Hegemony (2)
“But brother, doesn’t something feel off about this?”
The holy warrior tasked with monitoring Patrick under orders from the Church of Tablon, the God of Balance, spoke up with clear suspicion in his voice.
“From what I’ve heard, those identified as puppets of the evil gods either slaughter everything in sight like blood-crazed maniacs or chase after women like sex-obsessed lunatics. Yet that man is nothing like that.”
The other person listening nodded in agreement.
“The other brothers watching him felt the same way. They say he’s the model official—something you rarely see these days.”
If even the other watchers agreed, it meant Patrick truly lived an exemplary life.
“They even said watching him work through the night without sleep made them reflect on their own laziness.”
“Then is he really a puppet of the evil gods?”
“He is. The high priest himself bestowed a blessing and examined him with divine power. He said Tablon’s power had no effect on the man. That means he isn’t a person of this world.”
“Hmm. That makes it even harder to understand. Such a model official, yet a puppet of the evil gods…”
The holy warriors shook their heads, unable to make sense of it, but continued their surveillance. Thanks to that constant watch, they immediately noticed when a change came to Patrick’s repetitive bureaucratic routine.
He began sending out contact officers as if dispatching secret envoys to various places, and he was spending significantly more time with Military Minister Marquis Marcel. Then, not long after, they learned that an Alliance coalition was being formed under Marquis Marcel’s name to fight the Horde led by the Orc Lord.
They reported to the Church that Patrick was involved in the creation of this coalition.
“So you’re saying the one who created this Alliance coalition is a puppet of the evil gods?”
“Yes, Your Eminence the Cardinal. The formation of the Alliance originated from that man’s mouth.”
Cardinal Etuan reviewed the full report and once again confirmed the traces left behind by previous puppets.
“In the southern Hool Lake region, the traces have completely vanished. The ones we sent to the Akran Mountains couldn’t even investigate properly because of the Orcs’ rampage.”
“Correct. The only trace we can currently confirm is the public official named Patrick. There are no other rampaging puppets like before.”
“Wait a moment. Didn’t you say the thing Patrick schemed was to create an Alliance and fight the Horde led by Orcs?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“There must be a connection here. We couldn’t confirm the trace we sensed in the Akran Mountains where the Orcs are stirring… yet the only confirmed trace, this Patrick, is planning to gather a coalition to strike the Orcs in those very mountains…”
Only after hearing Cardinal Etuan’s words did several high priests realize there was something suspicious.
“Could he be trying to defeat the Orcs for the sake of the same puppet who was killed by them?”
“We can’t know for sure. We haven’t confirmed whether the puppet who left traces in the Akran Mountains is dead.”
“Still, who stands to gain from this fight?”
“Perhaps the Orc Lord has some kind of problem?”
Various opinions poured out from the high priests and holy knights.
“Maybe this Patrick is trying to create a massive war to throw the world into chaos?”
This was the most plausible theory regarding his motives.
“Now that you mention it, during the Gods’ War, the Orc god Helman sided with the evil gods. Perhaps Helman and the evil gods are working together to create a great war and plunge the world into turmoil.”
“Oh! That makes sense.”
“A grand war to sow chaos across the world…”
“It sounds plausible, but wasn’t Helman sealed away back then?”
After a long debate with no clear conclusion, Cardinal Etuan made a temporary decision.
“We cannot stop a great war from breaking out. The scale of the Orcs’ uprising is simply too large to ignore.”
The high priests near the Akran Mountains nodded.
“The best choice we can make here is to throw our full support behind the Alliance so they can achieve a swift victory. If they win quickly, the goal of throwing the world into chaos through a great war will fail.”
“Then should we request that other churches also fully mobilize for this war?”
“In the name of Tablon, the God of Balance, send a request to the Alliance asking them to dispatch as many priests, holy knights, and holy warriors as possible.”
I took Pyutel and Pyurie with me to Aiparak Village to retrieve the horses and dogs I had left there. After buying sheep, goats, and calves to raise in the dungeon, we headed back. On the way, patrol guards blocked our path.
“Looks like you’re heading toward the Numero Mountains with those animals. Has the conflict zone really been lifted?”
The guards of Aiparak Village had heard the news but didn’t know the details, so they asked.
“Yes, the conflict zone has been lifted. Both the Undead Dungeon and the Green Dungeon are now open for mercenaries to enter.”
“Oh! Then anyone can go now without worrying about the Rangers?”
“That’s right. That’s why we’re on our way to build a village in front of the dungeon.”
“Oh! So you’re trying to secure a good spot early.”
I had received a fief, but it had no residents yet. I told them it would be beneficial to claim the best locations first, speaking in a friendly tone. On the way from the Undead Dungeon to the Green Dungeon, I had Pyutel create and install a signpost pointing toward the Green Dungeon. I also instructed him to watch the Ranger observation post to see if anyone was coming.
“First, everyone except the minimum number of people needed to manage these animals must leave the dungeon. Pack your bags.”
“Outside the dungeon?”
Harhil and the believers looked deeply worried at the sudden order to go outside again.
“We need to show that we’re leaving for the Arean Continent. Everyone should carry bulky, empty luggage and move south where others can see you. Then circle around the mountains and return to the third-floor village through the other entrance.”
“Ah! So we’re putting on a show for the Church people who might be tracking us. If that’s the reason, then of course we’ll pack up and move.”
Leaving behind the elderly who would care for the animals and Vampire Carol, everyone carried heavy loads in both hands and moved to the front of the Green Dungeon. They set up temporary tents and began building an inn and general store while waiting for people to arrive. Two days later, Pyutel came running to report that people were coming.
“Merchants! Several large groups are coming with wagons, hoping to claim the best spots in front of the dungeon. There are quite a few mercenaries too.”
As Pyutel said, three large wagons and about twenty mercenaries arrived. They looked warily at the Blatian believers standing in front of the dungeon with piles of luggage.
“We were just resting here for a while on our way south. There’s no need to be suspicious.”
The merchants relaxed once they heard these people were leaving and immediately began competing over where to build their shops.
“It’s a long way south. Can we buy food or supplies here?”
Harhil approached the merchants, bought food, and casually mentioned that they were fleeing persecution and heading to the Arean Continent. He also subtly showed them the jewel known as Blatian’s Eye hanging around his neck. The white background with a red dot that looked like a human pupil made the quick-witted merchants realize they were followers of the God Blatian.
Given how fast rumors spread in their profession, the merchants quickly figured out these people were defectors. As they watched the group depart, they exchanged information among themselves.
“Whether they go to the Arean Continent or not doesn’t concern us, but I heard the Volter Trading Company got completely destroyed. They apparently don’t have the capital to invest in the new dungeon village.”
“I heard the same. Who could have predicted the conflict zone would be lifted? They poured their entire fortune into digging a passage through the underground connection to build a village. They even bought the exclusive potion sales rights. Tsk tsk.”
“The only one who profited was the mercenary who sold them that potion monopoly. By the way, who are those people who set up the inn and general store before us?”
“I heard they’re the lord’s subordinates. They say you can’t build anything within fifty meters of the dungeon entrance, so let’s hurry and claim spots along the main road.”
After taking the long way around the mountains and returning through the other entrance, the group let out sighs of relief once they were back inside the dungeon.
“What about the people above?”
“From what I overheard, the believers who left are talking among themselves. It seems we fooled them successfully. I also checked the path down to the third floor. Unless someone already knew about it, they wouldn’t even realize there’s a door there.”
The stone wall had been built well, and with Sezan and Harhil hiding the door with magic, the path to the third floor seemed perfectly concealed.
“Then I suppose I’ll have to wear a robe for a while.”
Rumors would spread that one of the people who left with the Blatian believers was a holy knight, so it seemed best to stay dressed as a mage for the time being.
“The village in front of the dungeon seems rather modest. I heard dozens of houses have already been built in the front yard of the Undead Dungeon.”
When I heard that a message had arrived from Count Shulman, I went up to the village and found that Ranger Danny—who had explored the Green Dungeon with me—was there as a messenger.
“At first merchants flocked here, but since almost no magic stones come out and killing Ents only gives charcoal, everyone moved on to the Undead Dungeon.”
Although the merchants had all left, the rumor that this was a good dungeon for new mercenaries to get used to combat had spread. As a result, four inns and three general stores were still operating. Once mercenaries and residents appeared, a bakery opened as well, and the place was slowly starting to feel like a real village.
“Oh, here. Please take this. Baron Mitchel said he was sorry for calling you when he hadn’t done anything to help.”
Since Baron Mitchel had apologized, it seemed he had given an order that wasn’t actually helpful.
“…‘Form an Alliance coalition and march against the Horde created by the Orcs as its main force?’”
“Yes. Our Shuzel Kingdom is quite far away, so we didn’t know much about it, but the Splain Empire and other kingdoms near the Akran Mountains are apparently struggling because of the Orcs.”
What Danny knew was written in the letter. However, what surprised me wasn’t the situation itself, but the words Horde and Alliance.
If I had seen these terms back when I still thought this world was just a game, I would have thought, ‘Ah, a cliché,’ and moved on. But now that I knew this world was a real, existing place, I couldn’t simply overlook the terms Horde and Alliance.
“Do you happen to know who first used the words Horde and Alliance?”
“The words? I’m not sure. Perhaps it was Marquis Marcel, the one who sent messages across the country calling for people to join the Alliance?”
“Marquis Marcel… I’ve confirmed the order. Tell him I will participate as a mage without any troops and will arrive in a few days.”
After sending Danny away, I couldn’t help but fall into deep thought. I pondered how likely it was that, purely by coincidence, a faction centered around Orcs called the Horde and a faction centered around humans called the Alliance would exist in this world.
Well, the word “alliance” could simply mean a union or coalition, so that was easy to overlook. But “Horde” was different. While it could mean barbarians or a band of thieves, its etymology came from the Mongol people. The Mongols called their portable tents “Ordo,” and that was where the word “Horde” originated.
In this world where no Mongol people existed, there should have been no reason for anyone to use the word “Horde” in relation to Orcs. At first I wondered if it was an automatic translation by the AI, but the letter had clearly used the word “Horde” from the beginning, so it wasn’t a translation error.
As I carefully considered everything that had started from the words Horde and Alliance, I began to suspect that Earth’s intervention was involved.
‘Could it be that other users are here in this world too? Everyone thought they were sent to different worlds because it was a game, but maybe we’re all actually gathered in the same place?’
Once I reached this point, I even began wondering whether any of the people I had killed might have been users. I no longer felt guilty about justified killing, but if I had killed someone from Earth, it would leave a bad taste in my mouth.
Then it hit me. I thought of the tomatoes and pizza. Just as I had realized the existence of other users from the words Horde and Alliance, perhaps other users had realized that people from the same world were here because of the tomatoes and pizza I had spread.
‘Is cooperation between users even possible? What is Changing’s intention behind all this? How can they send people like this?’