The Erangs Royal Palace
The group's faces stiffened at the unexpected option. Lee Se-yeon, looking thoroughly shocked, whispered to Tae-hyun, "Did you tell her to do that?"
"I didn't!"
"Da-bi wasn't originally this kind of person..."
"What do you know about Da-bi anyway? I've been hanging out with her longer than you." Tae-hyun felt a bit wronged. What does she know...!
"But is it really okay to fight at the Erangs Royal Palace?"
The Erangs Royal Palace. It was one of the largest palaces in Pandemonium Online. It wasn't just a single building, but a massive complex of various palaces and facilities that stood as the ultimate pride of the Erangs Kingdom. Fighting in such a place was almost unimaginable.
"Hmm. If we fight at the palace, the enemy won't be able to attack recklessly."
From the First Prince's perspective, he would be fighting in the very palace he intended to rule. He wouldn't dare use large-scale magic. If the palace were destroyed, how could he possibly handle the aftermath?
"Most of the palace should be closed off right now. Can we even get in?"
Currently, the Erangs Royal Palace was mostly sealed. Even the First Prince could only access a few of the palaces and didn't dare touch the rest. One needed both the sword and the crown to truly control the palace.
"Even if we don't go inside, we can just fight in front of it. That alone will make it hard for them to attack."
"True."
"Besides, Philip III probably knows the palace inside out, so he'll know the best places to fight."
As Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon whispered to each other, Lee Da-bi asked anxiously, "Is it not a good idea?"
"No, it's actually great."
"Yeah, it sounds like an amazing spot."
With both of them reassuring her, Da-bi's face finally relaxed. "I just thought of it, but is it really okay?"
"Of course. The Erangs Royal Palace. There's no better place to fight."
"I agree. Originally, a palace is a great place for a Necromancer to fight."
Da-bi tilted her head in confusion. "I get why a palace is a good place to fight, but why is it especially good for a Necromancer...?"
"Alright! Let's go tell Philip III!"
"His Majesty seems a bit strange."
"Right? I thought so too."
"Making us immortal like him... what on earth does that mean?"
"And 'when I was alive'? Does that mean His Majesty died and woke up?"
The noble NPCs weren't stupid. They couldn't think straight during the tense meeting, but once it ended, they realized something was off.
Your Speech skill is extremely high.
Your Reputation is extremely high.
The noble NPCs participating in Philip III's army have come to consult you with their grievances!
Be careful! If you are caught...
Uh oh.
Tae-hyun, who was on his way to see Philip III, was caught off guard by the noble NPCs. Because Philip III spoke without filtering his thoughts, the nobles had started to suspect something.
"Your Holiness. Something is definitely strange!"
"I know nothing about this."
Carbanog admires your shamelessness.
"Huh? No, what do you mean? We haven't even said anything yet?"
"Ah. So, what did you come to talk about?"
"Well, you see..."
The noble NPCs began to list their suspicions. The King spoke as if he had died and returned to life, became violent and aggressive, and craved blood and dark mana... There had to be a reason for a normal person to change like this.
Tae-hyun was nervous. Damn it. They can't find out he's undead yet... If they did, the backlash would hit Tae-hyun too!
"In my opinion, His Majesty might have made a covenant with one of the evil gods."
"I agree."
"...Aha!"
The noble NPCs barked up the wrong tree at the crucial moment! They couldn't even fathom that the King had died and been resurrected as an undead. What kind of crazy person would dare cast Undead Rise on the noble King and drag him around?
"Surely, he was gravely wounded by the betrayal of that tyrannical First Prince, and in his desperation, he fell to the temptation of an evil god."
"My, to think such a thing happened." Tae-hyun feigned ignorance. How terrifying!
"If only he had covenanted with Akisus instead, but an evil god..."
"...What do you mean, 'if only'?"
"Ah, no! It's nothing. My apologies."
"Why are you speaking nonsense!"
The noble NPC who let his true thoughts slip was scolded. Tae-hyun stared at him coldly.
"As expected, there are demons in your head..."
"No, there aren't!"
"Your Holiness! Aren't you the one who has dealt with evil god cults the most among everyone here?"
"That is certainly true." Tae-hyun was indeed recognized as an expert on evil god cults on the continent. He was a hero who had subjugated and fought various evil cults!
"What should we do?"
"Is it right to ask me, a foreigner, about this?" Tae-hyun subtly deflected. Knowing the King was undead, he couldn't get too deeply involved.
"If he covenanted with an evil god, won't His Majesty become... more of a tyrant?"
"That is possible."
"What happens after that?"
"Well, it depends on the person. Some might stop at a moderate level, while others might go completely, endlessly mad..."
"Oh dear...!"
"Which wicked bastards dared to tempt His Majesty?!"
"Could it be the Sadique Order?"
"No, they were destroyed a long time ago. The most recent one to rise up was the Idergo Cult, wasn't it?"
The Plague Cult, the Idergo Cult! Taking advantage of the chaotic continental situation, they had risen up, only to be beaten down by a Demon Duke and then by Tae-hyun. Since they weren't completely eradicated like the Sadique Order, no one knew when they might rise again.
"Indeed! Come to think of it, His Majesty did mention something about plagues."
"Gasp...!"
"It was the Idergo Cult after all!"
The noble NPCs looked troubled. Their King gaining power through a covenant with an evil god was a highly complex issue. Normally, they should confront him, but...
"If we do that now, he'll probably have our heads immediately, right?"
"And what if this rumor spreads right before the battle with the First Prince? The nobles trying to side with His Majesty will dwindle!"
Indeed. The most immediate threat was the First Prince. Philip III wouldn't execute them if they were obediently loyal, but the First Prince would definitely try to take their heads, shouting, 'You traitors!' and swinging his sword.
"...Come to think of it, covenanting with an evil god cult might not be entirely bad. If His Majesty had simply passed away, that would have been worse."
"...That might be true."
"Wait, what kind of nonsense are you all talking...?"
"Shut up!"
"We should be grateful His Majesty is alive and healthy. You disloyal fool!"
"We can just kick out the Idergo Cult later. Then His Majesty will return to normal."
"Indeed, indeed."
"For now, everyone keep your mouths shut. Your Holiness, you must not speak of this to anyone outside."
"Of course," Tae-hyun replied with a trustworthy expression.
The noble NPCs nodded in satisfaction.
"Just in case, we must make sure those Idergo Cult bastards can't even get close."
"Let's hire adventurers to keep them away."
Idergo Cult Subjugation
📍 Objective: Subjugate the Idergo Cult forces.
🎁 Reward: Contribution points will increase based on the number of cultists defeated!
"Huh? Why all of a sudden?"
"Did the Idergo Cult do something?"
The players in Philip III's camp tilted their heads. Why was the Idergo Cult suddenly popping up?
"I think it would be best to fight at the palace, which is Your Majesty's rightful property."
"Not bad. More importantly, look. My power is growing stronger."
Crack! Philip III clenched his fist. Dark death mana gathered in his hand and erupted.
"......"
Carbanog says that is starting to get a bit scary.
Philip III was growing stronger at an extremely rapid pace, thanks to the players clearing various quests and offering items.
He feels several times stronger than Golgol-i...
"Magnificent."
"Indeed! With this power, I shall cut down all those worthless children of mine! We must fight as soon as possible..."
Philip III wishes to increase his death power even further.
Philip III desires a strong opponent!
Are you a Garuda or something?
Wanting to fight strong enemies to grow stronger... he sounded just like the Garuda race. Philip III, who wielded the power of death, versus the First Prince, who wielded the power of Hungry Chaos. It was truly a clash of two incredibly proud royals.
"You will fight soon..."
"It will take a while for those children to arrive, so I need something before then. I heard there are Idergo Cult bastards nearby?"
"No, that's..."
It seemed the nobles' request to capture Idergo priests had reached his ears in a distorted way.
"So the Idergo Cult is here. Find those unpleasant bastards. I shall go and wipe them out myself!"
As his power grew, Philip III had no intention of staying quietly inside the carriage Tae-hyun had made for him. He wanted to go personally, cut them all down, and absorb their power!
Tae-hyun, wondering how to stop him, suddenly realized. Come to think of it, letting him wipe out the Idergo Cult isn't a bad idea, is it? Like a warm-up before fighting the First Prince...
"Understood. I shall find their location!"
"There's the Idergo Cult! Over there!"
Excited players located a nearby hidden temple of the Idergo Cult. Subjugation quests like this were always reliable and highly rewarding. Plus, since the target was an evil cult, they got bonus reputation!
"W-Why are these guys suddenly here?!"
The Idergo paladins and priests were flustered. The Erangs Kingdom was in chaos, and the royals seemed busy fighting among themselves. Thanks to that, they had been quietly building their strength... only for a subjugation force to suddenly show up.
"Release the plague and unleash the beasts! We must block them!"
"How dare you spray holy power on my land! All holy bastards must be wiped out!"
As an undead, Philip III was highly sensitive to anything holy.
"Your Majesty, Akisus is an exception, right?"
"Indeed. I shall make an exception for Akisus. Regardless, wipe out all those holy bastards!"
At Philip III's command, the players and the nobles' soldiers rushed forward. Under the overwhelming onslaught, the walls of the hidden temple were utterly destroyed and swept away.
"As expected of His Majesty!"
"He only borrowed the hands of those Idergo bastards to recover his strength; he never had any intention of following their will!"
The nobles were deeply moved. Their doubts about Philip III were completely washed away by this subjugation!
The loyalty of the nobles has increased.
With extremely high Luck, you have discovered an Idergo Cult assassin!
"!"
Tae-hyun made eye contact with an assassin sneaking up from the side. His high Luck had broken the assassin's stealth!
"......"
"Die!"
Thud! Thud!
Tae-hyun struck down the assassin and looked around. The situation was overwhelmingly in their favor, but they still couldn't let their guard down.
"You Pope of Akisus...! How did you find out about our ritual?!"
"Huh?"