◈ 424. [Side Story] Fallen Kings (2)
“… .”
“… .”
There was silence for a while.
The mermaid king points a cleaver at my throat and I have to answer his question.
-Why shouldn’t he, who lost everything to the Everblack Empire, harm me, the 3rd prince of the Empire?
I caught my breath and smiled.
‘Isn’t that obvious?’
Because only I can save them in this world.
only me… … Because they can provide what they really need.
“I will stop all persecution of the human race against the heterogeneous race.”
“… what?”
A bewildered moan flowed from King Poseidon’s mouth at the sudden words.
But I didn’t stop.
“I will return all the places that were originally your lands.”
“what… ?”
“Either being kicked out of your hometown and confined to an autonomous district, banished out of the continent, or scattered all over the world… All of the different races harbor a deep resentment for their lost hometown.”
I put my hand in front of my chest.
“I swear by the name of Ash ‘Bonehater’ Everblack.”
“… .”
“We will bring you back to your hometown. We will help you and your compatriots recover lost lands, seas, history and even pride.”
A bloody silence fell in the dark drawing room.
After a while, the mermaid king’s mouth slowly opened.
“I don’t understand.”
His deep sea-colored eyes stared piercingly at me.
“Why would you do such a thing? Do you have any reason to help us?”
“The prior and after are opposite. King Poseidon.”
I straightened my posture and sat down.
“Because everyone’s strength is needed to protect the world… … That’s why I’m only offering you a price you’re willing to give your life for.”
At my words, the mermaid king’s eyebrows narrowed.
“To protect the world?”
“Here, Crossroads is the frontline to fend off monsters for all the world.”
I tapped the armrest of the sofa I was sitting on with my hand.
“But 2nd Prince Fernandez gave up fighting the monsters and declared surrender to the king of monsters.”
“… ?!”
“So I want to fight him. And to do that, we need as many forces as possible.”
I said it honestly.
However, I decided that it was an acceptable transaction situation.
“The Everblack Empire located at the center of the world… … But that doesn’t mean the whole world. There are just as many people living outside the Empire as the Empire.”
small countries.
heterogeneous people.
wandering peoples. And those who don’t even belong there.
They are the ‘fallen kings’.
“I try to unite them as much as possible. And I know. The 2nd prince, who won the final battle for the throne, and the 3rd prince, who fell in the southern hinterland and dealt with the monster. Which one’s odds are bigger. Most of them will try to stick to the second prince.”
“… .”
“So you are offering a big price. I raised the stakes because I want you to stand by me even in these adverse circumstances.”
Promising what the different races longed for the most.
In short – this is an empty check.
If you help me defeat Fernandez, you will get this price.
In a way, it would be an irresponsible slap in the face with an irresponsible victory as collateral.
“… .”
but.
Nevertheless, the mermaid king’s face was deeply troubled.
The rope I threw was flimsy. No one would have thrown even such a flimsy rope in front of them in the meantime.
100 Years –
While the Everblack Empire wields the hegemony of the world after the Tribal War and wields the continent under the sun as it pleases.
Losers who had to hide in the shadows.
To them I’m throwing an offer they can’t refuse.
If you stay still like this anyway, you will have to crawl on the floor forever.
In that case, wouldn’t it be better to collect all the remaining stakes together with me and play a match?
“… Make one thing clear.”
The mermaid king, having finished his thoughts, slowly opened his mouth.
“Do you really have the right to fulfill that promise?”
“there is.”
Exactly, it will happen now.
yeah… … If colliding with Fernandez is inevitable anyway.
If I defeat the next emperor who won the imperial throne with my own hand,
of course. For me, the winner.
They have the right to do more than return their hometown to the different races.
It’s simple. Do I lose and let the world be destroyed by the monster, or win and make the world do what I want.
And I have no intention of losing.
I’m a monster fighter I didn’t fight this far to get the game over in a civil war with humans.
I will win.
For him, it’s enough to curry favor with all the fallen kings… … It’s very easy.
“… .”
The silence flows a little more.
Tak-
The mermaid king sighed lightly as he placed the empty wine bottle on the table next to him.
“… I heard and knew about what you were doing on earth through various channels.”
huh?
did you know about me?
“There is also a story that if you face a monster on your frontline and in your city, they will treat you equally without discriminating against racial groups.”
“… .”
“You accepted that dragon lady as your subordinate. Among the beastmen, they gathered the survivors of the Dandylang tribe… … With these news, both the Fairy Queen and the Dwarf Lord are interested in you.”
I didn’t know at all, but I must have been quite a rumored celebrity… … .
“That’s why I also tried to determine your true intentions. I apologize if I offended you. I hope you don’t value it too much.”
Dalgrak-
King Poseidon slowly took the cleaver he had pointed at my neck and laid it on the table.
… No, it wasn’t a knife.
It was ice frozen in the shape of a long bar.
With the power of a mermaid who handles water, she froze the water in the bathtub and turned it into an ice stick, then aimed it at my neck pretending to be a knife.
No, I was in a drunken somnolence state, and the opponent who had been cooking raw fish with a kitchen knife until right before threatened me with a cold solid object… … Of course I thought it was a knife! But was it ice!
“… I still hate the Everblack Empire.”
The mermaid king muttered calmly.
“I still hate humans. However, as the head of a tribe, I also know that your proposal is an opportunity that will never come again.”
“That word… .”
“Let’s review it positively.”
Let go of the bottle, knife, and ice.
Waving his empty hands, King Poseidon smiled bitterly.
“We have nothing more to lose anyway.”
***
After King Poseidon XIII dragged the portable bathtub into the guest room.
I drank cold water alone in the empty living room, exhaled a long breath, and then looked up at the ceiling and exhaled.
“You can come with me, Elise.”
I’m afraid the words will fall.
Pingrreu – Tak!
A shadow moved on the ceiling of the drawing room, and then a maid with ultramarine blue hair fell swiftly.
Serenade’s exclusive escort and head maid.
It was Elise, the undertaker.
Elise looked at the place where the mermaid king had escaped with sharp eyes.
“… I tried to step out when the situation became urgent, but it seemed that the situation was resolved amicably. I was hiding.”
“good job.”
After finishing the translation, Serenade left Elise as the mermaid king’s watch, saying that she was preparing for an emergency while going back to handle the business of the mermaid.
– Our company has been trading with the remnants of the mermaids for a long time. The blue coral that I gave to Her Highness as a gift in the past was also received from them.
Serenade begged me to be careful.
– I heard from them then. The current king of the mermaids is quite violent and emotional… … .
– … .
– Please be careful, Your Highness. I’ll leave Elise as a watchdog just in case.
therefore… In front of the threat of the mermaid king, it seemed like they had made a deal between the prince and the prince. In fact, I had insurance called Elise.
If the situation had gone wrong, Elise would have jumped in to protect me immediately.
No matter how strong the mermaid king is, if it was the SSR rank swordsman Elise, she would be able to protect me.
“If you can put a safety catch on, it’s best to do so. is not it?”
Although there are times when you have to bet on the odds. Still, the best strategy is to work within the realm of certainty.
The more insurance, the better!
When I smiled, Elise carefully looked at me.
“… Excuse me, Your Highness. I overheard your conversation while hiding above.”
“huh?”
“You said you would fight Her Highness Fernandez.”
“… .”
“Really like this… Are you going to gather the kings of the disparate tribes as soon as their powers split and compete with Her Majesty Fernandez, the winner of the battle for the throne? His Highness Larque was defeated even after leading the elite 1st Corps of the Imperial Army.”
Elise looks quite worried.
That’s right. Her owner, Serenade, decided to dedicate her family and her life to me.
Because that kind of me is going to have a head-to-head match with the winner of the final battle for the throne. I feel sick to my stomach.
but.
“I just told you, Elise. ‘If I could put a safety catch on,’ I would.”
It is the same as the discussion with the mermaid king today.
I will do everything possible to fight Fernandez. However, before that, another ‘insurance’ will be prepared.
The insurance that makes the pendulum of the match lean towards me… … !
“I have a plan in mind while wandering under the darkness this time. If everything goes according to my plan, maybe the match against Fernandez will be very easy.”
I rubbed my hands and grinned wickedly.
“Watch slowly. I’ll feed my smart second brother a proper taffy… … .”
“… .”
Elise is looking at me with complicated eyes.
He trusts me, but he can’t help but be worried because Fernandez is such a strong opponent.
what can i do I just prove it with results.
“I had a hard time working overtime, Elise. Let’s go to the central square as well.”
“yes?”
“It’s the night of the victory banquet, isn’t it a pity to end it by just watching under the roof?”
I led Elise out of the mansion and headed towards the central square.
Even though it is quite late at night, the square is brightly lit and the sound of singing and talking can be heard.
“Oh, Your Highness!”
“Why are you coming now, Your Highness! The liquor is empty!”
“They ate almost all the fish!”
The soldiers who found me laughed and chatted loudly.
As soon as the fight with the monster is over, another fight called force transfer negotiations has come… … I don’t need to say that.
“Your glasses are empty, so I’m here to fill them up, you bastards!”
Just in time, he appeared from the upper part of Winter Silver carrying expensive alcohol stored in the warehouse on a cart.
Serenade is at the forefront, as if it seems to have finished dealing with overdue work.
“majesty!”
Serenade, who confirmed that I and Elise were all right, gave a relieved smile.
I smiled and thought to myself.
The Mermaid King is just the beginning.
From now on, the fallen kings scattered all over the world will gather here at the Crossroads.
I’ll make all of them an offer they can’t refuse.
Even if I have to pay my rights as a winner, I will issue empty checks, and even if I mix bluffs and lies, I will show them all under my command.
In the end, it is a simple choice.
Do I lose and let the world be destroyed by the monster, or win and make the world do what I want.
Now I am not intimidated by this choice. I am not hesitant.
The die has already been cast.
I run the world
