Chapter 174 : Chapter 174

Chapter 175 : King of the Inoe (3)

Gallajio moored his ship along the coast and disembarked.

There was a slight commotion even during this process.

Lizard warriors, who were placed under Urseca’s command, were hiding underwater for my protection without my knowledge.

They perceived Gallajio’s great fleet as a threat to me and tried to run their ships aground.

If I hadn’t shouted for them to stop, the Lizard warriors would have suffered significant casualties.

‘They are not a force that can win a frontal confrontation in the first place. I need to find out why Gallajio came here first.’

The forces on my side were just myself, Keldric, Everchen, Bea and Nihel, and the Paladin Order led by Itilus.

Most people would not dare to attack the Paladin Order, intimidated by the prestige of the Holy Order, but the King of the Seas Gallajio and the forces under his command were outside the category of ‘most people.’

The King of the Seas’ fleet was fundamentally closer to a military force that had integrated pirates.

Gallajio had integrated the pirates and raised them into the strongest maritime power on the continent.

It was widely rumored that his soldiers possessed the ferocity befitting their pirate origins. Thus, many people feared Gallajio’s great fleet.

If the Lizardfolk had actually attacked, the situation would have been difficult to resolve.

“Gallajio.”

“Itilus, has it been twenty years?”

“It is peaceful when we have no reason to see each other. Why did you come all the way here? It must have been a long journey.”

Itilus glared at Gallajio with a menacing aura.

Although they were both members of the Twelve Swords of Adjak, a chilling coldness flowed between Itilus and Gallajio, suggesting they might as well be mortal enemies.

“I didn’t come here to see you.”

Gallajio stared intently at me.

His long, white hair fluttered in the sea breeze.

I could guess why Soler called Gallajio grandfather.

However, his body was not yet frail.

Even though he was wearing a shirt instead of armor, his firm chest muscles stood out, and a dangerous aura still emanated from his eyes.

“Polarin Adjak.”

“I greet Lord Gallajio, one of the Twelve Swords of Adjak.”

Hahahat!

Gallajio laughed heartily at me.

It was a friendly-looking laugh, but the tension did not lessen.

“I finally get to see the famous junior.”

He was a man competing with me for the hero position of the Adjak family.

Furthermore, Gallajio was the King of the Seas, recognized as a Sword Master by the Emperor of the Empire.

Many people said that if the North had the Archduke, the sea had the King of the Seas.

“Did you come all the way here just to see me?”

“I figured I must defeat you to ascend to the hero position that succeeds Lord Adjak.”

Gallajio never spoke in circles.

The formalities ended quickly. Gallajio examined me with sharp eyes.

Of course, I had no intention of backing down easily either.

“Yes, that’s right. I also have no intention of yielding. I’ve lived my life for that goal.”

“Is what you’ve acquired so far not enough?”

“Excuse me?”

“You’ve already gained so much, haven't you? Are you not satisfied with the role of Apostle of the Holy Order? The one who is recognized even in the isolated Ostrum. The King of the Beastkin, and the King of the Inoe. Is that not enough?”

“...”

It seemed Gallajio knew a lot about me.

A sad expression settled in his voice.

“Could you yield the position appointed by the family to me?”

I looked into Gallajio’s eyes.

They were very clear eyes.

The kind of gaze seen in those who possess a dream.

Like many descendants of the Adjak family, Gallajio held a burning desire to succeed Lord Adjak.

He did not look like a greedy old man blocking the path of his junior family members, but like someone pursuing his own dream.

“The one who succeeds Lord Adjak. That alone is enough for me. Even if I become the family’s hero, I will help you on the path you wish to take. I will dedicate what little power I have so that you may be called the hero of the world.”

Gallajio almost shouted now.

It was difficult for me to answer. It sounded like the wail of an old man with white hair, and it also sounded like a threat from the Empire’s strongest Sword Master.

No, it felt like a man named Gallajio was pleading with me.

His words made the surroundings gloomy.

Even the forces under Gallajio, who had been strutting around and looking at me after disembarking, looked at their leader with sorrowful eyes.

Even Itilus, who did not seem to have a good relationship with Gallajio, looked at him with a heavy heart.

“Lord Gallajio...”

I couldn't continue my sentence and only called his name.

What would I gain if I became the Adjak family’s hero?

The benefits certainly existed.

Although I didn’t know it when I lived in Gullok, the Adjak family was quite wealthy and held high prestige.

I could gain their support and acquire the Adjak family's gathered Tunes or equipment.

‘But with what I have now, I already possess quite a few Tunes.’

I could probably find more helpful Tunes, but the Adjak’s build and my build had already diverged greatly.

I also had most of the equipment I needed.

And one of the reasons for going to the Holy Order was to borrow equipment, so I didn't necessarily need to raid the family's vault.

If that didn't work, I could ask Hike or Baden to open the Dragon's Vault, and I was also anticipating the equipment the Dwarf King would bring.

‘I am the successor of Adjak anyway. I don’t necessarily need that title.’

I was ambitious, but my mind wavered when Gallajio, who was more desperate than me, appeared.

However, there was one thing I could not easily achieve if I did not become the hero.

“Lord Gallajio. If you become the hero, can you eradicate the family's flaws?”

“The family's flaws? What are you referring to?”

“Such as traditions like the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, or discriminatory elements by autonomous region. Besides that, the Adjak family needs innovation.”

As someone from a lower autonomous region, I had experienced much discrimination, and I resolved to abolish the family's flaws while undergoing the Coming-of-Age Ceremony.

Now, I was traversing the continent from a completely different position.

Seeing that my main concern, assuming I handed over the hero position to Gallajio, was the disappearance of the means to first eliminate the family's flaws, it seemed I also harbored a long-held sorrow.

“I see... I never thought that the family's flaws needed to be changed. I simply crossed the sea with the sole purpose of becoming the hero.”

“If Lord Gallajio promises to eliminate the family’s flaws, I will relinquish the hero position.”

Gallajio wore a surprised expression.

Hadn't he brought his forces here to pressure me just to hear these words?

“...”

Gallajio stared at me without answering.

It must have been the words he desperately wanted to hear, yet he was frozen like a stone statue, just looking at me.

“...You are not just someone who looks far ahead.”

Gallajio continued speaking, his voice drained of power and dejected.

“When I heard the news that you ascended to the King of the Inoe, it was a wake-up call. Your way of thinking is different from mine, who thought that having the sea in my grasp was enough. Lord Adjak must have been like you.”

I nodded and listened attentively to Gallajio’s words.

I tried to calculate if there were any hidden implications in his speech.

“If it was just that... I wanted to throw a tantrum somehow, but your capacity is clearly different from mine.”

“My capacity is different? That is untrue.”

“The family’s flaws, you say. I, too, was once frustrated by the bad customs of our family, but I don’t even remember when that was. When one gains power, things are bound to be forgotten. But you... you haven’t forgotten.”

“...”

“While aiming for a distant goal, you don't forget your surroundings. Such a person is a hero.”

Gallajio nodded, then stated as if making a declaration.

“I will inform the Council of Elders. I will no longer challenge the hero position, and the only person worthy of that title is Polarin Adjak.”

Gallajio, who had been speaking in a wet voice, laughed with an exaggerated Kwahaha, perhaps feeling embarrassed.

Then he began to change the subject.

“As the family’s hero, I understand what you want. I will try to use my power so that a busy man like you doesn't have to worry about it.”

“Are you saying you will help eliminate the family’s flaws?”

“I will surely do it.”

A man whose lifelong goal was at stake, a man who seemed ready to fight to the death to achieve it, changed his mind with just a few words.

‘The human heart is truly complicated...’

It was a day that made me realize this anew.

“Then why did Lord Gallajio’s great fleet come all the way here?”

“A little of this and that. Also to escort you to the Holy Order.”

“The Order will be surprised.”

“Let them be surprised. Wouldn't they be more subservient to you if I intimidate them a little?”

“...The Order and I do not have that kind of relationship.”

Gallajio spoke more like a pirate than the Empire’s officially recognized Sword Master. A vein pulsed sharply on Itilus’s forehead.

Gallajio grinned once more at Itilus. Seeing this, I sighed.

“Do you have another purpose?”

“I heard your objective. You intend to conquer Myeolji. That, too, is something only a hero, like Lord Adjak, can do.”

“That’s right.”

“Our fleet will also participate in the expedition. I wanted to show our forces to you, who will be the Commander-in-Chief.”

This was an unexpected achievement.

It was true that I had thought it would be good if I could persuade Gallajio someday, but I had half-given up on it because there wasn’t much time left until the Dome of Myeolji disappeared.

6 months, though a long time, was still a period during which I would have countless things to do.

“Lord Adjak’s expedition invaded Myeolji through the land connected to the Western Continent. Countless battles took place there, and many casualties occurred. But if we are involved, the story will change.”

“Are you saying you will advance through the part of Myeolji connected to the sea, not the west?”

“Exactly that. If we invade by sea, the forces will be dispersed, and the battles you have to fight might be fewer.”

“But isn’t that the Sea of Death? No matter how sturdy the ships are...”

“My fleet can even cross the Sea of Death.”

Gallajio’s confidence was palpable.

The Sea of Death.

The sea located north of Myeolji, which had been so eroded that it was untouchable, like Myeolji or the North.

Black waves could be called the symbol of the Sea of Death.

Lord Adjak chose to concentrate his forces and break through Myeolji rather than dividing his troops to invade by sea and losing soldiers.

But if Gallajio attacked the northern side of Myeolji with his fleet, it would be an immense help indeed.

“What do you think of my plan? Isn’t it quite useful?”

“If successful... It will be a great help.”

“It will be successful.”

“I ask for your assistance.”

I bowed to Gallajio. He also bowed his head to me.

“Then, let’s go meet the religious fanatics now. We will escort you. But aren't you already an Apostle of the Order? Why are you going there again? Are you planning to kidnap the Saintess or something?”

“Gallajio! You are an impertinent man!”

Itilus finally couldn't hold back and let out a roar of anger.

But Gallajio pretended not to hear and looked at me.

“Why would I kidnap the Saintess? I plan to borrow the remaining Three Divine Artifacts.”

I already had Mutis resting on my head. I had experienced the power of Mutis through several battles.

If I acquired the remaining Three Divine Artifacts, I could hold even greater symbolic power, and they would certainly be helpful in Myeolji.

“Kidnap the Three Divine Artifacts...?”

Itilus, who was greatly misunderstanding something, muttered to himself in astonishment.