The War Begins
“Could I ask you for information about the demons?”
They didn't care about the human side anyway.
The survivors piqued my interest, but I doubted they'd interfere with my activities.
“What exactly would you like to know about the demons, my lord?”
“Tell me everything you know.”
Demons had to be treated with absolute caution.
Last time, with the Sword Demon, it had only worked because we targeted the very moment of his descent—a stroke of luck.
But if he'd already completed his descent and spent years in this world…
With my current strength, it's impossible.
I'd need to be at least 1.5 times stronger than I was now for it to even be worth attempting.
The one silver lining was that the enemy was a Baron.
If he'd been a demon holding a rank higher than Baron, I wouldn't even have been entertaining these thoughts.
“For starters, the demon forces number around fifty thousand…”
“Fifty thousand, huh.”
That was a lot, no question.
If I fought them now, I'd have to battle nonstop for a month straight.
And while doing that, I'd have to face the Baron as well?
Absolutely impossible.
This wasn't like with the Sword Demon, where I'd unconsciously avoided the fight.
It was simply impossible.
An A-rank needed to be at least level 300, and even an S-rank needed to pass level 200 just to hold the line.
Me, with my current stats, facing a Baron-class demon and an army of fifty thousand?
I'd be ground to nothing like meat in a blender.
“And this is only speculation, but… it seems that demon is the one creating that poison fog.”
“The demon?”
“Yes. The fog first appeared in Pyongyang, you see.”
Pyongyang sat at the very heart of the demons' territory now.
Going by the story, that was where the demons were staying.
Because that man was there, I suppose. It makes sense.
The symbol of North Korea's absolute power.
Had that man not been eliminated, the land of North Korea would never have fallen into the demons' hands like this.
“Do you have any more information…?”
“This, too, is only speculation, but…”
At my question, his voice trailed off.
Trailing off like that meant it was something difficult to bring up.
“If you're not certain, you don't have to tell me.”
“…No. I'll tell you.”
He opened his mouth, sweat beading on his brow.
Fear was written plainly in his eyes.
“They're preparing for war.”
“War?”
“…Yes.”
War.
Certainly a difficult keyword to bring up.
But I couldn't fathom why the demons would prepare for war.
To eliminate the humans within their territory?
No, they wouldn't use the word “war” for that.
War meant a fight between nation and nation.
“Don't tell me…!”
“Yes… the target of the war will most likely be South Korea.”
“Damn it…”
If they truly intended to invade southward, then I wasn't uninvolved either.
My family lived down there.
I wanted to avoid fighting as much as possible…
And now a war was suddenly on the verge of breaking out.
Before my regression, there had been no such war.
Right up until the final day, Envy had hidden her forces and focused on building her strength.
Is war breaking out because I killed Envy?
The butterfly effect.
The large guild incident had also been a painful event for me.
The difference this time was that I'd obtained the information before the situation unfolded.
Like hell I'll let a war happen.
“How goes the preparation for war?”
A demon with green-glowing eyes.
He wore the garb of a Western aristocrat, nothing like a modern man.
At his appearance, all the assembled demons bowed their heads—except for two.
“Ah, Lord Baron.”
“Proceeding smoothly. The livestock are moving well, too.”
The “livestock” the demon spoke of were not cattle or pigs, but people.
To demons, humans were no different from livestock.
“Move faster!”
“Too slow.”
Thwack!
With one demon's words, a man's head burst apart, utterly destroyed.
“Hiek!”
At that sight, the people began scrambling to move faster.
“Showing them an example like that improves their productivity.”
“A fine specimen among the livestock, that one.”
At the two demons' explanation, the Poison Baron smiled.
He held the rank of Baron, but in the Demon Realm, those of higher standing than himself were everywhere.
There, he'd had to grovel. Here, he did not.
Here, I am king. I am the ruler!
Perhaps that was why he found such scenes of oppression so entertaining.
Watching it, he felt as though he'd become someone new.
“Prepare quickly. The moment preparations are complete, the invasion begins.”
At the Baron's words, the two demons laughed.
“Yes, my lord!”
“Yes, my lord!”
The invasion would begin.
To the two demons, invasion meant a fresh supply of toys.
To the Baron as well, conquest was nothing more than a game.
The Demon King's contractor is dead.
The Poison Baron was a Baron under Leviathan's command.
And Leviathan's contractor dying meant his king had lost a toy.
Justification enough.
Korea's awakeners had killed the king's toy, and he would merely bring the hammer down upon the fools in his king's stead.
A perfectly convenient excuse to offer the other demons and demonkin.
What kind of screams will I get to hear this time?
Smiling inwardly, the Poison Baron entered the fortress.
Until that moment, the Poison Baron had not known.
Just what kind of existence he had made his enemy.
What am I supposed to do about this…
After hearing about the war and the survivors, I entered the temporary residential tent we'd set up.
War…
Saving just my family would be simple.
All I'd have to do was use the gates.
But then my hometown would be destroyed.
People disgusted me, but I still remembered the pain of a destroyed hometown.
I want to stop it somehow…
No method came to mind.
With our party as it was, charging into Pyongyang was impossible.
And attacking the surrounding territories would weigh on the others' consciences.
“Ha… what the hell am I supposed to do.”
Just as I was agonizing over it, the tent flap opened and Won Ae entered, dressed in casual clothes.
That mask never suits her, no matter how many times I see it…
If I had to compare Won Ae to an animal, she was closer to a cat than a rabbit.
“Do you happen to have something on your mind, my lord?”
“What makes you think that?”
She'd hit the nail right on the head the moment she walked in.
But I answered as if nothing was wrong.
No need to hand off worries like these to her.
“You have the face of someone with a problem, plain as day.”
“Says who?”
“Lady Silver Wolf.”
I was keeping a perfectly straight face.
There was no way worry was showing on my face.
“I really don't have any worries.”
“Really?”
“Yep.”
At my answer, Won Ae turned her back and stood at the tent's entrance.
“Whatever decision you make, I will simply follow. I came here to be of use to you, Lady Silver Wolf.”
With those words, Won Ae left the tent.
Coming out with that—so she had noticed I was troubled after all.
“Ha…”
It was absurd, but I understood why she'd said it.
She was trying to lighten my burden.
If she's going to put it that way.
I pulled an item from my inventory—something I'd bought from the shop.
◈ Installs a fortress wall around your territory.
◈ Automatically expands as your territory grows.
“Fortress Wall Installation, activate.”
Fortress Wall Installation has been used.
Verifying territory…
Territories held: 1 — DMZ
A fortress wall will be installed on the DMZ territory.
Kugugung!
The moment the messages appeared, the surrounding land shook.
Stepping outside the tent, I saw a massive fortress wall before my eyes.
With a durability of ten thousand, the wall wouldn't break easily—short of the Baron himself joining the attack.
“Whoa…”
An awed gasp came from behind me.
Turning around, I saw that everyone who'd been in the tent had come out.
“With the wall installed, this place should be safe for now.”
“Th-the wall—you used the item from the shop?!”
“Yes.”
A stunned Jin Baekrim pressed me urgently.
The purchase cost of Fortress Wall Installation was 100 stat points.
Not a small sum, but it only took five level-ups to cover.
And they were points I had no other use for anyway.
Spending them here didn't bother me in the slightest.
“You spent such a large sum… for our sake…”
Jin Baekrim looked about ready to burst into tears of gratitude, so I hurried on to the next step.
“City Installation, activate.”
City Installation has been used.
Verifying location…
A city will be installed at the center of the DMZ territory.
Kugugung!
The land shook once more.
This item I'd obtained was from a random box.
The kind of item that builds a city on empty land.
“What is it this time?”
“Ah, I'm making a city.”
“A city?”
When the ground shook again, Won Ae came over and asked.
Then, hearing my answer, she tilted her head.
Her expression said she didn't understand what building a city meant.
“You'll see when we get there.”
With that, I led the people to the site where the city had risen.
And the reactions they showed upon arrival…
“Whoa…!”
“Incredible…!”
“This is a city…?”
satisfied me.
It wasn't like Korea, with its high-rise buildings—the structure looked like something out of the medieval era.
The interiors of the buildings had a feel that mixed the modern with the medieval.
The sense of dissonance was strong.
It stirred a certain romanticism, yet the clash of medieval and modern also gave me a headache.
Just then, Jin Baekrim, who'd been admiring the city beside me, asked:
“C-can we really stay here?”
“Yes. This is where you'll all be living from now on.”
At my words, Jin Baekrim the leader and all the others alike went wide-eyed.
Apparently they hadn't expected me to actually give it to them.
“Once we've dealt with the demons, we'll move somewhere even better.”
At that, their jaws dropped open.
Their reactions were so amusing that I snorted a laugh.
“For now, those of you with families can pick where you'd like to live first. And I'd like you to choose your houses clustered together as much as possible.”
After I said that and waited a moment, they each chose their homes under Jin Baekrim's direction.
“We've finished choosing.”
“Really? Then feel free to live comfortably until I tell you otherwise.”
“Truly?”
Apparently they'd expected to be asked for something in return for the houses.
“I'm not taking anything. As long as you're my territorial citizens, I intend to fulfill at least the minimum of my responsibilities.”
“Th-thank you, Lord!”
I straightened Jin Baekrim, who had suddenly bowed at a ninety-degree angle, and left the city.
As I stepped out, Won Ae appeared at my side.
“Don't I get a reward like that?”
“I'll give you one later.”
A reward for Won Ae?
I had plenty in mind.
But obtaining them right now would be difficult.
Having received my promise, Won Ae brought the subject up no further.
Then shall I try hitting the nearest territory first.
Loosening my legs, I stepped out beyond the fortress wall.