Chapter 6
After finishing the executions of the doctor and his close aides, we began searching the research city we never wanted to see again for anything useful.
We were planning to leave this city soon.
During that process, someone suggested that we occupy this ownerless place, but···
[I don't think that's a very wise idea.]
“I think so too.”
The proposal fell through because Rex and I opposed it.
That was only natural, since Rex and I had a different goal: finding A, our former neighbor in solitary confinement, who had vanished elsewhere.
We mustn't settle in a place like this.
That wasn't the only reason.
[If the lord's army invades, we'd have to defend the city··· Is there any reason to do that?]
What good would occupying this place do?
In the end, this city was nothing more than part of a fief as large as the landmass of South Korea.
And the lord would send an army upon learning that someone he had not appointed was ruling a city.
Then we'd have to fight to defend this place···
‘The question is whether it’s worth it.’
Rex had clearly said that.
‘Is there any reason to?’
There was no problem with our combat power.
Objectively speaking, I could stop the lord's army by myself.
The problem was that this place wasn't worth it at all.
This city existed solely for research.
Its location offered no trade benefits, it had no resources like mines, and it lacked even basic amenities. There were also supply problems, such as drinking water···
There were more disadvantages than I could count on my fingers.
Above all, I had no emotional desire whatsoever to protect it.
Taking everything into consideration, there was no reason to settle here.
And finally, there was one more reason that no one else knew.
‘Rex still doesn't seem willing to lead us.’
That was another reason: Rex still hadn't made up his mind.
As befitted a small-time man who wanted pleasure without responsibility, I could hear the gears turning in Rex's head even here.
He was probably planning to command us like this and abandon us somewhere along the way.
The proof was that, among all the contracts he could have chosen when signing with us, he had selected the most irresponsible temporary contract.
‘Not a chance.’
Naturally, I had no intention of letting him go.
‘A man destined to become emperor should have a little more backbone.’
He might not want it, but what could one do?
Unwanted responsibility and power were the fate of a protagonist in a story built on misunderstandings.
‘It’s a position you didn’t choose. Endure it through sheer grit.’
I organized my thoughts and went to find Rex, who was celebrating our victory with the soldiers.
- “Hooray! Long live Lord Rex!!”
- “Thank you! I’ll never forget this kindness for as long as I live!”
Amid the soldiers' cheers, Rex's communication anxiety was worsening, and his whole body was twisting.
If this were a gag manga, wouldn't he have melted into something close to slime from the pressure?
But he was merely very shy, and he was also the sort of person who enjoyed receiving attention.
Even as he twisted under the pressure, his need for recognition was being satisfied, and he was grinning broadly.
‘Good grief···’
He didn't want responsibility, but he wanted recognition,
he wanted a comfortable life, but he didn't want unwanted attention,
and he was lonely, but afraid to meet people.
He was a textbook materialistic loner.
I approached my ‘not-yet-complete’ lord.
“Lord Rex. It’s about time we got moving.”
“Ah.”
Upon spotting me, Rex hurriedly began typing.
[I had something to say about that.]
“Go ahead.”
[I don't have the confidence to take responsibility for these people. Would it be possible to distribute the doctor's wealth and send them back to their hometowns?]
Of course not.
Without me, these people had nowhere to go.
Just as Rex had been betrayed and sold to the doctor, they had similar pasts of their own.
I parted my lips to tell him that.
But before I could finish, Rex's next message appeared.
[Ah, and let's travel separately for the time being.]
··· What do you mean, Rexie?
What are you, Jiwoo? You hire people and then abandon them.
My expression stiffened so much that even I could feel it.
At my questioning gaze, Jiwoo··· no, Rex explained himself.
[There’s no one I can entrust with returning these people to their hometowns besides you, Mr. Duke.]
At that, I nodded.
“Hmm, that’s certainly true.”
A statement that deserved to get punched.
I ought to fold his spine in half. What kind of trick was he pulling?
Of course, I didn't put that thought into practice.
Since I had perfectly mastered how to handle this still-inadequate friend, I could control these intense emotions.
‘All right. Let’s do this.’
I devised a plan in my head, then opened my mouth.
***
Rex looked up at Duke, the knight who towered over him.
Then he once again surveyed the experimental soldiers who followed him.
And soon, he hardened his resolve and nodded.
‘It’s impossible after all.’
Rex had no confidence that he could form lord-vassal contracts with these people.
He had signed temporary contracts in the laboratory because he was pressed for time, but those were merely light contracts of the sort used to hire mercenaries.
A full lord-vassal contract was much heavier than that, and the responsibility was far greater as well.
And Rex had no confidence that he could handle this many people.
‘Especially Duke.’
More than anyone else, Rex couldn't bring himself to formally contract with Duke.
Of course, Rex was a gamer, so he was tempted by the hero named Duke.
But precisely because he was a gamer, he couldn't recruit Duke coldly.
In the game, if a subordinate's level or stats were too high compared to the lord's, the order-execution rate fell and the chance of rebellion rose.
Duke did have the <Loyalty (Inactive)> disposition, but that only reduced the rebellion chance; it didn't make it zero.
And in Duke's case···
‘A 30 percent chance of disobeying orders, and an 80 percent chance of rebellion.’
It wasn't displayed in the system because they hadn't formed a lord-vassal contract yet, but based on tens of thousands of hours of gaming experience, Rex guessed it would be somewhere around there.
Even if Duke didn't rebel, his Charisma was so high that there was a strong possibility Rex himself would become a figurehead.
Of course, Rex knew that now that this was reality, things could change according to an individual's personality, convictions, and interests.
But he was also afraid to ignore the game system when he was living thanks to it.
Above all···
‘<Madness S+>···’
That looked like a bomb that could go off at any moment.
Rex's current assessment was that <Noble>, <Passionate>, and <Indomitable> were suppressing his Madness.
Thanks to meeting this man in time, he had managed to block the route that led to Duke becoming the Demon King, but keeping that Demon King at his side was another matter entirely.
‘It feels like keeping dynamite under my bed.’
Unlike the protagonists in other stories, Rex had no confidence that he could monitor Duke and prevent him from becoming the Demon King.
Setting aside his regret, Rex prepared to say goodbye.
[If fate brings us together someday···]
At that moment, Duke interrupted Rex.
“I’ve been thinking about this ever since we came here.”
[Huh?]
“I have swung my sword for an ideal for longer than a lifetime.”
Rex was bewildered by Duke's sudden change in behavior.
But Duke was speaking in such a serious voice that Rex couldn't bring himself to ignore him.
(It definitely wasn't because his communication anxiety made him afraid to interrupt.)
Duke seemed to take Rex's silence as permission and continued.
“My ideal has always been the same. From the moment I was born until now. It has never changed even once in hundreds of years.”
He was sincere.
At least, Duke had lived for his ideal.
That ideal did not exactly match the ‘ideal’ the people listening had in mind, however.
Regardless, he was sincere.
As a result···
- “He’s telling the truth.”
- “He’s not lying.”
Among the experimental subjects, those with the ability to detect sincerity affirmed Duke's story.
With the soldiers' support behind him, Duke began a speech about his noble(?) goal.
“I believed that if I kept swinging my sword, I would reach my ideal someday. But although my sword may pass judgment on evil, it has never made people happy.”
[No. How many people have been saved by your devotion···]
“Of course, I take pride in having saved countless people. But that does not mean I made them happy.”
Duke drew the iron sword from his waist and gazed at it with sad eyes.
“I believe happiness comes not from salvation, but from everyday life. When I cut someone down with a sword like this, an innkeeper uses a kitchen knife to serve food that makes people happy. I want to ask: just how much more happiness has my sword truly created than a kitchen knife?”
[···]
“I may save someone by cutting another down, but I do not know how to make people happy by ruling over them.”
He was sincere.
He was good at fighting, but hopeless at civil administration.
If I put him in charge of domestic affairs, I was confident he would send the local economy on a roller coaster ride.
“Lord Rex. Please grant me the honor of becoming the sword that guards your journey.”
Duke knelt.
“I wish to watch the future you create from your side. Become the master of my sword.”
Duke's speech soon moved the hearts of everyone listening.
Even the experimental soldiers who had been quietly observing knelt before Rex, following Duke's example.
- ““Please become our lord!/Please!!””
Upon witnessing this majestic spectacle, Rex···
‘What is wrong with these people???’
couldn't understand it at all.
Unlike this world's values, in which finding someone to serve was itself an honor and a purpose in life, Rex's values still belonged to twenty-second-century South Korea.
‘Why do they keep wanting to serve under someone else???’
In twenty-second-century South Korea, where everything had to be ‘equal,’ sincerely wanting to place oneself beneath someone else was an unimaginable act.
Unless they were bowing their heads for money or some practical reason, there was no way they would sincerely serve another person.
That was why Rex found their behavior utterly bewildering.
On the other hand, he was happy, too.
‘Hehe··· I’ve been acknowledged.’
He was a man, after all, so he could appreciate the pleasure of being recognized.
And···
‘Mr. Duke hasn't completely fallen to the dark side yet.’
He was relieved once again that his friend D hadn't fallen that far.
But that pleasure was brief. His sense of responsibility made him realize the reality of the situation.
In the end, after much deliberation, Rex shook his head.
‘That’s far too much responsibility.’
Rex still hadn't forgotten his goal.
He merely wanted to become a decent staff officer and enjoy a leisurely harem life in a suitable city.
But he had a feeling that taking responsibility for these people would entangle him in all sorts of trouble.
They were incompatible with the peaceful life Rex wanted.
‘Hmm. It’s definitely not that I’m afraid of the <Madness S+> that could erupt at any moment.’
After rationalizing it to himself several times, Rex politely refused.
[Thank you for thinking so highly of me. But that’s far too much for me.]
It wasn't as if he wanted to sever ties completely.
For now, separating was enough. Once Rex had grown sufficiently and the city had expanded, they could remain mere acquaintances.
Upon hearing that, Duke gently nodded.
“I see.”
[Thank you for understanding···]
Shing
[???]
Duke suddenly drew his sword.
He pointed the blade at his own abdomen and···
“What meaning can a sword have after losing its masteraaah!!!!”
attempted to commit seppuku on the spot.
And madness is contagious.
““Aaah! Our lord says he has no need of us!!””
The soldiers drew their weapons as a group as well.
Of course, half of it was genuine, and half was an act.
Strictly speaking, their behavior was similar to the ‘Please kill me!!’ pleas seen in historical dramas.
It was a kind of show that had originated in the Empire a century ago.
It was simply so old that few people still practiced it.
That was why it struck Rex differently, since he was only thirty years old.
‘These crazy Xun Yu bastards!!!’
Rex panicked and tried to stop them.
“Aaah! Fine! I’ll sign the contract! Put your weapons down!”
He was so desperate that he even managed to speak.
Rex was certain he would suffer lifelong trauma if this many people committed seppuku right before his eyes.
Only then did Duke and the soldiers lower their weapons and bow their heads.
““I swear my loyalty, my lord!””
Rex had accidentally become the lord of countless people.
Amid the exhaustion washing over him, he thought,
‘Damn <Madness S+>···’
He had been mistaken to think that Madness was merely being suppressed by the trio of <Noble>, <Passionate>, and <Indomitable>.
He had never imagined that those three and <Madness> could blend together.
‘Damn this world. Things have never gone the way I want even once.’
Cursing the world, Rex surrendered before the contagious madness.