Chapter 511: At Lindel (2) |
“It’s… Lindel. No matter how much I think about it, it’s definitely Lindel,” I[1] said.
“But, Miss Lee Ji-Hye... If we pull the troops, it’ll become too dangerous…”
“We have no other choice. I don’t want to get rid of what we’ve obtained so far, but since the demons are acting that way, we have no other choice but to do so. He’s being so aggressive, so I really think that he’s unconscious. However, I can still see the hallmarks of the Blue Guild’s Sub Guild Master based on the demons ‘actions so far,” I explained.
“...”
“We’re pulling back the troops. I’m sorry, but I won’t accept any other suggestions. Please inform the leader of the bases. Additionally, send an evacuation order to Lindel and to all the small cities right now. Make sure that the cities will be completely empty by today. For Lindel, the city has to be empty in five hours,” I ordered.
“But shouldn’t we hear the opinion of the others first? The field commanders at the defensive lines will probably disagree. I think Everia—”
“I’m worried that what we’ve created will be ruined by that order...”
“I understand, but we’re in an emergency. We have no time to waste in worthless discussions. The troops at Everia will definitely get anxious about losing the bases, but they won’t need those bases. I’m sure that the demons are targeting Lindel, so they’ll definitely understand that we had no other choice when the time comes,” I explained.
“What do you mean…”
“Ah!”
“Exactly. They need more humans to stay here. Belial’s energy near Everia is probably a distraction to hide their plans of attacking Lindel. I’m positive that the demons’ goal is to stay here for an extended period of time. Once they capture Lindel—which is located in the middle of the continent—it would only be a matter of time until they take over the entire continent. After all, Lindel is also the center of the Sacred Democratic Country’s economy,” I continued.
“So…”
“The upcoming battle will probably be the final battle. It will determine the future of the continent. Anyway, let’s meet again in exactly one hour. In the next hour, I want you to deliver the news to the command team and strategic team at every base. When we meet up again, we’ll start discussing the upcoming battle,” I instructed.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“It’ll be a long meeting. Thank you, everyone,” I said.
“It should be us who should thank you...”
“Whoo…”
There was a clicking noise as the doors closed when the members of the strategic team finally receded like a tide. I looked out the window, and the gloominess was palpable. It had been a few days since I started having all sorts of thoughts.
However, I actually felt a bit relieved when I realized what was going on—no, a strange passion started burning inside me. I cried a lot when the incident broke out, but it was all because I was confused.
Anyone else in my shoes would have done the same.
‘That scummy bastard…!’
I had my doubts. I couldn’t understand how the scum got kidnapped by the demons while helping the refugees of the Federation. He was selfish and tougher than a cockroach, so I was bothered by the fact that he had chosen to put himself in danger.
I was sure that I was missing something here, but humans would blank out when faced with a crisis.
A part of me started to feel anxious, and I desperately tried to sleep to get rid of that anxiety. I started thinking that something was strange when the Guild Master of the Blue Guild awakened.
To be exact, it was when Kim Hyun-Sung started talking about his dream.
‘I wonder if there’s anyone who’s scummier than him.’
I had no idea why. I was still confused about why Lee Ki-Young decided to work with the demons, but I was sure that Doom Ki-Young’s goal wasn’t the extinction of mankind. He would earn a ton of profit once the ongoing crisis was done.
Actually, he had already profited a lot from the rapid growth of mankind, which had always been a hot topic before the crisis broke out, to Kim Hyun-Sung’s awakening.
Of course, I was sure that he also wanted the continent to return to its original state before the advent of Benigoa.
I was sure that the majority of the people on the continent had no idea about it, but if one were to examine everything one by one, he hadn’t really lost anything over this incident.
‘He probably profited...’
However, what pissed me off the most was that he decided to keep everything a secret from me. I was so surprised that my jaw dropped when I heard about Kim Hyun-Sung’s dream, and I was sure that Cha Hee-Ra, Elena, and Kasugano Yuno felt the same.
Rather than one of the women, he decided to meet Kim Hyun-Sung. I was beyond confused and furious. However, I decided to comfort myself by telling myself that it was better than him appearing in another bitch’s dream.
Unfortunately, Kim Hyun-Sung’s reaction made me realize that something was off about the situation itself.
“I’m sure… he’s fighting even now. He said he believed… that he’ll hold out. He definitely told me that.”
“Shit.”
“Ah… you’re talking about that technique. I don’t recall exactly how I unlocked it, but I believe it’s a gift from Mr. Ki-Young. No, I’m certain it’s a gift from him. He probably thinks that I’m not strong enough right now.”
“Lee Ki-Young, you bastard…!”
‘I… honestly don’t know how he visited me. I think he found out that I was falling apart. If he hadn’t visited me… I would have still been wandering in the space that my consciousness had created for me. I’m sure… I’m sure that he discovered that one’s consciousness is capable of creating a safe haven for itself—I’m sure he discovered that while fighting… himself.’
“In other words, he hasn’t noticed the fact that I’m sad. Lee Ki-Young, you bastard…!”
Of course, it was a great thing that he had visited Kim Hyun-Sung. The headquarters asked Kim Hyun-Sung about their encounter, and Kim Hyun-sung gave a really plain answer, so there was no reason for me to be angry.
However, humans tend to focus on useless emotions, so I felt like Kim Hyun-Sung was subtly mocking me with his smile. He also sounded like he was teasing me while he was talking about his rendezvous with that scum, so I naturally got angry.
To be exact, I was holding a grudge against that scum. When I heard my friend talking about how her boyfriend valued his friend more than her, I only smirked at her derisively, but now that I was in the same situation, I had no idea what to do.
‘Is he going to visit me in my dreams?’
I was sure everyone else thought the same thing. I knew it was disgraceful to be jealous, but I couldn’t help but be jealous and angry.
I nodded when I thought about his corrupted look.
‘His preferences are unique, to say the least..’
“And he’s really sexy…”
He sported silver eyes and hair with his corrupted look. I didn’t really like his mask, but even his mask looked sexy in my eyes. I couldn’t help but hope that he would maintain the look even after the crisis was over.
His pale skin—which showed that he barely suffered after being summoned here—had become even paler. His performance as a villain was also for the highlight reel because he was trying his best not to lose his original identity. I even personally saved the video of him looking down at mankind with his disgusting smile.
As for the recent video where he corrupted Dialugia. I felt a tingling in my loins for some reason, and goosebumps also broke out all over me when I saw him looking down at the dumb dragon as if she were some kind of insect.
I knew that the silver hair and the corrupted look were cheesy old cliches. On the stage, it depicted a scene of a tragedy, but in retrospect, the audience would probably find it too edgy.
However, my heart pounded madly against my chest when I recalled his new appearance.
‘He’s my perfect man...’
I had always liked his personality, but I really liked his appearance this time. He was a bit annoying at times, but his appearance was enough for me to forgive him.
‘I’ll fall for it this time as well… I mean, what else can I do?’
I kept on tapping the table with my fingers while imagining things, but my train of thought was interrupted by a knocking on the door. It hadn’t been that long since the meeting concluded, but I told them to come in anyway.
When the door opened, I saw an anxious messenger standing by the door.
“Miss Lee Ji-Hye.”
“Yes?”
‘I think I have an idea as to what this is about…’
“There’s news that… the demons stationed at the main bases of the 27th Legion are decreasing. The commanders of our bases can start attacking those bases right away…” the messenger said.
‘I knew it.’
“I’m sure I had told them that they are not allowed to attack… Remind them of my words. Remind them that we’re giving up on conquering bases. Have they detected any movements from the enemy’s main force?” I asked.
“They’re not sure about the destination, but the demons are apparently leaving Amera,” they replied.
‘As expected…’
There was nothing more gratifying than one’s assumption ending up being correct. It would be a lie for me to say that I wasn’t anxious about my assumption, but as expected, my man ended up choosing Lindel as the final stage.
It wasn’t really strange because Lindel was in the middle of the continent, and it was the Sacred Democratic Country’s main economic hub. It was also the city where most adventurers would take their first step into the real world.
Aside from accomplishing his goals, I was sure that he had more reasons why he chose Lindel as the final stage.
Anyway, Lindel wasn’t a bad final stage—especially for someone like him who was always obsessed with production quality. He was familiar with Lindel, so it was the most suitable place to wrap things up beautifully.
The final chapter would be between Doom Ki-Young and the members of the Blue Guild, who desperately wanted him to come to his senses.
It would be between the Swordsman of Light, and Doom Ki-Young, who had transcended his limits using the power of the demons.
When I recalled how he decided to recruit Dialugia, it was safe to say that he would try and fight Kim Hyun-Sung one-on-one.
“Geez…”
“Excuse me?”
“It’s nothing. Nothing at all,” I answered.
I was prepared to show him what true staging looked like, and I would create a stage so great that he would forget about my past mistakes of creating mediocre stages.
I wanted to show him what a perfect stage looked like. I didn’t know what was going on, but the fact that he didn’t include me in his plans made me think that he was looking down on me.
‘I’ll make sure you’ll realize my true capabilities...’
Competent women would always look charming. It would look a bit forced, but the setting where Doom Ki-Young and Kim Hyun-Sung would meet was extremely important, so I had to do something that would make the situation even more dramatic.
I started thinking about Doom Ki-Young and the Swordsman of Light’s stage while also thinking about the troops’ formation. I really didn’t want to help him because he had basically looked down on me, but the ending had to transcend perfection.
A day later, I heard the news that the demon army targeting Everia was retreating.
I also heard the news that the entire 27th Legion was heading toward Lindel.
‘I should definitely record this…’
I had no idea if that version of Lee Ki-Young would remain once the ongoing crisis was over, so I decided to capture as many videos and images of Doom Ki-Young as possible.
With that being said, the fog of war started to gather in Lindel.
1. Lee Ji-Hye’s POV ☜
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