Episode 37 – The Lord (2)
“We don’t have time to introduce ourselves leisurely.”
I’m just as curious about his identity, but in this situation, if I act too relaxed, it might instill a sense of discomfort and suspicion in him.
I still have no intention of revealing my true self to him.
“Kk, that’s true.”
Fortunately, since the current situation around us is utter chaos, he didn’t particularly doubt or suspect my words or identity. Not that he had the time to spare for it in the first place.
Thanks to this, I managed to move my soldiers to deliberately leave an escape route, through which I could escape the chaotic battlefield with him.
“Kill the rest.”
Of course, the escape route we used quickly closed off again, meaning that, in the end, only a lucky handful, including us, managed to escape.
The others were trapped in a hell reproduced on earth, dying amidst thick poison and the smell of blood.
“Hey, stop! Their pursuit has ended. I can’t sense any movement anymore.”
When we had run far from the battlefield-turned-city and reached the distant forest…
The person who had been running after me stopped to catch his breath and detained me.
Of course, my soldiers, following my earlier order not to come, pursued other individuals rather than us.
“I won’t deny that we’re alive thanks to you.”
“Is that so?”
Now that we had some time to relax, he started to regard me with caution again. But his wariness wasn’t too strong.
After spending a short while fighting side by side, a crack of trust had appeared in his heart.
“My name is Cruiger. Cruiger Mond.”
“An orc from where?”
“…I came from the southwestern Vendre region.”
Once he caught his breath, he revealed his name and origins. The Vendre region, located a little further from the northeast here, is closer to the central continent, which is the core and heart of the Demon Realm.
Indeed, his agility was different from that of the orcs in this area, so my judgment was not wrong.
“So how did someone like you end up here as a mercenary?”
“There’s a reason. But more importantly, now it’s your turn to let me know who you really are.”
Sighing softly, he surveyed me from head to toe. To his inquiry about my true identity, I slowly curled up the corners of my lips.
*
“Sir, why are you putting so much effort into this? If the person has the qualifications to endure collective consciousness, showing just a part of it should be enough for him to become one with us.”
“Because, upon reflection, this isn’t something that needs to be rushed, right?”
While my avatar conversed with Cruiger…
Back at the devastated battlefield, Syla seemed bewildered as she asked me why after their victory, but I had already made up my mind.
The situation was different from when I accepted Syla into the collective consciousness. Cruiger was not as badly injured as Syla was, nor was he in a state where he couldn’t reveal his true self.
At the same time, I became highly satisfied with the quality information gathered via my avatar inside, and decided to use it more effectively.
“And Syla, even you didn’t succeed in making your heart completely one with ours. Rushing things doesn’t always make them work.”
“That… is…”
Even Syla herself could not deny that her heart had never fully merged with mine. Her sense of self, developed over centuries as a vampire noble, was too different from our identity.
It was only after I modified certain parts of her physical essence that I managed to redirect her heart.
“I’m going to learn as much as I can about this, and use it to the fullest. The ultimate goal is to make him willingly come to me and dedicate everything he has.”
Through Syla as the prototype, I acquired knowledge on how to control beings with their own sense of self within the collective consciousness. Since I was already planning to send my avatar to the outside world, I decided to proceed with a more delicate operation.
“Leave this matter aside; now it’s time for us to claim our spoils of war.”
The gargoyle armies, at a loss since they failed to fulfill their appointed missions, all retreated back to their territories after our victory against their main force.
The piles of corpses lying all over the battlefield may be considered part of our spoils, but the nearby city, left defenseless, is undoubtedly our greatest reward. I had already dispatched scouts to examine the city’s interior, and they confirmed that there was nothing remaining inside.
“Charge!”
I mobilized the contingents I had prepared and captured the city in one swift stroke. As most of the city’s residents had fled, the few who remained resisting were honorably dispatched without delay.
Afterwards, I immediately deployed workers to begin their tasks. These included creating digestive systems to provide nutrients for soldiers, as well as production facilities that could reproduce more soldiers. Naturally, this city would become a new nest used as a pivotal base.
Unlike the areas I had previously occupied, this city positioned near the neighboring territories would act as bait, drawing everyone’s attention.
While the enemies were distracted by this “bait,” our main hideout, well-shielded far away and expanding with sunflowers, would grow even stronger.
“What do you wish to learn from the prisoners we’ve spared?”
“I have specific things to ask them.”
In the meantime, I commanded Syla to spare several individuals.
Even though I already gathered extensive information on enemy interiors through my avatars, I also needed to learn news from places much farther apart than the hobgoblin territory.
“I have to find out about other players. There must be quite a number of them in this Demon Realm, and by now, rumors should start to spread. I don’t think they’re just staying idle, tending to their villages, are they?”
[The exact number of players involved in the game cannot be disclosed at this point.]
“I don’t need that. I’ll find out myself.”
What I truly aim to learn concerns other players. So far, the only player I’ve met raised goblins.
Even after I officially revealed myself and fought a large-scale war, toppling a territory, no forces that raise suspicion as players have yet appeared.
Not to mention, there’s no one approaching me first either.
Admittedly, if I were in their position, I might not have considered a sudden mutation like myself a player either.
“It won’t be hard to find them. As players develop, they become more obvious. Frankly, as soon as rumors spread, you can identify them immediately.”
Just as special goblin variants like Red Skins can only appear through a player’s authority, each race has similar specialized units as undeniable evidence. There’s no reason for players not to use these specialized units that help them take an early lead.
Moreover, players have unified behavior patterns, as their ultimate goals are the same.
Players typically start from the smallest villages or hamlets and gradually expand their influence.
Those recently expanding their forces at a rapid pace should be considered suspect.
Ultimately, every player’s aim is to conquer the world, so compared to local factions that wish to maintain the status quo, they are glaringly different.
“In that case, I will interrogate them to find out such information.”
“I’ll be watching, so proceed.”
Syla immediately nodded, understanding what I said. Since anything she does is something I also know, if she does manage to discover a lead, I won’t miss it.
[If you manage to identify other players through such methods, what do you plan to do?]
[Option 1: Hostility]
[Option 2: Collaboration]
The simple choice options that the system posed elicited a dismissive smile from me.
Truthfully, I already have a decision firmly in mind.
“Do you really think collaboration among players is possible? This game risks their own lives. Even if they collaborate, they’ll likely be preparing to stab each other in the back at any moment.”
Of course, it’s possible to temporarily form alliances to bring down stronger enemies. This sort of thing is common when playing multiplayer, for instance, when players initially ally with someone to dismantle the most powerful local faction.
But this time, I’ve decided not to do that.
The Legion I lead now consists of a race that cannot coexist with anything else, a pestilence-like species that, just by existing, devastates large areas.
I’ve already realized that it is far more beneficial to crush them and turn them into nutrients rather than awkwardly cooperate.
My purpose in seeking information first is ultimately not to collaborate but to attack them, eliminate the root cause, and secure more nutrients.
