Chapter 122. Lord Meetings (Pt. 2)
Translator: Leyy3
"K-Kang Chul-In!"
As soon as the ball started, Dorian ran towards Kang Chul-In, whining.
"...Where have you been recently, making you whine?"
Kang Chul-In pressed his forehead as if he was tired.
Dorian was one to say that the Pangaea continent was too small and traveled around it, but in the eyes of Kang Chul-In, Dorian was just a poor pushover who went around Pangaea saying that it was small.
"Well..."
"Have you been caught by some slave traders and have to be forced to fight in an underground colosseum or something?"
"Huh? No."
"Then... have you been caught by a high-class succubus and are getting..."
"No!"
"No?"
Kang Chul-In tilted his head in confusion.
The two things that he had mentioned before had actually occurred in their past life. What was it, if he wasn't caught by a succubus, or by slave traders?
"Ah, I see what it is now."
Kang Chul-In spoke once more.
"Have you been... in an underground prison dungeon..."
"I said, no!"
Dorian shouted and shook his head.
"It's not that..."
When Dorian was about to explain...
"Uhh... Mr. Kang Chul-In?"
A rotund, middle-aged man joined in Kang Chul-In's table.
"H-Hello? Haha..."
"...?"
"My name is Go Hyun-jin."
Sweating profusely, the Lord Go Hyun-jin explained himself to Kang Chul-In.
"And?"
Cutting his steak, Kang Chul-In answered. He hadn't even taken a look at Go Hyun-jin yet.
"Hahaha... Well, since we're both Koreans, maybe we can dine together, haha... It would have been even better if there was soju... right? Haha..."
"Get lost."
Kang Chul-In stopped the Go Hyun-jin's sentence midway.
"...Sorry?"
"Ties from your family, acquaintances, and ties from school."
"..."
"I haven't seen people that rely on those things be actually good at things." Kang Chul-In spoke with a cold voice. If this wasn't Akan's hall, Go Hyun-jin would have already been struck down by Kang Chul-In.
Especially so when Kang Chul-In had nothing to speak of when talking about these 'ties'.
Family? All his supposed 'family' had left their debts on him and his father, and when his father had passed away, he was unable to properly study due to all the part-time jobs he worked in school.
As for acquaintances, he had none to speak of.
For Kang Chul-In, Go Hyun-jin, who was trying to approach him with these purposes, was making a mistake. And... why would he have to speak to a Lord who was ranked at 217th place, when he was 1st?
Kang Chul-In looked at people not for their backgrounds, but rather their practical abilities.
"If you come near me again before the end of the Lord meetings, I'll make sure that you'll never be able to recover, by taking my army and destroying your territory."
Kang Chul-In warned.
"I-Isn't that a little bit over the top?"
"No."
Surprisingly, it was Lee Chae-rin who interrupted.
"If it's not Mr. Chul-In that does that, I'll do that to your territory."
"....!"
"Lord Go Hyun-Jin, no, CEO Go Hyun-jin of the Hyun-jin manufacturing company."
Lee Chae-rin laughed cutely, though her eyes didn't show that she wasn't happy.
There was no longer the weak, naive Lee Chae-rin of yesteryear, just the Overlord Lee Chae-rin.
"H-How... did you..."
"Seems like you don't remember me, huh."
"Yes, I'm don't seem to recall..."
"I was once also part of your company... Well... It seems like that dirty hand of yours... that you used to sexually harass me and the other female employees is still fine?"
Lee Chae-rin's voice turned incomparably frosty. It was as if a blizzard blew over them.
"D-Don't tell me... Senior Staff Chae-rin?"
"That's right, that's me."
Lee Chae-rin nodded her head.
"Why are you surprised that I'm the same Lee Chae-rin that was struggling to pay off my debts?"
"B-But... your face has changed so much...!"
Go Hyun-jin looked as if he had just seen as a ghost in broad daylight. To think that one of his employees, whom he thought seemed like a naive student had become such a mature, and beautiful Lord over time!
"...What did you just say?"
But unknowingly, Go Hyun-jin had just touched Lee Chae-rin's reverse scale, which was the change in her features.
"H-Hiik!"
Lord Go Hyun-jin stepped back in fright of Lee Chae-rin's expression.
"Excuse me, Mr. Go Hyun-jin."
Lee Chae-rin seemed as if she didn't see this Go Hyun-jin as a Lord, rather as a normal person.
"Don't you think that I don't know that you weren't paying me my proper wages while touching my butt and sexually harassing me during work? Do you think I'm stupid?"
"T-That... everyone's busy working hard to live..."
"Is that really why you didn't pay all the cleaning ladies the money that was stated in the contract?"
"....."
"Go Hyun-jin, you're trash."
Lee Chae-rin, spat poisonous words that she rarely spoke.
"People that work hard in order to get paid their wages, people that are barely able to live with the small amount of money they get paid. You put a straw in the back of those people and sucked them dry, you parasitic bastard."
"I-I... I also needed the money in order to send my children to a good college!"
It was at that moment.
"Shut your filthy mouth right now."
Kang Chul-In said, putting a slice of the steak he had cut in his mouth.
"Mmm! Mmm!"
Due to Kang Chul-in's command, Go Hyun-jin was no longer able to speak.
"What I hate most is a pesky fly flying around me when I'm eating."
"That's true, Mr. Chul-In."
"How're you going to handle this?"
"Can I ask you to let me take care of him? I still can't forget when that disgusting man put his hands on my body."
"Do as you like."
"Thank you, Mr. Chul-In."
"But that's not it."
"Sorry?"
"I'm going to tell old man Kwon to get rid of and destroy
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everything that man has."
If it was Old man Kwon, who was one of the most influential men in South Korea, he would be able to easily handle the CEO of a small company.
"Oh, there was a method like that."
"If you're going to start a task, you better finish it well. If you're unable to finish the task, don't start it in the first place."
It was a tip from Kang Chul-In to Lee Chae-rin.
Stupid parasite.
Kang Chul-In stared at Go Hyun-jin.
He hated those that didn't keep their promise, and didn't give money in the promised time.
Kang Chul-In himself was extremely strict to himself regarding these kinds of things. For trash that didn't follow this rule, he didn't have a single bit of mercy.
"Get lost now."
Kang Chul-In ordered.
"I dare you to come find me again before this Lord meeting ends."
"...Mmh..."
As soon as Kang Chul-In commanded that, Go Hyun-jin immediately turned to leave the table.
"The world... is so small."
Lee Chae-rin smirked.
"I didn't think that I'd be able to see that bastard in Pangaea."
"Well, you were able to take revenge."
"Haha, what revenge. Do I really have something to gain as a Lord from a parasite like him? I just don't like to see him bullying innocents and making them suffer."
"Not bad."
"Of course~ I mean, you were the one who taught me after all.~
As Lee Chae-rin winked and tried to get closer to Kang Chul-In...
"Milord, will you try this dish?"
"Oh, is it sea bass?"
"Yes, milord."
Lucia managed to distract Kang Chul-In by putting a large dish of Sea bass in front of him.
Hmph, you plastic surgery monster!
T-This... stupid woman with only big breasts!
Lucia and Lee Chae-rin glared at each other.
They had done this for so long, that the two of them were actually able to see the message in each other's eyes by just staring at each other.
"Oh, sea bass? I like sea bass too!"
Meanwhile, the dense Dorian ate as if he hadn't eaten in forever. Looking at this, Kang Chul-In stared at Dorian as if he was pathetic, and told him to at least take care of meals.
Around 1 hour later.
"Oh, right. About what I was trying to tell you before."
Opening a champagne bottle that a waiter had given him, Dorian spoke. Maybe because Dorian had stuffed himself, he spoke contently.
"So basically... I was lost in this forest and got caught by a tribe of werewolves. That's why I'm in this state right now."
The trap was that Dorian seemed to be normal for a man who had just been kidnapped by a bunch of werewolves, but by being surprised, they would be losing. The optimistic mind of Dorian was not something that someone with a normal brain could understand.
"And?"
Kang Chul-In asked.
"You can just escape, can't you? You have that sort of ability."
A werewolf meant a lycanthrope and Dorian was strong enough to be able to escape a tribe of them.
"Ah, that's true... but those guys took Jack hostage. They said that they'll eat Jack after putting some special sauce on him or something... So I had no choice. I'll just have to listen to their demands before they set Jack free."
"What were their demands?"
"They were in the midst of a battle against the fox-human tribe. According to their words, the fox-humans are cunning and evil, so they need my help? Though I don't feel happy since I'm being forced to participate... I'm thinking of this as an opportunity to help those poor Lycanthropes. Though I am planning to stop once they hand Jack over to me."
"Ahh... So that's the reason."
Kang Chul-In sighed.
"So, what do you think? I'm not a pushover, right? Though I did get caught, I'm not getting done in like an idiot. There's a reason for everything."
Dorian shrugged.
"I... I lost."
Kang Chul-In said.
"Huh?"
"... I pay my respects to your stupidity, Dorian."
Kang Chul-In turned his head. He was sick of the idiot that was Dorian.
"Huh?"
Dorian tilted his head in confusion.
"W-Why? W-What's wrong? What is it?"
He had to be confused. Not only Kang Chul-In, but also Lucia and the Altaica (!) was staring him down as if he was an idiot.
"Lord Dorian."
Lucia spoke, shaking her head.
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry, but..."
"Yes?'
"You're being an idiot, and a pushover here."
"Ehh?"
"I'm sorry to say this, but if the werewolves and the fox-human race start a fight... then nine out of ten times, the werewolf tribe would win. There are more than 3 times as many werewolves than there are Fox-humans."
"T-That... that cannot be! No way!"
"Have you even thought about who would win if a fox and a wolf fought?"
"..."
Dorian's face turned pale. He had finally realized he was being tricked!
"Sigh, I knew it would be like this."
"Huu... Really, I can't stop Mr. Dorian either. So naive..."
Kang Chul-In and Lee Chae-rin shook their heads in awe of Dorian's stupidity.
"Just escape already."
Kang Chul-In advised.
"Run away?"
"I mean, don't get used like an idiot by those werewolves."
"How about Jack then?"
"There's no choice. Are you trying to kill all the fox-humans just for the sake of one dog? Of course... if it was for the benefit of the humans, I wouldn't mind wiping them out. But not you. You're not one to be that cruel of a person. So give up on the dog, and escape."
Kang Chul-In didn't add the words: though I wouldn't get pushed around like an idiot if I was in that situation, since Dorian seemed to be in utter shock.
It was at that moment.
-Hello, Lords. I hope that you've enjoyed the feast.
Akan's voice rang throughout the hall.
-The next event we have prepared... is the ball! This will be a total of 4 hours, so please enjoy yourselves now!
The ball of the Lord Meetings had finally started.
"K-Kang Chul-In!"
"Why."
"Help me!"
"Hmm..."
"Though it is kind of embarrassing asking this to a friend... I also don't have methods to escape while being able to save Jack. Hehe..."
It was a somewhat desperate request from Dorian.
"I don't want to."
But Kang Chul-In firmly declined Dorian's request.
"I don't want to clean up the mess you made like an idiot."
"M-Meanie..."
"Do it yourself. I... will get another bottle of whiskey."
Though Dorian seemed as if he were about to cry, Kang Chul-In left him.
"Pft..."
Lucia laughed.
"I'm depressed right now, please dont' laugh at me, Ms. Lucia."
With an angry and depressed face, Dorian spoke.
"It seems like Mr. Dorian still doesn't understand."
"Sorry?"
"I'm sure that milord will definitely accept Mr. Dorian's request."
"R-Really? Kang Chul-In will?"
"Of course."
Lucia's face was filled with certainty.
"But he's being that cold to me!"
"Milord is like that. In business-related things, milord is the epitome of a Lord and is extremely manly, and in these things, he tries his best to pretend not to listen to requests. In the end though, he still ends up helping people with what they want."
"Really?"
"That's right."Lee Chae-rin also seemed to agree.
"I'm sure that Mr. Chul-In won't let a good friend like Mr. Dorian be ignored. He's just saying no on the surface because he doesn't want you to repeat your mistakes."
"Pft... when you're going to help me anyway."
With the mix of a sad yet laughing face, Dorian pouted, staring at the back of Kang Chul-In. It seemed as if Dorian had still not figured what kind of man Kang Chul-In was.
-----------
The ball started.
The tables and rabbit waiters that served them food had all disappeared, leaving an orchestra at a corner of the Hall.
"Mr. Chul-In!"
Lee Chae-rin walked towards Kang Chul-In. Of course, it was in order to ask for his hand in a dance.
Hmph, it won't work even if you try.
Snickering at Lee Chae-rin, Lucia looked from behind.
No matter what, Kang Chul-In's partner in the ball was Lucia. Since Kang Chul-In had stated that, it wouldn't change no matter what.
However...
"Will you get out of the way?"
A woman with reddish-brown hair gently pushed both Lucia and Lee Chae-rin out of the way, before standing next to Kang Chul-In.
"What is it?"
Kang Chul-In turned his head.
"You."
The woman with reddish-brown hair, Hecate spoke.
"I'm starting to like you."
And...
"Do you want to sleep with me? Right now."
She spoke words that made everyone listening be absolutely astonished.
Chapter 123. Plan for the ball, successful! (Pt. 1)
Translator: Leyy3
"W-What the hell did I just..."
"I must have heard that wrong."
Lucia and Lee Chae-rin both muttered to themselves in astonishment.
Both women could not believe what Hecate had just said.
I mean, who would?
If randomly, a woman just came and asked someone that she'd never met before to sleep with her, it would be hard to believe.
And... she wasn't just asking to sleep with her, but to do it today. What kind of weirdo would do that?
Troublesome woman.
While Lee Chae-rin and Lucia fell into panic, Kang Chul-In smirked.
Troublesome woman.
Those were words that would best sum up the kind of woman that Hecate was. No wonder in the past, Dorian would call Hecate the 'female Kang Chul-In'.
"So, will you do it or not. Just tell me."
Hecate stared at Kang Chul-In, like a cat looking at their prey.
Kang Chul-In's answer to that was:
"I decline."
Was obviously a no.
To that, both Lucia and Lee Chae-rin sighed in relief.
Meanwhile, Dorian got his left and right foot stepped on by Lucia and Lee Chae-rin, for saying "ahh, why? What a waste."
"Why not?"
Hecate's face stiffened. She looked as if she didn't think she would get rejected.
"I'm not interested in you."
"Ah, have I pushed too far?"
At this point, what Hecate hadn't done is pushed too far, but had almost sexually harassed him.
"Good, not bad. I'm getting more interested in you."
But Kang Chul-In declining had the exact opposite effect.
"I mean, men who decline first interest me more than those who say yes right away. Though, I hope the reason for you declined was not because you're scared since that would be lame. You, I want to ride on you more whenever I see you."
At that point, Lucia and Lee Chae-rin were about to explode. Normal people wouldn't be able to understand Hecate's direct talking.
She's the same as before.
The only person who understood Hecate was Kang Chul-In.
He knew why Hecate's personality had become like this. Everything had a reason.
"Anyway, move out the way if you understand."
But Kang Chul-In pushed Hecate away. Understanding and becoming an 'easy man' were two completely different things.
"Move away? Isn't that a little rude? I think that you should at least dance with me after this."
"Wait."
"Wait?"
"You should have manners when you act."
Kang Chul-In turned to look at Lucia and Lee Chae-rin. He was asking her to wait her turn.
"So you're going to make me wait?"
"There's no other choice."
"Hahaha~! Yeah, that's true. The only person that would regret it is me. However..."
"The third person is going to be me. If you say no to this, I'll rain explosives at your territory after the Lord meetings are over."
Hecate was saying that she would start a war against him if she had to wait her turn in the ball. Though it was a petty threat, the scary thing about Hecate was that she would definitely carry out words that she had already spoken.
"As if I would do that."
Kang Chul-In smiled. Knowing Hecate so well, there was no way that a threat like that would work on him.
"That would be a bit troublesome, especially in terms of business."
"Business?"
"We'll talk about it later. Hey, Lucia."
Rather than answering Hecate's question, Kang Chul-In walked towards Lucia. In a timely manner, the violinists of the orchestra began to play their music.
"Milord..."
Lucia blushed.
"I have to keep the promises that I make."
"O-Of course, milord... Milord isn't one to dishonor his promises."
"Let's go."
Kang Chul-In led Lucia in an experienced manner. Since Kang Chul-In had participated in the Lord meetings before, he knew how to dance. It was thanks to Alfred's nagging.
You saw that?
Lucia looked at Lee Chae-rin proudly.
Unfair... she always stays with Mr. Chul-In anyway!
Though Lee Chae-rin shivered in envy, Lucia was led by Kang Chul-In all over the hall.
Kang Chul-In received attention.
He didn't receive just attention, but also the complicated gazes of a lot of Lords.
Though Kang Chul-In took over the hall with his fluid movements, that wasn't it.
No matter what, the true gem of the Ball was the women.
Not only did Kang Chul-In show his charisma through his dancing, he also did that by dancing with beautiful women.
A strong male, a man with a lot of money and ability (same for a woman), always had beautiful and handsome people of the other gender near them.
Lucia who possessed an enviable curvy figure as well as a look of cool beauty about her, Lee Chae-rin who looked quite simple yet still beautiful, and Hecate who possessed a wild beauty about her.
All the women that were near Kang Chul-In were beautiful, and it wasn't an overstatement to say that they were heavenly maidens.
And thanks to this, Kang Chul-In naturally became the figure that received the most attention, as well as complicated gazes of respect, envy, and hatred. Though, Kang Chul-In himself didn't care about those gazes.
"Now, let's talk about work."
Kang Chul-In put down his arm that was wrapped around Hecate's hair.
Kang Chul-In didn't forget to think about business even while the ball was going on.
A terrifying workaholic, that was Kang Chul-In.
"I don't want to."
Hecate said, stepping even closer to Kang Chul-In.
"Let's play one more time."
And saying that,
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put Kang Chul-In's hand on her waist. Since this moment was enjoyable, she didn't talk about work. That was how heated up she was at this moment.
"... Until when will you live, looking at just today."
Kang Chul-In said, as if he had read Hecate's mind.
"What?"
"You don't think of the past. Nor do you think about the future. What matters most to you is how you feel in this exact moment."
"What... do you mean by that?"
"I think you understand what that means better than everyone."
"You... know me?"
For the first time since they had met, Hecate seemed to be flustered.
"It's just a feeling."
"Feeling...?"
"Anyway, let's talk business now."Taking two bottles of champagne from nearby waiters, Kang Chul-In handed one over to Hecate.
There probably isn't a woman in the world who's easier to control than you, Hecate.
Though he had been quite flustered at Hecate's thought patterns in his past life, that was no longer the case. Now that he knew of Hecate's past, it was very simple for him to control her.
"Huu..."
With a somewhat complicated sigh, Hecate drank the bottle of champagne that Kang Chul-In had handed her.
"So. What's this talk about work?"
"The sex ratio in your territory."
"What about it?"
"I bet that there are only males around you, right?"
"That... no, no."
Hecate was about to answer 'there are always a lot of males around me', but understanding the purpose of his question, she swallowed her words.
"You're talking about the sex ratio within my territory?"
"Yes."
"What about it?"
"There are a lot more females than there are males within my territory. If you're experiencing similar things, then maybe we can have a deal."
Hecate's face turned happy at that moment.
"That's good. I was also somewhat stressed about that situation anyway."
"So you have more males than females in your territory?"
Kang Chul-In spoke, as if he didn't know.
"A lot, there's too many. So many of those males. At this point, many of them are starting to turn gay. Well... they are trying their best since there aren't many females around."
"I agree. The females in our territory are also trying their best at this point."
Though it was different in the case of Laputa, as the females were able to survive (?) through the culture brought from Earth by Arshelly.
Currently, Earth's drama and movies were experiencing a massive hit within Pangaea. If not for Arshelly, the happiness of the citizens of Laputa might have hit dead bottom by now already.
"Hmmm... So are you saying we should do slave trading or something then?"
"No, of course not."
"Then what is it?"
"We can create a Matchmaking company together."
"A matchmaking company?"
"Your territory lacks females, and my territory lacks males. If we let the females of my territory and the males of your territory marry, wouldn't that be beneficial for both of our territories? There won't be any reason for us to go and war against other territories to look for the lacking gender."
"Ah... I guess that makes sense."
Hecate was also a woman. She didn't like having to go to other territories and having to kidnap other women for her benefit. There was no choice for her, to keep the loyalty of her citizens.
"Hmm... that sounds good."
"And there are also more benefits for us."
"More benefits?"
"If the people want this matchmaking to happen, don't you think there should at least be a fee? I mean, since we need to transport them from my territory to your territory or the other way around, the transportation fees will cost quite a lot in the first place."
"So you're saying we should take in money from the citizens that sign up for this and want to marry using this program?"
"Exactly so."
"Hmmm..."
Hecate seemed to think about it for quite a bit...
"This... this is just a proposal for an alliance, isn't it."
And realized Kang Chul-In's true intentions. It was as expected of someone who had risen to the ranks of Overlord.
"This is a political marriage not between us Lords, but rather between our citizens, isn't it? Since if we want to fight against each other, we'll have to take the risk of being rebelled against by our citizens. And there also has to be a reason in order for one of us to start a war against each other. A powerful reason that makes them also agree to start a war"
What Hecate spoke were exactly Kang Chul-In's thoughts. Thanks to this, Kang Chul-In didn't need to explain further. Though she was a bit crazy, Hecate was also a frightening and smart Lord.
"This is a deal that would let both of us laugh. And is also shackling me to you. Aren't you saying that we should take it to the end together at this point?"
"Probably."
"Hmm... Interesting. To think that the 1st ranked Lord would actually offer me to join in this coalition."
The reason why Ishtar wasn't called an alliance or a union was because of this. Since they had formed a group due to political marriages and reasons, it wasn't strange to call them a coalition.
"Fine, that's fine... but I won't be satisfied with just that."
"....?"
"Since we're going to see this to the very end, why do we leave it with just our citizens? Shouldn't we do that as Lords too?"
Hecate spoke with a smirk on her face.
"Well..."
"I know too. That you don't want to marry with me. But... there are also other ways to build up trust between us. For example... physical relationships."
"...Is that all you think about?"
"Hahaha~! You should think it's an honor. Just because a woman has lust, doesn't mean they go around like this. It's weird. But in that sense, you have a lot of parts within you that stimulates my desires. It's like... what kind of expression will you make, when I lick that arrogant face of yours?"
Kang Chul-In closed his eyes, tired of Hecate. Truly, she was a troublesome woman.
"Anyway, answer me. Will you do it or not."
"Of course I will. Unless I have a bullet in my head, there's no way I would decline an offer like this."
Hecate stretched her hand towards Kang Chul-In.
"But... for the money that comes out of this matchmaking service..."
"You're 6, and I'm a 4."
Kang Chul-In said.
"Oh, you seem to know well?"
"Your territory is one that specializes in aerial movement. I think that it'd be much more efficient if you were the one visiting us for this matchmaking service."
Though Laputa was also able to move through flight, it was much less effective than Temeraire (which was shaped like a huge flying ship), and costed much more to move. It was beneficial for Kang Chul-In to let Hecate have more than him for this."
"Even the way that you deal like this is my style. You're driving me insane."
"We'll talk about the details after the Lord meetings are over now."
Kang Chul-In and Hecate shook their hands. It was the moment where 2 of the 3 Overlords that had formed the Ishtar coalition joined again.
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"Huu..."
Sitting down to catch his breath, Kang Chul-In looked around the hall.
It was busy.
There were people who were drinking, those who talked while sipping champagne, and those who were chatting boisterously around a table. As he had expected, the hall had turned into one hell of a battle of minds.
Rothschild.
Kang Chul-In's gaze stayed on Alex Rothschild, who was currently discussing about something with the 2nd ranked Baruk Al Yusuf.
I bet he's using Lee Gong-myung's tactic to force me into a bad position.
It was obvious what Alex Rothschild was thinking. Even if it were the genius that was Lee Gong-myung, it was impossible to trick Kang Chul-In, who had returned from the future.
Keep running that mouth of yours. I'll destroy that smug expression of yours when the auction finally starts.
Kang Chul-In was prepared. It was because of the present(?) he had prepared in advance for Rothschild.
"From you..."It was at that moment.
"I can smell one that can see the future, the smell of a fortune-teller."
Someone who spoke strange words came by, and sat on Kang Chul-In's table.
It was a lady who was wearing a purple robe, giving off a psychedelic feeling.
"Who are you?"
Asked Skadi Andvari, the mage Overlord.
Chapter 124. Plan for the ball, successful! (Pt. 2)
Translator: Leyy3
It was a strange thing to say.
He smelled like someone that can see the future?
The nuance of this was strange enough to grab Kang Chul-In's attention. He knew the future? Did she guess the fact that Kang Chul-In had returned to the past too?
... There was no way.
"The smell of a fortune-teller... I don't have any thoughts to set up a place anywhere."
Kang Chul-In spoke calmly.
"I also am not interested in things like tarot cards, or crystal balls. You've got the wrong man here."
"No, I haven't."
"What do you mean then."
"I can smell a the ability of a fortune-teller, or more precisely one who can somehow foresee the future with his ability."
Thankfully, Skadi didn't seem to know the truth.
"I didn't think that the Lord that was ranked 5th would be one that was this deep into the occult. I thought you were a mage?"
"Magic and Occult has a very close relationship."
"Is that so?"
"Of course, most mages tend to want to disagree with this statement.
"Well... that's your problem, not mine."
Kang Chul-In turned his head around. It wasn't interesting for him to talk about magic or occults.
And... Skadi was going to die soon anyway.
She had died exactly three days after she had risen to the rank of Overlord. Just like Baruk Al Yusuf, she was a dead man standing.
"I don't want to talk to you anymore. Go away from my table."
Kang Chul-In said.
It made sense.
What would he gain from talking to a person he knew was already going to die anyway? After 3 days, she wouldn't be here.
"No, wait a minute."
Skadi held on to Kang Chul-In.
"What else do you have to say? If it's about this fortune-telling or occult nonsense..."
"You know about it."
"About what."
"The future that's coming. Even if you say no, you cannot trick my eyes. You have the same aura that comes from those that can see the future. Though your powers may not be powerful, it should be enough for you to look into the future by a few days..."
And what Skadi said afterward was enough to pique Kang Chul-In's interest.
"Meaning... that you probably know that I'm going to die soon."
Actually, it more than piqued his interest. She had completely surprised Kang Chul-In.
T-This woman... she knew she was going to die?
It was something new.
A person who knew that she was going to die.
"Sometimes, a little learning isn't good at all. What, are you planning to suicide or something?"
Though Kang Chul-In was astonished, he didn't show it outwardly. An experienced Lord shouldn't show emotional changes so easily.
"You don't seem to trust me."
"Maybe I'll trust you if you say something that makes sense."
"And isn't it just you trying to hide the fact that you can also see the future?"
"Haha!"
Kang Chul-In laughed.
"Skadi... Skadi Andvari."
And for the first time, Kang Chul-In turned his head to face Skadi.
Lush black hair.
Purple eyes.
Jade white skin.
Light pink lips.
Skadi seemed more like an innocent girl than a Lord.
"If you're going to talk about this ridiculous nonsense, go somewhere else to preach."
It was the truth that he knew the future. Because he was a returner.
But predicting it?
If he had the power to foresee the future, he wouldn't have been betrayed by Aleister in the first place. Same for his head being chopped off and his heart being stabbed by that damned Rothschild.
"B-But..."
"I thought I told you already."
Kang Chul-In cut off Skadi's words.
"I don't want to talk about this anymore."
"...You're very adamant about this."
"Well, of course. Why do I need to talk to someone that has no worth talking to?"
Though Kang Chul-In wasn't sure how Skadi could foresee her own death, he wasn't planning to change the future by saving her.
Skadi 'had' to die.
The Esmerelda territory that she controlled was an absolutely key strategic point that lied between the Baldur Area, and the Gulveig Area.
Once Skadi died, her territory would become the area where a lot of terrible fights would take place. The never-ending fights between Alex Rothschild and Albrecht Vilhelm to take control over this strategic checkpoint.
But the person who would reap benefits from this would be Kang Chul-In.
The reason Ishtar was able to maintain a three-way power balance was through the distrust between Rothschild and Albrecht, after the death of Skadi.
"...Is that so."
Skadi's face darkened.
"My fate doesn't change. My death."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"I'm sure you saw an unavoidable death for me. I thought maybe it would be different in the eyes of another person that could see the future, but... I guess it's the same."
At this point, even the cold Kang Chul-In was speechless. He didn't have the powers of foreseeing the future, yet he was being treated like someone that did.
"No matter how much I shuffle the cards, how I like into the crystal ball... The only thing I see is death. This is the first time
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I felt such a strong certainty about the future. Maybe... I'll be able to live another 3 days. No matter what, I'll probably die within that time. If another foreseer, like you felt the same..."
Skadi seemed as if she was going to cry at any moment.
"It seems that destiny cannot be overwritten, huh."
"That depends on how someone sees it."
"That's right, I spoke foolishly."
"Go now."
Kang Chul-In said once more.
It was a meaningless conversation.
Though he didn't understand why Skadi thought he had an ability to see the future, Kang Chul-In didn't have the slightest intention to save her or do something for her.
Though people may see he was being terrible, or ruthless, there was nothing worse than having worthless sympathy.
If Kang Chul-In helped Skadi, he would be causing a huge problem.
And the price for that...
Would be something that Kang Chul-In, and his citizens would have to pay for.
"I mean... I'm sure you don't have much to say... For someone who's going to die soon."
Bitterly, Skadi rose from the table. It meant that she would finally stop bothering him.
"Thanks for your precious time. Goodbye."
Answering politely, Skadi rose from the table and started to walk away.
"Don't tell me..."
Skadi suddenly stopped and turned to face Kang Chul-In with her purple eyes. Then...
"Ah, I see now."
She spoke something that he didn't understand.
"You... really weren't able to foresee the future. Sorry, it seems like I was unable to tell the truth."
Saying this, Skadi's face turned quite ominous.
"Near you... Is a very powerful fortune-teller and foreseer."
"...!"
"They're too powerful, that they weren't able to see their own abilities properly. How strong were they that their aura left their mark even on you.... Sigh..."
Skadi sighed in astonishment.
"Lord Kang Chul-In... There's an existence near you with an incomparably powerful fortune-telling ability. Please take care of that person well. A strong ability to foresee the future normally means a shorter lifespan. If you aren't able to control them well, that person will definitely live a short life. The person that lives near you with such an ability... I hope that they're able to live a happy life, as a fellow fortune-teller."
Saying this, Skadi got further and further away from Kang Chul-In. Her footsteps seemed incomparably lonely.
"...What a weird woman."
Shaking his head, Kang Chul-In muttered.
------
After the 'weird' conversation with Skadi, the ball went on for another 2 hours.
Erasing Skadi's words from his brain, Kang Chul-In roamed around the Hall.
There was someone around him that possessed an incomparably powerful fortune-telling ability?
...Who?
Was it Lucia? Alfred? Timothy? Kwak-Jung? Nilus?
No matter how he thought about it, there was no-one around him that would fit this description. James, Michael and Podolski were also people that seemed far away from the fortune-telling.
He also knew that it wasn't his daughter, Arshelly. If it were Arshelly, there would have been at least a small hint when he first saw her.
And thanks to this, Kang Chul-In was able to cleanly erase this memory from his brain, and focus on his work(?).
But...
"Will you dance with me?"
"E-Excuse me... will you..."
Unluckily, Kang Chul-In's main 'job' was to run away from the female Lords that asked him for his hand in dancing. That was how much the merit of being the 1st ranked Lord was.
"Milord... you look tired..."
"I am tired."
In the worry-filled words of Lucia, Kang Chul-In nodded. Even for him, who never said that he was tired had to admit that he really was sick of this problem with never-ending requests from women.
"Mr. Dorian seems to be enjoying himself though."
Lucia pointed at Dorian.
"...That's not enjoying himself."
Dorian was caught by a female Lord Margarita who was 190cm and had to dance with her forcefully.
"Huu... Mr. Chul-In truly is an amazing person."
Lee Chae-rin said, shaking her head.
"Like what Ms. Lucia said, you should rest your body if you're tired. After this, maybe you should go back to earth and relax. I'm sure your mother also misses you after all this time."
"Is that so..."
"If not for Arshelly going in and out of Earth and Pangaea everyday I don't know what would have happened."
Kang Chul-In felt something touching his heart while listening to Lee Chae-rin's words.
I almost made a mistake again.
In the past, he was unable to take care of his mother well, since he was so caught up and crazy with his work.
"Alright. I'll rest for maybe 3 days after the end of the Lord Meetings."
It was at that moment.
-The auction will be held soon!
Akan signaled the end of the ball. Now, it was time for the auction, where Lords were able to exchange and sell items.
-----
It was quite a boring time.
Though quite a lot of items were placed on auction, none of them were able to catch Kang Chul-In's attention.
No, there was no way that there could be such an item.
All the good, powerful items were kept by the Lords to use.
Though there were some Lords selling this item since they needed some quick cash, how good could the items be at this point, where all the Lords were at a considerably lower level than they would be in a few years.
It's almost time to show that present to Rothschild.
Just as the auction was finishing off, Kang Chul-In prepared to show his gift to Rothschild.
In his previous life, Rothschild had gone around the ball with his fake smile, and tried his best to warm up as many Lords as he could.
And even in this life, that effort had paid off, as Rothschild currently sat next to Baruk Al Yusuf, discussing something.
Seems like you've used that glib tongue of yours, Rothschild.
Looking at the crowd of Lords, Kang Chul-In could tell that some of them showed hostility to him.
But Kang Chul-In didn't care about that.
Pzzt, Pzzt!
Kang Chul-In brought out a black chest from his inventory.
"Oh, you're going to sell something too?"
Dorian who had just bought a lot of items due to his curiosity, asked.
"Can you show me first? I'll buy it off of you if I think it's alright."
"I didn't bring this for you to buy this, Dorian."
"Wow... so mean. Does it get damaged if you show me just once? And also, I have quite a lot of money."
It was true.
Since Dorian went around dungeons all around Pangaea as he pleased, he had plenty of gold in his pocket. Dorian was kind of like the final evolution of an adventurer.
"Stop annoying me, and go away."
"Wow, that's cheap man."
"I'll give it to you for free if no-one bids for it. There's a high chance that it's not going to get sold anyway."
"Really?"
"Of course."
"Kya~ As expected of my friend, Kang Chul-In. I like that integrity."
Not knowing what it was, Dorian laughed happily. Without knowing what was even inside the chest.
Let's see if the other Lords trust you after they see this, Rothschild.
Kang Chul-In was extremely confident in this, and he quickly moved up to show his item for the auction.
"Kang Chul-In seems like he's going to sell something!"
"An item from 1st place... don't you think it's going to be incredibly expensive?"
"I can't imagine what he's going to put up for auction."
The Lords spoke, with anticipation. That was how much attention Kang Chul-In was getting in the First Lord meetings.
Bang!
Kang Chul-In placed the black chest on top of the auction stand. It was in order to gain the attention of the crowd.
"I'll start with 1000 gold."
And...
Click!
The chest opened.
"What in the world..."
"W-What the hell!"
The Lords shouted in panic, and shock.
Chapter 125. Becoming Overlord! (Pt. 1)
Translator: Leyy3
Terrifyingly, what was inside the black chest was the chopped off head of a person.
Unnaturally large eyes.
Closed lips.
And a perturbed expression.
The people that saw the decapitated head could imagine the pain felt at that time through that expression.
And...
The state of the head seemed very clean, and new.
There was no such thing as rigor mortis, and not only did fresh blood drip down from the neck, the skin shined as if still part of the body.
It was believable to say that this head had just been chopped.
This possible since Kang Chul-In had asked Nilus to use the life-force spell on the head, making it seem completely fresh and new.
"Don't tell me..."
"Is that...?!"
At this moment, the gazes of many of the lords turned to Alex Rothschild.
And at that moment, Rothschild was frozen on the spot, as if he were a statue.
"I-It's the head of Rothschild!"
Dorian, who was famed for having no care for his surroundings, spoke. It was like spitting on , it was killing him twice over.
That's right.
What was inside was the head of Rothschild, or more accurately, the head of.
Though it was a shame that it wasn't the head of the real Rothschild, it was terrifying to think that Kang Chul-In had kept Rothschild's decapitated head, and left it in his office as adornment.
"W-What? Are there two Rothschilds?"
"Is that a fake?"
"What the hell... what is he thinking, trying to sell an item like that?"
"Is that really the head of Rothschild in the first place? Is that his twin or something?"
"What's going on?"
The lords discussed with each other.
They had to be.
Kang Chul-In's sudden actions definitely needed an explanation. The Lords that didn't know anything were confused, and the situation could turn against Kang Chul-In.
"I'm sure everyone is curious right now."
Kang Chul-In spoke.
"I think it's time for some explanation... , is everyone interested?"
As a great 'seller'(?), he had to first explain the product before he sold it, in order to 'gain the trust' of the people that bought the product. After all, Kang Chul-In wasn't a cruel or unfair seller.
"It doesn't seem like a bad idea to listen."
Holding his hand up, a middle-aged Caucasian spoke. It was Albrecht Vilhelm.
"I also agree."
Hecate showed her agreement.
"I'm sure there's also a reason for this. Let's hear it."Lee Chae- also agreed.
Soon after.
"Come on, let's hear what it is?"
"What the hell is that?"
"We require an explanation?"
The other Lords also demanded an explanation from Kang Chul-In.
Though they were frightened at first due to the hideous sight of the head, it changed to curiosity. Curious on why the 1st ranked Lord would try to sell a head that looked just like Alex Rothschilds.
"Very well."With a satisfied smile on his face, Kang Chul-In continued to speak.
"As you guys can see, this is the head of Alex Rothschild."
And listening to Kang Chul-In's explanation, shock filled the eyes of the other Lords.
Rothschild's head!
Though was still standing in a not-so-distant place, what kind of bullsh*t was this? The words of Kang Chul-In were extremely confusing for the other Lords.
"Ah, of course..."
Slowly smiling, Kang Chul-In continued his explanation. By slowing down his explanation, he would be able to fully draw out and pique the attention of the other Lords.
"This isn't the real one. After all, if it was real, that Alex Rothschild wouldn't be able to participate in this Lord meeting."
And at this, some Lords snickered, and almost left the place. These were the Lords that Rothschild had spent his efforts warming up to.
"Then what's the reason for you that 'fake'?"
It was Albrecht Vilhelm, who was going to be ranked 2nd in the future, and was also the leader of the Gulveig alliance.
"There must be a reason, right? Otherwise, unless you're stupid, there's no way that you'd taunt Rothschild like this and risk getting yourself framed as a bad person."
"I'd say it's to tell the truth, and to warn everyone here."
"Warn us... what do you mean?"
"Through this auction, I'm planning to warn everyone on how evil, and terrible this man is."
The gazes of the lords headed towards Alex Rothschild.
And at that moment, Rothschild's mouth was shut, and was staring venomously at Kang Chul-In. Even looking at the gaze, the killing intent in it was terrifying.
Are you boiling inside, Rothschild?
But Kang Chul-In ignored Rothschild's terrifying gaze, and continued to talk.
"This head..."
Kang Chul-In pointed at the head of Alex Rothschild.
"This is the head of the clone, or puppet that Alex Rothschild uses. I'm sure that many of you remember when Alex Rothschild fell from 5th to 105th place after the Lord rankings were revealed. This is the reason. I cut off the head of Rothschild, and he got a penalty from me cutting off his head. Basically, this head is a kind of artificial intelligence that shares the same thoughts, and abilities as the real Alex Rothschild."
This was the moment where Alex Rothschild's greatest ability, his ability to live on like a cockroach was
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revealed. Through revealing this, Kang Chul-In had shown the true face of Alex Rothschild.
"A few months ago."
Without giving the Lords time to talk, Kang Chul-In continued on.
"Dorian explorer, who's famous as a dungeon explorer, asked me to come and explore a dungeon with him. Isn't that right, Dorian?"
"That's true. I asked him first."
Dorian answered enthusiastically. Giving public humiliation to Alex Rothschild was something that Dorian also hoped for.
"At that time, Alex Rothschild had been trying to build his connections to Dorian, and Dorian therefore invited Alex Rothschild to come to the dungeon as well. I also agreed to this. After all, I got to know from the news that Alex Rothschild was not only the heir to one of the largest family businesses in the world, but I also thought that he would be a gentle, and polite lord. I had planned to communicate and link up with him, Lord to lord."
And the disturbing truths kept pouring out of Kang Chul-In's mouth.
"But who would have guessed... Rothschild betrayed me and Dorian."
Kang Chul-In pointed at Rothschild.
"He had brought his personal guard, wraiths, as well as assassins to kill me and Dorian in front of the dungeon! It was a definite attempt to take all the spoils of the Epic Dungeon by himself. And thanks to this, Dorian also nearly got his head chopped off from Alex Rothschild's ambush. Isn't that right, Dorian?"
"That's right."
"Is there any falsehood to my words?"
"Nope."
"And how about any exaggerations?"
"There are none."
Answering Kang Chul-In's questions, Dorian also turned to stare at Alex Rothschild. Even the optimistic and usually amiable Dorian didn't like Alex Rothschild, who had planned to kill him.
"Then..."
Albrecht Vilhelm spoke.
"You were able to cut off Rothschild's head? Through all the troops that he had brought?"
"Does that question really come out after looking at this? I'm not sure if you don't have eyes, or you're just trying to test me."
Kang Chul-In gestured at Alex Rothschild's head.
"Ah, it wasn't meant like that."
Albrecht quickly apologized.
"It's just... it was hard to believe. To think that just the two of you were able to completely wipe out and decimate the forces of the 5th ranked Alex Rothschild... I was just surprised that you were able to do that. I'm sure that everyone else here also feels the same as me."
It made sense.
"Anyway... if it made you feel bad, I apologize."
"Well, there's no need to apologize like that to me."
"But... is that story something you want us to really believe? You can't leave the possibility out that you were the one that set up the trap for Alex Rothschild instead. Don't you think it's lacking to only have Dorian speaking up like that as evidence?"
"Evidence? What evidence."
Kang Chul-In smirked.
"I'm not here asking all of you guys to believe me. I'm just here to warn all of the Lords."
Kang Chul-In wasn't an idiot.
Without sufficient proof and evidence, he also knew that it would be impossible to knock down Alex Rothschild completely.
"A warning?"
"What happened at the Epic Dungeon was just an additional explanation, I'm just warning everyone that they shouldn't be willing to take the dangers with Alex Rothschild."
"Hmm... Alright, I understand now."
Albrecht Vilhelm nodded his head.
Cheeky bastard.
Kang Chul-In knew that Albrecht had asked these questions, even while knowing his intentions.
This time, he's agreeing with what I said. This means that he's already looking at the Esmeralda territory.
Though Albrecht was the most fearsome of Kang Chul-In's foes and was arguably the most powerful, his current attention was on the Esmerelda territory. He had agreed with Kang Chul-In's statements in order to spread the bad image of Rothschild so that he would be able to control the Esmeralda territory himself.
This also meant that the person who was behind the death of Skadi Andvari was either between Rothschild or Albrecht.
"I've gone off-topic for a bit. Coming back to my original point, what I'm trying to say is that you should definitely think carefully before going on a dungeon raid with Rothschild, or allying with him."
Kang Chul-In spoke fiercely.
"We only have 1 life."
This was the main part.
"But currently, that doesn't apply for Alex Rothschild. Even at this point, the real Rothschild might not be at this meeting and is looking from somewhere afar, probably in his territory. His ability is to create clones of himself. Who knows how many clones he can make, just like this head you see over here. Can you really ally with someone that has multiple lives? Can you really share your blood as an ally, and work on the same goal as him? Even if you both take the risk, you may die, while all Rothschild has to do is recover from death, with just small penalties."
Kang Chul-In spoke furiously...
We only have one life... While Rothschild has ...
I'll never go on a dungeon raid with him.
Rothschild... I was completely fooled by him.
Many of the Lords began to fear to approach Alex Rothschild.
This was Rothschild's biggest secret and one that would instill distrust in others naturally. It was also the reason the Rothschild had tried his best to cover up this secret in the past life.
"I'll leave it to you guys to decide whether it was me, or Rothschild who planned the attack. But! I hope that all of you never forget my warning. If you don't want to get betrayed, that is. This is all I have to say."
Because of this, all of went to waste.
"This... is an extremely rude thing to do, Mr. Kang Chul-In."
Rothschild didn't take this blow doing nothing.
"I'm curious why you're making up fictional stories in order to crack the trust I have built with the other Lords here."
Rothschild spoke seriously, his previously stiff face gone.
Though his face seemed quite annoyed, it was still quite calm.
As he had always done, he was planning to lie his way through this.
But...
"1200 gold."
Hecate didn't care about what Rothschild said.
", if it's an internationally famous head, I think it'd fit quite nicely as a decoration."
With a smirking face.
"2000 gold."
Lee Chae-rin raised her hand. As Kang Chul-In expected, Lee Chae-rin truly did have a lot of money.
"2...2001 gold. ..."Dorian also raised the bid by a tiny 1 gold, as his way of insulting Rothschild.
"2001 gold, huh... Well, maybe you can explain yourself later on, but right now we're busy bidding on your decapitated head, as you can see."
Kang Chul-In spoke, laughing.
Rothschild seemed as if the world was collapsing around him.
-------
Eventually Rothschild's head wasn't sold. It was because Kang Chul-In had taken out the item in the middle.
"Wow... Kang Chul-In."
Dorian was astonished.
"I was surprised, man..."
"....?"
"To think that you were that evil and cruel... Ow!"
After getting hit on his stomach, Dorian fell to the ground. He was asking for it.
"I didn't know that Rothschild was like that."
Lee Chae-rin spoke, as if she was displeased.
"He actually asked for my hand in a dance earlier. Of course, I declined... But... if not for... I would have probably..."
"If not for...?"
"N-N-Nothing!"
Lee Chae- quickly shook her head.
What she didn't say was...
If not for you, Mr. Chul-In.
"Anyway, what are you going to do with that?"
Dorian pointed at the head of Alex Rothschild.
"For now, I'm planning on keeping that in my office as."
"For now?"
"I mean, I'll have to replace that with the real one once I get that."
"You're a terrifying person."
Dorian shivered in fright.
-Soon, the awards ceremony will begin.
At that moment, filled the hall.
-The Lords ranked between 1st to 10th, prepare to become Overlords.
Finally, it was the highlight of the Lord Meetings.
Becoming an Overlord, getting new abilities, and finally getting an Epic Item for the 1st ranked Lord. It was the moment that Kang Chul-In had waited for so long.
Chapter 126. Becoming Overlord! (Pt. 2)
Translator: Leyy3
As the auction stand disappeared, it was replaced with 9 seats, and 1 throne.
Kang Chul-In didn't look at the 9 seats.
There was no reason for him to.
Was there a reason to look at somewhere that he wouldn't be?
Though an upstart or a nouveau rich might look to take the food of others, that wasn't what a truly rich person would do. They wouldn't care about small things like this.
Kang Chul-In only stared at the throne.
The Throne.
The highest, and most vaunted position amongst all Overlords.
This was one of Kang Chul-In's goals, where only the 1st ranked Lord would be able to sit.
But Kang Chul-In's true ambition wasn't to become the highest-ranked Lord, but rather becoming emperor of all of Pangaea.
Next time, and even after that.
Kang Chul-In vowed to himself.
I won't come down from this seat. Not until the very end, where I become emperor.
If someone tried to rise up above him? He would push them back down.
If someone rises above him? He would pull them back down.
The ambition and passion of Kang Chul-In was greater than any of the Lords in Pangaea.
-Ranked 10th, Lord Andrei Ivanovic.
As Kang Chul-In was staring at the throne.
[Please sit upon this seat over here.]
Andrei Ivanovic, who had managed to secure his seat in the top 10, was called.
And a ray of light shined upon Andrei Ivanovic.
"He's changing."
"What the hell is..."
A few of the Lords stared at Andrei Ivanovic in curiosity.
He was changing.
His brown hair had turned white, his black eyes red, and his slightly showing teeth grew sharper, like tusks. He had become a vampire through the change.
No, it wasn't just a simple vampire.
He's a true vampire.
Kang Chul-In could easily identify the changes that Andrei Ivanovic had gone through.
According to Alfred, white hair couldn't be seen on normal vampires.
That meant that unless someone were a true vampire, they wouldn't possess white hair.
He's shifted.
What Kang Chul-In meant by 'shifted' was clear.
By becoming an Overlord, Andrei had just shifted his own existence. He was no longer a Earthling, but rather a Vampire Overlord of Pangaea now.
It was similar to when Aleister became a half-lich.
Hmm... Is this the biggest change.
Kang Chul-In's eyes sharpened.
In his personal experience, the Lords who had thrown away their existence as someone from Earth were dangerous.
And since Andrei had never reached the rank of Overlord in the previous timeline, Kang Chul-In had to pay special attention. Since the bigger Andrei grew, the more changes would be made.
Though I can just get rid of him... I don't have a reason to move first.
Kang Chul-In didn't pay that much heed to Andrei though.
It was because he hadn't truly proved himself.
Kang Chul-In himself, Albrecht Vilhelm, and Hecate were the ones that had abilities that would make them unlikely to fall from the ranks of Overlord.
Meanwhile, everything about Andrei was a mystery. It was also a mystery whether he would be able to hold on to the position of Overlord.
If Andrei were to create big changes in this current timeline, he would first have to hold on to the position of Overlord.
There was no reason to fret about this. The rank of Overlord wasn't that easy to hold on to.
[9th place, Lord Lee Chae-rin.]
Next was Lee Chae-rin.
Lee Chae-rin headed up to her seat, to become Overlord and receive the authority that came with it.
Sitting her seat, she...
"..."
Strangely sighed.
Why?
Kang Chul-In tilted his head in confusion. Why would someone sigh if they had just become Overlord, and received a new authority?
"."
Lucia, who was standing next to him silently, spoke. It was as if she knew something.
"What is it?"
"That woman."
Lucia didn't seem pleased.
"She just communicated to me with her lips..."
"And?"
"She's received her authority as a Lord, but..."
"But?"
"Apparently it's a passive called 'Super Rich'."
"... Is that so?"
"It fits the woman, she's such a money-worm."
At that moment, Kang Chul-In nearly agreed with Lucia.
It wasn't because he actually thought Lee Chae-rin was like a worm.
Rather, it was because Lee Chae-rin was a woman whose passive was wealth, and she even owned the Nidavellir mines.
Now she had a new authority called Super Rich.
How rich was she trying to become, getting everything that was related to money and gold? For a relatively poor Lord like Kang Chul-In, it drove him crazy.
"But still... it's a good thing for us."
Lucia spoke, as if unsatisfied.
"The more money that woman gets, the more of benefit it is for us, milord. After all, the contract still has 9 years remaining in it."
"That's... true."
"I just hope that Butler Alfred won't ask for you to marry Lee Chae-rin for political reasons."
They said that a Lord and their secretary had similar thoughts, and this time, they shared the same exact thoughts.
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Kang Chul-In could almost hear Alfred nagging him to marry already.
Milord, Lord Lee Chae-rin is a great source of funding for our poor territory! Through this political marriage, we'll be able to make her into an even more dependable and closer ally!
"Lucia."
"Yes, milord?"
"For Alfred..."
"I'll keep it a secret, milord."
Lucia quickly answered.
"However..."
"He'll probably notice, in at least a year."
"That's true. If the money that comes from the Dorado territory increases, he's sure to have his doubts."
"Is there no way of stopping this?"
Deep worry filled the words of Kang Chul-In. Once Alfred began talking about marriage, even his mother Park Sun-ja would have to bow in defeat at the terrifying vampire.
"I think... there isn't a method. As this girl sees it, Butler Alfred has an extremely keen sense of intuition."
"Sigh, do I really need to hear his nagging then?"
"Maybe you should really marry this time, and have that wife be the mother of princess Arshelly..."
"Not yet."
Kang Chul-In shook his head at Lucia's words that weren't her true thoughts.
What women, I haven't even conquered Pangaea,was what Kang Chul-In was thinking.
[8th Place, Lord Dorian Explorer.]
As Kang Chul-In was thinking of Alfred, the awards kept going on.
[7th place, Lord Hecate.]
[6th Place, Lord Aleister.]
[5th Place, Lord Skadi Andvari.]
[4th Place, Lord Ao Xin.]
[3rd Place, Lord Albrecht Vilhelm.]
[2nd Place, Lord Baruk Al Yusuf.]
And finally.
[1st Place, Lord Kang Chul-In.]
It was Kang Chul-In's turn.
"."
Looking at Kang Chul-In, Lucia smiled brilliantly.
"Congratulations,. I knew that milord could do it. This Lucia feels that it's truly an honor to become the secretary of milord."
"Thanks."
"Milord, quickly go now. The throne of the Overlord is waiting for you."
"I'll be back soon."
Thanking Lucia who him, Kang Chul-In headed towards the throne.
[And now, there will be a ceremony for the 1st Ranked Lord of this meeting, Lord Kang Chul-In!]
When Kang Chul-In's turn came, things were drastically different.
Bang!
Bang, Bang!
A man with the head of a toad started to hit a large drum and filled the hall with its noises...
And the Immortal Vanguard who acted as guards also surrounded Kang Chul-In and bowed to him, leading the way to the throne.
And from the top of the hall, flower petals started to fall down. As expected, the honor of getting 1st place was different to all the others.
-Everyone, pay respects to the most vaunted Overlord!
As this message popped up.
Bang!
The knees of all the Lords dropped, as they started to bow towards Kang Chul-In.
-Overlord Kang Chul-In may now sit on the throne.
And at this, Kang Chul-In immediately started taking big steps, striding towards his throne.
And with his typical arrogant, yet confident face, he scanned the crowd of Lords.
It feels good.
All the Lords were on their knees, paying their respects to him.
It was a feeling that couldn't be described in words, but he felt as if he had been rewarded for all the hardships he had gone through in the past year.
At this moment, he felt like he wasn't just a lord, but an emperor.
The throne was comfortable.
On the other hand, it felt heavy.
Almost as if he were sitting on a seat of thorns.
He felt as if the things that the 1st ranked Lord required were weighing down on him.
This feeling, this sensation weighing down on me. It's not bad.
While he was thinking about these things, he also started experiencing changes.
-Your job has been updated to Overlord!
With this message, other messages started to pop up in front of Kang Chul-In, like water bursting out of a dam.
[Sky fortress Laputa has undergone an upgrade, and will become 30% bigger.]
[The level of the Magic Engineered Artificial Satellite has gone up by 2 (can now use the skills: Location System, and Pulse Wave.]
[The Lord shop will be upgraded from Level 2 to Level 3.]
[As a bonus, +3000 population (Man to woman 3:7 ratio)]
[As a bonus, the rate of birth in the territory will go up by +50%.]
[The number of wives that can be taken will go up by 3 (7 → 10)]
After all of these things that were related to the territory...
[Health +1000]
[Mana +1000]
Kang Chul-In's personal stats were also enhanced, and...
[You have connected to the Illusion network! The channel is number 1.]
He was able to connect to the Illusion network, which allowed communication between Lords.
Now there was no inconvenience such as having to send messengers or using Earth's internet.
As expected, the merits were great.
But that wasn't all.
[A reward will be given.]
The epic item that was only given to the 1st ranked Overlord was given to him as a reward.
[You have received an Epic Item!]
[Epic]
The trace of the Holy Light Sword.
A map that contains the traces of the Holy Light Sword, Mitra.
Oh!
Looking at the Epic item that was given to him, Kang Chul-In exclaimed in surprise.
Now that he had thrown the Ego Sword Kaiforce into the furnace, he needed a new sword anyway.
According to the arrogant Kaiforce, Mitra was the only sword that could compare against itself, which had attracted Kang Chul-In's attention in the first place. Since he had gotten a map that showed the traces of Mitra, he felt it was a good idea to look for it.
"Hmm..."
Looking at all the rewards given to him, Kang Chul-In smiled.
It was very satisfying.
Maybe it was because he had gotten 1st place in the First Lord meetings, the rewards weren't too shabby. It felt like they were better rewards than what he had gotten in his previous life.
The problem was...
Is the authority going to be given to me...
That the Overlord's authority wasn't yet given to him. That was the only sore spot he had. The bright light that had shone on the other Overlords had not yet shined upon him.
Well, I guess it might be a balance breaker.
Though he had inwardly been looking forward to it, it seemed like he had been too greedy.
It made sense that there was a penalty to the Soul Backup.
After all, he had received and used a ridiculous authority that had allowed him to time travel.
Such an authority, I don't need one.
Kang Chul-In cleanly gave up on receiving an authority.
As a man, sometimes he had to coolly give up some things that he wasn't able to get.
And even without the authority, wasn't he plenty strong enough already?
He hadn't gotten a great specialty in the previous timeline, yet he had managed to hold on to the title of 'the strongest Overlord'. Rather than relying on his authority, he was also confident in just brawling it out with his martial prowess.
I don't need an authority to rely on. With just my pure strength...
As Kang Chul-In was thinking to himself.
POW!
A bright light shined on him...
[You have received the authority of an Overlord.]
And a golden light started to surround him.
What is this supposed to mean?
Kang Chul-In face stiffened.
This wasn't like someone was late to pick him up. This was much more important; the moment when he was receiving the authority as an Overlord. He felt as if God was teasing him from above.
Then, the message concerning the authority popped up.
What the hell...
Kang Chul-In was astonished.
[You have received the authority: Skill Absorption!]
He had received the strongest, and most useful possible authority there was.
Chapter 127. Becoming Overlord (pt. 3)
Translator: Leyy3
This... How does this make sense?
That was the first thing that went across Kang Chul-In's head.
Why, or rather, how?
Absorption of other skills?
He had been able to proudly put a crown on himself, ranking 1st place among all the Lords.
The business he was running on Earth was going smoothly.
He had also made two trustworthy and powerful allies, namely Lee Chae-rin and Hecate.
As for martial prowess and brute strength, he would be hard-pressed to find someone that could even stand up to him.
Even though everything seemed perfect, he had still received a top-class authority called Skill Absorption?
The Soul-Backup was an authority that 'God' had given him.
Thinking about the events that had occurred within the Valhalla Dungeon, the only conclusion that Kang Chul-In could come up with was that this 'God' was aware of him, and was intentionally doing this for some reason.
Even if it weren't God, he was sure that this huge system knew that he had traveled back in time.
There must be a reason for this. An unknown reason.
It was obvious. Kang Chul-In wasn't an idiot who easily became happy when he was given something. He thought that by being given a ridiculous authority like this, there had to be severe risks that followed.
-----
[Overlord's authority: Skill Absorption.]
You can absorb the skills of other Lords, for example, the 'Specialties' of other Lords, or even their 'Authorities' to empower yourself.
Skill Level: 1 (Maximum: 5)
Use requirement 1: Can only use against other Lords.
Use requirement 2: Can only be used after completely suppressing an opponent.
Max. number of absorbable skills: 3 (Amount grows as level of authority increases.)
-Restrictions:
You can use the hidden skill 'transfer skill' once the authority reaches level 3.
In order to absorb another Overlord's authority, this authority has to be at least level 3 (can only absorb specialties at level 1 and 2)
If you go over the limit of the Max. number of absorbable skills, you will have to give up one of the original absorbed skills.
This authority is lost once the position of Overlord is lost.
-----
Though there are many requirements and restrictions, there was no doubt in the fact that this skill was overbalanced and way too overpowered.
There were too many uses for this ability.
He can use it to absorb another Lord's specialty or even authority and use it.
And when this authority reached level 3, he will be able to gain a hidden skill called 'skill transfer', which allows Kang Chul-In to also empower his subordinates and people around him.
How?
If the number of absorbed authorities or specialties went over the limit, instead of giving them up, he could just use the hidden skill to empower one of his subordinates. It was almost as if God was giving abilities to his angels.
Do they want me to become a Lord hunter or something?
Kang Chul-In smirked.
It said that this authority would only work against other Lords.
...Was there even another Authority that suited him better than this one?
After all, Kang Chul-In was already a specialist in hunting other Lords.
Though the intentions of God and the system are somewhat suspicious, the end result is great. They had made this authority tailor-fit to Kang Chul-In's personality and tendencies and gave it to him.
Maybe he knows.
Kang Chul-In stared at Akan, who was silently continuing the awards ceremony.
-....
Akan was wordless, solemnly doing his job.
And since he was surrounded by a bright light, it was impossible to see his expression, meaning that it was hard to read his thoughts.
What could you tell from someone without a face and just glowing eyes? The answer was, "nothing."
-The ceremony is over.
After Kang Chul-In's turn, the ceremony finished.
The seats disappeared one by one.
The throne also disappeared.
Hmph.
Though Kang Chul-In didn't want to get up from the throne, there was no choice. The only thing he could do was wait for the next Lord meetings, which came a year later.
-----
As all the events finished, the meetings finally started.
Or to be accurate, they were about to start, but Kang Chul-In's sudden actions stopped that from happening.
As the Lords were waiting and chatting amongst themselves in the short interval time before the meetings began, Kang Chul-In started walking towards the host of the Lord meetings, Akan.
"Hey, dog of God."
Kang Chul-In spoke, staring at Akan ferociously.
-....
"Shall we talk?"
-Overlord Kang Chul-In, I hope that you can focus on the meetings between the Lords today. Just because you are ranked 1st place doesn't mean that you have permission or the authority to delay the start of the meetings.
"No."
Kang Chul-In shook his head, while laughing.
"Though I don't have the authority to delay it, I do have the authority and the right to make it stop 1 second after it begins. After all, it is the role of 1st place to take control over the meetings."
This was correct.
Kang Chul-In was able to stop the meetings as soon as they started.
Though there would be quite a lot of people angry at him, he didn't care about that.
Considering he wasn't doing stuff such as forcing belief upon others like that psychopath Baruk Al Yusuf, it would be perfectly fine.
-And what do you get from doing that?
"The truth."
-.......
"We have a lot of things to talk about."
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-I don't know what you're talking about.
"You don't know me?"
-Are you not the leader of the Laputa territory, Overlord Kang Chul-In?
"Soul Backup. Valhalla dungeon."
-I still don't know what you're talking about.
"So you're going to pretend not to know?"
-No matter what you think, or where you felt suspicions, it's your job to solve those things by yourself. I am only the host of the Lord meetings within Pangaea, and I actually do not know about the ongoings of the Lords. Even if I did know, it would still be prohibited for me to interfere with their business.
Akan was impossible to see through.
Is it really impossible for me to get the answer from him...
Of course, Kang Chul-In wasn't really looking to get an answer from Akan. He just felt like he wouldn't lose anything even if he didn't get anything in the first place, so he had asked.
-But...
Akan added.
-Since everything that happens in Pangaea to you is all due to the omnipotent god, it makes sense that you would pay attention to even the smallest details, in order to get answers.
Though it wasn't an answer, Akan gave counsel.
-There are a lot of ears and eyes here. They are all geared towards you, so maybe it's time for you to quickly go and focus on the meeting instead.
As Akan had said, quite a lot of the Lords were staring at him. There were even those trying to get close to them to hear what they were saying.
"Of course."
Kang Chul-In nodded his head.
"I don't have any intention to talk to you any longer."
It was enough now.
If he hadn't gotten a response after asking like this, he never would get one.
In order to get the answer from Akan, Kang Chul-In needed to be strong to control this whole area. That, or be able to think of something in order to get rid of the nerfs that he suffered from.
With that, he could beat up Akan or even torture him in order to get the answers he wanted.
But not right now.
Thinking of the future, Kang Chul-In walked away.
I'll definitely get ready for this, just you wait.
Kang Chul-In started thinking of all the ways he could 'beat' the system. That was how much he cared about the reasons behind the Valhalla dungeon, as well as the reason behind his rewards.
------
"I will finish the meetings here."
Kang Chul-In spoke.
"..."
"...."
Astonishment filled the eyes of the other Lords who sat down.
Not even 1 minute had passed since the Lord meetings started when Kang Chul-In spoke.
And he was going to finish it just like that?
It was astonishing.
With a somewhat stiff and angry face, Andrei Ivanovic spoke.
"I think it's a little bit too early..."
"I also agree."
The Chinese Lord Ao Xin spoke up.
"Why? I think this is good. Isn't everyone tired right now? I want to go back, and drink some more alcohol before going to sleep."
"I agree."
Hecate and Lee Chae-rin supported Kang Chul-In's words.
It was possible for them to agree since they were of the same party.
Meanwhile, Albrecht Vilhelm was on extremely shaky terms with Alex Rothschild.
For Albrecht, Rothschild being given a chance to talk wasn't a good thing. It was because as soon as he was given a chance to speak, Rothschild would most likely think of an excuse, and gain the trust of some of the Lords again.
He didn't care about what really happened between Kang Chul-In and Alex Rothschild. What was important for him was Alex Rothschild shouldn't be given a chance to speak.
It would be beneficial for him, since the two of them were currently fighting over Skadi's territory.
He definitely didn't want to give Rothschild an opportunity to change his image for the better.
This cheeky bastard.
Looking at Albrecht Vilhelm who seemed deep in thought, Kang Chul-In smirked.
His reason for doing this was also the same as Albrecht. It was his way of not letting Alex Rothschild have an opportunity to talk.
"Ah, I think everyone's misunderstanding something here."
Though Kang Chul-In was inwardly laughing, his face stiffened. He had to go through things that he deemed necessary after all.
"What happens within this meeting is all on my authority. Don't overstep your boundaries and tell me what to do."
Basically, he was saying: shut up, and mind your own business.
"Now, as I said, it's over. Everyone rest, and get ready to return to your own territories."
And saying this, Kang Chul-In looked back towards Akan.
"We're finished."
-....
Akan also seemed flustered for the first time. He hadn't thought that Kang Chul-In would actually just immediately end the meetings.
"Aren't you going to work, messenger of God?"
-...We will finish the Lord Meetings here.
As Akan spoke, everything around them disappeared. It was really over now.
"Ha! You're just doing whatever the hell you want!"
Someone got angry. It was a lower ranked Lord, 'Mr. Wu.'
"I'm doing whatever I want?"
Kang Chul-In asked.
"Of course you are! Even if you are admittedly 1st in the Lord rankings, isn't this a little too much?"
"If you're that angry, then get 1st place yourself."
Kang Chul-In retorted.
"W-What... you..."
"If you're angry at me for doing whatever I want to as 1st place, then why don't you become 1st place? Then you can do whatever the hell you want."
Though Kang Chul-In's words were true, it was still humiliating for Mr. Wu who was ranked at the lower end of the rankings.
"...Just you wait."
"Wow, I'm so scared!"
Said Kang Chul-In, without batting an eyelash.
"Y-You...."
Kang Chul-In wasn't just strong physically, but he was also good at talking trash. He knew how to piss someone off easily.
[There are 3 minutes remaining before you must return. Time remaining for the closing of Akan's hall: 2:59... 2:58... 2:57...]
And with that, the Lord meetings were truly over.
"Ah, you're Aleister, right?"
Before they returned, Kang Chul-In called out to Aleister.
"Overlord Kang Chul-In, do you also appreciate the beauty of the undead?"
Aleister answered, with his typical necrophiliac behavior. "Ridiculous pervert," "psychopath," and "crazy maniac." These were the titles that best described who Aleister was.
"Of course."
But surprisingly, Kang Chul-In nodded his head.
"I-Is that so?"
"I'm thinking of making a deal with you. It's one that's related to making new undead."
"Oh! If it's something like that, then it's welcome anytime!"
"I'm thinking of making some phantom steeds."
"Huk!"
To those words Kang Chul-In uttered, Aleister gasped.
"You... don't tell me you possess death knights!?"
A phantom steed was a ghost horse, and they were the main way of travel for a death knight.
In order to effectively use a death knight in battle, phantom steeds were definitely necessary.
"Is it possible, or maybe not. I'll give you a lot of gold for them.
"Very well!"
If there was a slight trick in Kang Chul-In's words it would be that the phantom steeds were for his specter knights and not death knights, but Kang Chul-In didn't let that be known.
"Contact me anytime. My illusion network channel is number 6!"
"Mine is number 1. I'll contact you soon."
"Kuhahaha!"
Aleister laughed crazily, as if he were truly happy.
[10...9...8...]
Just when they were about to return.
"Ah, do I really have to go back to becoming a slave..."
Dorian was depressed again.
He seemed to be quite down, thinking of the fact that he was to live among the pack of the werewolves again.
"Kang Chul-In, help me. You will help me, right?"
[5...4...3...]
"Instead of asking me to help, shouldn't you be telling me where the hell you are? So that I can actually help?"
Kang Chul-In spoke stiffly.
"Ah!"
Dorian hit his own head.
"Now that I think about it, I haven't... Ah! Noooo!"
[Akan's hall has been closed.]
Before Dorian could finish his words, the Lords were split apart again.
The idiot was an idiot till the very end.
------
"Stupid bastard."
Kang Chul-In teased as he returned to the Laputa territory.
"Pft, Lord Dorian truly is quite funny."
Lucia laughed.
"Milord!"
It was at that moment.
"Trouble, there's big trouble!"
The goblin ex-secretary Timothy found Kang Chul-In and shouted in a hysterical manner.
"There's a devil! A devil has appeared!"
Chapter 128. An Uninvited Guest in the Middle of the Night (Pt. 1)
Translator: Leyy3
At Timothy's sudden report, Kang Chul-In didn't know what to say.
What? A devil?
This wasn't some sort of wuxia novel. Did the Demon God come back from life and return to start a revolution or something?
Even though Pangaea was also just a fantasy previously, it was still hard to believe that things like devils existed.
"Explain it carefully."
Kang Chul-In said, focusing.
"That... last night, a soldier called Pluto who was patrolling near Furnace 0 started to rampage around, holding the sword that Milord used before..."
"You mean Kaiforce."
"Yes, sire."
"Huu..."
Kang Chul-In pressed his forehead.
He was tired.
He had just spent the last 10 hours in the Lord meetings and was tired, but that stupid sword just couldn't let him take a break.
It said in the description that it had infinite durability...
It was said that Kaiforce was indestructible and that it wouldn't change or rust no matter what. Kang Chul-In didn't think that Kaiforce would actually be able to stay in the furnace for that long, and still be completely fine.
"So, what happened after. Actually, tell me the casualties first."
Kang Chul-In asked calmly. The most important thing was the people lost.
"So far, there are no dead."
"And the injured?"
"There are a total of 291 people that have suffered injuries, both major and minor."
"Tell me only about the serious injuries."
"There are 3 blacksmiths who have suffered severe injuries, and a soldier who was patrolling with Pluto who is also severely injured. Other than them, I suppose that around 50 more soldiers have suffered from big injuries."
"Has there been harm to any of the officials?"
"Sir James and Michael have also been injured, and they are currently being treated right now."
"James and Michael?!"
Kang Chul-In was astonished.
Commander James of Laputa and Michael of the White Lion Knights have been training harder than ever during this winter and had made great progress. And since they had also gotten help from Kang Chul-In personally visiting them and teaching them, they had improved by leaps and bounds.
And these two had gotten injured. It meant that Pluto who was controlled by Kaiforce was extremely dangerous.
"Yes, Milord."
Timothy nodded his head.
"Oh, and also I think it would be right to reward General Drakan."
"Drakan? What about him."
"If not for the fact that General Drakan was also coincidentally nearby, they say that the casualties would have been worse."
"We can talk about that after this case is over. So what about now? Is he still rampaging around the territory?"
"No, sire."
"Then what's happening?"
"Currently, General Drakan, Sir Podolski, and Sir Nilus along with the White Lion knights have made a group that are currently chasing down the devil."
"Where is he?"
Kang Chul-In decided to go on this chase himself.
"They say that the man has ran off to the west, but it's already been 3 hours since they started the chase, so..."
"Alright."
Nodding his head, Kang Chul-In rode on top of the Altaica.
-Krrr....
And as if showing it was ready, the Altaica roared happily.
"Always focus on saving the people that are wounded. Never forget to tell them that they should be kept alive at all costs. And also, make a detailed report on this case, and make sure to treat the injured well. I don't want them to feel angry because I'm making them work so long and not being responsible towards them."
"Yes, Milord."
"Alright. Kitty, let's go."
Pulling on the ears of the Altaica, Kang Chul-In got ready.
"Milord... you're going to go help the chase?"
"Of course. This is my job. While I was absent from the office, this occurred. I'll have to see this through 'til the end."
Kang Chul-In didn't want to dodge this responsibility.
It was definitely his fault for underestimating Kaiforce. Though it was a 'scrap piece of metal' for him, he knew that it was still a terrifying thing for others.
That stupid piece of junk... How dare you hurt my citizens!
Kang Chul-In ground his teeth in anger.
If he couldn't put him inside the furnace?
Then he could throw it into the deep sea, where deep-sea beings like the Leviathan race lived. He was going to make sure to never let that stupid bastard see the light of the sun again.
"Let's
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go!"
Pulling on the Altaica's ear once more...
-Krrr!
The Altaica dashed outside like lightning.
Bang!
Though the problem was that once again, they had broken the window.
"...It seems that Milord thinks that this window is some sort of escape route."
"Sigh. Exactly... I don't think he knows how much repairing the window costs every month."
Timothy shook his head.
-------------
Long story short, Kang Chul-In was unable to catch Kaiforce.
It was impossible now.
Though Kang Chul-In atop the Altaica chased at ferocious speeds, Kaiforce and Pluto were long gone, out of their reach.
"This rat-like bastard...!"
It was a problem that they had returned too late.
If Kang Chul-In was inside the territory when this incident happened he would have let Kaiforce taste hell, but... since they had run off after Kang Chul-In had returned, there was nothing he could do.
"Huuu..."
It was now 3 days after that. Kang Chul-In sat on his office chair sighing, with Alfred comforting him.
"Milord, I do think that you should let go of what happened there... After all, it is difficult for you to catch those who really want to run away with their lives. Not to mention the fact that they had already started their escape 3 hours prior to your return..."
"Of course I know that. But still, it isn't easy..."
Kang Chul-In hated when he let go of things that he once had.
"Even still, isn't it entirely possible that you're going to catch that devil soon anyway? A devil is definitely going to cause problems wherever it goes. It'll be quite easy to track if it goes around making a mess wherever it goes."
Alfred's words made sense.
"Butler Alfred's words make sense."
Lucia also agreed with what Alfred said.
"I think that the reason Milord cares so much about the disappearance of Kaiforce is not the sword itself, but the destruction it caused towards the citizens of Laputa, am I right? In reality, Milord doesn't care about that stupid piece of metal."
That was true.
Kang Chul-In didn't really have personal feelings towards Kaiforce, and he was just pissed off at the fact that someone or something had hurt his citizens.
Kang Chul-In wasn't a loser that cared about something that he had already thrown away. If Kaiforce had ran away without anyone knowing, Kang Chul-In might have waved him farewell saying 'good-bye, you defect!'
"Milord, you don't possess two bodies. How will it be possible to take care of everything that happens within the territory? You should look at something that helps calm you down. Here."
And saying that, Alfred handed Kang Chul-In the head of Rothschild.
"Hmm..."
Staring at the dead Rothschild, Kang Chul-In touched his beardless chin, and became the normal Kang Chul-In again. Even though he didn't know why, just staring at the dead face of Rothschild allowed Kang Chul-In to have an endorphin rush.
"I'll remember this for later. Lucia."
"Yes, Milord?"
"Tell Timothy to prepare for a mourning within the territory for the dead soldiers, and make sure that you raise the status of the dead's family into nobles."
"Yes, milord."
"Thanks, Lucia. You're always so busy for me."
"It's nothing, milord. Now, I'll get going."
Lucia left the office quickly, after Kang Chul-In's orders.
"It seems like you were angry after what I did to you..."
Kang Chul-In murmured, drinking a glass of whiskey.
"That bastard... I'll beat you up when I get my hands on you. I'll definitely make you regret that you took the body of... Why are you laughing?"
Looking at Alfred, Kang Chul-In's face stiffened.
Alfred's expression was somewhat 'strange'.
He was looking at Kang Chul-In and smiling, as if a grandparent were looking at their grandchildren, making Kang Chul-In feel somewhat unsettled.
"Well... You've changed, milord."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, Milord. If it were like the past, you wouldn't have spared anything to go and look for that devil. No matter how messed up the territory was... If not 3 days, a week. If not a week, a month. If not a month, a year. I'm sure that's how the past Kang Chul-In would have reacted to this incident."
Alfred spoke of Kang Chul-In in his previous life when he had done whatever he wanted, just relying on his ridiculous power and strength.
Kang Chul-In of that time was an absolutely 'terrifying' Lord.
Otherwise, why would even the citizens of that Valhalla territory be afraid to raise their heads to face their Lord during a parade?
"You've become... much warmer."
Alfred spoke with a smile.
"You have learned how to calm your rage, and also how to look after the citizens. In truth... this one has always been worried."
"Always?"
"Yes, I was always worried when Milord would go ballistic, and go on a rampage. Actually, it would be more accurate to say scared than worried. When Milord went on a bloody rampage killing people, it was safe to say that I would be the one unable to sleep at night, in fear."
This was a serious conversation that they had never had in their past life.
"It sounds to me as if you're saying I've gotten rusty."
Kang Chul-In's face was still stiff.
"Huhu... No, that's not true. The current you fits more like a true Lord. Even now, Milord is tough and ruthless enough as it is. It's just that the previous Kang Chul-In was... a little too..."
"Ehem..."
Kang Chul-In and Alfred both coughed, not looking at each other.
"Anyway. This is a truly good improvement. A tyrant does not go on for very long. This one hopes that Milord truly becomes a conquest Lord, and not just a tyrant."
At Alfred's words, Kang Chul-In had to nod. It made sense.
But...
"Something's off."
There was something that didn't make sense.
"You're a vampire, and a true vampire at that. How is it possible for you to 'not be able to sleep'? That doesn't make sense."
"E-Ehem... Milord, another glass of whiskey here."
Alfred pretended to be deaf.
This shameless old man...
Kang Chul-In was speechless.
------
At a late hour, Kang Chul-In put Arshelly to bed, and went to his office.
But...
"Overlord Kang Chul-In."
Someone came out from the darkness, and blocked the path of Kang Chul-In. It was an unexpected, and uninvited visitor.
"I have something to... Ack!"
That person suddenly screamed.
"How dare you?"
Kang Chul-In roared, grabbing the person's neck as if he were about to snap it.
"And whose authority do you have to go around my house, and my territory as you please?"
Since the 'guest' was struggling for breath under the iron grip of Kang Chul-In, the hood that covered their face fell off.
"P-Please... L-Let go of me first... I-I came to ask for..."
"....You were alive?"
Kang Chul-In seemed astonished.
This uninvited and unexpected guest that had come was Skadi Andvari, whom Kang Chul-In thought was already dead.