the audience.
"In the first position is the Golden Archer, huh?" Miria became enraged. "He doesn't deserve it. Not when half the work was done from the moment he was born."
"Right" Irina nodded. "We've tried so hard, and yet the talented ones will always surpass us no matter what we do."
"If it were someone else, then I wouldn't care, but him..." Zia shook her head "It's very likely that he achieved his current strength because of his birth talent."
With Alessia, they didn't have an ounce of envy because they are very good friends, and no matter how strong Alessia becomes, they will still be happy for her.
But with a total stranger…
Envy is not a bad thing, however; it is this feeling that makes people want to go forward, pushing their capabilities to the limit.
Of course, if the feeling is taken too far, something bad will happen.
But the envy of the 3 Annoying Beauties is healthy, so... they will continue to speak ill of the Golden Archer even when they don't know him.
"If only one of us had talent, then Eloise would still be with us..." Miria could only sigh at the memory of her friend.
"She was too kind. Though when she was little, she was a little devil, when she grew up, she changed completely." With a smile, Zia said, "Remember how she blushed every time we reminded her of the terrible tantrum she threw that time in the mud when she was little?"
"Hahaha, Yeah..." Irina smiled, "All she wanted was for us to change the subject and forget about it."
It's in the course of the conversation that their true feelings appear.
And they understood that the Golden Archer wasn't to blame for anything; it's just that any topic related to 'talent' will bring out the worst in them.
They envy the warriors who were born with talent.
They hate that they were born beautiful but without any natural ability for battle.
Everything they have gained has been through effort and planning.
By controlling danger, they can take advantage of it to enhance their skills and instincts.
It is because of this that they stand out compared to other groups.
But even so, talent is something they were not born with.
Only strength will give them the assurance that none of them will die like Eloise.
It is this principle that keeps them fighting to improve day by day.
"We'd better remember that guy," Miria said, her brow furrowed."I wouldn't want to unintentionally insult him."
"Mn" Irina and Zia nodded at the same time, implying that... it's very likely to happen if Miria isn't careful.
But they quickly realized a problem.
"I can't remember what he looks like?" Miria said in surprise.
"I can't either; what a strange thing..." Irina narrowed her eyes.
"It could be that..." Zia was about to make her suspicions known when they overheard the conversation of a nearby group.
"I can't remember the Golden Archer appearance… It is strange… Is the same thing happening to anyone else?"
"Me" A man in the group said, raising his hand. "No matter how hard I try, I can't remember his appearance."
The men continued talking until a third man intruded into the conversation.
"It's because of a magic object." says the man who just arrived. "I heard that the Golden Archer is a noble bastard and that he possesses a certain fortune. Because of this, he spent a lot of money just to hide his appearance since… His noble house has put a bounty on his head"
The man implied that this information is 100% real, not fake.
"God, now I understand. This Golden Archer is creating a name for himself so that his noble house can't lay a finger on him." Everyone was shocked to hear this information.
"He already succeeded. Even if he returns to his noble house, his relatives will have to speak to him with respect for fear of retaliation!"
Such words only fanned the flame.
After all, who in their right mind would continue with the bounty on a war hero's head?
It's very likely that his family could only bow their heads and eat their hatred!
"So it's because of a magic item, huh?" Miria nodded in understanding. "I see. That's why his bow looked familiar. His magic item is simply playing with my perception, giving me the impression that I know him."
Although the three Annoying Beauties were taken aback by the news, the matter of the magical item was more important to them.
With glowing eyes, they looked at each other.
"Let's use his magic item to train." They all said the same thing.
Since the magic object plays with their perception. Is it possible to train to know when your perception is being influenced? If they succeed, they will get huge rewards.
Since then, they have turned a deaf ear to the army's comments and devoted all their attention to the Golden Archer for the sole purpose of training.
***
*Emir's POV*
Emir: "..."
'Do you even have mercy, Dorian? Not only are you brainwashing these people, but you're increasing the bounty on my head. You're making me look like a cold, elegant, and serious man. Which, yes, I appreciate, but please stop! I'm afraid for my future!'
The Admiral General's brainwashing continued for about 30 minutes more, and at no time did he stop praising me.
At the beginning of his presentation, he gave my feats in summary form, but then he spread them out like a loaf of bread.
Even I was surprised at how great I am. And just as I was about to get out of character, it was time for the awards presentation.
"For conspicuous distinction on the battlefield, the Golden Archer will receive..." Speaking with a tone of suspense, he lifted the blanket of the first prize and said, "60 gold coins!"
Dorian's words immediately made everyone swallow saliva.
With such money, it is possible to buy a luxurious mansion in the slum or a beautiful house in the noble sector.
The latter would grant a security that cannot be found in the slum.
Furthermore, with the money left over, it will no longer be necessary to return to work; such a sum is sufficient, and with room to spare, to live luxuriously for many years.
It is even possible to multiply the money if it is invested in a business, obtaining profits that will serve future generations of the family!
Emir: "..."
Seeing how people get excited about such an amount of money makes me think again that my money sense is completely skewed because, when Dorian announced the prize, I couldn't help but think that the risks don't equal the gain.
Luckily, that wasn't the only prize.
With a smile, Dorian lifts up the second prize blanket and says, "As second prize, the Golden Archer receives a Royal Note, signed by King Alfonso Fiore himself!"
Again the audience erupted in fervor, and not only them but I too widened my eyes in surprise.
What is a Royal Note? It is an authorization that allows the person to supersede the law only once. The document's power will be determined by who signs it. In this case…
If someone is condemned to death, a Royal Note can save his life.
If a commoner is forbidden to marry a nobleman, a Royal Note will open the way to the altar! That's how powerful that document is!
"And as a third prize..."
'There's more!'
"The Golden Archer receives the medal of honor of the Castemira kingdom!" said Dorian.
The medal of honor is the highest decoration given by the Castemira kingdom, which grants monetary and social benefits.
In simpler terms, it is no longer necessary to stand in line to enter any city in the kingdom, and my entrance will be free of charge as well.
Also, I can have a surname and be a noble.
This time, the excitement of the audience was much greater than the previous one, as the Royal Note may be important, but it only has one use.
On the other hand, the medal of honor confers incalculable benefits.
For example, there will be no more discrimination by nobles, and the doors to political marriage are fully opened.
'Who wouldn't want to marry a young noblewoman?' I feel that the question is crossing the minds of everyone here.
As for me, I couldn't help but sigh.
The user interface allows me to change the name at my whim. Surnames? I can enter up to 5 surnames without any problem!
In other words, this medal of honor is useless to me!
Once the awards were openly displayed to the public, Dorian took each of them and formally handed them to me.
With a handshake, we smiled as we looked towards the professional artists who would be in charge of making a portrait of this moment.
'Ah, but... The artists are looking at me with troubled expressions. The [Perception Inhibitor] must be doing a very good job. Keep it up, magic object; I'm rooting for you.'
"Let's give him one more round of applause to send off the Golden Archer," Dorian said, clapping his hands to set an example.
*CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP*
As I made my way to the exit, everyone clapped for me. It doesn't feel bad at all to be treated so well by people, but I hope it doesn't happen again.
'Being so notorious will get me in trouble, I'm sure of that.'
"Golden Archer..."
I almost died of a heart attack when the clerk spoke to me at the end of the hallway.
'You did it on purpose, didn't you?!'
"The Admiral General wishes to speak with you in private, please follow me." He said without changing his expression.
'Dorian Aranis. Hmm, what would he like to talk to me about?'
With such questions in mind, I followed the clerk.