The Courage to Be Disliked

Vlad was startled. Wait, what? Count Knema...! He hid something like this? He could've told me!

Everyone had missed it because of the rabbit, but the Castle Core, the very nucleus of the Vampire Castle, was an incredibly powerful item. It was clear how Count Knema had managed to run this island, which was essentially barren land, during his lifetime.

So this is how he did it!

Vlad rejoiced, cheering in delight. But then, a sudden thought struck him.

Wait a minute. Didn't I say I'd just share this for free?

...He should have charged an entrance fee!

"I've given it some deep thought, and what we need right now is courage."

"????"

"????????"

Tae-hyun's companions stared at him, their faces masks of sheer bewilderment. Did he just say... what?

"Wh-what kind of courage?"

"The courage to be disliked."

"I-I think you already have more than enough of that...?"

Just how much of a psychopath would he become if he added "the courage to be disliked" to his current repertoire? Cain felt a chill of dread.

Tae-hyun gestured behind him, scolding them as if they were being dense. "No, what are you talking about? I'm talking about the guys following us back there."

"Ah..."

Tae-hyun was pointing at the knights.

The 4th Order of the Erangs Kingdom.

A highly renowned and noble order of knights specializing in dealing with demons and undead, immensely popular among players...

Well, that doesn't matter.

What mattered was that these guys were sticking to him like leeches!

Honestly, Tae-hyun had thought that if he dragged them around and wasted their time, they would eventually say, "Ah! Your Majesty! We are busy too!" and head back.

Instead, the more he did, the more they went, "Wow! Your Majesty! You are so cool!" and their affinity and internal reputation kept rising.

Now, he couldn't even shake them off!

If we go to the Erangs Kingdom like this, they'll probably ask me to execute the remaining Salavian Order NPCs that I've been putting off. I should... just tell them now.

Delaying it any further didn't seem like it would help. Let's just cut ties and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠go our separate ways!

Sure, his reputation, fame, and affinity would take a hit, but he couldn't exactly execute the Salavian Order NPCs he had worked so hard to acquire.

No matter how much he liked the knights, they were ultimately Erangs Kingdom NPCs, while the Salavian Order belonged to the Atali Kingdom!

Besides, now that I've taken the two vampire counts as vassals...

"Listen up."

"Yes, Your Majesty! We are listening!"

"Every single word from Your Majesty resonates deeply in our hearts!"

"...You guys aren't the Archisus Artillery, are you?"

Tae-hyun was momentarily taken aback. For a split second, the Akisus Tribe warriors and these knights felt exactly the same. Their dialogue lines were identical!

"Pardon? What do you mean by that?"

"No... it's nothing. Anyway, I have something to say. I will not execute the remaining vampires of the Salavian Order!"

"Hmm. Well, that is certainly possible."

"Indeed, one might choose not to kill vampires..."

"?!"

Were they really this flexible?!

Lee Da-bi stared at the knights in utter shock. In every other video she had seen, these were stubborn, inflexible zealots who screamed, "Undead! Kill them! Demons! Slay them!" and refused to compromise!

"We have learned by watching Your Majesty's back that vampires can be utilized for a greater justice."

"..."

A minor but incredibly powerful passive skill!

For someone like Tae-hyun, who frequently went around scamming people, this was an exceptionally useful skill.

Even Tae-hyun seemed taken aback by the knights' reaction, prompting him to ask once more.

"You're really okay with me not executing them?"

"Yes!"

"I'm going to bring them into my territory, though?"

"Your Majesty's greatness in embracing even vampires! We respect you!"

"I've even taken the vampire counts as my vassals?"

"Your Majesty's greatness in winning over even the vampire counts! We respect you!"

...Did I save the continent too many times?

Tae-hyun was seriously beginning to wonder. Even with his class skill bonuses and Speech skill modifiers, was this really possible?

"Your Majesty! To think you would train my worthless soldiers and return them to me!"

The local nobles of each territory were overjoyed when Tae-hyun returned with their guards. Not a single one of them was injured, and he had even raised their levels!

Thanks to this, additional rewards from titles to reputation poured in steadily.

"No matter how much I think about it, I feel like I suit the Erangs Kingdom better than the Atali Kingdom."

"..."

His companions silently agreed.

Indeed, Tae-hyun was far more popular in the Erangs Kingdom than in his own Atali Kingdom.

The nobles of the Erangs Kingdom hailed him as a hero, and the knights followed him devotedly...

Meanwhile, most of the nobles in the Atali Kingdom were like, "What? A guy like that is our king? Hmph! I refuse to acknowledge him!"

"Hmm. At this rate, won't the bank just hand over the treasure without a fuss?"

"That's too naive, Tae-hyun."

"Really?"

"You have no idea how vicious those bank bastards are! They will never give up anything they've laid their hands on!"

Lee Da-bi was firm, her expression ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠showing she had a lot of pent-up resentment toward banks!

True...

Tae-hyun figured he would do the same if he were in the bank's shoes. Who would willingly hand over a windfall that had rolled right into their laps?

I'll try asking the King first, but I don't know if it'll work.

Wouldn't the King of Erance side with the Erangs Bank?

"Hmm. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I should contact the territory and have Ed-an come over."

Tae-hyun decided to summon the former Great Thief, Ed-an, just in case.

Hey, it's not like I've decided to rob them... just in case. Seriously.

"To think... to think I'd get a chance to rob the Erangs Bank in my lifetime... Fufu! Your Majesty! Entrusting this to me was truly an excellent..."

"I haven't decided to rob them yet."

"I believe in you."

"?"

"I believe that Your Majesty will eventually end up robbing them... Urgh!"

"This bastard is putting a curse on me."

Tae-hyun shut Ed-an's mouth. Why was he raining on his parade!

"Let's trust the King of Erance and the nobles."

"Your Majesty! We will take the lead and speak on your behalf."

The knights stepped forward enthusiastically. They would personally go and tell everyone what an incredible hero Tae-hyun was!

"Thanks. I'm counting on you."

"Yes!"

Fired up by Tae-hyun's encouragement, the knights rushed toward the royal palace in a swarm.

And five minutes later, they came swarming back.

"...This is an ominous sign."

It was definitely not a good omen!

"Your Majesty."

"What is it?"

"His Majesty the King has collapsed."

"..."

Of course things would get tangled up like this!

Tae-hyun clicked his tongue. He had thought things would go smoothly with the King of Erance thanks to all the quests he had cleared so far...

It's been a while since I've seen one of these.

A Legendary-grade quest!

His companions were also checking their quest windows, examining the details.

"It looks like a quest that just popped up. Looking at the community boards, everyone is sharing information."

"What kind of illness is it?"

"Yeah. It should be hard for someone like the King of Erance to even fall ill."

To fall ill inside a blessed royal palace, surrounded by all kinds of priests and mages! It was no ordinary matter.

"There are some speculative posts..."

"Where? Let me see too."

Tae-hyun looked at the community board with them. Since it was a Legendary quest, all sorts of speculations were pouring in.

"..."

Tae-hyun flinched. That was an strangely plausible speculation!

If it was indeed because the World Tree made it easier for demons to cross over to the continent...

Well, I just hope I don't get caught.

As long as he didn't get caught, it would be fine!

*Tap, tap.*

"?"

Someone nudged Tae-hyun from behind. It was Ed-an, wearing a broad grin.

"Your Majesty...!"

Ed-an's face practically screamed, What did I tell you?

"N-No. It's not set in stone that we have to steal it yet."

"Fufufu..."

"This bastard has been acting ominous since earlier!"

"Argh! Your Majesty! Do not deny it! Honestly, you want to steal it too, don't you?!"

Ed-an did not give up, even as he was being beaten up.

"I am sorry, Your Majesty. It is impossible."

"Is it really, truly impossible?"

"Yes, it is impossible. Our bank thrives on trust."

Count Leniek, the NPC in charge of the Erangs Kingdom Bank, personally came out to deal with Tae-hyun. Because of Tae-hyun's incredibly high reputation and status, other employees couldn't possibly serve him.

Of course, that didn't change the outcome.

If you want to retrieve the treasure, the person who deposited it must come in person!

But I burned him to ashes, so how...!

Tae-hyun regretted it. In the future, if he ever had to burn a boss monster, he would think twice before doing so!

Of course, regretting it wouldn't bring the incinerated Archbishop back.

Tae-hyun gave up on using his Speech skill and backed away.

His companions stared at him with tense faces.

Would he back down? Or would he challenge it?

To rob, or not to rob?

If he was really going to rob it...!

"...You guys head back to the Atali Kingdom first."

He's going to rob it!

His companions were dumbfounded. They had harbored doubts, but to think he would actually go through with robbing it!

As expected of Kim Tae-hyun!

As expected of Senior!

Truly amazing!

Once only the two of them were left, Ed-an looked at Tae-hyun with a deeply satisfied smile.

Tae-hyun glared at him and said, "If you smile like a creep one more time, I'm using you as bait."

"...Understood."

Ed-an quickly wiped the smile off his face and asked cautiously, "So, how are we going to rob it? As expected, blowing up the wall with a bomb and then raiding it?"

"...Isn't that a heist, not a robbery? Wait, isn't that just being a bandit?"

It was risky enough trying to rob it quietly and secretly, and this guy wanted to blow up the bank wall and launch an assault? No matter how many lives they had, it wouldn't be enough!

"B-But wasn't the Engineering skill Your Majesty practiced all this time meant for moments like this?"

"No, it wasn't! What are you talking about?!"

Why was he talking as if Tae-hyun had trained all this time just to become a professional thief!

"For now, I plan to do this as peacefully as possible."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"...How?"

Ed-an was shocked. To hear the word "peacefully" come out of Tae-hyun's mouth. Did "peacefully" mean killing everyone? Or peacefully blowing everything to pieces?

"I'm going to pretend to be the Archbishop."

"...!!"