System vs Rebirth

Chapter 1408: Oscar’s Choice

"Commander Oscar Verthos is entering the hall!" A soldier announced and gave a salute as they opened the huge gate.

The nobles were standing at the sides of the hall as they observed Oscar carefully. Even without looking at their expression, Oscar knew they were wary of him. In the end, he possessed a powerful weapon that could overturn the kingdom.

However, Oscar could only remain calm.

Oscar silently walked toward the king before falling to one knee.

The king, accompanied by Duke Raymond, stared at him for a few seconds without saying anything.

Normally, it would be a joyous occasion, but it felt like a public execution instead.

The marshal had to step forth as if trying to protect the king, considering he was the only person who could rival Oscar’s strength.

The king stood up and said, "It’s been a while, Commander Oscar."

"Yes, Your Majesty. I’m glad that you are doing fine." Oscar replied politely.

The king squinted his eyes. "You have done a good job of destroying the Supreme Devil Organization."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. It’s only thanks to you entrusting me with this position that I can make the dream of our citizens come true.

Everyone’s eyebrows twitched. All of them knew that Oscar had realized their involvement in the Supreme Devil Organization.

The king asked, "No. It’s because of your competence that we’re able to push them back so hard that they didn’t even dare to fight against you. Although this is not over yet, this is a huge step forward."

"Yes, Your Majesty. I will do my best and work tirelessly for the citizens."

The king continued, "Did you find anything from their base?"

This was the heart of the matter today. Oscar had three options.

The first one was to admit everything and expose them. But if he did it that way, the people here would silence him. Although he doubted he would die, the marshal would take action against him. At that time, he would be branded as a traitor.

The second one was to lie. If he told them he didn’t get anything, they would find out and suspect him to know everything, which would be an all-out war between the army and the royal family. At that time, he didn’t know what would happen to the entire kingdom or all the innocent citizens.

The third one was to play dumb. It seemed this was the only option.

Hence, Oscar answered, "I have gotten a bunch of documents that I haven’t sorted out. So, I’m not sure what I have found yet. The soldiers were experiencing huge stress when we were attacking their base, due to all the rumors and hidden dangers.

"Hence, I told them to remain on standby until I returned. Once I went back to my office, I would start sorting out the documents myself."

The king and the others found this answer acceptable. Oscar was a military man who usually relied on others to handle the paperwork. So, it wasn’t weird if Oscar waited until a good time to sort it out.

And Milfa wasn’t by his side, so there was no way he could do it right away.

At the same time, the royal family had two options. The first one was to infiltrate the army and burn all the evidence to the ground.

If they chose this route, the army had to investigate, and they had to wait for Oscar’s response. Oscar would definitely know that they were the culprits.

On the other hand, they could demand the documents directly, which meant taking Oscar’s achievement for themselves.

It looked like stealing someone’s contribution, but if they did it correctly, they would be able to avoid public criticism.

This was the plan they had come up with.

The king asked, "In that case, would you be willing to hand over all those documents?" For the sake of the kingdom, I and all the people here will be examining the documents in your place.

"As a king, I can’t let my subjects suffer the threats from the organization anymore. I will mobilize the arbiters and take down all the remnants of the organization together with the army."

"..." Oscar couldn’t help but close his eyes. He couldn’t help but recall the conversation he had with Noel a few days ago.

"If I were them, I would seize the documents from you if you act like you haven’t read them." Noel smirked.

"What do you mean?" Oscar frowned. "If I hand over those documents, it means they can destroy all the evidence. And this corrupt kingdom..."

"I know." Noel smiled. "That’s why I plan to give you a suggestion. Split it in two. Send most of them to the royal family to assure them, while sending the most important one to someone else."

"Someone else? You’re not talking about yourself, right?"

"Of course not. I’m talking about a certain princess who remains sane in this kind of era."

"A certain princess? Which princess?"

"The third princess."

"!!!" Oscar widened his eyes in shock. "That doll princess?"

"A doll, huh? Do you think it’s true? Or do you think that’s just what she wants you to think?"

Oscar’s heart skipped a beat. "Are you serious? Don’t tell me. You’re supporting the third princess?"

"Not really." Noel shook his head. "As I said before, she’s the only sane one, so I don’t really have a choice."

"..." Oscar looked at Noel’s expression carefully, but it didn’t seem he was lying. The relationship between him and the third princess was quite complex, but if it could somehow lead to a better kingdom, it might be worth the shot.

When he heard that question from the king, Oscar had gotten the answer in his heart. He paused for a moment before solemnly saying, "I’m willing to give everything for this kingdom. I’ll work together with the arbiters to hunt down the remnants of the Supreme Devil Organization."

"!!!" The king’s eyes flashed. He immediately waved his hand and stated, "For taking down the Supreme Devil Organization’s headquarters, Oscar Verthos will be rewarded with 200,000 gold coins, 10 treasures, and an honorary marquis position. This title will give you the privilege of being a marquis without needing to govern the land. I hope you wield your strength for the citizens."

"Your wish is my command." Oscar lowered his head.

If Noel were here, he would say with a smug smile, "See? Act dumb. A foolish person is not dangerous."