My alter ego is becoming a big shot - Episode 294
A neatly organized flower bed as if it had been maintained by a skilled gardener..
Countless small creatures living within it wiggled and moved their bodies diligently..
A natural ecosystem where creatures such as ants, butterflies, ladybugs, and earthworms live in harmony.—.
In some ways, they could have been viewed as mere insignificant creatures, but the sight of the members of that small world doing their best in their respective positions to somehow survive was enough to evoke a certain strange feeling..
“···cute.”
And there was someone who was particularly strongly impressed by such a scene and muttered to himself without even realizing it..
The silver-haired woman who was squatting down and looking down at the flower bed was Riesta Saint Hatianus, a saint of the main church..
“Hmm~ hmm~♪”
She wasn't satisfied with just looking at them, but hummed lightly and blessed each one of them..
Several hours had already passed since she had been like this, but there was not the slightest sign of boredom on her face..
Just looking down at the creatures in the garden with a pair of golden eyes shining brightly, as if observing something interesting to play..
‘It's amazing too.’
What small and lovely creatures these are.?
Riesta, who invested all of her spare time in a long time into her hobbies, smiled a little..
‘I've been busy in many ways these days.···.’
The Catholic Church has been having a very busy time since the death of former Pope Hatianus II..
Externally, they had to continue to take the lead in stabilizing the continent as before, and internally, they had to pay attention to filling the now vacant position of the Pope..
‘There will be a definite decision soon..’
Currently, at the Grand Cathedral of Roselia, only six cardinals from the entire denomination were gathering together and holding a conclave, an in-depth meeting to elect the next pope..
If saints and virgins are directly chosen representatives of God, then the Pope is closer to an elected representative among God's followers, so this was a necessary procedure..
‘Whoever it is, it won't take that long. Still, in the current situation, if the cardinals are absent for a long time, they will not be able to respond immediately when an accident occurs...?’
While Riesta was enjoying the calmly flowing air in her small shelter,.
She suddenly felt some discomfort and.
Soon, an unidentified ominous feeling that stimulated instinct and intuition, regardless of reason, began to rush into the accident..
‘···Ugh, this can’t be right···?’
As she already had experience, she was able to immediately figure out what the cause was..
Revelation from the Lord.
It was a phenomenon close to an unexpected realization or self-awareness..
As she was staggering around holding her head, an uninvited guest flew into the garden from outside..
food—
While she was unconscious, a crow with black feathers was snooping around the flower bed..
The guy seemed to explore the surroundings for a while, and soon he found the bugs that had grown plump and fat thanks to the saint's blessing, and quickly started eating them one by one..
Caw—caw—
As if he was tasting a delicacy, he kept making exclamations of birdsong..
“Phew···.”
Riesta, who had just recovered from the revelation and had barely come to her senses, frowned slightly when she saw the crow, but then wiped the cold sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief and relaxed her expression again..
In fact, it was not that uncommon for birds or insects from outside to visit like that..
For the sake of ease of management and aesthetics, it would have been better to completely isolate the garden from the outside, but this would only result in a slightly larger model garden..
Isn’t the law of the fittest also a natural providence arranged by the Lord?.
‘by the way···.’
She soon regained her normal condition by taking a deep breath and slowly approached the small intruder..
Caw — caw!
food deukdeuk—
A crow flinches when a human approaches it and then flaps its wings to run away..
However, it just flapped its wings a few times and was unable to fly until it landed right next to her, so it froze in place..
“Come on, be nice..”
In response, she carefully held the crow, which soon became calm, with both hands and gently stroked it..
Even if Riesta was a non-combat group, there was no way a mere creature could handle that level, so it was not strange that this phenomenon occurred..
She was a great person who could literally knock down a bird flying in the sky with just her will..
‘It's outside···.’
She petted the crow a few times, then stopped and looked at it again..
Of course I had no intention of doing anything with this guy..
Holding it like this was just a whim because my mind became complicated..
‘Invaders from the Outer Dimension···.’
It was clear that the being that the Lord himself had warned about just a moment ago would not be so soft-hearted as this bird..
Isn’t the Lord God the one who never gave a single word no matter how many people from this world have come and gone here?.
‘···Could it be that it has something to do with the Immortal King this time??’
It was a reasonable inference, but it wasn't certain either..
Anyway, the important thing now was that we needed to prepare in advance for that revelation in some way..
Caw— caw!
food—
Riesta flew the bird that was fluttering in her hands high into the sky again and turned around with a stern look on her face..
First of all, a trustworthy man who can immediately consult about the current revelation..
To talk to Saint Heinrich first.
***
Little by little, but steadily without stopping.
Time passed like running water.
A lot of things happened during that period of time, which I felt was longer than others, perhaps because I was operating multiple bodies at the same time..
“Long live Her Royal Highness Riley Carte Azerion.!”
“Hehehe! Congratulations, Your Majesty. Now all that's left is to finish it properly..”
“Oh my, how! You look even more beautiful today, Your Highness. Even the flowers of the mighty empire lose their vitality in front of you..”
First of all, Riley was finally officially promoted to the title of Crown Princess in Xeron, the capital of the Azerion Empire..
They successfully dethroned Prince Simon, who was now almost forgotten, and were officially recognized as the successor to the empire..
‘The current emperor's health doesn't look that good, so he may be able to abdicate within a few years..’
From the time when she was simply leading a large faction as the 5th princess to now that she has become the crown princess, the amount of authority Riley has has changed on a different level..
As the current second-in-command and the next first-in-command in name and reality, he was able to more directly mobilize the power of the empire and the imperial family..
10It was evidence that her long journey, which began after meeting Lee Se-ah over 20 years ago, is slowly coming to an end..
Also, such changes in the continental situation were not limited to within the empire..
In the free city of Dracal, a land of mercenaries located in the southeast of the continent,···.
Kwaang—!
“I heard there's a guy named Harley here! I, Stalon of the Blood Fog, have come to learn a lesson! Let's compete properly···.”
“Huh? What is it again??”
“···uh?”
“Sniff! Well, I don’t know if it’s blood fog or blood shells. If you're going to attack me, do it quickly..”
It was as if a contagious disease had spread in this city where people would die if they couldn't prove that they were real men even for a second. Instead of being amazed by Harley's reputation from the beginning, there was no shortage of people coming to visit with a burning desire to win..
Even though mercenaries are basically radical and it is common for them to be ignored if they cannot appeal their strength, this feels a bit harsh..
‘Of course, I have never seen anyone maintain that attitude consistently even when face to face with this body..’
It was Harley's spirit that was visible now that made even the highest-ranking members of the mercenary guild and the most powerful men give up the moment they faced each other..
But there's no way that someone who hasn't even reached that level can overcome that.?
What happened after that went smoothly..
As the eyes of the large man who confidently kicked in the door were wandering back and forth, Harley walked up to him and stood next to him, putting his forearm on his shoulder..
The other person was not small at all, but standing next to him like that made me look like a middle school student being ripped off by a scary older brother..
“Would you rather be beaten until you're fine minced meat, or would you rather buy fine minced meat??”
“···Yes, I will buy it..”
“Good choice! Then guide me to the store you think is the best! If I don't like it, I'll bend over backwards, so you'll have to choose wisely, right? Hahaha!”
Actually, it was true that I was ripped off, but.
Harley patted the man on the back and led him forward..
Of course, there were some who jumped at me recklessly because their eyes were glassy, perhaps out of fear, but after receiving a little loving physical therapy, those guys were soon reborn as civilized people who could think normally..
Of course, Harley, who is kind-hearted and generous, took care of these guys and even created a place where they could have a meal together and resolve any misunderstandings..
“hmm! As expected, the quality of meat in this area is excellent! This is quite surprising?”
“Although Dracal is a barren land, making it difficult to farm, it is not bad in other ways. First of all, it is a major center of trade, and the meat of the cliff goat, which is a specialty of this region, is also excellent. ···The price is a little high, but.”
“It's as you said, brother! ...But you're out of meat again? Well, first of all, I'll order 10 more servings... no, 20... sorry, 30 servings. ha ha ha···.”
“Tsk, that breaks the flow. If they think they run out of meat, they will order it again on their own. You're so clueless, that guy..”
An unconventional move that shook the entire city upon visit..
In addition, sightings and rumors of the famous Harley, who had only been heard of, spread rapidly in Dracal society, resulting in further raising his awareness and influence..
‘Whatever it is, mercenaries are ultimately people who sell military power. Overwhelming power is more important than complex politics. In this respect, it's similar to the South..’
In the end, it could be said that this Dracal is a perfect place for Harley, whose very existence can be said to be the embodiment of violence..
Moreover, the situation not only here but also in other regions was developing in a much more favorable way than initially expected..
‘Not to mention the south, the expansion of the eastern base led by Obaipo is going smoothly. Additionally, the kingdom of Thalia in the west has entered the stage of establishing formal diplomatic ties with neighboring kingdoms and expanding its influence.···.’
It was a natural trend for the Hubert Company, which had begun to encroach beyond the Tulk Kingdom and encroach on the entire West, to become deeply involved in the expansion of influence that had begun in the West..
The biggest factor in the Hubert Company's market encroachment was the rare metal that was supplied indefinitely from the North, and each country was a top customer, competing to purchase such materials that could help increase military power due to fear of the immortal army. was.
‘In fact, the entity supplying those items is the Immortal Army..’
A situation in which military supplies are traded between the two sides solely for profit, regardless of enemy or enemy..
Are these people called ‘merchants of darkness’?.
I somehow felt like I had stepped into a new world..
‘however.’
Not long ago, in a situation where everything was going smoothly, I heard some shocking news..
‘A second-dimensional intruder worthy of warning from the Lord?’
It was a revelation from the main priest delivered to Saint Riesta..
‘···As expected, there's only one guy that comes to mind..’
A monster that travels across multiple dimensions and eats the source of the world..
Beoncheonhoeju.
‘Did you even come here?.’
If it weren't for Riesta, I probably wouldn't have even gotten this much information..
Instead of having time to prepare, you might have panicked and collapsed due to the sudden situation..
She must have been able to interpret the revelation this way since she was a saint..
Since I didn't know the mechanism by which he crossed dimensions, I couldn't figure out where he was and what he was doing..
However, it is unlikely to be a method of reading the memories of the target of origin and moving on to “Summoning the Otherworld Transfer Jin” like yourself..
Considering his abilities when I encountered him in Japan, I thought he might have found a way to hone his unique skills in managing space to the limit..
‘But that's not what matters now.’
Yes, now the 'how' was a secondary question..
What was important right now was that the place that the monster was targeting and trying to invade was the stage that I had carefully set up..
‘In this land... Outerica.’
My stomach was boiling..
Of course, that was absolutely unacceptable..
It was known outside that the Immortal King's army and humanity were at war with each other, but that was not true..
Because both sides were like my limbs..
It may be unimaginable to others, but for me, controlling the flow of this world was easier than anyone else..
Because I have my influence on most of those who rule this Outerica..
The Immortal King and his immortal army, the vampire alliance led by the Vampire King, the main church that believes in Heinrich as a saint, the fighting king and mercenary king Harley and numerous warriors, the high elf Harris and the Elven Kingdom, and an empire that can be moved through Riley. elite soldiers, the merchant cartel represented by Hubert, etc.···.
Most of this world was already in my hands.
‘Outerica is—.’
This place.
it's my land.
It's my territory.
‘mine.’
It was a world prepared just for me, a stage where I could unfold my dreams to the fullest, and a treasure chest of precious things..
Still, if you try to crawl in here,.
‘You will have to fight the whole world.’
It was time to prepare for war..
Comments