Chapter 152: Preparations
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 152: Preparations
More than a month had passed, and I was walking through an underground passage, guided by Park Han Cheol. The search had taken longer than expected, forcing me to extend my stay in Abraham. As for what I’d been doing all that time, it was, of course, training. Park Han Cheol had proven to be a better opponent than I’d anticipated, so I’d made considerable progress.
I had to keep discussing the plan, so I was in constant communication with Jang Ye Ri. Today was no different, and I was in the middle of a conversation with her when I noticed something. For some reason, her voice was much more subdued than usual. To be precise, she’d seemed to be in a bad mood ever since I arrived in Abraham, but this was the first time I’d asked about it.
[Is something wrong?]
[No.]
Her voice sounded a bit down, which made me wonder if something unpleasant had happened. I asked if I had somehow betrayed her etiquette and trust again, but that didn’t seem to be the case. It was probably something personal. Prying further might be rude, so I stopped asking about her mood.
[By the way… when is the date set?]
[The timing is not for us to decide.]
It was a strange thing to say. But considering her actions up to this point, I could guess what she meant.
[It seems you have a rough idea… Your guess is likely correct. My brother will decide the timing.]
[Do you really think that idiot is capable of staging a rebellion?]
That was what I was curious about. I couldn’t imagine that fool raising a rebellion against his own father.
[The situation will empower him. We are not the only ones dissatisfied with my father. The parasites clinging to my brother have plenty of complaints as well. This has become even more true since the small city of Somorah was completely wiped out.]
[That’s a relief, if it happens.]
[You can count on it. My greedy brother will not tolerate a situation where he could be pushed aside. I am certain of it.]
[If you become the legitimate heir to Hadum, there would be no need for a rebellion, would there?]
[Legitimacy is not important. What is important is that my brother is the one who rebels. The quantity and quality of my forces are insufficient to take on both my brother and my father.]
The first to rebel would be her brother, Jang Gi Hoo. Publicly, it would appear as though Jang Gi Hoo was leading his forces in a revolt against his father. The second move would be Jang Ye Ri’s, taking full advantage of the situation. She would use the chaos to slit the throats of both her father and brother, and carve out all the rotten, festering wounds of the city.
That seemed to be the gist of her plan.
[What are the odds of success?]
[Fifty percent. Now that you are here, it’s sixty.]
Ambiguous.
[Who will face Jang Gi Young?]
[I will face my father.]
[Do you think you can do it?]
[The old king is not to be feared.]
It would be a lie to say I wasn’t worried. I didn’t want to imagine what would happen if she were to lose.
[I know what you’re worried about. But the situation leaves no choice. The number of troops is important, but so is their quality. The quality of our forces is far too low to hold back the most prominent powerhouses. We have a little more breathing room with Park Han Cheol and the Greenbelt Clan members, but if I don’t stop Jang Gi Young by myself, a massive hole will undoubtedly open in our lines. It would be the same even if your tribesmen were here.]
[Does it matter if our existence is revealed? There will be a strong backlash from the humans.]
The humans I was referring to were the unaffiliated ones. While military power is crucial to surviving in this world, there is no king without a people. The same would be true even from a Green Skin’s perspective. A king who loses their dignity will fall, and the system she desires will ultimately fail to take root.
[I don’t care about what those around me think.]
Indeed, if the Witch cared about the opinions of others, she would have had no reason to do what she did in the past. She was prepared to bear the discontent and anger from the very beginning. But that would be a failed revolution. A war involving an external power—especially monsters—could never gain legitimacy.
I slowly began to think about the Witch of the East. The great massacre she had carried out was certainly impressive, but nothing was known about what happened to her after that. It was possible the information was inaccessible to me, or that her whereabouts truly became unknown, but for some reason, I felt like I knew what she was thinking.
[What do you plan to do after the rebellion succeeds?]
[…]
[That is none of your concern. If I achieve my goal, that is enough.]
That conversation made me a little more certain.
[Are you planning to die?]
[I told you it is none of your concern.]
She didn’t answer. I couldn’t be sure, but it was highly likely that the Witch of the East from my past life had died in the same way. I never knew if she had lived or died, but at the very least, she never showed herself again after that incident. Her followers had probably concealed all information about her.
In truth, whether she lived or died was none of my business. I had already secured enough from her. Still, it felt unpleasant. I let out an internal sigh before sending another message.
[Let me ask about the plan one more time.]
[The metropolis of Hadum has a total of four gates. The gates themselves aren’t that important to us, since we’ll be entering from underground, but the ones guarding them are the problem.]
[It’s no exaggeration to say that the guardians of each gate are all powerhouses beyond the standard. Three of them follow my father, and the last one follows my brother. When the street fighting begins, they will surely converge on the castle, which is our destination. The reason your forces are needed is, in fact, because of them.]
It seemed that while Jang Ye Ri was dealing with Jang Gi Young, the main force’s role was to hold them back. To stop warriors who could be called powerhouses beyond the standard, the help of Park Han Cheol and the other clan members was essential. It would be an unmanageable, chaotic battle, and considering we also had to keep Jang Gi Hoo’s forces in mind, the Blood Dagger Clan and I were necessary.
I would take one, Park Han Cheol would take one, and the rest of our forces would take another.
Conquering a metropolis was on a completely different level from conquering a small city. Even after splitting the city’s forces into three, we still had to accept an enormous amount of risk.
[If we could hold them all back…]
[Things would be much easier.]
I wasn’t certain, but it would probably mean our clan wouldn’t even need to step in. The powerhouses inside the castle would be handled by her brother’s forces, and her brother’s forces would be handled by Park Han Cheol and the clan following her.
[But that’s impossible.]
[…]
[I hope you won’t take this the wrong way. I know you and your clan are strong. But it’s impossible for you to face them all. You are not yet what I would call stronger than me.]
I was well aware of how powerful the Witch was with the Reaper’s Scythe in her possession. The Sword Saint of the West, the Queen of the North, the Witch of the East—these three were always at the very top when classifying the strong. But I never said I would face them alone.
[I never said I’d face them alone.]
[…]
[I know people who can face them. Two of them, in fact.]
No reply came. Instead, I mounted Ibar and began riding quickly toward Rob. Waiting there were the ones whose weapons I had stolen on the first day. Since this area was close to Hadum, they were armed, but they didn’t seem to have any intention of attacking me.
Funnily enough, as I rode Ibar toward them, they startled and quickly tucked their weapons into their chests.
The priestess whose staff I had taken looked especially shocked, clutching the staff tightly to her chest.
“It’s been a while…”
As I spoke, the priestess’s face turned bright red. I playfully reached out a hand, and she flinched, hiding her staff securely inside her robe. I laughed, and the one who appeared to be the leader approached and spoke to me.
“I am Ha Juyoung, Master of the Greenbelt Clan. I’ve been briefed. Allow me to escort you to the exit.”
“You’re not hostile.”
“The founding purpose of our clan is exploration, adventure, and the study of monster ecology. I hope that serves as an answer. To be honest, this is my first time speaking with a monster… I’m actually a little nervous.”
I slowly looked over the Greenbelt Clan members. What I saw in their eyes was genuine curiosity. There had been people like this in the West, too. A slightly different type, but people who purely enjoyed this world. These types usually operated in small groups and typically had no interest in power or other such things. What was important to them were their values, their curiosity, and their knowledge. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call them scholars. I looked at them once more and spoke.
“I’d appreciate it if you’d distinguish between us and beasts. We are not monsters. We are Green Skins.”
Some of them even started writing down what I said.
“I see. We have spoken rudely. My apologies.”
Thinking in Earth terms, they were like ecologists or biologists. They were incredibly interested in my every gesture. Although there were many Green Skins in Abraham, it seemed highly likely that what they wanted was a Green Skin who had truly lived in the wild.
I placed a hand on my chest and spoke.
“Strength, Wisdom, and Honor.”
“Ooh!”
As expected, they looked at me with surprise. But it wasn't the look one gives a monkey in a zoo. What filled their eyes was respect for a different culture. I felt like I understood why this clan had decided to throw in their lot with Jang Ye Ri.
I didn’t know if they were by Jang Ye Ri’s side in my past life, but if they had a similar encounter with her, like having their weapons stolen, I was certain they would have followed her.
“Then, we will escort you.”
“Thank you.”
The priestess of the Goddess of Wisdom was also recording everything, as if afraid she might miss my voice or anything else. Finding the sight a little amusing, I spoke to her.
“If this matter concludes well, I will invite you to my tribe’s village.”
“Yes. Yes! Thank you.”
It was only natural that everyone’s eyes went wide. In a sense, they were the first humans to be invited to a Green Skin settlement. Of course, I had no intention of showing them the real village in the Brother’s Land. It seemed that setting up a similar-looking settlement and putting on an act would be no loss if it created a connection with people like these. As I was lost in various thoughts, another communication came through.
[I have prepared the items for you in advance. You can take them after you return the Reaper’s Scythe.]
[Understood.]
It seemed they would be storing the Reaper’s Scythe on their end. It was probably better for them to keep it than for me to carry it around.
[I have prepared two items that should suit you, so I hope you will choose the one you like.]
[That’s very kind of you.]
At Jang Ye Ri’s words, I looked at the clan members and spoke.
“I heard she has prepared something.”
“Yes, we were told as well. You can return the Reaper’s Scythe here and choose one of the two items to take with you.”
Only when we had almost reached the exit did I hand over the Reaper’s Scythe, and the Greenbelt Clan members, in turn, took out two items. The way they pulled the items from within their baggy robes was amusing, as if they were worried I might steal them again.
However, the moment I saw the items they presented, I couldn’t help but be plunged into deep contemplation.