NOVEL NEXT Chapter 18-1
“Why are you acting like that all of a sudden?”
Otto was slightly taken aback by Kairos’ gloomy voice.
[How long has it been…since Jim died?]
“Jim?”
[I mean, how long has it been since I died?]
“I don’t know.”
Otto thought for a moment before answering.
“I’m not sure exactly, but it’s about five hundred years?”
[So it was. It had been that long.]
“But what was that stuff you were talking about earlier, the backstabbing? The accusations?”
[History is… written by the victors.]
“Indeed.”
[How fleeting.]
The bitterness in Kairos’ voice was palpable.
[I’ve lived my entire life with one purpose: to restore peace to this chaotic world. …]
“I don’t understand.”
[I had been betrayed by the man with whom I thought of a brother… Aragon. I went to inspect the Northern Wall and was attacked by rebels on my way back….]
“That’s not how it’s written in the history books.”
[As I told you, history is written by the victors.]
“Are you trying to tell me you were betrayed and framed by the Great Emperor Argon?”
[Why else would I die alone in the mountains? Why else would I be remembered in history as a tyrant? Do I eat human flesh? Does that make sense?]
“I thought everyone did.”
[Aragon… yes… it’s bad enough that he has betrayed his brother, but he has also tarnished the honor I’ve spent all my life striving for….]
Otto was honestly a little taken aback by Kairos’ response, which he hadn’t expected at all.
What Kairos is saying now is a story that even Otto doesn’t know, and it’s more of a behind-the-scenes story that doesn’t even appear in the official setting.
In the first place, the spirit of Kairos in The Punishment of Kairos didn’t even speak to him in the game.
“Tell me more.”
But Kairos didn’t answer Otto’s question.
It was as if a surge of anger had overcome him, and he was silent.
“Hey, answer?”
Otto frowned when he could no longer hear Kairos’ voice.
“Is there really some kind of hidden backstory?”
Even Otto didn’t know everything about this world.
‘Maybe we’ll get a chance to talk about it later, or he’s just faking it to trick me. I’ll just have to find out.’
With that thought, Otto went back to bed and tried to sleep.
* * *
The following morning.
“You mean you need historical records on the Great Argon and Cannibal Emperor Kairos?”
“Yes.”
Otto nodded at Camille’s question.
“Specifically, something written from the point of view of the Great Emperor Argon, but from a perspective favourable to Kairos. I don’t care if it’s a children’s book or a legend from a certain region.”
“I’ll take a look, but why do you need them?”
“Kairos has been telling me some strange stories.”
“Was the demon in the mace really Kairos?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, my God.”
“He says he’s been betrayed. By Great Emperor Argon. That he was falsely accused of being a tyrant?”
“It could be that the demon is trying to deceive my lord. To steal your body.”
“I know that, but it didn’t feel like he was lying to me. So I thought I’d check it out to see if it was convincing or not.”
“All right, I’ll see what I can find out.”
“Thanks.”
And just then.
Ding!
A quest window appeared in front of Otto’s eyes.
[Notification: A quest has occurred!]
Its contents were as follows.
[Build a Dynasty!]
Description: Build a kingdom and usher in the era of the Scuderia Dynasty!
Type : Epic Quest
Progress : 0% (0/1)
Conditions :
– Development of Specialty × 1
– Secure Trade Routes × 1
– Destroy Monster Habitats × 3
– Reach 70 or higher in Public Opinion in all regions × 1
– Coronation × 1
‘Build a Dynasty’ was a quest that naturally occurred after completing the ‘Condor Counterattack’ event.
Of course, it was by no means the exclusive prerogative of the Otto de Scuderia.
Once you had three or more territories to manage, anyone could progress.
Managing multiple territories at once was too much of a hassle, so it was more of a way to consolidate them.
Rewards:
– 70% increased Public Opinion, Unity, Loyalty, Patriotism, Law, and Order, etc.
– 3 Hero units (random)
The rewards were a bit of a gamble, but the main benefit was the ability to gain Hero Units.
Of course, it’s not without its drawbacks.
[Warning!] Completing this quest and establishing a kingdom will result in very poor diplomatic relations with neighboring powers!
[WARNING!] Completing this quest and establishing a kingdom will greatly reduce the reputation of your monarch!
Establishing a kingdom means that your power has grown rapidly, which is enough to make neighboring powers wary.
Relations with neighboring powers would worsen, and your character would be labeled as a hegemonist and warmonger, and your reputation would deteriorate.
If you have very powerful neighbors, you shouldn’t rush into building a dynasty.
If you have very powerful neighbors, you shouldn’t rush into building a dynasty, as you could end up on bad terms with them and their monarchs, and if you screw up, you could be overrun by a multi-national combined army like Nazrak was in the past.
But….
‘I don’t care about the penalties’.
Otto de Scuderia had much more to gain.
He didn’t have much to lose in the first place, did he?
Besides, this place is in the west of the continent, one of the fringes.
To put it mildly, it was a rural settlement, or village!
There were no powerful forces in the neighborhood, so there was no need to bother.
No one cares if you call yourself a king or emperor.
They’ll just sarcastically mock you, saying that you’re just a snotty little brat.
Otto immediately accepted the “Build a Dynasty!” quest.
“Camille.”
Otto turned to look at Camille.
“Yes, my lord.”
“We’ve expanded our territory a lot, so let’s build a kingdom while we’re at it.”
Then Camille replied.
“Are you crazy?”
Yes, I’m crazy….
Yeah, maybe I am crazy… what are you gonna do about it?!