Player Who Became A Constellation [EN]: Chapter 176

176. A Deal with Johan

The deal with Johan involved receiving the ‘Kartal people as slaves’ in exchange for dealing with the Velet invasion.

Unaware of this arrangement, hundreds of thousands of refugees flocked to Kanta Fortress.

“Your Highness… Your Highness!”

Johan survived the burning fortress.

Despite his lungs being damaged and both arms burned, he selflessly worked to save the refugees, deeply moving those who witnessed his actions.

“Your Highness!”

“He is the true king of our Kartal!”

Thousands survived by entrusting themselves to the young king and seeking refuge at Kanta Fortress, and many were saved from the burning fortress thanks to his efforts.

Unlike other nobles, the Kartal people praised him for his selflessness.

He is the true monarch!

The Velet Kingdom army retreated.

They fled into the darkness.

It’s likely that half of them wouldn’t survive the retreat.

Moreover, their foolish royals perished facing the Asgardian army and the inferno of the burning fortress.

“Your Highness… it is time to rebuild this nation once more!”

The surviving nobles implored Johan.

The attack by Velet became insignificant in the face of recent events.

Kartal seemed destined for destruction, but that was before aid arrived.

‘This young king persuaded Asgard!’

The Asgardian army’s invasion halted, and instead, they repelled the Velet army.

The nobles were filled with anticipation, believing their kingdom would now be rebuilt.

Like the Ronia Kingdom, which was becoming a powerful nation under Asgard’s protection, they too would rise to prominence among the great powers!

However, Johan shattered these illusions.

Johan couldn’t hide the dark expression on his face as he looked at the rejoicing nobles.

“No, we cannot rebuild the kingdom.”

“Yes?”

“Because we have become slaves.”

The nobles and refugees were stunned.

What did he mean?

The nobles, seemingly embarrassed, questioned him.

“What are you talking about? Slaves?”

“I asked Asgard for help. In return… I agreed to give the people of Kartal as slaves.”

‘Ah, I see. Slaves to them…?’

‘Ha ha! Now I know why Asgard actively intervened!’

‘But who would have thought this young king would make such a deal with them?’

Whatever the process, it was acceptable to the nobles.

They had ensured their own safety, and their families would be guaranteed security.

“Haha, that’s nothing. It’s okay! A few hundred people…!”

Johan’s eye muscles twitched.

He looked up at the nobles.

“Not hundreds.”

“Huh? Ah, thousands? It’s okay.”

They dismissed it so lightly.

Indeed, for nobles, offering hundreds or thousands of commoners to the victorious country was a natural occurrence.

But Johan was disgusted by that casual acceptance.

Johan shook his head.

“We had to survive. Otherwise, everyone would have died.”

“…What are you talking about now?”

“We had no price to pay Asgard.”

Johan gave a sad smile.

“But without their help, everyone would have been massacred by Velet. They would have become nourishment for the Constellation of Light [a powerful being or deity in their religion] and died.”

“…….”

“So I told Asgard the price. The Kartal people. All the people… would become slaves.”

“……!”

The refugees murmured.

Soon their faces contorted in anger and disbelief.

“Th-this crazy bastard!”

One of the refugees shouted.

“Th-that guy, that young king sold us all to save himself!”

“The King of Kartal sold us as slaves!”

“Are you telling us to become slaves of barbarians!?”

The refugees transformed into an angry mob.

They picked up stones and threw them.

Some tried to rush at Johan with wooden clubs they found nearby.

The moment their hostility turned violent, Kancun stood tall in front of them, protecting Johan.

The Kartal people flinched.

Loki took a step and stood before them.

Johan knelt and bowed his head to Loki.

“Constellation.”

At the sight, the Kartal people also knelt and bowed their heads, watching with apprehension.

“From now on, you are slaves of Asgard.”

The Kartal people flinched.

“You will head north and work under the orders we give.”

The Kartal people gritted their teeth.

But no one protested.

They were those who acted strong in front of the weak and weak in front of the strong.

“Those who complain will die.”

“……!”

“Arrest them all.”

The Nord warriors approached them and tied their hands and feet with ropes.

“W-wait, I’m not a slave!”

“C-Constellation! Please have mercy!”

They were dragged away with their arms and legs bound.

Even so, they shouted at Johan.

“Y-you evil king! You sold us to save yourself-!”

It was then.

Loki stood in front of Johan.

“Johan Kartal.”

The Nord warriors approached him and put shackles on his arms and legs.

The eyes of the Kartal refugees and nobles who were being dragged away widened in shock.

“As of this moment, your status as royalty is extinguished. You too will become a slave. You already know that, right?”

“Yes….”

“You volunteered to be a slave. What is the reason?”

“…To save the people.”

The refugees were shaken by Johan’s words.

“Also, it is for my sin of condoning my father’s sins.”

“Good. I will accept your atonement. I will no longer massacre the Kartal people. Also, I will not make the next generation of children slaves.”

“…….”

“But you will be slaves for now and will have to work for Asgard for the rest of your lives.”

“…Please have one mercy.”

“Speak.”

“Please allow the captured slaves to live with their families.”

“I will consider it as much as possible.”

“Thank you.”

Johan bowed his head.

“Take them away.”

At Loki’s words, the refugees were dragged away.

“…I, I won’t be a slave!”

Some of the refugees ran away.

In response, the Nord warriors on horseback pursued and whipped the fleeing refugees.

Whack-!

The fleeing slave collapses.

“Those who flee will be caught and hung on the walls all day.”

At Loki’s words, the Nord warriors nodded.

Loki turned his head and glared at the Kartal people.

“Those who reject Asgard will pay the price.”

With that one word, there were no more fleeing slaves.

***

“…Wow, the king… has passed away…!”

The main nobles of the Velet Kingdom could not help but fall into chaos.

It was a war started to proclaim the glory of Mercury, the Constellation of Light.

Since they had not even considered defeat, all the royals believed in Mercury and went to war, but thanks to that, everyone died in battle.

Was that all?

Even the Constellation of Light, Mercury, met a miserable end, being defeated and having his neck cut off.

The divine weapons that Mercury had given were also all handed over to Asgard.

The royal family was completely annihilated.

Half of the 80,000 troops evaporated.

The remaining half are either prisoners of Asgard or being chased.

Thanks to this, the Velet Kingdom, which suffered a major blow, became defenseless, and as a result, became prey for surrounding countries and opportunistic groups.

Bandits raged and cults arose throughout Velet, and angels appeared and destroyed territories.

Even in that situation, the nobles fought among themselves to become the next king of Velet.

Thus began the fall of the Velet Kingdom.

Watching the situation in Kartal and Velet, the other kingdoms could not help but feel the influence of Asgard and become nervous.

Discrimination against the Nordics in Kartal.

Their treatment of the Nordics angered the Constellation of the North,

and the remaining territory of Kartal, which was on the verge of destruction, was burned as if uprooting it.

After that, the Constellation of the North declared.

“Announcing to the continent.”

It was a warning and an order.

“Abolish the slave system for the Nordics.”

It is not the abolition of the slave system in general, but the abolition of the slave system specifically for the Nordic people.

If it were other kingdoms in normal times, they would have ignored those words even if they heard them.

However, they witnessed two countries being overthrown in just a few days.

The Asgardian army ignored requests for military passage from other countries and pushed straight in, destroying Kartal and Velet.

With just over 4,000 troops.

However, the abolition of the slave system for a specific race may soon lead to the abolition of other slave systems.

As long as there was that slight possibility, the kingdoms could not give up the profitable slave system.

However, they could not express their opposition rashly.

Not only the military power but also the words of the Constellation of Asgard could not be ignored.

So they had to coordinate.

They strengthened regulations regarding illegal Nordic slave hunting and amended the law so that only those who committed crimes would become slaves.

Aum would handle the coordination.

Thus, one month after the Asgardian army stayed in the Kingdom of Kartal, the Asgardian army moved again.

Because the young king of Kartal, Johan, told them the location of the Holy Emperor.

***

“Everyone, move quickly!”

A forest within the territory of the Kingdom of Kartal.

The Black Inquisitors [religious enforcers or zealots] were busily moving in front of a cave.

“Damn it, the schedule is too late because of the rainy season.”

“There’s nothing we can do. Pack your bags and go down right now.”

“Is it possible? It seems dangerous…. The Forest of Night…. I can’t see anything at all.”

“We can’t delay any longer. The Asgardian army is still stationed there. I’m uneasy that they haven’t returned to the north yet.”

The Black Inquisitors, who were moving boxes onto the baggage cart, held torches.

However, after the Constellation of Light died, the light was extremely faint.

It was very difficult to distinguish another person or object unless you were very close.

“…Damn it. I’m stuck since the Constellation of Light died.”

The light disappeared.

To be exact, the light that illuminates the darkness has faded.

Even the Black Inquisitors, who had the ability to see through objects even in the dark, could not secure a single point of view in the darkness.

Even nocturnal beasts cannot move on dark nights.

That wasn’t all. The Kingdom of Kartal was in a climate zone with a long rainy season.

Dark clouds covered the sky, so even during the day, only darkness prevailed like night.

Due to the rainy season, the mountainous terrain was weakened by the rain.

As a result, the Black Inquisitors had no choice but to be restricted in their movement.

“…By the way, does the young king of Kartal know our location?”

“Since the former King of Kartal served His Holiness the Holy Emperor and knew the location of the ancient temple, the young king must also know the location.”

Emperor Paliss was based in the ancient temple.

Since the King of Kartal betrayed them, it was only a matter of time before this place was discovered.

Thanks to this, the Black Inquisitors had to live each day in tension.

Because they don’t know when the Asgardian army will strike.

However, as much as they were tied up, the Asgardian army would also be tied up.

Because they won’t be able to penetrate this darkness.

“Anyway, move quickly. We will leave this place with His Holiness the Holy Emperor. You never know when those demon worshippers will come-.”

Thwack-!

Three arrows simultaneously pierced the head of the Black Inquisitor who was speaking.

His head exploded, and his body fell to the floor.

As the sound of splashing was heard, the Black Inquisitors looked at the place where the sound came from.

However, the thick darkness was covering everything.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

Did his foot slip on the mud?

He spoke with that thought, but the other person’s voice was not heard.

One of the Black Inquisitors tilted his head.

“What’s wro-.”

Thwack-!

This time, the Black Inquisitor who was speaking fell with an arrow piercing the back of his head.

“…….”

The Black Inquisitors sweated as their companion’s voice was cut off.

‘I have an uneasy feeling.’

‘What, could it be…?!’

‘Is it an attack?’

‘But, but how can they penetrate this darkness and kill the target…?!?’

One of the Black Inquisitors holding a lantern took a step back.

Splash-!

As the sound of stepping on a puddle of water echoed, there were those who moved in the darkness.

A spear blade pierced the body of a Black Inquisitor.

“……!”

The Black Inquisitor lifted the lantern and looked back.

A spear flying from the darkness could be seen.

“Keugh-!”

When he tried to scream, hands came out of the darkness and blocked his mouth.

And a dagger brushed past his neck.

Blood gushed out, and Worm Fest [likely a term for internal organs or bodily fluids] poured out onto the floor.

‘These guys… could it be?!’

‘Asgardian army?’

‘But how can they move in the darkness?’

‘Could it be… hearing the sound?’

‘Such monsters…!’

“What’s wrong!?”

‘No. Don’t speak. If there is a sound….’

The voice of the Black Inquisitor who made a sound was cut off.

‘Probably… he must have been murdered.’

The Black Inquisitor, who was pierced by the spear, also had his neck cut off and gradually lost consciousness.

In the darkness, the sound of footsteps was heard.

It wasn’t just one or two people.

Hundreds, thousands of footsteps were heard.

In the darkness, at the entrance of the cave full of corpses, a man wearing a mountain goat bone helmet stood tall.

Loki held Mercury’s head in his hand.

Then, with a roar, light spread out like an explosion.

“What!?”

The Black Inquisitors, who were suddenly exposed to the bright light, covered their faces with their hands because they could not adapt to the light.

“Kill… everyone.”

The Nord warriors behind him began to run.

They drew their swords and cut down the Black Inquisitors.

Light began to be engraved on their armor and weapons.

Like the Velet soldiers, the blessing of light was bestowed upon them.

They emitted light.

The Nord warriors pierced through the darkness and moved forward.

“Lord Loki has bestowed the blessing of light upon us!”

At best, it just emits light.

However, it had a special meaning for the Nord warriors who had blind faith.

The blessing of God has been bestowed.

“For Asgard-!”

“Glory to Lord Loki!”

The shouts of the Nord warriors echoed.

They ran towards the narrow cave entrance.

The location where Emperor Paliss, whom Johan spoke of, was located.

Loki attacked the base of the Black Inquisitors.