Chapter 72: You’re a Nuisance (1)
72. Youre a Nuisance (1)
Frost was Imperial territory.
The death of the lord, Sirion, did not change that fact.
In short, everything must be done according to the Empires procedures.
Thud, thud, thud.
Frosts nature.
The sound of shoes echoed through the castle.
The knights salute me.
What kind of knights, you ask.
The Knights of Lionheart, of course.
Weve been waiting for you, Lord Ho-Yeol.
Lord Harkon, Knights of the Lionheart.
As soon as he saw me, he was overjoyed.
As expected, this is not an easy job for a swordsman like me.
Yes, according to Imperial procedure.
It was Harkon who was acting lord of Frost.
Of all the Arcane summoned to reality.
It was Harkon, Knight Commander of Lionheart, who held the highest rank in the Empire.
Naturally, I was involved in the decision.
Im sure youll do well.
Relationships and influence at their peak.
The [Authority] feature that was activated because of that.
Yeah, that power was pretty powerful.
It was enough to break Harkons stubbornness.
If it was Lee Ho-yeol, who is full of greed, I wouldnt know.
Isnt this the Grandfell who couldnt live without formalities and procedures?
Its not some abandoned land in the Frost.
I know its Imperial territory.
To violate imperial protocols and steal land?
Its not something that should be done in Grandfell.
At first, of course, I was disappointed.
Unlike the innocent Grandfell, I am a mere mortal.
As if that werent enough, Id have to deal with a lot of trouble.
-What is Frosts economic value?
-Japanese government, Frost cannot be given away to anyone.
-AAU, International agreements should never be ignored.
New update.
From the time the word Frost appeared there.
Until now, when Frost has escaped the Demon Kings grasp.
The media has been chattering nonstop about Frosts value.
I must admit, I was a little excited.
Maybe I could become the lord of Frost, I thought.
Imperial protocol dictates that Lord Ho-Yeol should be the acting lord, not me.
Even Harkon had said so.
But the regret was short-lived.
I activated the [Authority] function.
He checked the status of Frost and realized.
[Northern City, Frost]
[Status: Worst]
Well, its a good thing I didnt do anything!
The current state of Frost was literally the worst.
It was even worse than the early days of the Yusra Kingdom.
If the Yusra Kingdom had started from nothing.
Frost was a negative.
What is the condition of the people?
Its not easy, but theyre trying to accept the situation.
Harkon was right, it wouldnt be easy.
They hadnt even gotten over the aftermath of the demon.
Even before theyd gotten over the aftereffects of the demon.
In that sense, it was a good thing.
Imagine if someone like me was the new lord.
I wonder if it would have made me feel even more resentful.
Thinking about it, I couldnt help but be grateful.
It was a real battle. This.
Grandfells tired nature is often a boon.
I added to a worried Harkon.
Get used to the position, Lord Harkon.
I am endeavoring to do so.
No, you must get used to it.
Sir , is there something wrong with you?
Indeed, Harkon was perceptive.
A crack in the Quernberg machine tower.
The situation on the continent of Arcana that he had come to witness.
Just like Marcelo.
There was no reason he couldnt tell Harkon.
I had a feeling.
Harkon took a deep breath before speaking.
But now that youve confirmed my suspicions, Im getting emotional.
Then his eyes gleamed with determination.
As you say. Take your seat. Youll get used to the weight.
Yes, Harkon would have to get used to it.
Given the situation on the continent of Arcana.
There was no guarantee that something like the Frost would not happen again.
Unless the Emperor of the Empire showed up.
Harkons shoulders grew heavier and heavier.
was. Now that you think about it, there was nothing good about that, was there?
If only this were a game.
Being a lord wasnt all it was made out to be.
You have so many responsibilities.
In that sense, the [Authority] feature was deceptive.
Im not a lord, but I have the power of a lord.
Of course, you cant just wield that power at will.
Selfishly wielding power?
The pride of Grandfell would not allow him to do that.
Not if he used it at the right time.
How is the recovery progressing?
Its going well, thanks to the Guild.
I see. Wed better prioritize our work.
Mm-hmm.
I immediately raised my feather pen.
Frost Reconstruction.
I scanned through the papers, looking for things to fix.
Yeah, I could see where it could be improved.
This, of course, was due to Grandfells setting.
There was a good reason why he was chosen to be the heir of the family at the tender age of seven.
In the setting.
He was the heir to a great family.
Knowledge of all aspects of manor management?
Like a talent for magic or swordsmanship.
Intuitively recognizing problems when he sees them.
He could even come up with solutions.
So there was a reason why Harkon greeted me with such enthusiasm.
He had his reasons.
Thats terrible! If it werent for you, I would have made a huge mistake.
Everyone makes mistakes.
Youre trying to be humble and make me feel ashamed, but Lord Ho-yeol never makes mistakes, do you?
What are you doing, answer me quickly.
Every moment of my life is the result of my mistakes as a school boy!
But, contrary to my feelings.
I remained shamelessly silent.
In the end, it was Harkon who spoke first.
Ive heard some bad news, but at least talking to you has given me some breathing room, though Im still indebted to you once again.
Indebted.
When I put it like that, Im at a loss for words.
I had no idea of the power of the Knights of the Lionheart.
Ive eaten it up like a bone, havent I!
Theres no going back.
If it werent for the Lionheart Knights.
Id never have gotten to see a demon, let alone slay one.
But I didnt ramble on and on.
I simply replied.
Everything has a give and take. Never mind.
Simply shameless!
How very me.
Haha. Ill keep that in mind.
Its a good thing Harkons a flirtatious guy.
I was thinking about it.
Suddenly, I heard a noise outside my office window.
Thud, thud, thud.
Its a helicopter.
A helicopter was flying over Frost.
Harkon looked up and spoke.
Yessica told me that the people of Frost view that hunk of iron in the sky with unease. I suppose thats fair enough.
I nodded.
It would be a natural reaction.
Just as we were horrified by monsters.
To the Arcanians, even modern civilization must be foreign.
Anomalies summoned to reality.
They will have to adapt.
But.
There was something dangling from the helicopter.
Something untidy and flimsy.
My reaction to it was natural.
I gave it a cold stare and said.
Aesthetically disturbing.
*
Anything worth having was bound to have a twist.
Even if its a ridiculous demand.
Keeeeeeep-!
A creepy sound emanated from the loudspeaker.
A furious voice continued.
The government must deport the refugees immediately!
Deport them! Deport them!
Dont go against the will of the people for their country!
By this time, Hokkaido was not exactly a breezy place.
This year is tough. Its miserable.
Chung Man-seok of the Korea Times.
South Korean reporters gathered in Hokkaido, Japan, shivered. Partly because of the cold winds, but mostly because of those protesters.
Are they really creepy? I mean, do you really want to do that?
Refugees. Refugees.
Theyve seen what the people of Frost have been through. No real person would do that.
I dont even want to call it a protest.
The reporters could see the ulterior motives.
Jeong Man-seoks breath came out of his mouth.
They must have gotten funding from far-right groups.
Thats the governments first tendency, so whats the big deal?
Its urgent, and the situation in Japan is ridiculous, isnt it?
The Japanese government broke international agreements to preempt Frost.
They had taken a gamble for their own Inazuma Guild.
In fact, the majority of the Inazuma Guild, including Guild Master Kazuma Hisagi, had brazenly emigrated to the Kingdom of Yusra.
There was an uproar for a while.
It was a de facto exile, that is.
I dont know what happened between Inazuma and the Japanese government, but they really shake hands and now theyre throwing in the towel. Japans image is going down the drain~
Well, since they broke the agreement, theyre going to keep throwing it around anyway.
Tududududu
In the middle of our conversation.
The sound of a helicopter overhead.
The reporters pressed their shutters in frustration.
What does that banner say?
F*ck off. Long live Japan. Thats about as bland as it gets.
Holy sh*t. Those.
I wondered if this was necessary.
Whats the point of an international agreement?
No matter how hard I tried, nothing would change.
No matter how much the Japanese government tried, they couldnt influence Frost.
Even knowing that, they still wanted to stab him because they were frustrated.
At this point, it was more than a poke.
They even put up a banner like that in the sky.
No intention. Thats just pure malice.
Malice.
Yes, where theres value, theres a twist.
Where theres a twist, theres a devil.
Especially in a place like this, with all the negativity.
Youre doing great.
The guidelines were filled with protesters and reporters.
The man watching, Kenji Maeda, shivered.
Cold? No.
Goosebumps? No, not that either.
Maeda shivered with a rush of exhilaration.
Yes, this is it.
Maeda was no longer a government minister.
Well, it may look that way on the outside.
He was possessed by a demon.
Maedas pupils blackened.
Foolish. Foolish.
Humans were stupid.
Was that Kenji Maeda?
What was so great about this insignificant bastard?
Whats so great about this insignificant person?
Of course, as I said, it wasnt just humans who were foolish.
You, too, my lord, were very foolish.
Decarabia, the Demon King.
Yes, even the demon who had once been his lord was foolish.
White Commander, Demon Army.
Recalling his past, he laughed meanly.
A demon will always be a demon.
Despicably, viciously.
Thats how the devil is supposed to live.
And he knew it.
He would not give his life for his foolish master.
He deserted the demon army and took up human form.
And what is the result?
Burrr.
The foolish demon is dead.
The foolish demon was dead, and he was living, breathing, and growing stronger.
Maeda, drunk with ecstasy, came to his senses.
Oh, youre reporters.
I began to play Kenji Maeda.
It wasnt difficult.
In fact, it was enjoyable.
Isnt this a democracy? Isnt there no such thing as a wrong opinion? Since when did protests have to come with strings attached? Isnt that right? What are you guys from, anyway? What, Korea?! Yeah, I can see where youre coming from!
Every word, every snide remark.
Their negative emotions were stirred up.
It was good to clean up the mess.
Kenji Maeda.
When his body became useless, he could be discarded.
Of course, by then, he would be a much stronger demon than he is now.
Even so, I dont intend to die as foolishly as a Demon King.
He had no intention of claiming to be king.
Ill just be mean, vicious, and demonic.
He would live by possessing humans.
In that sense, it was preying on its prey.
The one who defeated the Demon King.
Surely, it was Lee Ho-yeol.
Lee Ho-yeol, if he could possess his body, he was the best.
Just like he could do with the insignificant Maedas body.
He could wield a human.
If I could possess the body of the man who defeated the Demon King.
I could become a Demon King, or something more.
Yes, that was why he had sought out Frost.
Who could claim Lee Ho-Yeols body?
He had no problem with that.
I am not foolish.
I didnt mean to say I was a demon, like the devil.
Even if I had defeated a demon.
He wouldnt recognize himself in Maedas body.
It was a matter of catching them off guard.
In that sense, it was fishing.
I cast the bait.
The bait of protesters and helicopters.
Lee Ho-yeol, if he takes the bait!
Maeda was thinking that.
Tudududududu!
The helicopter was coming back.
For some reason, the sound of the propellers was very urgent.
The reporters shouted.
Now, wait a minute. Is that on fire? No way!
Is the helicopter on fire?
No, thats not it, the banner is on fire!
!
Suddenly, the corners of Maedas mouth twitched upward.
Humans are stupid after all!
Lee Ho-yeol took the bait.
Maeda turned to the reporters as if waiting for a response.
This is a clear act of hostility. I cant take it anymore, Im going to go into Frost right now and settle this myself!
Of course, Maedas illusion was short-lived.
The moment he stepped into the Frost.
He subconsciously realized.
What is this, this gaze?
The terror of a hunter facing his natural
.
Maybe its because Ive leveled up.
You realize your bodys senses have become even more acute.
For example, now.
[Skill, Natural Enemy is activated].
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