Episode 273 < Subtext. (3) >
“Um, you’re protecting me? … … “Are you an elderly person?”
“Hmm.”
Geomseong nodded vigorously.
“Don’t think that it will be difficult to protect someone because of this person’s age.”
“No, not me. You didn’t even get it… … .”
well. Looking at the beautifully contoured trapezius muscles that are revealed through the collar of a dress shirt just by nodding, one wonders whether physical age is a yardstick for this person.
“Don’t even panic. Didn’t you say it yourself? “As long as your life is alive, neither the Black Dragon Master nor others will return to the old ways.”
“Open car class? Who is this, the car repair team? iced coffee. Are you talking about that old man who goes around cutting up murderers with a knife once every ten days? Gongja Kim. As the leader of the Black Dragon, my specialty is gathering information about people. Oh my goodness. Interestingly, the list of people this old man killed and the circumstances of the incident are kept in a secret safe that only I can enter. Why don’t we look at them together later?”
“I’m glad my list is still small enough to fit in the safe. Black Dragon Lord. “Your list is so long that you’ll have to rent an entire building.”
“I recorded it on a USB stick, not on paper! Who wouldn’t be an old man!”
You guys are really bad… .
“Ohh!”
Could the sound of two people arguing be heard far away? As if the Heretic Questioner had already approached me, he was making exclamations behind my back. Well, it’s probably because he used [Sacred Art – Transmission] to transfer right away.
“The unshakable first-ranking Sword Saint and the undisputed second-ranking Death King. Although the two appear to be maintaining a peaceful relationship at first glance, the residents of the tower are interested in how it will end. A bodyguard! “This feels like news.”
The Heretic Questioner smiled, nodded, nodded, and moved.
Although he had an angelic face as usual, the Heretic Questioner was being scolded by the Sanwa children just a moment ago. Rinse the tentacles. Following the guidance of the laws of physics, the Sanwa tribe’s slime was transferred and buried in the Heretic Questioner, and thanks to this, whenever the Heretic Questioner nodded, slime was flowing down from his face.
Rumbling, rumbling, rumbling.
“uh. Bambolina, I’m sorry, but if you just leave me a little bit… … .”
“Ahaha! If the Sword Saint becomes the Death King’s bodyguard, everyone will know! “Which of the two has the upper hand!”
Clap!
The Heretic Questioner spread his arms and smiled broadly. The children’s bodily fluids that he had stored in his arms, an aloe-like mucus unique to the Sanwa tribe, were shot out all at once like bullets. Of course, the person hit was me, who was right in front of the Heretic Questioner.
“…….”
It’s an attack that will improve your skin.
“It was almost time for the Death King’s forces to appear at the forefront. Let’s make [the number one person in the rankings recruited as a bodyguard] a symbolic event and explode it right now!”
“yes? “What are you blowing?”
I asked, covering my entire body with aura and slowly evaporating the mucus.
“Of course, it is true that the Death King has unprecedented power in this tower!”
“…….”
“Death King is already the hero of the tower, but he has a strong image of a warrior. This is where the image making of the Black Dragon Master shines! But now we also need to have the image of a monarch or leader. Haha. “Let’s say he is the king of the tower.”
“No, not really. There’s a reason why… … .”
“Because that’s the truth. “My master.”
The Heretic Questioner smiled brightly.
“…….”
I looked around feeling a strange sensation.
For some reason, the Black Dragon Master and the Sword Saint stopped arguing and were looking this way.
quietly.
Looking back, I saw the Count, who was having tea with the fairies from afar, as well as our family’s vassals, including Esther. A paladin who was swimming with mermaids. Two people even made eye contact with me.
“…….”
uh.
what. This atmosphere?
“Gongja Kim. “This scoundrel old man told you earlier.”
While the world around me fell into unfamiliar silence, Anastasia opened her lips.
“I was testing you.”
“…….”
“I may feel sorry for saying this, but your old friend is not the only one who tested you. me. And all of us. “I was keeping an eye on you.”
I once heard a similar story.
They kept watching to see if I was worthy of being their [colleague].
But you may have already passed that test. why… … .
“Do you really have what it takes to be our [leader]?”
“…….”
“Because I have a friend like you. I’m glad to have you as a colleague. Good luck. However, we cannot accept misfortune as a mere accident or good luck as mere joy.”
“Because we lead people.”
Let’s go.
The sound of wet footsteps rang out.
“Black dragon. Pantheon. Sangryeon. Cheon Mu-moon. vigilante corps.”
He was a paladin.
The paladin was standing on a wide rock. My whole body was soaked, probably because I enjoyed swimming with the Saegi family. The paladin grabbed the moisture from his hair and pulled it out. Drops of water fell on the rock where we were gathered.
“Under him, there are 13 mid-sized guilds, including the Alchemy Castle. Although it wasn’t officially announced, there are actually four guilds that are like direct subordinates. “The number of guilds working under our subcontracts reaches hundreds, and if we trace our subcontracts again, they can encompass the entire city of Babylon.”
“…….”
“Becoming our business partner is easy. Becoming our comrade is difficult. Being our friend is even more difficult. “You did a difficult job.”
“so.”
The Black Dragon Master took over.
Accordingly, my eyes moved and turned to her.
“I thought maybe [something a little more difficult] might be possible.”
“I expected it.”
The paladin spoke again.
“There is no other reason why we maintained the five major guild system after carrying out a major purge. This is to keep each other in check. Almost everyone who lives in the tower belongs to a guild, or is a [member].”
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“Let the five major guilds, each with comparable power and expertise, cooperate with each other and compete at the same time. In addition, let’s protect the personal, property rights, and safety of those in the guild.”
“Which guild to join, leave, or rejoin, all depends on the freedom of the residents. Guilds that do not make money will naturally decline, and guilds that do not share money will naturally disappear.”
“Under that idea, we created the tower system.”
“To put it another way.”
“I wasn’t confident in being alone.”
The paladin spoke softly.
“I am confident that I will not be corrupted.”
“…….”
“If I had been given the power to subdue the black dragon, I would have gladly put him in prison. They must have punished all stores, stores, and information stores that operated on the borderline between legal and illegal, by defining them as the cancer of the tower. “During that execution, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to sustain myself.”
“I have prepared scenarios to assassinate all hunters from the 1st to the 10th.”
The Black Dragon Master said.
“It hasn’t been implemented yet since the Great Purge.”
“…….”
“If Black Dragon had been the only 1st guild and not one of the 5th guild, I myself wonder whether they would have really put it into practice. No matter how much he thinks of himself as a person with strong self-control, that self-control comes from the presence of others.”
Meow.
A cat’s cry was heard from Valville.
A calico cat with the body of a cat and the eyes of a cat, but whose eyes were not those of an animal, opened its mouth.
“You know we didn’t trust each other very much. But the reason we haven’t fallen to the point where we start a civil war is because we don’t really believe in ourselves.”
“Yes.”
Geomseong said.
“In the end, we only look human by wearing a single-lidded mask.”
“…….”
“Death King. “I tested to see what you were like.”
test.
What test are you talking about?
Since when?
“There were quite a few times when we got together and talked about you while you were away.”
“When on earth…” … .”
“After the Great Library of All Things is cleared and before entering the 30th floor. We conducted various background investigations on you, including your spending habits, the people you meet, and the attitude you show when meeting unfamiliar people. “I researched and shared almost everything.”
Information research is my specialty.
“The Black Dragon Master said calmly.
“that… “Isn’t this an invasion of privacy?”
“huh. sorry. I’m truly sorry for the infringement. Ah, I really am the worst human being, prying into my colleagues. Vice leader of the vigilante group? “I committed the crime of tracking down someone’s background. Will you arrest me?”
“hmm. “I declare my innocence.”
“Oh, what should I do? Gongja Kim. Not guilty. “I’ll just say I’m sorry and move on.”
“…….”
Guaaazinc.
Certainly, my colleagues and friends were guild leaders who wielded omnipotent power in the tower… .
“don’t worry. “I just confirmed once again that your private life is spotlessly clean.”
“I just feel like a list of contradictory words… ?”
“I also confirmed that you are writing a diary every night to show to Duke Ivansia. Count yourself lucky that the contents of the diary never got into my hands. I was really worried about whether or not to order my subordinates to find out the details… .”
“hello? Anastasia? Are you crazy? Did you turn?”
“Ah, but I found out that the first sentence is always the same. Loving… .”
“Let’s break off ties!! Bring back the friendship memorandum! right now!”
“… … Anyway, the conclusion is that you are a person with two sides.”
The paladin smiled bitterly.
“But having the same front and back is not enough. If we make you a leader, there are certain qualities a leader needs. “What humiliates us as a human being is only a secondary issue.”
“I’m not even trying to question political power.”
A calico cat hung on the paladin’s calf as if it was familiar.
Then the paladin accepted the cat with both arms, and the count cat spoke in the paladin’s arms.
“I have learned that it is best to leave politics to the experts. The Holy Knight handles security, the Black Dragon Lord handles internal affairs, and you handle the economy. If you need a shoulder once in a while, you can rely on the Viper. For diplomacy in negotiating with the outside world, it is enough to invite the Sword Saint to do the work. “He’s an old man who doesn’t listen to anything, but if it were you, Death King, wouldn’t you listen to your request?”
“…….”
“So there’s only one final thing we need to test.”
The cat narrowed its eyes. The count smiled.
“The purpose was to look at examples of how you would rule people if you were to become a leader.
Example.
“When I first received the quest from [The Princess Who Walks in a Mirage], I thought, aha.”
From the 31st floor to about the 40th floor.
“Do you think you can use this?”
Stages where you become a god and lead a race.
“I didn’t write the test questions right away. Pantheon. It was purely his own mind that that kid was running around for over 200 years.”
“Ahaha.”
The Heretic Questioner smiled brightly.
“you’re right! “This is my first time hearing about this!”
“Well, besides you, Cheonmu-munju also didn’t fit my story.”
said the count.
“But in the end, the Pantheon’s sudden actions gave me a lot of inspiration. “In a desperate time where all races were enslaved, I was able to watch you rally all of us and rebel together.”
The cat gently stroked the paladin’s cheek with the back of its hand.
“In short, you had the temperament of a revolutionary. Revolutionary! Not bad. I don’t even hate it. However, the leader I need is not a revolutionary, but a ruler of the tower. Countless numbers of displaced people fleeing from numerous countries. A leader who will calmly comfort the residents of the tower who are busy hating, despising, looking down on and ridiculing each other. I needed a little more information. chamberlain… … .”
said the count.
“How will you deal with the [foreign races] that come under your rule?”
“… … “If it’s a different race.”
I thought for a moment that he was referring to the designated tribe, but I changed my mind when I saw the count’s smile.
“No way, fairies… … ?”
“That’s correct. Death King. “I like you because you’re quick-witted.”
“…….”
I opened my eyes wide.
The Count looked at me and made a purring, cat-like sound.
“The Heretic Questioner was eliminated first. Then I was eliminated. “I remember the dumbfounded expression on [The Princess Who Walks in the Mirage] when she announced my elimination.”
“…….”
then.
『Now, wait a minute! This is ridiculous! Why am I being eliminated!?』
『Ugh, the fairies have given up their hegemony.』
clearly.
What the fairy elders whispered in the video shown by the princess was:
『Let’s surrender. You can’t win by fighting, and you don’t get anything from winning. There is nothing to gain by spending money, and there is nothing good to gain. No matter what you do, it is a losing business.』
『Offer the country to a designated tribe and become a vassal state. Instead, ask for protection.』
“okay. Surrender.』
『All you can do is become a vassal.』
“thank you. Great cat.』
I guess so.
They probably thought they were just making up an incident that the Count would laugh at.
“…….”
I opened my mouth.
“… … “Did you get eliminated on purpose?”
“Actually, I guess we can say that it encouraged elimination.”
“The fairy children spontaneously surrendered to the designated tribe.”
“True, but who raised and raised those children? “Who was the person who was revered as a god by those children?”
“…….”
“If you predict only a little, give a little hint, and give a little instruction through a dream, children will easily follow it. Death King. “It’s not much different from the way you used to attack the stage.”
If you think about it.
The fairy tribe was behind providing military funds to the multi-ethnic alliance.
The person I discussed with Uburka before I met him was also the Count. The Count recommended [negotiating in a direction that is beneficial to all races], and following the Count’s recommendation, I entered Uburka’s dream.
From beginning to end?
If the Count’s big picture was that the fairies surrendered bloodlessly to the designated tribe without any battle or war.
“Why did you do that… … .”
“Didn’t I tell you? “It’s to test you.”
said the count.
“Government can easily persecute people simply because they are from another country. What’s more, other races have come under your command. Uh huh. They have different appearances, different habits, and even different gods. “Is there any way that the designated tribe would not discriminate against the fairy tribe?”
“…….”
“I was curious. You are good at leading the designated tribe, it’s up to you. Besides that, will races that have abandoned their homelands like us also be governed without any problems? “Those are the qualities we need in our leaders.”
I was silent.
I lifted my gaze ever so slightly and looked at the paladin’s face.
The paladin holding the calico cat had a calm expression.
“Patricia.”
The person eliminated after the count.
A colleague who [voluntarily] [abstained] from the stage.
If the Fairy tribe had capital in their hands, the Saegi tribe had logistics in their hands, so she was a person who naturally included her own tribe under the designated tribe along with the tribe ruled by the count.
“hmm.”
The paladin nodded.
“Yes. Gongja Kim. “I intentionally abstained.”
“…….”
“To get to know the human being you are.”
I realized.
Why was the Jeongjok tribe able to conquer the continent with so little bloodshed?
etc,
