"Hmph."
In a corner of the square, Ash and Serenade, who were dancing away from the gaze of others, caught Evangeline's eye.
Evangeline, who was resting her chin on her hand and looking displeased, grumbled.
"They make quite a handsome couple."
"..."
Lucas took a glance at the seemingly disgruntled Evangeline and took a sip from his drink.
"Why the long face, Miss?"
"I'm not upset..."
Evangeline pouted.
"I'm just... jealous."
"Jealous?"
"Just look at Lady Serenade. Stunningly beautiful, competent, smart, and even heads the Merchant Guild."
Evangeline exaggeratedly stretched her short arms and let out a sigh.
"I can't even play the game right now... Ugh. I wish I could grow up to be like that. I wonder if it's possible."
"...You're not referring to that saying, are you, Evangeline?"
"Which saying?"
"The one about a sparrow trying to follow a crane and splitting its thighs..."
"Ugh! Instead of cheering me on, you're mocking me! Just you wait and see!"
Evangeline, jumping to her feet, clenched her fist.
"In a few years, you'll be surprised! I, Evangeline Cross, will be as impressive as Lady Serenade. Then we'll see who's laughing!"
"..."
Lucas, observing the youthful face of the shouting Evangeline, coolly replied.
"Well, hang in there."
"Oh, come on! Why so dry?"
"Because, no matter how old you get, you always seem like a kid to me..."
Evangeline lunged at Lucas, attempting to bite him. Lucas narrowly managed to push her away and mumbled.
"On another note, Lady Serenade has changed quite a bit."
"What? She has?"
"Yeah, she used to be more..."
As Lucas was reminiscing, his voice trailed off because the final fireworks of the festival lit up the sky.
Boom! Whizz...!
The grand finale fireworks burst, and the crowd in the square erupted into applause and cheers.
From a corner of the square, Ash and Serenade, who had stopped dancing, were seen exchanging pleasantries.
Evangeline, with a sound that was almost like a groan of jealousy, murmured, "Must be nice to be in a relationship," and Lucas chuckled, finishing off his drink.
***
The festival had ended.
Leaving the bustling streets after the festival, I sat in my mansion's office.
While the heat of the festival still lingered in my body, I tried to cool my head.
'Now that I've completed up to Stage 10, it's time to assess the current situation.'
I tapped the paper in front of me with a pen, jotting down the status of our efforts and the challenges ahead.
'Firstly, the status of our troops.'
Starting with the heroes.
Main party. Penal Squad. Shadow Squad. Lilly. Margarita. And three reserve sub-parties leveling up in the lower dungeon areas.
'We're more short on hero parties than I expected.'
Only two parties were ready for immediate action.
The Shadow Squad consisted of only three members. Lilly and Margarita are not field operatives. The rest are reserve parties.
'I need to reinforce.'
Currently, there are two parties with connections to the monster frontline. The Holy Grail Seekers and the elite guards of Dusk Bringar.
However, the recruitment period and conditions for these groups are yet to be finalized.
Without counting on their recruitment, I should continue to obtain and train other heroes.
'Next, the regular soldiers.'
Although I had successfully secured close to a thousand soldiers through consistent recruitment, over two hundred had fallen in the last defensive battle.
Regular soldiers can't rapidly level up and boost their specs like heroes.
They need to patiently gain experience on the battlefield to truly become veterans.
'We can't afford another disaster like the last stage.'
I bit my lower lip slightly.
Fortunately, the recruitment of heroes and soldiers was gradually becoming smoother. Certainly, the number of mercenaries visiting Crossroad had increased compared to the early stages.
'Come to think of it, wasn't it Jupiter's old party who said they'd spread the word?'
I suddenly remembered the words of the fallen old soldier.
He had promised to spread the word across the lands about how well the monster frontline treated mercenaries.
Could it be that the rumor is spreading far and wide across the continent?
Although I couldn't confirm, the ease of recruiting mercenaries was undeniable.
As the number of cleared dungeons increased, so did the number of dungeons available for farming and leveling.
I need to systematically train heroes and soldiers and provide them with equipment.
After briefly outlining the future training plans for heroes and soldiers, I moved on.
'City management and operations.'
The Silver Winter Merchant Guild had arrived to handle the distribution of magic stones and even paved the roads. Now, I could dispose of the magic stones that had been in stock.
After supplying about half to the Imperial Family, a significant quantity remained.
If the Silver Winter Merchant Guild sells this throughout the continent, it could generate a considerable revenue.
'It was about time the budget got tight. This is perfect timing.'
Operating a city, especially a fortress city with a military focus, was astronomically expensive, almost like a water-drinking hippopotamus.
I had been spending more to ensure the welfare of the mercenaries.
But if the Silver Winter Merchant Guild manages the magic stone inventory, it would be a huge relief.
With more monsters appearing and an expected increase in magic stone income, I might worry less about finances.
'With the secured budget, kick off large-scale construction projects.'
Building forward bases.
Tourist city plans.
Both projects were just starting, and they'll burn through cash.
But the forward base is essential for city security, and the tourist city project is vital for luring in (recruiting) high-ranking heroes. Let's proceed with them.
I also had to account for other costs, like winter preparations and importing food from nearby cities during the harvest season. I roughly estimated these costs.
I'll have to refine these numbers later with that Aider guy.
Alright. The allies' part, concerning heroes and the city, seemed to be settled for now.
Next, the enemies.
'Monsters and dungeons.'
The current dungeon capture situation.
All dungeons up to Zone 5 had been cleared. Only parts of Zone 6 were cleared, and for Zone 7, only the "Wolf's Den" at the entrance had been completed.
'Let's aim to clear all of Zone 6 first.'
From Zone 6 onward, it's the deep parts of the dungeon, often referred to as the Deep Hell.
Compared to previous zones, I need to proceed more meticulously, thoroughly, and diligently.
Advancing rapidly, as we had been doing, would become more challenging, but the rewards for overcoming these challenges would also increase.
'I'll proceed patiently, one step at a time.' I briefly mapped out the remaining areas of Zone 6 and planned my strategy.
'And then... the Nightmare Legion commanders.'
I frowned as I thought of the named monsters.
Three Nightmare Legion commanders had fallen: Orlop, Celendion, and Lunared.
Two were encountered but remained: Salome and Raven.
'There must be others we haven't even seen yet...'
It wasn't hard to guess who the unseen Nightmare Legion commanders might be, as there were only a few named monsters of this caliber in the game.
I quickly wrote down the strategies for dealing with the named monsters I had encountered in the game.
Not only in the defensive battles, but we would also have to confront them in the dungeons. It was essential to ensure the party members were well-prepared for any encounters since we never knew which monster we might face next.
After wrapping up the notes on dungeons and monsters, I took a long, deep breath and slowly lifted my head.
'And then, what will happen next.'
The biggest event in the second year: Fernandez's rebellion.
A significant event that would entirely change the course of world history.
I instructed Serenade to discreetly monitor and understand the situation in the Imperial Capital.
The rebellion was set to occur in the next few months. It was inevitable, and there was no way to prevent it.
'The Emperor is in deep slumber, and Prince Lark, the first heir, is at the western front. Prince Fernandez, the second heir, holds the reins of the empire as the chief administrator and also commands the secret army.'
The rebellion had been in the works for several years.
When I visited the Imperial Capital, I considered trying to stop it, but Fernandez already had the entire capital in his grasp.
Even if I, a little lucky bastard, had attempted to expose him, people would have trusted and supported Fernandez, who had earned their trust as the chief administrator.
I would've probably been silently removed by Fernandez.
More importantly, I'm the commander of the monster frontlines.
My focus is on the monsters. The internal strife over the throne within the empire isn't my concern.
'With Fernandez's rebellion, the empire will be split in two.'
In the game, you had to negotiate between Lark and Fernandez's divided factions to maximize benefits.
Initially, I intended to do the same. To extract the most support from both sides and exploit them to the fullest.
The imperial support troops were potent.
Considering the significant role just one party from Reina played in the last five defense battles, receiving more elite soldier parties from the empire would be immensely helpful for the upcoming strategy.
'But aligning with one faction means becoming politically subservient to them.'
And these support troops would gradually try to bring the frontline under their control.
So, when I visited the Imperial Capital, I changed my mind and declared my independence.
I would no longer accept support from the royal family. At the same time, I would step back from their power struggles and battles for the throne.
In exchange for giving up all the benefits obtainable from the Imperial Family, what could I gain?
'I'd rally the "Fallen Kings", with Dusk Bringar at the forefront.'
The Fallen Kings.
Those who had lost their nations to the empire, now wandering as refugees and mercenaries, their royalty, their knights. The enslaved creatures who were forcibly subordinated by the empire.
Each roamed with their own hidden grievances. I intended to recruit them as mercenaries for our frontline.
'It was only a theoretical strategy in the game.'
The so-called 'Horde of Outsiders' strategy.
A romantic dream team recruitment strategy that primarily aimed at recruiting wandering mercenaries, especially those tagged as 'King,' 'Chieftain,' or 'Lord'.
If I could unite these "Fallen Kings" into one organization, in theory, they'd form an army more potent than the sum total of all the support troops one could get from the royal family.
It made sense considering the individual parties of these Fallen Kings were powerful in data terms. After all, they were the last remnants of entire nations.
But gathering them into one army was a challenge of a different caliber.
Each had a difficult temperament, none wanting to be subordinate to another, and most importantly, the majority held grudges against the empire.
I'd tried this a few times in the game, but always failed.
These kings would readily betray, starting rebellions, creating chaos, and because of their personal grudges, they often fought among themselves.
'But I'll make it work.'
This strategy, although difficult, was the ultimate and most potent cultivation method in theory.
To reach the true ending, conventional strategies would inevitably hit a wall.
So, I'd fly, performing aerial acrobatics.
I would persuade, negotiate, and win over these strong-willed individuals who wouldn't bow to anyone and rally them under my banner.
'Recruiting the Dragon Lady is the start.'
The Dragon Lady - Dusk Bringar.
The most formidable among all the Fallen Kings and the key to this plan.
Thinking of the petite queen who had come to play during the festival, I smirked internally.
'5 vs 5 PVP? That's a joke. I'll definitely take her down.'
Initially, I intended to recruit her covertly while minding the Imperial Family's sentiments. But now there was no need.
Soon the royal family would be too occupied with their internal strife, the impending split due to Fernandez's rebellion.
The same applied to the other Fallen Kings. With Fernandez's rebellion nearing, I'd accelerate the construction of the 'Horde of Outsiders'.
"Sigh."
As I wrapped up my situation assessment and future planning, dawn was breaking.
I frowned, looking at the rising sun.
"Damn, I haven't finished checking the equipment items for the kids..."
Grumbling, I took out a new piece of paper and began laying out a new equipment plan.
Pulling an all-nighter wasn't new to me. During my streaming days, I frequently hosted 24-hour broadcasts under the motto 'Go big or go home.'
Frantically jotting down magic core numbers, equipment estimates, farming plans, a thought crossed my mind.
Though the festival was certainly fun,
Being engrossed in strategy now felt even more comforting.
Maybe I truly belonged on the frontlines.
"..."
Shaking off the stray thought, I continued with the equipment plan. First on the list...
'Exclusive equipment for Lucas and Evangeline!'
The exclusive equipment that completes an SSR-grade hero character.
It was finally time to equip our two knights with these.