“Keuk, keuk keuk keuk...”

Kang Chul-In laughed.

“Y-your Majesty...”

“...”

“Your… Majesty?”

His subordinates were flabbergasted.

Looking at Kang Chul-In now, he was covered with bruises, as if all his muscles had torn.

His lips were blue, and his face was pale. In other words, he was completely fatigued.

“Hahahaha~!”

Nevertheless, Kang Chul-In was visibly overjoyed with a cunning smile on his face.

“Y-your Majesty...”

Lucia approached him cautiously.

“You must be really tired, so why are you laughing so much?”

“It’s entertaining.”

“D-Did you say … entertaining?”

“Isn’t it? Cough!”

Kang Chul-In vomited blood.

That wasn’t all.

His nose was bleeding, and his eyes were blood red.

Despite all of this, Kang Chul-In still laughed.

“Keke!”

“Y-your Majesty!”

“Bullying that Rothschild bastard… is always entertaining.”

“...!”

“I wonder if there’s anything more entertaining than that. Kekeke.”

“…If you say so, your Majesty.”

Lucia closed her eyes and replied.

“What good weather.”

Kang Chul-In laid down on Zeppelin’s deck and mumbled.

It was autumn.

The autumn sky was clear and vast without a single cloud.

“Good weather to screw with Rothschild.”

“Y-your Majesty...”

“I’m satisfied.”

“...”

“And… I shall take a nap.”

Having said that, Kang Chul-In closed his eyes.

He could no longer endure his accumulated fatigue.

“I...”

Lucia gazed at Kang Chul-In affectionately and mumbled.

“… can hardly hold your Majesty back. How are you this mischievous?”

She was right.

“And also… that moustache… it doesn’t suit you at all.”

Kang Chul-In had forgotten to take off his disguise before falling asleep.

***

“Urgh… Urghhh...”

Rothschild fell sick after Kang Chul-In’s escape.

“Kang Chul-In… Kang Chul-In!”

Even on his sickbed, he shouted his nemesis’ name and shuddered in anger.

Of course, his blood pressure shot up whenever he did that.

Brrr…!

He trembled with rage.

“Your Majesty… more bad news, I’m afraid.”

Sadly, this wasn’t the end of Rothschild’s misfortune.

“Our people are showing signs of rebellion. Many soldiers are running away as well.”

The new chief of staff, general Akül, rubbed salt into Rothschild’s wound.

He was just doing his job.

“So?”

Rothschild replied in a chilling voice.

“Your Majesty?”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“W-Well...”

“Just kill them all.”

“I beg your pardon?!”

Akül couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Y-your Majesty!”

“Why? Can’t do it?”

“It’s not that...”

“Can’t you just summon new citizens and soldiers?”

“...!”

“Akül.”

“Yes, your Majesty...”

“Don’t let those lowly existences act however they want.”

“...”

“They are destined to obey. I have never granted them any permission to complain and rebel. Just kill all of them.”

It was a stone-hearted comment.

He seemed to have no hesitation committing a genocide.

It indicated that Rothschild viewed the native Pangaeans as nothing other than meat shields. They were consumables to him.

“However, your Majesty, with that sort of violent method...”

“Are you telling me to leave those traitors alone, Akül?”

“...”

“Think of it as starting afresh. And...”

Rothschild looked at Akül and spoke.

“I will reward you 100,000 gold and appoint you as our territory’s key officer if you handle this well.”

“...!”

“Show me what you are capable of.”

“Yes… your Majesty...”

Akül succumbed to the enormous amount of gold proposed.

Kang Chul-In, in order to get my revenge on you… I think I can even sell my soul to the devil...

Rothschild had almost given up by now.

There was no light at the end of this tunnel.

He struggled hard to survive and was slowly recuperating, while Kang Chul-In ruined everything and ran off. He was extremely fatigued.

But what could he do?

All he could do now was invest gold to rebuild the territory.

For Rothschild to survive, he absolutely had to be as resilient as a cockroach.

***

While Kang Chul-In had left his place, Laputa’s key officials were preparing busily for his crowning.

Drakan and James were in charge of expanding Laputa’s territory.

Drakan led his army and roamed around the Ishtar region, conquering many small and big free cities. Meanwhile, James planted multiple rocks engraved with Kang Chul-In’s seal on unclaimed land, declaring that those areas belonged to Kang Chul-In.

Other officers were busy as well.

Timothy, Kimura and Podolski were responsible for administration and finance, construction of new cities and agricultural land, and training new intelligence agents respectively.

Kwak Jung had also returned from Dorado.

“You’ve come.”

Kang Chul-In greeted Kwak Jung as he laid on his sick bed.

“Yes, your Majesty.”

“Where were you fooling around during a critical period like this?”

Kang Chul-In reprimanded Kwak Jung.

It was because the tactician’s absence had increased workload for everyone.

As proof, Kang Chul-In had a mountain of paperwork piled next to his bed, which he feared the most.

In other words, Kang Chul-In had been scanning through countless documents even as he nursed himself!

“Haha… A-As for that...”

Kwak Jung sheepishly laughed and handed a document over to Kang Chul-In.

“I managed to do it.”

“Do what?”

“Take a look first.”

Kang Chul-In was puzzled, but he read the document nonetheless.

He then clenched his fist afterwards.

“What… is this?”

“Hehe… I’m trying to turn your Majesty into a playboy...”

“…You want a punch?”

“N-No, sorry!”

Kwak Jung realized his bad choice in words and began to blabber on to hide that fact.

“This is all an effort to strengthen Laputa and your Majesty. Furthermore, it shall be the foundation for your Pangaea conquest.”

“So… are you really planning to make it happen?”

“Yes.”

“...”

“What’s wrong?”

“You are driving me nuts.”

Kang Chul-In replied in absurdity. Kwak Jung’s report was as follows:

[Marriage plan proposal]

Wife 1: Ninetails, the queen of Fox Valley

Wife 2: Overlord Lee Chae-Rin

Wife 3: Former Overlord Skadi Andvari

“Why, King Wang Geon of the Koryŏ dynasty had six queens and twenty-three wives.”

“...”

“Since you already plan to expand your influence, I suggest you just go ahead with all of your arranged marriages without hesitation!”

Kwak Jung was right.

Laputa was currently bulking up to fight against the Gullveig coalition.

Arranged marriages would prove to be valuable assets in this process. It was an Overlord’s duty.

“So you are telling me… to marry three people at once?”

“Yes.”

“…My mother will be so pleased.”

Kang Chul-In tossed out a sarcastic remark.

“I-I suppose...”

Kwak Jung replied sheepishly.

“I won’t reject your proposal. However...”

“Yes?”

“This part needs a correction.”

Kang Chul-In grabbed a pen and corrected a part of the proposal.

[Marriage plan proposal]

Wife 1: (Empty)

Wife 2: Ninetails, the queen of Fox Valley

Wife 3: Overlord Lee Chae-Rin.

Concubine 1: Former Overlord Skadi Andvari

“Hmm? What’s going on?”

Kwak Jung was puzzled.

“Just like what I wrote here.”

“...?”

“As for my first wife’s place… I have to leave it empty. Damn it.”

“I don’t really follow...”

“This thing is not letting anyone become my first wife.”

Kang Chul-In wriggled his fourth finger with the Needle of the Empress on it.

“Is it still causing you problems?”

“If I put anyone in the first wife’s seat, I’m doomed.”

“That bad?”

“I’m thinking of hitting level 100 and then completing a quest to satisfy this damn thing.”

Kang Chul-In was speaking the truth.

…….

*Due to the user’s cheating, Laputa is selected for penalty option 1,2 and 3.

…….

In other words, he had to reach level 100 first and clear the hidden quest to have his first wife.

“For now… let’s just proceed with your plan.”

“…This is tough on you, your Majesty.”

“Clear these if you really do think so.”

Kang Chul-In pointed at the pile of paperwork next to his bed.

“Y-your Majesty?”

“You do it. It’s an order.”

“...”

“Well then, you may leave. I’m going to rest.”

Kang Chul-In gave Kwak Jung his work and immediately closed his eyes. It was a sort of threat to not bother him anymore.

D-Damn it…it’s all about the ranks… Keuk...

Kwak Jung had to swallow his misery and leave the sickbay with a bunch of paperwork by his side.

***

At the same time…

Flap, flap!

A carrier pigeon flew across the land of Cyamodus, where mass genocide was happening.

It was heading towards a secret communication facility, with a confidential message wrapped around its leg.

The message was as follows:

Lord Alex Rothschild is slaughtering his own people and soldiers.

Seems to be a move to quell rebellion and the Coup d'etat.

New citizens and soldiers, replenished at an extremely fast rate.

Written by Schröder, the leader of the Fox Valley Intelligence Agency.

Indeed, Kang Chul-In had planted numerous Fox Valley Intelligence agents in Cyamodus to monitor Rothschild’s every move!

***

As Kang Chul-In was about to marry three women at once, Desdemona, the ancient black dragon, was travelling to Ishtar’s west, disguised as a traveller.

“Ha… nothing has changed during the past thousand years.”

Desdemona mumbled in her human girl form.

“And they say even mountains change in 1000 years.”

To her, even a decade passed in a blink of an eye.

“Oh, right.”

“Hmm?”

“Hey, did you hear the rumour?”

“What rumour?”

“You know...”

Desdemona heard an interesting conversation from afar.

Let’s eavesdrop a bit.

She then amplified her hearing abilities.

It wasn’t difficult for a dragon like her.

“You know that Kentachi guy?”

“Ah~! That canine who sells things? The one who roams around with his backpack?”

“Yes, that Kentachi. I heard from that guy that...”

“Hmm?”

“An ancient golden dragon had polymorphed into a human and is now walking around the Ishtar region.”

Desdemona froze.