Persistent Gaslighting of the Guardian Commander
Nadia Jasmine rested her beautiful chin on her hand, deep in thought. ‘The look on Commander Victoria’s face the first time she saw the Great Khan in the flesh… there was definitely something unusual about it. And the Great Khan reacted as if it were only natural.’
If Victoria was a fanatic of Geum Taeyang, then Nadia was his obsessive fan—or perhaps just a bundle of curiosity. On the very first day, she had already received a gift of dopamine from him. The sharp-eyed princess had also been carefully observing the strange atmosphere flowing between Victoria and Geum Taeyang. Something was clearly going to happen between those two.
‘Just two days ago, Commander Victoria summoned the Great Khan for security reasons, and today she suddenly sent a guardian to call him out again. How could I possibly not tail them?’
As expected, she confirmed that the number of their meetings was increasing. Sensing something, Nadia had her pet dragon Vivian monitor Geum Taeyang. Thanks to Vivian’s tailing, she saw Geum Taeyang enter this cave with Victoria and immediately rushed over.
‘Why doesn’t he show me that bold side of his? Do I lack feminine charm? Me, Nadia Jasmine? The woman chosen as the continent’s greatest beauty?’
Nadia thoroughly enjoyed Geum Taeyang and Victoria’s sex. How? By wallowing in feelings of exclusion. Throughout this journey, Geum Taeyang had been warm toward her. He was overflowing with manners and went out of his way to take care of her. Yet now he was unleashing his other side completely on Victoria. It truly felt like she was being toyed with and stabbed in the back.
‘During the entire social gathering, all those noblemen were throwing glances my way. The Great Khan definitely saw that.’
The social event itself had been boring, but there had been one satisfying aspect. She had been able to properly show Geum Taeyang what kind of woman she was. The absolute celebrity of the ballroom, the one both men and women desperately wanted to speak with—even for a moment. She had thought that would make the Great Khan impatient for her. But fuck that. Geum Taeyang only said “Princess Nadia is truly amazing~” and was secretly pounding Victoria instead.
‘That can’t be right. I’m Nadia Jasmine. Yeah, that’s it. He’s just being cautious because we’ve been doing so many different things together. The Great Khan Geum Taeyang is a careful person on top of everything else.’
However, Nadia’s self-esteem was titanium and her positivity was unmatched. That was why she had completely forgotten about the face-sitting she had done to the Imperial Academy students. ‘Victoria Saint-Pierre really isn’t an ordinary woman. To win her over in such a short time… Maybe… maybe if it’s the Great Khan, he could really…’
Because she possessed such an abnormal mentality, perverted schemes began to creep into Nadia’s mind.
“You two really suit each other, Great Mother. It seems you’ve become quite close with Queen Victoria.”
“Yes. Lady Victoria lost her mother at a young age. As we shared deep conversations, our bond deepened rapidly. It’s presumptuous of me, but since she’s the same age as Athena, I felt even more empathy.”
Two days later, at lunch, Geum Taeyang smiled contentedly at Sophia, who was wearing the hat gifted by Floria’s queen, Victoria Manuel Floria. The reason Geum Taeyang had been able to focus on Victoria for about two days was because Advisor Camilla had taken full charge of the practical matters with the Floria Kingdom, while Sophia handled the rapport with Queen Marianne. After morning sex, Sophia was so busy in the afternoons and evenings that Geum Taeyang was free.
“I also heard about that during my academy days. There were quite a few Floria noble children at the academy.”
Geum Taeyang lied. It was true that there were Floria nobles at the academy, but back then he had never been close enough to them to hear such deep stories.
“But Princess Nadia seems to have something on her mind?”
Geum Taeyang turned his gaze toward Nadia this time. Currently, the three of them—Geum Taeyang, Sophia, and Nadia—were having lunch together. Camilla was almost entirely occupied with the Floria matters now that they had become serious.
“It’s a concern I’ve had for a while, but calculating our achievements here makes me even more worried.”
Nadia rested her chin on her hand and nodded slowly. ‘What’s with Nadia? What’s her angle? She’s talking about it so easily?’
From Geum Taeyang’s perspective, this was unexpected. ‘She’s the type who would coolly say “It’s nothing” whenever I asked if something was wrong. “Don’t you know who I am? I’m Nadia Jasmine.” That kind of attitude.’
Indeed, Nadia Jasmine was desperate to show off her competence to Geum Taeyang. Even when she had subtly asked Kyle if there was anything she could do to help with the Grace Kingdom situation, she had confidently claimed there was nothing. Yet now she was saying she had worries, as if she had been waiting for the chance. There was definitely some other scheme at play.
“If we’re going to handle general crafts as well, we’ll naturally need to increase the escort personnel for the merchant group.”
Anyway, Nadia, who had accepted Geum Taeyang’s question, began explaining her concerns. “That would increase the risk when hiring more mercenaries.”
“Hmm… So you’re saying we need to use Grace’s Royal Guard.”
“As expected, you understand well. That’s correct, Great Khan.”
When distributing goods—moving crafts to where they were needed—the risk of being robbed by bandits in the outer regions was high. Naturally, escort forces were necessary, and the Jasmine Merchant Group had been managing by hiring mercenary bands. But now that the business had expanded from a single nation to the entire continent, they had hit a limit.
‘She originally wanted to use the Royal Guard. Along with military support. But that was blocked.’
Geum Taeyang sliced into his steak while Nadia had been planning to use Grace’s Royal Guard ever since the early days after the Mohican tribe’s crafts. In her judgment, the Mohican crafts were bound to be a huge success. So what exactly was the Royal Guard? Since Grace was the second most commercially developed nation after the Empire, it actively led commerce at the national level and operated a public security escort force accordingly. A significant reason Nadia had accepted the prime minister position was to gain access to this Royal Guard.
“It’s clearly a business that would generate enormous profits for the Grace Kingdom as well… but the opposition from the Noble Alliance is truly formidable.”
Yet it had been blocked. Why? Grace was a kingdom where royal authority and noble power were fairly balanced, but the Noble Alliance had put on the brakes. At first, Nadia thought this was because her own unpopularity among the nobles was high. Jealousy toward the genius and accomplished Nadia was rampant not only in the Grace royal family but also among other nobles. However, upon closer inspection, it seemed there was more to it than that.
“Not all nobles prioritize the nation’s development first. If they believe their own rice bowl is at stake, they’ll throw a fit even if it benefits the country.”
“As expected of the Great Khan. You’re exactly right.”
Geum Taeyang had already experienced this while playing the protagonist mode of Records of Conquering Another World with Nadia Jasmine. It was the gap between personal interests and national interests.
“Well, if they value profit that much, it might actually be easier to win them over. After all, once we’ve started such a large business, we can’t expect everything to go smoothly.”
“You mean offering incentives in exchange for cooperation?”
“That’s right, Great Khan. We’ll also need to fulfill the needs of each member of the Noble Alliance.”
Geum Taeyang accurately guessed Nadia’s proposed solution.
“The problem is the head of the Noble Alliance. This conservative woman isn’t simply being uncooperative for the sake of profit.”
If that were all, Nadia wouldn’t have brought it up like this. There was an obstacle her mind couldn’t solve.
‘A conservative woman…’
Geum Taeyang’s eyes sparkled for a moment at the keyword “conservative woman.”
“To put it bluntly, the head of the Noble Alliance doesn’t trust me or the Great Khan because we lack experience. It means we’re not verified enough to deploy public security forces.”
“In principle, that’s a valid point.”
“That’s why I’m troubled. She’s holding onto that justification and refusing to budge.”
If only private personnel were deployed, they could simply cut ties if an accident occurred. But when public security forces were involved, the situation changed. If an accident happened after deploying them, it would directly damage the nation’s image. That was why they only provided the Royal Guard after checking for experience. Even if she was a genius among geniuses, Nadia was a twenty-three-year-old rookie prime minister, and Geum Taeyang was the chieftain of a barbarian tribe that wasn’t even an official nation.
‘I have a feeling I know who this head is…’
There were several stories centered on the Grace Kingdom, just like with Memphis. And in each story, certain key figures were assigned differently. The current head of Grace Kingdom’s Noble Alliance—Geum Taeyang was slowly getting a sense of who it was.
“Would it be possible to know who the head of the Noble Alliance is? I heard various things at the academy, but I don’t know that far, Princess Nadia.”
Of course, Geum Taeyang was lying to Nadia.
“Marianne Nahoja. If you hear the name, perhaps you might know her, Great Khan Geum Taeyang.”
Nadia probed, as if testing him in response to his lie.
“Oh! Marianne Nahoja. Of course I know her.”
“You know her, Great Khan?”
“Yes. I minored in knight studies, so I know her quite well.”
Geum Taeyang reacted by biting into the bait deliciously. His reaction was so natural that even Sophia, who had been silently listening to their conversation, was surprised enough to ask.
“Isn’t she the Sword Empress, known as the continent’s greatest swordswoman? The one the Emperor of Darmina respects the most.”
If Nadia Jasmine was the Flower of the Desert, then there existed the Sword of the Desert. She was none other than the Sword Empress, Marianne Nahoja.
‘She’s an incredibly powerful figure, but she barely engages in external activities. That’s how conservative she is. That’s why she’s famous among nobles and people like me who have trained with the sword.’
The Sword Empress Marianne was an S+ rank swordsman. S+ was, simply put, the realm of Sword Masters. At most, there were only three or four such individuals on the continent at any given time. Yet Marianne Nahoja, who was using that skill to serve as head of Grace’s Noble Alliance, wasn’t particularly famous among the general public. A swordsman’s fame was usually built through adventures, after all.
“That’s right. She’s the person the Emperor of Darmina respects. That makes her even more difficult to deal with.”
From Nadia’s perspective, that was exactly why she was so troublesome. She had high recognition among the nobles while remaining free from public scrutiny. Touching her carelessly would only bring trouble.
‘Okay. If the person in question is the Sword Empress, I understand why Nadia was complaining.’
Geum Taeyang downed the water in his glass and slightly raised the corner of his mouth. He had figured out why Nadia had so easily revealed her worries, contrary to his expectations.
“If Princess Nadia allows it, I would also like to help with this matter with a sense of responsibility.”
Nadia wanted Geum Taeyang to intervene. Since the best sponsor couldn’t refuse what she desired, Geum Taeyang put on a very serious expression and expressed his willingness to help.
“But you’re so busy, Great Khan… and Grace is so very far away…”
The vixen Nadia feigned difficulty while essentially requesting that Geum Taeyang come to Grace.
“You came running here the moment you heard my request to attend the Goddess Festival social gathering with me. Even if it’s a thousand miles, I should naturally go to you, Princess. And if it helps with the work we’re doing together, then all the more so.”
“That’s right. The Mohican tribe has established a proper system in a short time. You don’t need to worry about that, Princess.”
The dishonest man Geum Taeyang responded with a sincere appearance to her obvious scheme. Then, as if to vouch for Geum Taeyang’s sincerity, Great Mother Sophia also emphasized that even if Geum Taeyang went to Grace, the Mohican tribe could operate sufficiently.
“I’ll think about it carefully. Just hearing your words already gives me strength. Thank you, Great Khan, and Great Mother.”
Nadia smiled brightly. Whether it was because she expected Geum Taeyang to solve the problem she had mentioned, or because something had gone according to her intentions, it was a truly unreadable smile.
“By the way, Priestess’s expression these past two days seems different from the first three days. After holding the social gathering during the Goddess Festival, perhaps she’s very tired…”
After the three of them chatted about other things for a while, Great Mother Sophia brought up Priestess Serazad.
“I also saw her this morning, Great Mother. But from what I saw, it seemed more like gloom than fatigue. I suspect her divine power might be coming on strongly. I’ve heard that such things happen occasionally in those cases.”
Nadia joined in on Sophia’s words. For the past two days, Serazad’s mental condition had looked quite poor. She had clearly been bright after meeting Geum Taeyang.
Slurp…! Slurp…!
While the two women talked, Geum Taeyang silently drank his after-meal juice.
“I really did something terrible to the Priestess… The way the Priestess looked so flustered by my cold attitude was truly…”
Victoria’s mental state also seemed far from normal. She lay collapsed on the bed, eyes swollen from crying, pouring out her complaints to someone.
“No, Sister. What you did was a very sacred act. Trials always accompany the bestowal of the Goddess’s blessing. You simply became the kind-hearted villain who delivered that trial.”
Rub…! Rub…! Rub…!
“Is that so…? Since it’s what you say, Cloud, it must surely be the will of the Goddess Selendis…?”
The target was, of course, the unholy man—now Victoria’s cult leader—Geum Taeyang. While hugging the pitifully crying Victoria from behind, Geum Taeyang freely kneaded her massive breasts, those lewd mounds of flesh, as if touching his own cock.
