Chapter 596: Joseon (3)

There were kingdoms large and small across the Japanese server.

The greatest of them was Bellaim Kingdom.

Bellaim Kingdom’s coffers were deeper than those of any other nation, and it stood at the heart of the User Kingdom Union on the Japanese server.

King Ruma sent letters to kings throughout the continent. They contained two messages.

[The Verd Territory Army has achieved victory.]

[We intend to discuss rewards for those who secured that victory.]

Kings gathered from every corner of the continent.

Small smiles rested on the lips of the kings seated together.

An unexpected victory.

We nearly had no choice but to pay tribute to the Parion Empire.

How could such an astonishing victory even be possible?

The kings seated around the round table knew they had reaped the benefits without lifting a finger.

Yet there was one thing they could not understand.

Why had they been summoned here?

Just then, Ruma entered. The previous king had died, and Ruma had only recently ascended the throne of Bellaim Kingdom.

Bellaim Kingdom was clearly in a state of turmoil.

A new king had taken the throne, and the kingdom still needed to find its footing.

Still, they said a king’s strength came from the wealth of his treasury and the number of his subjects.

Even as a newly crowned king, Ruma was not someone any of the kings present could dismiss.

“Now that everyone has arrived, let us toast the victory in Verd Territory.”

The kings raised their glasses together.

“To victory.”

They drank one by one. When the toast was over, Ruma finally addressed the matter at hand.

“I would like to discuss rewards for those who won this battle. Bellaim Kingdom, for its part, intends to provide financial support.”

Everyone nodded.

Verd Territory was close to Bellaim Kingdom, and it had once belonged to Bellaim Kingdom as well.

“Financial support. There is no reward more appropriate for those who achieved victory.”

One king responded.

He was King Rapa of Braka Kingdom, the king with the largest military force.

After Ruma, he also ruled the kingdom with the second-greatest national power.

All the kings agreed with Rapa’s words. As he turned his wineglass in his hand, Rapa spoke again.

“Still, I find it strange that we are all being asked to discuss these rewards.”

“Strange? In what way?”

Rapa came directly to the point.

“This victory benefited Bellaim Kingdom, the nation nearest Verd Territory, more than anyone else. Had Verd Territory fallen, Bellaim Kingdom would have been the first place the Parion Empire reached for. And since the previous king died only recently, the Parion Empire would have found Bellaim Kingdom particularly easy to control.”

“Second, this was no more than fending off a passing storm. Bellaim Kingdom must have sent countless knights, soldiers, and heroes to secure victory. The number must have exceeded five hundred thousand.”

Glug, glug.

Rapa poured himself another drink and savored the fragrance.

“I understand. The losses must have been outrageous, and recovery will have to come quickly. But those are Bellaim Kingdom’s losses. Why should the rest of us compensate them?”

Rapa fixed Ruma with eyes as sharp as a hawk’s.

To him, this entire reward discussion looked like nothing more than Bellaim Kingdom trying to pass off its own burden.

Yet Ruma only looked puzzled.

“Pardon?”

His expression was so innocent that it seemed he truly had no idea what Rapa was talking about.

Had the loss of his army shaken King Ruma of Bellaim Kingdom that badly?

Just as they began to wonder, someone was heard outside.

“...Ah, Lord Musashi, who led the victory in Verd Territory, has arrived. I will let him in.”

The kings nodded, and Musashi entered.

Every king present had once coveted Musashi.

Now they wanted him even more.

The monarch who led the victory against the Parion Empire.

They would be lying if they claimed they did not want him.

Rapa greeted Musashi.

“Thank you for your hard work on the front lines. Still, before we raise a toast, it is only right that we honor the souls of those we lost.”

Rapa deliberately steered the conversation.

If an army of five hundred thousand from the Parion Empire had been involved, Bellaim Kingdom had likely lost more than a million troops.

To honor the dead, support their bereaved families, provide aid, and rebuild would shake even Bellaim Kingdom’s enormous treasury.

It might cost tens of millions of Gold.

“How severe were the losses? Did Bellaim Kingdom lose many troops? As their commander, your heart must be heavy.”

Rapa was asking how many had been killed in action.

If the losses had been great, could it truly be called a magnificent victory?

Musashi answered with a puzzled look.

“I believe there has been a misunderstanding. Bellaim Kingdom’s army suffered zero casualties.”

“I see. So the blood of so many... Hm?”

Rapa soon realized something was wrong.

“Zero casualties for Bellaim Kingdom’s army? Then are you saying Verd Territory’s forces alone defeated an army of five hundred thousand?”

“...And the Parion Empire’s soldiers are stronger than ordinary kingdom soldiers.”

The kings who had shown little interest until then let out startled voices.

“Wasn’t Verd Territory defended by only around fifteen thousand troops?”

One sharp-eyed king spoke, and Musashi nodded.

“That was because unnamed soldiers fought alongside us.”

Musashi began explaining what had happened.

The story of unnamed soldiers who had wanted neither honor, medals, money, nor anything else.

Among them were heroes who represented nations and great mages acknowledged across the continent.

With every name Musashi recited, murmurs escaped the kings’ mouths.

“Good heavens...”

“Hmm...”

“Such a thing...”

It was incomprehensible.

Why had they lent so much of their strength?

Then Musashi spoke of the most important person.

“He was there.”

Hyunsoo, too, had been nothing more than an unnamed knight in that battle.

Every enemy had died. It was time for them to remain silent.

Yet Musashi deliberately described the man’s appearance and everything else.

Hyun, the one from the rumors?

That child king?

The outsider king?

They had heard faint rumors from beyond the sea.

They had been the sort to sneer over drinks.

A king like that actually exists?

A king would lower himself to craft weapons?

How undignified.

But—

“At first, I thought it was impossible as well. I could not understand a word he said, and I wondered whether such things could truly be done.”

Musashi recounted everything he had seen without leaving out a single detail.

The untold story of unnamed soldiers who slaughtered one hundred thousand troops.

The story of Hyunsoo facing sixty thousand troops alone, sword in hand, when everyone had waited for knights who never came.

The story of how, amid claims that Verd Territory would eventually fall no matter how fiercely it was defended, he alone found a way and summoned the Turtle Ship and the transcendent being known as the King of Stories.

The heart-stirring story of how he had pushed himself beyond exhaustion, turned Commander-in-Chief Pedro into a handful of ash, and only then collapsed unconscious.

When it was over, the kings’ mouths had gone dry.

What would have happened to the continent if not for that one man?

Bellaim Kingdom would truly have lost more than a million troops. If the war had dragged on, every one of us would have lost millions.

The annual tribute to the Empire would have become unbearable. Our people would have died, and even our soldiers would have been reduced to cannon fodder.

At least some of the kings who had initially wondered why they had to discuss rewards now understood the reason.

At the same time, the looks they gave Musashi, who had won the battle alongside Hyunsoo, became warmer.

The kings understood.

Everything had been possible because Musashi had accomplished it.

I would have run.

I would have surrendered.

Why should anyone care about some territory?

I want him.

But Musashi dropped to one knee.

“I will leave the continent where I have spent my life.”

Someone wanted to tell him not to go.

Ruma felt the same.

Yet Musashi placed a Japanese sword on the floor and lowered his head. The resolve behind that gesture came through with perfect clarity.

One king finally asked,

“Is he truly such an exceptional man?”

Musashi raised his head.

He saw the regret on their faces.

Then he heard their offers directly.

[King Ruma of Bellaim Kingdom desires you.]

[If you remain in Bellaim Kingdom and become the commander of his knight order, he will grant you 3,000,000 Gold annually and the position of Commander, with authority over one million troops.]

[King Rapa of Braka Kingdom desires you.]

[If you move to Braka Kingdom, he will provide the finest Japanese sword crafting method, a Legendary class, and guide you down the path to becoming a Sword Wraith.]

[King Harn of Bakde Kingdom desires you.]

[If you move to Bakde Kingdom, he will grant you the title of marquis, name you one of the kingdom’s three stars, and make you its finest knight.]

Yet Musashi answered with unwavering honesty.

“He is still a young king with much to learn.”

[You reject every king’s offer without accepting any.]

“That is why I must go.”

[The kings understand your sincere heart and regard you anew, moved by the nobility of a knight.]

“Because he still lacks so much, I want to go to him and make sure he lacks for nothing.”

[Every king sees through what you truly desire, without the slightest hesitation.]

[This is connected to Kingdom Quest: Final Battle. Your words will have a significant effect on the kings’ reward discussions.]

“Please show your generosity.”

Musashi bowed deeply.

That was why he had attended this meeting at Ruma’s request, despite it being unlike him.

Musashi’s body trembled.

The most difficult king, Rapa, rose from his seat.

“Come find me before you leave.”

[King Rapa of Braka Kingdom promises a gift you will not regret to the one leaving for a new king.]

“I as well.”

[King Harn of Bakde Kingdom will remember Knight Musashi, who remained on the continent, and will pass down the legend of the battle between Verd Territory and the Parion Empire Army for generations.]

“Safe travels.”

[King Fod of Karba Kingdom begins making swift arrangements to give lavishly to the one who is leaving.]

That was how Musashi received everyone’s approval.

He visited the kingdoms of the server where he had once lived, one by one.

The king with the most soldiers on the Japanese server sent soldiers and citizens.

Musashi bowed.

For the first time in his life, he offered his sincere gratitude to a king who had shown him mercy.

“Thank you.”

He felt something unfamiliar.

None of it was for him, yet imagining how happy Hyunsoo would be when he received it made Musashi feel good.

Next, Musashi went to see King Ruma of Bellaim Kingdom, which had once held Verd Territory.

If Ruma had not arranged that meeting in the first place, Musashi could never have obtained such rewards.

“King Rapa sent this many people? Then I cannot be outdone.”

The king of the wealthiest nation on the Japanese server smiled playfully.

“I will give him far more money than what was originally promised.”

Musashi loaded it all up and set out again.

One kingdom was famous for its mines.

“It is a nation of blacksmiths, is it not? Then he will need these rare materials.”

Leading carts filled with precious materials, Musashi continued onward.

At last, he left the continent where he had once lived and arrived in Asgan, the Korean server.

Having finally reached the nation of Hyun, he met Hyunsoo, who had awakened from his “fainted” state and returned to his homeland alongside the people of the nation of Hyun.

Hyunsoo stood atop the city wall, staring in astonishment at the countless things before him.

[The rewards for Kingdom Quest: Final Battle are being consolidated!]

[470,000 citizens and 30,000 soldiers will migrate to the nation of Hyun.]

[You have acquired 20,000,000 Gold.]

[You have acquired minerals.]

[There are too many numbers and types, so the results will be displayed in summary form!]

[You have acquired 13 Legendary minerals.]

[You have acquired 65 Unique minerals.]

[You have acquired 164 Epic minerals.]

[You have acquired 50t of grain.]

Standing beside Hyunsoo, Musashi looked out at the endless line of carts and the new citizens.

“Nell said the Japanese kings were cheapskates. What’s going on?”

Watching Hyunsoo look ready to leap with joy, Musashi smiled faintly.

“Who knows.”

Musashi decided not to reveal what had happened that day.

He would simply live beside Hyunsoo as the commander of the 2nd Corps, the Warrior Corps.