Chapter 291

Chapter 291

"Hmph."

In a corner of the square, Ash and Serenade, who were dancing away from the gaze of others, caught Evangelines 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?"

"Im not upset..."

Evangeline pouted.

"Im 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 cant even play the game right now... Ugh. I wish I could grow up to be like that. I wonder if its possible."

"...Youre 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, youre mocking me! Just you wait and see!"

Evangeline, jumping to her feet, clenched her fist.

"In a few years, youll be surprised! I, Evangeline Cross, will be as impressive as Lady Serenade. Then well see whos 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 mansions office.

While the heat of the festival still lingered in my body, I tried to cool my head.

Now that Ive completed up to Stage 10, its 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.

Were 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 cant rapidly level up and boost their specs like heroes.

They need to patiently gain experience on the battlefield to truly become veterans.

I wouldve probably been silently removed by Fernandez.

More importantly, Im the commander of the monster frontlines.

My focus is on the monsters. The internal strife over the throne within the empire isnt my concern.

With Fernandezs rebellion, the empire will be split in two.

In the game, you had to negotiate between Lark and Fernandezs 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?

Id 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, theyd 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.

Id 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 Ill 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, Id fly, performing aerial acrobatics.

I would persuade, negotiate, and win over these strong-willed individuals who wouldnt 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? Thats a joke. Ill definitely take her down.

Initially, I intended to recruit her covertly while minding the Imperial Familys sentiments. But now there was no need.

Soon the royal family would be too occupied with their internal strife, the impending split due to Fernandezs rebellion.

The same applied to the other Fallen Kings. With Fernandezs rebellion nearing, Id 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 havent 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 wasnt 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.