Chapter 316

Chapter 316

[Ash (EX)]

- Level: 50

- Titles: Lord of Crossroad / The Crazy Third Prince

- Job: Tyrant of the Battlefield

- Strength 13, Agility 22, Intelligence 50, Stamina 20, Magic Power 35

After my third job advancement, my designated job title became [Tyrant of the Battlefield].

A cool name! But lets move on for now!

I glossed over my mediocre stats, barring Intelligence!

I scrolled down and opened my skill window.

Gritting my teeth, I looked through the content. Oh gods, let this be good!

- Owned Skills

> Passive: Unyielding Commander

> Skill 1: Gaze of Command

> Skill 2: Become Mine!

> Ultimate Skill: Imperial Edict

"Ultimate Skill, Imperial Edict...?"

I stammered as I read the name of my ultimate skill.

It made sense; Id never seen this skill before. After all, this Commander class was not a role existing in the game.

Anyway, I opened up the description for the ultimate skill.

[Imperial Edict] <Special Equipment - Flag Required>

- Declares a large area as the territory of the faction you belong to, exercising authority within it.

- For allies within the territory: Apply all beneficial effects that the user possesses.

- For enemies within the territory: Apply all harmful effects that the user possesses.

- There is no limit to the number of summoned entities within the territory.

- If the declared area is enemy territory, it enters a [Conquest War] state, and winning will transfer control of the area.

"What is this..."

My mouth fell open slightly.

Indeed, the Commander class had abilities that were entirely distinct from other jobs.

Id never seen or heard of an ultimate skill that functioned like this.

Lets take it step-by-step.

First, the prerequisites.

Special equipment a flag is required.

A flag... whats that? Am I supposed to wave the imperial flag around?

So, am I going to fight using a flag from now on?

I briefly imagined myself wielding a flagpole to strike down enemies. Hmm.

Could be cool, I guess.

But it seems heavy!

Id already set aside the Commander-exclusive longsword because it was too cumbersome; I was walking around with just a pistol and a staff.

Could I manage a large, fluttering flag?

Come to think of it, my exclusive equipment was a flag, too.

Ive been collecting [Great Commanders Flag Fragments]. When I gather all of them, they become the [Great Commanders Flag (EX)].

Am I becoming a literal standard-bearer...

Id have to stop by the forge to ask if any special abilities could be attached to the flag. If anyone would know, itd be Kellibey.

Setting aside the flag issue for now. Next.

- Declares a large area as the territory of the faction you belong to, exercising authority within it.

A simple description of the skill.

So, what? I draw a line on the ground and say, From here on, its mine?

Id need to look into the details to be more certain.

- For allies within the territory: Apply all beneficial effects that the user possesses.

All beneficial effects that I possess are applied to allies?

As I touched the system window, a list of beneficial effects appeared. Lets see.

> Passive Skill [Unyielding Commander]

> Traits [Attack Totem], [Defense Totem], [Super Buffer], [Main Order]

"Aha, I see."

So, within the territory Ive declared with [Imperial Edict], all my allies under my command could benefit from those skills and traits.

Immunity to mental statuses, attack power buffs, defense power buffs...

Sweet deal.

What I wanted was the ability to support those allies more efficiently.

And the ability to create variables, something unexpected.

In that regard, this ultimate skill [Imperial Edict] was exactly what I had wished for.

Or is it the other way around?

The ultimate skill is a culmination of a characters essence.

In other words, it could be considered the conclusion that character has reached through living and growing.

I had wished for this kind of skill, so my ultimate skill manifested in this form.

That seemed a plausible way to look at it.

...Ill need to order some flags when the day breaks.

With a legendary strength stat of 13 at level 50, I had no idea how long I could carry the flags around.

Should I start doing push-ups starting tomorrow?

***

The next day.

I was about to head to the blacksmith in a good mood when an unexpected guest showed up in the morning.

"Your Majesty."

It was Godhand.

Why are you here after having such a good time with your girlfriend last night? Didnt have enough fun? Huh?

I stopped myself from asking half-jokingly (and half-angrily) because Godhands expression was extremely serious.

"I came because I have something important to discuss."

"What is it?"

Once inside the mansion, Godhand quickly scanned the surroundings before leaning in and lowering his voice.

"Youre aware that Crossroad is currently allowing unrestricted access for outsiders, correct?"

"Thats right."

We dont discriminate against any guests. As long as they arent monsters, theres no reason to turn away people who have made it all the way to this remote southern region.

Godhand scanned the surroundings once more before whispering to me.

"Just yesterday, spies dispatched from the Imperial Family infiltrated this city."

I swallowed in surprise.

"Spies from the Imperial Family? Does that mean"

"Yes. They are agents from the Aegis Special Forces, sent by Lord Fernandez."

I furrowed my brows.

I was busy dealing with Lark, so why go to the trouble of keeping tabs on me at a time like this?

"They didnt come to engage in any operations. Apparently, they felt their intelligence network had gotten weak and came to reinforce it."

It felt like quite some time ago.

There was an incident where we rooted out spies from the monster frontlines here.

Those caught at the time were Saintess Margarita and Godhand. Both were reporting to Fernandez on behalf of the Imperial Family.

Margarita had since ceased her spy activities and focused solely on her clerical duties. I had looked the other way.

And Godhand had become my double agent.

Still pretending to be under Fernandez, he had been reporting all information between the Imperial Family and me without fail.

This time was no different. The moment new spies were dispatched from the central government, he came to inform me right away.

"Leaving the fishing line out actually came in handy."

The implication was that using Godhand as a double agent had proven to be quite effective.

When I smirked, Godhand also gave a wry smile.

"The newcomers have infiltrated various parts of the city, posing as refugees. It seems they intend to gather intelligence on the citys activities and report it to the Imperial Family."

"Do as you please. I have no intention of stopping every little thing, just dont cause any trouble."

If they had deliberately sent spies to understand the citys dynamics, stopping them from the get-go would be impossible.

I had no reason to hide anything, nor did I have any grudges against Fernandez. So, I decided to let it be. If all goes well, I might even be able to turn the situation to my advantage.

"However, Your Highness, theres something I felt I should report directly to you."

"Hmm?"

"The leader of the dispatched spies is currently..."

Godhand hesitated for a moment but finally spoke.

"... meeting with Captain Lucas."

"...What?"

The unexpected news momentarily stumped me.

Whats going on?

The spies Fernandez sent...

...Why are they meeting Lucas?