Into the Creations 352

## Chapter 352 – 352. The Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated Into The Baek Family

He glanced around, assessing the situation, and finally spoke with a faint smile.

“It was a conversation about medicinal herbs. I’m currently pursuing a medicinal herb cultivation business.”

“Medicinal herb cultivation is unlikely to make as much money as you’d expect.”

“That’s if you think about it normally! But the medicinal herb cultivation site I’ve discovered is special! Even if you plant the same herbs, their effects are far superior to others.”

“Is there such a place?”

“There is! I can’t tell you the location, but it definitely exists! My guess is that the land is probably a place where spiritual energy flows. A place where spirit herbs grow.”

“…You’ve discovered an incredible place. Wouldn’t it be better to sell that land to the nobles?”

“Of course, I’ve thought about that too! But the location of the land is very deep, making it not easy to cultivate. Also, I’ve calculated that I can make more profit by cultivating the herbs myself and then selling them.”

Maikeld spoke passionately about his medicinal herb cultivation business. He enthusiastically spun tales about what kind of herbs he would grow, how long it would take, how he would sell them, and so on. With so many nobles who had invested money gathered around, he had no choice but to be desperate.

“But wasn’t the Maikeld family originally from a line of hunters?”

“W-Well, yes, that’s true. But do you know about our family? Didn’t you say you were hearing my name for the first time earlier?”

“I’m only hearing the name Basiv Maikeld for the first time. I know a bit about the Maikeld family.”

“T-Thank you, Baron. I’m grateful that you remember our fallen family…”

Maikeld swallowed hard, hiding his nervous expression. He never expected to meet a noble here who knew about the Maikeld family.

“Is Jiold Maikeld doing well?”

“…My father passed away five years ago. He fell while climbing a mountain.”

“Oh dear. My condolences. But why didn’t you contact the nobles around you?”

“Well… it’s complicated. The Maikeld family was already practically defunct, and my father was reluctant to do so. I came to the city recently and started my activities. First, I started a merchant group with the money I had… I kept saying I could do it…”

As he continued to speak, his nervousness faded, and he spoke with a confident and forceful tone. The young nobles around him stared at him with sparkling eyes.

‘Handsome looks and excellent speaking skills. A fun story that evokes heroic tales.’

This guy was a natural-born con artist.

“Impressive.”

“Haha. To receive such praise from Baron Prucus, who is called the de facto owner of the Korea Merchant Group… Today is a very pleasant day!”

“Listening to Baron Maikeld makes me want to invest as well. Do you happen to have any herbs from that cultivation site?”

At my words, he flinched slightly but soon wore a confident smile.

“Haha. I do. It’s such a precious item… I always carry it with me. I’m afraid I might lose it if I left it somewhere.”

“Would you sell me one? I’ll check it myself, and if it’s truly of excellent quality… I’ll invest 3 billion Ner.”

“3 billion…!?”

Not only Maikeld but also the nobles around him were surprised. For those who had not yet properly inherited their titles, 3 billion was a huge sum of money.

“Y-You are indeed Baron Prucus. To be able to speak of such a large sum of money so lightly…”

Maikeld fumbled and pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket. Inside the luxurious handkerchief was a medicinal herb. It was a black herb. On the outside, it looked like a burnt twig.

“It’s a herb called Black Saint. It’s avoided because of its black appearance, but it’s a versatile herb that has a positive effect on almost all symptoms. Black Saint is the main ingredient in panaceas.”

“Ah… I see. I know about it too. I’ll pay 3 million Ner for it. Is that alright?”

“You don’t have to pay…”

“There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. I don’t have the money on me right now, so I can’t pay immediately, but I’ll pay after the banquet, with my name on the line.”

I received the herb from Maikeld. I sniffed it. It smelled like a normal herb. I took a bite of the herb.

“…Ha.”

“Baron, can’t you feel the power?”

“Power? What power? How dare you feed me this? You con artist!”

My words startled everyone around me. On the other hand, Maikeld was calm. Without panicking, he looked at me calmly and said.

“A con artist! What are you talking about all of a sudden!”

“Do you not know?! You’ve laced the herb with drugs! To make me think I’ve eaten a miraculous medicine the moment I eat the herb! Herbs from a land with mysterious power? The reason you can’t tell me about it isn’t because of your business, but because it doesn’t exist!”

“Baron Prucus! Don’t insult me! That herb is from the cultivation site! Drugs…! That’s absurd! Do you think I don’t know what you’re up to, Baron Prucus? You want to frame me as a criminal and steal my herb cultivation site!”

“I doubt if you’re even Basiv Maikeld in the first place! You don’t resemble any of the recorded characteristics of the Maikeld family!”

“Can’t you see this ring on my finger?! This ring is proof that I am the rightful owner of the Maikeld family!”

Loud voices were exchanged.

From Maikeld’s perspective, he couldn’t back down here. The moment he backed down, he would be admitting his fraud.

Impersonating a noble was a serious crime, as heavy as treason.

As the voices, louder than the music, echoed, more and more nobles began to pay attention to us.

“What’s going on?”

“What a disgrace in front of His Majesty… Tsk tsk. Their dignity is questionable.”

“Wait. Isn’t that the third son of the Prucus family?”

“The third son of the Prucus family… the one from the Korea Merchant Group?”

“How arrogant. To raise his voice here… Tsk.”

“Do you know who the man shouting in front of him is?”

“They say he’s Baron Maikeld.”

“The Maikeld family…? Did such a family even exist?”

“They say he’s a fallen noble… Anyway, what an eyesore. If they’re going to fight, they should go outside.”

“Hehe. I find it amusing. The banquets are always the same, so it’s nice to see an event like this… It’s more entertaining than a clown’s jokes.”

And finally, the commotion reached the ears of King Corocalis Rapelli.

Thump. Thump.

The chancellor, Makellos, who was standing next to him, struck the floor with his staff. Although the sound was not loud, all the nobles, sensitive to power, looked at the king.

In the now quiet banquet hall, the king spoke.

“Baron Eugene Prucus, Baron Basiv Maikeld. Both of you, come forward.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Maikeld and I answered.

The nobles who had been blocking the way parted to the sides, creating a path to the king. It was quite an amusing sight.

Under the gaze of hundreds of nobles, I walked confidently, while Maikeld desperately tried to hide his cold sweat.

Thump thump.

I could hear the rapid beating of his heart.

I knelt on one knee before the king and the chancellor, bowing my head. Maikeld, who was very nervous, followed suit, bowing a beat later.

I glanced at Ention. Now that the king had stepped in, he wouldn’t interfere. Although I was using the Prucus name, I was a noble with a title.

Ention was staring at me indifferently, and Ellaine was pretending to be calm, but her eyes were filled with worry. Gent was quietly smiling. He was looking forward to my downfall.

“Baron Prucus, Baron Maikeld. Have you forgotten what day it is today?”

“No, Your Majesty!”

“Your Majesty! This is Prucus…”

Our voices overlapped.

“Silence!”

The king frowned and roared. For an old man, he had quite a decent charisma. I quietly shut my mouth, and Maikeld trembled.

“You will explain the situation. If it’s a trivial matter, both of you will pay the price. First, Baron Prucus! You explain first!”

“Your Majesty, the respected King. Basiv Maikeld… no, this unknown man is impersonating a noble. He is also spreading lies about cultivating herbs in a mysterious land and borrowing money.”

“…Impersonating a noble?”

The king asked back.

It wasn’t that he didn’t hear, but that he was dumbfounded. And at the same time, the atmosphere of the nobles watching us became ominous. Impersonating a noble was the same as stealing their power, and it was no different from rebelling against the nobles.

“Baron Prucus, explain in detail. I hope your claims are not baseless.”

“Of course, there is evidence. The characteristics of the Maikeld family are dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. But this man has black hair and light brown eyes. It’s clearly different. Also, the Maikeld family is known to be a family that started as hunters, and even though they are nobles, they have been hunters for generations. But this man is not a hunter. His body is not trained at all.”

Some of the nobles from knightly families nodded. Those who had reached a certain level of mastery could tell whether someone was a soldier or a civilian just by looking at their body.

“Baron Maikeld.”

“I am wronged! Your Majesty! My hair and eyes are from my mother! And the reason I’m not a hunter is that the family business ended with my father. My father told me to do what I wanted! This ring and these documents prove that I am the head of the Maikeld family!”

He handed over a ring and old documents. The documents were probably from when he received his title in the distant past.

“The royal crest is stamped on it. These documents are genuine. Baron Prucus, Baron Maikeld has proven his identity.”

“Your Majesty. That doesn’t prove his identity. He must have stolen the ring and documents from the Maikeld family. Or he killed them and took them. Please send trustworthy people to investigate the place where the Maikeld family is.”

“Alright. Impersonating a noble is a serious matter, so I will send people right away.”

Maikeld quietly swallowed his breath. He knew that his life was on the line. But his eyes were not those of a resigned man. He still saw an opportunity.

“Baron Maikeld. What about the mysterious land and the herbs?”

“That is…”

Maikeld, who had swallowed hard, explained as he had when talking to the young nobles. But unlike the young nobles, the king quietly listened to his words with sunken eyes.

“Huh…”

“Tsk tsk.”

Some of the smarter nobles realized that he was a con artist. And the king would be the same. But the king did not hastily make a judgment and looked at me.

“Baron Prucus. Do you have proof that Baron Maikeld’s words are false?”

“I do. This Black Saint is a herb from the mysterious land that Baron Maikeld speaks of. This herb is laced with a drug that excites people. It’s for the purpose of making people think they’ve become healthier after eating the herb.”

“…Chancellor. Summon the royal physician.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Maikeld was sweating and trembling.

The royal physician appeared. He carefully examined the Black Saint herb, cut off a piece of the herb, chewed it, and revealed its identity.

“It’s a drug. It’s a recently discovered drug called Orland, and if you consume more than a certain amount, it causes hallucinations.”

“……The conclusion has been reached. Baron Maikeld… no, arrest this con artist and put him in prison! The execution will be carried out after another investigation after the banquet!”

The royal knights grabbed Maikeld’s body.

“Your Majesty! No! Your Majesty! This is all Baron Prucus’s plot! It’s a conspiracy to steal my herb cultivation site! The drug on the herb must have been put there by Baron Prucus just now! Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Please reconsider! Your Majesty!!”

Maikeld struggled as he was dragged away.

“Your Majesty. Thank you for your wise judgment.”

“No. I’m more dumbfounded than angry that a con artist who impersonated a noble dared to enter the royal palace.”

“Your Majesty. There are those who have been harmed by the con artist.”

“Yes… The money that was lost must be returned to its owners. Those who have been harmed by the con artist, come forward.”

At the king’s command, two young nobles hesitantly came forward.

“……Is that all?”

The king frowned and looked at the nobles. Of course, there were more than just two victims. Yuria had told me that there were at least seven victims.

‘…Bibi Heolis didn’t come out either.’

I looked at Bibi Heolis. Bibi looked at me with trembling eyes and then lowered her head.

I could guess why the nobles weren’t coming forward. It was because they were embarrassed. This incident would be mentioned in society for a while, and they would be mocked for the rest of their lives.

The two nobles who came forward must have been desperate for money.

‘Should I visit them tonight?’

My eyes did not easily leave Bibi, who was bowing her head.