Chapter 31 – Wolfgang Kaiser

Although he tried his best not to show it,

Rashid was greatly shaken upon hearing his name.

‘Kaiser?’

It was a carbon copy of the name of the villain he knew.

The only difference was that the face, appearance, and physical build were completely different.

‘Someone with the same name?’

That thought flashed through his mind, but considering the place he met him, even that was unlikely.

‘That name is not that common. He is Kaiser.’

But why?

Why is a completely different fellow carrying Kaiser’s name?

‘Could it be… a player?’

There was no choice but to be sure of that,

because he, like himself, appeared to have put on the mask of the fellow named Kaiser.

‘Unbelievable.’

Just in time,

there was someone approaching them.

Wearing a black eyepatch over one eye, he was someone both of them knew.

“Here you were. I was worried because I did not see you.”

He was someone wearing a military uniform and carrying a sword, giving off a strong impression of a knight.

Kaiser gave a brief introduction.

“Ah, this person is my attendant.”

Rashid glanced at him sideways.

‘Brocken Balthazar.’

He was one of Kaiser’s henchmen and the commander of the Revolutionary Guard, the party’s paramilitary organization that he led.

‘This makes it certain.’

“You even had an attendant? I thought you were just an undergraduate.”

Kaiser smiled faintly.

“Yes, somehow I ended up employing even a bodyguard.”

If he wanted to kill him, now was the opportunity, but Rashid did not feel up to it.

‘For Kaiser to be a player. If so…’

He would not be the Kaiser he knew.

Because he would become not the villain Kaiser, but a new and completely unpredictable Kaiser.

‘He will either become an enemy just as expected, or…’

Probabilistically,

there was also this possibility.

‘He might become an ally. He must know too. How the end of this story turns out. If so, he will desperately try to block it.’

“At any rate, I look forward to working with you until this direct domain is closed. Will you come to the diocese tomorrow?”

As the attendant wearing the black eyepatch tried to step forward, Kaiser lightly stopped him with a gesture.

“Of course. Shall I visit the Sanctuary tomorrow?”

“Yes, come over there and look for me. Since I am the Honorary Cleric, it won’t be that difficult to find me.”

“We will do so. I will visit you tomorrow.”

“Then.”

After finishing a light farewell, Rashid departed.

Kaiser departed, and Rashid remained in the spot.

To Kaiser who was staring blankly at the departing Rashid, Brocken spoke.

“Party Representative. Is it not too dangerous to visit that place? That is a highly perilous place where we don’t know when the knighthood will attack.”

“Dangerous… perhaps so.”

There was nothing wrong with Brocken’s words.

But as they say, high risk, high return.

From his perspective of seeking to expand his power, the Weiman Direct Domain, which was second only to the capital, was also a region that could not be easily abandoned.

“But if we can help them and save this place, it will be a great strength to the party. And we must absolutely defend this place for the sake of the future. Since it might become our second stronghold.”

“Is that so? But do we not already have our stronghold in the capital?”

“It won’t be forever. Perhaps we will lose it to another party.”

“Another party? No way… no other party besides us has power to that extent…”

Although it was incomprehensible talk,

because Kaiser always acted while looking several moves ahead, Brocken did not harbor separate doubts.

“If that is your will, Party Representative.”

Kaiser pondered on Rashid who had departed from the place.

‘An Honorary Cleric?’

As far as he knew,

the position of Honorary Cleric was indeed vacant after Lion.

But a new Honorary Cleric.

‘I can guess roughly who he is. But an Honorary Cleric? Did he escape the crisis of being a player like that?’

Unbelievable.

Brocken asked.

“Surely you aren’t going to visit alone?”

“No. I plan to go alone.”

“The branch knighthood and the diocese here are not on very good terms. It wouldn’t be strange even if a bloodshed occurred right tomorrow. Are you really planning to go to such a place alone?”

“The work there is enough for me alone, so Sir Brocken, please pay attention to the public authority here that is blocking our rallies.”

“Then, may I sweep them away in my own way?”

“As you please. Or you may use that. Was it not developed for that purpose?”

“Ah, there was a much easier way.”

Just in case, Kaiser did not omit this instruction either.

“Do not target the mayor, just terrify him thoroughly. Even if you kill him anyway, a new mayor will just come and deviate from my predictions.”

“I understand.”

* * *

The next day.

Kaiser visited Rashid, who was at the cathedral.

“Cleric. I came as you said yesterday.”

Rashid looked at him who had come alone and asked.

“Did you come alone?”

“Yes, I came alone.”

What guts.

“You even had an attendant. Wouldn’t it be safer to go around together? You must know well what kind of place this is.”

“No. I entrusted him with other work.”

“Other work?”

The Weiman Direct Domain was

not a place Rashid knew in detail.

Because it was a region usually abandoned during the game, it was almost ignored.

‘Does he have experience playing this place?’

If so, the reason Kaiser came here was also roughly explained.

‘He must have judged there is something to obtain. Otherwise, he would never have come.’

Rashid asked.

“I have one question.”

“Yes, as you please.”

“Do you know the end of this world?”

At that question, Kaiser smiled faintly.

“Do you know, Cleric?”

“How would I know? I just asked.”

“I don’t know either.”

A strange tension flowed in the gazes they exchanged.

The suspicion was clear, but the problem was that he could not ask openly.

Rashid stared steadily at Kaiser, who acted calmly.

‘He knows too. Who I am.’

Probably they knew about each other.

Why?

Because each was openly occupying a position that did not suit them.

‘The problem must be whether we are enemies or not.’

Such thoughts were the same for Kaiser as well.

“What kind of goal do you possess, Cleric?”

“A goal? Do I have something like a goal? Existing in this world,”

“removing all villains completely. Is it not originally that kind of world?”

“Ah, I see.”

Kaiser, who smiled a bit bitterly, asked again.

“What if that villain’s thoughts are a bit different?”

“Then I might consider it to some extent.”

Kaiser muttered as if to let him hear.

“I do not have such a nasty hobby as repeating a failed life. That is something only a fool would do.”

“But looking at it so far, you seem to be following that fool’s life all the way, so what do you think about this?”

“Of course it can look like that. But I am strictly different, and the result will also be different.”

Along with a roar tearing through the surroundings,

far away,

a giant blue flower bloomed.

The whipping gale hit the cathedral directly, and the two facing each other outside were swept up in that gale.

“It seems you need an explanation?”

The meaning of it,

Kaiser did not fail to know.

“The path I walk and its method will probably be the same as Kaiser’s. However, the result will be different. Because I am not him.”

“Genocide. That would be your future, wouldn’t it?”

“It is only a useful means for instigation. If I say I have no such bad taste and have no intention of doing it, will you believe me?”

Certainly,

he was not the villain Kaiser he knew.

New Kaiser.

“…”

Before they knew it, the muzzle of the gun was pointing precisely at him.

Kaiser was defenseless, and if Rashid wanted to, he could have killed him right then and there.

Rashid, who was contemplating briefly, soon put away the muzzle.

‘I am not the only one who knows the end of this world.’

If his thoughts were similar to his own,

he would also try to prevent the end of this world.

While he grew in this manner,

he would build his power by walking the path of a dictator.

Only the method and means of growing were different,

and if their goal was the same,

Rashid believed he could tolerate the means to some extent.

Since he intended to do so himself.

“For now, I will suspend judgment. Since we are of the same kind anyway.”

Kaiser laughed.

“I knew you would. If you know who I am and what path I will walk, wouldn’t it be better to keep me as a friend rather than an enemy?”

Rashid did not say anything.

Instead, he scanned the chaotic surroundings.

Kaiser also scanned the surroundings and said to him,

“You must stop Scarver. As you can see, since I am a character who only raised instigation and conversation skills to the extreme, I have no other way to stop him.”

“It seems you have already told me all the methods?”

“There is nothing more I can tell you from there. But if there is anything I can help with, I will help more.”

“But what is the reason for trying to save this place?”

“The reason? It is simple. Because this place also becomes my strength. If we just save it, the citizens here will all become enthusiastic members of the Golden Age Party. And this will become our second stronghold city. In terms of population alone, it is second only to the capital.”

In terms of progress,

the Golden Age Party will lose its light once.

Whether it will survive again after that, his effort and destiny will decide.

‘Is it a positioning for that?’

Rashid also caught on to something roughly.

“Do you know that you will be imprisoned before long?”

“Yes, but it is a meaningless imprisonment. Even the judges will support me, and I will be released quickly.”

“The Emperor? Do you intend to kill him just like that?”

Kaiser’s expression sank low.

“Landfall is inevitable. The Imperial Family will collapse, and the war with the Allied Kingdoms will also be unavoidable.”

“It is the planned sequence of events.”

“But after I become the Prime Minister, things will change. As for genocide, let me tell you once again, you do not have to worry that much. Since I do not want it and have little intention of doing it.”

“You are still continuing the instigation related to vampires, are you not?”

Kaiser could not deny this either.

“It is not that they are instigated because I instigate them. I am simply instigating what they want. And if it were not for that method, the monster named Kaiser probably would not have been born.”

“Is that so?”

“In any case, since I will be the ultimate decision-maker, if I block it, nothing will happen afterward.”

“I suppose so. If it were the Kaiser I know.”

“Let us prevent ruin together. The two of us, you and I. Although our methods will differ, you will probably understand.”

Will it really turn out according to his words?

At least, it was too early to judge right now.

“I will pray that you are just a normal person whom I know.”

“I am also afraid of someone, just the same. Since no one in this world will be able to defeat a player.”

Having finished the conversation, Kaiser bid farewell.

“It seems I have said everything I wanted to, so there is no need for me to remain here. If you need anything, you can find me at Valhalla Hall, which you visited yesterday. Since you are the only Honorary Cleric in this world, if you look for me, I will willingly meet you. If there is anything I can help with here, I will help with all my heart. Because that is the best I can do.”

That was all.

Kaiser departed, and Rashid remained in the spot.

‘With this, a question mark has been placed on one of the Lazarus Villains.’

Although it is unknown whether we will become allies,

‘still, a question mark is better. Since at least the possibility of turning into an ally remains.’

Because he decided to defer judgment on him, Rashid resolved not to think about matters related to him anymore.