Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: I'm the Final Boss of This Area
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Kubel's rebellion.
The incident later dubbed the Providence Kingdom's first treason case drew the full attention of the royal family.
As the situation demanded, command was handed over to the kingdom's second-in-command, Duke—Dominic.
This was because the kingdom had a civilian control system in place.
Previously, Rex had directly commanded and led the army while holding operational authority, but upon becoming a kingdom, military command was transferred to his second-in-command, Duke.
Rex only held command authority during total wars; in all other cases, he merely issued orders.
"Dominic. I've transferred command authority. You know how to operate Cis... no, Firefly, right?"
After handing command to Dominic, Rex leaned back in his chair and manipulated the interface.
'Come to think of it, this is the first time I haven't directly commanded.'
Until now, it had always been total war, so Rex had taken charge personally, but delegating command to Duke like this was a first.
It felt like entrusting auto-battle to an AI in a game.
Rex opened Duke's interface window for the first time in a while.
It was an astonishing stat lineup every time he saw it.
Duke, Peter, even the academy president from his academy days.
Those from the Empire were adept at adjusting their levels and stats.
In Dominic's disguised state, whom Duke was currently impersonating, everything except Technique and Intelligence had been lowered by four tiers.
Rex, who wasn't a martial artist, couldn't comprehend how he managed to take down Superhumans above him using just Technique.
(For reference, the other retainers, including Ari, said they couldn't understand it either.)
But that wasn't the point. What Rex was focusing on this time was command ability.
In Hell Online, a hero unit's command ability was heavily influenced by Intelligence, but disposition couldn't be ignored.
No matter how high Intelligence was, the operation's outline often varied greatly depending on disposition.
For example, the most infamous mad mustache unit in the game had a Madness disposition along with high 80s Intelligence and Mental stats.
Thus, its strategist ability was unparalleled among hero units.
But that unit had a fatal flaw:
'It had the "One-Shot Gambler" disposition.'
With a mindset of "payback later," it excelled in short wars but drained national power in prolonged ones.
Moreover, fixated on conquest without considering postwar affairs or diplomacy, it often lost wars despite winning battles.
In contrast, there was a strategist with relatively lower 70s Intelligence but Moderate and Diligent dispositions.
That strategist favored minimizing soldier casualties and securing stable supplies, shining brighter the longer the war dragged on.
Dispositions had a surprisingly significant impact on command ability.
And Duke, tasked with this operation, possessed the dispositions , <passion>, and <indomitable>.
With top-tier Intelligence and ideal knightly dispositions, Rex couldn't contain his curiosity about the battle plan he'd devise.
'What kind of battlefield will you show me?'
Rex watched the screen with a pounding heart, sharing vision.
Sitting side by side on the sofa with Ari, they observed Dominic's rebellion suppression.
When Dominic's operation finally began, Rex let out a sigh for a different reason.
"Too much of an idealist."
His dispositions were so noble that they overshadowed his Intelligence.
Rex was a ruthless realist who accepted sacrifices, but Dominic planned operations allowing no sacrifices whatsoever.
Instead, Dominic compensated for those inefficiencies with his own sacrifices.
But ultimately, shouldering everything alone was bound to cause inefficiencies.
Those inefficiencies particularly caught Rex's eye.
However...
"He really hates sacrifices."
"Duke's incredibly kind."
"That's why I'm here too."
"I'm grateful for that."
"Master...!"
Rex nodded, letting Ari rest her head on his shoulder.
Their eyes met naturally, and their faces slowly drew closer...
.
.
.
"Master? Something red... nosebleed! Kyaa! What do we do?!"
It seemed Rex and Ari's skinship would take much more time.
Just before the operation began.
Dominic secretly summoned Jane away from the others.
"It's time for this old body to go, miss."
The night air rang with the clear chirp of crickets.
Jane panicked at the old man's sudden last words.
"What? You heading off to meet one of the Twelve Tyrants or something?"
Dominic shook his head at Jane's misunderstanding.
He could assert it a hundred times: the Twelve Tyrants weren't behind this incident.
But the reason Dominic said this was different.
"This old man's face has become too well-known. It seems I can no longer perform this role."
"Ah."
The identity of butler Dominic had been created for covert knight operations or stealth activities.
But now, even thugs like Kubel Karognar had discovered it.
It was highly likely the forces behind them had been informed too.
This meant it was time to discard the Dominic identity.
Of course, the person himself had other intentions.
'Discovered by an extra, so no more lurking... Time to give the final boss a flashy send-off.'
A final boss's end was always death or defeat.
It could be pathetic, cringy, or grand, but regardless.
Duke instinctively felt it was time to wrap up the Dominic character.
"Since it's the last, I'd like your help, miss."
"Just say the word, old man."
"In this operation, I'd prefer to fight alone as much as possible."
"What?"
Dominic had run the numbers: if he, Jane, and the other direct retainers fought, the rebels would be annihilated in an instant.
Dominic, desiring a flashy finale for the final boss, didn't want that.
What he aimed for was mutual destruction between the final boss and the rebels.
Thus, he wanted Jane and the knights to focus on rescues rather than combat this time.
Of course, he had prepared logic to match.
"Didn't you promise Lord Bald's granddaughter? You must keep your promise."
Jane stared blankly at Dominic, as if struck by a hammer.
He was right.
Their goals in this mission differed.
Dominic (Duke) focused on punishing the traitors,
while Jane, as a girl who had endured tragedy, aimed to protect other children's innocence.
Neither violated chivalry.
But differing goals led to different operations.
Annihilation required accepting hostage sacrifices; rescue required letting some traitors escape.
Normally, the superior's intent took precedence, steamrolling the subordinate's.
But Dominic didn't do that.
Even here, he respected Jane, trying to catch both rabbits.
At the cost of shouldering it all himself.
Sensing Dominic's sacrifice, Jane finally spoke.
"Does that mean you have to do it alone?"
"I don't want to drag others into my stubbornness."
"It's my stubbornness!"
"No, it's mine."
He didn't want to miss Loyalty. Or a happy ending. Or respect his subordinate's dream.
Dominic dismissed it in that sense.
"You..."
"Don't worry. This isn't a sacrifice. Remember what I said before? The only one who can save you is yourself. Haven't you realized that meaning now?"
Jane nodded.
By stopping Dominic's revenge, she had let go of the revenge that burned her.
With the resolve not to let other girls suffer the same tragedy, she escaped her past.
Salvation doesn't come to those who wait.
Such salvation merely leaves knots in the heart.
True salvation is completed by forgiving oneself through saving others...
"...right?"
"Heh heh. How about writing a book once this battle ends?"
"Yeah. Fine. You win. How can I stop you after that?"
Jane swallowed a bitter smile.
As she had just said, she had saved herself by saving others.
Dominic brought it up because he was the same as Jane.
'In the end, I was the one who saved you, huh?'
As Opfir, he had destroyed the Empire but wandered the continent feeling emptiness amid the ruins of ashes.
In that journey, he saved an elf girl surrounded by black lizards.
In the short time saving her and parting, the swordsman pulled her from the darkness.
And he too was saved, starting anew as a Wandering Knight.
"Even on land left with only ashes, do sprouts grow?"
"Book title?"
"What do you think?"
"It's good."
Jane shared one last cup of tea with Dominic, her smile dripping with lingering attachment.
.
.
.
'Nice line.'
After sending Jane from the command room, Dominic reflected on their conversation.
He didn't know what realization Jane had at the end, but he heard the sound of her knocking on the 6th tier wall.
'Salvation was the keyword?'
He had just told her to focus on protecting Lord Bald's granddaughter's dream, and she gained insight.
Good was good; Duke didn't dwell on it.
What mattered now was the finale for Dominic, the final boss.
The butler nodded and pried up the command room floorboards with his sword.
Magic bombs revealed beneath the floor.
Items Dominic hadn't planted.
From the moment he discovered them, a scenario formed in his mind.
"Well then, shall we begin?"
The butler distanced himself slightly from the bombs scattered throughout the command room and took position in the center.
"Three, two, one."
Boom!
The mansion of the commanding butler exploded.
Jane, waiting outside beforehand, watched the exploding mansion, then steeled her expression and rallied the troops.
"Lord Dominic has fallen! Save the mourning for later! From this moment, I take command of the army! Knights, follow me!"
A commander's sudden assassination was rare but not impossible.
Trained for such situations, the knights followed Jane's orders despite slight panic.
'Farewell, my hero.'
Only Jane saw the figure leap from the debris the moment the mansion exploded.
Thus, the girl sent off Peter Pan and became an adult.