Chapter 190
-?
-Is it okay?
-I think even criminals would hate the Kingdom. Hahaha
-Wouldn't it just become a 1:1:1 fight?
-I have waited for this moment… … .
Zenith’s opinion was clear.
To gather the criminals, who had lost their central figure and scattered, and use them as troops.
While it made sense in theory, it was true that it looked quite dangerous.
“Is it an attempt to appease the criminals? As for compensation, it would likely be something like a reduced sentence.”
The King fell into thought for a moment.
As it was a plan that was difficult to conceive of by the average person, it required careful consideration.
He turned his gaze to the knight standing behind him.
“Leon, what is your opinion? Tell me without hesitation.”
“I obey the command.”
At that order, Leon, who had been quietly observing the conversation, spoke up.
She looked at Zenith, who had voiced her opinion.
“All criminals must be arrested and held accountable for their lawful crimes. I cannot agree to using them as troops by throwing them the bait of reduced sentences.”
A firm opinion that a clear line must be drawn.
Zenith, who had been listening quietly, met his gaze and spoke.
“Leon, Vice-Captain of the Royal Guard. I have heard that you are an upright man who upholds justice. The fact that you deflected the Sword of Incompetence alone was enough to convince me.”
“Upholding justice is nothing special. I am simply faithful to the elements that ought to be considered. It was the same then, and it is the same now.”
Leon had no intention of backing down.
Seeing that resolve, Janice wore a faint smile.
“Let me ask you one thing. What is the reason for holding criminals accountable for their crimes?”
“It lies in punishment commensurate with the crime, remorse, crime prevention, and the maintenance of social order.”
“I suppose the most important thing is for them to sincerely repent when paying the price, right? But do criminals actually have such a heart?”
“…I won’t deny that it is a rare occurrence. After all, rehabilitation is a difficult task.”
At these words that hit the nail on the head, Leon clenched his fist.
As someone who deals with criminals constantly, she is the one who knows the ugliness of reality best.
Therefore, there was no room for rebuttal.
-This is so true;
-Criminals repenting? No way.
-Our mindsets are different from the start. "
-So, aren't you saying we should just push him into the battlefield? It's a strategy of fighting fire with fire.
-It seems Leon wants things to be done according to the law?
" -This is difficult;
The viewers, too, were divided in their opinions.
However, Janice had already sorted everything out in her mind.
"I believe that sincere atonement cannot be forced. Instead, we can make them feel the weight of their sins through the life they offered for a reduced sentence."
"We are back to square one. Using a criminal as a national defense force will set a dangerous precedent. While a reduced sentence is wrong, there is no future for the Kingdom of Raven where lives are senselessly discarded."
"Yes. That is why I will minimize the number of lives senselessly wasted. Though I won't make the absurd claim that I will protect everyone."
"……?"
Leon looked puzzled at the sudden remark.
Janice, who had been watching her, turned her gaze back to the map.
Then, pointing her finger at various locations inside and outside the Kingdom of Raven, she spoke.
“There are a total of 15 locations where Emeter’s forces will invade. Since they are using things like warp and stealth magical artifacts, blocking them all will be quite a difficult task.”
Zenith took out a quill and began drawing lines.
She was marking the routes the troops would take.
“Our objective is to feign localized defeats. We will deliberately appear to lose to draw out the enemy’s main force in a standard fashion. If the House of Artois attempts to intervene, they will also be looking for this timing. Judging by the state of the field…”
Zenith continued her explanation, going through the detailed plan step by step.
The King watched silently, while Leon’s eyes widened slightly.
It was a strategy comparable to, or perhaps even better than, that of experts.
-Shudder
-What is this intelligence character?
-The guidebook said to kill someone like this?
-I’m an idiot for believing that.
-I’m already using her as a coaster for ramen.
-Yeah, I’m going to reset it as soon as the Black Dragon wakes up.
Zenith’s abilities were revealed without fail right before their eyes.
The players, who had worked hard to hunt her down, were simply bewildered.
“This way, we can minimize damage and draw them out to the final line of defense. There are a few options after that, but it will be difficult to decide right now.”
Zenith concluded her explanation and added,
“…I understand. With this, we can certainly minimize meaningless deaths.”
Leon nodded slowly.
At that honest reaction, Zenith tapped the eastern region of Temosha on the map and said,
“We will gather as many criminals as possible, even those who have been difficult to track until now. From the perspective of the Kingdom, which has struggled with counting its numbers, the benefits will be significant, won't they?”
“It is shameful, but the reality is that proper verification has been difficult. If we can grasp their current status, the burden will be significantly lighter.”
As the Vice-Commander of the Royal Guard, the existence of criminals scattered throughout the kingdom was a heavy task.
Information was scarce to the point where it was impossible to know who they were, how many there were, or even what crimes they had committed.
There was insufficient manpower or time to track them all down individually.
However, if this long-cherished goal could be resolved this time, it would be an opportunity not to be missed.
“It is settled.”
Just then, the King, having made his decision, spoke up.
His demeanor, which had previously been consistent in words and actions that displayed royal status, had changed distinctly.
Should one say it resembled the time we drank together during our first meeting?
The King glanced at the map, then turned his gaze to Zenith and spoke.
“The purpose of this plan is the complete annihilation of anti-state forces. Let us work together for the safe future of the kingdom. Zenith, I will fulfill your wishes as you desire.”
“I will be looking forward to it. I would be truly delighted if the House of Artua were to fall due to my plan.”
The hatred and anger that had accumulated over a long time had not diminished in the slightest.
It was simply that he had cultivated the habit of excluding his emotions as much as possible for the sake of his goal.
“Black Dragon, you and your comrades wanted to become candidates for the investigation team, didn’t you?”
The King looked at Hanbit, who had been observing the conversation. It was
a formidable force that would be crucial to this plan.
There was no need to hesitate in borrowing that power and granting their wish.
“Once this task is complete, I will select you as a candidate for the Raven Kingdom and forward you to the investigation team headquarters. The verification process will begin with the members who arrive from there.”
“Thank you. I will do my utmost to assist.”
The title of investigation team candidate was slowly coming into view.
In any case, safely proceeding with the episode was the priority right now.
“Then let’s begin preparations.”
Zenith rose from her seat and tapped the map on the table.
Then, looking at the King and Leon, she said,
“What we need to determine immediately is the number and location of troops unaffected by Artua. It would be best to secure as many as possible by any means necessary.”
“I have always been monitoring that information periodically, but I will verify it one more time. There are trustworthy comrades within the Royal Guard, so it shouldn’t take too long.”
“What about the Commander of the Royal Guard? I did know he was someone who didn’t consider political interests, though.”
Zenith brought up the topic of the Commander, a subject that had never been mentioned before.
Leon nodded in response.
“Yes. The Commander is not someone who would yield to the likes of Artois. Although there was an instance where he caused trouble by disobeying even His Majesty’s orders…”
She trailed off as she continued her answer.
Watching this, the King spoke as if unconcerned.
“He may not be one of my men, but he is capable enough to stand against the rebels. After all, he caught the culprit who dropped the dagger in front of the bedroom.”
A dagger bearing the token of a royal family member exiled abroad.
Having fallen in front of the King’s bedroom, it was a sort of warning sign.
However, that plan was not Emeter’s intention.
It was closer to a prank orchestrated by the Commander for his own amusement.
Pointing out a subordinate without an alibi as the culprit was also an extension of that.
'He really was a madman.'
In a way, he is the most dangerous person in Raven.
He lives pretending to be normal, but he is a man who is fundamentally flawed in some way.
Nevertheless, the truth cannot be revealed right now.
He is a skilled individual who would sense suspicion more keenly than anyone else.
Among those present, only Hanbit could stop him.
“For now, I think it would be best to keep the details known only among those here. Even if it is someone trustworthy, let’s keep it a secret until the job is done.”
Everyone quietly nodded at Hanbit’s words.
Then, Zenith rose from her seat and spoke.
“Then, I will finalize the draft like this. Lord Black Dragon and your colleagues, please return to Temosha with me.”
Ding-
[Main Quest #2 completed.]
[Received 500,000 Gold.]
[3 Stat Points added.]
[Experience increased by 1,000,000.]
[Progress rate increased.]
[Main Quest #3: Rally]
We have finished the meeting to deal with the anti-state forces together.
To secure troops, we must move to Temosha with Zenith.
Objective: Gather the scattered criminal groups and persuade them.
Rewards: 800,000 Gold, 1,500,000 Experience, 5 Stat Points
*Current Progress: 7 percent
***
“Fuck, seriously!”
On the cold floor of an unknown prison.
Adventurer A, sprawled out there, let out a curse.
His anger had reached its limit as nothing from start to finish remained unresolved.
The item that reduces the imprisonment penalty was no longer in his possession.
“What is that bastard chairman again? Just when he was groveling!”
The Chairman of the Nio Group had suddenly appeared before him just as he was trying to thwart the Black Dragon’s plan.
The image of him pleading with him to find his daughter was still vivid.
Of course, he was not idle enough to take such insane nonsense seriously.
He carried the mission of fulfilling the Goddess’s will.
“What do you mean, another world?”
The story the Chairman’s daughter spouted was a delusion to begin with. Not
only had he never seen the Goddess, but the village where that kid supposedly lived was also a place he had never heard of.
It was likely the result of a jumble of things he had roughly seen in comics or novels.
It was obvious that being trapped in an RP was a problem caused by the Gear-makers getting greedy.
That was why they had simply taken the investment and left him neglected.
“It would have been manageable if I hadn’t been hit first.”
Kenji, a brute who looked like he was made of brute force, suddenly attacked, swinging his knuckle-clad fist.
There is a difference in level and items, and the matchup is absolutely terrible.
It is only natural to lose when you haven't been fully prepared.
Adventurer A comforted himself like that.
“But seriously, why is he acting like that all of a sudden?”
Even if he had stopped pretending to look for his daughter, the change was too abrupt. Did he
actually find her whereabouts?
Or was he trying to take his rage out on me, unable to control it?
Or did he come there with a different purpose?
“Is there… something going on with the Black Dragon?”
These days, whenever something strange happens, nine times out of ten, that guy is the cause.
These days, the name Black Dragon seems to be worth more than Adventurer A.
It wouldn't be surprising if the chairman, having lost his mind, switched sides.
It is truly a shame, as we could have secured more investment funds.
“He seems overjoyed that things are going well. No way.”
He acknowledges the Black Dragon’s momentum.
However, the advance team above is a monster.
Having met some of them before, he knew it all too well.
If the Black Dragon were to be selected as a candidate for the investigation team, there would undoubtedly be a reaction from the higher ups. After
all, there are plenty of unseen dangerous guys in this RP.
It felt quite good to side with them and destroy the Black Dragon instead.
*Swoosh*
—Adventurer A, who had been envisioning a different future, unmounted his gear along with the standby mode.
It was to finish his meal and check a few things.
*Buzz*—Just
then, his phone suddenly vibrated.
Adventurer A, who hadn't expected to hear from anyone, checked the screen with a puzzled expression.
"SR Gaming.
" "We will hand over the information regarding the item you were looking for. Please provide us with information about Adventurer Black Dragon."
"…Yeah, you guys must be just the same."
Back when he was at the height of his success, SR Gaming had approached him, introducing themselves as a secret government agency.
It was a highly clandestine meeting, but at the time, no one satisfied Adventurer A.
They only began exchanging occasional messages once he started going downhill.
"This guy and that guy…"
Everyone is searching for the Black Dragon.
It was even clearly visible that they were being cautious about approaching him, unlike how they had treated him.
They knew nothing, yet they were being deceived into believing that his success was due to pure ability.
“Do you think everything will go your way?”
Adventurer A, completely twisted with rage, smirked.
The item information he had requested from SR Gaming would now have a completely different purpose.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to gift it to the vanguard who would become the Black Dragon’s adversaries.
Grabbing his phone, he immediately dialed the other person.
*Click*
—the call connected with the electronic tone cutting off.
Walking to the dim window, he grinned and said,
“Have you ever heard of the Other World?”
