“Now you’ve realized the seriousness of the problem. If this situation isn’t settled then it would become even worse. If the Dark Lord is resurrected……”
The King let out a heavy sigh.
“…….The current domestic situation is serious enough to declare an emergency martial law. If the Dark Lord is resurrected then this situation will worsen. This is a life and death situation for the whole continent so I quickly made contact with the King of Bristania and reached a swift agreement. We will send an expedition to the Sinius Principality.”
“Expedition? From both the Schudenberg and Bristania kingdoms?”
“Yes. The primary objective is to stop the darkness pressing against both kingdoms. And the second objective is to solve the problem attacking the Sinius Principality. I think there is no one who will oppose this decision.”
All the nobles nodded along with the King. It concerned the fate of the continent so how could they object?
‘That’s right. Isn’t this the corresponding scenario that Ho Myung-hwan talked about?’
When Ark first heard about the situation at Global Exos, Ho Myung-hwan told him that New World would respond to the situation with more scenarios. NPCs dispatching an expeditionary army were also part of that scenario.
‘But what if the expedition fails?’
In fact, Ark had thought Ho Myung-hwan’s ‘in the worst case scenario there is a possibility of service being suspended’ was just an exaggeration. Why would they stop a game that millions of users played because of a few bugs? However, he now knew it wasn’t an exaggeration after participating in the meeting. If the expedition failed then the continent would be covered in darkness like the Sinius Principality. Many cities and villages would be captured by monsters. If that happened then users won’t be able to play the game normally anymore. They wouldn’t be able to receive quest or even rest at a village. Furthermore, level 200~300 monsters appeared in a level 100 area so they couldn’t even hunt properly. Wasn’t it natural that New World’s service would have to be suspended?
‘Then what about all the money I invested in Ark’s Corporation?’
The NPC villages would disappear and he wouldn’t be able to trade. If the Dark Lord was resurrected than Ark’s investment of 150,000 gold would fly away.
‘I don’t know whether the Dark Lord is a devil or not but I can’t leave it alone!’
If his business which he suffered so much to build was destroyed then wasn’t the devil his adversary? It was absolutely unacceptable. Saving the continent? He would’ve left it to the ones who wanted to become heroes. But if it was to keep his own property? He had to absolutely obstruct the Dark Lord’s resurrection in order to defend his business. Ark’s head instantly recognized the Dark Lord as his biggest and worst enemy. Then the King opened his mouth again.
“I have two reasons for holding this meeting. The first reason was to gain your consent for the martial law and the other reason is to appoint a commander to lead the expedition.”
The aristocrats started buzzing after hearing the King’s words. After a long period of discussion, the candidates were narrowed down to 3 nobles. The 1st was an old general known for his military exploits in Nagaran, Kuran. The other person was Earl Ballen in charge of the royal guard. And to Ark’s surprise, the last candidate was Viscount Haverstein, the Lord of Jackson.
“The previous Lord of Jackson was a war hero with various achievements in the Continent War. Viscount Haverstein who succeeded him has managed to sweep up a large number of monsters in his territory as well as subjugating the band of thieves that had been causing a headache for ages, and various other military achievements. This situation is also unprecedented for our generation. I think it would be better to have an unconventional young Commander than a stereotype.”
Marquise Halben spoke skillfully and eloquently.
‘Lord Jackson is even recognized by other nobles.’
Ark looked at Haverstein after hearing Marquis Halben speak. But Haverstein was just making a bitter expression.
“Hmm Lord Kuran, Ballen and Haverstein……all of them are great knights. But it isn’t possible to have 3 wonderful knights as commanders. Fortunately, there is still time before the expedition sets off so we can discuss the matter two days later. The nobles can discuss it during the intervening days and make a decision before the meeting.”
The King finished before getting up and leaving. The aristocrats immediately separated and began to discuss the contents of the meeting. As expected, Lord Haverstein was surrounded by 10 nobles the moment the meeting ended.
“Lord-nim.”
“Oh, Ark. You came as well. You left for an adventure so I thought you wouldn’t come……”
“I received a notification and hurried here. An important affair is happening in the kingdom so I can’t pretend ignorance.”
To be exact, he wanted to prevent the martial law which would involve trade being banned. But the martial law wasn’t something Ark could stop. He was discouraged thinking about the huge loss that would occur in the future but now he had to think about the expedition. Ark dimly thought that the expedition was a way to solve his problem. When Ark approached, Lord Haverstein excused himself from the other nobles and exited the group.
“Did Jackson receive any damage?”
“Fortunately the damage isn’t as serious as other territories.”
A fast response. As expected, he truly had the qualifications necessary to be the commander of the expedition forces.
“By the way, I truly hadn’t expected that you would be nominated as a candidate.”
“Is that so?”
Lord Haverstein replied lightly. Ark had a reason for thinking that.
‘He still seems young to me.’
Haverstein had only been 15 years old when Ark first encountered him. It had been 2 years since then. Time sped 3 times faster for NPCs then users so 6 years had passed. Haverstein was already a youth in his twenties. His physique was sturdy and his body had become bigger than Ark’s. But Ark still had the memory of his childlike appearance and kept on thinking of Haverstein as a child.
“Congratulations.To be nominated as a candidate for the commander position at such a young age, doesn’t that mean that the kingdom is recognizing your abilities?”
“That’s not necessarily the answer.”
Just like when he was first nominated, Haverstein gave a bitter smile as he replied.
“I’ve been nominated as a candidate because there are a lot of civil servants in Marquis Halben’s faction. Although they are dissatisfied because I don’t have as much battlefield experience, they have no other choice.”
“Huh? Marquis Halben’s faction?”
“Hmm, of course you wouldn’t know about it.”
Haverstein thought for a bit before saying.
“It is better that you know this. The Schudenberg aristocrats are actually split into 3 factions. The head of one faction, Duke Sarkin was the one who recommended Kuran while the one who recommended Ballen was Marquis Daltin and I was recommended by Marquis Halben.”
In modern times, a faction was like a political party. Unlike modern congressmen who could withdraw from their political party, it was almost permanent once a Lord entered a faction. No, it was ordinary for the next generation to be raised in the same faction. Because the most important virtues of an aristocrat were honour and trust. An aristocrat in Schudenberg kingdom who didn’t belong to a faction would find it difficult to exert any power.
“The three factions are always politically opposed but if a danger appears that risks the Royal Palace then they will unit. That is the reason why the factions didn’t oppose the martial law or the expedition force. But the problem of the commander candidate is different.”
The fate of the Schudenberg kingdom depended on the expedition force. If the expedition failed then everything was over. But if the expedition achieved their goal and saved the kingdom and continent then the commander would undeniably a hero. That was the reason why each faction nominated a different candidate. If that hero belonged to their faction then they would have a political advantage.
‘Whether a game or reality, all politicians are the same.’
Ark looked around at the aristocrats. The factions were fighting while there was a chance the continent could perish? Wasn’t it similar to the politicians who kept on arguing during the IMF crisis that Korea suffered? Well, Ark had more reason to be worried about the crisis than the nobles……
“I’m just a mere decoration for them to arrange.”
It was the reason why Haverstein smiled bitterly when he was nominated. However, Ark shook his head and spoke firmly.
“That’s not right. I’ve known Lord-nim since you were young so I know better than anyone. I don’t know what kind of person Kuran and Ballen are, but I think Lord-nim is the right person for this position. I will definitely be supporting Lord-nim.”
“I’m thankful for your words.”
Haverstein then looked at Ark with serious eyes.
“Despite my sense of humiliation, I also desire the spot of commander. This is a chance to make my family shine. It will certainly not be easy. But if you are near me to help then I have confidence that I can accomplish it. Just like you know me, I also know what a great warrior you are.”