Chapter 156

Thirty minutes before contacting Robert, Seojin was wrapping up the last of his tasks with Prince Heinrich.

"All the spies have been dealt with. You were right, I never imagined they had infiltrated so deeply into the palace."

"Dame Rachel must've worked hard. Please tell her to gather them all in one place."

"What are you planning to do with them?"

"I won't kill them. They're worthless for the other side to save, and we'll have use for them after this is all over."

"Then I'll have them locked up underground here."

The spies Ironblood had planted were rattled by Rachel's intense pressure, leading them to commit mistakes.

With Flappy's invisible assistance, Seojin easily obtained a list of all the spies.

"Royal Knights. Shadow of the royal family. What else do we have that can stand against the adventurers?"

"Court Mage Pierre."

"He's willing to help?"

Seojin was surprised. Pierre, the court mage, would be a significant ally if he could be persuaded to join them.

"He wants to avoid competing with adventurers for research materials."

"So it's not out of loyalty then."

"He is a mage by nature."

Midgard's mages, except for a few users, were mostly obsessed with magical achievements. Pierre had joined the royal court for better access to materials.

The preparations were nearly complete. Seojin gave the prince another piece of advice.

"You might see something odd soon."

"Odd?"

"I might be talking to thin air, along with my companions."

"To whom?"

"The adventurers of this land. You'll need to help too, Your Majesty. I'll prepare what you need to say."

"As the prince?"

"Not just as the prince. You need to talk about the king's current state and that you are the rightful heir to the throne."

This was a sensitive matter to address for Heinrich personally, but he was a prince first and foremost.

"The next king will be favorable to adventurers and generous. That's what you want me to say."

"I regret having to ask this of you."

Heinrich's face turned bitter, but dealing with those complex emotions had to wait until after rooting out the enemies.

"I feel like a product waiting to be chosen, but it can't be helped. Prepare it. I'll do my part."

Right after getting the prince's consent, Seojin, who had just left the castle, was frantically messaging the others as he headed to the outskirts of the capital.

-Odie, please handle the prince's part as well. I'll be back as soon as I'm done. Did you figure out what kind of character to go with?

-Yes, I did! I'll take care of it!

-Haydall, about the broadcast…

-The CEO approved. Whenever you're ready, Seojin.

-And the thing I asked the CEO about?

-For the community, we've hired a bunch of hourly workers at 20,000 won each. The other matter is being handled by an employee who joined for similar reasons as me. He's crazy about games, so you can trust him.

Trust in Haydall meant being noticed by the Great Red's guild master.

-That boosts my confidence. What about you Roth?

-Scouring through, but no shadow of that man. He must have been unique.

-How about the demon's attitude?

-Very cooperative. If this guy hasn't sensed anything, then there's really nothing.

There were no more warlocks in the palace.

-Another party member will join soon. He'll take charge of command in battle, and he's a personal acquaintance of mine, so no need to hide anything.

-Understood!

-Got it.

Odie Park's trio was almost ready. Seojin then invited the next party member.

Merhen has joined the party.

-Hello!

-Save the greetings later. How many have you gathered?

-Twenty priests and thirty paladins, all elites. Focused on buffs rather than combat. The bishop was surprisingly cooperative. He became much more generous when he heard your name.

-Didn't you say last time that the pope remembered your name?

Merhen had received an unofficial world quest reward once – 'the pope remembers your name'.

-I didn't directly request the diocese. These paladins are practically the bishop's personal force. But your name worked wonders.

Merhen was a paladin. Like warlocks who gained power through contracts with demons, paladins and priests could chose their god to improve their power.

Neheln, the god of waves and rest.

Valaran's capital happened to have Neheln's diocese, and Merhen managed to mobilize all available forces in a hurry.

-Good. Divide the forces as you see fit. I'll be there soon.

-Regular soldiers, Shadow of the Royal Family, Royal Knights?

-That's pretty much it. A court mage's escort wouldn't hurt.

-Heading there now. It'll be noticeable, is that okay?

-Doesn't matter.

He ended the party chat and finally informed BunnyRabbit about the upcoming situation.

They had a knack for stirring the community too after all.

"We've arrived."

A knight announced as they reached the edge of a forest, clearly marking the boundary of human territory.

"Just a moment."

Stepping into the forest, Seojin was bombarded with notifications.

Entering: Ancient Forest: Salevania.

You are in Elf territory!

Achievement: 'True Friend' activates a special event!

Event: 'Song of the Forest' can be initiated.

The elves he met in the Sleeping Desert were going to be a significant force in his plan.

* * *

The Midgard Korean community was ablaze with an unexpected topic of discussion.

-Is this for real? LOL

-This is insane LOL

-So, it's true that AM and Ironblood are at odds?

Seojin, a rising star who had rapidly accumulated achievements like a comet, versus Ironblood, which had maintained a solid power base since the game's early days. The confrontation between a remarkable individual and a well-established group was a matter of interest for anyone.

-Is that official statement from Ironblood true?

-Yeah, it's official LOL

-I guess they're not called Ironblood for nothing. It'd be convenient if a player became king, right?

-So, what about AM?

-He's planning to protect the king, and I heard he's starting livestreaming soon.

-Protecting???

-Ironblood said they'll be livestreaming too.

The content was exceptionally provocative.

-The NPCs of Valaran's royal family are severely corrupt. Misappropriating the budget is common. The king, even knowing all this, has been complicit…

-Ironblood has long decided this cannot continue and has been planning. Redirecting these misappropriated funds alone will improve the quality and rewards of quests!

-Other countries have already shown movements like this. After a coup, there have been cases of improvement that the players can attest to…

Robert made these claims: the royal family was corrupt, and Ironblood aimed to replace them to restore Valaran to a "normal environment." His argument was quite effective.

-Honestly, they're probably leaving something out, but Ironblood is pretty trustworthy, right?

-I agree!

-I'm not so sure. Remember when they almost betrayed AM last time?

-Wasn't that just some guild members stirring up trouble?

-You believe that? LOL Are you that naive???

Robert's carefully built image remained strong. Despite being shaken by recent events, if that was all it took to crumble, it would have happened long ago.

-So what about AM? Any official statement?

-He's just playing the game by himself, what official statement LOL

-A post just went up. It's at the top of the popular tab.

Seojin's response was straightforward.

-Anti-Mainstream here. That's all nonsense, and I'll explain everything unfiltered in a live broadcast.

Just one line.

Despite the overly plain content, some reacted negatively, but Seojin's goal wasn't to convince them here. No matter the stance, he aimed to make them too curious not to tune in.

-Ah, and I have a special guest, too

Thanks to an extreme cliffhanger of a teaser,

-Live: Anti-Mainstream

-Current Viewers: 7,739

Seojin had secured an audience of over 7,000 viewers in less than ten minutes.

* * *

"Can you see those three shining towers over there? The side that takes all those towers wins today's battle. Yep, that's right! This competition can be seen as a kind of siege."

At the top of the castle watchtower. From a vantage point where the entire royal palace could be seen, Seojin was doing a livestream.

He had now nearly reached nearly 16,000 viewers.

The chat was on the verge of exploding, and given the rate at which people were joining, it wouldn't be surprising if the number reached tens of thousands.

-Explain. Everything. Now!!

-Why are you fighting with Ironblood??

-Is it okay for you to be here?

-I'm saying this for the 27th time, please notice me.

-I love you, AM!!!!

The chat was a cauldron of chaos. Attempting to read and respond to each message would lead to utter disarray. Hundreds of chats were popping up every second, making it hard even to read properly.

"Let's first clear out the trolls and troublemakers… Save your money for something tasty instead of donating. Even those who donate will be removed."

Seojin signaled to his side. Roth nodded in agreement. SMU had teams moderating SNS comments and rumors circulating in communities.

And now?, with the CEO's full support, they were moderating Seojin's chat.

"Starting… now."

Roth's reliable voice was heard, and immediately after, a drastic change occurred in the chat room. Seojin left only a manageable number of viewers in the main chat room and provided a separate space for the rest to freely talk. Any bad apples were ruthlessly removed before it spoiled the bunch.

After about five minutes,

"That's much better."

The chat had transformed into a much more constructive atmosphere.

-Ironblood is saying the king is a bad guy.

-Who's the guest?? A ranker??

-Do you even need to fight, AM??

-What's happening? Are they fighting over there?

What reasonable questions.

Seojin, satisfied, calmly responded.

"If the royal family was that corrupt, I would have taken them down myself. The guest is not a ranker, and I don't need to fight. Right now, I'm winning. Robert hasn't even started yet."

Seojin pointed the camera downwards. The fiercest battle raged around the Tower of Guardianship. There, the royal knights and the Shadows of the royal family, commanded by Rachel, were engaged in combat. The allied side was purely composed of NPCs, and so was the opposition.

"Robert must be hasty about now. Before taking questions, shall we go through the backstory? Starting with why I am here. Your Highness?"

Seojin turned around, and a young man with silver hair walked out with a calm face.

Facing the camera directly, Seojin said, "Let me introduce him. This is Heinrich Valaran, the one who will be the next king."