The Dragon's Tears and the King's Charge
Poyu's eyes widened into perfect circles when it realized Kim Hwang-je was no longer nearby.
Poyu scooped up the leftover diamond fragments rolling around on the floor and shoved them into its mouth.
Then it flapped its wings and teleported.
“Ouch!”
Poyu suddenly appeared on top of Kim Hwang-je’s head and poked his scalp with its claws.
“Huh?”
Kim Hwang-je’s startled reaction made Seo Jun-seo jump as well.
He still couldn’t see Poyu at all.
“Ahjussi—! Why did you leave me behind?”
When the little dragon flipped upside down and shoved its face right in front of him, Kim Hwang-je saw an expression he had never witnessed before—Poyu was pouting.
“…Sorry, Poyu…”
Come to think of it, he really had left the little dragon behind.
But what Poyu found was the face of a man who had lost his country.
It had only wanted a simple apology, yet it seemed Ahjussi had gone through something truly serious.
Startled, Poyu quickly scrambled down and threw itself into Ahjussi’s arms.
“Hiiing… Ahjussi’s face looks so sad. Does it hurt somewhere?”
“N-no. I’ll be fine soon.”
“Ahjussi, don’t ever leave me behind again… I’m all alone in this world…”
Kim Hwang-je felt a sharp pang in his chest.
This tiny dragon had lost its parents and been thrown into another world.
“Ah… I’m sorry…”
This was all that eunuch’s fault.
Anyway, as long as the abdominal surgery finished within seven hours, everything would return to normal.
He had to treat Poyu better from now on…
Kim Hwang-je cradled the little dragon in his arms and gently stroked its head with his fingers.
Poyu purred like a cat, then suddenly opened its eyes wide.
“Wait!”
“Hm?”
“Ahjussi, is there something really important here? I thought if someone couldn’t buy it, they’d just steal it by force!”
“Something precious? What do you mean?”
“It comes out at the very end, right?”
“So if they can’t buy it, they’ll try to snatch the contaminant?”
Kim Hwang-je’s hand froze.
If the auction failed and the item was taken by force, the castle gates would be destroyed sooner or later.
He ground his teeth.
Which bastard dares interfere with my asset formation?
“Um, sir… are you all right?”
Seo Jun-seo asked cautiously.
He had noticed it before—sometimes the boss would mutter to himself like this. It was a little strange.
Kim Hwang-je looked at Seo Jun-seo and realized it was finally time to tell him the truth.
“Well, Secretary Seo, you probably can’t see it, but there’s a small dragon here. It’s my friend. I’m not talking to myself—I’m talking to this little one.”
“Ah…”
What a relief.
It was far better to hear that what the boss was holding in his arms was an invisible baby dragon rather than an invisible girlfriend.
As a mage, if it was about invisible creatures, he could accept that.
Seo Jun-seo narrowed his eyes and stared hard.
But of course, there was still nothing there.
“Understood. Shall I prepare snacks for the little dragon as well?”
But he was a professional.
“Um… maybe some cola? And its name is Poyu.”
Seo Jun-seo handed over a cola cup with a straw already in it.
“Wow~ This ahjussi is so nice~”
Poyu hugged the cup to its chest, sat on Kim Hwang-je’s lap, and gulped the cola down noisily. Its eyes suddenly grew round.
“It’s sweet! Super sweet! And it keeps popping and tickling my throat!”
“Yeah, Poyu. It’s called cola. Tastes good, right? Make sure you brush your teeth properly at night if you drink it.”
Only after watching the cola float and move through the air did Seo Jun-seo finally understand completely.
There really was something invisible.
Thank goodness.
He wouldn’t have to practice miming to entertain the boss’s imaginary friend after all.
At that moment, Kim Hwang-je spoke to Seo Jun-seo.
“There’s a prediction of an attack at the end of this auction.”
“Pardon?”
“Tell Jung Da-yeon. Someone plans to attack if they can’t obtain the final item.”
“Understood.”
Seo Jun-seo left with a tense expression.
Kim Hwang-je swept his gaze across the royal treasury using World Observation.
The royal castle was literally devouring his resources.
The balance was dangerously low.
But just as Jung Da-yeon had said, if today’s auction went well, more than five hundred billion won would pour in.
He had to prevent bankruptcy with this.
If he bought a massive amount of gold and stored it in the treasury, maybe he could reach a fiscal stability of 50/100?
After finishing the cola, Poyu wriggled its way back up to Kim Hwang-je’s head and curled up there.
The moment its drool touched his body, its presence rapidly vanished.
Only then could the hunters in the room finally breathe again.
“The auction is about to begin. He has withdrawn his presence.”
That was what the hunters below were saying.
But at that exact moment, Kim Hwang-je grew tense instead.
Because inside the World Observation window, he saw Dave approaching the port.
‘The port is really close. Does it feel like Incheon?’
Dave galloped furiously and reached Sinal Port.
Sinal was the gateway city to the royal castle and an expanded port.
Busy with official duties, he rarely visited.
But in his memory, this city had always been a white city.
A beautiful port where emerald-green sea sparkled beside buildings of white stone topped with green domes.
It had matched perfectly, like an elf wearing mithril chain armor.
But now…
“Your Majesty…!”
The knight swallowed a groan.
“Ugh!”
Dave gripped the hilt of his holy sword so tightly his hand turned white.
Along the road to the port, every skeletal tree had leftover chunks of meat hanging from its branches.
Bones with bits of flesh still clinging to them swayed in the sea breeze.
They had been people.
Monsters ate humans, and orcs hung them up like trophies.
It was a sight Dave was all too familiar with, yet every time he saw it, bloody tears threatened to fall.
Bwoo—! Bwoo—!
The crude sound of orc war horns echoed.
The orcs stationed at the port had noticed the approach of the human army.
Well, with all that roaring heavy machinery, hiding their advance had been impossible anyway.
“The enemy is forming ranks,” the knight reported.
Orc packs crawled out from inside the buildings, swarming the city until it turned pitch black.
Dave roughly estimated their numbers.
Roughly five thousand.
From the hill overlooking the port city, Dave drew his sword.
He urged his horse forward, moving in front of the soldiers.
“I will speak plainly. Archmage Gemini opposed this attack. She is usually right. But not always.”
One hundred cavalrymen sat atop their restless horses, listening to their king’s voice with calm expressions.
Behind them stood four hundred soldiers armed with spears, shields, and swords.
Beside them were three units of Holy Bulldozers and one Holy Forklift fitted with a crusher instead of a bucket.
A total of 504 personnel.
For a king personally leading the charge, it was an embarrassingly small force.
“What do you think? Do you believe this retaliation is meaningless?”
“No!”
“No!”
The soldiers shouted as if screaming in agony.
Dave raised his hand and pointed at the hanging corpses.
“Look. Those are our brothers, sisters, and parents. Do not turn your eyes away!”
Crows were pecking at what little flesh remained.
Dave hurled a dagger and severed a crow’s head.
The birds scattered in all directions at once.
“Take them down. After the battle, we will collect them properly and cremate them.”
The soldiers went and gathered the bodies hanging from the trees.
Dave deliberately stood with those trees as his backdrop and spoke.
“Only those who cannot take revenge call it bitter. What about you? Have you not tasted its sweetness?”
Then Dave raised his hand and pointed at the Holy Bulldozers and Holy Forklift.
“Fear not! The Emperor’s grace is with us. He has bestowed upon us four mighty golems that can tear the earth asunder!”
No further words were needed.
The heavy machinery operators, caught up in the moment, revved their engines.
The monstrous diesel engines roared.
Dave had already attached war horns to the exhaust pipes.
If their forces could not be hidden, it was better to make them as loud as possible.
Thanks to that, they looked like mythical beasts spewing black smoke from their maws.
A thunderous roar shook the battlefield.
Bwooooooooooooo—!
The soldiers’ ears felt like they would burst, and their heartbeats sounded like war drums.
There was no need for detailed description of the Celestial heavy machinery.
It was enough to note that the 105-ton open-pit mining models had been enlarged to more than twice their size by the Celestials’ astonishing holy magic,
and that with the kingdom’s crests and banners attached, they looked like moving fortresses.
Also, the infinite tracks—each plate and shovel large enough to hold thirty men with room to spare—seemed to be raw power forged into steel.
The soldiers shed tears of gratitude, praising the Emperor’s benevolence.
After letting them gaze upon the heavy machinery for a moment, Dave drew a powerful breath from his core and roared.
“Soldiers of Adel! Avengers! Why do you stand here today!”
“Uoh! Uoh! Uoh!”
The knights first struck the ground with their spears and shouted. The soldiers followed.
Dave turned his horse and galloped in front of the troops.
He drew his sword and struck the lances of the knights holding their long spears forward.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
“Listen, you whose hearts still beat! Those creatures are already drooling at the thought of feasting on us soon. Their teeth still have the flesh of our people stuck between them, and their bellies are filled with the bones of our children!”
Standing atop his horse, Dave looked down at the soldiers.
In their ears, nothing existed except the king’s voice.
“Therefore I ask you! Soldiers, why do you stand here? Answer me! Answer me!”
The knights began stomping their feet first.
They shouted in rhythm, carrying burning passion in their voices.
“Uoh! Uoh! Uoh!”
“Why have you taken up swords, donned armor, worn helmets, laced up military boots, and come to stand with me before the enemy!”
“Uoh! Uoh! Uoh!”
“Is it not to strike down the monsters that dare devour humans, to sever their necks, crush their skulls, and ensure they can never again humiliate our people!”
“Uoh! Uoh! Uoh!”
“Therefore, warriors! Clench your fists! Flames of vengeance! Burn! Burn! Sons and daughters of our homeland! Throw out your chests and roar! Watch clearly as terror fills the enemy’s eyes! The time has finally come—it is the hour of revenge!”
“Uoh! Uoh! Uoh!”
Dave stopped his horse.
A deep silence seeped between the soldiers.
Their hearts pounded painfully.
Bwooooooooo—
Along with the orc war horns, a massive orc army began advancing from the port.
Dave turned his back to the soldiers and raised his sword high.
In that extreme silence, sunlight struck the holy sword and shattered into pure white light.
Finally, Dave bellowed.
“Follow me!!”
His armored warhorse charged toward the orcs.
The knights answered.
“Follow His Majesty the King!”
“Charge! Charge!”
“Soldiers! The time for revenge has come!”
“Let us reclaim our land!”
“Kill the orcs!”
“Glory to His Imperial Majesty the Emperor!”
With the erupting shouts, crimson flames blazed violently atop Dave’s holy sword.
The light was so intense it dyed the entire hill leading to the port red.
It was a fierce radiance strong enough to make the advancing orc army instinctively cover their eyes.
But to the people of the kingdom, that light was the flame of victory.
Vrrrrrrrrrrrr—!
The sound of hooves and grinding tracks shook the earth.
Every soldier rushed down the hill, charging straight toward the orc army.
“…Whoa…”
Kim Hwang-je couldn’t understand what kind of speech Dave was giving.
But he clearly saw the soldiers shouting as if possessed, shedding tears, losing their minds as they charged,
and the heavy machinery spewing thick black smoke as they roared forward.
The orcs were completely overwhelmed by Dave’s holy sword radiating overwhelming brilliance, the gleaming golden heavy machinery charging under the sunlight,
and the lance knights surging between them.
From the very beginning, it made no sense.
Why should five thousand orcs feel fear when only 504 were charging at them?
But war flowed exactly like that.
Because the brilliant light pouring from the holy sword and Celestial machinery, combined with the dust clouds kicked up by the warhorses, made it look as if lava itself was pouring down!
“Graaaah…!”
“Grrrrr…!”
The terrified orcs tried to flee in every direction, but there were simply too many of them. There was no space to escape.
The orcs packed tightly behind them stood frozen, unable to move an inch.
Kim Hwang-je leaned back deeply in his chair and covered his mouth.
The front lines had finally collided!
“Die!”
Dave swung his holy sword from atop his horse.
A storm of flames erupted and slammed into the orc formation.
The orcs in the front ranks exploded!
A red wave of blood swept over the orcs standing behind them, knocking them down.
“Graaaaaagh!”
Boom!
Then the heavy machinery crashed into them.
The orcs who had been reeling from the shock were instantly turned into minced meat and exploded in all directions.
Crunchhhhhhhhhh!
The tracks made a deafening sound like bursting leather drums as they rolled over the orcs.
The battlefield turned into a humid sauna from the scorching heat rising from the blood and guts.
Hideous cheers and roars filled with rage mixed together, creating a deafening vortex of noise.
“Guaaaaaaaaagh!”
While orcs with broken spines from the bulldozers were flung aside and trampled,
“Knights! Raise your spears!”
“For His Majesty the King!”
The cavalry charged from both flanks.
Crunch!
These heavy knights pierced and crushed orcs with the overwhelming penetrating power of their lances, breaking through the lines.
The tracks following behind rolled over the fallen orcs once more.
The sound of bursting leather balloons rang out everywhere.
Finally, the infantry charged into the orcs that exploded like bloated pufferfish, spraying their innards.
“Uwaaaaaaaaaah!”
“Kill themmmmm!”
“Adel shall endure foreverrrrr!”
Crunch!
Thick steel military boots stomped on orcs while blades sliced through those still standing.
They tore straight through the center of the ragtag orc army like a hot knife through butter, advancing toward the anchored ships.
“Burn the ships! Burn them and retreat!”
But the number of orcs seemed endless.
Even a rough count put them in the thousands, and more ships were still gathering from farther away.
“Ugh…”
Kim Hwang-je held his breath as he watched the footage.
Beside him, Poyu’s eyes were also wide open, completely absorbed in the scene.
Was this okay for a kid to watch…?
But Poyu’s eyes were glistening with tears as it watched.
It must have been remembering its father who had fought alongside Dave.
Kim Hwang-je gently patted Poyu’s back.
“What if Dave gets hurt?”
Poyu’s voice trembled.
“Well, I’ll send him one red potion for now.”
Kim Hwang-je activated Tribute Trade toward the fiercely fighting Dave.
A brilliantly shining scroll appeared above Dave’s head.
◈ Extremely painful but highly effective.
◈ Burns the wound to heal it. Better used for torture.
Dave caught the falling Arbocil and stabbed it straight into his chest.
Then he swung his sword with even greater vigor, chopping orcs apart.
“Yay, you did good, Ahjussi!”
Seeing the red potion seemed to cheer Poyu up. It smiled brightly.
But Kim Hwang-je could not smile as innocently as Poyu.
Don’t get hurt, Dave.
That stuff really hurts.
Watching war with his own eyes was dirty and brutal.
And saving the royal castle meant throwing oneself into battlefields like this…
Kim Hwang-je tried to look around to see if there were more enemies, but it was impossible.
He could only see the royal castle and Dave.
‘Hmm, so World Observation is limited to only the royal castle and the area around the king. I wanted to do some scouting if possible, but…’
Unfortunately, it seemed that wasn’t an option.
But Dave didn’t need it.
On the battlefield, he was practically a god of war.
He even threw off his helmet, his long flowing hair whipping wildly as he mercilessly slaughtered orcs one after another.
In reality, they said King Richard the Lionheart had cut down sixty-two thousand with only a dozen men at the Battle of Arsuf.
In a fantasy world, he could probably do even more…
Every time Dave swung his sword, shockwaves flashed and port buildings collapsed.
Orcs whose retreat and advance routes were both blocked were swept away and butchered.
“-----!”
He couldn’t understand what Dave was shouting, but to Kim Hwang-je, Dave finally looked like a man who was truly alive.
It was an expression and vitality he would never see when handling documents.
Among monarchs, there were those whose eyes only came alive during war.
Yes. He could trust Dave.
At that moment, soft music began playing throughout the opera hall.
Kim Hwang-je pulled his eyes away from World Observation and looked down at the auction house.
It seemed the auction was finally about to begin.