◈ Chapter 423. A Story I Don’t Know (1)
Line 4 on the way to work.
Conversation burrowing into his eardrums……
It wasn’t as if he wanted to eavesdrop.
It must have been an occupational disease; Seong Hyeonjun’s ears perked up on their own.
“When Lee Hoyeol hung the imperial flags all over the place, I was wondering what kind of ridiculous stunt he was pulling, you know? Because if it were me, I’d only be thinking about swallowing the empire as quickly as possible.”
“Ugh. You bastard, you’ve got no pride whatsoever.”
“Yeah, I’ll take the insults this time. Seriously, how can anyone even come up with the idea of turning down the throne? No matter how much I look at him, I can’t predict him, can’t get a read on him at all!”
Formerly of Cosmo, currently of the AAU.
Thanks to that, though he was not a player,
Seong Hyeonjun understood Arcana better than most players.
Every system message had a reason.
And the world messages that appeared before every player’s eyes
carried an even greater meaning.‘I was shocked out of my mind in the middle of the night, too.’How bad had it been for him to call his superior at work, Senior Yun, on a weekend evening and discuss business? Of course, putting their heads together hadn’t produced an answer.
Still, it wasn’t for nothing that people said two heads were better than one.
-“No, does it even make sense to refuse the position of emperor?”
-“It doesn’t. Just the taxes alone would be insane.”
-“Taxes? Wait, now that I hear you say it, maybe it does make sense……?”
The biggest reason players wanted to take possession of a territory?
There was the honor of being a player who owned land,
but the biggest reason lay in the gold that could be steadily supplied.‘Even a small city brings in an enormous amount of taxes.’And it wasn’t simply gold. The title of lord became fame, and if one put that elevated fame forward, one could even secure high-grade items that couldn’t be bought with gold alone.
However.
-“None of that applies to the General Manager, though, does it?”
The benefits Hoyeol could gain as a lord?
-“Right……? He doesn’t lack anything to begin with.”
It was safe to say he had more than enough.
Even the value of the treasure island, the Kingdom of Yusra,
was beyond description.
Precious items?
There was no need to look far; the equipment he was wearing right now was enough.
The Ego Sword, Excalibur, even that dazzling uniform…….‘Even I, an operator.’They were items whose grade he did not dare to guess.
“But even so. The empire isn’t just any ordinary territory, is it? You can collect taxes on a continental scale, and whether Arcanans or players, people will be stuffing you with massive bribes to get in the new emperor’s good graces…….”
A Monday morning commute.
“Damn, my mouth’s watering just imagining it.”
Hoyeol’s refusal to ascend the throne was bound to become a hotter topic among office workers than winning lottery numbers. Of course, with so many people talking about it, there were also those who viewed the situation coldly.
“That’s why it’s a problem.”
“A problem? What’s the problem now?”
“If Lee Hoyeol had ascended as emperor, no one would even dare come up with the idea of taking the empire. Who is Lee Hoyeol? He’s a perfect superhuman beyond even an iron man.”
“True. What madman would target Lee Hoyeol’s territory?”
“But Lee Hoyeol declined the throne. Then strictly speaking, the emperor’s seat is vacant. Which means the empress of the empire or the young prince will sit in that empty seat, doesn’t it?”
At that point, Seong Hyeonjun glanced around.
Interest had appeared in the eyes of a few people who were eavesdropping. Had they been camping out on the Arcana community forums? It was certainly a plausible conjecture.
“Do you think they’ll just sit and watch that happen?”
“Maybe if they were Arcanans, but……”
“Greedy players?”
Seong Hyeonjun swallowed a sigh.‘I know players’ inner thoughts all too well.’He had watched players since the days when Arcana had been nothing more than a game.
Perhaps because of that,
he could roughly predict the actions players would take like a pattern.
Squeeze—His grip tightened around the subway hand strap.‘And on top of that, justification and temptation are pouring in.’News brought by the players.
Currently, world quests were endlessly appearing on the Arcana Continent. Moreover, the common objective of those quests was said to be standing on the opposite side of the empire.
That was why Seong Hyeonjun couldn’t simply look pleased.‘……What is it that the General Manager wants?’Did he simply wish for the empire to remain intact?
Then why had he not ascended the throne?
Even after chatting with Yun Sugyeom all night, he had been unable to answer that question.
Thinking about it alone made his head throb.‘Forget it. We’ll be saying the same thing in the meeting anyway.’Why was he working himself to death on the subway when he wasn’t even being paid for it?
Shake, shake.
It was the moment Seong Hyeonjun shook off his throbbing head.
“Huh?”
It wasn’t only the two university students who had been conversing.
The passengers who had each been looking at their smartphones flinched.
Because breaking news had appeared.
“They say Antonium’s been added to the Magic Tower portal’s target coordinates?!”
“……!”
Antonium, the capital of the empire.
As they had just said, the empire was in a situation where a single spark could set everything off.
Naturally, the ones capable of lighting that fuse would be players.
And now those players were being released straight into Antonium?
“This is definitely going to blow up.”
“Is Antonium going to turn into chaos?”
“They say some guilds have started withdrawing from the Holy War Alliance?”
His grasp of public opinion ended there.
The subway doors opened,
and Seong Hyeonjun broke into a run.
Tap, tap, tap.‘What in the world is going on?’The only ones who should be able to set target coordinates for the Magic Tower’s portal were the Tower Master, Marcelo,
and the Chief, General Manager Lee Hoyeol.
What kind of picture was he drawing?
Seong Hyeonjun ruffled his hair.
“Seriously, I can’t keep up with the General Manager’s work speed……!”*
Players.
Because each of them was faithful to their desires,
they were existences no one could get a handle on.
However.
“……Why is the atmosphere here like this?”
After the Cataclysm,
the players who had survived while operating in the rifts until now had no choice but to develop survival instincts. That instinct for survival was warning the players who entered Antonium through the Magic Tower’s portal.[You have entered the pious capital of the empire, “Antonium.”][It is a period of mourning for the emperor.][Your head humbles itself on its own.]
Do not act rashly.
“This is completely different from what we thought, isn’t it?”
“The world quest has definitely appeared……”
“Maybe everyone’s just scared for no reason?”
But wherever one went, there were always those
who deliberately ignored the warnings of instinct.
However, Antonium was not in an atmosphere that would tolerate rash behavior.
Suddenly, a voice was heard.
“So it was true. That adventurers would pour out through this portal. It’s fascinating to a degree I can’t understand. If it were me, I would be too afraid to let that man’s words go in one ear and out the other.”……
What nonsense was this from the start?
Swish.
Where the players turned their heads, there were red eyes.
That was right.
It was Shahin Dune, who had heard the whole situation through the Holy War Alliance.
“I do not know about anything else, but it will be necessary to observe closely those who wear especially excited expressions. Very well. You may go. These red eyes have remembered your faces.”
……
Gulp.
There was no killing intent in his words,
yet the pressure was indescribable.
Shahin Dune finished speaking.
“Please do not disgrace the face of the one entrusted with his trust.”
“!!!”
Only then did the players realize
why Lee Hoyeol
had added Antonium to the portal’s target coordinates.
That was right.
It was confidence.
No matter what forces boiled over outside Antonium,
no matter what players conspired inside,
it was an expression of confidence that order could be maintained.
Shahin Dune.
The Diamond Merchant Guild.
The Four Houses.
“……Where the hell did NPCs like that come from?”
Even if some storm were to descend upon the Arcana Continent,
it was as though he were declaring
that his stance, as always,
would remain upright as ever.
“Yeah, I was an idiot for wavering, even for a moment!”
To those who held pride, it gave even greater pride.
“……We won’t even get a drop of soup out of this, will we, hyung?”
And those who did not were made to shrink back even further.
And.
The mother of the empire was watching that scene.
The empress murmured with a resolute expression.
“I will keep your teachings in mind, O Claudi.”
The crumbled rose had become nourishment for the empire, and into that empire, pride seeped like sweet rain. Yes, to make the rose of a new era sprout.*
Matisse, Bellier, Bensch.
The three senior mages returned to the Magic Tower.
There was nothing in particular to request or remind them of.
After all, the Magic Tower had the Tower Master, Marcelo.
Marcelo knew my heart better than anyone.‘Even if I leave my post, there’s nothing to worry about.’Activation of the Chief’s authority.
I had just added Antonium to the portal’s target coordinates. It was to ensure that, should anything happen in Antonium, the Magic Tower could provide immediate support.
Of course, considering the level of the reinforcements gathered in Antonium right now…….‘Attacking Antonium would be no different from suicide, but still.’Step, step.
“Then we shall pray for the Chief’s peace.”
Matisse and Bellier.
The two seniors did not seem to have any lingering attachment to the Arcana Continent,
yet for some reason, Bensch alone had a face full of regret.
They say even a dog at a village school can recite poetry after three years.
“Why is that? Why do I feel as though I’ll never be able to return again……?”
It seemed Bensch had gained some tact as well.
Standing before the portal, Bensch looked out over the view of Antonium with melancholy eyes.
I added one special remark for him.
“[Small Mana Sun].”
“……Pardon?”
“I will keep that magic tool in my custody, Bensch William.”
“P-Pardon?!”
“This, too, is a legitimate authority of the Chief.”
Since I was keeping the cause of his rejected tower-leave applications,
there was no need for him to make such a pitiful fuss over rejection in the future.
Above all, he had truly exceeded my expectations.‘Because he proved his ability sufficiently.’Of course, that was only if one understood Grandfell’s way of speaking.
“No, Chief, even without some mere magic tool, you are already……!!”
Unfortunately, however, Bensch did not seem to understand my words until he vanished beyond the portal. If I could, I would have stamped approval on his tower-leave application myself, but for the moment, I had no time to stop by the Magic Tower.‘I’m quite busy myself, you see.’Only after seeing Bensch off did I quietly open my mouth.
“Hiel.”
“Hiel has answered my lord’s call.”
“It is about time we depart.”
I had to go find Diend.
For some reason, Diend was not answering my call.
However, my contract with the dark spirit, Diend, had not been severed.
Hiel bowed her head to me.
“I deeply feel the responsibility of the name Crisiad, which my lord bestowed upon me. As a fellow Crisiad, it is my responsibility that I failed to notice Diend’s abnormality.”
You have nothing to apologize for, Hiel.
Seeing that the contract was still valid, it did not seem that Diend’s safety had been compromised. If so, then what was the reason Diend was not answering my call?
I could guess.
“It seems he is intoxicated by the past and background flooding in.”
A dark spirit.
Suitable magic power itself.
Perhaps Diend, like me, was suffering from.[Blackening]
Just as [Blackening] reversed the personalities of Grandfell and me, Diend might also be unable to answer my call because of it.
But there is no need to worry, Diend.‘Do you think I’d be crazy enough to quietly let you loose in the world?’I imagined Diend antagonizing players as a monster.
Surely, an appearance message would pop up.
And because of that, the bizarre name
“Diend Crisiad Eternal Darkness”
would appear as well.
And if, by any chance, it were revealed that I was the one who gave him that name?‘The Black Dark Dragon, the full name, and even Eternal Darkness…….’That would be the very moment
when it would not be strange for the tail of my cringe history to be stepped on……!
So I manifested a portal following Hiel’s guidance.
“It is here.”
Hiel bowed her head once again.
“Regrettably, Diend’s presence was cut off here.”
Instead of answering, I lightly nodded.
Was it because Hiel’s intuition was unsatisfactory?
No, how could that be?
The Arcana Continent was vast.
Hiel, if I had been alone without you, I wouldn’t have found Diend even if I searched my entire life. After all, even the Spirit School’s senior mage, Feiyan Lot, had said something like that.
-“Even if you’ve formed a contract, spirits are sensitive beings. Even my Fire Drake refuses to answer when I call it near water. Quite spiteful, isn’t it? They don’t tell us where they normally stay, either. So in one sense, Chief, the way you commune so deeply with Hiel is both impressive and envi……”
So there was another reason I was rendered speechless right now.
Yes, the Arcana Continent.
It truly was vast.
With the Zero Mountains updated into reality as well,
I hadn’t expected something like this to remain on the continent…….[Entrance to the Valley of the Forgotten][Appropriate Level: 1,000]
Appropriate level: one thousand.
Diend, did you enter a place like this alone, without fear?
It was the moment I flinched and moved my feet.
“!”
My vision blinked.
It was a quest.
A class quest, which had rarely flashed recently.
But…….[Class Quest: Akshan Civil War]……
A civil war?
No, seniors.
You fought among yourselves without me knowing?!