A Tyrant's Crown and a Perfect Scapegoat

Lee Se-yeon felt a headache coming on. She had almost told Tae-hyun, "Hey, don't bring the Crown of the Forgotten Dead when you come to the Empire," but she had held her tongue. She figured Tae-hyun, busy with other quests, wouldn't show up anyway, and she had a nagging feeling that saying something like that to him would only backfire. Letting out a heavy sigh, Se-yeon urgently began to explain. Now that things had come to this, she had no choice but to lay out the situation to him.

"That Emperor... is a bit of a lunatic."

"Hmm. Makes sense."

"...Aren't you accepting that a little too easily?"

"I've been seeing so many lunatics lately..."

He had dealt with so many crazy people recently that encountering a perfectly sane, normal NPC would probably shock him more.

"I looked through various history books and gathered information, and apparently, he was a massive tyrant when he was alive. That's why he was attacked by dragons..."

Huh? Tae-hyun was taken aback. If what Se-yeon said was true, didn't that make the Draken Secret Society actually decent guys?

And here I thought they were just crazy cultists... He suddenly felt a tiny bit guilty.

"And that's how the Empire fell."

"Wait. Then isn't it your fault for resurrecting a guy like that?"

"I had a plan, okay? For the Emperor to fully resurrect, he needs both his body and his crown. If he only has one, he can't use his full power. And an Emperor who can't use his full power can't cause trouble, even if he is a tyrant."

Se-yeon's plan was simple. First, resurrect the Asbian Empire to support her and her guild. It didn't matter if the Emperor was a terrible tyrant. As long as he lacked his crown, he was powerless. Even if the Emperor tried to find the crown, Kim Tae-hyun was far away and certainly wasn't the type to just hand it over... The Emperor would undoubtedly waste his energy in vain. In the meantime, Se-yeon intended to exploit the Empire to the fullest.

"Wow. How wicked."

"I don't want to hear that from you of all people!" Compared to what Tae-hyun had pulled so far, her plan was incredibly tame!

"..."

"..."

Left alone, an awkward silence hung heavily between Cain and Smith.

Cain screamed internally. Kim Tae-hyun! Hurry up and get back here! He had no idea what to say to someone he wasn't even close to, especially a top-tier ranker. In the past, he would have gasped, "Oh my god! Mr. Smith! I'm a huge fan! Can I get an autograph? Please write 'To Cain'..." The gap between them had been that vast. But now, Cain was a top-class player in his own right. He had to maintain his dignity—whatever that meant!

"Mr. Cain. I've been enjoying watching you in the tournament lately."

"Ah. Really? ...Ahem. R-Really?"

"Yes. I doubt there's a single Pandemonium Online player who isn't watching the dungeon tournament." Smith offered a bright smile. He was already handsome, and that refreshing grin was practically blinding to Cain. Argh, my eyes!

"Is... isn't Smith participating in the tournament?"

"I'm skipping the dungeon tournament to prepare for the Arena League. Have you heard of the New York Lions?"

"Uh... yeah, of course." Cain hesitated. Wasn't the New York Lions one of the teams his agent had mentioned?

"Why didn't you enter the dungeon tournament...?"

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"I lacked the confidence. Since you have to minimize your clear times as much as possible, it's tough unless you're specifically built for it." It wasn't just Smith; several other top-tier rankers had opted out for similar reasons. If they weren't confident in making the leaderboard, there was no reason to waste precious time on it. Top-tier rankers had plenty of other things to do, after all.

"But I'll be giving it my all in the Arena League. Mr. Cain, let's have a fair and square match!"

"S-Sure... Wait. Fair and square?"

"Pardon? Yes."

"...I don't think that's going to be possible..."

"!?"

Just then, Tae-hyun and Se-yeon returned. Both of them wore reasonably satisfied expressions. Cain let out a massive sigh of relief. Finally, he was liberated from this suffocating atmosphere!

"What were you guys talking about?"

"Just mapping out our plans for the future." Se-yeon and Tae-hyun had quickly reached an agreement.

—If you hand over the crown, we both go down.

—You'll go down a lot harder than me.

—...If I go down, I'm coming to your territory and unleashing a plague of undead.

—Haha. I'm just kidding, just kidding. Why would I ever want to get in your way? We've been friends since Pandemonium Online 1, and we're under the same management agency, aren't we?

—Don't bring up Pan-On 1, it pisses me off... Because Tae-hyun had ignored her proposal and quit the game back then, her guild members had teased her mercilessly for a long time. Just thinking about it made her want to grab him by the collar right now. At any rate, the crown could not be handed over. There was no telling what kind of madness the Emperor would unleash the moment he laid hands on it.

—In exchange, you have to help me with what I need.

—Fine, fine. I'll help.

—Oh, by the way, do you know anything about the Draken Secret Society?

—How do you know about them? Ah, did you pick up a quest on your way here? Let me give you some advice: don't accept any quests to find them. A few of my guild members took on quests related to the Draken Secret Society, but not a single one succeeded. Although the rewards for the Draken Secret Society quests were excellent, the cultists were so thoroughly hidden that they were impossible to track down.

—...

—What's with that look?

—Oh, no, it's nothing. Anyway, don't worry, I'll keep the crown hidden.

—You... better keep your word. Don't let the Emperor sway you, no matter what sweet talk he uses.

—Keep nagging me like that and I might actually be tempted.

—Hey!

Inside a chamber carved from solid granite, Uipoatl sat upon his throne. The sight of a skeletal NPC draped in an absurd amount of jewelry was deeply bizarre.

Man. Taking that guy down would set me up for life. From the staff in his hand to his bracelets, earrings, the belt around his waist, and his sword... everything was a Unique-tier item. Every single piece was the kind of gear that would completely shatter the auction house if put up for sale!

What level is he? He's definitely over 600, maybe even past 700? No wonder Se-yeon was so worried. If a monster like that was fully resurrected, they might actually have to raid the Emperor himself first. Moreover, judging by his gear, he seemed highly proficient in both magic and swordsmanship. It made sense why dragons had targeted him in the past.

Tae-hyun immediately prostrated himself. You had to stay on the good side of boss monsters like this!

"It is an absolute honor to bask in Your Majesty's presence!"

"Adventurer... I sense the aura of a king within you. Why does a king kneel before Us?"

"My humble kingdom is but a firefly before Your Majesty's full moon, a mere needle upon the vast sands of your empire." Tae-hyun didn't hesitate for even a fraction of a second before sliding in the flattery. Just as a master martial artist's body reacted instinctively without thought, Tae-hyun's sycophancy ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had reached a transcendent state.

...What a stingy bastard. He could see exactly why Se-yeon had complained about his terrible personality.

"Do you know why We have summoned you?"

"I do not, Your Majesty! Please enlighten me!"

"We have several objectives. The complete annihilation of the dragons..."

—! —! Inside him, the two dragons flinched.

"...The restoration of our Empire's might, and Our complete resurrection. Look upon Us. What do you think?"

"You possess truly magnificent bones, Your Majesty."

Yet, the power of his Supreme Eloquence skill did not fail him. Uipoatl burst into a hearty laugh, the sound of his bones clattering together echoing through the chamber.

"Indeed! Our majesty remains undiminished, even in this skeletal form. Yet, We do not desire such a body. When We demanded eternal life, the Empire's mages told Us that by performing the ritual and entering a deep slumber, We would attain immortality. They promised We would rise again. But look at Us now! Look at this incomplete vessel! A cursed body that cannot taste the finest delicacies, nor feel any emotion when gazing upon the grandest works of art! Those wretched mages deceived Us."

They probably lied to you because your personality is absolute garbage...

"Adventurer! Hand over Our crown. The crown that holds Our power... With that crown, We shall rise once more. We shall reclaim Our strength, sever the necks of the dragons, and drink their blood!"

"Your Majesty, I do not possess the crown."

"What? Do not dare lie to Us! Our mages pointed directly to you! The energy of the crown radiates from your very being!"

"Your Majesty, look into my eyes. Do these look like the eyes of a liar?"

"...Mmm..."

"Though it is slightly embarrassing to blow my own horn, I am widely revered as a hero across the continent. I have lifted the continent's curses, hunted down demons, and I am also a champion of Phytos..." He intentionally left out Akisus, just in case. Who knows if Akisus has run scams around here too?

"...And I am the king of a nation. Why would someone of my standing lie?"

"Could a king not lie?"

The titles earned from completing major quests and achievements didn't just grant stat bonuses. They also provided a massive boost to persuasion when conversing with NPCs.

Whoa. Impressive. Tae-hyun was genuinely amazed. He had never encountered an opponent who resisted his speech skills to this extent. A rare, stubborn, high-level target! The fact that his Speech skill had leveled up so much despite not even fully convincing the Emperor proved just how formidable of an opponent he was dealing with.

"Then how do you explain the lingering aura of the crown upon you? Are you suggesting Our mages made a mistake?"

"Not at all. It is likely because I possess a fragment of the crown." Saying this, Tae-hyun pulled out the Crown Fragment. It was an item he had crafted just before arriving here.

—By the way, how exactly do you plan to trick the Emperor?

—I have to prepare. This crown... the crown... the crown...

—...If you're going to break it, just do it already. The Emperor is waiting.

—Ugh... Tae-hyun ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠groaned in agony, clutching his hammer. To think he had to destroy such a precious Unique-tier item with his own hands! If not for his high strength, breaking it would have been nearly impossible, but right now, he felt nothing but resentment toward his Ancient Hammer.

—I can... repair it later, right...?

—How should I know? Just smash it!

—Whew. Here goes!

CRASH!

Thanks to Se-yeon's warning, Tae-hyun had arrived fully prepared to deceive the Emperor—even if it meant sacrificing his own precious loot! Upon seeing the shattered fragment of his crown, Uipoatl erupted in fury.

"How dare they! Who dared shatter Our crown?!"

"Your Majesty! Are you familiar with the Auston Kingdom?"

"Auston... the Auston Kingdom... We have never heard of such a place. Is it a kingdom of the Central Continent?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Uipoatl was a figure from ancient times. He was an NPC who existed long before the Auston Kingdom or the Erangs Kingdom had even been founded!

"Just like your loyal subject, the adventurer Lee Se-yeon, I too searched far and wide for your crown to aid in your resurrection. *Sob.* But... those lawless scoundrels stole Your Majesty's crown from me."

"Those wretched fools! They deserve to be burned alive in the eternal flames!"

"My thoughts exactly, Your Majesty!"

"Go and reclaim it, adventurer! Bring Our crown back from their filthy hands!"