I Became a Level -99 Vicious Lord

The beating of Kairos continued all day.

Everyone beat the hell out of Kairos until they were exhausted.

"Uuuugghhhh…."

Thanks to them, Kairos was reduced to a tattered rag on the ground.

"Big Sis."

Otto walked over to Ariel, who was panting with exhaustion, and held out a stash of jellies.

"Use these when you need them."

Like Argonne the Great, it meant to give Kairos a beating and then a healing potion.

"Oh my! Thank you so much."

"Hohoho."

Ariel was so pleased with Otto's gift that she smiled a truly evil grin.

"P-Pansy! Are you betraying me! Aack!"

Kairos roared at Otto.

"Betrayal, my ass."

Otto rolled his eyes.

"You talk a lot for someone who just ascended?"

"T-That is."

"Since I've never been on your side, shut up and go get your ass kicked. Stop being a nuisance, you've cost me all my soul energy."

Having depleted its soul energy, the Book of Carnage was rendered unusable for the time being.

The problem was that there was no suitable way to fill it.

How easy would it be to encounter such deserving scoundrels like Argonne's subordinates?

It's not like wars where both sides fight to the death happen very often.

If a world war were to break out, then there would be opportunities daily to absorb soul energy, but for now it was like gathering beans during a drought.¹

‘How do I even go about finding those scoundrels?'

With that thought in mind, Otto left Kairos behind and walked away.

"P-Pansy! Pansy! Are you abandoning me?! Help me! Pansy!"

"Nope. I'm not helping. I don't want to help."

"P-Paanssssy!"

"Good luck."

Otto brushed off Kairos's desperate plea.

‘He had it all planned.'

Otto suspected that Kairos had created this situation with his own hands.

It wasn't a suspicion, but a certainty.

Accessing the Void Realm, quickly becoming stronger, using that power to crush Argonne, resolving his grudge, and ascending to become a Constellation.

It was all part of Kairos' plan and grand scheme.

Of course, Kairos hadn't calculated that Otto would chase him all the way to the Void Realm, grab him by the collar and bring him back to the living world.

‘It's a little vicious.'

Otto had no intention of helping Kairos, even if he pleaded desperately.

‘From now on, live as a husband who gets beaten up by Ariel for the rest of your life. Hehehe'

The thought of Kairos' future suffering in the hands of Ariel made Otto chuckle with delight.

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By absorbing the territory previously controlled by Argonne the Great, Otto had succeeded in gaining control of more than half of the Loredin Kingdom.

As a result, the Kingdom of Loredin was all but conquered by the Kingdom of Lota.

The rebellions from all over the Kingdom were hard enough to deal with, but with the rising power of Lota joining the fray, they simply didn't have the capacity to hold out.

The result.

"Your Majesty, the rebel leaders have surrendered."

The rebel leaders, who had maintained independent factions scattered throughout the country, surrendered abruptly.

Realizing that the balance of power had already tipped, they began to surrender one after another.

Why?

Because if they fall in line now, they'll have a chance to get a position.

The rebel leaders knew they would lose everything if they fought against the Kingdom of Lota.

"Let them come and pledge their allegiance first. I'll give them a position as a local noble or lord."

"Understood, Your Majesty."

A few days later.

"I pay my respect to Your Majesty, the King."

"I greet Your Majesty, the King."

"I greet Your Majesty, the King."

The rebel leaders of the various factions came to Otto and prostrated themselves on one knee in the customary manner of subservience.

Mercenaries, nobles, lords, peasants, and so on.

They came from all sorts of backgrounds, and they operated across different regions.

And their motivations differed as well.

‘I know it all.'

Otto knows which ones are the decent ones, and which of them have the makings of a conniving snake.

Otto's mind was filled with information about the people of this world, and even the leaders of the recent rebellions in the Kingdom of Loredin were no exception.

Some had started the rebellion with the determination to change the world because they could no longer tolerate the current state of affairs, while others had done so to seize the opportunity for personal gain amid the chaos.

‘I know their information, but I need to verify if it's genuine.'

He was willing to accept all those who had surrendered.

But it was impossible to give everyone a noble title and entrust them with important tasks.

There were some people who were rotten to the core, and to blindly accept them would just spread malignant cancer within the Kingdom.

So Otto decided to outsource this task to Kairos, who was to screen the leaders who had surrendered.

Because there was a chance that the information he knew about them might not be the same as their actual personality, With the feeling of knocking on a stone bridge and crossing it,² he decided to entrust Kairos with the task of vetting them.

"How dare you try to order me around…."

Kairos was about to throw a fit when Otto ordered him to the task, but he quickly backed down and became compliant.

The reason was simple.

"Just. Do. It."

Ariel just glared at Kairos and ordered for him to follow Otto's instruction without protest.

Of course, even without Ariel, it was highly likely that Kairos wouldn't have refused the task given by Otto.

He only put up a front in response to his bruised pride.

"So, you want me to filter out the ones among these guys who have impure thoughts or are downright evil?"

"That's right."

Otto nodded his head.

"You've got a way of knowing things."

"Kekeke."

Kairos laughed.

"That's right. I have a way of knowing everything. Fine, I'll sort them out. I'll tell you which ones are useful and which ones are worthless."

"Okay, good work."

Kairos used his Mind's Eye to meet each of the surrendering rebel leaders and categorize them for Otto.

The results were the same as Otto had already known.

‘Just as I thought. The information on these individuals is accurate and reliable. Still, I can't be completely complacent.'

Otto confirmed that Kairos's identification of "useful" and "worthless" individuals matched the information he already knew and smiled.

He checked, just to be thorough, and was relieved to see that the results were the same.

"The former lord of the Bardo Estate…."

Otto used the information to treat the surrendered people differently.

Otto ensured that the worthless ones were provided with decent living conditions, but he didn't grant them even a speck of power or authority.

For those who were decent, they were given noble titles and placed in management positions.

"The outcome may not satisfy everyone."

Otto informed the surrendered leaders.

"Someone may harbor discontent, while others may be satisfied. However, since each of you has different thoughts, accept humbly. If you feel unjustly treated, reflect on yourself first before blaming others."

"The King's grace is immeasurable."

The rebel leaders accepted whatever treatment they received without a sound of protest.

Having already met Kairos and had their true intentions exposed, they had no real grounds for complaint, even if they were dissatisfied.

"That's enough."

Thus, Otto successfully absorbed all the rebel forces in the Kingdom of Loredin with remarkable efficiency.

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Around the same time.

While the Kingdom of Lota was in the midst of its campaign against the Kingdom of Loredin, the neighboring Kingdom of Cherokee was undergoing a strange development.

Upon ascending to the throne, King Kalmar immediately summoned his officials to a meeting following his coronation.

"As you all know, the threat from the Kingdom of Lota to the west is becoming increasingly significant," the Kalmar begins.

The Cherokee Kingdom had been unable to look outward due to internal issues regarding succession to the throne.

But now it was different.

Since Kalmar ascended to the throne, the Cherokee Kingdom had no choice but to pay close attention to the neighboring Kingdom of Lota.

The neighboring Kingdoms of Baltin, Slaine, and Loredin were small powers that the Cherokee Kingdom had never had to worry about, but now that they had been absorbed by the Lota Kingdom, they were now a significant threat.

In fact, the territory and population of the Kingdom of Lota now roughly equaled that of the Cherokee Kingdom.

For the time being, the Lota Kingdom was not much of an immediate danger as it focused on its internal affairs.

However, in the long term, this was a very significant threat.

The Kingdom of Lota, with the combined power of Baltin, Slaine, and Loredin, had enormous potential as a major power in terms of land area, population, resources, and more.

"If we let time pass like this, the Kingdom of Iohta will inevitably grow into a major power, and on that day, it will pose a significant threat to our homeland. What is everyone's opinion on this?"

At the question of King Kalmar, the great and small ministers voiced their opinions.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Even the gods would consider it a significant threat," replied one of the courtiers.

"Indeed, having a major power right next door is truly a significant threat," another courtier added solemnly.

"You are most certainly right," agreed another.

Each of the Cherokee kingdom's major and minor officials were both patriotic and competent, so there was no one who did not understand King Kalmar's logic.

"Very well."

King Kalmar said with a smile.

"In this regard, I judge that now is a good time to eliminate a potential threat. To put it bluntly, the opportunity has already been missed. We should not have allowed the Kingdom of Lota to devour Baltin, Slaine, and Loredin. It is a great shame."

From the perspective of the King Kalmar, not being able to prevent the Kingdom of Lota from expanding across the continent was indeed a bitter regret.

If they had only acted in time, they could have devoured Baltin, Slaine, and Loredin first and prevented the Lota Kingdom from expanding across the continent.

Of course, there were internal reasons that prevented them from doing so.

"But I believe it is not too late even now."

King Kalmar spoke up.

"If we act now, we can nip the Lota Kingdom in the bud before it grows. What do you all think?"

His vassals responded.

"Your judgment is wise, Your Majesty!"

"Your wisdom is correct, Your Majesty!"

"Your words are well spoken, Your Majesty!"

No one disputed King Kalmar's decision.

Who would dare to ignore the Kingdom of Lota, which could pose a great threat in the future, unless they were traitors?

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Of course, one could argue against war for practical reasons but not at this moment.

Currently, the military strength of the Cherokee Kingdom was strong, and its economic situation was good enough to engage in warfare whenever necessary.

Furthermore, the newly ascended King Kalmar's authority on the throne was also very strong now.

Since his days as Crown Prince, Kalmar had received immense support not only from the nobles but also from the common people, making it not particularly difficult for him to launch a war.

In other words, this was not a situation where the opposition to the war was likely to be heard.

"This is not a war of conquest."

King Kalmar declared.

"This is a preemptive war for the future of our homeland. Our youth will shed blood not for the ambition of a man, but for the peace and prosperity of future generations!"

"The King's grace is great!"

Thus, under the leadership of King Kalmar, the Cherokee Kingdom began earnest preparations to attack the Lota Kingdom.

** ** **

TL/N:

1. This proverbial expression conveys the idea that during challenging times (symbolized by the drought), one must patiently accumulate resources or strength, even if it’s scarce. Just as beans sprout slowly during a drought, Otto needs to persevere and gather what he can.

2. This proverb emphasizes the importance of thorough consideration and caution, even when dealing with familiar situations or people. It encourages us to be prudent and not take anything for granted, even if it seems certain. In English, a similar sentiment is captured by the idiomatic expressions “Look before you leap” or "Better safe than sorry"