Kingdom Simulator: I, a Fallen Noble, Build a God-Level Kingdom!-Chapter 37: Tell Me, Where Is Lord Thune?

"Wait for my good news, Little Nightingale. When I get back, I’ll give you a complimentary trampling."

With that,

Spidevs sashayed out of the room.

Nightingale Lord composed himself, calmly staring at the now-empty office, and waited in silence for ten minutes.

Then, a knight entered—bare-chested, clad only in shining silver armor from the waist down.

"Lord Nightingale, say what you need to say... as long as it’s not facing the bloodthirsty wolf pack."

Without a change in expression, Nightingale Lord opened up the box of gold coins once more and stated, "I want you to intercept and kill someone at the exit of Thune’s domain. There’s a madwoman who dares defy the king’s law—Spidevs!"

"Spidevs?" ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

The man absentmindedly touched the medal pinned to his greaves—a trophy he’d stolen, and the reason he’d earned the nickname [Knight of Honor] in Stone Town’s underworld.

Killing Spidevs would be no easy task, but after taking another look at the pile of coins, he decided the payment was well worth the risk.

"You’re offering a generous reward—so I’ll take the job without hesitation."

A glint flashed in the Knight of Honor’s eyes. He already had a pretty good idea of what this greenhorn lord was playing at.

The reason for intercepting Spidevs at Thune’s border, instead of pursuing her directly, was to let her finish her mission first.

This was a chain assassination.

Which meant, he had to consider—would someone be coming for his head next?

The money was plenty, but not easy to earn. If he wound up dead too, leaving no one to collect, it would be a joke.

...

Spidevs spent quite some time circling around to avoid the Centaur Knights’ patrols.

Among them, [Deadshot Centaur] Pito was hands-down Stone Town’s sharpest observer. If Spidevs dared approach the north gate, Pito would spot her instantly.

Only after she had completely slipped past the Centaur Knights’ watch did she break into a sprint toward Thune’s territory.

Meanwhile, Romon finally spotted a red warning labeled "Spidevs" on his simulator map.

"She’s here."

Romon reached out and stroked Nini’s cat ears, then stood up. The plan the simulator proposed was still too risky; even though it ended with Spidevs’ death, it required him to meet her in person—being in the same room as an assassin like that was simply reckless.

So, he’d leave things to Nini. Even if Spidevs pretended to be persuaded, Romon wouldn’t show himself—it would all be delayed through Nini.

If Spidevs grew impatient with waiting day after day, she’d inevitably expose herself, and Nini would strike. If she refused to be talked down, Nini would act anyway.

The simulator’s approach was risky, but one thing was certain: Spidevs’ fate was sealed, and she was still counting on Nini to make her money.

Besides, Romon had given Nini a collar that boosted all her abilities by 50%, massively improving her strength and making success much more likely.

"Master, I haven’t sensed Spidevs’ presence yet," Nini said.

Nini had spent years around Spidevs—if Spidevs were anywhere nearby, she’d sense it immediately. But right now, there wasn’t a soul near the castle.

So how did Romon know Spidevs was coming?

"She’s already reached the edge of Thune’s territory," Romon said pointedly, striding toward the door as he spoke.

The edge of Thune’s territory?

Nini was stunned. That was such a great distance away, and there had been no messenger or signal—yet Romon had somehow sensed Spidevs’ approach! If his perception was this sharp, his true power must be unimaginable!

A sense of pride welled up in Nini. Compared to Spidevs, who spent her days serving fat pigs and old men, Romon was young, handsome, tireless, and unassuming. Despite his overwhelming strength, he never flaunted it.

To serve a man like this—what need did she have for connections in the brothel world? If she could just stay by this man’s side for life, she’d be perfectly content!

"Master, I’ll take care of Spidevs," Nini said, her wording subtly shifting.

From "persuade" to "take care of"—her body and soul were surrendering to Romon.

"I’ll be waiting for your good news, Nini. If you do well, I’ll have a special reward for you," Romon replied, before heading outside the castle. The maid Lornis, who’d already prepared provisions for several days, followed close behind.

That left Nini as the only one in the castle, still daydreaming about Romon’s future gifts. Would it be a precious magical artifact, a step up in status, or perhaps just the simple pleasure of being filled by him?

...

Noon.

Under the blazing sun, a shadowy figure slipped into Thune territory from the outer mountains. She used the shadows to cloak her form—even the squirrels in the woods didn’t notice her passing.

Soon, the black castle appeared in her view. Built halfway up the mountainside, the castle stood below her as she surveyed it from the ridge. From this vantage point, not only could she observe the castle, but the entirety of Thune’s defenses—or rather, the lack thereof—was laid bare.

The defense of Thune territory was... nonexistent.

Other than a few peasants down in the fields, there wasn’t a soul around.

"So naive, Lord Thune. You think that just because you have a princess backing you, the other lords won’t dare make a move? Not even a single guard left for yourself."

Spidevs scoffed. As a prostitute who’d made her name in Stone Town, she’d grown up hearing stories about Thune territory.

The more glorious it was in the past, the more wretched it was now. Even stumbling into a magic crystal mine by luck couldn’t change its fallen fate.

His misfortune was meeting Nightingale Lord at Lord Matthews’ daughter’s coming-of-age banquet.

After sizing up the situation, Spidevs pulled a mask from her waistband. Decorated with a black spider motif, it covered only half her face, with the spider’s fangs extending along both sides of her mouth.

"Whoosh—"

Unlike her hurried travel before, as soon as Spidevs entered her hunting range, she activated all of her assassin skills.

With a flicker, her figure blurred into an afterimage, then disappeared entirely—she’d gone fully stealth.

The black doors of the castle were tightly shut. Spidevs figured that the old wooden doors would creak if she tried to open them, so she avoided the main entrance and scaled the wall instead.

Inside, the castle was just as empty. Normally, no matter how small a castle, there would be at least a few servants bustling about.

She knew that the current Lord Thune was dirt poor—so poor he couldn’t even afford to hire knights, let alone servants. Even after discovering the magic crystal mine, all he bought was a single Talia. Most of his money went to buying back lost land and cleaning up the previous lord’s mess.

Thinking of this, Spidevs’ crimson lips curled into a slight sneer. She needed to end this young lord’s life quickly—someone who had money but didn’t use it to enjoy himself, squandering it instead on useless land, even though he wasn’t a farmer! Such a waste of money was against everything Spidevs believed in.

"That’s where the human scent is the strongest. I’ve found you, Romon Thune."

Excited, Spidevs pulled out her curved dagger and dashed forward.

But—

The moment she kicked in a window and leapt inside, the scene before her left her stunned.

What she saw was this:

Nini, the cat-eared girl who’d been missing for over a month—her own protégé—was sitting in the lord’s hall, playing with sand on the strategy table.

There was no one else in sight!

"Nini?" Spidevs frowned in confusion.

"Teacher!" Nini dropped the sand, dusted off her hands, and hurried over.

"You disappeared for a whole month, and this is where you’ve been hiding—in a dump like this!? Do you have any idea how serious this is? You made me worry sick! Not a single word from you! Do you even remember the responsibilities you carry?" The moment Spidevs saw her, she launched into an angry, scolding tirade.

Nini had expected this. She’d skipped classes before, and every time she was found, she got a similar tongue-lashing.

"Teacher, let’s not talk about that right now. How did you manage to find this place?" Nini feigned her old, casual demeanor, spinning her curved dagger with her left hand.

But Spidevs was not so easily sidetracked. She pressed on forcefully, keeping the conversation firmly under her control.

"You. Owe. Me. An. Explanation," Spidevs enunciated, each word clipped and emphatic.

"Alright, alright, teacher. I took a job here—a cushy post, really. The annual salary is seventy gold coins, and I was paid up front. The only requirement is that I stay on call in Thune territory twenty-four hours a day, and I can’t leave without permission."

Seventy gold coins?! Spidevs’ heavily-lined eyes went wide. That salary was higher than hers—and paid in advance! That bastard Lord Matthews still owed her a year’s wages!

How had Nini landed a job like this? On the open market, her going rate was barely over forty gold!

"Don’t lie to me. Show me the proof," Spidevs demanded.

"Well, since it was paid up front, they gave me magic crystal ore instead of coins. I’ve got it all stashed in my little storeroom. Want to come take a look with me, teacher?"

The suggestion of moving to another location immediately put Spidevs on guard. Her expression hardened. "Enough, Nini. Your salary means nothing to me. Tell me—where is Lord Thune?"

A chill ran through Nini’s heart. Since things had come to this, there was no point pretending.

"Teacher, the lord knew you’d be coming. That’s why he asked me to wait here for you. He’s willing to pay you even more than I get, as long as you’re willing to switch sides. Trust me, teacher—he has plenty of assets, plenty of crystals." Nini delivered the lines she’d long since prepared.

"He knows?"

Spidevs narrowed her eyes—a dangerous sign. The mission from the Nightingale Lord was meant to be secret, and she’d entered Thune territory in secret as well. How could Romon Thune possibly know about her movements?

Did he have spies in the city?

Or could it be that the Nightingale Lord and Lord Thune were working together to play her for a fool? But what would be the point?

"Nini, tell me where Lord Thune is. Tell me right now!" Spidevs could no longer keep up the charade. A sudden unease took hold of her—she just wanted to finish this job and get out.

What she didn’t know was that the Nini before her had gone through far more than just a month’s disappearance. Spending a month secretly working in Thune territory wouldn’t have changed someone’s outlook so completely.

But if someone was bound by a slave contract from the very start, and conquered both physically and mentally—well, that was a very different story.