Chapter 170 – It is Possible Because I am Here (1)

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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“Then, keep up the hard work.”

Harkon returned to the conference hall after conversing with Jesica and Enoch.

Quite some time had passed, but Kichi was still keeping his seat.

The Emperor’s Sword.

The eyes of the Lionheart Knight Commander shone coldly.

‘If it were the me of the past.’

He wouldn’t have been able to withdraw his doubt easily.

The infamy of the Shadow Mercenaries was widespread even in the Imperial Palace.

Because the crimes they committed under the excuse of requests were of a heinous level since olden times.

However, Harkon knew.

‘Everything has changed.’

Cataclysm.

Falling from the Arcana continent into the world of adventurers right now.

It would be foolish to be tied down to the past.

Moreover, didn’t he learn through Sir Ho-yeol?

‘Humans, who are not demons, can change.’

Even Harkon himself was like that.

To think he would converse with, and even train adventurers who didn’t even have basic swordsmanship skills let alone fame. He couldn’t even imagine it in the past.

Therefore, Harkon’s gaze changed.

“I didn’t expect you to be waiting ahead of time, Commander Kichi.”

“Eyy, there’s nothing to do but drink alcohol so I should come early.”

“I heard the news. How is Lockid’s condition?”

“He’s perfectly fine now. His dirty temper is still the same too.”

“Indeed, he isn’t a man to fall that easily. He is.”

An ordinary conversation.

Though he thought to withdraw his doubt.

Even so, Kichi’s change couldn’t be understood.

Eventually, Harkon ended up asking directly.

“You have changed, Commander Kichi.”

“Yes, changed?”

“It wasn’t enough that the Shadow Mercenaries participated in the holy war. I didn’t expect you, the Commander, to attend the meeting. It seems there must have been some sort of turning point.”

“If you say turning point…….”

Kichi trailed off his words for now.

‘Tsk. This is why I didn’t want to get tangled up with the high-ups of the Empire.’

The fame of the Shadow Mercenaries was actually more widespread among the high-ups.

It was bound to be. The request fee of the Shadow Mercenaries was at a level that transcended not only commoners but also the common sense of average nobles.

From the beginning, their customer base was only the high-ups who had a lot.

‘To think the Knight Commander would appear first of all people……!’

The reason he appeared at the appointment location early?

Naturally, to score points.

So he could even eavesdrop as a hint on the information obtained from that son of a bitch called Elsidore or whatever by looking good to our Commander-in-Chief Lee Ho-yeol.

But.

‘Boys, this is how much of a headache my life is.’

Look at those lion-like eyes.

If he answered even a little bit wrong.

This snobby inner thought would be found out at any moment.

For now, Kichi fudged it.

“……It’s all thanks to Commander-in-Chief Lee Ho-yeol, right? Haha.”

One fact he came to realize while residing in the Yusra Kingdom.

First of all, anything gets solved if you just use the name Lee Ho-yeol.

Like how most suspicions could be avoided if you pretended to be a Goddess believer on the Arcana continent.

Honestly, Ho-yeol’s influence in the Yusra Kingdom was more than the Goddess’, never less.

‘Well, it’s understandable.’

The Arcana people who couldn’t easily adapt to the world of adventurers.

He was the one who normalized the Yusra Kingdom, Frost, and Muon where they could settle down without difficulty. Indeed, that name value didn’t betray Kichi this time either.

Lee Ho-yeol.

The moment the three syllables of his name came out.

Harkon’s face brightened.

“So that was it! You too have come to realize pride!”

“Ye, yes?!”

No, but why is it suddenly transitioning to pride?!

“……Is it not?”

Harkon’s face chillingly freezing.

Ultimately, Kichi had no choice but to force the corners of his mouth up.

Though he couldn’t know whatever that damn pride was at all.

“No, that’s right! Pride, hahaha! Hic”

……For now, let’s say I realized it.

That thing called pride.

Shadow Mercenaries, everyone.

Even for our comfortable old age.

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.

.

The Giant Alliance.

Nam Tae-min let a smile flow on his lips.

“It finally feels real.”

Ho-yeol-ssi called us, me!

It was no different from being on the same boat since we jumped into the holy war but.

Attending a meeting was a new feeling.

The one who broke my excitement for the first time in a while was Hisagi walking side by side.

“Don’t tell me you’re excited, Nam Tae-min-kun?”

“……What is it again? Trying to pick a fight.”

“I couldn’t sleep a wink out of worry.”

Hisagi made a pitiful expression.

His snake eyes made the pitifulness stand out even more, making it hateful to look at.

Nam Tae-min crumpled his face, but Hisagi was sly.

“I stayed up all night worrying if we have the qualification to attend such a meeting. From the Lionheart Knights to the mages of the Mage Tower. We are still far lacking compared to them.”

“……Hey, if you say that, what does that make me?”

“What does it make you. Being faithful to your emotions is exactly like a barbarian.”

A thick build.

A slender build.

The sight of the two men bickering was enough to draw attention.

“Ha man, how embarrassing.”

Leonie spat out gruffly and walked a few steps away from the two.

But making the distancing pointless.

Without knowing who was first, the two men turned their heads.

“What do you think?”

“What do you think, Leonie-ssi?”

“Both of you just shut up.”

To the point of not knowing why they fight every single day.

In Leonie’s eyes, both of them looked the same.

Anyway, a conclusion has to be reached for the fight to end.

And less attention would be focused, right?

Then I’ll be less embarrassed too.

Eventually, Leonie ground her teeth and opened her mouth.

“What’s the cause of the argument in the first place?”

“He says he doesn’t like me being happy, that snake eyes.”

“It seems my rationality cannot understand wildness.”

“Being sarcastic again and again?”

“……Stop.”

The verbal argument isn’t the fundamental cause, you big lugs!

“N, now listen carefully.”

Seueuk

The two men not only lowering their heads but also bowing their waists.

……Are they mocking me right now for being small and short?

For a moment, her insides flared up, but she endured it firmly.

“If we go back up, the cause is the total assembly, the meeting, right?”

“That’s right.”

“You are correct. From there comes the modern person and the barbarian’s sensibility…….”

Anyway, they don’t listen quietly to a single word.

Before Nam Tae-min could flare up.

Leonie quickly added words.

“Ultimately, both of you have the exact same feelings.”

“……Huh? Me? With this thing?”

“Isn’t it because both of you want to be helpful?”

“!!”

Whether pride taking precedence, or worry taking precedence.

Ultimately, the place the heart heads to would be the same.

That’s why the Giant Alliance could roll until now.

But why the hell are you always hitting and fighting each other every day?

“Making an expression realizing it just now. It seriously pisses me off.”

Commander Harkon, look at this.

You’ll probably have to do something about their heads before physical training for these things.

Only then did they hear an answer they were satisfied with.

Nam Tae-min straightened his back and raised his head.

“I understood.”

“It is the same for me as well.”

The moment their gazes met.

Opening their mouths at the same time.

“It’s pride.”

“It is pride.”

“……?!”

No, is that correct?

Why are you suddenly turning the steering wheel and crashing into pride?!

Leonie was dumbfounded and lost her words.

“Good, today is a truce.”

“I agree, Nam Tae-min-kun.”

“……Crazy bastards.”

Lee Ho-yeol-ssi, look at this.

You made these guys like this.

Dadada.

Leonie left the two men behind and headed to the Golden Palace.

Since that thing called pride seemed contagious, as fast as possible.

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.

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However, Leonie, entering the grand conference room, couldn’t help but be astonished.

Though it wasn’t something she, a Berserker, should be saying…….

She could dare to be certain.

“……They weren’t the only crazy ones.”

This is madness.

Nam Tae-min and Hisagi weren’t the only ones to be criticized.

Unusual conversations being heard.

“I didn’t expect the Explorer’s Federation to participate.”

“Because there is plenty of room for us explorers to play an active role in the holy war. Of course, even I, the Federation Head, was surprised. I myself am an explorer, but rare are the species as uncooperative as explorers……. To think the majority of the Federation explorers would join their wills.”

“You’re saying it’s the pride of an explorer!”

Introduction, development, turn, and conclusion is pride (기승전긍지).

Who are those people sharing a conversation like religious fanatics?

They weren’t even players or rankers, but remarkably the Lionheart Knight Commander Harkon and the Explorer Federation Head Fabian.

This time, a conversation digging into her left eardrum.

“I heard you gave away the Order’s holy relic. Senior Bellier requested me to convey her gratitude. Of course, I also owe a great debt.”

“Not at all. Since that holy relic is no longer ours. Regardless of how you use it, you have nothing to thank the Order for. Because we have realized a pride more valuable than the holy relic.”

“Indeed, I sympathize with those words.”

The Arcana continent’s largest religion, the Goddess Order.

Talim, heading tens of thousands of Goddess Order paladins.

The Chief of the Mage Tower who doesn’t even need modifiers, Marcelo.

As expected, they are people even more incredible than those over there.

At that point, Leonie seriously felt worried.

‘……Wait, at this point, am I the one who is wrong?’

Don’t tell me, am I the only one who hasn’t realized?

In her heart, she wanted to ask refreshingly.

Just what the hell is that thing called pride!

But words floating around among players came to mind.

-“The very act of asking what pride is, is an action without pride.”

Roll roll

Ultimately, Leonie shut her mouth and only rolled her eyeballs.

While doing so, she met eyes with Kichi sitting opposite her.

As if pride recognizes pride, Leonie and Kichi also recognized each other.

“!!”

……So you don’t know what pride is either?

Of course, the gladness didn’t last long.

The exact appointment time.

The sound of shoes being heard.

Tap

Because Ho-yeol showed his appearance in the grand conference room.

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.

.

I’m thankful that everyone was strictly punctual.

Well, setting the rest aside.

Is it because I didn’t expect it.

I’m especially thankful to Kichi.

‘……Because if he wasn’t, it would be terrible.’

Lacking pride.

Lacking formality and etiquette.

Because I almost started the meeting with a nagging.

Thanks to that, I did not delay.

As soon as I took my seat, I brought up the main topic.

“Today, the reason I summoned you all is simple.”

As I say several times, it’s better to see it directly than to explain.

I placed the [Telescope of the Demonic Eye] on the round table of the grand conference room.

I continued speaking while activating its effect.

“The Demon King Continental Clash has begun.”

“……!!!”

Soon, the panoramic view of the Arcana continent floated in midair.

Everyone must be used to the appearance of the devastated continent by now.

However, this is on a different dimension from before.

Crustal deformation, the Arcana continent was split apart.

Marcelo spoke in a firm voice.

“That is not magic.”

“If it’s not magic……?”

“It must be the doing of demons, them.”

Green flames soaring from the split crevices.

……Wait a minute.

Fabian, mumbling, opens his mouth with an expression of ‘could it be’.

“Light like the Hellfire Torch……? Then could it be?”

Right. That ‘could it be’ is exactly ‘could it be’, Fabian.

“Indeed. It is the flames of Hell.”

“Hellfire Torch you say. Fabian, what are you talking about?”

“……I can’t believe it. First of all, I will show you.”

Fabian soon took out the [Hellfire Torch].

It was a torch burning with a green fire-like light that bloomed on the Arcana continent.

I had seen it in the [Tetfern Labyrinth] rift so I wasn’t surprised, but others wouldn’t be.

“In the past, the thing left by an Alliance explorer who witnessed the gates of Hell is exactly this Hellfire Torch. Though I haven’t confirmed it directly, I heard it has the effect of burning demons.”

Kichi, twirling his hair with his finger, asked.

“Sorry to interrupt you while speaking. The Demon Realm and Hell are different, right?”

That’s a good question, Kichi.

The Demon Realm and Hell are strictly different.

The Demon Realm is the hometown of demons, but Hell, expressing it borrowing Granfel’s words, is the space where demons are shoved into.

To be precise, it was the afterlife where demons hunted by demon hunters fell into.

“Well, seeing how demons are rampant on the Arcana continent, the passage to the Demon Realm seems to have opened a long time ago……. Would demons have a reason to purposely open something called the gates of Hell?”

Why did the demons open the gates leading to Hell.

The place they fear the most?

Without even knowing how the Demon King Continental Clash proceeds.

It would be natural for everyone to be unable to guess.

Same for me as well.

Until it flashed before my eyes, that is.

[Class Quest: Gates of Hell]

However, now that I have come to know everything.

I could be upright as always.

In front of those agitated by an unexpected situation.

I could chatter calmly as usual.

“There is no need to harbor doubts, nor anything to worry about.”

“……?”

“Since I am here.”

“!!!”

It’s not like I’m some cult leader leading religious fanatics.

This time it’s not a simple bluff.

Because there is a ‘plan’ possible truly because I am surviving.