The East of the Continent.
The sound of abundant farming echoes across the fields, while a mana-infused bird flutters by, making a squeaky sound as it passes through the farmland.
A massive river cuts through the fields.
The riverwater is so clear that even the most delicate creatures could thrive in it, and laughter from the people never ceased above it.
And at the center of it all.
The capital of Talikal. The warp gate of ‘Tali’ has opened.
“Thank you for coming such a long way. Lady Lily.”
“Oh, it was nothing. I came comfortably.”
Welcoming me is Bir, the head of diplomacy in Talikal.
Looking around, the area is filled with residents peeking out as if they’ve come for a viewing.
Near the gate, knights and what seem to be diplomats are passing messages back and forth.
Unlike the knights dressed in medieval attire, the diplomats are in suits, creating a strange sense of dissonance, though it’s not so odd that it feels alien.
After all, it is the ‘diplomatic department.’
It’s not unreasonable for them to be dressed as users.
[Oh]
[Oh]
[Is this Talikal?]
[Let’s kill them first!]
[Lira Lira]
[Lilha!]
[Are we doing the World Quest immediately after coming?]
[What the heck?]
[Let’s meet the king first]
[What should we do?]
[Today’s broadcast is gonna be wild, LOL]
[Lilha]
[Huh?]
I turned on the broadcast a day after the banquet.
Originally, I was supposed to lecture about mana, but I found myself having a lot of interaction with rankers—no, students—during the mock siege war.
Having already had many joint sessions through the mock siege and the banquet, my manager and Yena suggested postponing the lecture to avoid doing another collaboration right away.
I thought the same.
“This way, please.”
“Yes.”
I crossed over to Talikal through the warp gate.
As I traveled, I couldn’t help but feel that this place is incredibly peaceful and prosperous.
It felt entirely different from the uneasy kingdoms of the past that had always been swept up in the wars of the Celestial and demon races.
As I walked down the street guided by Bir and the knights, a crowd rushed toward me like the Pied Piper.
The knights maintained control, but there were still people watching from a distance.
What a familiar sight.
“The residents seem curious about the fact that Lady Lily is coming.”
“Are there no users from Talikal?”
“Not exactly. Talikal frequently interacts with outsiders, and there have actually been quite a few who have taken the masterpieces from here.”
Bir took a slight pause.
“But Lady Lily is special compared to others. Beyond your beautiful appearance and strong power, you are the first outsider to have received a direct order from the king.”
Until now, other users had either been observers from the diplomatic department or players who came to assist in completing World Quests in Talikal.
The diplomats observing the situation or users trying to complete the World Quest came directly to help with the tasks of Talikal.
However, this time the King commanded that he would bring me ‘personally.’
Upon hearing that, I nodded nonchalantly.
It was only natural for the King to ask something of Lily.
[Oh]
[Wow]
[The King’s request;;]
[Of course the King has to come to summon Lily, lol]
[True, lol]
[With Lily, it’s a guaranteed win, right?]
[Look how natural Lily is in the midst of all this]
[Great Lily]
[Lololololololol]
“At this rate, shouldn’t the King come out to meet her at the gate? Now that I think about it, that’s pretty rude.”
[You’re right]
[True, lol]
How long had we walked?
Finally, we arrived at a rather grand-looking royal palace.
It was big enough to be reminiscent of a once-great empire.
If Talikal was this size, then the ‘real’ imperial palace occupying half the continent must be unimaginably large.
It must be dozens of times bigger than this.
“Here we are.”
The knights bowed their heads and slowly opened the doors.
Nobles lined both sides of the long, red carpet decorated with lavish adornments.
Countless gazes were pouring over me.
Interest, curiosity, jealousy, desire, fear, happiness, anticipation…
Faced with those painfully familiar eyes, I nodded nonchalantly.
A man rose from the throne, looking at me.
“A rare guest has arrived.”
With ash-gray hair and eyes resembling molten lava, he looked middle-aged, and his garments were truly flamboyant. His eyes, fixed on me, were filled with a strange expectation.
Some nobles were giving me uncomfortable looks at the sight of the King standing up, but the King opened his mouth with a carefree expression.
“Greetings. I am Dria von Talikal, the King of the Talikal Kingdom.”
“I am Lily Elbrite.”
“Just as I thought…”
“?”
Elbrite…
Dria muttered while nodding.
“Do you happen to know someone named Talias?”
“…Talias?”
[Who is that?]
[?]
[What’s that, you nerd?]
[Lolololololololol]
“I want to pluck those nobles’ eyes out.”
[They must be firing lasers from their eyes, lol]
[The King seems like a nice guy, doesn’t he?]
[Is it possible to kill the King here and usurp the throne?]
Talias…
There were so many people with the same name that I had no idea who he was referring to. It was not as if you could just call out “Hey! James!” on a street corner and expect only one person to turn around, but Talias was among those common names.
Me? It’s not like I’m turning around to look, but Talias is also a fairly common name.
But what the king is asking isn’t that simple.
‘Talias… Ah, that guy.’
Talias Elbnia.
One of the forty-seven kingdoms that were destroyed by the Celestial Race and the Demon Race, and the unfortunate king whose entire bloodline was wiped out.
The kingdom, which lost half of its population, including the royal family, needed someone to lead it anew.
Here, necessity is not an option.
Most of the kingdom’s facilities are already destroyed, and the refugees who lost their homes are struggling with hunger and poverty.
If things are left as they are, it’s certain that even those who barely survived will soon follow the ones who left first.
They absolutely, absolutely needed a leader.
‘Please, lead us. O Savior of Humanity.’
And I had taken care of them for just a brief moment.
It felt like without my care, they would all extinguish.
Turning my gaze away meant they would all perish.
Humans are that weak.
‘Long time no see. His name too.’
There was someone very faintly related in blood among his ancestors.
A ‘bloodline’ of a king so weak it’s almost laughable.
Perhaps they appointed someone like him who was in the same dire situation as me as the next king.
That person is none other than Talias Elbnia.
A guy who didn’t even have a title attached.
He was someone who had never even met royalty in his life, but became king only after the horrific event where all the royal family died.
Of course, he wasn’t appointed king purely based on blood relations.
He actually had enough ability to lead people.
The name Elbnia is not from the existing royal family but is modeled after my name.
And if the Talikal king is indeed looking for that Talias…
“…I don’t know.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Right now, I am a user, an immortal and an outsider, here to make a deal with the kingdom.
I’m not here as Lily Elbrite, the former saintess who knew someone from the past and was whimsically called a savior.
There’s no need to pretend to know or to reveal the truth anyway.
[?]
[Who knows?]
[What’s that, you dumbbell? Lol]
[Look at the king being awkward.]
[Awkwardness level: 100. Lol]
[Aren’t you acting like you don’t know on purpose?]
[Turns out you actually do know.]
[If it’s Lily, there’s a chance to be king. Lol]
There are many watching eyes.
Moreover, according to what I heard from the Pharaoh, thousands of years have passed since that day.
There’s really no reason to dig up the past.
“Ahem.”
King Dria looked somewhat regretful as he cleared his throat.
“Anyway, welcome to Talikal. Having an immortal like you on our side makes me envy no one, no matter how strong they are.”
“Thank you.”
“…….”
Hard stares bore into me after my blunt reply.
Could they really think it rude?
But I saw no need to humble myself with praises like “It’s an honor” or “How flattering.”
I had come here for a price, not to butter anyone up.
“First, take this.”
With Dria’s words, a blue message appeared before me.
[World – Coming War]
Purpose – Resolve the requests of the Talikal Kingdom while under its protection by ? day ? hour.
Reward – Red Guide (paid in full), 200 gold per resolved request, Marquis title of Talikal Kingdom, territory granted, trust of Talikal.
[Oh]
[Not bad]
[Oh]
[200 gold? Isn’t that cheap?]
[200?]
[200 is a bit much.]
[The Marquis title is alright if they’re giving territory too.]
[Tax on that territory is a sweet deal, lol.]
[Paid in full; and what a highlight, haha!]
[LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLO]
The chat window reactions were positive.
I had already received the final reward, the Red Guide, and on top of that, I was getting a Marquis title, territory, and money.
But I shifted my gaze away from the rewards.
“There’s no deadline set here.”
“Well… we cannot tell when the Empire will stretch its demon beasts, so I set it this way. Of course, even if the Empire does not move later, the rewards will still be given. The purpose of the request is to protect the Kingdom.”
That meant I could be stuck here for months, doing tedious work for pocket change.
I sighed.
Perhaps I received the ‘Red Guide’ in advance to entice me into this proposal…
“Let’s make a slight amendment.”
“A amendment…? What do you want? If it’s gold coins or the Duke title, I can give them to you.”
As soon as I mentioned the Duke title, the nobles’ eyes sharpened, but I didn’t particularly want that.
I threw my gaze elsewhere.
Bir was sweating bullets, perhaps sensing something ominous.
Unfortunately, he was right.
“Once the task is complete, I’d like to take the magnificent masterpiece, the ‘Green Hermit’ with me.”
One more thing.
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