In the middle of the night in the Gullveig Alliance’s camp of the port city Styx...
Why now…
Kwak Jun was left deep in contemplation after Niu left.
Dammit… what do you want me to do…
Since he was told to earn his keep, he needed to do something, but there wasn’t anything he could act as a spy for. Strategy? None of that was important for the battle that would happen in Styx soon. It would be a fight of strength against strength! Those trying to break through, the Valhalla Kingdom, and those trying to block them, the Gullveig Alliance. It was obvious that it was going to be a fight of strength, so what could he do as a spy? The most he could do would be delivering the battle tactics and plans of the Gullveig Alliance.
What is he thinking? This isn’t the best time to make the most out of me. Hmm…
As his contemplation continued,
“Is he saying that I should raise our chances of victory by at least a 1% chance?” Kwak Jung came to his decision. “Well… I guess so… since taking over Styx is the most important right now.”
It meant that Kang Chul-In had decided to use him actively starting from this battle, which was understandable. Kwak Jun really needed to start earning his keep considering the amount of money that Kang Chul-In supported Vito Clemenza with.
“And since I chose now…” Kwak Jung extended his hand towards a cube that had the strategies of the Gullveig Alliance stored inside of it. “I might as well do my best.”
Because he was the commander-in-chief, his level of authority was right below Andrei Ivanovich and Mei Ling’s. This meant that he could deliver nearly all information to Kang Chul-In.
“Sir. Her Majesty has come.”
The knight who was in charge of guarding him announced the arrival of the Mei Ling.
His hand reaching for the cube paused.
“Y-Your Majesty!”
“You’re working so hard… even though it’s so late at night…”
“It’s nothing!”
“Can I sit down?”
“Of course.” Kwak Jun signaled for her to sit. “What happened? You should be commanding the sovereigns of the alliance at the Pentagon…”
“I left that to Andrei Ivanovich. His charisma is more outstanding than mine, so there shouldn’t be a problem. Also… there’s something that only I can do here.”
“Ah…!” He realized why Mei Ling had suddenly come. “Neptune Spear’s…”
“Yes, that’s correct.” Mei Ling nodded. “I thought we would need to raise the morale of our soldiers.”
“That’s a wise judgment of yours.”
“Your compliments are too much.”
“Haha…”
“Are you working late into the night like this usually?”magic
“Of course. Our forces are many, but our opponent is the unmatched army of Kang Chul-In. We have to make sure things go smoothly without a hitch.”
“You’re a very careful person, commander… it’s fitting of the one who leads our alliance.”
“It’s only my job.”
Kwak Jun didn’t lose his humble attitude even after Mei Ling complimented him.
Dammit, just when I was trying to pass the information over.
Inside, he was cursing Mei Ling for coming at this time.
“How trustworthy… ah, also.”
“Please speak.”
“How is Lord Vito Clemenza?”
“...!”
“From what I know, he’s never shown himself in public…”
“He’s getting better.”
“Ah, is he?”
“But he’s still uncomfortable with walking around, so he’s staying on Earth with his secretary. He’ll probably come back soon, and he wants to speak with Your Majesty…”
“I see.” Mei Ling nodded. “Alright. If you lead our alliance to victory in this war, we’ll help you with anything to help Lord Vito recover.”
“T, Thank you!”
“Also…”
“...?”
After Kang Chul-In calmed Skadi down, he gathered all the citizens of Esmeralda.
Dum dum! A loud drum echoed in the air,
“His Supreme Majesty, Kang Chul-In~!”
And Kang Chul-In revealed himself, with the martial artists of the Valhalla Kingdom at his side.
But…
“...”
Kang Chul-In was speechless after seeing the people.
“...Are they ghosts?”
That was his first reaction after seeing the people of Esmeralda.
“...”
There was no cheering or applause. The citizens of Esmeralda didn’t have any reaction to their new Lord. They just stood there like emotionless scarecrows.
“You dare…!?”
The generals of the Valhalla Kingdom spoke with rage.
“I’ve never seen such disrespectful people in my life…!” Amur bared his teeth and growled.
“You don’t even know the ‘R’ in respect…!” Drakan, who was always composed, was also furious.
“You dare…!”
“Are you looking down on our king!”
“Your Majesty! Punish them…!”
The other generals had the same reactions.
“Hmmm…”
“As I expected…”
On the other hand, Kwak Jung and Lucia observed the situation with amusement. They knew why the people of Esmeralda had to react like that.
“Your Majesty!”
Just then, Amur turned to Kang Chul-In with his fur raised.
“Those disrespectful servants have…”
“Be quiet.”
“Please kill a few of those disrespectful…”
“I said to be quiet.”
“...!”
“Everyone under me, close your mouths.”
A scary light flashed from Kang Chul-In’s eyes,
“...!”
And the generals all zipped their mouths. No one dared to refuse his orders.
“Whew.”
Kang Chul-In sighed after giving the orders. He knew why the people of Esmeralda were acting like this.
They must have suffered so much.
The reason was simple.
They don’t even have any thoughts of rebelling against the new authority.
Changing of the rulers in Esmeralda was all too common, and every time it happened, they had to suffer somehow. That meant that no matter who was ruling over Esmeralda, it was always at its worst. When they began to become familiar with the system, another war occurred, and the master of the territory changed. Also, the new masters of Esmeralda were usually all focused on their militaries and only built the most basic of structures like tents or camps. They didn’t invest anything into it because they didn’t know when it was going to be taken. The Esmeralda now and the one in the past that Kang Chul-In knew was cursed.
Now, they don’t even have the strength to be angry… is this what true despair is?
Kang Chul-In smiled bitterly thinking of the Esmeralda in the past. He had dominated this land back then, and he hadn’t acted much differently from other Lords. Rather, he had probably been worse than them. Back then, he hadn’t known how pained the people were.
But now, he could see.
“Everyone, listen!”
Kang Chul-In’s clear voice that rang throughout all of Esmeralda territory woke up the citizens from their blank looks.