With the pact with Duke, all contracts were finalized.
Thus was Rex’s royal guard formed.
There were numerous opinions regarding its name.
“What shall we name it?”
“How about the SS royal guard? It means Super Soldier royal guard.”
“How about Black Hand? It signifies our willingness to soil our hands for Lord Rex.”
“By combining ‘Yeni’ meaning ‘renewed’ and ‘Çeri’ meaning ‘soldiers’, I believe Yeniçeri would be a good name.”
“In the North where I hail from, there is a word опри́ч meaning ‘expulsion.’ I propose Оппичлиники as the name, to signify the expulsion of Lord Rex’s enemies.”
Truly, a wide variety of suggestions were put forth.
[No, let’s not do that.]
“Everything is rejected.”
All were shot down by Rex and Duke.
However, one name stuck.
“How about Yormungand?”
Duke accepted the suggestion made by a dwarf from the northwestern continent.
The dwarf who made the accepted proposal was granted the honor to speak on behalf of the group.
“The world has abandoned us.”
All gathered here, much like Rex, were forsaken beings by this world.
Their reasons and ways they were abandoned may differ, but they all agreed that this world was wrong.
“The so-called heroes of hope instead hunted and sold us for money. Just because we were Ain! If that be the case, we shall willingly take up the mantle of evil.”
They have experienced the hypocrisy of those called heroes.
Thus, they would no longer take up the mantle of good in this world.
“One day, we will consume the so-called heroes of hope! All for our Lord!”
“For our Lord!!”
And so, Rex’s royal guard became known as the Yormungand Knights.
[Wha… What about my opinion??]
Ignoring Rex burdened with the thought of death,
Though a name was decided for the Yormungand Knights, they did not leave the research city immediately.
A hundred people moving required adequate preparation.
They had to spend at least a day in this most loathsome of cities.
[…I shall rest early…]
Having gone through a very intense day, Rex, mentally exhausted, trudged towards the best lodging in the city.
(Absolutely, under no circumstances were they to follow him – that was a given.)
As Rex rested on a fine bed for the first time in a while, the squadron leaders of the knights gathered in another building.
“It seems we’re all here.”
Inside the dim-lit building, Master Gnome stroked his pure white beard and nodded.
There were three squadrons, thereby making three squadron leaders present.
It was during the previous battle, where those who displayed remarkable strength, naturally became the squadron leaders.
“Lord Duke, thank you for joining us at this late hour.”
And though not a squadron leader, Duke, the leader of the knights, naturally attended.
Duke nodded at the chairperson to begin.
“Then, let me explain the reason I’ve called you all here…”
With that, Chairman Gnome elder spread a map on the table.
The Kargonar territory.
The name of the territory they were in now.
While pointing at the part marked as the capital (though the term was fitting but unsure), the elder spoke.
“This is where the lord resides.”
The nodding Duke and squadron leaders.
Gnome glared at the point he indicated and continued speaking.
“I have always believed that humans have the potential to become good. And any society that prevents the nurturing of their innate goodness is a flawed society.”
Duke nodded in agreement, but the squadron leaders remained unyielding.
As if they had their own set of beliefs.
Gnome continued explaining, mindful of the squadron leaders.
“The ruler of this territory is society itself. However, the society governed by him is evil. What does this mean?”
“Does this mean the lord is evil?”
The elf squadron leader answered.
“That’s right. And as I mentioned before, humans possess the potential for good. But the lord, he is evil. So, what does this mean?”
“The lord is a beast.”
The middle-aged man with hollow eyes and pale skin as if afflicted with cyanosis responded indifferently.
Satisfied with this answer, Gnome smiled and continued.
“Then, what should we do with this lord?”
“Overthrow him. One who creates a corrupt moral code must be pulled down so that individuals can create new ones.”
The gentleman with a stylish beard and fangs showing smiled.
Gnome’s smile widened as he clasped his hands together.
The three squadron leaders then relaxed the stiff atmosphere and nodded in agreement.
“I may not fully agree with your ideology, but a considerable amount aligns with mine. The goal… is very appealing.”
“Hm… I thought you were an old fool spouting nonsense, but you are rather practical. I agree.”
“Though there is some room for discussion regarding the logic, there’s no room for disagreement with the conclusion.”
The thoughts of the three squadron leaders and Chairman Gnome elder aligned.
In due time, their gazes turned to Duke.
Taking in their gazes, Duke thought,
‘Hmm… What should I do?’
He already noticed his subordinates had gone rogue.
Generally, it would be right to stop them here.
But…
‘Anyway, we’re going to seize this territory.’
This territory is the starting point of the empire.
And come to think of it, even if Duke interferes, the lord will create his own reasons to seize it.
What would be Rex’s reason to usurp this territory? It’s all the lord’s fault.
‘There’s little meaning in intervening anyway.’
Since they’re going to take it anyway, and since it’s an illusion…
‘Let’s just let it happen.’
Rex will surely normalize it later.
Under this irresponsible conclusion, Duke cleared his throat.
“By my sword, I cannot create happiness.”
“Duke sir?”
“Leader?”
“Master?”
“But if it is the happiness created by my lord, I shall protect it, even if it should become a kingdom.”
“!!!!”
The atmosphere in the meeting room heated up.
Duke, sensing an indescribable bond with them, pointed at the capital of the territory.
“Here is where Lord Rex’s blessing shall begin.”
“Ho ho.”
“Blessings. Indeed, no expression suits better. Far beyond the World Tree.”
“I don’t believe in such absurd notions of blessing… However, for once, I’d like to believe.”
“To establish proper values for the last of mankind, we must have a benchmark.”
The five people gathered in the meeting room nodded.
Duke, under the flickering oil lamp in the dim room, announced their first objective.
“Lord Rex will soon send each of you to various parts of the territory. In the meantime, sharpen your swords as you wait for the moment.”
“Understood!”
The quiet exclamations from the squadron leaders and Gnome elder.
Duke’s dark eyes glanced beyond the flickering oil lamp at the territory’s map.
Morning arrived a little late.
“Yaaaawn. Did… everyone sleep well…?”
Stretching, Rex asked the knights while stepping out of the lodging.
At his question, the subjects all nodded.
Except for the squadron leaders, everyone else had a good night’s sleep on a proper bed for the first time in a while.
Moreover, without the forced awakening, they indulged in the luxury of sleeping in.
In contrast, the squadron leaders who were up all night in the secret meeting…
“Good morning, Lord Rex.”
“My condition is optimal, my lord.”
“Lord Rex. It’s an excellent morning.”
were in even better condition than those who had slept.
They appeared like boys who had found back their dreams, with eyes sparkling brightly.
“?”
Rex was momentarily perplexed by the change that had occurred overnight but soon dismissed it as nothing significant.
“Lord Rex.”
At his side, Duke quietly gave a hint.
“It’s about time we start moving.”
Nodding, Rex activated the interface (or fireflies) above the heads of all knights, sending out messages.
[First Squadron head east from here]
[Second Squadron head south from here]
[Third Squadron head west from here]
Lately, Rex has become quite comfortable with informal messaging through the interface.
He assigned the first mission to the knights.
[Duke and I will head towards the capital. We must find someone there.]
[According to the doctor and the guild master’s records, my friend seems to have been sold there.]
[I will look for them first, but if they’ve moved, I’ll let you know.]
[Understood?]
As the squadron leaders nodded,
‘Hmm. A friend, eh. Of course, normal methods won’t allow access to the records…’
‘As expected… there’s no other way.’
‘Hoh. A good trial.’
The squadron leaders slightly misinterpreted Rex’s intentions but overall were on the right track.
Duke could read their intentions in their gaze.
‘They… are planning a slave liberation movement.’
Though he understood, he had no intention of stopping them.
After all, to find the movement path of A, they need to look at the slave trader’s ledger,
They will never show it willingly,
Therefore, smashing them is a highly rational conclusion.
‘This is Rex’s fault for not telling them how to find it.’
He passed over it, with a vague belief that the illusion would somehow take care of such trivial problems.
Unaware of this, Rex continued issuing orders.
[Let’s have the reports every night at 9. I’ll give authority to the squadron leaders, and they’ll collate and present the reports.]
One of the knights, now elevated to a knight, raised his hand.
“Sorry, but we don’t know how to tell time…”
“Oh.”
Rex, who was born a modern person and always carried an interface after possession, naturally mentioned the time without realizing those without watches.
‘There are still places without clocks…’
The development level of cities in this world depends on the administrator’s preferences, some have achieved steam-punk level technology while others remain tribe societies.
Recalling this fact, Rex tinkered with his interface settings.
Then…
“Oh… Ohhhh!”
The knights, gazing at their wrists as if discovering fire for the first time, were delighted.
Numbers began to appear on the back of their hands.
‘Aha, this is the magic of watches…!’
Rex thought this to himself and twisted his body with self-contempt.
‘Am I some kind of high school boy?!’
However, unlike his thoughts, this seemingly trivial ability was quite impressive.
‘There are numbers on my back…’
Even Duke, who didn’t outwardly show his amazement, glanced at his hand.
Apparently, the other knights’ ‘fireflies’ were acting as the hour and minute hands on their hands.
‘Wow. This is insane.’
For Duke, who had lived 200 years without a watch, relying solely on sundials and body clocks, this was an incredible display of magic.
That way, Rex naturally gave them all watches, and the knights officially dispersed.
After sending them off, Duke, using his captain authority, received a minimap and commanding abilities.
[When I’m gone or busy, Duke is in charge.]
Nodding, Duke waved his hand in the air.
‘Oh.’
Already giving up on delicate operations like Rex,
Duke decided to use only the message and minimap functions.
‘A human should not try to do what humans can’t do.’
He sent test messages to the squadron leaders to trial the message function.
[Do not forget our objective.]
[Acknowledged.]
[Confirmed.]
[^_-]
‘What is this? Bloody hell. Why so modern? What’s with this guy?’
Duke was astonished but finished his test of the message function.
Afterward, Duke erased the three captains from his mind and focused on the journey with Rex.
“Let’s go.”
Rex got on a horse, and Duke followed suit on another horse.
Even though Rex mentioned he knows how to ride from the military academy,
‘Good.’
It was a relief to Duke, who has no inclination for carrying men on his rides.
Thus, the two headed towards the capital.
Not long after starting their journey, Rex pulled out the shoe A left behind.
“A…”
All he knew was that A was the owner of this shoe and, according to records, was sold as AR-09.
[Duke, is A still in the capital?]
Taken aback by Rex’s question, Duke shook his head.
“I’m sorry, but I cannot give a definite answer.”
Lie.
A is still there and will remain until Rex finds them.
Perhaps for another three months, at least.
‘Because we escaped much quicker than in the original.’
But Duke didn’t reveal it unnecessarily.
There was no need to advertise being a reincarnated soul, and it made little sense to spoil a happy ending.
Silence returned between the two.
For Duke, accustomed to traveling alone, this silence wasn’t difficult to bear, but with someone beside him, he felt restless.
‘While keeping to character…’
While indulging his restless tongue, Duke consciously maintained his character and asked:
“Lord Rex, do you have any ultimate goal planned?”
While it was certain he would become an emperor in the future, Duke was curious about Rex’s current objective.
Rex, pondering for a long while after Duke’s question,
[Actually, I haven’t thought about it.]
Thrown into a whirlwind of events, even with the new royal guard, his goal hadn’t changed much.
A life filled with plenty, stability, and peace.
The position of the city strategist was a practical means to achieve this honest desire.
But considering he’s been betrayed by his peers and mayor, it’s safe to say his position is lost.
Events have unfolded rather rapidly, and Rex hadn’t had time to think up till now. But with some leisure, he began revising his goals.
‘Hmm… should I become a mercenary?’
The most immediate thought was to use the royal guard like mercenaries for both wealth and fame.
And at the end of that path…
‘A stop at an inn should suffice, and if recognized for achievements, perhaps I could obtain a city.’
After finishing his thoughts, Rex spoke again.
[At the very least, I’d like to create a place where all of you can live comfortably.]
At least as much responsibility as he’d take if people followed him, Rex was willing to bear.
With the confidence in his abilities, he believed he could obtain a city.
Duke couldn’t help but smile faintly at his words.
‘He’s the type who avoids it but takes responsibility when asked.’
That was Rex’s charm.
Worldly, cowardly, overly cautious, always talking about retirement…
He may seem untrustworthy on the surface, but when given a task, he assumes responsibility.
‘He’s fully aware of the weight of responsibility, so he tries to avoid it.’
To put it another way, he’s an excellent boss.
Duke softly smiled while repeating Rex’s words.
“Like some sort of utopia?”
“No…”
– Nothing that grand.
Rex, about to answer differently, decided to give a more impressive response as he wanted to sound more profound.
[Attempts to create a utopia always end up as hells.]
Duke responded with admiration.
‘Heh heh.’
Rex, embarrassed but pleased with himself.
[Anyway, I don’t even dream of a kingdom. All I need is a prosperous city, a place where we can live comfortably together. That’s it.]
Upon hearing that, Duke nodded.
‘That city will eventually become the capital of the empire.’
Just then, Rex’s negative spiral of overthinking kicked in without any context.
This phenomenon, commonly called the paranoid engine of cautious loners, took off.
‘Wait. Doesn’t Duke hate empires?’
Rex’s paranoia chain connected like this.
Duke hates empires.
Therefore, if Rex shows any sign of reviving the empire…
‘GASP!’
In his paranoid state, Rex began frantically defending himself.
“I don’t even think about the empire!!”
At that statement, a surge of killing intent momentarily erupted from Duke.
Hiiiiink!
The horses carrying Rex and Duke went into a panic and began running wild.
Duke immediately regained composure and dismounted, kneeling on the ground.
“I apologize, Lord Rex!”
Though brief – only 0.2 seconds – it was enough time for Rex’s heart to feel like it dropped.
Taken aback, without time to type anything, Rex stared dumbfounded at Duke’s bowed head.
Then, realizing he was still alive, he helped Duke back up.
[I’m sorry. I lacked consideration.]
‘I didn’t expect ’empire’ to trigger such a reaction.’
Even though it was before Rex’s time and records were poor, it was said the empire had been cruel in ways.
So much so that everyone except the royal family, kings, and nobles celebrated when the 13 Overturners destroyed the empire.
Duke, bowing his head to Rex, had no idea how much the knight despised the empire.
The knight kept apologizing to Rex.
“Lord Rex, I apologize.”
[No harm done. We’ll adjust gradually.]
“Thank you for your forgiveness!”
Duke remounted the horse, which had calmed down by then.
During this time, Rex secretly wiped sweat from his brow.
‘Even though I’m the lord, why am I the one reading the situation?’
Anyways, might makes right.
Sighing at his weak reality, Rex restarted his horse ride.
Meanwhile, Duke’s perspective.
Duke, too, discreetly wiped his sweat.
‘Gah, my heart almost stopped.’
He reacted to the part “don’t even think about it.”
As if someone said, they wouldn’t list the cryptocurrency he devoted his life to.
It was that shocking, his ki was almost uncontrollable for a moment.
But after that fleeting moment, he reflected.
Anyway, this wasn’t an empire Rex wanted to create.
It was more like something pushed upon him half-heartedly.
Thus, there was absolutely no reason to overreact to that sentence.
‘Ah, 200 years does make one jumpy.’
Duke, who now understood why cryptocurrency people get so agitated.
So, they resumed their journey.
Still, their relationship was a bit awkward.
