Ranker's Return

‘It’s an expected reaction.’

Anyone who wasn’t stupid would know that John Blake would react like this. Hyeonu had already prepared to deal with it.

“How can I consider it lightly? It is a decision I made after a lot of deliberation,” Hyeonu calmly persuaded John Blake. “I hope you don’t take it too badly. I just want to put everything back in place.”

“In place? What does that mean?”

“It is literally as I said. I will give it back to the original owner.”

“Isn’t that impossible?” John Blake was sure of it. Hyeonu’s words were a wish that couldn’t be fulfilled.

‘He finally managed to get down from there... It is absolutely impossible for him to go back.’

John Blake was one of the few who knew that Alexander had no lingering regrets for the position of emperor.

“I think so as well. His Majesty—no, should I call him Alexander now? He... will never sit on the throne again.”

“Of course. Ever since he came to power, he has always wanted to leave that position.”

“That is why I turned the other way.”

“The other way?” Curiosity flashed on John Blake’s face.

“Isn’t it the lineage that matters anyway?”

“The lineage? You aren’t saying that you are going to put him into power, right?” John Blake glanced at Edward, and his expression hardened in an instant.

Hyeonu shook his head and answered, “The emperor of the empire must be a human being. Edward has already become a different species.”

“So who are you going to raise?”

“Don’t you know? Isn’t there still one more imperial prince of the empire remaining?” Hyeonu gave a blunt answer and shrugged.

‘Is there another imperial prince?’

The only princes that John Blake knew were Alexander and Edward.

‘There was one more.’

Once he thought of Alexander’s name, he naturally remembered someone else’s name.

“Are you referring to Alexander’s son?”

“That’s right, Duke Blake. I intend to make Prince Heizer the next emperor.”

“How can you make someone in the Holy Kingdom the emperor?”

John Blake knew Heizer’s whereabouts. He had to know since he was the one who escorted Angela and Heizer to the Holy Kingdom back then.

“Sooner or later, Prince Heizer will appear in the north.”

“The north? Are you saying he will get personally involved in the war?” John Blake asked with an expression of great surprise.

“The empire is currently being threatened by the different species and the undead. The situation isn’t good right now... Shouldn’t someone help?”

“So you used the justification of a war against the undead to ask for reinforcements from the Holy Kingdom. Is that what you mean?”

“That is precisely what I did, John Blake.”

“You asked the Holy Kingdom for support… but why would that make the prince appear in the north?” John Blake didn’t really understand this part.

‘The prince isn’t a member of the temple, and there is no way the empress will let him go.’

There was no reason for Heizer to appear on the battlefield.

“There are quite a few reasons.”

“What are they?”

“I put some wind around him. It was so that he would hear of the world outside the Holy Kingdom.”

“However, I don’t think he is stupid enough to fall for that.”

“Of course, it wasn’t to that extent. I attacked his identity as a prince.”

“Attacked his identity?”

“The Alexander I have experienced is a very strict person. These rights have their own responsibilities and duties. As such, I thought he would have similar values.”

After hearing Hyeonu’s explanation, John Blake shook his head with an expression like he now understood.

“The empire is in danger, so he would’ve asked to help.”

“That’s right. There is a fight against the undead in the north. The prince who grew up in the Holy Kingdom would’ve wanted to come even more. The biggest reason is something else.”

“That was just incidental? What is the real thing?”

“Currently, the empire is ruled by an adventurer as the interim emperor. What would the imperial prince think in this situation?”

Edward, who had been quietly listening to John Blake and Hyeonu, suddenly intervened in the conversation, “What else can he think? Of course, he would want to be the emperor.”

Edward affirmed it. The prince’s thoughts were obvious. It wasn’t just him. In the same situation, anyone else would think so.

“That’s right. The prince will think he should be the emperor. It is natural. He is the only heir to the empire,” Hyeonu said, glancing at Edward. Then he continued, “Still, just the status of imperial prince alone isn’t enough. A certain amount of skill is required to rise to the throne. That is why he will jump onto the battlefield without hesitation.”

John Blake’s expression turned strange after hearing Hyeonu’s explanation. It was a face filled with mixed emotions.

“At any rate, it is right that the prince will appear in the north. But... I also know that your intentions aren’t pure.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“This guy, you are using the excuses of legitimacy and being an adventurer. In reality, you just don’t like the emperor’s position.” John Blake precisely saw through Hyeonu’s heart. He was well aware of how heavy the burden of the emperor’s position was.

‘It is a position where there is more harm than good.’

If John Blake were in the same situation, he would make the same choice as Hyeonu. Being a duke was much better. A duke could enjoy everything that could be enjoyed. He just needed to just obey to the emperor.

‘There are so many idiots who don’t know that...’

The adventurer in front of him was enlightened despite his young age.

‘Lebron did a really great job gaining his disciple.’

John Blake struggled to erase the smile that was about to appear on his face. Then he said, “Even so, I’ll do as you wish. This is probably the direction everybody wants anyway.”

“Thank you, Duke Blake.” Hyeonu bowed with a bright expression.

“Then what should I do now?”

“There is nothing difficult. Just make Prince Heizer a hero. That is it. Of course, it should not be obvious.”

“There must be many eyes watching... Is that even possible?”

“You don’t have to worry about that. Sometimes a well-crafted play will be more realistic than it actually is.”

Hyeonu had already made plans for this.

‘It has to go perfectly from the first appearance to the end.’

Prince Heizer would be a typical hero.

‘The title will be good.’

The imperial prince who saved the empire from a crisis, Heizer.

***

Ever since Hyeonu met John Blake, the number of whispers he exchanged with some players increased exponentially.

‘It has to go perfectly, perfectly.’

There shouldn’t be any mistakes—absolutely not.

-From Gang Junggu: I think we’ll arrive in a fortnight. I’ll keep telling you the details.

-To Gang Junggu: Thank you, Hyung-nim. Come slowly.

-From Gang Junggu: Yes, I’ll see you then.

After a short whisper with Gang Junggu, Hyeonu entered the lord’s castle. There, he met a man who was moving around in the same spot with a restless expression.

Hyeonu stopped behind the man and said with a smile, “It seems like you have all the worries in the world. Is something wrong?”

“Uh...? How is it you?” The man who discovered Hyeonu looked very surprised. “I heard you can’t leave the imperial palace?”

The man had heard that Hyeonu was in a state of being unable to escape from the imperial palace. So he couldn’t help being surprised to see Hyeonu like this in front of him right now.

“If that was the case, wouldn’t I have visited Quency first, Liu Shei?” Hyeonu smiled brightly at the man, Liu Shei.

“Are you deceiving people?”

“I’ve never deceived them. It was like that at first, but... it is a different story now.” Hyeonu shrugged.

“By the way, when are you going to send the reinforcements? The undead’s offensive is very fierce. It wouldn’t be strange if the city falls at any time now,” Liu Shei said.

He wasn’t interested in whether Hyeonu could leave the imperial palace. The urgent thing right now was the undead in front of him.

“They will come in around a fortnight.”

“A fortnight? It is too long. By that time, it will be after the city has already fallen.” Liu Shei’s expression was stiff. It was too slow.

“That won’t happen. Never.”

“Anyone can say such words.”

“I guarantee it. Isn’t it credible if it is the name of Alley Leader?”

“Are you thinking of participating in the siege directly?” Liu Shei asked with wide eyes. It was a very burdensome expression for Hyeonu.

“Yes, I will fight in person.”

Upon hearing Hyeonu’s answer, Liu Shei’s expression became relaxed.

‘That is enough.’

It was reassuring. Liu Shei had a rough idea of how strong Hyeonu was, so he wasn’t afraid of the undead at all with Hyeonu present.

“However, it is hard to go all out. The fact that I can move outside shouldn’t be spread out yet,” Hyeonu said.

Liu Shei’s expression fell apart at those words. “Huh? What do you mean...?!!”

“It is as you heard. I’m going to fight as just an ordinary player,” Hyeonu replied.

Liu Shei couldn’t say anything and just bit his lip.

“Even so, you don’t have to worry too much. The city... It will never fall,” Hyeonu reassured Liu Shei once again.

“I can’t believe mere words,” Liu Shei said.

The comfort of words was meaningless.

“Can you tell me why you are saying this?” Liu Shei raised his head and made eye contact with Hyeonu.

“The master of the Venom Guild... His name is Kalen. He is a man of sober judgment.”

Liu Shei frowned at the ridiculous words. ‘Is he joking right now?’

Kalen, the leader of the Venom Guild, was the main one behind the undead kingdom’s attack on the city that Kowloon developed. It was a name that definitely shouldn’t come out of Hyeonu’s mouth right now.

Hyeonu continued, “I introduced him to Edward. I told him that his live streams would be good if he went under Edward.”

Liu Shei’s eyes widened.

“What do you mean by that? You introduced him to Edward? Do you know each other? Edward as well? Didn’t he fall to you?” Liu Shei spoke like a rapid-fire cannon.

“Liu Shei, I personally thought that you were pretty smart. You still don’t understand?” Hyeonu didn’t give the desired answers. Instead, the smile on his face became deeper.

‘Don’t tell me…’ a ridiculous thought passed through Liu Shei’s mind when he saw the smile. ‘He knows Edward and the Venom Guild?’

“The war... Is it your doing?” Liu Shei looked incredulous even after asking the question.

“Yes, it is my doing.” Hyeonu smiled brightly and nodded.