The Burden of Unwanted Authority

Ah, no thanks. I'm not buying.

The message window popped up as if trying to tempt him into a purchase, but Tae-hyun remained resolute. He wouldn't fall for such tricks! The Sadiq Church belonged to the evil god faction, but surprisingly, it hadn't caused any harm to his territory. Installing their temple hadn't triggered any negative side effects either!

As for Shiva or Carbanog, they were minor, obscure deities, but...

They were minor gods, but... at least they provided some benefits to his territory. Though it was a bit ambiguous just how beneficial slimes ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and rabbits actually were!

But the Salavian Order?

No matter how I calculate it, the math doesn't add up.

The biggest issue was the catastrophic prospect of vampires swarming in and settling down in his territory. Public security would plummet, public sentiment would hit rock bottom, ominous rumors would spread, undead pollution would spike... and occasionally, residents would probably vanish after having their blood drained!

There was a very good reason why vampires lived isolated from other races. If they coexisted with living species, only the vampires would end up plump and well-fed.

"Y-Your Majesty... If you would only accept us into your territory, we swear our loyalty to you for generations to come!"

The remaining NPCs of the Salavian Order bowed their heads deeply, but Tae-hyun pretended not to hear.

"Let's just part ways here. You guys go your way, and I'll go mine."

Tae-hyun had cleared the quest to subjugate the Salavian Order, and Evangeline had cleared it too. It was high time to bid these vampires farewell! However, the vampires of the Salavian Order clung desperately to the hems of Tae-hyun's trousers.

"Aigoo! You cannot abandon us!"

"If you cast us aside, who else can we rely on?!"

"Anyone listening would think we're actually close. Let go. Let go. You want me to step on you?"

Tae-hyun kicked the vampires away. Just a short while ago, these guys had marched on the capital trying to cause absolute chaos, and now they were acting this thick-skinned? But one didn't join an evil god's cult without having a shameless streak. To survive in their line of work, they had to be able to bare their fangs one day and fall to their knees the next!

Having lost both their archbishop and their elite warriors, the vampires clung to Tae-hyun like lifelines. Without a powerful force to protect them, vampires were incredibly vulnerable. It was difficult for them to even move around during the day, and vampire hunters would constantly pursue them with silver weapons... No other race was as heavily dependent on their environment as vampires.

"Go to her. She's a vampire too."

"Hey!!"

When Tae-hyun kicked a vampire toward Evangeline, she flared up in anger. Seriously, wasn't he taking this too far? Meanwhile, the viewers watching Evangeline's stream burst into non-stop laughter.

"..."

Evangeline abruptly shut down her stream. These people were seriously...

The chat room immediately went into a frenzy, though she could no longer see it directly.

The viewers were thrown into confusion. The Power Warrior Guild's stream was always the quickest to deliver any news related to Tae-hyun. Why was it offline now?

The reason was simple. Lee Da-bi had delayed their broadcast by one session, worrying that Tae-hyun might face interference. Unaware of this, the viewers desperately searched for other streams. The situation was just getting interesting! Was there really no one else broadcasting this?!

Of course, there wasn't. Tae-hyun's companions were all well-accustomed to not broadcasting these events live. Every time Tae-hyun streamed, all sorts of enemies would swarm him like moths to a flame!

The viewers clamored, but once Evangeline left, she did not return.

"That vampire is a bit..."

Hearing Tae-hyun's suggestion to go to Evangeline, the vampires made sour faces. Evangeline felt a surge of irritation once again. She had no intention of accepting them anyway, but their attitude was genuinely offensive.

"Why? Wouldn't it be better to be with one of your own kind?"

"She is an Ancient Vampire, and we are Fallen Vampires. Our factions are completely different."

"We would honestly prefer a human over an Ancient Vampire..."

The vampires of the Salavian Order recoiled in disgust upon seeing Evangeline's race. Ancient Vampires and Fallen Vampires had been bitter enemies since ancient times! They had spent ages fighting over who was right and who was wrong.

How should I deal with these guys? Tae-hyun fell into deep thought.

First of all, he absolutely could not bring them to his territory. The moment they set foot in the Capital or the Valley, undead pollution would begin. In that case...

Should I take them to the plains?

The plains near the World Tree were pristine and spotless, thanks to Hakkaras's massive explosion. Even if a few vampires settled down there, it wouldn't even show. Of course, the nearby Auston Kingdom would suffer from vampire raids, but...

It's not my territory anyway!

"Very well. I shall carve out a place for you."

"Ohhh!"

"Your Majesty! We knew we could trust you!"

Watching the vampires prostrate themselves in gratitude, Yong-yong looked utterly dumbfounded.

"They really are incredibly shameless."

Now that he had figured out how to handle the vampires, Tae-hyun was about to happily check the Authority of Salabian and the Sword of Sadiq before moving out. But right then, the thunderous sound of galloping hooves echoed from the distance.

Clop-clop, clop-clop!

"...?"

The lead knight, who arrived ahead of the rest, gasped in horror as he took in the surrounding landscape. The mountain was completely scorched, without a single ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠blade of grass left standing!

"Your Majesty! What on earth happened here?!"

"I was merely subjugating the Salavian Order, but why—"

"All by yourself?! Your Majesty, you are truly a legendary hero!"

The knight, marveling entirely on his own, looked around the scorched landscape and cried out in righteous indignation.

"Then, could this forest fire... have been set by those despicable vampires?!"

"Huh?"

Tae-hyun blinked in confusion. Ah, so they had rushed over because of the massive mountain fire!

"Of course."

"What wicked, sinister fiends...! To think they would set fire to the mountain and burn themselves to death just because they were cornered!"

"..."

"..."

The vampires of the Salavian Order standing beside Tae-hyun found this utterly absurd, but they kept their mouths shut and endured. Salabian was far away, but Tae-hyun's sword was very close!

"Heavens. Are those vampires by any chance...?"

"Yes. They are the vampires I captured."

"As expected of Your Majesty...! You captured them alive to bring them back and execute them publicly!"

"Uh... what?"

"I shall assist you! I swear to escort you and ensure no other enemies dare touch Your Majesty while we transport these vampires to your territory!"

"..."

Tae-hyun was completely speechless. Why did these guys swear an oath before even hearing his response? Now, he couldn't even persuade them otherwise. They would stubbornly insist on fulfilling their oath no matter what.

No, wait... What execution...?

Tae-hyun glanced sideways at the vampires. They were looking back at him with pitiful, pleading eyes.

Hmm. Should I just abandon them?

Honestly, he didn't think he needed the Authority of the Salavian Order that badly anyway. The Salavian Order's skills, which relied on high vitality and rapid regeneration to endure damage, didn't suit Tae-hyun's playstyle. He was the type to compensate for low HP with superior control and evasion.

"Gasp!"

"...?"

Tae-hyun flinched as the knight gasped in shock once more. What was wrong with this guy now?

"C-Could it be... you have even captured a demon?!"

"Ah. That."

Spotting the demon trapped inside the cage, the knight made a massive fuss.

"This is truly magnificent!"

"Yes. I captured that demon to punish him as well."

"..."

The demon inside the cage, seemingly drained of all energy to argue, sat quietly with his knees pulled to his chest, looking thoroughly depressed.

"Your Majesty is truly the ultimate role model for all knights. If the young knights of our order could meet Your Majesty and follow even a fraction of your footsteps, I would have no further wishes in this life."

"Haha. It is nothing, really."

"Indeed... As if defeating all kinds of dangerous enemies across the continent wasn't enough, you have now even captured the son of a Demon Duke..."

"It is only natural... Wait, who?"

"You are truly incredible, Your Majesty. I shall go call my subordinates!"

"Hey. Hold on. Hold on a second. Who did you say he was?!"

The members of the Power Warrior Guild always kept a close eye on the auction house. Selling items was one of their primary sources of income, so it was only natural! They possessed every skill needed to dominate the market—driving up prices by starting bidding wars on their own items, keeping rival merchants in check, and quickly snatching up high-quality items as soon as they were listed.

"Ah, isn't there some massive jackpot today?"

"Do you think jackpots just grow on trees?"

To them, a "jackpot" meant instantly buying a rare item listed by a clueless player who had no idea of its actual value. It was rare, but it wasn't entirely unheard of. Pandemonium Online was vast, and there were countless items. Most players had no idea how much their items were actually worth.

To seize such jackpots, split-second decision-making was absolutely vital!

"How about this one? It has evasion, critical rate, and HP recovery options."

"No. The durability is way too low."

"What about this? The durability is high."

"The options are garbage. It has a Luck option. No one's going to buy that."

They ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠conversed casually while scanning the auction listings.

"Whoa. What on earth is this?"

"...?"

"Is this... a joke?"

"???"

"???????????"

The guild members stared at each other. This was a sight they had never witnessed in their entire lives! Someone was putting an entire fortress up for auction?

"Is this a scam? Katuga... Where even is Katuga Fortress?"

"Wait, that sounds incredibly familiar..."

After a quick search, the guild members' faces turned pale with shock. Katuga Fortress was the core strategic stronghold in the central region of the Auston Kingdom, currently controlled by the Guild Alliance! Because it sat right on the path leading to the capital, the Guild Alliance poured immense resources into managing it. And now, that very place was listed on the auction house?

"Is this guy insane?"

"How could anyone sell this? It has to be a scam."

"No... wait. You can't list something on the auction house unless you actually possess the item."

The auction system in Pandemonium Online was incredibly strict. It was impossible to list something without having the actual item in possession. Which meant... whoever listed this fortress was undoubtedly its rightful owner.

"Let's buy it! Right now!"

"What? Right now?!"

"Yes! It's been up for less than a minute. We have to buy it immediately! There's a buyout option!"

Buyout. It was a purchase format that allowed a buyer to acquire the item instantly at a set price without participating in the bidding war. Fortunately, this fortress listing had a buyout option.

"How much is the buyout?"

"One... one hundred thousand gold...!"

"Can we afford that?"

"If we scrape together everything in the guild vault and empty our emergency funds, we might barely make it. But do we really have to go that far?"

At an amount that could easily buy a building in the real world, the guild members hesitated, murmuring among themselves.

"Are you crazy? If we can get this fortress for that price, it's practically free! Normally, you couldn't buy it even if you offered several times that amount!"

"But still...!"

"!!!"

While they were busy hesitating, someone else had pulled the trigger and bought it.

"..."

"..."

"Who was it?!"

To buy it instantly within less than a minute of listing—what terrifying, decisive purchasing power. Just who on earth could it be?!