Chapter 627: 627
V56C1P1 – As The Emperor Wishes
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They were in the administration conference of the Arpen Empire .
The lords listened attentively to Harold’s speech and criticism of Weed .
‘Weed has fame and is highly regarded by the public . Hence we cannot exercise force like with the Hermes Guild . ’
‘Harold’s words may sound plausible, but it is really a load of rubbish . We were appointed as lords after Kaybern began his move . How did an idiot who knows nothing about the current circumstance become a lord?’ Then again, it is true that we are suffering because of the monsters… It is a justified point to bring up . Now, Weed took a blow so how is he going to respond?’
‘For Weed, he’s going to end up with more losses than gains no matter how he resolves this . He’ll be hit hard . ’
The conference was being streamed live, it was a one-sided situation with Weed on the defensive .
If he were to get furious his popularity would be impacted, and if he were to stand down he would be looked down upon .
Expecting generosity from the lords or even convincing them were not possible solutions to begin with . Harold would endlessly bite his tail and chew at Weed’s mistakes .
‘Continuous instigated criticism could put an innocent man behind bars . This is what defines politics, ya punk . ’
As the grandson of a rich family, Harold loved to use adroit speech even in the world of finance . He also liked being the leader in a crowd and had an ambition to take control of the atmosphere of this very conference, spreading his reputation across Versailles Continent .
Weed just stared blankly for a while .
New lords caught his expression and were disappointed yet found it peculiar .
‘Is he lost about how to react?’
‘He should just get furious, if anything . ’
‘He’s a newbie, as expected . The assumption that he would be weak in politics was right after all . ’
Roam’s chest trembled with anxiety . He participated in the lords conference held in the Earth Palace and watched the silent Weed who faced the opposing lords .
“Weed-nim must be more mindful of establishing public security . ”
“Aren’t you spending too much time in the North? Are you not aware that monsters are rampant in the Central Continent?”
“Kaybern’s Lair . The treasures you stole from that place; how about you distribute them to us, too? At the most minimal level of compensation for damages!”
As Weed stood idle, several new lords stepped up after Harold .
The scene of these people pacing the atmosphere to their accord was too ominous and awkward .
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‘These crazy idiots . Have you no sense poking up that man? You’d rather take on the Hermes Guild with bare fists . No . They’d have it better going up to Kaybern and call it a lizard . ’
Nowadays, their faction was weakened and assassination orders just weren’t possible, and as for the dragon it would all end if it just died once .
Weed however, was truly the most powerful ruler of the Arpen Empire .
He took on the appearance of a just, benevolent adventurer but his true form a villain who had no boundaries in his devious and vicious tricks .
Roam met eyes with Carlise who was watching with his jaw dropped . They understood each other just by the stare .
‘They are all out of their minds . ’
‘I know . Let’s stay put, aside from this atmosphere . ’
‘We have to stay under the blanket at times like this . ’
‘Mmm, that is indeed the best for us . This is a really dangerous situation . ’
They never thought once of supporting these foolish rookie lords who can’t even access the situation .
‘Still, what if Weed blows up in such an official event? I mean, it’s good for me as I have to expand my influences… But, why am I feeling so uneasy?’
Those that felt the same as Loam exchanged whispers carefully with one another .
– Gunter: This is going to get ugly .
– Michel: These fools have no understanding of Weed . That man is not at all afraid of the public . He manipulates people like it’s nothing .
– Sherwood: I agree . They are all unaware of Weed’s personality and his abilities . They may believe he became the ruler of the continent out of sheer luck . The same kind of idiots who know nothing about anything and comment online anyway .
– Roam: He’s determined and ferocious . Does that man look like someone who will take a blow and walk away? Moreover, Royal Road is not subject to the politics of the real world .
Politicians could make promises about anything and take no responsibility in the real world . However, Royal Road was different .
– Roam: No matter what happens, we must stand by Weed .
– Carlise: Of course . I worked so hard to get my faction back on its feet . Weed isn’t a man who will endure these dull-toothed piranhas for long .
– Michel: Unless a whole lot of time passes and he loses motivation . They’re courting death by trying to intimidate a beast at its prime .
– Sherwood: The lord of Castle Sisley surely dug his own grave .
The leaders of the prestigious guilds believed that Weed was capable of anything . Their hearts raced as they watched, hoping to not get caught in the crossfire .
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“We are not enough to defend against the monsters . Supply us with reinforcements, or give us the treasures you stole from the lair . ”
“Kaybern is putting the entire world in danger . It is unfair that one person hogs all the treasures stolen from that very dragon . Do you not believe we all have a share in that?”
“You are ripping off taxes when you can’t even protect us lords . If this is to continue, we must have something in return!”
The new lords wandered way over the line .
The one thing Weed hated more than anything was free riding!
He knew such a day would come .
‘This world is too harsh for someone to live kindly . I took money in exchange for lord seats and that is why those men are here now . ’
In the name of duty fees he sold lord seats . It was inevitable that these ungrateful wolves after a serving of good will, would pounce for more .
‘The lord appointment would have had its drawbacks no matter what route I took . But, if they want to come straight at me, I will do my honors to stomp them . ’
The new lords by level were novices and had no influence on the public . They were appointed lords by Weed himself and they were truthfully insignificant .
Weed quietly heeded to the complaints of the lords and smirked .
“Hu-hu-hu-hu . ”
His laugh was threatening, as he took out a sculpting knife and a wood block .
Sss-skid .
The sculpture that quickly took form resembled Harold, and the quick and precise knife movement stole the attention of the lords .
“Woah, that’s…”
“It’s the same as what I saw online . It’s so fast when looking at it in person . ”
It was something he did countlessly as a sculptor .
Easily he made a sculpture that looked identical to Harold .
Weed slowly looked around the space and made eye contact with the lords .
He was looking for a lord who had the nerve to try and stare him down .
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‘I can tell from the faces that there are a few . A few that will not stop at free riding and steal from my pockets too…’
Weed’s voice spread gently through the room .
“I am aware that some inequalities have arisen in the Arpen Empire . I am doing the best of my abilities to prevent Kaybern and the monsters, but a solution is nowhere close . I understand that you all are disappointed .
Harold looked down on him even further now that Weed was apologizing .
‘Was this guy this stupid? In politics, you can’t take back a step or admit a mistake knew this guy was some raw country punk, but to think that I would completely roll him over…’
Even more, he thought that Weed made his sculpture for him as an apology .
‘K-haha . This kid was such a pawn . ’
Even a beast was nothing more than a household pet if it didn’t know how to use its sharp claws and teeth .
Harold instead was thinking about changing his approach .
‘Actually, maybe I should be a bit more gentle . If I stand on his side and encourage the Arpen Empire… Maybe that would land me second seat to the throne . I could also ride on a better tide in future situations . ’
It was when Harold was trying to calculate various scenarios .
Weed put forth his hand that was holding the sculpture .
“But, Lord Harold . ”
“Yes?”
“Speaking of yourself, just how much have you done as lord?”
“What do you mean by that?”
Harold shrivelled his eyebrows and responded .
Weed then took the sculpting knife and struck down on the sculpture in resemblance of Harold .
Sh-wack!
The detailed sculpture split in two and the air in the room froze cold .
It was quick and decisive .
Without a hint of hesitation, the way he slashed the sculpture was violent and had indomitable force .
Weed stood from his seat and stared at the lords one by one . Unlike before, they were afraid .
“It sure wasn’t easy to govern the Arpen Empire . Especially when the war had just ended and territories expanded all the while the dragon’s threat . This crisis is ongoing and I cannot afford the luxury of keeping lords that have nothing better to do than blame others . ”
“Blaming? All I did was rightfully criticize you in my perspective as a lord . ”
Harold expressed as if he was being victimized to turn the tides, but Weed continued without reserve .
“Rightful criticism? All of you in this room know what I have done until this point . Every day I roamed the continent and eradicated monsters and carried out quests to stop Kaybern . ”
Of course he did pull off a robbery too, but Weed saw that as par the course; he was on a hunt to grind down the multiplying monsters .
‘I did all that for my own gains… But it’s not like I didn’t pull any effort to defend the continent . ’
Weed smacked his lips wet .
“You ignore the quests and hunts that I have done until now . You ignore the many peoples who appreciated my heart and efforts from the frozen lands of the North and who helped me on this journey . Together we threaded one needle at a time and built the Arpen Empire from the ground up .
The reason I conquered the Central Continent and appointed lords was because it was a necessary measure to make the Arpen Empire a better place .
I sold lord seats for money . I get it . There are many of you that questioned if that was the way to go . ”
The lords were silent like babies with suckers in their mouths .
It was the Arpen Empire that offered these seats for money, but the ones who bought them were also subject to criticism from the public .
Weed had achievements and progress under his belt that backed him up, but the lords had weak justification .
“Do you think that I sold those seats to you all because I was short on personal finances? That is not the case . Eh-hem . There were many abandoned cities in the Arpen Empire that were about to be invaded by monsters . There were many difficulties governing the continent, so I collected money from you all . The same money was all invested back into the Empire . Now I ask all you lords . Why should I be under the rain of criticism? Is there anyone here that has the right to criticize me?”
(To be continued…)
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