‘No matter what you do, you’re going to be in the front line, Jung-Wook…’

I knew that there was a difference between fighting together with the castle knights and managing militia units. For Song Jung-Wook, this was a matter of survival, and the only reason why he agreed to Count Castlerock’s suggestion was that he thought I would place the Small Stone Guild at a suitable location. Probably…

‘...Somewhere in the back.’

Count Castlerock had already made up his mind by declaring martial law and preventing the free city citizens from fleeing the city. He also knew that things would feel out of place if he volunteered to lead the efforts himself, but if the honorary bishop took charge, that would be entirely different. To the Small Stone Guild, choosing me as the guild’s shield appeared to be a great choice, but it was their mistake for misunderstanding my intentions. Song Jung-Wook had to be thinking that I still cared about him, because he desperately started agreeing with the count, and naturally, the other guild masters supported him.

“Even if the guilds and clans work independently, we still need someone to lead us, and even though Mr. Lee Ki-Young isn’t from Castle Rock, he’s still a citizen of the Holy Empire,” Song Jung-Wook said.

“Hm…”

“I think it’ll be fine.”

“We did consider it…”

The other masters started talking.

“Maybe…”

“Giving Mr. Lee Ki-Young the commander position is…”

When some of the guilds started agreeing, the other guilds and clans joined in because they realized that they could benefit from this. It only took a moment for them to change their minds, and the way they tried to impress me made them look like cute puppies.

‘The count has come up with a great idea.’

Using draconic regulations to control the free city citizens would help avert the crisis temporarily, but it wouldn’t be a wise choice in the long run, because both sides had to compromise. The compromise was me, because I could connect the count and the free city citizens together.

‘It’s reasonable.’

I couldn’t trust any of the free city citizens within Castle Rock, and I wasn’t sure whether it was because of Lady Marilyn or my sincerity in trying to protect the city, but the count seemed to trust me before I had even realized it.

‘It’s understandable considering the rumors that are spreading about me in the castle.’

The honorary bishop Lee Ki-Young had a good reputation.

Our regressor also seemed satisfied by this situation, because as long as there was someone who had a stable grip on the troops, he could run around more comfortably.

‘It’s also good for me, too.’

“It’s… a bit too much for me,” I said.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. I’ll support you with everything I have,” Song Jung-Wook said, reassuring me.

“If you say so, ahem,” I said.

I actually wanted to try and command a large troop because I had only read theories about it. I would be an idiot to let this opportunity go to waste, but it was the virtue of a Korean to be modest. People looked at me when I mentioned I was lacking, but they agreed that I should take an important position.

‘Nice...’

“If that’s what you want… I’ll do my best to collaborate with Castle Rock, organize and operate the units. I look forward to working with you, Count Castlerock,” I said.

“I look forward to working with you, too, Mr. Lee Ki-Young,” the count said, nodding.

It felt like things were settling down now, but when I saw the people looking at me, I realized that I had a lot to do, since forming units was that important.

‘Who’d want to go to the first wall?’

I had already decided who was going to go there, but I still needed to think about it.

During the briefing, the others were probably thinking about how they could avoid going to the first wall. Even though they were questioning whether the monster wave would really come or not, Kim Hyun-Sung did an excellent job at answering their questions.

“I’m sure the people who went hunting recently noticed that the monsters currently living in the forest in front of Castle Rock look abnormal.”

“I’ve… definitely felt it. The basilisk that usually lives in swamps suddenly started appearing in the forest, and even the higher-ranked monsters have started appearing on the outskirts of the forest. Our clan even stopped the new members from going out to hunt.”

“If you compare the signs of the monster wave Castle Rock had experienced decades ago, you can see that it’s extremely similar,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

“Why?”

“It could be an oversaturation of the population or there could be a new monster that’s threatening the existing monsters by moving its habitat,” he replied.

“But can you consider that as a sign of a monster wave? I think we can apply martial law or enter a state of war once we have clear evidence…”

“It’ll be too late. There’s a difference between preparing while knowing and preparing without knowing. If you also look at the graph…”

“Ugh… I see.”

This was the type of conversation they had, so I didn’t need to join in. I was sure they felt that the data we had provided was lacking, but all the evidence showed that something was going to happen. A few doubtful people complained about the war; they didn’t want to acknowledge it and were even suspicious of me. We didn’t need evidence to know that a monster wave was coming, because the wave had already happened in Kim Hyun-Sung’s past life. But the reason for the monster wave was still unclear, and it seemed that even Kim Hyun-Sung had no idea about it, too.

‘ It doesn’t really matter…’

We only had one job—to kill the monsters.

People started talking after the briefing, and as the commander, I thought I should say something to those who were still confused. “As the commander, I have a request. I would like each guild and clan to submit a report regarding their organization’s structure and unit composition. Please be accurate and make sure not to hide anything, so that I can put together a reasonable arrangement.”

“What?”

“We’ll unify the supplies of the guilds and also integrate the supplies we brought over from the Blue Guild,” I added.

“That’s…”

“Lindel will also provide support. The supplies arriving from Lindel will be added to the list, so I ask for your cooperation. I plan on putting Castle Rock’s merchant guild in charge of managing the supplies, and once all of this is over, I plan on distributing the remaining supplies in a reasonable way, so please don’t worry,” I explained.

“But… each guild and group have their own situation they’re dealing with…”

“This is the list of supplies the Blue Guild will provide for free, and I’m certain it’s more than what the few mid-sized guilds possess. I’d like to take into consideration the situation each guild is going through, but I didn’t accept this position for your convenience. Of course, I’ll take your situation into account to some extent, but if you don’t plan on following me, it’s best if you fight under Castle Rock’s command,” I warned them.

“It’s not that we won’t follow you…”

Having control over their supplies was the first thing to do when controlling these idiots. Song Jung-Wook nodded and spoke to me. “I completely agree with you, Mr. Lee Ki-Young.”

His pledge of loyalty came out of nowhere, but it wasn’t disadvantageous for me.

“Only the minimum number of troops will be left in the guild. For the time being, all guilds will use the barracks inside the castle and have members on standby on top of the walls at all times. Additionally, everyone will start their training tomorrow, and the members of the Red Mercenary Guild will help with your training as well,” I explained.

“Is the Red Mercenary Guild coming as well?”

They sounded hopeful.

“We’re currently talking with Lindel, and if the timing is right, Miss Cha Hee-Ra will be fighting with us,” I answered.

“Ooooh.”

They became less anxious when I mentioned the Red Mercenary Guild, because they thought that having them here would make the situation easier, or that they could overcome the monster wave. I felt that they were starting to admire me even more, and it was probably because of Cha Hee-Ra. Of course, they liked me from the start, because I was their commander. What I had been doing so far was carrying out Kim Hyun-Sung’s plan when he suggested we go to Castle Rock, but at times like this, a commander’s confidence would give confidence to ignorant people like them. I was basically telling them that they would obtain benefits if they followed me.

“Hahaha. You have no idea how relieved I am that you’re here, Mr. Lee Ki-Young.”

During all of this, Song Jung-Wook didn’t stop complimenting me, because he wanted to be placed in the back.

“After Castle Rock’s merchant guild receives all the supplies today, they’ll look through them and sort them. The other guilds should arm themselves and move to the barracks,” I ordered.

“Within one day?”

“Yes, within one day,” I replied.

“Looks like we’ll be busy.”

“If you run into any problems, please report it to me directly,” I ordered.

“Understood...”

“Which barracks should we go to?”

“Everything will be prepared when you go there,” I replied.

I had to give them time to prepare, and when I spoke as if everything had already been prepared, they looked at me as if they were relieved that I became the commander.

‘That’s what I wanted.’

I could request help from the priests of other cities since I was the honorary bishop, and since I was the Mercenary Queen’s lover, I could also ask the Red Mercenary Guild for help. If I could get help from the Yozora Guild as well, I was sure that the people here would see me as a competent commander.

“I’ll discuss with Count Castlerock and come up with the layout of the units as soon as possible. You’re dismissed. Please take care of your personal affairs as quickly as possible, since we’re under martial law right now. I don’t like unnecessary conflict, so as long as you follow me, you’ll all benefit from it,” I told them.

“Ah…”

“Don’t just think about the monster wave, but also what’ll happen after,” I added.

“I understand.”

When I stood up and went outside, the soldiers followed, and out of all of them, the most enthusiastic person was Song Jung-Wook, the one who had given me this position.

“What time should we be here, Mr. Lee Ki-Young?” he asked.

“I’d like it if everyone gathered in the afternoon, but…”

“I think it’ll take some time…” he pointed out.

“In that case, I’ll give everyone more time,” I said.

“Hahaha. Thank you.”

“It’s fine. I don’t want to be inflexible,” I told him.

“As expected from you, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. I knew you were going to be the light of Castle Rock when you first arrived here. Hahaha,” he complimented me.

With Song Jung-Wook as their model, the others also started to compliment me and make flattering comments. It took me quite some time to lose them, so my plan to talk to Jung Ha-Yan about the tracking spell on my body was delayed for a bit.

‘I need to organize the troops as well…’

It wasn’t a big deal, because I had the smart Jo Hye-Jin, who could do it for me.

“Miss Hye-Jin?”

“Yes, Sub-guildmaster.”

“I have other matters I need to take care of, so I think you should form the troops, Miss Hye-Jin,” I told her.

“Excuse me?” she asked, dumbfounded.

“For the first wall, include Song Jung-Wook of the Small Stone Guild and whoever else you think should be there,” I instructed her.

“Oh…”

“Shouldn’t they be punished for their sins?” I asked.

Song Jung-Wook would definitely be shocked by this arrangement.