◈ Episode 170. It’s Only Possible Because of Me (1)
“Well, have fun.”
After speaking with Yessica and Enoch, Harkon returned to the meeting hall.
Quite a bit of time had passed, but Kichi was still there.
The Emperor’s Sword.
Knight Commander Lionheart’s eyes glowed coldly.
‘If it were me in the past.’
It would not have been easy to remove his suspicions.
The notoriety of the Shadow Mercenaries was well known in the palace.
The crimes they’d committed in the name of service had long been known to be heinous.
But Harkon knew.
‘Everything has changed.’
The Cataclysm.
From the continent of Arcana to the world of adventurers.
It would be foolish to dwell on the past.
Besides, didn’t Lord Hoyeol tell you that?
‘Humans who are not demons can change.’
Harkon, even himself was like that.
I never thought I’d be talking to, or even training, adventurers who had no more than basic swordsmanship skills, let alone fame, back in the day.
Harkon’s eyes changed, then.
“I didn’t expect you to wait for me first, Kichi.”
“Oh, well, all I do is drink, so I can’t wait.”
“I’ve heard the news. What’s Rockid’s condition?”
“He’s fine now, just his dirty little temper.”
“Well, he’s not a man to go down that easily, is he.”
Normal conversation.
The benefit of the doubt, I thought.
Still, the change in Kichi didn’t make sense.
Eventually, Harkon had to ask.
“You’ve changed, Captain Kichi.”
“Yes. What’s changed?”
“It’s not enough that the Shadow Mercenaries are joining the Holy War. I didn’t expect you, their leader, to even show up for the meeting. There must have been some sort of trigger.”
“If there was a reason…….”
Kichi paused for a moment.
‘Tch. This is why I don’t want to get involved with high-ranking nobles of the empire.’
The Shadow Mercenaries’ reputation was even more prestigious among the higher-ups.
The Shadow Mercenaries’ fees were beyond the reach of most nobles, let alone commoners.
In the first place, their clients were only the wealthy.
‘And yet, the Knight Commander was the first to show up……!’
Why did she show up early?
To score points, of course.
We need to look good to our commander-in-chief, Lee Hoyeol, in order to see Elsidor.
The information came from the bastard.
Maybe I could get an earful.
But.
‘Boys, this is why I’m in trouble.’
Look at those lion-like eyes.
One wrong answer.
I’d be exposed for the snob I am.
For now, Kichi stammered.
“…… is thanks to Commander-in-Chief Lee Ho-yeol, right? Haha.”
Living in the Kingdom of Yusra has taught me one thing.
Once you say his name, anything goes.
Just like pretending to be a goddess religion on the continent of Arcana, I could avoid most suspicions.
Honestly, in the kingdom of Yusra, Hoyeol’s influence was as great, if not greater, than that of a goddess.
‘Well, I can understand that.’
The Arkanians hadn’t adapted easily to the world of adventurers.
He was the one who normalized the kingdom of Yusra, Frost, and Muon, where they could easily settle down. Indeed, the name did not lose its value of being Kichi this time.
Lee Hoyeol.
The moment the name was spoken.
Harkon’s face lit up.
“I see! You’ve come to realize your pride, too!”
“Yes, yes?!”
No, but why are you suddenly moving on to pride?!
“Isn’t that ……?”
Harkon’s face turned icy cold.
In the end, Kichi was forced to raise the corner of his mouth.
Though she couldn’t figure out what the hell pride was.
“No, that’s right, pride, hahaha! Heehee-”
……So, let’s just say I realized it.
Pride.
The Shadow Mercenaries, all of them.
For the sake of our comfortable retirement.
.
.
.
The Great Alliance.
A smile tugged at the corners of Nam Tae-min’s mouth.
“It’s finally dawning on me.”
Mr. Ho-Yeol had called us, and me!
We’d been in the same boat since we jumped into the holy war.
It was refreshing to make it to the meeting.
My excitement was interrupted by Hisagi, who was walking alongside me.
“What are you so excited about, Nam Taemin-kun?”
” …… What are you doing, trying to start a fight?”
“I haven’t lost a wink of sleep worrying about it.”
Hisagi made a pitiful face.
His snake eyes accentuated his pitifulness, and he hated to look at them.
Nam Tae-min rolled his eyes, but Hisagi smirked.
“I’ve been up all night wondering if we deserve a meeting like this. From the knights of the Lionheart to the mages of the Magic Tower, we’re still so far below them.”
” ……, what does that make me?”
“What does it make you, but a Barbarian, true to your feelings.”
Thick mass.
What a slender figure.
The way the two men argued was enough to attract attention.
“hahh, you’re embarrassing me.”
Leonie huffed and took a few steps away from the two men.
But the distance wasn’t enough.
The two men turned their heads without warning.
“What do you think?”
“What do you think, Ms. Leonie?”
“Shut up, both of you, please.”
She don’t know why they fight every day.
In Leonie’s eyes, they both looked the same.
Whatever, a settlement would end the fight.
The stares would be less intense, right?
It would be less embarrassing for me.
Finally, through gritted teeth, Leonie spoke up.
“What’s the point of arguing in the first place?”
“You don’t like it when I’m happy, you snake-eye.”
“I guess my rational mind can’t comprehend the wild.”
“You’re being sarcastic again, aren’t you?”
“……enough.”
That’s not the root of the problem, you big boys!
“Now, listen.”
Swoosh.
The two people didn’t just bow their heads, they even bowed their waists.
……Are they calling me small or short?
For a moment, my stomach churned, but I swallowed hard.
“If you go back far enough, it’s because of the all-call, the meeting, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Exactly, and the sensitivities of moderns and savages coming from there…….”
Anyway, I don’t hear a word.
Before Nam Taemin spoke up.
Leonie quickly adds.
“After all, you both feel the same way.”
“……Eh? Me and this one?”
“Isn’t it because you both want to help?”
“!!”
Whether you’re proud or concerned.
In the end, your heart will be in the same place.
That’s why the Great Alliance has been able to get so far.
So why all the bickering and fighting, anyway?
“That look of realization. It really pisses me off.”
Captain Harkon, look at this.
These are the kinds of things we need to work on first, before the physical training.
I wonder if he finally got a satisfying answer.
Nam Taemin stretched his back and tilted his head.
“I understand.”
“Me too.”
For a moment, their gazes meet.
Mouths opening at the same time.
“It’s called pride.”
“Pride.”
“……?!”
No, is that it?
Why are you suddenly breaking the steering wheel and crashing into the pride?!
Leonie was at a loss for words.
“Okay, it’s a truce for today.”
“I agree, Nam Taemin.”
“……Crazy bastards.”
Mr. Lee Hoyeol, look at this.
You made them do this.
Wudada.
Leonie left the two men behind and headed for the Golden Palace.
That pride was infectious, so I had to run as fast as I could.
.
.
. . .
But when Leonie entered the great hall, she was stunned.
It wasn’t something a berserker would say, but…….
dared to be sure.
“…… weren’t the only ones crazy.”
This is madness.
It wasn’t just Nam and Hisagi.
An eerie conversation could be heard.
“I didn’t realize the Explorers’ Federation would be involved.”
“There’s plenty of room for our explorers in the Holy War. Of course, I’m surprised, too, as the head of the Federation. I’m an explorer myself, but few clans are as united as the Explorers. ……. I had no idea that most of the Federation’s explorers were on the same page.”
“Explorers’ pride!”
I exclaimed.
Who are these people who talk like this fanatic?
It wasn’t a player, it wasn’t a Ranker, it was Harkon, leader of the Knights of Lionheart, and Fabien, leader of the Explorers’ Federation.
This time, it was a conversation that pierced my left eardrum.
“I hear you’ve given up the Church’s holy relics. Senior Bellier has asked me to convey his thanks, and of course, I am greatly indebted to you.”
“No, the holy relic is no longer ours, and however you use it, you have nothing to thank the Church for, for I have come to realize that pride is more valuable than a holy relic.”
“Indeed, I could not agree more.”
The Goddess Church, the largest religion on the continent of Arcana.
Talim leads tens of thousands of paladins of the Goddess Church.
Marcelo, the head of a tower that doesn’t even need a name.
As you can see, they’re way over there.
At that point, Leonie became seriously worried.
‘……Wait, am I doing something wrong at this point?’
Am I the only one who didn’t realize it?
I wanted to ask myself,
What the hell is pride?
But then I remembered a saying among players.
-“Asking what pride is is an act without pride.”
Degurrr.
Leonie kept her mouth shut and rolled her eyes.
But then she made eye contact with Kichi, who was sitting across from her.
Like pride recognizing pride, Leonie and Kichi recognized each other.
“!!”
……You don’t know what pride is either, do you?
Of course, the moment didn’t last long.
The appointment was on time.
The sound of shoes.
Ttogak─
Hoyeol appeared in the meeting room.
.
.
.
Thank goodness everyone was on time.
Well, even if the rest is like that.
I didn’t expect it.
Special thanks to Kichi.
‘…… because otherwise it’s terrible.’
Lack of pride.
Lack of formality and manners.
I could have started the meeting with a rant.
Thankfully, I didn’t.
As soon as we were seated, I cut to the chase.
“I’ve called you here today for a simple reason.”
As I’ve said many times, it’s better to see than to explain.
I placed the [Telescope of Evil Eye] on the round table in the meeting room.
I activated the effect and spoke.
“The Battle of the Demons has begun.”
“……!!!”
Immediately, a panoramic view of the Arcana continent appeared in the air.
We’ve all seen the devastation of the continent before.
However, this is something different.
A tectonic shift, the continent of Arcana had split.
Marcelo said in a firm voice.
“That’s not magic.”
“If it’s not magic, then……?”
“Demons, it must be their work.”
Green flames rose from the crack.
……Wait.
Muttering, Fabien opens his mouth in disbelief.
“A light like the torches of hell……? So, no?”
That’s right. That’s what you say, Fabien.
“Yes, it is. The flames of hell.”
“Torches of hell. Fabien, what are you talking about?”
“…… This is unbelievable. First, let me show you.”
Fabien soon took out the [Torch of Hell].
The torch burned with a green light that resembled the green fire on the continent of Arcana.
I was not surprised to see it in the rift of the Teffern Labyrinth, but the others were.
“In the past, this Torch of Hell was left behind by a Federation explorer who claimed to have witnessed the Gates of Hell. I haven’t seen it myself, but I’m told it has the ability to burn demons.”
Twisting his fingers in the back of her hair, Kichi said.
“Forgive me for interrupting, but aren’t the demon world and hell different?”
Good question, Kichi.
The Demon World and Hell are very different.
While the Demon World is the home of demons, Hell is, to borrow a phrase from Grandfell, the place where demons go to die.
Or, to be more precise, the afterlife of demons hunted by demon hunters.
“Well, judging by the number of demons roaming on the continent of Arcana, the passage to the demon world has long since been opened……. Why would the demons need to open the gates of hell?”
Why would demons open the place they fear the most.
Did they open the gates to hell?
We don’t even know how the Demon War works.
No wonder they couldn’t guess.
Neither did I.
Until it flashed before my eyes.
[Class Quest: Hell’s Gate]
But now that I know everything.
I was able to remain steadfast as always.
In the face of the unexpected.
I could babble on with my usual nonchalance.
“There is nothing to question, nothing to fear.”
“……?”
“Because I am.”
“!!!”
I am not a cult leader leading some fanatic cult.
I’m not just bluffing this time.
I actually have a “plan” that’s only possible because I’m alive.
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