The King of Jinglus—or anyone bearing the title of king—was not someone who took that name lightly.A king was a ruler, one who controlled an entire region within the empire.
A king was not a noble or a feudal lord—those who indulged in luxury within their domains while forgetting the people.A king ruled trade, economics, and the underground balance of power.The title of king belonged to the strongest figures of the region's underworld.
Creak—
The wooden door opened, bringing the brutal interview to an end.
The only one who walked out was the King of Jinglus.
"Congratulations, King of Jinglus."
A purple-haired woman with soft, voluminous hair and cold, sharp eyes shook my hand. She slightly tilted her head, peering into the room to glance at the corpses of the other kings.
"Well… how horrifying. I think this is already enough to turn the place into a haunted house or an urban legend," she said casually."But you look surprisingly neat and clean, don't you?"
Indeed, I was wearing light-colored white clothing.The only blood on me came from my own wounds—and from the sole person I had personally killed.
"…In a survival battle, it's best to treat it like going to sleep and waking up to reap the benefits."
"Sorry?"
I didn't elaborate. I simply followed her to another place.
…
Inside a Victorian-style room, I sat on a sofa, wiping myself down with a blood-soaked towel.
"So? You want me to be a bodyguard?"
"Yes! But you know… hiring a king as a bodyguard? That's quite ironic."
"…True. Still, I find it hard to believe that someone capable of investigating all the kings and gathering fifteen of them into one room wouldn't already have both a method and a reason."
A king who operated in the underworld was not only difficult to discover, but even more reluctant to reveal himself for something as simple as a bodyguard contract.
"Yes. As you already know, we are willing to erase all of your past and present crimes.Any future crimes classified from severity level two to four will either be reduced or completely wiped clean.Additionally, the pay is exceptionally high, your identity will remain confidential, and we will quietly allow you to continue existing as you are."
"…I understand."
"There's also something I haven't told you—or any of the other fourteen."
He paused.
"We will allow you to take over the fourteen regions that have lost their kings."
"…You don't think those fourteen had successors in mind?"
"Does that matter? The world doesn't need that kind of thing.What it needs is something else…"
As he spoke, the man placed a document in front of me.
White paper. Black ink. A crimson royal seal.
He pointed at the red emblem of a winged dragon.
"Legitimacy.The people don't listen to the strong—they listen to those called strong."
I tapped the sofa lightly with my fingers, deep in thought.It made no sound, yet it was enough to draw attention.
"Three."
"Three?"
"Three days. I'll give you my answer within three days."
"Oh, I think we can afford to wait. No rush at all."
I stood up and turned to leave, when another voice stopped me.
"Oh, and one more thing—there will be bonuses for outstanding performance.Very generous ones. Don't forget that."
I nodded, walked to the door, opened it, and left.
…
"What do you think, Finna?"
"Ask Ica."
The purple-haired woman and the black-haired man turned toward a girl hidden behind thin curtains by the window.
She smiled, though her thick purple hair concealed her face.
"Ron Irus…"
The man flipped through a stack of documents, reading aloud.
"…Born in the Jinglus village orphanage.Moved out after the orphanage fire at around fourteen years old.Officially recognized as king at sixteen—almost a year ago."
"Well, that's already better than ninety-nine percent of those idiots from the Ten Great Academies."
"Hmph. Playing hard to get?Still, Jinglus is the most remote region in the empire—low market competition was inevitable."
"…It won't be that simple."
The man spoke, meeting the gazes of the two women before tapping the file.
"…Ron Irus is only at Mana Core Level Three."
"…?"
"…?"
"Level Three? You mean the third stage of the mana core?"
"Yes."
"Then how did he kill those level nine and ten monsters?Ah—wait. Mana was blocked."
"Even so, do you think surviving and winning in close combat against people who've fought for decades—who had millions bow before them—is easy?"
"But he barely fought, didn't he? Just one battle?"
The man slammed his palm against his face and sighed deeply.He clearly hadn't expected the two of them to miss the point of the interview.
"…Tactics.He calculated how to stay in blind spots, how to avoid wide-area destruction, how to constantly reposition himself.That wasn't instinct—it was deliberate.Hiding like a cockroach doesn't keep you safe.Didn't you see him constantly moving across the room, exiting attack zones?Didn't you notice him using his gaze to subtly guide enemies into attacking each other?"
"…Oh. I see."
"And do you two even know what Jinglus village does in the underworld?"
"…?"
"Jinglus exploits its remoteness and isolation.It's a hub for money laundering, a middleman for black-market trade, a place where organizations reroute operations to legitimize illegal goods.They abuse land reclamation policies, mining permits, and agricultural registrations to legalize and conceal criminal activities.Jinglus looks poor to us—but it's a gold mine for those with time and dirty ambitions.And who do you think runs those operations?"
"…Tch. Bastard's smarter than I thought.I assumed kings were all uneducated idiots."
The girl clicked her tongue, folding her arms in irritation, while the other two continued thinking.
"So? What do you think?Someone that sharp—won't he catch on to something?"
"…Maybe. But who cares?"
"That's a boring way to do business, Jeppher."
"Listen, Finna.This was never our chessboard.We're just expendable pawns—and this board is politics.Pawns should stay quiet and follow orders.And our order was simple."
"…Conduct the interview."