Chapter 165

Seojin sighed at the situation unfolding before him. It was shocking to him that Robert had prepared something like this.

'No, more than that, he actually sold the country.'

The intention to establish relations with the Empire was somewhat understandable. Numerous nations had already made moves to do so, and Valaran was relatively late to the game.

But to sell everything out like that?

'It must have been proposed by the Empire.'

For such forces to emerge out of nowhere like that, it was only logical to think that everyone was simply oblivious, and they had been observing Robert and had been lying in wait all along.

-Is Valaran being sold right now? Am I understanding this correctly?

-He just pulled a Saruman move on us.

-Wow, what a touching story.

-Anti-Mainstream, are you just going to let that happen?? What now??

"We can't just let it be. But it's also not great to strike first. They haven't made a move yet, so they must be waiting for something."

Hundreds of imperial forces stood imposingly, yet took no action. They kept their distance from the players, focusing solely on protecting Ironblood.

"Let's go and see for ourselves." That was the best way to understand the situation.

"Seojin, isn't it too dangerous to go there directly?"

"Right! If those are imperial NPCs… even with escorts, they'll be overrun quickly."

"Perhaps sending an emissary would be better…"

"No, I have to go."

Despite others' objections, Seojin was already moving. He could clearly picture Sephiro going crazy and clashing with them soon.

"Keep the escort team minimal. The guild leaders should stay out."

In case something were to happen to Seojin, these guild masters needed to survive.

"If anything happens, I'll send a message through Merhen. I have his personal contact."

The elites of each guild surrounded Seojin, a bare minimum escort party. If the imperial army decided to attack, they wouldn't last long. Yet, Seojin, undaunted, approached them.

"What brings you men from the empire here?"

"We have no business with an adventurer. Bring us your king."

A man who appeared to be the leader stepped forward, adorned in the most elaborate golden helmet and armor. Even his horse was decked out in extravagant gold armor.

"As it happens, someone more important than the king is on their way, but they are not accustomed to verbal discussions. I need to understand the situation to explain it to them."

"We have no problem with that method of conversation, either."

"You might think so, general, but the emperor wouldn't be pleased to lose valuable forces."

"Indeed. But our duty is to serve the emperor."

"I understand. I'll convey that message."

-What did he understand?

-Isn't he just saying they'll only talk to the king?

-Can't understand what they're saying LOL

"It just means that the emperor probably won't like that some of them will die here, but some of them will have to anyway."

-They have to die???

-??

"They're picking a fight, basically."

Seojin, maintaining a distance, straightforwardly conveyed the intentions of the imperial army. That was why they were all standing still, holding their positions. The moment Valaran initiated the attack, they would use it as a pretext to move in with overwhelming military force.

As the viewers smacked their foreheads in realization, Seojin stood looking in the direction Sephiro approached from. And when the distance between them had closed to a certain extent…

"Just a moment, Your Majesty! I have something to tell you!"

"I can't hear you!"

"Then I have no choice but to do what I did before!"

"You dare!"

Boom!

Sephiro, flying through the air like a meteor, landed abruptly in front of Seojin.

"How dare you threaten me?"

"It's essential that I speak with you."

"In this situation, with these insolent people before us?"

"Your Majesty, you are indeed a wise ruler."

Activating White Lie

The target's intelligence increases

Effective ness increased by the League of Deception.

The target's intelligence increases moderately.

"…Perhaps I was too agitated."

In an instant, Sephiro calmed down. The once rash king was now capable of rational thought.

"So, why are these people on my land making such a scene?"

"I wanted to tell you about that. They are sent by the emperor of the Empire, and if we attack, Valaran will face a war with the Empire."

"So, we just let them be? Stretch out and relax until they decide to leave?"

"A conversation will be necessary."

"I'm confident in persuasion."

"I mean a conversation with words, Your Majesty."

"…"

After a moment of thought, Sephiro shook his head.

"I can't do that. Even when I was alive, I left that sort of thing to others."

"I can do it."

"In truth, I wonder why I only thought of this now. Since a while ago, I've had this feeling that you've been cleverly manipulating and handling me."

"Your Majesty was overly excited."

"So, it's my fault?"

"It was all for the land of Valaran, Your Majesty."

"Then why is my descendant, the one who is my bloodline, hiding in a corner during such a dire situation?"

This was a bit of a headache.

Despite having no choice but to increase his intelligence, now that his intelligence had increased, he was throwing out all the questions he had been holding back.

"It was earnest advice from me. We could not let this land lose its master. The cunning enemies…"

"So, you're saying the king raised him like a delicate flower."

"…Yes."

"I'll just have to deal with him later then. Fine, for now, I'll do as you say. I don't know why, but I've become unusually contemplative, very unlike myself."

"May my words be considered as spoken by Your Majesty?"

"Do as you please. And don't twist your words when you speak."

Finally, permission was granted.

The good news was that Seojin himself held the reins of the situation, but the unfortunate part was that even after all this, the quest had not been completed.

'He's still not a confirmed ally.'

The time limit was quickly approaching.

That's why Seojin had to take a gamble just a moment ago.

Temporary Episode: Competent Mercenary

*Persuade Sephiro to become an ally.

*Success will include Sephiro in the allied forces.

*Failure will result in the death of all allies except Heinrich Valaran.

*In 60 minutes, the quest content and rewards may change.

By the time the cooldown of Negotiation Table ends, the content of Temporary Episode would also change.

'Maybe that would be better. Better than everyone dying.'

The key now was to achieve something before Sephiro's intelligence dropped again.

* * *

Osh, the commander of the 41st Special Unit of the Camilton Empire, was devoid of thought. Emptying one's mind wasn't easy, especially in a situation like this. He forcefully discarded his fears and aversions, replacing them with memories of what the emperor had done for him and the emotions he felt at those times.

'I was shaken, how uncharacteristic of me.'

In fact, his reason for saying that to the adventurer, Seojin, might have been rooted in a desire for the situation to change. Provoking the furious enemies and fighting without retreat was the order given to Osh and his unit.

'And to ultimately meet my death here. By doing so… to become the fertilizer for the expansion of the Empire.'

Osh didn't resist. His heart wavered, but he regained control. The other unit members must have felt the same. He faced the approaching adventurer along with the founding king Sephiro. If they came out like this, despite being ordered to provoke them, they had no choice but to engage in dialogue. After all, the pretext was important.

'I will die here today.'

Once more, Osh shook off his hesitation.

"Greetings. I am Osh, commander of the 41st Special Unit of the Great Camilton Empire. And you are?"

"Hey, that guy knows everything and is still acting like this, right?"

"That's right."

"He's cocky."

"You cannot, Your Majesty."

"That firm attitude is also very cocky."

"I only intend it as advice, for the good of Valaran."

"Twisting words again… Damn it. I am the founding king Sephiro. I'll leave everything to this adventurer, so talk to him."

Despite revealing his identity, Osh merely nodded, not showing any sign of respect. Aware of his rudeness, he tensed up, anticipating the sword might fly towards his neck any moment. Sephiro's mocking laughter pierced his ears.

"Pretentious bastard."

"Sir Osh."

The adventurer, Seojin, quickly interrupted. Osh, ignoring the founding king, locked eyes with Seojin.

"And you are?"

"I am Seojin, as you probably know. May I ask why your forces, from the homeland, have entered our capital without permission?"

"To hear an adventurer speak of the homeland. An odd feeling."

"Even the lowliest monsters have a sense of affiliation, don't they?"

"You must be very tolerant."

"That's the reason I can be here."

"…You people." Osh let out a faint sigh. "The nobles of our homeland were unfairly insulted and threatened, and even faced actual harm."

"By that, you mean…?"

"Sir Robert, granted his title by Emperor Kalus himself, is a legitimate noble of the Empire. He came to the palace as an envoy, but was attacked by a treacherous group linked to Valaran's royal family."

"Even though he right now holds the heirloom of Valaran's royal family?"

"In the heat of legitimate battle, anything can happen. The royal treasure can be returned."

"And would you say the same if it were the Empire's treasure?"

"The status of our nations is clearly different."

"Including the adventurers who belong to it?"

"The homeland is always ready to welcome adventurers."

"The sixty thousand adventurers watching us seem quite angered by your words. Are you saying you welcome them as enemies?"

"…Sixty thousand?"

A flicker of panic crossed Osh's face.

"You may verify with Sir Robert about this matter. Also, I assume the words you just relayed are directly from Emperor Kalus?"

"They are merely my personal opinions."

"So, you're saying you don't have the authority to judge this situation."

"The virtue of a soldier is to follow orders."

"So those orders were just to accept Sir Robert's claims, and not to ascertain the clear context of the situation? That's regretful, I must say."

"I never said that."

"Are you willing to understand the context?"

"Of course…"

Osh felt a throbbing headache coming on. His chest tightened, wishing he could just end this absurdity.

'Fighting a dragon would be easier.'

His expertise was in bravely battling enemies, not in verbal confrontations like this. Especially in front of sixty thousand spectators, it was hard to try and provoke them without restraint.

'Sixty thousand adventurers would be hard even for the homeland to deal with… How to resolve this?'

He had never anticipated or heard of such a situation.

To the frowning Osh,

"I respect your devotion. I see you're prepared for death, Commander Osh. If you could extend the same, the conversation from now on will surely yield productive results for both nations."

Seojin began to seriously engage with him.