“Apprehend him,” Woohyuk ordered to the guards.

“Yes!”

At Woohyuk's instructions, the guards ran toward the blond man who had evil intentions.

The blonde man made a puzzled expression for a moment before taking a bomb out of his coat.

“Don't come closer! Otherwise, I'll blow this whole place into pieces!”

The bomb pulled out by the blond man was like a crude Claymore, which would have been used tactically in World War II, so it didn't seem to be a product of magic engineering.

It was probably made by a person who possessed relevant knowledge in reproducing military-grade weapons based on Earth's human history.

Woohyuk overwhelmed the blonde man using mana aura because he didn't want the situation to get out of hand.

“Keuk!”

Slump!

The blonde man knelt down with a painful expression.

When the guards took the bomb that he was holding, Woohyuk spoke up, “No one can leave until we get to the bottom of this. If you don't want to be under suspicion, don't try to leave.”

A frosty atmosphere descended on the banquet hall.

Everyone in attendance realized at that moment that there was an attempt to a.s.sa.s.sinate the Queen.

Although unpleasant things had happened frequently in recent years, no one in attendance expected Joanna to be targeted, as she was loved by the royal people and the commoners.

Contemptuous gazes fell upon the blonde man…

“I will interrogate him myself. Take him to the dungeon,” Woohyuk, disguised as Joanna, said.

“Yes, my Queen,” the guards replied.

The blonde man was subsequently tortured to the point that it would traumatize him for the rest of his life.

“Ack!”

The blonde man's screams reverberated in the dark room as the torture officer continually sc.r.a.ped his thighs with an electrocution device.

Woohyuk allowed the torture to continue a bit longer before asking, “Why did you try to kill me?”

“Well, he said he would give me a lot of gold coins. Enough to be able to play and eat for a lifetime…” The blonde man gasped as he answered the question.

Woohyuk pulled the torture officer behind him and pushed his face in front of the blonde guy.

“Who?”

“I-I don't know. I don't know who the client is because the middleman didn't tell me…”

Pu-Wook!

Woohyuk used Bhilante's Dagger to strike between the thighs of the blond man.

The blonde man was instantly awakened with fright and corrected his own words.

“H-H-He said it was from a very large clan. Originally, I was active in the East, but after being pushed out of power, I came to the Rhine Kingdom…” he hurriedly responded.

Though he couldn't ensure its accuracy, Woohyuk obtained some useful information.

Woohyuk nodded after listening to the guy's story.

“I think I know who it is. It's Jonathan Adler from the Orbis Clan.”

Jonathan Adler.

He was a scientist who researched weapon development in the US military-industrial complex. Once he moved to the Eeth Continent, he continued to practice his tradecraft.

Although he predominantly produced conventional weapons, they were enough to easily turned people into armed soldiers and help the Orbis Clan secure local strongholds.

'If I recall, he ultimately couldn't stop Necromancer Logan's 100,000 undead army.'

Despite Jonathon's constant scouting and poaching of industry background individuals and technicians, his basic production ability and facilities were very poor. He needed time to develop the right conditions to produce what he once did on Earth.

As a result, the number of munitions that could be supplied per a certain period was limited, and to make matters worse, Logan's undead army destroyed all his production facilities, leading the Orbis Clan towards its demise.

… Of course, that was the story from Woohyuk's previous time in this world.

'I guess I'll have to take care of him myself this time around.'

Woohyuk wouldn't have concerned himself if Jonathon just made conventional weapons, but if left unattended, Jonathon could expand his business and create weapons of ma.s.s destruction further down the road.

'What if intercontinental ballistic missiles or nuclear bombs were used on the Eeth Continent?'

That would be a serious problem, greater than the three Great Catastrophes.

Woohyuk clicked his tongue after imagining the scene in his head.

“Where's the broker who connected you with Jonathan Adler?” Woohyuk asked with a stern expression.

“His name is Burnt. I'm not sure of his ident.i.ty, but he often shows up at the service centers operated by the Treburn Guild.”

Woohyuk recognized the name. The Treburn Guild was based in the southern Ertonia region.

That region was managed by Lee Jaesung, so Woohyuk could seek his help to resolve this situation.

As Woohyuk turned his back, the blonde man spoke urgently, “W-What are you going to do to me now?

Since I've confessed, please have mercy…”

“I will decide on your fate after this case is closed,” Woohyuk responded.

It was premature to kill off this blonde guy right now, as things might go wrong in the middle of resolving this situation.

After entrusting the blonde guy to the torturing officer, Woohyuk hurriedly walked out.

“What are you thinking, Count?” a n.o.blewoman with brown hair asked Lee Jaesung, who was standing by the window.

She was Sally of the Tanis Family.

She married Lee Jaesung after he quelled a rebellion in the past, and she currently carried his child.

“Ah, I was reminiscing on the past.”

Lee Jaesung smiled at Sally who was laying down on the bed.

She was the only reason he still lived in this harsh world.

Because she existed, today had meaning.

“You seemed to be reminiscing on when you first came to this world,” she continued.

“Yes, it was a really dark period for me in the beginning,” he replied.

Jaesung was like any other ordinary office worker on Earth. He did what his superiors told him to do and lived a relatively mundane private life outside of work. However, one day, all that changed and became a h.e.l.lish nightmare.

He had to compete against others to survive. Betrayal and violence were constant.

If it wasn't for Woohyuk…

'I wouldn't have been able to live with a pretty n.o.blewoman after receiving the Count t.i.tle.'

His sword skills weren't very good, and he wasn't one of the brightest people either.

Just because he was trustworthy, Woohyuk entrusted the Ertonia region to him, and as a result, he was able to become and enjoy who he was now.

Like any other day, it seemed like his peaceful daily life would continue…

'The Game of Divine Thrones. This world is really crazy.'

Suddenly, because of the step-by-step achievement quest that went out to everyone, the Eeth Continent was overturned overnight.

The attempt to a.s.sa.s.sinate Queen Joanna may also have been the result of one of these quests.

After Woohyuk sent him a message, Lee Jaesung became confused and couldn't do anything.

“If you have any concerns, please tell me, Count. I feel sorry for leaving you to worry alone,” Sally said with concern.

“In the Ertonia region, an impure group tried to a.s.sa.s.sinate the Rhine Kingdom's Queen. Furthermore, the weapons they make are stronger than the average swords and s.h.i.+elds,” Lee Jaesung confessed his concerns to Sally.

She got up from her bed and hugged him from behind.

“The Hero King will resolve it well. He defeated the terrifying Demon Kings,” Sally whispered into his ear.

“I promise. No matter what happens, I will be responsible for your safety,” he replied.

Lee Jaesung's worries were solely focused on Sally and the unborn child she carried.

As the two faced each other and kissed, the entrance door suddenly swung open and men with rough impressions entered inside.

“Who, who are you!” Jaesung yelled.

“You can consider us the revolutionary army…” The men streamed in and split on both sides of the couple. In the center stood a white man with golden blonde hair.

It was Jonathan Adler, the perpetrator of this recent incident.

Lee Jaesung hid Sally behind him and urgently pulled out his long sword from its scabbard.

Seu-Reung!

“Are you from the Orbis Clan, who tried to a.s.sa.s.sinate Queen Joanna?” Jaesung shouted out.

“Oh, has that become common knowledge already? That's unfortunate. Our revolution hasn't even started in earnest yet.”

The revolution that Jonathan Adler was talking about was somewhat ambiguous.

His overarching message implied the abolition of the ancient monarchy and the modernization of the Rhine Kingdom.

However, Lee Jaesung was not interested in the ideal Jonathon pursued.

“Do you think that making firearms and bombs will end this crisis? It's just a tool to rule the powerless people of the kingdom!” Lee Jaesung snarled out.

“Oh, dear. It was my mistake to think that I could pull one over you since you're a human from the same world. Well, it would have been a surprise if a savage Asian understood the concept of modernization properly,” Jonathan Adler calmly said as he pulled out a pistol and aimed between Lee Jaesung's eyebrows.

Even if he had already tipped his hand and caused a disturbance in the middle of the night, nothing too difficult would arise from his actions.

If he pulled the trigger, many problems would be resolved.

In that moment of Lee Jaesung's despair, Jaesung recalled Woohyuk's face.

'He should be arriving soon.' 

Woohyuk was supposed to meet him at his mansion tonight.

When Lee Jaesung was awaiting Woohyuk with anxiety, suddenly, someone screamed from the corridor.

“Ahhhhhh!”

The appearance of an intruder.

Lee Jaesung, who had on a dark expression, quickly brightened up at once.

Jonathan, who didn't know the circ.u.mstances, kept his pistol pointed at Jaesung while he barked at his clan members, “Are there any loose-ends that you guys haven't handled yet?”

“… I'll go check,” one of the clansmen replied.

He went out the door, holding an a.s.sault rifle with his men following closely behind.

However, they also were powerless against the unknown intruder.

Bam Bam Bam Bam!

The opponent was too strong.

Jonathan, feeling that something was off, moved away from the entrance door as much as possible and re-aimed his pistol at Lee Jaesung.

“Stay still. I'll shoot right away if you move.”

Jonathon seemingly wanted to take Lee Jaesung and Sally hostage.

Lee Jaesung gulped and lowered his long sword.

At that time, a dry, young man's voice came from the corridor, “Jonathan Adler. I've heard about how you met your demise from Logan a long time ago. I heard you were so afraid of turning into an undead that you went into a gunpowder warehouse and set fire on yourself.”

“You… who the h.e.l.l are you?” Jonathon yelled out.

The mansion was surrounded by Jonathon's elite clan members.

The rest were scattered in the territory and looting.

However, he couldn't understand how this man came into this room without any forewarning from his clansmen.

Rumble.

A gloomy mana aura leaked in from the bottom of the door.

Jonathan yelled out again with a tense look, “If you're looking for me, you should reconsider! If you do anything stupid, lord and wife of this place will be shot.”

“Do you think you are above me now? Idiot,” Woohyuk said, his voice seemingly getting closer and closer.

Eventually, when the tense atmosphere turned unbearable, Jonathan suddenly fell to the floor with bloodshot eyes.

“Keuk…!”

The curse of the ancient devil.

Using the pa.s.sive effect of the reinforced Andvaranaut, all those who were hostile to Woohyuk in a 1km radius were suddenly struck by powerful curse magic.

“It's good to see that you're okay, Lee Jaesung,” Woohyuk said.

“C-Captain!”

When Woohyuk entered the bedroom, Lee Jaesung cried out happily.

It had been a long time since they lost saw each other.

Woohyuk's inner circle had greatly changed from the earlier days.

“I'll be taking this guy. In addition to Orbis Clan, I believe that there were other people involved in the plan to a.s.sa.s.sinate the Queen.”

“… Sorry for not helping. I should have caught him first.”

Rather than helping his Captain, Jaesung had become a hostage and caused Woohyuk trouble.

As Lee Jaesung bowed his head in shame, Woohyuk put his hand on his shoulder.

“You are doing your part well. Right here.”

Woohyuk was able to continue moving forward because he had trusted va.s.sals, like Jaesung, who maintained the status quo in their given position.

Sally spoke to Jaesung only after Woohyuk left with Jonathon in tow.

“He's a very cool person, the Hero King.”

“If it's for the Captain, I'm willing to sacrifice my life.”

Woohyuk was a character who showed dignity and compa.s.sion as a monarch and let his va.s.sals lead by themselves without requiring allegiance.

Lee Jaesung clenched his fist, believing that he would help Woohyuk end this world's turbulence someday.