Elder Andallo.

He had been deeply shocked by the fact that Azure Heaven was Hyun’s friend.

Because that meant the nation of Hyun could receive help from him whenever danger came.

But Andallo calmed the excited Amtrong down.

“Do not forget. We have to survive.”

Amtrong, who had been briefly dazzled by Azure Heaven, calmed down at those words as well.

He looked over the people.

After the Overlord vanished,

their nation had known nothing but despair.

The Ironclad Corps had scattered to the winds, and not long after, nearly half the people had migrated away.

For those who remained, a living hell unfolded.

With no king, they had been shaken by endless outside pressure.

‘The Overlord is gone from you now!’

‘Think of the fame we’d earn by bringing down the Overlord’s nation!’

The kings of the surrounding kingdoms had rejoiced, sending wave after wave of troops.

In the end, the people died and died again, and their numbers plummeted.

The Kingdom of Bardrei’s true home had not originally been the place the Overlord had visited not long ago.

They had left the place now known as ancient Bardrei and settled somewhere new instead.

There, they had lived in hiding.

They hid there as they gave birth to children, and those children too had lived on waiting for the Overlord.

And—

they had wanted to live.

They had waited for the Overlord because they wanted to live like human beings.

If not for Amtrong, who excelled at hunting, and Andallo, who excelled at gathering herbs and had raised and trained herbalists to keep their finances alive, they all would have starved to death.

The two men knew it.

Friends? An alliance? This nation itself has to be strong.

Otherwise, there is no hope.

Sometimes an ally might not be able to move its forces because of outside pressure.

This nation had to be strong.

“I want to see the soldiers.”

Those were Amtrong’s words.

If the army was weak, then this place could not save them. It would only lead them to death instead.

And because Amtrong himself was at a very high level, he was capable of judging both the soldiers and the men commanding them with a sharp eye.

Then he and the others arrived at the military training grounds, and Amtrong could only stare in amazement.

“...!?”

He was appalled by the sight of tens of thousands of knights standing in formation and training.

How can this be...?

To begin with, the knights’ skill with the bow was nearly exquisite.

Is this the nation of some Divine Archer or something?

But he could also tell that their swordsmanship was no ordinary thing either.

And then—

WHAM—!

One knight leaped high into the air and threw a kick, and Amtrong could not hide his bewilderment.

“The knights of this nation are this deeply versed in archery, martial arts, and swordsmanship?”

What they did not know was that the ones teaching bows, archery, and martial arts in this nation were Olympic stars.

Then Nell, standing beside them, looked puzzled.

“Huh? All the knights went out on a subjugation today.”

“??”

Amtrong frowned in confusion.

Then was he seeing things?

“Then who are they...?”

“They’re the soldiers.”

“...?”

Amtrong was left speechless.

He had never doubted that his own soldiers were elites, the strongest on the continent.

And in truth, the soldiers of the Kingdom of Bardrei really were superior to those of any other kingdom.

They came from the nation of the Overlord, after all, and they had grown strong and battle-hardened just to survive.

Then—

“...?”

Amtrong was startled when he saw a silver-haired woman passing by.

The aura of the beautiful woman was overwhelming.

So overwhelming, in fact,

that some of the Bardrei soldiers were drenched in cold sweat and could not even hold themselves steady under it.

Amtrong was the same.

A woman who wielded tremendous status ailment power and crushing charisma.

That gorgeous woman, bright and beautiful like a flower, walked toward them.

“You’re the soldiers from Bardrei, then? Since you now serve Lord Hyun, I’ll speak plainly. You’re beneath my expectations. You’ll be training without end from here on.”

“...”

Amtrong had sworn to himself that if he wound up living here, he would become the commander.

But just as he was revising that down and deciding he would have to be satisfied with deputy commander—

“That is Deputy Commander Bella.”

“What?”

Amtrong stared blankly at the formidable figure before him.

A young woman who still looked youthful, yet stood on the verge of Legend—and she was only a deputy commander?

Then Nell explained,

“This nation has three deputy commanders.”

“I-I see. Then I suppose she must be the strongest of them?”

“...Sir Bella is the weakest.”

Amtrong decided that this woman called Nell must be extraordinarily skilled at lying.

But then—

“WAHAHAHAHA!”

“A big score! A big score!”

A pack of stinking pirates suddenly appeared.

At the very front stood a pirate carrying a massive scythe wrapped all the way around in heavy chains.

“New recruits?”

Amtrong was startled and afraid by the appearance of a figure who far surpassed even the woman from before—a true Legend.

And then—

“How much do you have?”

“Pardon?”

“Hand over some money for His Highness.”

“...”

Pirate King Akao suddenly slammed down the chain-wrapped scythe with a THUD, living proof that old habits died hard.

Amtrong had his pride.

“I HAVE 1 GOLD AND 21 SILVER, SIR!!!”

“Why are you yelling? Carry more next time.”

“Yes, sir!”

And so, swallowing his pride, he handed all of it over, and the pirates who had appeared out of nowhere thoroughly emptied the Bardrei soldiers’ pockets before vanishing again.

Amtrong and the soldiers stood there, dumbfounded.

What the hell just passed through here?

But there was still more that had not yet passed by.

RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE—

Hundreds of black horses came riding magnificently into the nation of Hyun.

Clad in black armor and holding elegant cavalry lances, they looked sharp enough to punch through any enemy line.

And especially the one at the front—

He removed his helmet and introduced himself.

“I am Blackwind Captain Borne.”

At that moment, Amtrong and the soldiers were stunned.

In the days when the Saint King had lived,

the Overlord had coexisted with him.

Borne of the Blackwind.

The Saint King’s right hand, and a figure who had sparred with Ironclad Captain Purung several times, going 25 wins and 25 losses in fifty bouts.

“How could someone as great as you be here...?”

Amtrong asked in bewilderment, and Borne’s face turned red.

Why is he reacting like that?

Borne was feeling humiliated just because he had been called great.

“...If he hears you saying that, I’ll be too ashamed to even lift my face, so would you mind shutting up...?”

Borne looked toward one spot.

There stood some lunatic chewing away on chicken breast.

The moment everyone there saw that figure, they froze.

“The one who walks the Overlord’s path... Luxiu?”

“Luxiu?”

The citizens and soldiers all broke into an uproar.

Amtrong, in particular, was hit hardest.

Because he could never become like the Overlord, he had idolized the one who at least possessed the potential to become the Overlord.

And Luxiu, famed as a loyal knight, was the idol of every knight of the age.

“That person is the commander.”

Amtrong nearly blacked out.

The mental shock was too much for him to process.

Meanwhile, because of it, the approval rating kept rising.

[Approval rises by 31%.]

“Get a hold of yourself.”

It was Andallo who dragged the dazed Amtrong along.

By the time Amtrong came to himself, he realized they had arrived in front of a quiet Academy.

Still reeling from the overwhelming mental blow, his thoughts a mess, Amtrong finally managed a faint smile.

“Hoo...”

At this point, it was beyond simple acknowledgment. The mental impact had been so great his head was starting to ache.

In a nation like this, maybe serving a king like Hyun wouldn’t be so bad.

Meanwhile—

Amtrong sat resting on a bench beside Andallo and smiled faintly.

An Academy.

It was always pleasant to be in front of a place like this.

Children running around brightly, children wearing happy smiles.

Just then—

“It’s a sword fight!”

“Alright! Bring it on!”

“Mwahaha!”

A few children looked like they were about to start sword-fighting.

Ah, the sight of children playing made a naturally warm smile spread across Amtrong’s face.

Then—

“...?”

Two of the children suddenly tore up weapon spellbooks, and one of them pulled out a real dagger with a gleaming edge and slowly licked the flat of the blade with their tongue.

“Shall we try some anatomy?”

“...???”

Meanwhile, the child opposite them drew a real longsword.

And then—

CLANGCLANGCLANGCLANGCLANGCLANG—!

“...???????”

They had started a real sword fight.

Amtrong and Andallo were briefly thrown into confusion.

Why are they so good...?

They’re absurdly good.

Nine- and ten-year-old children were fighting better than most adults.

“Sir Bella, Sir Borne, and Sir Luxiu come by every week and teach special classes.”

“Ghk...”

Just then—

A principal stepped out with a kind, generous expression and a warm smile.

“Heh-heh, you little rascals.”

Hundreds of children in front of the Academy were getting ready to head home.

The principal looked like an ordinary person, and their gentle smile was the most striking thing about them.

“It’s time to go home. Off with all of you.”

Then that figure unleashed overwhelming telekinesis.

Hundreds of children floated up into the air, and in the next moment shot away like wind in every direction and vanished.

Tap, tap—

With their hands behind their back, the principal gave a light flick of one hand.

CLATTERCLATTERCLATTERCLATTER—!

Every door in the Academy shut on its own under telekinetic force, and the lights went out.

“...That is Sage Arte.”

“Ghk!!! S-Sage Arte? Why would someone like that be here!?”

This time it was Andallo, who knew that name all too well, who failed to keep himself together.

“Pull yourself together, Sir Andallo!”

Amtrong, now the one hauling along the shell-shocked Andallo, dragged him onward again.

[Approval rises by 28%.]

This time, to help the dazed Andallo regain some peace of mind, they went to the Pet Storage.

There, looking at the snow-white puppy playing around, the baby bird, the mini golem, the cat, and the hawk, they finally began to calm down. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

“Whew...”

“How cute...”

“They’re the sort you want to protect.”

The citizens and soldiers of Bardrei seemed to find peace in them as well.

The five of them were all huddled together, as if waiting for something.

“What are they waiting for?”

“Oh, today’s the day their youngest, Hope, comes to visit.”

“Oh my, they’re waiting for their youngest?”

“The name’s Hope... that’s a good name.”

“Ha ha, I’m looking forward to it. A lovely little creature with a name like Hope...?”

Soft, pleased smiles spread naturally across Andallo’s and Amtrong’s faces.

All around the Pet Storage, the citizens of Bardrei stood with their arms folded, smiling like proud mothers.

Those adorable little things are waiting for their youngest?

They look like they’d have a hard time protecting even themselves, and yet they’re so gallant and cute.

Hohoho, how adorable.

And Andallo and Amtrong were no different.

And because the name was Hope, their anticipation only grew.

Each of them imagined a hopeful pet—noble, beautiful, and sure to be loved by all.

Then—

Space split open, and at last the youngest, Hope, appeared.

“GRAAAAAAARRRGH!”

“GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!”

“GRR! GRRRRR! GRAAARARARARARAR!”

“???”

“...?”

The youngest(?) Hope stepped out, planting a massive forepaw on the ground as it roared.

Its three heads drooled or shrieked, and the size of its fangs made it look as though it could separate a man’s head from his body in a single bite.

Amtrong, in particular—

No, who named that thing...?

He was a gentlemanly knight.

But even Amtrong, for all that, could not understand the person who had looked at that savage, terrifying Cerberus and named it Hope.

Where exactly is the hope in that thing!!!

Then something astonishing happened.

The cute fluffy puppy trotted forward and barked once.

“WOOF!”

As if to scold it for that.

And at that moment—

THUDDDD—

“Pant, pant, pant, pant.”

“Grrrrrr...”

“Whiiiine...”

“...?”

“...?”

“...?”

Cerberus went docile.

Amtrong and Andallo were utterly baffled.

“What in the world...?”

“It’s because Hope is the youngest. This one’s a divine beast, that one’s a dragon, this one’s the Myriad Mile Bird, that one’s Brightest Moon, and this one’s the Golem King.”

“?????”

For a moment, Andallo and Amtrong, the citizens and the soldiers, all met each other’s eyes.

[The approval rating of the king’s royal seal rises to 55%.]

I’ve made up my mind.

So have I.

The moment their eyes met, they all turned and started running toward Hyun without exception.

Meanwhile—

Hmm, how do I win them over? Maybe I should make them artifacts?

Hyunsoo, who had been worrying over that very question, was startled.

Elder Andallo came running up in a panic and said,

“To tell the truth, from the very beginning, Your Highness felt just like my old liege. Who was the Overlord, anyway? Ah! It was Your Highness all along!”

“Long live the new Overlord, Your Highness!!!!”

“Long live him!”

“Oh, and this is the legendary miracle medicine I obtained. I offer it to Your Highness!”

[You have obtained the legendary miracle medicine, Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng.]

Another notification sounded for the still-motionless Hyunsoo.

[You have obtained the title One Revered Just for Breathing.]