A Precious Pearl in the Imperial City - Chapter 97

Some crowns are forged in blood. Others are drowned beneath it.In a city strangled by smoke and silence, where children are shackled to machines and shadows rule behind gilded masks, Keiran is just another forgotten soul—until the mark appears.Buried beneath the factory’s foundations lies a world long erased from history. Ancient oaths whisper through stone and water, and something older than memory begins to stir. As Keiran is drawn deeper into the abyss, he uncovers a legacy not meant for mortal hands—a crown shattered in defiance, a flood sealed by sacrifice, and a power that demands a price.Hunted by tyrants, haunted by echoes, and bound to secrets he never asked for, Keiran must choose: drown in the tide of what came before, or rise against the current and reclaim what the world was forced to forget.But the deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels…And beneath it all, something still breathes.

Weary reader, it is an honor that you have chosen this book amidst the heavy, dim library.Regrettably, this book is unwell.Your fingers should be able to feel the raised growths on the surface of its cover,Words written in bygone days are like parasites rooted in the pages, hoping for someone to observe their wriggling,To feel, to decipher, to touch the essence of this ailing story.If you insist on borrowing this book, please make sure to regularly check your own physical condition.

The strongest wizard Alfred, in a hero’s party, subdued the Maou and in the process took a cursed arrow to the knee.

Even with the hurt knee, Alfred’s still the strongest wizard ever. So…

「We need a chief for our newly created knight squad!」 「Could you help us as our guild manager?」「We need someone to rid us of the dragon that resides in the North Mountain!!」

Alfred just wanted some time to rest and recover, but no one would LEAVE HIM ALONE!

Because of that, Alfred wished to spend time recovering in a small country village that no one knew about.

『Need a guard in Mulg Village. Wolves and boars attacking the village. Payment is food and board. *Village has a hot spring.』

「THAT’S THE ONE!」

So, the strongest wizard in the kingdom…decided on living the slow life in the country.