Chapter 188
Chapter 188
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 188
Chapter Title: New Exploration (4)
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"Wait, there's one more thing!"
"?"
Suhyun looked down at Samuel. No matter how he sized him up, this guy prancing around pretending to be a king didn't seem like he had anything worthwhile.
"This is truly valuable information. If I tell you this..."
"You've got five seconds, or the deal's off. Think hard about your current situation and speak. Haven't you come back to reality yet?"
"...If you keep heading east from here, you'll reach a place the heteromorphs call Debrao."
"That's not all, is it...?"
"Hear me out! Most people don't know this. Deep inside Debrao, there's an underground kingdom!"
"An underground kingdom with Dark Elves and Dwarves, right? I know that already."
"?!?!?!?!"
The kingdom beneath Debrao (which was really more like a city-state) had been discovered unusually late. It was buried deep underground, and the surrounding Debrao region had been explored relatively late as well.
If not for a stroke of sheer luck, it might never have been found at all. And there was one more problem...
That nation despised contact with outsiders.
Humanity's reckless expansion phase had long since ended, and you couldn't force your way into areas already claimed by heteromorphs.
If only one nation had crossed through the gates, they might have ignored face and done it on the sly. But the nations using the gates were all superpowers keeping each other in check. If one stirred up trouble, the others would surely band together and rain down condemnation.
"How do you...?!"
"There's an underground kingdom?!"
Luiril, who apparently didn't know about this either, stared at Suhyun in surprise. Even heteromorphs didn't know everything around here. In fact, they were often more ignorant about things they couldn't know than humans were. Information sharing was slow.
"If you thought you could toss out a single Kazelm and haggle from there... I'm truly disappointed. I figured a guy with some mercenary experience in America would at least remember how deals work. Has playing king here completely warped your sense of reality?"
"Damn it... Getting in there isn't a privilege handed to just anyone...!"
"Yeah, yeah, save that for the judge... What? You can get in?"
Suhyun had started to grab them but paused, something odd in Samuel's words catching his ear.
"They'll let you in? Those guys?"
"That's right."
"You're human. Those folks won't even let in Dark Elves or Dwarves from other regions."
A sly glint crossed Samuel's face. Suhyun could tell he'd found a way to survive. Suhyun coldly stomped on his knee.
"Argh!"
"If I catch you scheming even once more, I'll just shove you in and be done with it. Speak the pure truth, with all your heart."
"It's like this..."
* * *
By combining a Dwarf tribe he'd met while wandering with the humans he'd originally led out, Samuel had been maintaining his own little kingdom. It was pathetic compared to human cities, but he was still a king.
He worried about surrounding threats, but settling in the Anes region and having a powerful Earth Dragon on call had been fortunate. Most monsters were dealt with before they could even approach.
It was during this time that he encountered scouts from Kazelm. They expressed gratitude to Samuel for helping them alongside the Dwarves. After several conversations and stories, Samuel received an invitation to their city.
Suhyun was inwardly shocked as he listened. This con artist of an old man getting such treatment? It might look simple, but they didn't invite just anyone.
"But for someone who got permission like that, isn't your village awfully far away?"
"It's not a village, it's a kingdom..."
"Shut it. Why so far?"
"Why should I move my kingdom just because I got their permission? If they're the ones who need something, they can come closer!"
"..."
Suhyun gave Samuel a lukewarm look. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't believe this guy had gotten an invitation.
"How many times have you been there?"
"Once."
"Once? You haven't gone back?"
Samuel turned his head instead of answering. One of the Dwarves muttered softly.
"They don't properly recognize His Majesty Samuel there..."
"What?"
"They just treated him like an ordinary guest."
"Ah..."
Suhyun understood now. He'd gone down with high hopes after getting guest status, only to be treated exactly like a guest. For Samuel, who saw himself as the king here, that must have been unbearable.
"So you went once and never again? Doesn't matter either way. Fine. Let's make a deal. Guide us to that kingdom. A few more people shouldn't be an issue, right?"
"What?"
"I'll send the orcs back there. Looking at the space around here, one more orc tribe won't make a difference. Plenty of food and more than a couple water sources."
"No to the orcs!"
"Yeah! Those filthy, dirty bastards need to be chased out!"
Before Suhyun could finish, the Dwarves shot to their feet. Suhyun pulled out his gun and racked it instead of replying. The metallic click shut them up instantly.
"Did the orcs attack first?"
"No... not exactly..."
"Get along without fighting. Unless you want to go to the afterlife."
"...Yes..."
"Since this megalomaniac human is coming along, I'll overlook dragging you all to court together, so if you see orcs, don't pick fights out of gratitude. If they had half a brain, they'd have gone straight to other humans and turned it into a legal dispute. And you. King."
"Yes!"
"You're coming with me."
* * *
"Conversation over?"
Suhyun explained to Jennifer what kind of guy Samuel was. Her expression turned peculiar after hearing it all. Ivan, listening from the side, smirked.
"An American mercenary, huh? Yeah, sure."
Jennifer ground her teeth audibly.
"We've settled on sending the orc tribe back as the resolution."
"What?! That's it?! No need to concede that much!"
"I don't have time to stick around babysitting these people, and blowing up a minor issue like this would be ridiculous. Sort out any territorial rights yourselves. I won't get involved."
"Hmm..."
Ivan nodded at Suhyun's words and backed off, but Jennifer didn't. She waited until Ivan was gone before whispering to Suhyun.
"What did you get out of it?"
"No idea what you're talking about."
"Don't lie! You wouldn't just let them off!"
Jennifer knew Suhyun too well. He was thorough about things like this; he wouldn't forgive them without getting something.
"If it's good, we share!"
"Shh, quiet. Ivan'll hear."
"What deal did you make?"
"A ticket."
"?"
"A ticket into the underground kingdom."
Suhyun briefly explained what he'd gained. Jennifer's eyes sparkled as she nodded. As someone who'd rolled around Cameron, she immediately grasped the value.
"Can I come in too?"
"They won't like a big group. I was planning to leave my team outside anyway."
The permission was for Samuel, not others. Even as his companions, there'd be limits.
"If we get in, I'll go alone. What about your side?"
"Me and one Dark Elf teammate. I won't bring the other elves, humans, or orcs—wouldn't end well."
Jennifer sensed Suhyun planned to take her along. Next came the terms.
"What do you want?"
"Blue Bear's infrastructure. If we get something from inside, we split it no matter what."
"Don't you have your own lines?"
"Mobilizing those would mean splitting more than with Blue Bear. No idea what we'll find, but let's verbal-contract it for now."
"That much is fine..."
In exchange for entering a place no one could, that was plenty profitable. Jennifer nodded right away.
* * *
"You lot go back and relay the message to the orc tribe. Make sure to properly convey the behavioral guidelines too. Keep an eye out so no disputes arise here. No monsters around anyway, and plenty of support spots, so don't worry."
"We're not worried, but wouldn't it be better to take a few more? Going underground could be dangerous if something happens."
"Nah. Judging their temperament, a big group might backfire. Better to cut it off at just this many."
Suhyun was pragmatic. Before returning to the past, he'd dealt extensively with the underground kingdom. He'd even tried contacting it under orders.
An ancient underground kingdom with a long history. And no one had succeeded in making contact yet. Its value was immense.
But Suhyun hadn't succeeded either. No matter the ploy, the Dark Elves and Dwarves had coldly refused.
So it was absurd that this megalomaniac had gotten an invitation now.
"I'm all set!"
"Alright. Let's go."
"Ahem. Before we leave, a couple requests."
Samuel cleared his throat.
"?"
"In front of those people, call me 'Your Majesty'..."
"Want to go to court?"
"No! Let's just go!"
Jennifer tilted her head curiously as Samuel headed away from the vehicles.
"Why's he going that way? Not riding in the car? Hey! Why are you heading over there..."
A roar echoed as the Earth Dragon burst out. Samuel casually climbed atop it.
"What did you say?"
"You're riding that thing? No way, right?"
"Nah, seems fine."
Jennifer shot Suhyun an incredulous look at his words. Riding a monster?
"You're seriously getting on that?!"
"They're super insular, so dragging a vehicle might backfire. We're trying hard to get in—can't have the car cause issues. Let's play it safe."
Jennifer grumbled as she walked toward the Earth Dragon.
"Do we really need to bend over backwards like this?"
"Let's see what's inside first. I'm curious too."
The top of the Earth Dragon wasn't pleasant. Suhyun had only ever caught them before; he hadn't imagined riding a live one. As someone other than its master climbed on, it let out a low growl.
"This under control properly?"
Shaina asked uneasily. As someone who knew monster-handling techniques, this superpowered suppression made her nervous. What if the power failed and it rampaged?
"Don't you trust my abilities?! The time I've spent with this guy..."
"Just say if it's safe or not. No bullshit."
"...Safe."
"Good. Let's move out."
At Suhyun's signal, Samuel waved his hand. The Earth Dragon lurched forward awkwardly, cleaving through the earth. Watching the scenery whip by, Suhyun muttered absently.
"You know, Earth Dragon meat is pretty tasty."
"!"
* * *
"Why slow down?"
"From here, we go like this."
Samuel tugged his beard, scanning the surroundings tensely. Nothing seemed different, so Jennifer was puzzled.
'Not bad. Makes sense—he's lived around here a while...'
Samuel acted this way because of the dangers ahead. He knew from experience when you'd crossed from Anes into Debrao. Trouble could pop up anywhere, anytime.
"Yeah, yeah, slow and steady. Where was that path I marked last time..."
Samuel searched carefully for the route. Even in this unremarkable forest, his trembling put Jennifer on alert. If he was acting like that, something had to be there.