Chapter 311

Chapter 311

"Reporting, Your Highness."

Serenade arrived with a second dispatch in hand, passing it to me.

Following the news of the outbreak of war, this was the second official message.

"Operation to evacuate close relatives of Prince Lark has succeeded. All have safely escaped outside the Imperial Capital."

"Seems like Alberto and Elize have done their part. Well done."

I nodded, picturing the faces of the steward and the maid-knight. Serenade bowed gracefully and stepped back.

The plan to remove Larks wife and three children from the Imperial Capital had been prepared well in advance.

It was also a part I had promised to play when I met Lark a few days ago.

Having his family held hostage would restrict Larks actions. I wouldnt want that.

I wanted the two brothers to clash fiercely.

That way, more opportunities would open up for me to act.

When whales fight, its the shrimps back that gets broken.

But for the third whale who eats the shattered shrimp, its an excellent opportunity.

Lucas, who had been listening to the rapidly changing imperial situation, groaned.

"Why would Prince Fernandez conspire to...?"

"Ah, the reason? Reasons can be just an excuse."

What did the reason matter? Even if there was a plausible cause, I had no interest.

What mattered was the outcome this event would bring.

The empire would be split in two, and the entire world would hold its breath, watching the direction of the civil war.

Everyone would be calculating which side to join.

"Are we then joining Prince Lark?"

Evangeline, who seemed to have the same concern, asked hastily.

As the heir to the Margrave of the Crossroad, she must be more anxious.

I answered straightforwardly.

"No."

"Then why did you evacuate the family of Prince Lark? Are you going to offer them to Prince Fernandez?"

"Thats not it either."

On the surface, it was a humanitarian action for Lark.

To be more honest, it was a safety mechanism to ensure that Larks army wouldnt attack us.

If we were protecting Larks wife and children here, at the very least, the imperial forces under Lark wouldnt bother us.

Also, if Fernandezs army tried to attack us, the likelihood that Larks army would intervene increased.

It almost feels like theyre hostages, but not quite.

Well, lets just say theres mutual understanding. I have no intention of threatening or forcing them to stay.

"We declared our independence, remember?"

I looked around at my subordinates and made it clear once more.

"We are not joining anyone. We are taking the third path."

In the clash between the two princes, it was obvious that the winner would be closer to becoming the next emperor.

In other words, for the surrounding forces observing this, choosing the wrong side could mean the end.

Some forces would confidently support one side, but there would definitely be those who would want to hold off their choice.

To them, I approach as an alternative.

For those factions that want to show good faith to the Everblack Empire and the Imperial Family, but dont yet know which prince to support.

The idea is to coax them into showing faith in me for now. That way, I can vouch for them once the next emperor is decided.

Not a bad offer. It might not be as effective as directly choosing a side, but at least it removes the risk of facing the empires blade.

My position is really strange.

Being a part of the royal family means Im not entirely detached from their quarrels, but having declared independence gives me the space to distance myself.

In a close battle between two similar forces, the one I choose to support is likely to win. My worth continues to rise.

Optimization by picking up crumbs, thats what it meant.

Lets make do with what we have.

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"While theyre busy fighting amongst themselves in the Imperial Capital, we absorb the powers in the gray areas."

Since theyd be preoccupied with fighting amongst themselves, there was an opportunity to actively recruit the Fallen Kings without worrying about the older leaders.

While the worlds attention was focused on New Terra in the Imperial Capital, Id bring the fallen kings who were lying low in the shadows under my command.

Id establish a safe zone where all the oppressed could safely reside, and form alliances with them.

Id gather the largest force I could create.

I dont need the imperial throne. I dont need wealth, honor, or power.

Just to stand against the monsters and protect this world.

I would do everything I could.

I need to organize special envoys.

Each of the fallen kings had different persuaders.

Fortunately, I had several competent individuals around me, so it seemed I could send special envoys tailored to the opponents.

"I believe we have sufficiently shared our front-line directions and future visions."

My previously grinning subordinates all straightened up and listened as I spoke with a serious face. I nodded.

"However, regardless of how the world changes, or how this front-line shifts, never forget our original goal."

I reiterate our flagour missionas if Ive said it hundreds of times before.

"To kill monsters and protect people."

Everything else is a secondary matter to this main objective.

After all, the very definition of this monster front-line is to act as an absolute defense line that protects humanity from monsters.

We must be loyal to our role as the last stronghold in this defense game.

"Lets prepare for the next defensive battle."

The next stage is just around the corner.

Its time to turn our eyes away from the typhoon swirling in the teacup and face the nightmares that are coming from the outside.

***

The forward base is almost fully repaired.

Waiting for the monster horde to arrive, I look at the stage information.

[Enemy Info - STAGE 13]

- Lv.?? ??? : 1 unit

- Lv.40 Troll Sorcerer <Elite> : 2 units

- Lv.40 Troll Royal Guard <Elite> : 10 units

- Lv.35 Troll Shieldbearer : 190 units

- Lv.30 Troll Foot Soldier : 344 units

The opponents for this stage were the Troll Legion, whom wed faced during the previous free exploration.

Tanker monsters with robust regenerative abilities and well-rounded physical/magical defenses. Their attack power, however, was relatively weak.

I shouldnt let my guard down, but objectively speaking, the power difference is significant...

We could easily overpower them.

And then...

I frowned as I opened another system window.

An unwelcome message appeared before my eyes.

[??? passes their turn.]

[No Dark Event will be triggered in this stage.]

Even in this stage, no Dark Event was activated.

"..."

I clenched my lips tightly.

I was slowly beginning to feel it.

My nemesis, the Demon King who has been pulling strings in the Lake Kingdom, is plotting something.

He skipped the Dark Event three times in a row, a feature he had been consistently using?

Unless he suddenly quit the game and left it open, it was more likely he was cooking up some nefarious scheme.

The problem was that I knew next to nothing about these Dark Events. They were elements that didnt exist when I was just gaming, and now theyre being sprung on me since Ive entered this world...

Ill have to consult with Aider about this.

As I was thinking this,

Swoooosh!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Monsters began to surface, cutting through the lake.

It was the Troll Legion, whose faces had become familiar after beating them up throughout this seasons dungeon explorations.

I was relaxed, and so were my party members. We had been dealing with these bastards for weeks now, so everyone was familiar with them.

But then,

"Kyahahahahahah!"

A raucous laughter suddenly erupted from the Troll Legion.

Despite the distance, the laughter rang clear and resounded in our ears. The aura of malevolence emanating from this boss monster made my troops waver.

"Huh?"

Confused, I quickly lifted my telescope. Wait, was there a unit with this level of presence among the named trolls?

As soon as I looked through the telescope, I saw it immediately.

A troll of grand stature was sitting on a magic carpet, wearing a turban adorned with gems, and holding a female troll in each hand.

"Holy shit."

The apex entity of the Troll Legion and an ultra-rare monster with a presumed encounter rate below decimals in the game.

The king of the Troll Legion, whose name had been given due to his role in ruining the gametrollingwas.

"Trolling...!"

I pulled away from the telescope and shouted at the top of my lungs.

"Were fucked!"

We stepped in it, damn this shit!