Chapter 170: From Trust to Betrayal (2)
“Little Rock will take over the First City Wall.”
At this, Song Jungwook’s expression trembled. It was surprising to see that he could sport such an expression. One would think that this situation is funny, but I thought it would not be fun for him either. If he could, he would scream right now. It was obvious why he was suppressing the urge to swear.
‘Cha Hee-ra is an effective anger control disorder therapist.’
The biggest reason was that the lovely Cha Hee-ra was right next to me.
‘In a war situation, the commander’s order is the law. This is the same in Lindel and Castle Rock, so it doesn’t matter where you came from. I am not as soft as our honey. Disobedience means that you will die.’
I wasn’t sure if this was calculated or not, but it was easier to move thanks to the groundwork prepared in advance. She was the reason why I, who had only been here for one year, could have the seniors in my hands. It meant that she could solve everything that stood in my way.
I thought that I might look like a fox that sponged off Cha Hee-ra’s power and force, but who cares about what others think?
The only thing that mattered was that they elected me as commander and that Cha Hee-ra was next to me.
Taking another look at Song Jungwook’s face, I felt extra-grateful that she was beside me.
‘His face shows that he’s been betrayed.’
We were going to go different ways anyway.
The answer came when I thought about his characteristic. In the first place, he couldn’t be considered competent enough to be carried. It would be better to offer him a sacrifice for Cho Hyejin’s peace of mind rather than dry him out.
‘I’m sorry, Jungwook.’
“The Second City Wall is the Giants Guild and the Peppermint Candy Clan… The Third City Wall is in Yeongju Tower’s care. Subsequently, the Fourth and Fifth walls are formed by the Clan Alliance in the northern region of Castle Rock. As I said before, the Castle Rock Merchant Group will be in charge of the supply.”
“Alright.”
“Yeah.”
“Okay.”
“After establishing the central command center centering on the Blue and Red Mercenaries, we will unify the reporting system.”
“Ah… Yes.”
“Thanks to the Mercenary Queen, the atmosphere seems to be tenser. I apologize again for this. Hahaha. It’s only right to be nervous, but in fact, I’m looking for a more relaxed atmosphere.”
“Hahaha.”
“Hahahaha.”
I didn’t say it to be funny. I didn’t mean to make jokes, but I could see everyone quick to react.
‘Puhaha.’
Everyone was absorbed in acting carefully in front of me. They were probably thinking of the possibility of getting sent straight to the First City Wall once they made a mistake. Some people seemed a little disconcerted by me, who suddenly abandoned Song Jungwook, but it was not Song Jungwook that was important to them.
I just announced the end of his modest power, and he was forced to accept it.
As the rest of the guild masters looked at me warily, I couldn’t help but smile. It seemed that their relationship was not as close as I had initially thought.
“Ah. If you have any suggestions, feel free to tell me.”
“Hahaha. Of course.”
“If you are dissatisfied with the schedule, we will accept it after careful consideration.”
“That… Honorary Bishop…”
“Yes. You can talk.”
“That… First of all, I am not dissatisfied with the organization, but I think you should pay more attention to the western area walls. Of course, it’s only my personal opinion.”
“Ah. Thank you for the great comment.”
‘He’s sharper than I thought.’
When I opened my mouth to speak the line I had prepared in advance, Cha Hee-ra, sitting next to me, spoke first.
“You thought you had to put a little more strength on the First Wall that faces the forest, right, honey? That’s why the Little Rock Guild took that heavy duty… In the case of the west wall, if the first row is opened, Yeongju Tower and I will support you after that, so you don’t have to worry.”
“Ah… Yes. Okay. That… Sorry for the useless comment.”
“Well, there’s nothing to be sorry about. You’re asking because you don’t know…”
“The Mercenary Queen’s words are indeed correct. You can feel free to ask questions. As I am still lacking, many of your opinions will be helpful.”
“You’re not lacking. It’s great to be able to do this in a short period, and at least, I don’t think you lack in any way… we couldn’t have done this if it wasn’t Blue anyway.”
“…”
“The pre-war defense wouldn’t happen properly. I can bet on it. After discovering the monsters belatedly without any preparation, you would prepare for it, but it wouldn’t be enough. Eventually, you would have abandoned Castle Rock and run away, or would get eradicated right away.”
“T-That…”
In fact, I also agreed with Cha Heer-a’s thoughts. However, I couldn’t just say it like that.
“Hee-ra.”
“I know. I know.”
It was good of her to work hard for me, but she was working too hard. The atmosphere was a bit weird, so I thought it would be better to end the meeting at this point.
“We didn’t progress that much, but since the organization is complete, I think it’s better for all of you to settle down. Details can be communicated to each group later… And about work, the guild masters can do it at their discretion. Everyone will participate in the afternoon’s training.”
“Yes.”
“Alright.”
“Thank you for coming here.”
At this, everyone slowly started to head out, their friendly facades still in place.
‘They don’t feel the danger.’
In fact, a lot of them didn’t feel nervous at all. Of course, I could see those who took the current situation seriously, but I felt that some people were more interested in the benefits that would come after that rather than stopping the monster wave.
Wherever one would go, people’s vested interests were similar. Indeed, commanders who gave orders from behind in such a war were relatively less exposed to danger.
As I exchanged greetings with everyone, Song Jungwook approached me.
“Uhm. Lee Kiyoung-nim…”
“Ah, Song Jungwook-nim.”
“Uhm…”
“You can talk comfortably. Little Rock Guild Master.”
“B-By any chance…”
“Yes?”
“Did I do anything wrong…?”
“I’m not sure why you’re saying that…”
“What?”
“Hahaha. What could the Little Rock Guild Master have done? Rather, I want to express my gratitude here. You took over the wall that might be relatively dangerous.”
‘To be exact, that’s what I told you to do.’
“Perhaps the Little Rock Guild will be a great example for the knights of the Yeongju Tower and other imperialists. We plan to provide as much support as we can, so don’t worry about anything else. Just focus on protecting Castle Rock.”
I could see him staring at me with a blank face as he found this absurd. I didn’t think there would be a need to talk about anything else.
“Is there any problem?”
“It’s… nothing, Lee Kiyoung.”
“As you may already know, the Little Rock Guild Master’s duty and responsibilities are enormous. I hope you will do your best.”
“Yes…”
Of course, he had to do his best. If not, he would die.
“Ah. And in the future, if you have any questions or needs, you can tell me through my lieutenant.”
“Your lieutenant…”
“Lieutenant!”
“Yes, Vice Guild Master?”
“It’s Cho Hyejin.”
Upon my call, Cho Hyejin quickly approached. Song Jungwook bit his lips tightly.
It seemed that he thought that the reason that he’s been had was because of Cho Hyejin. I didn’t mean to come between, but I feel like this was not bad, either.
While looking at Cha Hee-ra and slowly walking away, I could see him clenching his fists.
‘He’s not all that wrong.’
Cho Hyejin was right about half of the reason he’s been had.
There was no reason to resolve the misunderstanding as it was better for him to resent her rather than me. Even if he tried to overturn something now, the tide had already been turned.
He had no choice.
“Hyejin will manage the major events of the unit from now on. Well, even the smallest events will be impossible for me to manage. Come to think of it; you two already know each other… This will be easier, then.”
“Yes, Vice Guild Master.”
“Hahaha. So I’ll trust you, Hyejin.”
As I moved slowly, I could hear the two talking behind me, but I didn’t pay much attention.
‘They must be resenting and fighting with each other by now.’
It was obvious as to what kind of situation would unfold. What was more important than their conversation was what I could get from this big event and how I could execute the plan according to the strategy.
Now, that alone gave me headaches.
“Are you trying to make them fight, honey?”
“It’s not like that, Hee-ra. More than that, thank you for coming.”
“No. Rather, I want to say thank you for calling me from here… I was waiting for an event like this.”
“It’s nice of you to say that.”
“It would be nice if a monster wave happened, but there is a chance that it will not. So you can say that I came to see you instead. At the same time, I came to instill tension in the guild after a long time. It’s not bad.”
“What does that mean?”
“There is a chance that the monster wave will not happen, honey.”
“No way.”
“I don’t know. Looking at the circumstances Kim Hyunsung brought, it seems almost certain, but… Should I say that the evidence is a bit lacking?”
“Huh?”
“Well, you don’t know because you haven’t been here for a long time, but the usual signs of monster waves are saturation of the forest or destabilization in the dungeon. It means that monsters that don’t have enough food or places to stay in the forest pop out. However, no matter how much I search through the data, there is no indication that the forest is saturated.”
“Really?”
“There was no dungeon found nearby that could stimulate other monsters… If I say that there are signs, then the cause wouldn’t be visible, would you understand?”
“I know what you mean.”
Of course, this was the part where I also had questions.
Unlike Cha Hee-ra, who seemed to have actually experienced a monster wave, there were times when I felt like I was missing something, although I could not pinch it properly because I had no experience.
Of course, I felt like I was not the only one missing out.
Kim Hyunsung, who seemed busy preparing for the monster wave, also seemed to be looking for the reason as well. In the first round, our lovely returner, who didn’t have much to do with Castle Rock, was also unable to answer the reason as to why the wave started.
‘But this is already confirmed.’
Whatever the reason, the wave would happen. It wouldn’t end as to how Cha Hee-ra would describe it.
As I thought about letting her in on what I knew would happen, a faint sound echoed.
“Kieeek.”
‘What is this?’
What I heard faintly was the cry of a monster. It was a voice that came from inside, not outside the city.
“What… What is this noise?”