Chapter 279 – World Parliament (4)

‘Using the Barbarian prisoner this way. Very impressive, Bertelgia.’

Sungchul was taken aback by how Bertelgia decided to respond to the moment.

The Barbarian in his mind was nothing more than a tool to instill a sense of urgency in the different nations to try and gather them behind a common cause.

But in the face of the Wandering King taking the initiative and using the former territories of the Empire to unite all the countries under a unified cause, the Barbarian prisoner had become obsolete in its function.

Or so he had thought.

But Bertrelgia had brought it out anyway and used it as a way to put an end to the Wandering King’s complete control over the room.

It was a method that had escaped Sungchul, and the results spoke for themselves as to the effectiveness.

Aside from Hesserdein, the other representatives from other countries couldn’t take their eyes off of the Barbarians they had only heard in rumors.

Thanks to this, Sungchul had an opportunity to take a breather and find a measure of inner peace once more.

Sungchul gave a faint grin towards Bertelgia who was floating by the bird cage before standing up from his seat.

It was time for the Chairman of the World Parliament, who had been quiet for some time, to finally make a comeback.

He first addressed the Wandering King.

“I would like to extend my gratitude for you recognizing my achievements. But, as you can see, not all kings are present at the moment. To hastily make a decision without taking into consideration their position could come back to bite us later down the line.”

The Wandering King remained quiet as he listened to Sungchul speak.

‘It wouldn’t have been strange for him to kick up a fuss, but he remains quiet.’

Sungchul made note of this as he continued.

“And more urgent than anything else right now, there is something that has to be solved first and foremost.”

Sungchul turned towards Hesserdein.

“Right now, how fares your borders?”

“We are in great peril. If they were to seriously attack us, our Kingdom would not last a month.”

“And for that reason, before the issue of the selection of the one king, I believe we must put the issue of rescuing our friends, the Coalition of Allied Elvan Kingdoms, as the highest priority.”

Sungchul now controlled the flow.

Sungchul turned towards the Wandering King upon finishing his thoughts.”

“Let us pick the one king on a later date.”

“…”

The Wandering King stared at the ground, looking positively exhausted.

“I do not believe there is a reason why we ought to take into consideration the positions of countries who chose not to attend.”

The Wandering King eventually replied.

“I will guarantee you, the Human Empire will never come to participate here.”

It seems as though he hadn’t given up on the idea of pushing the crown upon Sungchul’s head.

“Then let us do it this way.”

Sungchul said.

The Wandering King saw vitality and energy return to Sungchul’s eyes.

With life and vigor illuminating his eyes, Sungchul spoke the next words calmly.

“I shall temporarily reserve the spot you have recommended me. And once all the kings are gathered in one place, we shall vote together, for the king who is most suitable to take the mantle as the Calamity demands.”

A third option.

There was a subtle change in the Wandering King’s expressions.

Sungchul continued to speak.

“This is the only way that will simultaneously satisfy those who have elected to participate in this session today as well as earn the cooperation of those who are to join us in the future as our ally. This is for the best.”

Sungchul took a look around at the assembly upon finishing. There was no reason for anyone to disagree with him. Sungchul would not become king on the spot and if wanted they were still able to vote for a new king at any point as needed.

“Splendid.”

Arcanite said with an elated voice. The representatives of other nations agreed to Sungchul’s proposal.

Sungchul fully controlled the floor now.

Sungchul finished what he wanted to say before he glanced at Bertelgia and Marakia to give them a slight nod.

‘Thank you all.’

Sungchul was grateful from the bottom of his heart. Without their help, he would not have been able to make it this far and stop the things from slipping out of control.

It was the Wandering King’s turn once more.

The Wandering King did not show much change on the surface, but his intentions of having Sungchul become King was dashed.

He had used exorbitant bribes to buy the favor of other nations before using that momentum to get direct the flow of conversation towards a conclusion no one would have thought of to drive the assembly into a state of shocked silence. But even that was all in the past.

Bertelgia’s timely interruption and Sungchul’s recover and counter offensive made his point moot.

‘It appears Sungchul was in fact not in talks with the Wandering King. But even so, the Wandering King is unable to take back his earlier promises. Doing so will end his political life.’

There was nothing more fun than watching someone else’s house burn down.

Arcanite stroked his subtle beard as he watched the Wandering King in amusement.

“…”

The Wandering King stared at the white floor for a while whilst standing in silence. It appeared there was nothing he could say to salvage the situation.

Finally, he let out a small sigh before replying quietly.

“…I shall abide by your suggestion.”

The Wandering King surrendered.

Putting all the eggs in one basket and trying to brute force his plan was his eventual downfall.

But by no means that meant he was a useless fool.

He who had nothing and brought Sungchul on the brink of becoming the one king.

Sungchul stared at the man who had turned around with his hands held behind his back.

That was a difficult man to figure.

His end goal was still unclear and motives were even more mysterious.

But with this, one thing became abundantly clear.

The Wandering King was the true master of Aquiroa, who wielded the Fragments of Calamity.

‘There is something about him, that man.’

But Sungchul couldn’t simply shun the man entirely either. Because at the moment, he was more helpful than any other kings have ever been.

The only reason why an ambitious king like Arcanite was quietly listening to everything was all thanks to the Wandering King’s efforts.

‘I will use everything that can be used.’

It was finally time to confirm the result of this day’s assembly.

Sungchul prepared a piece of paper and had every participating nation sign that they would entrust their crown to Sungchul.

“I would like to urge you to please act on the next item on the agenda.”

Hesserdein, as the representative of the Elvan King, came forth to sign the agreement first. And following him, other smaller nations came forth to sign the document.

One diplomat tried to back down by insisting he lacked the authority to sign such paper, but he couldn’t overcome Arcanite’s wrath and ended up signing.

“Now I wonder how the Human Empire will react. Even if they were to come and join our cause, they’re destined to lose all of their imperial holdings.”

Arcanite said his characteristically callous and abrasive comment as he signed the agreement.

“…”

His way of expression was hard to stomach, but Arcanite was right.

The party standing to lose the most from this gathering was none other than the Human Empire.

Though the Empire had effectively lost control already, legally the land promised by the Wandering King was Imperial lands.

The Emperor and the Wandering King.

The two man who both lay claim to La Grange could never work together.

There shall come a time when Sungchul would have to pick one over the other.

And from the flow of things, it seemed more likely at the moment that Sungchul would pick the Wandering King.

For a moment, a look of disappointment flashed across Sungchul’s face as he bit down on his lips.

‘William. Why have you not come? I had thought you of all people would, even if no one else came.’

But an absentee was an absentee. For those who had elected to not show up, there was bound to be penalty.

And as the Wandering King had stated earlier, the dangers of Calamity were approaching from all directions.

There wasn’t much time left.

Sungchul let out a light sigh before standing before the next signatory.

The Wandering King.

The crownless king stared at the document a servant had presented to him.

“I don’t even have a crown. Is this fine to sign?”

It was a strange question to ask at this point. Sungchul thought this was rather cowardly of him as he replied bluntly.

“Crownless you may be, you have stood here in the assembly with your authority as a king, no?”

“I see.”

The Wandering King held an undecipherable grin as he took up a pen and signed his name and title.

[King of the Holy kingdom of Rutheginea]

[Kromgard Abyss Gabain]

An international agreement containing the signatures of six kings or their representatives was now complete. But this was less than half of them.

To get a good grasp of their current progress, they would have to do some investigation on the whereabouts on the kings of fallen kingdoms.

Sungchul was about to move onto the next item on the agenda when suddenly a magic formation appeared in the air.

No one had expected this to happen.

Soon, a man appeared from within the magic formation.

The man wore extremely extravagant clothes covered in gold and precious jewels, as well as a pair of swords on his back. He scratched his head looking troubled as he looked around the assembly floor full of surprised faces.

Sungchul doubted his eyes once he saw who it was.

‘Dragoman?’

One of the surviving members of the Seven Heroes.

‘Why has this man appeared here?’

Sungchul’s questions only deepened upon the appearance of another being.

It was yet another book.

“Hmm? Another Living Book? It looks identical to that one!”

Aquiroa pointed at the new book and shouted.

“Not one but two of you come to his holy place of assembly, I can no longer forgive your trespasses!”

Aquiroa was about to lift a whip after screeching her indignation.

“Oh dear, how foolish.”

Dragoman scratched his head and muttered to himself.

There was a bright burst of light from the new book. And soon, Aquiroa let out a shameful cry of pain. A formless invisible object had materialized along with the light and struck against the whip.

Aquiroa let out a groan of pain, grasping her hand.

She had long lost any semblance of dignity as the Second of the Champions of the Continent.

Sungchul slowly walked forward as he kept his eyes affixed to the newly arrived trespassers of the assembly.

“For what have you come? Explain yourself, trespassers.”

Fal Garaz was in Sungchul’s hands.

Sungchul was glaring at Dragoman.

Dragoman waved his hands as he backed off.

“I didn’t come here because I wanted to. Please don’t get the wrong idea. The one who dragged me here was this guy.”

Dragoman turned to look at the book that was floating in front of him.

Sungchul’s view turned towards the book.

“T…that’s…?”

Bertelgia shook from afar when she saw it.

Meanwhile, Sungchul’s eyes were also affixed on the book.

A book possessing identical appearance to Bertelgia.

The book, having finished punishing Aquiroa, slowly turned to face Sungchul.

“We meet again, Destroyer.”

A familiar voice and attitude.

‘This one. Could it be the same one I met in Ixion?’

The book continued to speak.

“I am an executor carrying out the will of the Scroll of Calamity. I do not typically make appearances before others, but I have made an exception to make myself known before you to provide help in resolving the Calamity.”

Soon, words made of light appeared before every person in the assembly.

Sungchul glared at the book visible beyond the words until the words fully covered his vision.

The words read as follows.

[To make the one king, you need additional five crowns.]

[The remaining five crowns are…]

1. Human Empire

2. Dragoman’s Nation

3. Osyria Republic

4. Dwarven Kingdom

5. Ga Xi Ong’s Nation

Sungchul couldn’t contain his surprise.

The book that showed up without any warning was providing a structure to follow to a previously directionless endeavor.

Each of the members of the assembly were left in shock by what they were seeing.

Only one person, King Arcanite was completely uninterested in the content of the words. He erased the words and stood up vigorously.

What was important to him was not the matters of the crown. What he needed was tracks of land.

Issues pertaining to the crown could be resolved upon the resolution of the Calamity, was his thought.

‘So, this is the terrible Barbarian of the rumors?’

Arcanite approached the Barbarian trapped within the bird cage.

It resembled a large and powerful human, but there was something very inhuman about it.

He received a sword from one of his subordinates, which he drew and stood before the bird cage.

He pretended to stab at the Barbarian in the cage by pushing the sword into the cage.

The Barbarian growled but took no other action.

Arcanite made a subtle grin as he brought the sword close to the Barbarian’s eyes.

It was because he didn’t like the look in the Barbarian’s eyes.

‘How dare he glare at a king.’

Arcanite decided to stab the Barbarian then and there.

At that moment, the book spoke up once more.

“Ah, it appears a correction is necessary.”

Of the five crowns visible in the list before everyone’s eyes, one scattered like sand and was erased.

It was Ga Xi Ong’s Nation.

“Just now, they were wiped out.”

The book turned towards the bird cage.

Everyone could see now, the shock and terror in Arcanite’s face.

The King’s hand holding the sword was trembling.

The sword he held was inside the Barbarian’s mouth.

Crunch, Crunch.

The Barbarian was glaring murderously at Arcanite as he was eating the sword the king had tried to stab him with.

Arcanite was trying his best to pull out the sword, but his strength could not match that of the Barbarian.

The man known as the fourth Champion of the Continent and the most powerful swordmaster of the kingdom of Swordmaster, was losing in a contest of strength to a random Barbarian.

It was both pathetic and shocking sight to behold.

It was a moment when the realization of the danger the Barbarians posed reignited in the minds of those present.

Within the deafening stunned silence, the cheerful voice of the book echoed loudly.

“By those new humanoids.”

At that moment, in the northern part of the continent.

A northern territory by the name Trowin was filled with sounds of angry shouts and battle horns.

The northern Barbarians, they finally ended their long period of silence and resumed their march south.

Destroying everything on the way.

---

To get MCHHS Book 4 – Click here

Previous Chap|TOC|Next Chap