Chapter 124
Chapter 124 – Kingdom (4)
“I can’t believe it’s really true.”
After going outside to slay the bugs that appeared near the village and returning with sore muscles, I washed up and sat back down in my plush chair.
The first thing that caught my eye on the hurriedly scanned screen wasn’t the fierce battle in the north, but Rihar galloping across the grassland like a single rider.
Having been active in the northeastern part of the grassland, Rihar had begun dashing all the way southwest, illuminating an incredibly vast territory all by himself like a superior scout.
Since the last fortress defense, Rihar had become a steadfast ally, riding along and seamlessly communicating with the local tribes that appeared neutral, finally showing me, for the first time, the edge of this grassland.
“A castle.”
[Border of the Kingdom (1)]
At the opposite end of the screen that Rihar entered was a castle. Unlike the structures built by the residents using their in-game abilities, this typical stone castle didn’t belong to the tribes of the grassland.
“–, —!”
Somehow, Rihar managed to inform the people inside the castle of his arrival in advance. By the time he reached the castle on his exhausted horse, the busy people inside had already opened the castle gates to welcome him.
“Is it similar to us?”
While Rihar was talking to them, I carefully observed the insides of this kingdom known as the Southern Kingdom to guess what kind of place it was.
The soldiers weren’t clad in full armor, but they were well-equipped in metal armor, and the castle was high with various weaponry, including ballistae, all well-prepared.
“Could that possibly be a cannon?”
[Artilleryman Tom]
One surprising point was that there were not a few cannon-like objects scattered throughout the castle. It didn’t seem they operated magically, as I saw the people tagged as artillerymen managing them.
I couldn’t have imagined gunpowder weapons being involved, so I chuckled and kept watching this new civilization.
I peeked at the village and northern fortress intermittently through other monitors, losing track of time. I realized this was my first detailed look at another faction.
[Exhaustion, Mild Dehydration, Inflammation]
“Ah.”
Amidst all this, I confirmed that Rihar was a mess, so I quickly prepared the vaccine program. I had quite a few achievement points thanks to Rihar. He’d illuminated new lands and confirmed the existence of new factions.
Couldn’t I invest just 100 points for the contributions he made?
“—!”
As I healed him from the various debuffs he was burdened with, he fell to the ground and looked up at the sky, exclaiming something.
Although I couldn’t hear what he said, it seemed the meaning was conveyed. Once an enemy who fought against us, he was now a loyal believer who trusted me.
“It seems the conversation is going well. He’ll probably move further down from here.”
I smiled satisfactorily while watching him. Rihar, who had been moving under the kingdom’s authority as a mage, was now acting on his own, providing me with hard-to-come-by information as an excellent scout.
If left as is, he would expand my field of vision all the way to the heart of this kingdom, which I barely understood.
For now, even if I obtained information like this, the things I could do were limited, but just being able to see the enemy’s stronghold from my seat was a great help, regardless of whether it was a good or bad situation.
“Still, it’ll take a few more days.”
Even after riding madly from the northeastern part of the grassland where the residents had settled to the border fortress, it still took more than a few days.
It would take some more time before I could look into the detailed affairs of the kingdom through Rihar.
*
“Are you okay, Mage?”
“Ah, yes. It’s nothing.”
When he turned the screen back to look at the village again, Rihar, who had recovered all his fatigue and injuries, got up awkwardly from his seat.
The people around were taken aback by Rihar suddenly thanking the sky and stood frozen in surprise.
‘He’s saying that he feels the presence of the deity watching over him. Surely, he must be feeling compelled to succeed in his mission.’
Junyoung’s consideration had indeed further strengthened Rihar’s loyalty. Having received a strong shock in a short time, he was already more devoted to the guardian deity than an average Arin tribe member.
With this grace bestowed upon him, there was no way to talk Rihar out of it anymore.
“Faster! Let’s go faster!”
“Ah, yes, sir!”
As soon as he recovered, Rihar boarded a cart heading to the royal road, prompting the coachman. The cart raced down the well-maintained road towards the royal road, exactly as Rihar wished.
‘If we keep going like this without any hints, it’ll surely get noisy again. That would prolong our time, and if time drags on, those fighting the black monsters will be in danger.’
Rihar, feeling anxious, didn’t stop there. He summoned his familiar, a crow, again to send a message soaring into the sky.
Rihar first sent the crow to his friend and companion in the royal capital. He intended to communicate this news to the court and the royal family through that person.
‘What if they don’t believe me?’
There was indeed a hint of worry. If I were to think about it calmly, honestly, it was a far-fetched idea that could easily be dismissed as delusional.
In the worst case, even if he reported everything he saw and heard himself, they might not believe him.
“O guardian deity, please help me.”
Rihar absentmindedly muttered as he watched his crow flying far into the sky. Unbeknownst to him, Rihar had already come to sincerely believe in the god worshipped by the distant northern barbarians.
“Rise, Lebert! Hurry up! It’s the north. It’s something that concerns the fate of our kingdom!”
“Ugh, ugh?”
As a result, his crow fortunately flew without being attacked or falling, traversing the expansive land without rest and reaching its destination.
“Did you hear the news?”
“I did. It’s going to be rather noisy today.”
Early in the morning. According to protocol, the ministers gathered one by one at the palace where the king was. The meeting called earlier than usual already had its content spread among them.
“Right? We said we shouldn’t interfere if something happens to the north and just stay put…”
One of the ministers grumbled. The topic that prompted this urgent meeting was something that already divided opinions even among them.
The king’s influence heavily dictated the policy to send a small number of people north for new trade, intending to interact with the previously unknown barbarian tribe.
“Did you not hear any detailed information?”
“I don’t know. The report was sent directly to His Majesty.”
The urgent news delivered late at night had been transmitted straight to the king via the royal court mage. Thanks to that, the ministers were in a situation where they didn’t know what was happening.
So, amidst all the chatter, as they entered the palace, they quickly silenced and took their places.
“His Majesty approaches.”
Soon, their king appeared right on time. Although it might be an early hour when one might feel tired, he sat on his throne with the same expression he always wore, catching everyone’s attention.
“I instructed you to maintain security, but I trust that by now, you all have sneakily heard what it’s about.”
A bright voice echoed through the room. The youthful-looking boy king with golden hair immediately grasped the atmosphere with his sharp gaze, despite his friendly appearance.
“However, I still have not heard the detailed contents. The royal court magician, Rihar, is rushing here to carry out a covert mission, and he will report the整理 (整理 means “organization” or “arrangement”) through his familiar, Lebert.”
“You all probably know something is happening in the north.”
At his words, Lebert, the royal court magician who had been forcibly awakened by Rihar’s familiar the previous night, stepped forward with a bundle of papers in his hands.
“Why do you have a bandage on your head…”
“Did you get hurt?”
Lebert, who had a bandage wrapped around his bleeding head due to the crow’s incessant pecking, sighed as he heard the murmurs about himself.
“In the north, we have begun trading with a promising tribal chief named Luke. He was a mighty chief, capable of significant military strength, and paid us a hefty sum for weapons and supplies.”
Lebert began to explain. Outwardly, it was merely a routine trade, while the ministers who understood the actual situation were a mere handful, with no mention of their intentions to instigate a conquest and pillaging war or the involvement of the mages.
“Even as a chieftain, Luke never ceased expanding his territory.”
“Barbarians, after all…”
“They can’t save anything and spend it all, so there’s always a shortage of food.”
The ministers sighed or scoffed at Lebert’s explanation. Given that they considered the daily life of the uncivilized and barbaric tribes of the grassland, it was a natural reaction.
“Amidst this, the tribe cooperating with us under Luke suffered defeat against a previously unremarked northeastern tribe. In the process, our mages couldn’t escape and were all captured by them.”
“W-what?!”
“They captured our mages?!”
But the following statement was met with collective shock. This was an incident that could not be compared to mere barbarians attacking each other.
“They call themselves the Arin tribe, and the intermediate royal mage Rihar, who was dispatched as a representative, was captured and tasked to observe them firsthand.”
While others were in a frenzy, Lebert remained collected.
In fact, there were still more shocking details that were yet to come.
‘Rihar, could it all be true?’
As the boy king quieted the ministers, Lebert blankly read through the report’s content.
No matter how many times he read it, it just sounded like an unbelievable story.
“They already boast an army of tens of thousands and have constructed stronger castles than our allies’ fortresses. Their castles and fortresses are equipped with towers that can automatically track and shoot enemies.”
“They are all armed with high-quality steel weapons, but they are further equipped with more powerful special weapons. Numerous dwarf artisans are collaborating with them.”
“They use their own script to communicate, possess a multitude of warriors, and even have mages who have mastered grand magic.”
Just a single sentence could spark massive repercussions. However, these were minuscule compared to what was reported right after.
“The guardian deity they believe in actually exists and grants them countless unbelievable miracles. Everything mentioned above is related to the miracles of this guardian deity.”
“They fight against monsters they call Black Monsters. These terrifying creatures, capable of covering the sky and earth, destroyed the long-hidden Dwarf Kingdom and have been invading, looking to extend their reach throughout the continent, all while they fight for us against these monsters.”
Lebert’s hands trembled as he read the report. No matter how the onlookers reacted, he simply focused on reading the letters in front of him.
