Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: The King (2)
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Shasha Kalan, the king of the Kalan Kingdom and the undisputed number one figure in the realm, gazed at Kim Hyunwoo standing before her and thought.
'He's surprisingly ordinary-looking, more than I expected.'
Of course, you couldn't judge a person by their appearance alone.
Initially, if the lord of Lartania had no exceptional abilities beyond his outward look, a territory as ruined as Lartania would never have been revived like this.
And above all, even if Kim Hyunwoo were nothing more than an ordinary man, Shasha couldn't treat him lightly.
No, precisely speaking, she couldn't.
Shasha knew the truth.
This lord of Lartania was truly favored by the Absolute Ruler of Darkness—the true power behind the Kalan Kingdom, the one who had essentially contracted with her to raise the kingdom from nothing.
Of course, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness hadn't told Shasha this directly.
Even when she had ascended to the throne at a young age after her parents were poisoned, back when the Kalan Kingdom was little more than a principality with nothing to its name, their contract had always been purely businesslike.
In other words, Shasha hadn't heard a single proper detail about Lartania's lord from the Absolute Ruler of Darkness or any of Kalan's five swords.
Yet Shasha knew this much because she had learned that the Absolute Ruler of Darkness was formerly affiliated with Lartania.
Moreover, having entered politics at a very young age and navigated bald old snakes and foxes to protect her royal authority all this time, Shasha's instincts had already pieced together how things would unfold the moment she heard that Lartania's lord had returned.
No, with the additional intel that the Absolute Ruler of Darkness had gone to Lartania and returned empty-handed, she had already drawn three conclusions.
1. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness still holds affection for Lartania's lord.
2. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness failed to return to Lartania territory.
3. The reason for that failure was her infamous reputation.
Of course, these were just inferences, but Shasha believed they were quite accurate.
For starters, the Absolute Ruler's notoriety might not faze the massively grown Kalan Kingdom, but a single Lartania territory couldn't hope to stand against it.
And after vaguely confirming what the Absolute Ruler had been scheming in the shadows, Shasha was confident enough in her deductions—even if not perfectly so—that she couldn't afford to treat Kim Hyunwoo carelessly.
No, beyond that, she had concluded she needed to build some goodwill with him.
That was precisely why the king herself had personally visited Lartania territory.
"It's truly impressive. As expected from the one who transformed Lartania back then."
"I'll gratefully accept the praise."
And going even further, she planned to use this to build goodwill not only with Kim Hyunwoo but also with the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, with whom she had maintained only a business relationship until now.
'I've got a rough grasp of the situation...'
Of course, she had no intention of openly bringing up the Absolute Ruler of Darkness.
She didn't even know what had happened between her and Kim Hyunwoo, and while she had inferred some things, she wasn't entirely certain why the lord had rejected her.
But one thing she was absolutely sure of: it was best not to mention the Absolute Ruler of Darkness to him if possible.
'No need to step in and accidentally step on a landmine with one wrong word... that would make things messy.'
Naturally, having grown with the Absolute Ruler's help, she now possessed abilities and power befitting Kalan's king.
However, letting her relationship with the Absolute Ruler sour into the negative was something she desperately wanted to avoid.
...No, it was something she absolutely had to avoid.
After all, she was one of the key figures who had built the current Kalan Kingdom, and turning her into an enemy would be more terrifying than anything else.
And so, as she naturally conversed with Lartania's lord,
"By the way, my lord, is there anything you particularly like?"
"Something I like?"
"Oh, well, I heard there were a few uncomfortable incidents with some of our kingdom's territories, so I was thinking of offering something in return."
Through their conversation, as she built some rapport, she began gathering information that the Absolute Ruler of Darkness might appreciate.
"...Ugh."
About an hour later. Recalling the Kalan Kingdom's king, Shasha, who had poured out words like a storm before vanishing, Kim Hyunwoo wore a slightly dizzy expression as he thought. 'What the heck was that all about...' Of course, the sudden diplomacy with the king had ended without any major issues. No, on the surface, it had ended quite well. Before Kim Hyunwoo could even properly flatter her and steer the talk, Shasha already seemed fond of him. Of course, he did wonder why the king of Kalan Kingdom was treating him this way, so he checked their relationship on a whim—and sure enough, it had improved. In other words, it meant she hadn't come to the territory hiding anything, so after making a strange face for a while, Kim Hyunwoo soon shrugged it off. He didn't know why someone of her stature had come to Lartania in person, but it wasn't bad for him in the end. To grow Lartania, he had to tightrope between the Norba Kingdom, Kalan Kingdom, and the Eastern Alliance clan anyway. His contemplation ended briefly with the thought that it wasn't a bad deal.
Kim Hyunwoo rose again at the alert window before his eyes.
A little later, in the office.
"Hello, Merchant Leader."
"Y-yes, h-hel, hello—" "...? Are you alright?"
Kim Hyunwoo, greeting Adria as usual, asked her with a puzzled expression. To him, Adria didn't look well at all. Her outstretched hand trembled as she tried to grasp his, her eyes darted aimlessly as if unsure where to look, and her body shook faintly. He asked with a bewildered look, but "Y-yes, of-of course I'm f-fine, my l—" "My...?"
At her stuttering reply, Kim Hyunwoo echoed the end of her words with confusion on his face.
"Ah, a-ah—i-it's fine."
Adria, who had suddenly started shaking violently like she was having an anxiety attack and flailing at the air, plastered on an awkward smile within seconds and recovered.
"...?"
Kim Hyunwoo looked utterly perplexed at her blatantly odd behavior.
"W-well, it's just that my usual disguise artifact malfunctioned or something."
"A disguise artifact?"
"Yes. I meet people everywhere, so there are times I can't show emotions on my face... and times I need to act differently."
"...There sure are some amazing artifacts out there."
"Right? I was shocked the first time I used it too. Shall we sit and talk first?"
Adria let out an awkward haha laugh, subtly showing the ring on her middle finger, then quickly changed the subject as if scrambling to cover something up. Soon, Kim Hyunwoo and Adria sat down and exchanged light chatter.
"It's really unbelievable how fast this territory has grown."
"Is it?"
"Yes. Running a merchant group means I visit all sorts of territories often. But even with the extraordinary goods you sell, Lord—and securing gold coins from them—developing a territory this much in just a few months isn't easy."
"I'm not sure where to put myself with all this praise."
After exchanging a few more words following her compliment and his sheepish smile, "Ahem, um, Lord, could I ask you something?"
"Sure, go ahead."
Kim Hyunwoo nodded at Adria, who cleared her throat unnecessarily.
"Then... do you have any particular likes or preferences, my lord?"
"Likes?"
As he replied, Kim Hyunwoo unconsciously tilted his head at the déjà vu washing over him. 'Didn't the King of Kalan ask something similar just earlier...? Why are they asking?' The question floated in his mind. But without showing it, he chatted with her, and once again, the conversation flowed naturally.
"Come to think of it, I used to be like that too back in the day."
As talk naturally turned to the past, "Oh, and there's something else I've been meaning to ask—how do you feel about Lartania's heroes from ten years ago?"
At Adria's question, Kim Hyunwoo echoed back.
"...The heroes from ten years ago?"
"Yes."
"Since they've come back, don't you at least want to see their faces?"
Kim Hyunwoo pondered her question and her intent, but "...Well, if the chance comes up, sure, I'd like to see them." he soon shrugged and replied. And then.
"Eek—!"
"?"
Kim Hyunwoo blinked in confusion once more at Adria clutching her head. Even under his questioning gaze, she couldn't maintain her composure for long. And how could she?
Adria's mind was flooded with a torrent of thoughts, leaving her unable to think straight.
An hour later. The King of the Kalan Kingdom, Shasha, was still in Lartania territory.
"Ahem—" Of course, there wasn't some special reason she hadn't returned to the kingdom immediately; she was simply staying to tour the territory.
"Ahem, it's been a while." [What is it??] And she also intended to drop a subtle hint to the Absolute Ruler of Darkness.
"Well, I stopped by Lartania territory." [...I heard, but why go there?] The Absolute Ruler of Darkness scowled faintly through the crystal orb. But Shasha didn't flinch and continued smoothly.
"It was purely a diplomatic matter with the territory. Plus, I got curious about the unlimited magic stone generation, so I came in person. And I thought I'd pass along some good info to my partner." [Good info...?] "Yes, information about the lord. I figured you might need it."
Shasha spoke with a relaxed smile. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness stared at her blankly before scoffing and replying— [I don't need that sort of thing from you. I'll return once I've finished all my tasks anyway... what?] —then stopped mid-sentence.
"?"
Shasha looked at the suddenly silent Absolute Ruler of Darkness and realized her gaze had shifted elsewhere. The moment Shasha turned her head.
"Hm?... Tiinus's merchant leader? I knew she'd been trading a lot with Lartania lately, but it's surprising to see someone I barely spot once a year right here."
Shasha realized what had caught her attention—the Tiinus merchant leader—and opened her mouth, but [...Merchant leader?] "Yes, Tiinus. You know them, right? A few of the things you were looking for came from the Tiinus group." [No, no.] "...Pardon?"
Adria looked baffled at the response, but [Hiding sneakily in the shadows behind my back, wagging her tail...?] "...!?"
Shasha couldn't help but flinch at the chilling voice that followed.