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Chapter 185: Empire’s Eight Seats (2)

What was the intention of the Holy Empire to create such a system?

The Holy Empire did not give such high positions to players. It was already unusual for me to be appointed as Honorary Bishop of the Pope’s side, and this alone had brought great tumult to the Empire. In simple terms, it was not an exaggeration to say that players other than me had nothing to do with the imperial officials.

Though Guild Masters of large people were also considered important, there were boundaries in place so they wouldn’t be able to intervene in the actual politics within the Empire.

With this, I could understand the Empire’s position.

It wouldn’t be nice for the Empire if the players got too deeply involved in their work.

‘But now…’

Perhaps this new development was brought by the players who tried to protect Castle Rock by risking their lives, but then again, perhaps it wasn’t.

Although this may stem from an external reason, it was a business that did not make sense if it had been brought about by the occurrence of just one monster wave.

‘Have they become conscious of the Republic?’

That was not a bad guess. The Republic and the Holy Empire had been in a strange rivalry since a long time ago. When the Holy Empire raised tall buildings, the Republic also raised tall buildings. When the Republic published research on new magic or dungeons, the Empire soon published a similar kind of literary work.

This meant that there was always such a struggle in international relations. If I were to think of Shaolin, who had a high position as the Five Tiger General of the Republic, there was a high probability that the Holy Empire had chosen to take action.

Whether or not there was an official announcement about the generals of the Republic, I had not heard anything about that. Still, it was a good possibility since I had planted some of my own spies into the Republic. Besides that, there must be a strange tug-of-war and conflict of interest between the Emperor and the Pope’s forces, as well as political factors that I did not know about. They might have given me, a player, the Honorary Bishop position as a way to spite the Emperor’s side. Considering that they might be picking someone from Blue…

‘Won’t they still pick an imperial person for the position, though?’

Whether my predictions were correct or not, I would be able to find out by talking to Kim Hyunsung. Because of our past misunderstandings, it would be awkward to meet with him now, but it wouldn’t matter much as this was a meeting where everyone would be present.

“Hehehehe…”

“Why’re you laughing?”

“It’s good to have everyone here again.”

“Ah, you’re right.”

Jung Hayan laughed, evidently unaware of my complex thoughts.

‘It wouldn’t be Jung Hayan.’

Most likely not. No, in fact, it would be difficult to find a person who would be fit to take on the position in Blue. Obviously, people saw us as rookies with rising potentials, and this was mostly due to Jung Hayan, Kim Ye-ri, Sun Hee-young, and Cho Hyejin.

‘They’ll probably pick Hyunsung.’

If only one person would be picked, it would undoubtedly be Kim Hyunsung. Of course, he hadn’t shown anything big yet, but if I were to think about him filling up the position Cha Hee-ra had left vacant during the monster wave, it made sense.

I, who had been busy wandering around, could not properly see what Hyunsung had managed to do. Still, unlike me, who had been busy raising my reputation, he had imprinted his strength onto the imperialists and the free people.

‘Can I say that I’m relieved that Hee-ra didn’t participate?’

If Cha Hee-ra had been there, it would have been relatively difficult for Kim Hyunsung to be at the center of the Castle Rock City Wall battle.

Whether she knew my complicated thoughts or not, Jung Hayan continued to smile, clinging tightly to me. It felt a little annoying, but it was good to walk with her all in all. The usual Jung Hayan was still pretty cute, after all.

Before long, we arrived at the restaurant’s entrance. I first caught sight of Hwang Jeong-yeon, who had been talking with Park Deokgu. Sitting next to her were Sun Hee-young and Cho Hyejin, drinking tea quietly.

‘They look alike.’

Then there was Kim Hyunsung, who was taking care of Kim Ye-ri. He was the first to notice me. His expression as he waved us over certainly didn’t seem all that bad. Contrary to my expectations that he would ask all kinds of questions as soon as his work was finished, he seemed to observe me closely, saving the asking for later.

‘Although this is exactly like him…’

I knew I had to find a way to isolate both of us so we could talk, as I did not want any unpleasant feelings to remain within Hyunsung. Park Deokgu noticed us as well.

“Oh my, Hyung-nim!”

“Yes.”

“Whoa… Just having a dragon choose you makes it harder for the rest of us to see you!”

“Don’t make a fuss. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“No. It’s great enough. This is because Lee Kiyoung lives with a heart of gratitude to God…”

“It’s really not a big deal, Sun Hee-young-nim.”

At Sun Hee-young’s words, Cho Hyejin stared up at me with a strange expression. However, she soon avoided my gaze, apparently not wanting to get involved. Instead, it was Hwang Jeong-yeon who spoke up.

“You two are so close together today. It’s romantic.”

“Ah… T-Thank you.”

“Please sit here, Hayan-ssi, Kiyoung-ssi.”

“Alright, Jeong-yeon-ssi.”

It had been a while since I had seen the party members, but the atmosphere wasn’t all that awkward. Kim Ye-ri nodded a little, and I, knowing this to be a greeting, nodded back in reply. The rise in power among my party members looked obvious.

I had not yet decided on a class either, but I would have to focus on it soon. Kim Ye-ri, Kim Hyunsung, and Jung Hayan had already finished their class changes. I thought it was right to take a closer look at these when I had the time. Contrary to my thoughts that all party members would have changed classes, Sun Hee-young, Hwang Jeong-yeon, and Cho Hyejin only managed to increase their stats, yet no class change occurred for them.

‘These guys… It’s because their growth levels are already high.’

Park Deokgu was the problem.

‘It’s a pity. This guy…’

I didn’t know if he was procrastinating on changing his class or if he simply couldn’t get one, but he still had the same rare-grade class. His endurance and stamina stats rose, but the overall growth wasn’t that great. Of course, his stats were great compared to ordinary people, but he was among the lowest ones when it came to our party of geniuses.

‘I think I should give him therapy sometime soon…’

Park Deokgu was working hard. I was the one who knows that best. However, it felt as if a wall was blocking him. I wanted to solve his problem right away, but for now, I had an urgent task. I turned to look at Kim Hyunsung.

No wonder everyone’s eyes were on him. They were hoping that the guild leader would be the first to speak.

His voice then echoed as if meeting everyone’s expectations.

“It’s been a while since everyone’s been gathered like this. It seems like the aftermath of the battle is busier than the preparation beforehand. Hahaha.”

“…”

Though this was clearly a joke, no one laughed. Kim Hyunsung certainly had no talent in that. He cleared his throat before speaking again.

“Ahem. Anyway, I-I’m glad that everyone is safe. And… Thank you so much for trusting me and following me.”

“Ah, but it’s only right to do so. You’re our Guild Master.”

“No. Hyejin-ssi. It’s not like that. This was probably the first major battle for you all, especially for Hayan-ssi and Deokgu-ssi… And even Ye-ri and Kiyoung-ssi. I know best than anyone else that it’s hard to stay on the front line even though you’ve only been here for about a year.”

“Ah… I didn’t know that this was the four’s first time.”

“It is.”

‘I see.’

This was common sense. Park Deokgu scratched his head, evidently feeling shy.

‘They were scared.’

If I, who believed in Hyunsung and Hee-ra, still felt scared, it would be normal for Deokgu to be as well. Kim Ye-ri was still expressionless, so I couldn’t figure out what she was thinking, but Jung Hayan didn’t seem to understand what Kim Hyunsung was talking about. I was sure that among all of us, she definitely did not feel an ounce of fear.

“No. Basically, we were able to stand on the wall because we had the belief that Hyunsung-ssi would not leave us alone. Actually, Hyunsung-ssi saved my life several times.”

“Kiyoung Hyung-nim is right. In fact, if it weren’t for our Hyung-ssi, I would have died several times already. I admit that I was scared, but… It was a good experience… It is only right for us to thank you.”

“Yes. Right, Oppa is right.”

“Yes. Kiyoung-ssi is right.”

As the party members shook their heads, Hyunsung appeared to feel moved. His sensibility was rich. As he bowed his head and thanked us, I realized his genuinely good nature once more. Seeing Hyunsung appear all embarrassed just made him way cuter.

“Thank you, everyone. Ah! My reason for calling everyone today was to talk about the Empire’s Eight Seats, which will be announced soon. I didn’t know if Kiyoung-ssi has heard, but…”

“Ah, I heard it from Hayan on the way here. This was so unexpected…”

“Yes, it felt a little sudden for me, too. I knew it would eventually happen, but it’s so sudden…”

“Has Hyung-ssi ever heard anything related?”

“I haven’t. Likewise, Kiyoung doesn’t seem to have received this news in advance. It’s not unnatural not to have heard of it, but the fact that even Kiyoung-ssi doesn’t know…”

It was true that this had been hosted by the Emperor’s side, not the Pope’s. This didn’t mean that the Pope had been inactive. However, this affair was not under their jurisdiction.

“First, I have to explain about the Empire’s Eight Seats. To put it simply, Empire’s Eight Seats refers to a system that selects the eight people they think are the strongest in the Empire and gives them positions and authority. I think we need to find out a little more about it, but in comparison, it’s like giving the title of a noble.”

“Then, we’ll have to accept it. No, I mean, do they really think that there are two people in our guild who they consider as the strongest?”

“It might be about how strong we are, but there are also probably many political reasons.”

“It is undeniable that Hyung-ssi is strong, but…”

I agreed with some of Park Deokgu’s words. It was true that Kim Hyunsung was strong, but it was still unreasonable to place him among the eight strongest in the Empire. I tried to explain, but Cho Hyejin cut me off.

“Maybe the imperialists have been excluded. If they include the imperialists, the number of 8 is too small. There’s Victor Hart of the Royal Castle. And I heard that the three Templars from the Pope’s side are a little stronger or similar to Cha Hee-ra. They already make up four people…”

“That… Do you mean the red-haired lady? I’ve heard of the old man Victor Hart before… Tem, what is a Templar?”

“It refers to the three strongest knights that the Pope has. I’ve heard that their power is of the legendary-grade, and they only move as a group when danger is posed to a priest above the cardinal-grade. Hee-young, a priest, must know this well.”

“Yes. Cho Hyejin is correct. Cardinal-grade priests play a big part in the Pope’s side. Perhaps, if Lee Kiyoung also reaches that position…”

If that happened, then it would definitely be a good day for me. As it was still a distant story, I didn’t dare to answer, and Cho Hyejin once again spoke.

“If you think about it without the imperialists, it may seem right. First, there’s Cha Hee-ra of the Red Mercenary Guild and Park Yeonjoo of the Black Swans. There’s Yuno Kasugano from the Yozora Guild. In return, another strong player will come out of Celia to replace the dead Ito Souta… Likewise, in the Free City of Dawan, where the Taiwanese live, two people from the large guilds will be chosen.”

“Ah…”

“Of course, there are a lot of players in the Empire who are said to be strong, but it is very likely they have ruled out some of those who live a secluded life or those who did not maintain seats of power. Perhaps, if some of the people refuse their seat, our Blue could have a chance.”

“Is there any reason to refuse it?”

“As much as you have authority and position, responsibilities will also come with it. Most people who want to be free from those shackles will not accept it. When they were about to announce the Eight Seats of the Empire, the monster wave took place in Castle Rock, so it would only be natural for them to pay attention to us. Probably…”

At this, Cho Hyejin hesitated. Kim Hyunsung now took over.

“Yes. Kiyoung-ssi and I were asked to join as members of the Eight Seats together.”

“Y-You mean, Hyung-nim?!”

Park Deokgu stared at me in shock.