Chapter 109
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: The Return
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Return
Nangrang Castle.
Since the war with the Touguilian began.
The castle had become the center of the Peninsular Alliance, growing even larger than before as numerous territories flocked to its side.
On top of that, there were merchants seeking to profit from the war, mercenaries looking for employers, and even prostitutes and laborers searching for work.
All sorts of people and goods flocked to the city, causing Nangrang Castle to swell several times its previous size, both inside and out.
But like with anything.
There were always pros and cons.
The rapid expansion had made Nangrang Castle chaotic.
Moreover, the failure to gain a clear advantage in the war against the Touguilian was spreading a negative atmosphere both within and outside the Peninsular Alliance.
…Yes.
Until recently, that is.
“Khahaha, you've been through a lot.”
“I can only apologize for returning so much later than scheduled.”
“Don't worry about it. A mere ten-day delay on a long expedition is to be expected.”
Urk, the large, elderly orc wrapped in bandages, smiled with satisfaction.
Having been lent to Dion.
And away with him.
Having only just now returned to Nangrang Castle.
Pandora, the ominous yet beautiful witch with an eyepatch, was thus a little taken aback by Urk's calm reaction.
“…However, has the war situation not worsened because of it?”
“Yes, it has. Even with me running around day and night, we were barely holding our own.”
A month had already passed.
Yet Urk, who now had more injuries and bandages than he did right after his fight with Lar Arga, clicked his tongue.
No matter how one looked at it, the Peninsular Alliance was weaker than the Touguilian.
To bridge that gap in power, Urk had been constantly on the move since the war began, but…
…the situation showed no signs of improvement.
“I can understand the disadvantageous war situation. A war isn't something you fight alone.”
While a Transcendent Awakened One was a tactical weapon capable of changing the tide of battle single-handedly, that was only possible when they could actually fight.
Unable to leave his main base, by the time he arrived on the battlefield dragging Nangrang Castle along, the enemy had already fled.
In contrast, the Touguilian's pirate lords attacked them from all sides.
Like piranhas that keep swarming and tearing at a whale's flesh, even if a few get eaten.
All of this was due to Pandora's absence.
It was maddening.
But what truly frustrated Urk was something else entirely.
“The problem is that the Peninsular Alliance is severely lacking in talent.”
“Please do not worry so much. If the members of our house unite to assist you, Father…”
“That 'family' is the biggest problem!”
*CRASH!*
“The war isn't even over, yet they're already busy fighting over the spoils!”
“…”
“When my own kin, whom I should trust the most, act like this, how can I possibly go to the battlefield with a clear mind?!”
Perhaps unable to contain his indignation.
He slammed down his cup and panted for a moment.
After a deep breath.
Urk drained the cup refilled by a maid with a trembling hand, then spoke in a much calmer voice.
“My apologies. This isn't something I should be angry at you for.”
“There is no need to apologize. After all, isn't this all a result of my late return?”
“That's why I'm saying it's not your fault. Pandora, the fact that the house is shaken just because you, one person, were away is proof enough that there are deep-seated problems.”
He slowly shook his head.
After reassuring Pandora.
Urk then broke into a slight smile.
“Besides, thanks to you two, that problem has now been solved.”
“…Was the Young Master's gift helpful?”
“Khahaha, helpful is an understatement! You took out one of those detestable pirate lords, territory and all.”
*I picked them up on the way back.*
Urk laughed gleefully, recalling how Dion had nonchalantly brought back the Chamgeomwon.
It was one thing to say it was just a single territory.
When the Touguilian declared war.
Forty-nine noble families had declared their allegiance to them.
Despite the Peninsular Alliance's fierce fighting, they had only managed to defeat eight of those families.
Yet, upon his return, Dion had captured three families, including an entire territory, as prisoners.
Not just Urk.
It was no wonder the entire Peninsular Alliance felt an immense sense of relief, as if they'd just chugged a cold drink after nearly suffocating.
“However, I'm worried that as great as the Young Master's achievement is, it's also spawning a lot of baseless rumors.”
“…Baseless rumors, you say?”
“Yes. The one about the White-Masked Young Master's slave soldiers all being high-rank Awakened Ones.”
“…”
“Some are even claiming that this victory was achieved by the slave soldiers alone, without the White-Masked Young Master even lifting a finger.”
“…”
“Anyone with a shred of sense would know it's a ridiculous rumor. How pathetic, isn't it?”
Urk clicked his tongue.
It was a well-known fact to anyone with ears that the Waryongjang's slave soldiers were all low-rank Awakened Ones.
Acquiring that many high-quality slaves was no easy feat, but…
…in the end, they were still just low-rank Awakened Ones.
If one used the power of the Baekdaesega, it was certainly possible.
This was one of the reasons Urk had no doubt that Dion was a direct descendant of the Baekdaesega.
But even for the Baekdaesega.
There were limits.
Even high-ranking nobles struggled to gather thirty high-rank Awakened Ones, let alone thirty high-rank Awakened *slaves*.
It was a notion that could only be met with a scoff.
“It is the truth.”
“Hm?”
“I know it is difficult to believe, but…”
With a soft utterance.
When Pandora opened her mouth.
What on earth was the truth?
That was why Urk, despite all his years of experience, could not comprehend her meaning.
“—The Waryongjang's slave soldiers are indeed all high-rank Awakened Ones, and they subdued the Chamgeomwon with only their strength and that of his vassals.”
“…?”
“…”
“…?????”
This must be the time for such an expression.
To have question marks pop into one's head.
To the old orc who could only blink his large eyes at words he couldn't comprehend, the witch spoke softly, as if she had expected this.
“I know what you wish to ask, so I shall answer in advance.”
“First, the White-Masked Young Master dotes on his concubine so much that we did not get to spend any… quality time together.”
“However, there are two things I can say for certain.”
Why was it?
The more he listened, the less he understood.
“One is that the White-Masked Young Master is an unfathomable person, whose depths I cannot possibly hope to measure.”
“…”
“The other is that he is not of sound mind… or rather, he is someone who cannot be measured by common sense.”
“…”
“In that regard, I humbly make a request.”
The Calamity Princess, Pandora.
The witch known for being the most mysterious of the Paljongyungma, one who existed beyond the bounds of common sense.
But since they had formed a bond as father and daughter.
Seeing her now with a weary expression he had never witnessed through countless wars and schemes together.
Urk couldn't help but wonder.
“Please, I implore you to give it more consideration before sending me on a dispatch to the White-Masked Young Master again.”
“…”
*Just what in the world happened with the White-Masked Young Master to make her look like this?*
***
The White-Masked Young Master had returned.
The news spread like wildfire.
The city was already in turmoil due to the conflict between the Peninsular Alliance and the Touguilian.
The return of the White-Masked Young Master, who had started this war and then vanished, was bound to draw everyone's attention.
And, quite naturally.
The ones who welcomed Dion's return the most, with the greatest sense of relief, were the dark elves.
The lord who would protect them.
And the chieftain who would lead them.
They had been anxious about what would happen if the two did not return, so their relief at their homecoming was immense.
This was especially true as they had been facing subtle pressure from some quarters, who blamed Dion for the stalemate.
“…So.”
But the dark elf maid who should have been welcoming Dion and Arsha's return.
Parsha, far from smiling, instead stared at Dion with eyes three times colder than usual and asked.
“What have you gotten yourself into this time?”
“As you know, I just went to the Labyrinth.”
“That is not what I am asking.”
Lying with his head pillowed on the slender thigh of the dark elf concubine, who sat demurely in the garden.
To the boy who was simply opening his mouth to be fed fruit by Arsha's delicate fingers.
Parsha repeated her question in an even colder voice.
“I am asking what kind of scheme you pulled to turn the slave soldiers into high-rank Awakened Ones.”
“Scheme? That's a bit harsh. It's not unheard of for people to 'rank up' after visiting a Labyrinth.”
“The problem is that 'not unheard of' means a less than one percent chance.”
Parsha pointed out coolly.
The Labyrinth was certainly a double-edged sword.
As dangerous as it was, it was also a place where one could grow strong without any initial resources.
There were occasional cases of low-rank Awakened Ones who roamed the Labyrinths suddenly ranking up and turning their lives around.
The problem was one thing.
If the actual success rate for ranking up was less than 1%, the probability of dying or turning into a mutant was over 99%.
“You can just think of it as that one percent chance hitting this time, can't you?”
“For all thirty-odd slave soldiers?”
“Well, that kind of luck exists in the world.”
“If it were simply a matter of good luck, the crawlers who spend years slinking through the Labyrinths would have become high-rank Awakened Ones long ago.”
In that sense.
Parsha's point was valid.
The only ones who entered the Labyrinths were crawlers who had hit rock bottom.
The reason nobles bought the mana stones harvested by those crawlers at high prices.
And the reason they paid exorbitant fees to participate in hunting festivals.
Was because it had been proven over a long time that ranking up in a Labyrinth was a suicidal act, bordering on impossible.
The fact that over thirty slave soldiers had become high-rank Awakened Ones in just one month completely overturned the common sense of Odobaekryeong.
This was even more true given that they were originally not even 2-star, but 1-star low-rank Awakened Ones.
“Hmm, you're making a big fuss over a simple little shortcut.”
But Dion, the very person who had orchestrated this, muttered nonchalantly as if it were nothing.
Even if it was considered impossible.
That was only the perspective of those who knew nothing about Labyrinths and Classes.
The secret of ranking up.
The structure of Classes and levels.
How to use the Labyrinths.
Labyrinths that gave special rewards.
And all sorts of secret methods for leveling.
For Dion, who had learned all of this from the Voice during his second life, this was hardly a big deal.
The reason he had been so successful during the Calamity War in his second life was because he could mass-produce high-rank Awakened Ones using cheats and shortcuts.
…Of course, it was only possible because they had gone to the 'Tower of Shadows' and had pushed themselves to an extreme degree.
To the point that the Voice, had it been there, would have stopped him, calling it madness.
In fact, even though he had exchanged the reward he was due from Urk for Pandora's temporary service, he had faced death several times during this expedition, but…
…it was a risk worth taking.
The difference in power between thirty low-rank Awakened Ones and thirty high-rank Awakened Ones was like heaven and earth.
Even if they had only acquired a single 3-star Class through a shortcut and were still at the [Beginner] level, their sheer numbers constituted a force that could not be ignored.
With this, he had laid the foundation to properly secure a position in the coming war against the Touguilian.
“More importantly, was there anything to report while I was away?”
“…There is.”
“What is it?”
Was it because she realized she wouldn't get a straight answer no matter how much she pried?
Or was it because she disliked the sight of the elegant dark elf tending to Dion, ignoring her completely?
After staring at them with a face even more expressionless than usual.
Parsha reported coldly.
“A visitor has come looking for you, Young Master.”
***
“Young Master, please save me!”
“…The visitor was the con man?”