novelraw Chapter 76 : Chapter 76
Chapter 76 : Chapter 76
Chapter 76
The white-haired Rian Kaltz walked forward.
Though the space was empty and covered in a peculiar color scheme, a path of a color difficult to distinguish from the background materialized along the way he walked.
I, too, followed behind him.
I wondered where we were going, and then I saw a massive sphere in the distance, a strange blend of white and black.
I presumed it was our destination.
Upon closer inspection, I noticed another color besides black and white, but strangely, it was hard to discern exactly what color it was.
Then, suddenly, Rian Kaltz stopped walking.
He turned and opened his mouth.
“Do you see that cube?”
“…It was a cube? Not a sphere?”
“I see. So it is still in the form of a sphere… Thanks to that, I think I can gauge the extent of things.”
Once again, he began the conversation with an enigmatic remark.
He did not advance any further.
I could not tell if he had decided it was meaningless because we were seeing different things, or if there was some other intention.
“First, I would like to tell you about the current situation Odin is facing. Within the limits of what I am allowed to say.”
In other words.
It meant that, just as before, he could not tell me everything.
Both Reysia and the Rian Kaltz before me.
I felt like I was going to go mad with curiosity and frustration, wondering what was sealing their lips.
As if he knew my heart, the Rian Kaltz before me gave a slight smile and began to speak.
“How much do you know about Rodos?”
“…The Purity’s official number one ranked unit. A unit that, despite having combat power and operational capabilities inferior even to units ranked within the top ten, let alone Odin at number two, holds onto its number one spot because of its abnormally high reputation and title.”
“That is correct. In terms of combat power alone, Rodos would not even make it into the top ten. Nevertheless, the reason Rodos can remain in the number one position is because of the title ‘Queen’s Sword’.”
Queen’s Sword.
It was nothing special.
It was a title signifying that they, unlike other units, were the Queen's direct subordinates, able to communicate directly with the Purity Queen.
Because of this, it was standard theory among D&K players that Rodos was not a user, but an NPC unit managed by AI.
This led to widespread unofficial rumors that Odin was the true number one.
“The fact that Rodos' name has come up means they’re connected to Odin, doesn’t it?”
“That is correct.”
The contents of the dream I had a while ago naturally came to mind.
The dream in which Reysia, Joshua, and the commander of Rodos had appeared.
No, in truth, I thought of it less as a dream and more as a kind of hallucination Reysia had intentionally shown me.
In any case, what was clear was that there was a problem with Odin.
“Currently, Rodos is trying to hand over their position, the number one ranking, to Odin.”
“……?”
What was this?
Wouldn't that be a good thing for Odin?
One of the reasons I had put D&K down for several months was that the game had become too easy, but another reason was that I had grown tired of not being able to find a way to defeat Rodos and claim the number one spot.
And yet, now that I was gone, they were offering to hand over the number one position.
It was utterly absurd.
As if reading the emotion in my expression, Rian Kaltz gave a small smile.
“It is not just the honor of being number one that they intend to hand over.”
“What do you mean?”
“They are trying to make Odin the Queen’s direct subordinate unit.”
“……”
The moment I heard that, I felt extremely displeased.
Odin was the unit I had nurtured with great care.
Official rank two.
Unofficial rank one.
How much time and effort had I poured in to reach that position?
But now, for some person called the Queen to suddenly appear and try to take over the whole spread by just placing a spoon on the table, it was only natural for my anger to flare up.
“Odin refused… but in the end, Odin is still a Purity unit that follows the Queen. They will not be able to withstand the Queen’s pressure, which insists that the commander’s position cannot be left vacant forever.”
“……”
“You of all people would understand. From the Purity’s perspective, they cannot let Odin, which is eagerly awaiting the commander’s return, sit idle in the rear indefinitely. Is that not so? Commander.”
“…Haa.”
In the end, the reason Odin was being pressured by Rodos, the Queen’s direct subordinates, was because I had left Odin unattended for a while.
Of course, it wasn't my fault that I came to this world.
But in any case, it was a fact that my absence had put Odin in an uncomfortable situation.
“Reysia is desperately refusing the Queen’s command. To her, the only one she should follow is you. On the other hand, Joshua is hesitating. He is a person with a lot of affection, and he is worried about the penalties the mentally weaker members of the unit will suffer if they continue to defy the Queen’s command.”
“Penalties?”
As if to answer my question, Rian Kaltz opened his mouth.
However, after moving his lips for a moment, he frowned as if something had gone wrong and shook his head.
“I find it difficult to speak about the penalties.”
“What’s the reason? Didn’t you say you would tell me everything?”
“I did not say everything. Even if I wanted to, I cannot. This is also why Reysia made Tet and Roka collide. The massive mana storm generated by the collision of two Leviathans with enormous amounts of mana allows us to briefly escape the Queen’s surveillance. Of course, it is not perfect…”
“So… the reason you made Tet and Roka collide was just to create time for me to talk to you?”
“It is not ‘just’. If we did not do so, we could not escape the Queen’s influence.”
A little more force was added to his voice.
A light silence followed.
Using that brief silence, I fell into thought.
The existence of the Queen, who kept appearing in our conversation, was extremely bothersome.
The Queen I knew was merely a symbolic figure for the Purity.
A pillar essential to the game's story, but in the actual gameplay process, her importance was infinitely low—a symbolic presence.
But the more I listened to Rian Kaltz, the more I realized that the power the Queen possessed was by no means small, that she was more than just a symbolic figure.
“…What happens if Odin becomes the Queen’s direct subordinate unit?”
“Many things will change. A great many things…”
As if he didn’t even want to think about it, Rian Kaltz closed his eyes and turned his head away.
He did not speak further on this matter, but I could tell from his reaction.
If Odin were to become the Queen’s direct subordinate unit, even this small connection that remained between me and Odin would be completely severed.
“What does Reysia want from me?”
She must have her own thoughts.
Reysia was extremely competent.
She was not one to assert her own opinions in front of me, but occasionally, she would come up with an unexpected strategy and achieve distinguished service, such as turning a disadvantageous tide of battle on its head.
Her fighting style was the same.
She was a brainy type who knew how to fight by thoroughly analyzing the enemy, rather than just relying on her own power and skills.
Such a Reysia would not be just stubbornly resisting without a plan.
She must have a plan to overcome the current situation.
I thought that as a mere soldier of the Alliance with no power, I would just have to follow her plan.
However.
“Nothing.”
The answer that came back was shocking.
“What do you mean?”
“You do not have to do anything. In any case, there is a limit to what you, a mere soldier of the Alliance, can do.”
“That’s…”
He was right.
Right now, I was not Odin’s commander.
I was a field commander of Unit 917, fighting for the Mergan Kingdom, a nation under the Alliance.
That was my position.
At the same time, a question arose.
“Then why did you put on a performance like making Tet and Roka collide to bring me here?”
“There are two reasons. One is to earnestly request that you be wary of the Queen and trust Reysia, as everything she does is for you.”
“Then what’s the second reason?”
“It was to inform you that the Black Dragon of the Alliance is also an untrustworthy existence.”
Rian Kaltz’s eyes glinted sharply.
If the Purity had a Queen, then the opposing Alliance was ruled by a leader known as the Black Dragon.
I did not know much about the Black Dragon.
Just that he was not simply a monarch who ruled over humans, but a religious figure revered by all the monarchs, nobles, and people of the Alliance.
And one other thing.
That he bestowed grace upon those who believed in and followed him in tangible forms, such as black mana.
That was all the information I had on the Black Dragon.
“Untrustworthy?”
“At one time, the Alliance was driven into a corner by you. To be precise, by the Odin you led… However, for some reason, you let go of Odin.”
“……”
“Odin waited eagerly for your return. There was a time when they did nothing, staying in the rear of the battlefield, unwavering even under Rodos' pressure, waiting solely for your return. Thanks to that, the Alliance was able to breathe, and they prepared countermeasures for a counterattack.”
Somehow.
The surrounding environment seemed to have changed a little.
The white that filled this world was still silently holding its place, but the black space was flickering wildly.
As if it were angry.
As if I wasn’t the only one seeing it that way, Rian Kaltz glanced at the black background once and snorted.
“Copying the nurturing system used by the Purity was also part of that plan. Thanks to that, they were able to bring the one-sided tide of battle to a 50-50 stalemate. However, the Black Dragon must have still been worried. He himself knew very well that the reason the Purity and the Alliance could maintain a sharp confrontation was solely because Odin was not moving. Therefore, the Black Dragon made a move.”
“……”
“A prominent Purity hero. A being more dangerous than the strongest hero, Reysia. The commander of Odin. It was to assassinate you.”
A chill ran down my spine, and my hand unconsciously went to my neck.
The moment I confirmed that my head was still firmly attached to my body, I could feel my heart beating rapidly.
I hadn’t been afraid when I was the enemy.
Even if assassins targeting my neck came, Odin's heroes and the defense system we had built would protect me, and at that time, D&K was just a game for enjoyment.
But now it was different.
I was a low-ranking soldier belonging to the Alliance ruled by the Black Dragon.
Without even needing to send assassins, with a single command from the Black Dragon, I would be captured without being able to resist, and dragged to the executioner's block on the guillotine.
“The result must have been a failure.”
“Why do you think it was a failure?”
“Because I’m alive and well like this…”
Rian Kaltz smiled again.
It wasn't a sneer, but something… similar to the smile my father, who had been seriously injured in an accident when I was young, had forced himself to show to reassure me as I cried in shock.
He approached me.
“Who are you?”
“You ask an obvious question. Rian Kaltz.”
Then the man before me erased the smile from his lips, placed his right hand on his chest, and said.
“Then who am I?”
“…Rian Kaltz.”
“I will ask again. Who are you?”
Ah.
Now I thought I understood what this man wanted.
Who am I?
I am Rian Kaltz, Odin’s commander and the field commander of Unit 917.
But that was merely the role assigned to me.
“…Lee Seo-han.”
Yes.
That is my name.