My Alter Ego’s Path to Greatness - Chapter 158

#158

Invasion of the Capital Afterwards (2),

we moved to a quiet garden to talk.

“I heard the story. “I heard you went all the way to Jeron this time and did a great job.”

Dressed in formal, neat attire, oiled and slicked back hair.

The man in his late thirties, who introduced himself as Patrick, looked more like a civil servant than a mercenary.

“As you may know, our guild is in a state of considerable confusion after the mercenary king, Kanble, was killed in action.”

He may be disparaged as the leader of just one mercenary group, but the position of mercenary king on this continent was not that light.

In this world where monsters and thieves were everyday life, mercenaries were a common occupation found everywhere.

Naturally, they needed a group to represent their interests, and numerous small guilds sprang up in various places.

And it was the first mercenary king 300 years ago who unified the scattered guilds and united their power to establish the current system.

Based on his transcendent military power and continental influence through the guild, he came to be recognized as the title of ‘King’ by other powers.

To mercenaries, he is a great man who is like a legend.

‘He was also a member of the deadly team that defeated the second immortal king.’

However, as is well known, the end of the death squad was not so good.

The Mercenary King also somehow survived until the final battle, but in the end, he too died in battle at the place where the Holy Sword was sealed and where the Great Temple of Picaol is now built.

Afterwards, in honor of him, the mercenary guild began to inherit the title ‘Mercenary King’, and other powers also accepted it, solidifying it as a tradition as it is today.

‘That’s why the Mercenary King can’t be left out of the fight with the Immortal King. If Kanvel hadn’t been killed by Hans at that time, he would have ended up crying and volunteering to join the warrior party. Or just retire altogether.’

Regardless of whether Heinrich accepted it or not.

“After the position of Mercenary King became vacant, the situation became very complicated. The largest faction within the guild actually lost most of its influence with the passing of Kanble and Payton, and it would be normal for another faction that absorbed that power to nominate the next mercenary king…” He spoke calmly

. Patrick immediately smiled meaningfully.

“If you become the mercenary king, you will have to participate in the death-defying team somehow. “Even if the saint refuses and cannot participate, it will also lead to controversy over qualifications, so we are unable to do so without any hesitation.”

In the end, it was said that they were just looking at each other.

“Sniff! So what are you saying? “Why are you suddenly saying such things to me?”

Harley knew the man in front of her well.

Of course, since he was also included in the delegation, the investigation had already been completed.

The secretary general of the mercenary guild was a position appointed directly by the mercenary king, and he had only recently ascended to that position, succeeding the former general secretary who retired.

In other words, he is a close associate of Kanble and at the same time a member of what is said to be the largest faction within the guild.

As he said himself, it is the faction that has now become obsolete.

‘Actually, this person is also quite dangerous. If Hans had been outside the barrier when he attacked the Great Hall, we would have just dealt with him together.’

After comparing various investigation details, it turned out that rather than taking the initiative to commit evil acts, he was sorting out what had happened according to orders from above.

He could be seen as a typical yes man.

However, since he was said to have done a good job to the point where he was trusted by a bad guy, he could not be considered completely innocent.

“Harley volunteered to fight against the Immortal King Hans this time.”

“Ah, I’m just itching to hear that you’re stronger than that warrior! Well… it’s definitely strong. Still, I thought I could give it a shot!”

“No, regardless of your achievements, Harley has already proven your bravery and strength. “Even the Holy Son has already acknowledged it.”

At that time, his eyes, who had been speaking calmly the entire time, flashed sharply.

“Harley, aren’t you interested in the position of mercenary king?”

“…Hoo?”

Harley was able to clearly sense the man’s intentions.

‘Would you like to throw away the rotten line and change the line?’

Due to the circumstances, he still maintains his position, but he was ultimately destined to be dethroned at the same time as the next mercenary king was elected.

He couldn’t help but feel unfair as he had finally reached that position after struggling for a long time.

So it seems that the breakthrough found was Harley, who proved her power despite not belonging to a specific faction.

‘Now that I think about it, it was after Canvel died that he recommended Harley. As the Secretary-General, you will be well-versed in information about each branch… Are you saying that you want to become a kingmaker and maintain power?’

Due to the nature of the mercenary guild, military power was the top priority, but since it was an organization that had been around for over 300 years, the political aspect could not be ignored.

But what if Patrick, who still maintains his position as Secretary-General, is added to Harley, who has sufficient force but no significant foundation within the guild?

“Khaha! A mercenary king? That’s an interesting suggestion! “Shall we talk in more detail?”

There was no need to turn down the opportunity.

***

‘Labyrinth of Eternity’, the ultimate spell that can only be used by warlocks who have reached transcendence.

The inside was like a small, isolated world that could not be escaped unless certain conditions were met, and the outside surrounding it was also unblemished unless there was an attack at a dimension-splitting level.

In addition, all parts could be manipulated at will by the user. Normally, it was a function used to exclude intruders, as befits the name Labyrinth, but…

‘That’s cool.’

Hans actively used it for housing to decorate his own castle.

“Huh!”

“…!”

A steeple erected as high and sharp as thorns with bloody decorations such as devils and skulls carved on the black bricks that seem to absorb even the light.

There were dark clouds in the sky above the castle, and there was thick black fog around the castle, and a gloomy wind was blowing.

[Kyaaaaagh—!]

Rattling, rattling!

In addition, with the addition of the Hwaryongjeongjeong and the undead army, the Demon King’s Castle with an amazing atmosphere was completed.

[Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk You better not even think about running away. You won’t be able to go outside anyway.] After

giving a soft warning to the two captured royal family members, Hans went inside, feeling proud of their reactions.

The basic interior was no different from the outside, but unlike the outside, a separate space was set aside for creatures to live.

“Oh you are here! “O king!”

“iced coffee-! Judge of this unscrupulous world!”

“Ugh… blood and death…”

Because of these guys.

A dark wizard who kidnapped residents and experimented on the human body. A dark warrior who took in too much black magic and became crazy about killing. A demon follower who made a living sacrifice to summon a high-ranking demon. A fanatic who worshiped the returned Immortal King as a god and spread death in the world. ….

These were the world’s cancerous lumps that were causing problems throughout the continent that Hans had been diligently collecting.

The two royal families, who had never seen such a race before, froze in the sight of a group of humans that did not look normal at first glance.

‘Hmm, it might not be a good choice to leave them with these guys. ‘Should we create a separate quarantine zone?’

This was a space entirely under his control.

As soon as the will was established, the phenomenon occurred immediately.

Before they knew it, they were standing in a living space that was separate from the one they had been in before.

And the person in charge of monitoring them and assisting their living for a while is…

“Ugh, how did we end up in such a desolate place…”

“…It’s noisy, Andrew. “Because I really want to cry.”

In the end, it was Earth’s Awakened Andrew Weaver and Succubus Siana who came to the Demon King’s Castle.

‘Because Sianna’s disguise skills are also excellent. ‘There is no one as talented as him to be in charge of Princess Riley.’

They say it’s okay for the crown prince to just hold his breath, but isn’t it really uncomfortable to treat the princess who was brought in so suddenly?

…I feel sorry to see Ise-Ah sighing in worry next to Heinrich right now.

‘Hmm—after all, it’s not good to keep the princess in an environment like this for a long time. I guess I’ll have to quickly come up with a liberation scenario.’

Actually, I already had something else in mind.

There is an exquisite way to use this opportunity to purchase the favor of the princess and the archmage at the same time while being helpful to oneself and in the most efficient way.

***

‘That’s shit.’

Heinrich, who had visited the imperial palace to discuss future events and devise countermeasures, shook his head unconsciously as he left the conference room.

Although it was expected to some extent, the aftermath of Hans’ invasion of the capital was more serious than expected.

First of all, many influential people residing in the capital suffered significant damage, and many of them lost their lives.

That alone could be considered a huge loss, and it became impossible to determine whether the two royal family members who were closest to the next throne were alive or dead at the same time.

The emperor, who was watching over the successors to pass on the throne, was embarrassed by that fact… It was

also natural that the sailors on the ship whose captain had disappeared began to shake and look at their liver.

The crown prince’s faction, which had the advantage of time, formed the largest force centered around conservative forces.

The faction of the 5th princess rapidly grew in size, led by emerging nobles with outstanding intelligence and political power.

And the 2nd prince, who had already been pushed out of the mainstream, started to take action at the right time, looking for an opportunity, and the 6th prince, who had not been able to show off his spirit for a while.

Perhaps, the longer this situation prolongs, the more the political situation will inevitably fall into chaos.

Apart from the Immortal King, solely because of their greed for power.

“Phew—sorry saint. “I was a little late because I had to comfort our people for a while.”

And it was Isea Pristine who was making every effort to minimize the departure of the Fifth Princess faction.

She had not made any special achievements so far and had a low title compared to her level, but as she was the 5th princess’s closest confidant and a powerful archmage, her right to speak within the faction could never be ignored.

‘It’s probably being prepared for when the princess returns later. ‘If you’ve tried to find it and there’s no place for it, that would be a problem.’

Even though he must have been quite impatient, seeing him take care of everything he needed to do step by step, really showed the cool-headedness of an archmage.

“So, saint? When are you going to attack the Immortal King? ah! “First of all, I think we need to recruit people to join us. If you leave it to me, I will personally bring useful people from each country… or rather, bring them here.”

The line spoken in that calm voice was not calm at all, but this could be seen as a minor problem.

“We have already carefully considered and selected a few people. In this case, not only mobility but also mutual cooperation are very important, so I don’t plan on taking it just for anyone. In the end, we will have to fight together with the Immortal King later.”

“…Is that so. “It’s a shame.”

Lee Se-ah lightly licks her lips with an expressionless face.

As expected, it seemed a bit extreme.

“But saint? I don’t doubt it, but are you sure you don’t mind? Respond to an attack without any warning or warning. In fact, in this case, the saint gave us a warning in advance, but in the end, due to lack of preparation, it ended up like this…” As she

walked down the hallway side by side with Heinrich, she sighed as if she was worried.

Even when I think about it again, I guess I regret going out that day.

“it’s okay.”

And to her worried words, he answered firmly in a voice full of confidence.

“I didn’t suggest that to him for nothing. As long as the Lord brightens the way, everything will go as it should. … “I’m still lacking a lot, so I’m not sure I can respond to every situation.”

A faithful priest… To put it more bluntly, the fanatic gimmick was very convenient as it could squash any doubts.

Because the other party cannot carelessly criticize the authority of the main body and the saint.

Of course, I didn’t forget to leave a hole to escape later by adding a word at the end.

“ah! And the princess will be able to return safely soon. It feels that way. “My intuition is quite accurate, so you can trust it.”

“…I really hope so. I wonder if that young child will be able to survive in such an environment. There are many foods that are secretly covered… Ah! “I’m sorry. Please pretend I didn’t hear this.”

She, who was mumbling something more like a mother than a sister, flinched and lightly tapped her mouth.

Considering the appearance of Ise-ah, who looked like a middle school student, and Princess Riley, who was a mature adult woman, I felt a significant sense of disparity.

‘Anyway, let’s start destroying the annoying things now!’

After the event where the kidnapped princess and the archmage joined the party.

‘Home Theater’ smoothly entered the next chapter, starting with the cruel thoughts of a warrior.