I Became a Level -99 Vicious Lord

Chapter 90

Upon his return from Haver Prairie, Otto began to develop the Kingdom of Lota in earnest.

The core of Otto’s policy was the Holy Relics.

Otto continued to edify his people through the use of the <Scripture of Reconciliation>.

He also appointed Helmut as military commander of the eastern border zone with the help of <Marquis Resolution>, he established and created an iron fortress.

He built a huge ranch, installed the [Priamos Terracotta], and began to bring in horses of the Tatar breed, a specialty of the Khabar steppes.

He then brought warriors from the Kongurat tribe to serve as cavalry instructors, training the cavalry of the Lota Kingdom.

They unified people, strengthened borders, and improved military power by creating more cavalry.

That was the power of holy relics. The core content of the game is to grow the faction under your control.

It’s hard to deny that Holy Relics are a key item because they help tremendously with faction growth.

This is because having or not having a Holy Relic drastically reduces the effort required to grow certain parts of one’s Faction.

‘At this point, I’ve laid the foundation.’

Otto saw that the Kingdom of Iota was beginning to function somewhat as a kingdom, and he sought to improve it.

Training.

After one close call against Togril, he decided to focus on honing his skills.

And it was necessary.

When he experienced this world through the game, he could just control his character.

But fighting as a character is a whole different story, and Otto had no choice but to gain the necessary battle experience and become stronger.

So Otto decided to visit the Kuntachi Clan after a long time.

It’s winter, there’s nothing else to do, and he’s leveled up enough to gain the second power of the Invincible Emperor.

“Let’s go, Camille.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Taking only Camille with him, Otto sneaked out of the Kingdom of Lota and made his way to the Kuntachi clan.

The route to the Kuntachi clan.

“Why are you sneaking around like a rat?”

“What, a rat?”

Otto rolled his eyes.

“Your Majesty is the King of a nation, and do you think it’s normal for someone like you to sneak out of the palace at this late hour and go to his maternal grandfather’s house? But that doesn’t mean we are conducting inspections to look after the well-being of the people, right?”

“Well, I suppose so.”

“Why are you trying to move silently?”

“That’s because I have to travel secretly.”

“And why is that?”

“If I go in public, I’m sure my grandfather will bother me.”

“Ah?”

“He’ll probably try to hold me back. Ugh. I’m tired just thinking about it.”

At this point, Conrad had high hopes for Otto, and he was very interested.

He was right to be, for as far as he was concerned, Otto was the future of House Kuntachi itself.

He was kept informed of Otto’s progress daily by the magic swordsmen that he had dispatched to the Kingdom of Lota.

Is that all?

‘Your Majesty, Archduke Conrad has sent you a letter.

‘Archduke Conrad has requested an answer to his letter.

‘Your Majesty, Archduke Conrad has written to….’

Conrad wrote to Otto almost every week, pestering him about when he would visit the Kuntachi family home.

Therefore, Otto has no choice but to sneak out of the Kingdom of Lota like a rat and head for the Kuntachi family, despite Camille’s words.

“It’s a secret that we’re going to the Kuntachi family. Do you understand? Neither the mice nor the birds will know.”

“If that’s the case, why are you taking me with you?”

Camille frowned.

“Shouldn’t you just go around quietly on your own?”

“It’s boring.”

“… …”

“And I need someone to keep me company.”

For a moment, Camille had to fight back the profanity that rose from deep in his chest.

‘This guy.’

It’s no secret that Camille, Knight Commander of the Lota Kingdom’s Guardian Knights, has a lot of work to do.

To summon someone like him to be an errand boy just because he’s bored…

“Why me, when there are others like Kairos who have nothing to do but drink every day?”

“He’s loud, is he the kind of guy who’s going to be quiet? Is he? It’s just like, shouting ‘I’m here’ and running around.”

“Ah”

Camille found it difficult to disagree with Otto.

In fact, Kairos was often spotted by his enemies because he often moved so noisily during ambushes and in assassination attempts.

* * *

Otto and Camille infiltrate the palace of the Kuntachi Duchy with ease.

His increased skill level in <Clairvoyance> allowed him to see through walls and over barriers, making it easier for him to avoid the eyes of the guards.

He made his way to where the entrance to the Sanctuary was located.

“Well, have a good night. Hehe”

“Yes, Your Highness. Get a good night’s rest, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I understand. I’ll wait for you.”

Otto tilted his head as he spotted his maternal grandfather, Conrad, talking to Julius, a descendant of Emperor Argonne, and then walking away.

“What the hell is he doing here?”

Otto found it odd that Julius showed up when he least expected it.

Of course, Julius was no ordinary merchant, but a tycoon with a presence on every continent.

In reality, he was the head of a global corporation.

So it wasn’t so strange for Julius to meet with Conrad.

A man of his stature would have a vast network of contacts and friends across all continents.

But within Otto’s experience and knowledge, Julius and Conrad were not that close.

“What’s the reason for this?”

“Julius meeting his maternal grandfather.”

“If its Julius… Are you referring to the merchant called Julius? The one who is descendant of Emperor Argonne.”

“Yes”

“Couldn’t you have met him?”

“That’s because Julius is such an asshole.”

Julius was one of the most recognizable and infamous villains in the game [Territory Wars].

Emulating his ancestor, Argonne, Julius approaches gamers with intermediate to high skill levels and offers them favors.

He then becomes their vassal, pretending to be loyal to them and slowly gaining power.

Then, when they’ve grown to the point where they’re a candidate for continental hegemony, they rebel.

So, if you’re a good enough gamer, you’re gnashing your teeth against Julius.

Otto had been beaten by Julius before he was possessed by this world, so it was only natural for him to be wary.

“Wait here for a minute.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m not going anyplace. I’m just going to keep an eye on Julius, see what he’s up to.”

“Y-Your Highness!”

Camille called out, but Otto had already turned down the hall and disappeared.

“Are you telling me to get caught?”

Camille muttered in disbelief as Otto abandoned him.

Although Camille had his night vision skill, he didn’t have Clairvoyance, so he couldn’t see beyond the walls.

This meant that it wasn’t easy to move around stealthily within the confines of the Kuntachi Duchy’s palace.

* * *

Abandoning Camille, Otto immediately made his way to where Julius was staying.

He crawled up to the ceiling and settled in just above Julius’ room.

‘I can’t hear anything’, came the thoughts of Otto prompting him to place his ears in the ceiling.

Otto eavesdropped on Julius’s conversation from the ceiling cavity, his ears glued to the floor.

“Have you returned, Your Majesty?”

Otto heard someone’s voice.

Otto was puzzled by the use of “Your Majesty.”

It was a title reserved only for the Emperor.

No one else could call themselves that, and if they did, they would be ridiculed.

It wasn’t something you could call yourself among your closest friends, it was something you had to be the emperor of an empire that covered at least a third of the continent.

“The talk with Conrad went well.”

Julius’ voice sounded.

“He has agreed to make a deal with us in the future. He made a good offer, and we had no choice but to accept.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Your Majesty.”

“What are the latest developments in the Kingdom of Lota?”

“They are currently concentrating on internal affairs and building up their military strength.”

“What about the Otto de Scuderia?”

“We know he’s training every day, working on his physical fitness, but we can’t confirm that. I’ve heard that Knight Commander Camille is a very disciplined and vigilant individual, so the security at the palace is unusually tight.”

“I see. Tell your informants to keep their intelligence gathering activities within reason.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“There’s no need to be impatient, anyway. Now that we’ve established a line to the Kuntachi family, we’ll have more contacts with Otto de Scuderia. Let’s take our time. They’re still just one of our vessel candidates, so we need to wait and see. Do you understand?”

“You have a point.”

“Any word on the Black Crusaders?”

“They are quiet.”

“My descendant.”

“Yes, Your Reverence, the First Emperor.”

Otto couldn’t understand their conversation at all.

‘What are you talking about? It’s not enough to be called Your Majesty, you’re the first emperor? Argon is descended from his own brother? What the fuck is that? It’s not even a family tree, Could it be something like a secret code?’

But it seemed a little too much for a secret code.

‘What’s with the first emperor? Do he call him that because he’s a future emperor? No, The Oberhauser family is by no means so screwed up that they praise themselves while gulping down kimchi soup.¹ The First Emperor… Who is worthy of being called the first emperor? If you were the first emperor, the only one would be Argonne the Great, right?’

At that time.

“In order to rebuild the Empire of Krares, the well-being of the people and the stability of the royal family should be top priority. We must not allow the Black Crusaders to discover our identity. Keep in mind that.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“If I succeed in rebuilding Krares, the first thing I’ll do is root out the Black Crusaders so they’ll never know we existed. I had no idea that the same enemies that gave me so much trouble in the past would threaten my descendants for generations to come. It’s all my fault.”

“How can it be said that the first emperor’s carelessness? They’re just fanatics, followers who blindly follow their master Kairos. On the contrary, our descendants, who have not been able to eradicate them and have been threatened for many years, are more careless. So don’t worry too much. We’ll take care of the black crossings on our own.” 

“Better was Kairos, the loser, for though he fled and his life was in uncertainty, he was not a coward in the end.”

“Could the Black Crusaders Society be a secret society created by the enemy? It is also possible that their descendants have carried on their legacy.”

“That can’t be possible.”

Julius said sharply.

“Kairos isn’t such a crooked character. He’s a man among men. He was a hero worthy of having as a brother. He may have resented his betrayal by his own brother, but he is not one to linger on the throne and resist in bitter fashion. If he were alive today, he would have formed an open rebellion against me instead of forming a Black Crusader-like organization.”

At that moment.

‘Fuck!’

Otto was so surprised that he had to cover his mouth with his hand to keep from letting out an audible gasp.

** ** **

TL/N:

1. In Korean culture, kimchi soup is usually eaten after the main course of a meal, so usually one should wait to eat this until the end of the meal. In other words, this saying means that (One should wait for something they are anticipating to happen until it really happens)