The Incompetent Hero and Yeomhyeongok (2)
A flinch.
The bodyguard standing behind him twitched at the sight of his king bowing his head. In the end, though, it was a decision his master had reached after careful deliberation — and so, as if determined to honor that choice, he clenched his teeth and endured the humiliation his lord was suffering.
I watched him for a moment, then spoke.
"Raise your head. There's nothing more to discuss, really. I'll offer what little help I can in the Yeom Kingdom's campaign against the Beastman Alliance."
I had planned from the start to secure the Yeom Kingdom's aid in dealing with the Heavenly Demon here. And now the Emperor of Yeom himself was asking for my help? Logically speaking, this was an excellent opportunity to receive the kingdom's support on favorable terms.
As I was thinking that, the Emperor of Yeom looked at me with a puzzled expression.
"Truly?"
"Yes. If anything, I'm the one who'd rather be asking for your cooperation."
When I nodded and answered, the Emperor of Yeom smiled faintly.
"That's fortunate. Honestly, I wouldn't have found it strange if you'd demanded something in exchange for your cooperation."
"Well, the reason I came here in the first place isn't entirely unrelated to the Beastman Alliance."
"Related to the Beastman Alliance? You, who came from the Western Continent?"
"That's right."
I nodded in answer to the Emperor of Yeom's question. Hearing my reply, Baekryeon tilted her head.
"Hmm? Doryeong was clearly trying to obtain the Geogeonhwan…. Mmph?!"
"Haha, Baekryeon must be rather tired. Judging by the strange things she's already saying, I'd better put her to bed right away."
"…"
I clamped a hand over Baekryeon's bad mouth before she could say anything unnecessary. Honestly — if you're going to rain on a perfectly good parade, at least know when to stop.
Of course Seollin, who'd been traveling with us and had already heard why I'd come to the Yeom Kingdom, looked at me with a baffled expression as I covered Baekryeon's mouth — but she didn't say anything out loud. Casually ignoring both of their gazes, I continued.
"As Your Majesty is aware, in the land your people call the Western Continent, I've been somewhat overgenerously called a Hero. And as a Hero, my goal and duty is to eliminate the fragments of the Demon King that exist in this world."
"I've heard as much. That you are the three swords your god designated to cut down evil."
"Exactly so. And one of the Demon King fragments I'm currently pursuing is said to be cooperating with the Beastman Alliance. I came to the Yeom Kingdom to verify the situation — and, if possible, to subjugate that fragment."
Damn. Even if I do say so myself, that was a pretty slick speech. Absolute cinema.
Even though I was basically winging it, I'd spun a fairly convincing yarn and was patting myself on the back for it when the Emperor of Yeom muttered as if deep in thought.
"I see. So the Beastman Alliance's sudden shift to aggression was because of those Demon King fragments."
That's right, that's right. Whether it's actually true or not, that's the story we're going with.
"But for all that, you came alone. Is it fashionable for Heroes to operate solo?"
"…"
He hit that nail right on the head.
I glanced at the Emperor of Yeom, and he looked back at me with a smile in his eyes. When I shifted my gaze slightly toward the space behind him, the two bodyguards had partially drawn their swords.
A clear message not to bullshit him. As expected, I suppose. He'd already thoroughly investigated me.
"Whatever the case may be, the fact that I need to fight the Beastman Alliance is true. And the claim that they're connected to a Demon King fragment is also true."
"I'm glad that much, at least, appears to be the truth."
"Haha… well…"
When I answered with an awkward smile, he grinned and said,
"Since you've been forthcoming with the truth, I can bring this up."
"?"
"I sought you out this time not only to get a firm answer regarding your aid to the Yeom Kingdom, but also because there is one matter that must be handled before we declare war on the Beastman Alliance."
Something that must be done? What could that be?
I racked my brains, but nothing came to mind. I'd never been through a war before — how would I know?
"Before that, there's something I need to confirm. You… there is a report that you fought Fukhaedaeseong — one of the Seven Demon Kings — to a draw and survived. Is that true?"
That story, huh. Surely a report on that would have already reached him… so does that mean it's so unbelievable he has to confirm it again?
"It's true."
"…Then I have one request for you."
"A request?"
"Yes. Broadly speaking, it connects to my first request that you aid the Yeom Kingdom… but if you'd rather not, you're free to refuse. It is an extremely dangerous undertaking."
Something absolutely necessary. And on top of that, extremely dangerous. I can't even begin to imagine what it could be. What, is he going to have me lead the vanguard in the war against the Beastman Alliance? If it's something like that, it wouldn't be a problem.
As I was thinking that, the Emperor of Yeom spoke in a remarkably casual tone.
"Help me clear Yeomhyeongok."
"Yeomhyeongok, you say…?"
"Phew… finally I can get some real rest."
After the Emperor of Yeom left, Seollin let out a long sigh and flopped onto the prepared bedding. Watching her, I smirked and said,
"Scared, were you?"
"Of course I was! His Majesty the Emperor is, you know! An incredibly high-ranking person! Do you get that? The way you treated him so casually is what's weird."
"I'm not even from the Yeom Kingdom. Why should I be intimidated?"
I shrugged. Besides, wasn't your dad a high-ranking person too?
…Though looking at the Yeom Kingdom's characteristics, the Yeom family does sit above every martial sect and noble house, no matter how you slice it.
…Come to think of it, that's strange.
The first thing I'd heard upon arriving in the Yeom Kingdom was that the Yeom family's influence had weakened compared to the past. I'd simply taken that to mean their martial strength had declined, or something along those lines. But looking at the bodyguards protecting the Emperor of Yeom, that wasn't it. His skill was at the level of a quasi-clan head. There was no way they'd be outmatched in raw power…
…No — maybe they only have two people of that caliber.
"Hmm. But for one in a high position to recognize their own shortcomings and lower their head to seek another's help is no easy thing. In that sense, I believe the current king of the Yeom Kingdom will surely become a fine ruler."
"More importantly, what are you going to do about Yeomhyeongok? You said you'd think about it."
"Do you know about Yeomhyeongok?"
"A little."
I knew about it too. A little.
"Yeomhyeongok is a secret palace said to have been built by the first Emperor of Yeom. Countless traps, and automated soldier puppets. Since the first Emperor, there have been any number of attempts to clear that secret palace — but every single one failed, from what I've heard."
"Hmm…"
Yeomhyeongok. It was a secret palace you could reach in the mid-to-late stages of The Incompetent Hero's Success Story. But you couldn't go there from the first playthrough. Yeomhyeongok only became available from the second playthrough, after clearing the game once. In other words, it was like a New Game+ exclusive feature.
In the game's main story, Yeomhyeongok had no impact whatsoever — a dungeon you could visit or skip without it mattering either way. But the difficulty was quite high. The traps inside used gunpowder, something that didn't belong in a world of swords and magic, so their power was no joke. Even if you went in with sturdy armor, if you stepped on every trap you found, you'd be in tatters before long.
And the elite soldier puppets that pop out are a pain too.
On the other hand, the soldier puppets — with their high physical resistance — were made of dirt, yet tougher than most steel armor.
Leon can attack with both water and fire attributes, but the performance is garbage. Baekryeon specializes in physical attacks, so combat is rough…
Originally, other party members should have joined by now. A tomboy elf who wanted to learn magic, a dwarf, a druid who couldn't control her power. The only real way to clear Yeomhyeongok was with the elf or the druid, who could deal magic damage.
Elf, dwarf, and even a druid… Come to think of it, maybe I came to the Yeom Kingdom way too early without thinking it through…?
I'd flipped out over the Geogeonhwan and bolted straight to the Yeom Kingdom… Looking back, by coming here, I'd essentially left all the various events that would unfold in the Central Continent completely unattended.
…Come to think of it, I think I skipped a few important events.
I thought hard, but nothing came to mind. Well, if nothing was coming to mind right now, it couldn't be that important. As for Yeomhyeongok, it wasn't particularly dangerous for me at this point. So going was fine.
No — going might even be advantageous. As I'd said earlier, Yeomhyeongok was like a New Game+ exclusive secret palace. Which meant the rewards for clearing it were substantial.
"I'm going."
"You're going?"
"Yeah. But I'm going alone."
At the word alone, Baekryeon and Seollin both stared at me with wide eyes. Had they assumed I'd take them along as a matter of course?
But… there were a lot of traps in there… and protecting them would be a hassle… and with the physical resistance, Baekryeon and Seollin wouldn't be able to do anything anyway… Not to mention Seollin specialized in hidden weapons with poison — how was that supposed to work on puppets?
"More than anything, only members of the Yeom family can enter that place in the first place. We can't just go swarming in with a whole crowd."
It's not that I'm greedy for the treasures inside. Absolutely not… The items you get from there are all high-grade. There might be something I can use too…