CH 123

“Oh, let me know as well if you have any supplements you are taking for stamina,” Lionbreath said with expectant eyes.

“I’m not taking any supplements…” Siegfried replied.

“Hoho! C’mon, don’t be like that between us. Let me in on your little—no, big secret! Keke!”

“What are you talking about? There is no secret…”

“I mean, just think about it rationally. It doesn’t make sense that you can satisfy eleven women in a single night, no matter how naturally gifted you are. I’m sure you have something special you are doing, right? I want to know the secret behind your limitless sexual stamina, so just let me in on it. We’re brothers, right?”

“I said I don’t have any—”

“Ha! Look at this heartless man! They say that even a piece of bean can be shared between two people, but you can’t even tell me what supplement you are taking? Ah, you want to be the only one enjoying at night, is that it?”

“Haa…” Siegfried let out a sigh of resignation at the constant accusations as anger slowly started to well up from inside of him. “I don’t have anything to teach you, hyung-nim, so please stop asking me about it.”

“Tsk… What a petty fellow…”

“Yes, I am petty, and that is a trade secret, so I will not be making any further comments.”

“Ha! You’re making me feel really sad now!”

Siegfried didn’t respond to Lionbreath’s tantrums.

In the end, the Nordic King gave up on asking about Siegfried’s secret supplement and changed the subject.

“So, what do you think of my daughter? Do you want to become my brother and my son-in-law?”

“No, I am a piece of trash, so I am not so keen on falling in love,” Siegfried replied. His image had already plummeted, so he no longer cared about keeping up his appearance.

“You are truly a man,” Lionbreath replied with a nod.

“What the heck…?”

“Love is just a stumbling block for a man destined for greatness. Yes, that’s right… You are truly a man walking on the path of greatness!”

Siegfried somehow felt that these Nordic Tribesmen were going to sing him songs of praise even if he took off his pants and shat on the king’s throne…

“I understand what you mean, brother. I will no longer push the issue.”

“T-Thank you…”

“Oh, I found the whereabouts of that girl you were looking for. I have handsomely compensated the marine who plundered her, so you don’t have to worry about her now.”

“Thank you very much, hyung-nim.”

With that, a message informing him of a quest’s completion appeared in front of him.

‘We finally found Dame Oscar’s sister. That’s a huge relief…’ Siegfried smiled.

***

“I have something I am curious about, hyung-nim. Is it alright if I ask you?” Siegfried asked.

“Something you are curious about?” Lionbreath asked in response.

“That is…” Siegfried hesitated.

“What is it that you are curious about, my brother?” Lionheart asked in a warm and gentle yet charismatic voice befitting of a king.

“That is… Why do you insist on waging wars and pirating when it is crashing the public image of the Nordic Tribe? I can’t help but find it difficult to understand…”

“Ehem…”

“You do not have to answer if it is difficult for you, hyung-nim.”

“Not at all,” Lionbreath waved his hand and said, “I won’t even consider replying if it were someone else, but I will satisfy your curiosity since you are my sworn brother.”

“Eh…?”

“The Immortal King of Frost has resurrected.”

“Immortal King of Frost…?”

A message popped up in front of Siegfried.

[Alert: A chain quest has appeared – ‘Old Tales’!]

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread dot com".

[Old Tales]

[Type: Special Chain Quest 3]

[Listen to the old tales recounted by the Nordic King Lionbreath.]

[Progress: 0% (0/1)]

Siegfried couldn’t help but wonder how long this damned quest would last…

***

Three hundred years ago, the Nordic Tribe were divided into five tribes, and they were fighting tooth and nail with each other for the right to rule over all of Fadlan Island.

The ‘Fadlan Island Civil War’ persisted for more than a century, and it was an endless cycle of revenge begetting revenge.

But one day, an evil Black Magician who ran away from the Nürburg Continent settled at the northern tip of Fadlan Island. The evil Black Magician entered into a contract with demons and became a top-tier undead known as a ‘Necrolich’.

Then, the Necrolich went out for revenge against those who chased him out from the continent, and the first step in his vengeance was taking over Fadlan Island and creating his own legion.

The Necrolich called himself the ‘Immortal King,’ and he proceeded to hunt down the Nordic Tribes one by one.

The war between the Nercolich and the Nordic Tribes persisted for more than a decade, and the war only ended after Vlotron, who was one of the Five Star Heaven, jumped into the fray.

“The war against the Immortal King helped unify the Nordic Tribes, and all of us made a resolve that day to no longer fight amongst our own kind.”

“I see… So something like that happened…”

“It was a time when we Nordic people learned a lot, and our culture of worshiping the strong and obsessing over strength was formed at the time.”

Siegfried finally understood the Nordic Tribe’s obsession with strength.

[Alert: You have cleared the Special Chain Quest – ‘Old Tales’!]

Lionbreath continued. “But strange things have been happening up in the north since six months ago, and we just found out last month that the Immortal King resurrected.”

“That sounds a bit strange to me… Why would you waste your troops invading Masavara if you will eventually fight the Immortal King?”

“We—the Nordic Tribe—are not going to fight against the Immortal King.”

“What? You are going to avoid a fight?”

“We aren’t stupid. None of the countries from the continent helped us three hundred years ago when we were fighting against the Immortal King. In fact, some of them were even shameless enough to try and invade us right after the Immortal King was slain. It was the continent that created the demon called the Immortal King, but we were the ones who had to suffer the consequences of their actions.”

“That is quite a shitty story…”

Siegfried could somehow relate to Lionbreath. ‘They were the ones who shat their beds, but they had the audacity to just sit around and watch someone else clean it up. Not only that, they were even shameless enough to stab them in the back afterward…’

Ah, how shameless and petty could the species called humans be?

“It will be no different this time. We are the only ones who will suffer if we were to fight the Immortal King, and we will bear all of the consequences. In the end, even if we manage to beat the Immortal King, we will have to fight invaders, too.”

“Is that why you are waging war against Masavara? Were you thinking of abandoning Fadlan Island and living on the continent?”

“Exactly,” Lionbreath nonchalantly admitted, and then he explained, “We have made our decision to abandon these barren and cold lands in exchange for settling on the continent.”

“So you are going to move your entire kingdom…”

“I think that is the smarter choice rather than letting history repeat itself. Besides, the Immortal King can reanimate the dead.”

“He has to be the worst kind of opponent for the Nordic Tribe as dying in combat just to be resurrected as an undead soldier of the Immortal King—”

“Exactly. There will be nothing more shameful for us warriors than that.”

Then, a message popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes once again.

[Alert: A Special Chain Quest – ‘Ambitious Proposal’ has been created.]

It was another chain quest…

[Ambitious Proposal]

[You may make the following proposals to Lionbreath as a powerful man he has acknowledged and as his sworn brother.]

[Please select one of the two choices and decide on the path that you will walk on from now on!]

[1. Alright, hyung-nim. I will help the Nordic Tribe settle down on the continent.]

[2. Hyung-nim, moving to the continent is a wise decision, but I do not think it is a wise choice to wage war and hastily move your kingdom to another place. Instead, I will try to stop the Immortal King.]

[Please decide which is your choice.]

It was time for him to make a decision.

***

‘I would love to help hyung-nim and his tribe settle in the continent…’ 

Siegfried was in a dilemma.

He wanted to help the Nordic Tribe get back at the people who turned a blind eye to their plight and even went so far as to kick them when they were down three hundred years ago.

However, he couldn’t make a hasty decision here.

The continent was hiring hundreds and thousands of Adventurers through the Mercenary Guild, and Siegfried was certain that he was going to end up in an awkward or even precarious position if he decided to help the Nordic Tribe.

In addition, the Nordic Tribe was a powerful tribe, but they were nothing compared to the countless powerful Adventurers on the continent. What if the immortal beings known as the Adventurers joined the war against the Nordic Tribe?

‘This is not the right solution… The Nordic Tribe can’t force their way into the continent with brute force. Stopping the Immortal King should come first,’ Siegfried made up his mind.

“Hyung-nim.”

“What is it?”

“I will help the Nordic Tribe settle on the continent.”

However, Siegfried’s words were the exact opposite of what he had been thinking.

“What?!” Lionbreath gasped. His eyes shot wide open from shock, and just to make sure, he asked once more, “You are going to help us settle on the continent?”

“Yes.”

“I-Is that true? Are you certain? I don’t think this is an easy decision, even for someone like you!”

“It is only right for me to help my sworn brother, hyung-nim.”

“Ha! You are a true man indeed! A loyal one! A very loyal one! To think that you are going to make such a big decision when it has only been a day since we swore to be sworn brothers!”

“In return, can you listen to my request?”

“What is it? Tell me anything you want!”

“Give me two days, and I will come up with a plan that will surely satisfy you.”

“Oh!”

“You will most definitely be satisfied.”

“Alright! That sounds good to me!” Lionbreath readily accepted Siegfried’s offer.

[Alert: You have completed the Chain Quest – ‘Ambitious Proposal’!]

***

Siegfried left Lionbreath’s chambers and immediately used a piece of communication equipment to call the Minister of State of the Proatine Kingdom, Michele.

“Michele.”

— Yes, Your Majesty?

“I need you to come here.”

— What is the matter, Your Majesty?

“That is…” Siegfried explained the situation with the Nordic Tribe and the events brewing up north, and then he explained what Lionbreath was thinking.

— Excellent decision, milord.

Michele praised Siegfried for his quick thinking.

— So Your Majesty is thinking of asking the Nordic Tribe to give way to the Immortal King and allow him to wage war against the continent, am I correct?”

“Oh? How did you know?” Siegfried asked, seemingly impressed by Michele’s insight.

However, he also felt as if the boy could easily read his thought…

— It was quite obvious.

“So, do you think it will be possible?”

— It is possible. I will immediately go to the nearby Warp Gate and crossover to where Your Majesty is located.

“Then, I will be waiting for you.”

— Yes, Your Majesty.

Siegfried ended the call with Michele, but he was in a dilemma once again.

‘This isn’t enough… I need something impactful if I want to make hyung-nim and the entire Nordic Tribe move according to my plan. I need something symbolic to convince them, but I wonder what that is… What can I use to make the Nordic Tribe move according to my wishes?’ he wondered, but he couldn’t think of a concrete solution.

‘Hmm… I think strength is the answer. These guys are obsessed with strength, so… I need strength… strength that can captivate them in an instant…’ he thought.

However, Siegfried knew very well that he was nowhere near strong enough to captivate the Nordic Tribe.

“Hmm… I guess I need to use my connections. I mean, when will I use that person if it’s not for times like this?” he muttered with a smirk as he thought of someone that he could use to his heart’s content, and that person was a very strong individual.

“Excuse me!” Siegfried called out to the maid standing outside his bedroom.

The maid instantly opened the door and responded, “Yes, King Siegfried?”

“The Nordic Tribe has a Warp Gate and an airship, right?”

“Most certainly, Your Majesty.”

“I will have to go to Mount Kunlun, so please prepare the Warp Gate and the airship. Ah, please get me a brandy called ‘Blood Tears of Revenge’ as well,” Siegfried said as he prepared to head back to Mount Kunlun.