Building A Human Empire By Creating A Clan [EN]: Chapter 160

Constructing the Human Empire with Subordinates 162

I Shall Listen to the Words of a Traitor

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‘Damn it.’

Zinork cursed inwardly.

He was attending the assembly as the chieftain of his tribe.

As he entered the tent where the tribal chiefs’ meeting was being held, he saw his seat.

“Hurry and take your seat, Zinork.”

There were 42 seats arranged inside the tent.

Forty-one of them were already occupied by other chieftains.

Seeing the remaining seat, another curse welled up.

‘These damn bastards….’

The remaining seat was right next to the entrance.

The position of the seat indicated the rank of the chieftain.

Zinork’s seat meant he was the lowest of the 42 chieftains.

He had at least been in the middle during the last meeting.

‘Are they openly ignoring me now?’

As he sat down, laughter rippled from all directions.

Zinork was once an Orc who had been called the king of his race.

They were laughing at his downfall.

He clenched his fists tightly, his shoulders trembling.

“Let the tribal chiefs’ meeting begin!”

When the Orc sitting at the head of the table slammed his fist on the floor, the chieftains responded with cheers. No Orc should dislike the tribal chiefs’ meeting, as it was a preparation for invasion.

A stage to prepare when, where, and how to attack.

For that reason, no Orc should dislike the tribal chiefs’ meeting, but Zinork had begun to loathe the tribal chiefs’ meeting in recent times.

“This time, we must definitely overcome!”

“The god has promised to help us.”

“When are we going? When? Now?”

“I attack! I will hunt!”

Look.

Could this even be called a meeting?

It was a marketplace where strategy and tactics were not discussed at all.

They merely agreed on when to attack.

Other than that, they just rambled on as they pleased and then it was over.

“Zinork!”

As he was scanning the chieftains with a nonchalant expression, the chieftain at the head of the table called out to Zinork as if scolding him.

“You must also participate. You know that, right.”

“I know. I’ll send them as I did last time.”

“As you did last time?”

The chieftain snorted.

“We sent them like that last time and were defeated. Are you saying you’ll send them the same way this time?”

“Even if I wanted to send more, I don’t have any warriors to send.”

“Don’t lie! You’re probably diverting warriors again!”

At his roar, the other chieftains chimed in.

“That’s right. Zinork is lying.”

“He’s probably plotting something behind our backs.”

“We lost because Zinork was scheming!”

Zinork was so dumbfounded that he let out a hollow laugh.

“That’s absurd….”

“If it’s not true, send more warriors!”

“We won’t be fooled!”

The chieftains whined like children.

Watching them, his anger gradually rose.

Were they not the same fellows who used to bow their heads at his feet?

But now that they had gained a little power, they were pressuring him.

“You idiots… Is it because of me? The reason the last attack failed isn’t me, it’s you! It’s your fault for charging head-on like wild boars!”

Zinork raised his voice, veins popping in his neck, and protested.

“I clearly warned you, didn’t I? That you shouldn’t do that. You were the ones who didn’t listen! How is this my fault?”

However, no one in this place responded to him.

As if the answer was already decided and they just had to recite it, they burst out.

“Don’t make excuses!”

“You’re worse than a goblin!”

Forty-one Orcs denounced Zinork.

Some even threw the food placed in front of them.

Thud!

Zinork tried to avoid it, but some of it hit his body and dripped down. In an instant, anger surged, and he almost jumped up from his seat. But his meager reason held him back, barely suppressing his anger.

If he fought in this place, he would be the one to die.

Seven of the 41 were stronger than him.

Thud, thud!

The seven chieftains each slammed their axes, daggers, etc., on the floor.

As if they would kill Zinork at any moment.

To avoid death, he had to endure.

Ugh…

Until just a year ago, no one dared to treat him like this. Even if there were chieftains who rebelled like Ugdashi, no Orc would dare to throw trash or utter insults to his face.

Because there were no Orcs stronger than Zinork.

However, after the monster called the Old God was released, everything changed.

– I will give you power.

The might of Aleon, who overwhelmed the Lord.

There was a proposal to pass on the source of that might.

The Old God called the ritual to gain power baptism.

‘I shouldn’t have accepted that.’

The first to be baptized were four low-ranking warriors.

Zinork, who distrusted the Old God, sent the low-ranking warriors as disposable pawns.

Not many days later, they returned imbued with the Old God’s magic.

With immense power that even high-ranking warriors could not easily overcome.

“Uwoooooooo!”

Orcs worship power.

Even if they didn’t worship it, there would be no one who disliked power.

The baptized low-ranking warrior tore apart a high-ranking warrior with his bare hands.

An impossible anomaly had occurred.

“Kill… tear apart!”

As the rumor spread, the number of those who refused or doubted baptism drastically decreased.

A minority, led by Zinork, suspected the Old God’s intentions, but how could they stop the desire to become stronger?

‘It’s a trap. A trap so sweet that you can’t help but fall for it.’

Zinork was inherently suspicious, so he doubted the price of baptism. To gain such immense power, and there’s no price? He thought it was absurd.

“Hunt! Humans, hunt!”

“We must believe in the god. The god is right!”

The suspicion was correct.

Baptism lowered intelligence.

As if they were sacrificing intelligence to gain power.

“They’ve become idiots….”

They became so foolish and impulsive that he couldn’t help but think that.

In addition, they showed dependence on the Old God.

“What have you done?”

Zinork questioned the Old God who had performed the baptism.

It was a being with the face of a crow named Ethemos.

Unlike the Old Gods, only the face was bizarre, and the body below the neck was like an Elf or a human. With two hands and two feet, if you covered the face, you could mistake it for one of the two races.

– What have I done? That’s too broad of a question.

“Look at those who have received your baptism! Even goblins aren’t that stupid. Even if other races mock us for being stupid, it’s not to this extent.”

– Hmm, do you think baptism is the cause of their stupidity?

“The change before and after receiving it is clear, so how can I say it’s not? What on earth have you done? If it were just stupidity, it would be better. They even worship you like baby birds.”

– Success.

“What?”

Zinork blinked.

What was that god saying?

Ethemos laughed without hiding his true intentions.

– That is baptism. There is a price for everything. Since I have given you power, shouldn’t I receive a price for it?

“A price? Becoming slaves?”

– I did not force you. I merely gave you a choice.

A choice?

– Yes, a choice.

It was nonsense.

In the current situation, who would refuse baptism?

A low-ranking warrior received baptism and surpassed a high-ranking warrior.

Would a high-ranking warrior, who was surpassed by a subordinate overnight, stay still?

‘If that weakling became like this after receiving baptism, then what about me?’

Wouldn’t the high-ranking warrior think like this?

If those who are already strong receive baptism, how much stronger will they become?

“We will also receive it!”

“No! Don’t receive it. It’s a trap.”

The high-ranking warrior who received baptism surpassed the chieftain.

Because of that, many chieftains were killed by high-ranking warriors.

Unlike warriors, the method of becoming a chieftain was limited.

Forming a group and becoming independent, or killing the chieftain and taking his place.

Orcs and goblins would never take the difficult path when there was an easy one.

“Zinork! Are you trying to kill us!”

“If we stay like this, we will also die.”

“We must receive baptism!”

Control collapsed.

All the chieftains except Zinork received baptism.

Most of the minor tribal chiefs under his command remained, but none of the great chieftains who were qualified to participate in the tribal chiefs’ meeting had not been baptized.

Furthermore, some of them had gained strength surpassing Zinork.

Would Orcs, who worship strength, listen to the words of the weak?

Zinork’s authority quickly melted away.

“Zinork does not belong in this place.”

“Only the strong can sit in the tribal chiefs’ meeting!”

Zinork was definitely strong.

Strong enough to remain a chieftain even without receiving baptism.

It wasn’t for nothing that many tribes still followed him.

There was a reason why they followed him even if it meant being hostile to the baptized tribes.

“Baptism is a trap to make us slaves.”

“If Zinork receives baptism, he will become our king again!”

However, Zinork had made too many enemies.

“That guy is not an Orc. He’s a cunning goblin!”

“No. He’s a human. A human pretending to be an Orc.”

The fact that he was unusually cunning for an Orc was the fundamental problem.

Wasn’t it for nothing that Orcs were called stupid by other races?

It was because they liked to fight so boldly that it seemed ignorant.

On the other hand, Zinork was an Orc who used his head to plot and had grown his power through this.

Other races thought he was cunning, but his own race thought he was a timid and insidious chieftain.

Even when the Orcs went to hunt the Elves, whom they had longed for so much, he didn’t even try to mobilize his own tribe.

– Why don’t you receive baptism?

Ethemos asked as if he couldn’t understand. The Old God, who had said that receiving baptism was voluntary, was now forcing him. He felt that there was no need to hide his true intentions any longer.

– You must choose. Become one with us, or die. Don’t forget that you don’t have much time left.

Zinork refused Ethemos’s offer.

He was once a strongman who was called the king of the Orcs.

His high pride did not allow him to bow his head.

So, what he chose was a third option.

###

– You’re going to listen to the words of a traitor?

Tiamar in the pendant conveyed her thoughts.

– He’s the guy who betrayed Father. He’ll betray you too, you know?

I ignored her grumbling and headed to the meeting place.

The location was in the middle of a forest in the southern part of Pantonia.

It was a situation where it was difficult to openly visit each other.

We agreed to meet with a small number of guards.

“Emperor Edar, we must join hands. The monster that the Elves call the Old God is too strong. If we don’t join hands, we can’t handle it.”

Zinork looked haggard.

His fellow tribesmen must be full of those who chose mutation through the Old God’s schemes.

It would be difficult to maintain purity among them.

He must be facing a threat to his life without knowing it.

“You seem to regret it.”

“Regret?”

“Didn’t you release the Old God? Disaster has come to the world because of your actions, so I guess you regret your mistake.”

“Aleon released the monster. Not me.”

I chuckled lowly and shook my head.

“Did Aleon do all this alone? You’re passing on too much responsibility. Didn’t you help him kill the Lord?”

“Kill the Lord? No. The Lord didn’t die.”

Zinork frowned.

“It’s true that we fought with the Lord. But no one tried to kill the Lord. Aleon, he might have… but the rest didn’t.”

“Then why did the Lord’s magic disappear?”

“When we were furious at Aleon’s instigation, Aleon wanted to hold the Lord accountable for betraying the Council. As a punishment of sealing.”

As expected, Tiamar muttered in my mind.

“We hesitated. Even though he betrayed us, isn’t the Lord still the Lord? The sealing was what he chose himself.”

The Lord chose the sealing himself.

I tilted my head at those words.

Why on earth? What was he thinking?

I had never experienced anything like this.

– Hmph, excuses.

I felt a strange feeling from Tiamar’s reaction.

Who provided the decisive cause for making the Lord a mortal?

“We should have held back our anger. We were blinded by greed. We did things without even considering whether we could have it or not. Elves, dwarves… you’re worse than goblins.”

Zinork muttered almost in a lament.

He was regretting the act of releasing the Old God.

“We were sure that the Lord would die soon. So we competed over who would stand above us after he died. That was too much. You also benefited from that, didn’t you, human?”

I nodded slightly.

Even though I benefited, I wasn’t very satisfied.

Originally, the scenario of the main story was that competition would intensify, leading to a large-scale war between different races, and thanks to that, humans, who were on the verge of self-destruction, would catch their breath.

However, because I came to the world too early, the strife of the Council did not blossom. The only thing that happened was that Blad’s Mycenae Empire started a war.

“Aleon, he controls the monsters, but I don’t believe it. Someday he will be eaten by the monsters. Or he will become a monster himself.”

“You know it well.”

“Because I saw my race changing. The race he created called High Elves will be the same as those who received baptism. Even if they are less stupid than us, they will still be servants of the monster.”

– High Elves?

‘A subspecies of Elves. A new species created by the World Tree.’

– A new species? What are you talking about? The World Tree creating another species?

Elves are a race that the World Tree bears like fruit.

Reproduction is possible, but only in rare cases.

The vast majority are born and raised in the World Tree.

The birth of a subspecies of Elves means that some change has occurred in the World Tree. And there is only one factor that can change the World Tree.

– Aleon, did that moron defile the World Tree too?

“It’s better to receive baptism. Do you know? Baptism is receiving the monster’s magic. If the magic is drained, they will return to normal. But those High Elves are different.”

“Because the mutation starts from the moment life is conceived.”

“Even if they pretend to be Orcs or Elves now, when their numbers are sufficient, they will devour us and rule the world.”

Zinork shuddered.

It wasn’t anger, but fear that made him shiver.

“It’s not too late yet. Not all Orcs and goblins have fallen to the monster. If you help me, I will rule all the tribes again.”

Zinork was still strong.

He was surviving in a group full of mutants.

If he had really been pushed back in the power struggle, he would have been eaten in the blink of an eye.

Orcs and goblins are races that grow by eating each other.

“There are still many who refuse baptism. Even if it’s not me, there will be guys who will try to protect purity. If you help me, I will gather them and drive out the monster.”

I examined Zinork, who was grinding his teeth.

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean, I don’t know? What are you hesitating about?”

“I don’t think there’s any need to join hands.”

“What? Do you think you can stand up against them alone?”

“You said that even without you, they would protect purity.”

Even without Zinork, they would fight on their own.

I knew that fact from experience.

“Are you thinking the same thing as Aleon? Think again! We will only be eaten one by one! It may be beneficial to you right now, but what will happen after we are defeated?”

“We can end it before that happens.”

“What are you talking about again….”

Even if I join hands with Zinork, there’s not much benefit for me.

Even without him, the tribes under him will fight on their own.

Rather, if Zinork is there, he will try to use me.

“It’s more troublesome for me if you’re cornered and submit.”

How strong would an Orc like Zinork become if he received baptism?

I clearly saw Ugdashi submitting to the Old God.

It would be troublesome if Zinork became like that.

“You….”

The eyes facing each other widened.

He seemed to realize what I was thinking.

But it was too late.

“From the beginning—“

– From the beginning, you intended to do this?

Swoosh!

My thoughts reached Calliope and the guards behind me.

The heads of Zinork and his guards rolled on the floor.

“Titus. Summon the Southern Expeditionary Force. Capture the Orcs and goblins first.”

“Is it a conquest?”

“No.”

I looked at Titus without saying anything more.

He understood the meaning and bowed his head.

– There will be two empty seats in the Council.

Whether we can overwhelm them.

Two seats?

I raised the corners of my lips.

“It shouldn’t end with just two seats.”

“That’s right. It shouldn’t end with just two.”

Guard Raimondo echoed.

He read Tiamar’s thoughts through my thoughts.

“The Empire has not wasted the past time. We have built towers to block the Old God’s magic, and we have dealt with epidemics, mutations, and weather anomalies that come in through the gaps. We have also blocked hunters infiltrating the coast and enemies rushing in from the north and south.”

At the same time, new industrial complexes were created throughout the Empire. Arsenals, steel mills, and other construction projects that would normally take years. We poured in subordinates and magic to lay the foundation at an unbelievable speed.

As a result, the number of cannons produced per month, which was about 10, has increased to 86 in the past month. The stock of muskets is also more than twelve times the stock when we left for the Mycenae Empire.

The Human Empire is the most fitting country to be called a military state. We were pouring all our capabilities into arming the military, pulling in resources from the bottom up.

“Even though they are still trainees, officers from the military academy have joined the Imperial Army, and the number of Imperial soldiers, excluding subordinates, reaches 100,000. Of course, we can’t mobilize all of them because there are many places to protect.”

Still, we can mobilize half of them.

Soldiers all armed with gunpowder weapons.

– Yeah, yeah, it’s not just the number of humans that has increased.

“Yes. We are also here. If the Southern Expeditionary Force joins, it will be at least three regiments or more. It’s close to three times the number of subordinates that Edar-nim [Edar-nim is a respectful title] has mobilized the most.”

One regiment is 1,000 soldiers based on full strength.

Three regiments mean 3,000 subordinates are mobilized.

The power of these soldiers was confirmed in the Southern Expedition.

We conquered Fritland even though I didn’t command them directly.

“The time has finally come. The time has come when we can wage the all-out war that Edar-nim has been hoping for. Isn’t that right?”

– He’s very excited. Doesn’t Calliope hate talkative kids? How did he get into the guard?

Well, now that I think about it, I’ve never asked why.

– Ask him when we get back. I’m really curious.

I chuckled and ignored Tiamar’s thoughts.

“All-out war.”

It was something I wanted and didn’t want at the same time.

All-out war means that many humans will die, and the fact that I am ready for all-out war also means that humanity’s capabilities have grown that much.

– Like it or not, the time has come.

As a result of years of blocking enemies from the outside and building a foundation from the inside, what the Empire has gained is military power. A military power so great that we can prepare for an all-out war with other races.

‘It’s time to end things with the Orcs and goblins, two races with deep grudges.’

I lowered my gaze and looked at the monsters scattered across the plains.

Mutations of different races born with the Old God’s magic fully absorbed.

As the light I emitted fell on the plains, they returned to their original forms, emitting a dark magic as if spewing out smoke.

‘And we need to check. Whether we can overwhelm the Old God, the descendants of the researcher who led the mutation.’