96 – Hot Spring (3)
Merilda’s fist was genuinely powerful; with one swing, it could blow away a small mountain.
If Lin stepped on the ground with a single step, the surrounding land would be utterly destroyed due to its strength.
The crimson salamander, if it were to properly use magic, would summon a red sun in the sky instead of the dark night right now.
However, at this very moment.
“Let go, you slippery dragon head!”
“I told you to let go!”
“Can’t you both let go…!!”
They were engaged in an endlessly chaotic fight.
Merilda’s hands were tangled in the hair of the salamander (Adria) and Lynn.
Lynn had the salamander’s and Merilda’s hair in her grip.
And the salamander held the hair of Merilda and Lynn.
Merilda’s hand, which could blow away a mountain with a swing, was shaking while holding the hair.
Lynn’s leg, capable of stepping on a mountain, pushed Merilda’s stomach.
The salamander (Adria), whose respect for dragons could be somewhat volatile, had Lynn’s right arm in its mouth as it turned away from magic, and a red sun was about to emerge.
…It was truly a chaotic battle.
If you were to ask how chaotic, even Loryel, who usually admired her master, was discreetly averting her gaze, and Gyral, exhaling a thick sigh, also turned his eyes away.
Adria had a genuinely stern expression, to the point where his respect for dragons seemed to evaporate a bit.
Of course, those gathered here were well aware of why these individuals, who were practically on the level of great heroes—no, rather, could be said to be stronger—were fighting like this.
“Lartania’s Lord.”
Gyral, Loryel, and Adria’s gazes moved towards Kim Hyun-woo, visible beyond the Lord’s castle.
The Lord engrossed in conversation with the heroes of his affiliated territory.
Thinking that her master, who she admired endlessly, was behaving like that because of that Lord, Loryel felt a strange sigh coming on and, glancing away, soon locked eyes with Gyral.
…
…
The time they locked eyes wasn’t long, but Gyral and Loreal nodded to each other as if understanding without needing to say a word.
…Feeling a slight warmth from the camaraderie that somehow filled the void in their hearts, they turned their gaze towards Salung—the dragon who had a grip on their hair, no, Adriah.
Merilda and Rin, perhaps due to their sturdy physique, seemed quite intact from the start, but Adriah appeared somewhat worse for wear.
Indeed, there were quite a few strands of red hair tightly clenched in Merilda and Rin’s hands.
And so.
…
…
They realized that Adriah was not just in the same situation as them but was facing a slightly more pitiful one, and a brief silence ensued.
“Master, please stop… my hair’s really getting pulled out.”
Only Adriah’s pitiful plea echoed beyond the hills of Lartania.
####
Thus, as heroes atop the hills of Lartania twisted each other’s hair to gain the right(?) to the hot spring.
In the Kingdom of Norba.
“Ahhhhh!”
War raged on.
What first catches the eye is the once prosperous lands of the great Norba Kingdom engulfed in flames.
Next, monstrous creatures within the territory mercilessly devouring soldiers who dared to stand against them.
In the darkness, flames raging.
Amidst the fiery maelstrom, the soldiers of the Norba Kingdom mercilessly slaughtered by the troops of Duke Landon, who devoured the monsters within that inferno.
It was so dreadful that it could be likened to the hell of mankind. As if adorning the horrifying scene, within the domain, screams of people and crimson flames swallowed houses, gradually enlarging their scale.
And so, when the crimson flames thoroughly blanketed everything, within the Norba Kingdom, also the stronghold of the lord.
“Duke Landon…!”
The king of Norba, with a face full of fear, gazed at Duke Landon walking towards him.
“Stop him, quickly! Stop that bastard!”
The king shouted in fear. However, no matter how much the king yelled, there were no soldiers to obstruct Duke Landon in compliance with his orders.
Only then did the king realize.
That there were no soldiers here to halt Duke Landon.
All of them had been mercilessly slain by the heroes and demons behind him.
“Uh… uhh!”
As soon as he realized it, the king, with eyes filled with fear, attempted to step away from Duke Landon. Yet, stepping on the hand of a fallen soldier, the king stumbled. Before he knew it, facing him, Duke Landon approached, and the king’s expression became infinitely filled with fear and horror.
Already, the king’s face lacked any charisma.
Similarly, there was no presence of majesty.
No presence of firearms.
No presence of power.
And, no presence of strength.
The king before his eyes.
The Duke of Landaeron, who had been serving as the king until now, was now just a trembling human being in fear.
“A-Are you willing to spare me if I give you the kingdom?! Then, then take it! I-I’m not needed. If you want it, take it!”
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The human himself had given up the throne.
“hahahaha.”
Upon seeing this, the Duke of Landaeron sneered.
At the same time, the king, with an even more fearful expression, also wore an expression of complete confusion, unable to comprehend the situation at all.
At least from the king’s perspective, this situation was absolutely incomprehensible.
The territory of the Kingdom of Norva was vast.
Not just large, but it played the role of a capital city that was by no means strange to call the capital of the kingdom.
The number of soldiers in the kingdom alone exceeded tens of thousands, and there were more than ten heroes serving the kingdom.
Among them, one was even a mighty hero worthy of being called a grand hero.
However, despite all this, the Kingdom of Norva had collapsed too easily.
In just an hour after the Duke of Landaeron had launched a full-scale attack on the kingdom, all the defense lines had been breached.
That’s why the king, unable to understand the situation, bowed his head unconditionally.
Because he didn’t want to die.
Because he wanted to live.
“First, first, if I can just escape from here, I thought there would be a way somehow.”
However.
Crack-!
“Snap-!”
Contrary to the expectations of such a king, swords of soldiers were already embedded in his neck.
Duke Landon, with a deep sneer.
“Farewell.”
This short farewell marked the end of his reign as king.
Schwaaack!
The king who had ruled the Norba Kingdom until now lost his life right there.
Soon, Duke Landon, with a twisted smile, pulled out the crown from the decapitated king’s head, the symbol of the Norba Kingdom and simultaneously the ‘king,’ from the severed head.
And then.
Heh-heh!
“Not bad.”
Duke Landon, accompanied by a distorted laughter, sat on the throne where the recently beheaded king had been seated, listening to the screams of soldiers and citizens echoing outside the castle.
####
A few days after Kim Hyunwoo gained additional income from the hot springs.
While contemplating how to make and sell drinks within the expanding hot springs.
“Friend! I’ll invite you to the Blacksmith Guild!”
The branch of the Blacksmith Guild was completed.
Although it was undoubtedly the last external building to begin construction, Kim Hyunwoo felt a peculiar sense as the first building completed was the Blacksmith Guild branch. However, he soon nodded and walked along the river with Leeber.
Because there wasn’t much to do right now.
Thus, Kim Hyunwoo, accompanied by Leeber, headed towards the Blacksmith Guild branch.
“Oh.”
He couldn’t help but marvel.
The blacksmith’s workshop was truly impressive compared to the given construction time.
“There are no other blacksmiths here, so feel free to come in with me.”
Kim Hyunwoo, who was admiring the exterior of the blacksmith’s workshop, nodded at River’s words, then followed her inside the guild.
“…This isn’t a guild?”
“That’s right!”
“But why is there a blacksmith’s workshop here?”
“Because it’s a blacksmith’s guild! Blacksmiths in the guild usually double as blacksmiths!”
Kim Hyunwoo wandered around the guild with River’s guidance, taking in the sights like the blacksmith’s workshop that greeted him as soon as he entered the guild.
After some time had passed, River, who had been introducing him to various parts of the guild, finally reached the office on the third floor.
“Alright, now that I’ve shown you the office, there’s one last thing to show you.”
“One last thing?”
“Yeah! Actually, I invited you to the guild today to show you this. Follow me!”
With those words, they descended the stairs.
“?”
With a puzzled expression, Kim Hyunwoo followed River and soon arrived in the basement of the blacksmith’s guild building.
“When was this built?”
Kim Hyunwoo couldn’t help but admire the underground, almost factory-like structure, which was dug deep enough that one had to descend quite a few steps.
“Since the construction was done well, you don’t have to worry about the ground collapsing.”
In response to his remark, River gestured to Kim Hyunwoo and led him to one side.
“Here it is!”
As soon as Kim Hyunwoo saw the item introduced by River.
“…What?”
He couldn’t help but make such a sound involuntarily.
And that’s understandable.
“No, wait… What is this?”
“Of course, I made it!”
Right where Kim Hyunwoo was looking right now.
…”
…No matter how you look at it, there was something that looked like a missile.
Let me guess, that missile is going to fire straight to that guy in a few seconds