The Overlord of Blood and Iron (WN)

Surprisingly, Rothschild was the one who acted first.

“What… what is this bullshit, Kang Chul-In!?”

Rothschild grabbed Kang Chul-In’s collar.

“...!”

The commotion attracted everyone’s attention.

“W-What the… What’s wrong with Rothschild?”

“Is he crazy?”

“He must have gone nuts... Did he just grab Kang Chul-In’s collar, of all people?”

“He should have just hung himself instead, tsk tsk...”

All the Lords thought Rothschild had a death wish. Nobody dared to grab the Supreme King’s collar for no good reason.

“Oh-hoh?”

Whatever.

“Dear Sir Rothschild, what do you think you are doing?”

Kang Chul-In didn’t mind the other Lords at all. In fact, he did not even try to unravel Rothschild’s grasp.

Grin.

He just gave Rothschild an extremely annoying smile. Kang Chul-In, the stronger of the two, knew that this was the best way to enrage his nemesis.

“You are disturbing me even in ...”

“Won’t you let go?”

“...!”

“Or should I break your hand first?”

Kang Chul-In grabbed Rothschild’s wrist firmly.

Shiver shiver!

Rothschild’s arm began to shake uncontrollably.

“Keuk!”

“So weak.”

“Urgh...”

“Why don’t you exercise more, weakling?”

Kang Chul-In sniggered.

T-This crazy bastard, his strength…!

Rothschild couldn’t even react to Kang Chul-In’s taunts. His grasp was just too powerful, which rendered Rothschild immobile.

Keke… you dared to grab my collar, you bug?

Kang Chul-In grinned in a condescending manner.

He had a good reason for that. In the Lord’s hall, no bonus attributes were applied. This meant that everyone, including Kang Chul-In, was an average being, just like before the Great Summoning.

“You measly bug, you dare to grab my collar?”

“Kang Chul-In!”

“Coming to your senses now? The rankings aside, you are no match for me.”

“...”

“Get lost.”

It was the truth.

Kang Chul-In vs Rothschild?

Even in a normal fist fight without any abilities, Rothschild was Kang Chul-In’s prey. The latter had boasted tremendous fighting skills even before the Great Summoning.

“Mark… my words...”

Rothschild gritted his teeth.

“I think I’ve heard that line at least ten times.”

“You bastard… I swear to kill you with my own hands, Kang Chul-In.”

“Wanna bet? On who will die first?”

“Anytime.”

“Oh-hoh, what fighting spirit.”

“...”

“Try your best, then. Your fate has already been sealed.”

Grit!

Rothschild clenched his teeth even tighter and turned away from the girl’s sign.

I have you in the palm of my hand.

Kang Chul-In grinned.

You must be so desperate to even try to persuade this little girl. I assume you are trying to regain your influence to form that damned Baldur Alliance? You think I will let you do as you wish?

Having had the discussion with Kwak Jung to prevent any third party from forming, Kang Chul-In needed to focus on the bigger picture. He had no reason to entertain small fries like Rothschild.

Well, of course, he would kill them without mercy if he had the opportunity.

“Excuse me...”

The girl Lord spoke to interrupt Kang Chul-In’s train of thought.

“Y-You are really buying all of this, right?”

“...!”

“They are 186,420 gold altogether!”

“...”

“I will specially discount 420 gold for you!”

Three times.

The items on the table cost 62,140 gold in total, but they were not even worth 20,000 gold in reality. It was a tremendous loss.

God damn it!

Kang Chul-In’s facial expression changed.

He had always been frugal due to his humble background.

Hence, it wasn’t surprising for him to feel uneasy about squandering so much gold. As the old saying went, never bite off more than you can chew.

[Lord Lily Sephardi has sent a trade request. Accept?Yes/No]

The item trade notification appeared without mercy.

I’m really a pushover.

Kang Chul-In closed his eyes.

As the Supreme King of the West, he could never withdraw his words!

‘Yes.’

[Withdrawing 186,420 gold from inventory.]

[17 items acquired, including a girl’s Magic Wand!]

Kang Chul-In could almost hear Timothy’s nagging.

Your Majestyyyyyy! Are you trying to squander all the gold away now that our land has become affluent?!

***

Rothschild walked away while clutching onto his red and swollen arm.

I’m so powerless...

There was no hope.

Even his physical attributes couldn’t compare to his nemesis’. He really had his back against the wall.

“Alex Rothschild?”

A pale man walked towards Rothschild, who was almost about to go insane.

“What a pitiful state you are in.”

“You are?”

“Don’t tell me you don’t recognize me.”

“Of course I do.”

Rothschild shook his head.

The pale man was a higher-ranking Lord than him.

Andrei Ivanovic, the vampire Overlord!

This man seldom stepped out of the northernmost area of this continent to reveal himself. It was rare for him to approach someone first.

“What business do you have with me? Aren’t you a member of the Gullveig Alliance?”

“There’s no rule that bans a member of the Gullveig Alliance from conversing privately with Lord Alex Rothschild.”

“...”

“You don’t have to be on guard, Rothschild. I came here to your benefit, not loss.”

“What do you mean?”

“Want to become stronger?”

“...?”

“What if I told you that there is a way to become stronger?”

It was a temptation.

An extremely alluring one indeed!

“Well.”

However, Rothschild didn’t immediately take the bait. He was cautious of any potential traps.

“You are offering to make me stronger without anything in return... do you think I will fall for that temptation?”

“Wake up, Rothschild. Are you not anxious enough?”

“...?”

“I’m a former member of the KGB[1]. My information network there is still in operation.”

“Now’s not the time to talk about things back on Earth...”

“Seems like you can’t return there anymore.”

“...!”

“You are struggling to escape from Kang Chul-In’s influence here in Pangaea, and you are a wanted man in your family. I didn’t expect you to reject my offer so quickly. Perhaps you still have a trump card hidden up your sleeves?’

“...!”

“Or have you already given up on living?”

Andrei laughed, flashing his sharp canines.

This vampire knew that Rothschild had murdered his father and had stolen his family’s fortune.

“Listen carefully, Rothschild.”

“...”

“I’m essentially giving you a chance. I can’t prevent your family from chasing after you, but you will definitely need my help to escape from that threat called Kang Chul-In.”

“Why are you telling me all of this?”

“Why you ask… let’s save the details for later. There’s too much of an audience here.”

“...”

“I will contact you privately. Farewell.”

Andrei spoke and walked past Rothschild.

***

In the second Lords' Meeting, where conspiracies were everywhere.

“I’m sorry.”

Kang Chul-In had to face a refusal.

“This is Sumire’s keepsake. It’s not for sale.”

The little girl Lord--- no, the rank 14th Lord, Lily Sephardi, bowed to Kang Chul-In.

Damn it.

Kang Chul-In had to grit his teeth.

It was because,

[Epic] Amplifier Talisman

Equipment type: Accessory (necklace)

Durability: 100/100

Option 1: Health +250

Option 2: Mana +250

Option 3: Attack Power +50

Option 4: Spell Power +50

• Amplify: Release energy stored in the talisman, increasing the user’s energy emitting rate. +120% energy emitted for 5 seconds.

* Cooltime: 240 hours.

The artifact on the girl’s necklace was the last component of the Trinity Impact!

“Are you really not selling this?”

“I’m not.”

“I will give you 300,000 gold.”

Kang Chul-In offered a huge amount of gold (although the Amplifier Talisman was worth much more than that), but Lily didn’t budge.

“I’m sorry.”

“500,000 gold.”

“It won’t do.”

“700,000 gold.”

“It’s still a no.”

“1,000,000 gold.”

Lily flinched when she heard the incredible sum of money.

1,000,000 gold!

That was almost worth 337,642,480 dollars on Earth. For a single item, the cost was unbelievable.

“I can’t sell this even if you offer 10,000,000 gold. I’m really sorry.”

Bow!

Lily seemed disinterested in the gold.

From how she refused to sell the Amplifier Talisman even for 10,000,000 gold, Kang Chul-In could tell how stubborn she was.

“Why?”

Kang Chul-In asked.

“I told you. This is Sumire’s keepsake.”

“Who is Sumire?”

“Sumire is...”

Lily’s tone changed.

“She was my secretary.”

“...”

“6 months ago… 6 months ago… sob, there was a war and… she fought hard but… sob sob.”

Overwhelmed with emotions, the girl began to tear up.

Shit.

Kang Chul-In now realised why Lily was so adamant about not selling the Amplifier Talisman.

She was an emotional girl who became a sovereign at such a young age. She would of course have depended on her secretary greatly.

To lose someone like that in a war?

The pain.

One could not simply overcome that easily.

Because of that, the lost one’s keepsake held a special, priceless meaning.

“I’m really sorry...”

Lily apologised to Kang Chul-In.

“I really want to sell it too. My territory isn’t doing well financially, and everyone is poor.”

“...”

“But selling this talisman… is like bidding farewell to Sumire forever. That’s why I can’t get myself to sell it.”

It was a sticky situation.

Kang Chul-In, who had the Overpower Bracelet, only had to purchase the Amplifier Talisman and loot the Sonic Ring from Brynhildr to complete the Trinity Impact, the most powerful item set of all. The problem was that Lily had no intention of selling it.

Should I just rob her?

For a moment, a nasty thought appeared in Kang Chul-In’s mind.

But he erased it immediately.

I am the Supreme King of the West. Using force to steal an item from a little girl is ridiculous. I didn’t become strong in order to commit such immoral acts.

He had the pride of a sovereign.

The girl wasn’t his enemy.

She was just a Lord who happened to possess a good item.

To forcefully take her belonging?

That was just inhumane.

He would be no different from a mountain thief.

It wasn’t even a conquest activity; it was more of a pure possessive impulse.

“Hu...”

Kang Chul-In let out a long sigh.

“Don’t cry, kid.”

Surprisingly, he comforted Lily.

Pat, pat~.

He even patted her head.

“It’s okay. I know how you feel. I had also lost my secretary before.”

“R-Really? Sob...”

“Of course.”

“Sob sob...”

“It will be fine, and you won’t ever forget her.”

He was speaking the truth.

He had lost not only Alfred, but also his own life before.

Didn’t he miss seeing Alfred when he first returned to the past?

Even the cold-hearted Kang Chul-In indulged in reminiscences now and then.

That was why he comforted Lily.

Of course, part of the reason was that Lily reminded Kang Chul-In of his lovely daughter, Arshelly.

“Anyways, I won’t bug you to sell the item anymore. In return...”

He added.

“There’s a condition.”

Kang Chul-In did not let this opportunity slide.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KGB