A Hero's True Loyalty

"Ugh, look at that unsightly display."

"To think the holy knights of the churches could be so greedy... Tsk, tsk."

The nobles whispered among themselves, gossiping about the church NPCs. But the moment they spotted Tae-hyun, their faces lit up with warm, welcoming smiles.

"Ah! If it isn't the illustrious Count Kim Tae-hyun!"

"I've heard so much about you, Count Kim Tae-hyun!"

"The hero of the continent! I heard you defeated Gardu this time! To perform such a feat without asking for a single thing in return... You truly are a hero among heroes!"

He actually wanted a great deal in return, so hearing this made him feel a bit awkward, but Tae-hyun maintained his poker face. These were people he needed to stay on good terms with for now!

"I heard you even turned down a fief after subjugating the traitor Antonio last time! I was deeply moved when I heard that!"

Turning down the extra territory he could have received after wiping out the Sadiq Church. In truth, the King of the Atali Kingdom had no intention of giving it to him anyway, so Tae-hyun had simply rejected it first to save face... But to outsiders, it looked incredibly noble. A hero showing absolute loyalty by refusing land!

"If only the kingdom were filled with people like Count Kim Tae-hyun, we would have true peace."

"Indeed, indeed. We have no need for those noisy, troublesome church bastards!"

The nobles were exceptionally favorable toward him. Tae-hyun smiled, seizing the perfect opportunity.

"Everyone."

"Yes...?"

"Have you heard of Archisus?"

"Huh...?"

"Allow me to tell you about our Lord and Savior, Archisus..."

"Wait, what?!"

"I have received reports that the priests of various orders have threatened Count Kim Tae-hyun—a hero of this kingdom and a man of absolute, unwavering loyalty."

"..."

"..."

At King Damiano II's words, the faces of the priests from the various churches turned sour. They could already feel the heavy stench of a biased trial!

"My heart aches. How can those who claim to serve the gods commit such intimidation?"

"Your Majesty! Please hear us! It was not intimidation! The sacred relic of Carbanog, which barely remains on this continent, is an incredibly dangerous object! The rabbit frenzy that recently swept the continent was caused by the power of that very relic! Such a dangerous relic must be managed by a trustworthy order!"

The Phytos Church was desperate. If they backed down here, they would be in serious trouble!

"And where on this continent is there an order more trustworthy than the Archisus Church? When the Sadiq Church plotted to assassinate me, it was Count Kim Tae-hyun who stopped them. And when they fled and hid, it was Count Kim Tae-hyun who hunted them down. What were the other churches doing? Merely watching from the sidelines!"

"That is not true, Your Majesty! We also selected and dispatched our finest warriors! Furthermore, those achievements belong to Count Kim Tae-hyun himself, not the power of the Archisus Church! Please consider him separately from his order!"

'What a sharp bunch,' Tae-hyun thought, slightly impressed.

They weren't wrong. Tae-hyun had indeed achieved great things, but it didn't necessarily have anything to do with the Archisus Church itself.

"Ahem. Your Majesty, they speak the truth."

"?!?!"

Everyone gasped in shock as Tae-hyun suddenly chimed in. Why on earth was he taking the Phytos Church's side?

"The Archisus Church is still too lacking to manage such a sacred relic. That is why the relic was snatched by... ah, no, entrusted to the Phytos Church. It breaks my heart, but is this not simply due to my own shortcomings? Sob, sob. I have no intention of pursuing this matter any further."

The Phytos Church suddenly realized what Tae-hyun was trying to do. He was officially cementing the fact that he had given them the (fake) relic of Carbanog in front of everyone!

"N-No! That man did not give us the relic—"

"Heh! Count Kim Tae-hyun is indeed a true loyalist and hero of the kingdom! Hear me! I will hear no further slander against Count Kim Tae-hyun!"

'Yes!' Tae-hyun clenched his fist in victory.

"It is a shame that there are so few temples of such a loyal subject's order. I hereby grant permission to construct more temples for the Archisus Church!"

"...!"

"N-No..."

"That is..."

The other church NPCs who had been quietly observing were utterly flabbergasted! As competitors, the rise of a new rival was the last thing they wanted.

"I will hear no more! We must show this level of trust to Count Kim Tae-hyun, who silently shoulders the burdens you all refuse to carry. Is that not so, Count Kim Tae-hyun?"

"Indeed, Your Majesty!"

"Furthermore, even after defeating Gardu, the Count asks for no reward and is already preparing to set out on a journey to lift the curse. How deeply moving!"

"Pardon?"

Wait, I haven't officially decided to go yet? Tae-hyun was taken aback.

"No reward is too great for Count Kim Tae-hyun. Speak! Tell me what else you desire!"

'Tsk, what a cheapskate...'

Saying he could ask for anything, but secretly putting restrictions on it.

'Well, whatever.'

He didn't need any more land in his current situation anyway, and since he had no idea what treasures the King possessed, it wasn't something he could easily target.

"Your Majesty! Recently, Gardu dared to invade your royal lands! If only I had possessed a bit more strength, such an outrage would never have occurred. Please lend me your strength so that I may better protect Your Majesty's domain!"

"Oh! Count Kim Tae-hyun. Splendid! I shall grant you my royal troops!"

"...!"

'Yes!'

An NPC army that players at their current level could absolutely never defeat! They could easily melt almost any player force. With this, the defense of his vulnerable territory was perfectly secured.

"I hereby bestow upon Count Kim Tae-hyun the title of Royal Guard Knight."

'This one is pretty useless.'

Tae-hyun was already close enough to them that he didn't really need such a bonus.

"We shall conclude the meeting here. Henceforth, let all nobles and members of the churches follow the example of Count Kim Tae-hyun! His loyalty and spirit of sacrifice! He is a model for both the nobility and the priesthood!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty! May I say one last thing?"

"Hmm...?"

"It is nothing other than the curse at The Exile, which opened after Gardu's defeat. I intend to go there and resolve it, and I wish to join forces with the other churches. Of course, I believe the other churches would ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gladly take the lead in such matters, but to ensure everything goes smoothly, perhaps Your Majesty could..."

"Mmm. You speak the truth. Is there anyone here who would dare back out when Count Kim Tae-hyun is taking the initiative like this?"

"..."

"..."

With the exception of the Demer Church NPCs, everyone's faces turned even more rotten. Priest Haron of the Demer Church clapped enthusiastically.

"There is no one, Your Majesty! A truly wise decision!"

"Very well, then let it be so. Count Kim Tae-hyun! You shall command them and lift the curse!"

A well-cultivated relationship with the King was worth more than ten NPCs. Tae-hyun fully reaped the rewards of the close bond he had forged while thoroughly plundering the Sadiq Church. The other churches, who had underestimated Tae-hyun's relationship with the King of Atali, paid a painful price!

'I've dealt with the issue and even secured some meat shields for the quest. Perfect.'

"This is unacceptable! Absolutely unacceptable! To persecute our order, which has contributed so much to the kingdom for so long, in this manner!"

"What does the Pope say?"

"What can he do? This is the Atali Kingdom!"

"Damiano II must be blind! To believe such a swindler!"

The Phytos Church had now realized the truth beyond a shadow of a doubt: Count Kim Tae-hyun was a fraud! They had paid a bitter price for their naive thoughts of, 'Well, surely a Pope wouldn't pull off such a scam?'

"But there is nothing we can do about Damiano II's trust in him. He saved the King's life and thoroughly caught his eye during the subjugation of the Sadiq Church."

"...Damiano II won't live forever, will he?"

"...!"

"What do you mean by that...?"

"I heard there is someone targeting Damiano II. His uncle, Antonio, rebelled and was executed, but his son was not. I heard his son is still alive."

"T-That! But still, the Sadiq Church is..."

"Antonio allied with the Sadiq Church, but his son did not! So there is no issue. Normally, we would have to report this to Damiano II... but why should we? After being treated like this!"

"...!!"

"If Antonio's son succeeds and takes the throne, what do you think will happen to Count Kim Tae-hyun?"

There was no way the son would leave Kim Tae-hyun—the man who killed his father—in peace.

"That would be incredibly satisfying!"

"Indeed. That swindler will be kicked out of the Atali Kingdom!"

Even if he hadn't joined hands with the Sadiq Church, the son of a man who did could hardly be a decent person. However, blinded by their desire for revenge, the Phytos Church chose to ignore that fact.

'Huh?'

Tae-hyun, who had been happily reviewing the expedition force for the quest, tilted his head at the message window.

"An evil god... Isn't that Carbanog...?"

"No? Then is it Archisus?"

"Sadiq?"

"Hmm. True, the Sadiq Church guys are indeed missing a few screws."

If the Sadiq Church had heard this, they would have clutched the back of their necks in outrage. Who was the one who made them this way in the first place?!

"Then is it someone I don't know? Well, there are plenty of other evil churches on the continent..."

Although the Sadiq Church had once been highly influential, now that they had been wiped out, it wouldn't be surprising if another evil order emerged.

'If possible, I hope they show up somewhere far away from the Atali Kingdom. Like the Auston Kingdom. Specifically, somewhere like the capital of the Guild Alliance.'

Lately, whenever he checked the community forums, they were filled with posts showing how well the Guild Alliance was doing. As a single guild, they were the largest! The sheer power of the Guild Alliance could be seen in the fact that their member count had surpassed even the Power Warrior Guild, which accepted literally anyone.

Since most Chinese players joined the Guild Alliance, it was an incredibly formidable force.

Because of this, Tae-hyun felt uncomfortable every time he saw them. Even though they were currently at peace, people never truly forgot a grudge.

Besides, didn't Tae-hyun make sure to strike them every time they ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were about to forget, deepening their grudge even further?

'Ah, I need to keep them in check, but there's no way. What are the guys in the Auston Kingdom doing? They should fight harder.'

"Why are my ears itching?"

"One of our guild members must be praising you, Guild Master! Hahaha!"

"Is that so? Bwahahaha!"

Kim Tae-san laughed heartily, but his expression quickly turned serious again.

The current situation was not looking very good.