The Burden of Diligent NPCs

The members of the Draken Secret Society were incredibly faithful to their roles. They couldn't possibly let the Dragon's Friend work alone!

‘Damn it. Why do they have to be so uselessly diligent?’

Even when Tae-hyun practically dragged the members of the Archisus Church out, most of them would still try to run away. Yet, other organizations were crawling with highly diligent NPCs. Why on earth was there such a stark difference?

"By the way, is it really okay to just leave the NPCs we brought with us like that?"

"Well, they'll manage. It's not like we left them in a dangerous place... Let's just head to the ruins first. Seeing those guys follow us is going to be a pain."

Tae-hyun hadn't just brought his immediate party. While leading the fleet here, soldiers of the Atali Kingdom and various NPCs had tagged along. Right now, they were on standby near the harbor.

"We need to go hunting, but is there really nowhere to get buffs around here?"

Before heading out to hunt in dungeons or fields, players usually buffed themselves in various ways. They ate food, looked at statues or paintings, cast magic, visited temples, went to blacksmiths...

Since the Asvian Empire was uncharted territory for them, they had to prepare even more thoroughly.

"Is there no chef here? Any shops selling food?"

"What...? Are you mocking us?"

"Adventurer. Are you sneering at us just because you are alive?"

"A-Ah, no!"

The problem was that the Asvian Empire was a highly unusual country, vastly different from normal kingdoms. For starters, there were almost no living NPCs. Most of them were undead who had died and risen again alongside the Emperor.

In other words, the shops and buildings found in most kingdoms simply didn't exist here!

The players were utterly bewildered.

"They don't even sell food here?"

"Let's just find a player with the chef class and buy some food from them."

"I have the Cooking skill, so I'll try making some. If we can just buy the ingredients..."

However, obtaining ingredients was no easy task either.

"Vegetables? Fruits? Meat? We have no such things. Why would we need them?"

"When we open our eyes, we boil mana stones infused with mana and drink the water... Hehehe..."

"..."

"..."

The players were slowly beginning to realize.

Something is seriously wrong here!

After searching high and low, they barely managed to find a few ingredients at a general store.

Even the players who had brought their own food quickly ran out.

To cook anything in this area, heading to the sea to catch seafood was the easiest option. It got to the point where even the tasteless sea monster meat Tae-hyun's party had hunted on their way here sold for an exorbitant price!

Without even that, players simply had to endure the hunger penalty.

"Let's go find something ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠outside!"

"There's nothing but sand out there..."

"Are they insane? What do the people here even eat to survive?"

While there were plenty of treasures and resources, the actual necessities of life were sorely lacking.

Temples were no exception.

"There isn't even a temple here!"

"How are we supposed to live?"

"We should ask the church to build a temple here. Will they listen?"

"It'll probably take some time... We might have to spend Contribution Points."

"Use yours."

"Why mine?! Everyone should pitch in a little!"

The priests and paladin players buzzed with anxiety as they tried to formulate a plan.

However, the players belonging to the Archisus Church were different.

"Priest! Please build a temple here!"

Unlike the NPCs of other denominations who were far away on the main continent, the priests and paladins of the Archisus Church were right there on the ships at the harbor.

"But to build a temple, we need various materials..."

In the Asvian Empire...

A quest window for building a temple popped up.

Of course, these players were fully prepared.

Moreover, some of them were players who had been thoroughly trained in various construction projects back in [the Valley of Despair].

"We have them! Let's build it quickly!"

"Everyone! Gather round! This is our chance to earn Contribution Points!"

"Assemble, everyone!"

With just a single glance, they knew exactly what each other wanted!

Tack-tack, saw-saw—

The cheerful sounds of sawing and hammering echoed through the air.

As a few players started, others heard the noise and flocked over.

"Man, I'm just glad 'those' blacksmith guys aren't here."

"Did they not board the ships? Honestly, those guys are terrifying."

"Shh. What if the building explodes while we're constructing it?"

Tae-hyun's party, their hearts full of dreams of striking it rich, headed straight for the ruins the moment they stepped outside...

Or rather, they tried to.

An obstacle blocked their path.

Clop, clop, clop—

A skeletal knight riding a skeletal steed appeared and blocked Tae-hyun's way.

"Adventurer! His Majesty wishes to see you."

In any other country, an undead would be met with immediate vigilance and suspicion, but here in the Empire, the undead were the primary NPCs.

This skeletal knight was also one of the Empire's nobles!

Of course, not everyone was fond of the imperial nobility.

The members of the Draken Secret Society, who had been following behind, practically threw a fit.

"Screeech! Screeech! Lord Kim Tae-hyun! Let us slay this wicked lackey of the Empire!"

"Whoa, whoa. What's with the violent talk?"

"Why do you hesitate?! We must kill him!"

"You need to understand the situation before you act. The dragons think so too. If you act rashly, the dragons will be displeased."

"Ah...!"

"They told me to convey that the dragons will go 'Bad boy!' on you."

"We are deeply sorry!"

The moment Tae-hyun invoked the dragons' names, the secret society members bowed flat on their faces.

"Adventurer. Who are those people?"

"They're a bit eccentric, so you don't need to pay them any mind. But... why does His Majesty wish to see me?"

"Even I do not know."

"..."

Tae-hyun felt a sudden foreboding.

‘Don't tell me... Lee Se-yeon...’

Whenever something bad happened, his first instinct was to suspect Lee Se-yeon!

If Se-yeon had heard his thoughts, she would have blasted a spell right into his face out of sheer indignation.

But from Tae-hyun's perspective, there was hardly anyone else to suspect.

How many players could possibly be close to the Emperor of the Asvian Empire right now?

‘Did she find out I'm carrying dragons around? Did she report me? That dirty player! I was planning to use that card later!’

Despite Carbanog's exasperation, Tae-hyun kept his gears turning.

‘I have to go for now. I'll go and use my Eloquence... Ah, but the odds are against me...’

No matter how high Tae-hyun's Highest-grade Eloquence skill was, it couldn't turn the impossible into the possible.

If Lee Se-yeon was currently on extremely close terms with the Emperor, it would be difficult to change the outcome with mere instigation.

‘Tsk. If things go south, I'll just have to make a run for it.’

Tae-hyun had absolute confidence in his own survival skills.

Even if Lee Se-yeon had laid a meticulous trap, Tae-hyun could escape if he set his mind to it.

From his class to his skills, he was practically born to endure and flee!

"You guys wait here for a bit. I'll head to the imperial palace, meet the Emperor, and spy on the situation."

"Ohhh... Lord Kim Tae-hyun! Truly the Dragon's Friend!"

"Hey. Shut up."

Tae-hyun flinched, worried the skeletal knight might hear them.

"Let's go!"

As Tae-hyun turned around after speaking, Cain flinched.

"Huh? Us too?"

"..."

Cain had assumed that he was included in the "you guys" who were supposed to wait!

"A-Ah... No. It smells like a trap, so shouldn't you go alone..."

"Haha. Cain. You're absolutely right."

"Right? Right?!"

"Everyone else, wait here. I'll go with just Cain."

"Noooo!"

Cain was dragged away by Tae-hyun, letting out a cry like a cow being led to a slaughterhouse.

Yu Ji-soo watched Cain with an envious gaze.

Cain wailed inwardly.

‘Don't look at me with those eyes...!’

"My, to have such a knight in your service. You must possess an extraordinary reputation, Adventurer."

The skeletal knight, Kgaro, marveled as he looked at Golgol-i.

There was a certain unspoken connection between undead knights!

When he visited the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Draken Secret Society, they loved him because of Yong-yong and Heuk-heuk. Now, at the Asvian Imperial Court, they loved him because of Golgol-i...

There were few places where the summons Tae-hyun dragged around were this popular.

‘Except for Yong-yong, the rest of them are guys who wouldn't be out of place getting attacked on sight under normal circumstances.’

Heuk-heuk was Sadiq's demonic beast, and Golgol-i was a Death Knight, after all.

Near the imperial palace of the Asvian Empire, massive pyramids and statues of giant beasts were positioned.

These were clearly not ordinary buildings and statues; they were bound to move in times of emergency.

Just like the Tae-hyun statue in his own territory!

‘Where on earth would you find a statue with a self-destruct function built into it?’

Carbanog seemed puzzled, but Tae-hyun had no time to chat. He needed to pry information out of the skeletal knight.

‘I've already summoned the players to the ruins. I need to wrap things up here quickly and go raid them.’

"What kind of person is His Imperial Majesty?"

"He is a magnificent ruler!"

"Ah, yes. I get that. Anything else? What about his equipped gear? His class? His skills? His weaknesses?"

If he didn't have the Highest-grade Eloquence skill, he would have been attacked on the spot for asking such questions!

"Everything in this Empire belongs to His Majesty, so what meaning does equipment hold? However, His Majesty possesses a fiery temperament, so it would be wise to watch your step."

"..."

Tae-hyun suddenly grew suspicious. For a knight this loyal to describe ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠him as "fiery"...

‘Isn't he just a complete psychopath?’

As Tae-hyun and Cain walked down the palace hallway, a voice drifted into their ears.

"Huh? That person over there looks exactly like Kim Tae-hyun..."

"Haha. Lee Se-yeon. No matter how you look at it, why would Kim Tae-hyun be here? You've been rumored to be dating him, so now everyone you see looks like—"

"Do you want to die?"

"I-I'm sorry. Was I wrong?"

"Ugh, seriously, if I ever meet the reporter who wrote that article... Hey! That is Kim Tae-hyun!!"

"N-No way!"

Lee Se-yeon and Smith gasped in shock. Tae-hyun and Cain were equally startled.

"Why are you here?!"

"Was this not a trap you laid?"

"...I don't know how on earth you reached that conclusion, but I'll make sure to lay a trap for you next time. Why are you here?"

In the brief moment their gazes locked, Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon both scrambled to figure out each other's hidden motives.

‘What the hell is this guy up to?’

The exact same thought echoed in both of their minds!

Tae-hyun spoke first, since he was the one in a hurry.

"The Emperor summoned me."

"The Emperor? Why would the Emperor summon you... Wait!"

Lee Se-yeon's face turned pale.

She hurriedly grabbed Tae-hyun's arm and dragged him into a corner.

"We're in deep trouble!"

"Did your favorability with the Emperor drop?"

"Is this really the time to be saying that?!"

"Seeing how panicked you are makes me want to say it even more..."

Even when Lee Da-bi had repeatedly begged him, 'You must get along with Se-yeon!', his natural instincts refused to die!

"You... you still have it, don't you?!"

"Ah. Is the Emperor looking for that?"

With just a single look, the two of them instantly deduced what the other was thinking.

Tae-hyun realized it immediately. What Lee Se-yeon had used to resurrect the Emperor was [the Emperor's Scepter]. Looking at the name, it was clearly an item related to [the Emperor's Crown].

"Fufu. Lee Se-yeon... too bad. You probably thought you'd seize control of the Empire by resurrecting the Emperor first, but now we're on equal footing."

"What? What are you talking about, you idiot?! It's not like that at all!"

Lee ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Se-yeon stomped her feet and shouted.

"If I absolutely needed that crown, I would have asked to trade with you! I'm saying that crown must never fall into the Emperor's hands!"