Chapter 954: Alternate Timeline: Mister Manager

Inside the guest room that had officially become his room from that night onward, Arceus lay on the bed.

The mattress was soft.

The blanket smelled faintly of fresh linen.

The room was warm and safe.

And still, sleep would not come.

The events of the night played in his mind one after another.

His father’s cold eyes.

His mother’s helpless cries.

The silent journey to the cliff.

Kiara’s sudden appearance.

The warmth in her voice.

The proposal beneath the moon.

And finally, his return to this place.

A tear escaped his eye.

He covered his eyes with his arm as he murmured in a whisper, "Father, Mother... I am truly sorry for not becoming the son you wanted me to be."

**

Meanwhile, in her own room, Kiara was experiencing the exact opposite of sorrow.

She sat cross-legged on the bed, eyes shining with anticipation, and opened the weapon gallery.

The details of her newly unlocked rewards unfolded before her like a treasure map.

[Panzerkampfwagen IV]

Type: Exclusive (Level-4)

Grade: N/A

Crew: 2 (min) – 5 (max)

Length: 5.92 meters (19ft 5in) – Without the gun

Width: 2.88 meters (9ft 5 in)

Height: 2.58 meters (8ft 10in)

Weight: 25462 kg

Primary Armament: 75mm caliber main gun

Rate of Fire: 20 rounds per minute (max)

Secondary Armament: 2x machine guns

Rate of Fire: 900 rounds per minute (max)

Ammunition Capacity: 3150 rounds (machine gun), 87 rounds (main gun)

Cartridge type: 7.92mm caliber (machine guns), 75x495mm ammo (main gun)

Aiming angle: 0 to 65 degrees

Max. speed of the vehicle: 42 km/hr

Fuel: 470 liters of diesel, gasoline, crude oil, or cooking oil

Cruising range: 200km (diesel), 120km (gasoline), 60 km (crude oil), 18 km (vegetable oil)

Armor: Rank-5

Effective range: 4800 meters

Absolute range: 7700 meters

Auto-attack: Yes

Target-lock feature: No

Additional attachments: No

Description: An ungraded medium tank, which has decent defense and high attack power. With dual machine guns and a 75mm main gun, the tank can crush every enemy below the elementary stage of the 6-circle realm with ease. The tank can also defend against damage under the intermediate stage of the 5-circle realm.

Note: It must be operated by 2 crew members to use its full potential.

Price: 2000 gold coins

Repair by system: 200 gold coins

CREATE

[Sd.kfz. 161 has been created and was sent to the inventory. 2000 gold coins are added to the debt.]

Kiara grinned.

"Excellent."

She leaned back slightly, already imagining battlefields where steel monsters rolled forward like thunderclouds on tracks.

"With this, I no longer need to worry about land warfare."

Her thoughts raced.

She rubbed her chin.

"I need to stockpile the oil until I can secure a crude oil source extracted from the planet."

Then she opened the second reward.

[Light Artillery Rocket System (LARS)]

Type: Exclusive (level-5)

Grade: N/A

Crew: 1 (min) – 3 (max)

Length: 7.8 meters (25ft 7in)

Width: 2.5 meters (8ft 2in)

Height: 2.9 meters (9ft 6in)

Weight: 15237 kg

Main Armament: 36 barrels

Rate of Fire: 120 rounds per minute (combined)

Secondary Armament: Machine Gun (roof-mounted)

Ammunition: 110mm rockets (barrels), 7.62 mm (machine gun)

Aiming angle: 0 to 55 degrees

Maximum speed: 74 km/hr

Operational range: 500 km

Armor: Rank-4

Effective Firing Range: 8 km

Absolute range: 14 km

Auto-attack: Yes

Target Lock Feature: No

Additional attachments: No

Description: An ungraded rocket artillery system, which has mobility along with strong firepower. Each 110mm rocket can destroy the enemy under the peak-5-circle realm and has a blast radius of 15 meters.

36 rockets were mounted in two clusters of 18. However, the user cannot fire all of them at once. There’s a gap of 0.5 seconds between each launch of the rocket.

Note: The armor protection is only offered to the driving chamber. The barrels installed on the back remain unprotected.

Price: 3000 gold coins

Repair by system: 200 gold coins – 500 gold coins

CREATE

[LARS has been created and sent to the inventory. 3000 gold coins are added to the debt.]

Kiara winced.

"Ugh."

She looked at the growing debt and shook her head.

"My debt is climbing like a monkey that has discovered a fruit tree."

Then she smiled.

"But if all goes well, that monkey will soon be sitting on a mountain of gold."

Satisfied, she set aside her plans and finally drifted into a deep and pleasant sleep.

***

The night passed quietly for Kiara.

It did not pass quietly for Wester Silver.

***

The next morning, sunlight spilled through the front windows of Nexus Store, painting warm rectangles across the polished floor.

Zion had already opened the store. The smell of breakfast still lingered faintly in the air. Kiara stood downstairs with Noah, Zion, and Arceus. Arceus wore a simple but elegant outfit, and although traces of exhaustion remained beneath his eyes, his back was straight.

He was frightened.

He was uncertain.

But he had chosen to take one more step forward.

Kiara looked at him and smiled. "Are you ready, Mr. Manager?"

Arceus drew in a slow breath.

For a brief moment, the memories of the previous night flashed across his mind.

Then he lifted his chin and nodded.

"Yes."

***

Meanwhile, at the Imperial Palace;

The noon atmosphere in the palace carried a strange warmth that could never be found in court sessions or military meetings, because this was one of the rare hours where Emperor Alexander allowed himself to set aside the weight of an empire and simply eat beside the woman he cherished the most.

Golden sunlight streamed through the carved windows and spread across the dining chamber, while the fragrance of roasted spirit beast meat and herbal soup drifted softly in the air, yet despite the luxurious surroundings, the Emperor’s attention was not on the food before him.

Instead, his fingers tapped lightly against the table as he stared into space with narrowed eyes.

"Dear," he suddenly spoke while turning toward Callista, his voice carrying genuine thoughtfulness instead of imperial authority, "what reward do you think I should give Kiara this time?"

Callista lifted her gaze slowly.

The question did not surprise her.

Ever since Kiara went for a luncheon in the neighboring kingdom of Celestra, the Emperor had been in an unusually good mood, because the decades-long tension at the border had finally begun to loosen like a knot being untied after years of pulling tighter and tighter.

Alexander Phoenix leaned back slightly and continued, his tone calmer now.

"Because of her, the door to resolving the border conflict with Celestra has finally opened, and even if her intention was not to help the empire directly, the result remains the same. Hundreds of soldiers stationed at the border may finally return home and see their families again instead of sleeping with armor beneath winter rain."

He paused briefly.

The image of exhausted soldiers standing guard at frozen borders crossed his mind.

Then his expression softened.

"And I still have not properly thanked her for saving you."

Callista lowered her eyes for a moment. At the mention of Kiara, warmth unconsciously rose inside her chest like sunlight touching cold water.

That child...

No matter how much she restrained herself, the yearning only deepened whenever she heard her name.

Yet longing alone could not decide matters involving the Emperor’s reputation and the stability of the empire.

She carefully organized her thoughts before speaking.

"Your Majesty," she said gently, "I heard that Kiara is a seven-star rank summoner and also possesses an eight-star Beast King under her command. If you reward her according to her strength, then the reward will become too excessive compared to the favor she performed for the Imperial Palace."

She folded her hands neatly over her lap.

"The noble houses will begin whispering that the Emperor of the Phoenix Empire is attempting to curry favor with a rising expert. In royal courts, even gratitude must wear proper clothes before stepping outside."

Alexander Phoenix quietly nodded.

He understood exactly what she meant.

In the eyes of nobles, generosity from the throne could easily be interpreted as weakness.

Callista continued after a brief pause.

"And if the reward is specifically for saving me, then Kiara herself may feel uncomfortable receiving it now, because considerable time has already passed since the incident."

A trace of guilt flashed across her eyes.

"Yes... it is my fault that I kept the matter from you and prevented others from informing you as well, but at that time, Your Majesty already carried enough burdens upon your shoulders. I did not wish to add another."

The Emperor’s gaze softened slightly.

For a moment, silence lingered between them like warm steam rising from tea.

Then Callista smiled faintly and changed the direction of the discussion. "In my opinion, the best reward would be another weapons order and the expansion of additional firearm divisions throughout the empire. I think Kiara appreciates it more than anything."

The Emperor sighed immediately.

"That is precisely the problem."

He rubbed his forehead.

"Even Magnus’ order is still pending. If I place another large request now, it may only become an additional burden for Kiara."

The mechanical weapons fascinated him more and more each day, but he was not foolish enough to believe such creations appeared from thin air like cabbages growing in a field.

A capable craftsman could still be overworked.

Callista nodded slowly.

"Then there is also the matter of the manufacturing facility. You already granted land and promised assistance with construction, but she has not approached you about it yet."

She tilted her head slightly.

"Perhaps she feels embarrassed asking for more support because of the cost involved."

Alexander Phoenix fell into thought.

Callista seized the moment gently, like someone guiding a drifting boat back toward shore. "How about inviting her for lunch or dinner and discussing the matter directly?"

The Emperor’s eyes brightened slightly.

That idea was not bad at all.