We Do Business In Full Auto [EN]: Chapter 211

211

Assassination (1)

The heat still lingered in the conference room.

Duke Russell was reeling, unable to fully grasp the situation.

‘Five minutes? Seriously, five minutes?’

He kept the thought to himself, knowing better than to voice it aloud.

The meeting was temporarily suspended, adding to the surreal atmosphere.

Another perplexing element was Lee Soo-jung, purportedly Lee Yoo-sung’s daughter.

He questioned whether the child possessed the mental resilience to witness the horrors of war, the severed heads that were soon to come.

‘Right. I shouldn’t think of her like a normal child.’

Even with that reminder, the five-minute deadline remained unbelievable.

“Your Excellency.”

“Marquis Arden.”

Russell sighed deeply, the sound heavy with doubt.

During the meeting’s recess, attendees engaged in hushed conversations over coffee.

Lee Yoo-sung, however, displayed no outward signs of tension. Was it the Emperor’s unwavering confidence, or simply arrogance?

Marquis Arden seemed to echo his thoughts.

“Try not to fret too much.”

“How can I not worry? To claim the Central Commander’s head in just five minutes…”

“Have you not witnessed the Cheon-gun’s [Heavenly Army’s] capabilities?”

“Is he truly the Cheon-gun? Or is it just a title?”

“Regardless, the people know him as Cheon-gun.”

The nobles were privy to the fact that Lee Yoo-sung hailed from another world, meaning he couldn’t be the Cheon-gun divinely appointed by the goddess Vivian.

Yet, the soldiers and the populace at large believed it.

If the New Empire were to be founded on such beliefs, it wouldn’t necessarily be a negative outcome, but he still considered the Commander’s boast excessively arrogant.

“Doubt is a dangerous poison.”

“Two minutes have already passed.”

“Let us wait the remaining three. The Commander’s head will arrive. And if it does…”

“Agreed. Let us vow to cast aside our doubts.”

“A wise decision.”

The murmur of conversations continued.

Was this truly a war?

The nobles whispered amongst themselves, their anxieties palpable.

Despite their attempts at discretion, I could hear everything – their words, their worries.

Calvene offered a wry smile.

“They seem to doubt Sara’s ability to deliver the Commander’s head.”

“Their concerns are unfounded.”

“I can understand their perspective, though.”

“I may need to provide them with some mental fortitude training later.”

“Hahaha. I concur.”

“Sara possesses the skill to infiltrate even the most secure locations. If she could breach those defenses, there’s no question she can retrieve that head.”

“My concern lies not with that, but with the young lady.”

“Why, Soo-jung?”

“I fear she might be traumatized…”

“Traumatized, you say.”

Soo-jung mastered black magic before I did.

A necromancer views corpses as routinely as meals. She handled them before I did and dedicated herself to the study of zombies.

So, would Soo-jung truly be shocked by the mere sight of a severed head?

Unlikely.

My concern wasn’t Soo-jung’s mental state, but the potential dangers lurking on the battlefield.

This wasn’t a matter of simple worry.

“It’s a needless concern.”

“One minute remaining.”

Clap, clap!

I clapped my hands to gather everyone’s attention.

The tea drinkers and conversationalists slowly coalesced.

Their expressions betrayed their lingering disbelief. They seemed to have been debating whether Sara could actually produce a head.

Now, the countdown commenced.

“Thirty seconds left.”

“Thirty seconds, really?”

“There’s simply no way to accomplish that in five minutes…”

Some short-sighted nobles muttered that I was being overly confident.

I made a mental note of their faces, planning to subject them to mental education later.

“Fifteen seconds.”

“Hmm.”

“Ten seconds.”

Whoosh!

It happened then.

Suddenly, space warped, and Sara materialized, spotless and without a single drop of blood on her person.

She knelt, presenting a neatly packaged box.

“It took some time to properly place the head in the box.”

“I imagine so.”

It wouldn’t have mattered if Soo-jung saw it, but I kept her away out of consideration for the others’ anxieties.

I handed the box to Duke Russell.

“Gasp!”

“Is that truly the Commander’s head?”

“Indeed! It’s Duke Alped, the Chancellor!”

“Good. That simplifies matters considerably. Sara, what’s the situation on the central front?”

“Approximately 30% of the undead have been eliminated, but they are regrouping and preparing to resume their invasion.”

“Has authority been transferred to the Vice Commander?”

“It appears the transfer is currently underway.”

“What is the estimated time of the enemy’s renewed assault?”

“Around evening.”

“Everything is proceeding according to plan.”

There was ample time to negotiate before nightfall.

I needed to contact the Vice Commander.

“Marquis Arden.”

“Duke Russell!”

“Yes, y-yes!”

He practically leaped from his seat, startled.

His face was flushed.

He must have been inwardly cursing me the entire time. Of course, being a seasoned politician, he would have kept his true feelings hidden.

But he must have been rendered speechless by my actually delivering the Central Commander’s head in five minutes.

“I have a mission for you.”

“Just tell me what to do!”

He was quick to assume a subservient posture.

Did he believe he needed to redeem himself now that events had unfolded this way?

“Negotiate with the Vice Commander.”

“W-when do you mean?”

“Establish contact first and request a meeting. I will transport you there. The lord’s office would be a suitable location.”

“I will!”

“Good. We may need to launch an attack tonight. Let’s discuss the remaining operational details.”

“Yes!”

Central Front of the Calin Empire.

Over a million undead swarmed the central front.

It was a fortress of unparalleled strength, the war’s primary battleground.

If this line were to break, the entire front would collapse.

And today, incredibly enormous things happened that made everyone 정신이 하나도 없을 정도로 [so confused that they couldn’t think straight], and reports kept coming in.

First, approximately 300,000 enemy undead were suddenly obliterated by a weapon resembling a magical bomb.

A gate-like structure opened, and the bomb decimated the undead. The remaining troops were startled and retreated.

They were currently regrouping, with demons constantly patrolling the area. Scouts were also frequently sighted.

Capitalizing on the lull, the defenders reorganized their battle lines, urgently repairing damaged walls and reinforcing gates.

Supplies were being transported, weapons were being repaired, and the wounded were being tended to, creating a scene of organized chaos.

But here, the Chancellor died.

Chancellor Duke Alped was renowned as Grand Duke Ried’s right-hand man, a nobleman celebrated for both his literary and military prowess. Consequently, despite holding the position of Chancellor, he was frequently appointed as a war commander, and this time, he had arrived with the central army to oversee the central front.

His personal skills were exceptional, and he faced no immediate danger commanding from the rear, but the enemies assassinated him.

And now, Duke Tens had assumed command.

While directing 정신없이 [frantically], a message arrived from the western front.

It carried the astonishing news that the western front had already been pacified. The message came from Duke Russell, the commander of the western front.

“Is that… true?”

-I have no reason to fabricate such a claim.

“Did the Cheon-gun sweep through?”

-He claims he is not the Cheon-gun. He says he hails from another world. But everyone reveres him as Cheon-gun.

“What is your assessment?”

-Cheon-gun, and more.

“Haha.”

-The weapons deployed this time also struck the central and eastern fronts across space.

The ranks were the same, but Russell was Duke Tens’ academy junior. That’s why they spoke so casually.

If it had been a formal occasion, they would have had to use 반존대 [banjondae – a speech style in Korean that mixes honorific and casual forms] to each other.

“Does that even make sense?”

-I witnessed it myself, and didn’t you see it too, senior?

“That’s true, but…”

-There is no hope for the current Empire.

“……!”

-I have sworn allegiance to Cheon-gun. I hope you will do the same, senior.

“A-are you suggesting I rebel?”

-It’s not rebellion. Rather, Grand Duke Ried is rebelling against humanity. If internal strife erupts in the current situation, humanity will be annihilated. In comparison, Cheon-gun possesses the power. We must prioritize survival.

“Hmm!”

It was a compelling argument.

To ensure the survival of humanity.

Grand Duke Ried’s actions were pathetic even to him. What kind of situation is it now that he is fighting for power?

If Cheon-gun hadn’t intervened, the Empire would have been doomed.

-Sigh. I’ll go right away.

“What?”

Whoosh!

A gate opened, and Duke Russell stepped through.

Duke Tens was stunned, but opening gates seemed to be Cheon-gun’s specialty, seeing as they directly struck the central front from the western front.

“Y-you?”

“Senior. Long time no see.”

“Hahaha. It was real.”

Duke Tens couldn’t hide his astonishment.

To open and traverse gates like this, and even transport others. This was an impossible feat for ordinary individuals.

“Senior. Let’s join forces. The Empire is doomed. Even if you pledge allegiance to the Empire, Cheon-gun has already resolved to punish them.”

“What about the demons?”

“That’s not a concern. Cheon-gun possesses overwhelming power.”

It was a moment of truth.

Politics was a gamble where choosing the wrong side meant ruin.

If it were difficult to assess the strengths of the two factions – the decaying Empire and the rising power – and choose decisively, it would be safer to side with the Empire. But in the current circumstances, it seemed wiser to back the new strongman, establish a new Empire, and crush the enemies.

Duke Tens wasn’t a fool.

Therefore, Russell didn’t need to persuade him further.

“I will swear allegiance if the central front is stabilized.”

“You’ve made the right choice.”

That’s how Duke Russell’s mission concluded.

Around evening.

The persuasion of Duke Tens had been successful.

Now, when the enemies launched their attack on the central front at night, all they had to do was open the gate, unleash napalm bombs, and then charge in and sweep them away.

Since reconnaissance planes were constantly patrolling, reports would arrive immediately if anything occurred.

There were no signs of an imminent attack, so they could leisurely eat dinner and wait.

If anything happened, the vampire stationed in the situation room would report it immediately.

I longed to go home and eat, but I couldn’t. Since seven hours here equated to one hour on Earth, I wouldn’t be able to respond effectively if something were to happen.

I strolled around the barracks with Soo-jung during the remaining time.

When we encountered soldiers, they saluted with utmost respect. There was no ignoring Soo-jung.

The soldiers regarded us as Cheon-gun, so they assumed Soo-jung might be older than them.

“Dad, what’s troubling you?”

The perceptive Soo-jung inquired.

I always harbored worries. Above all, there was one paramount concern.

“Of course, I’m worried. What resources here should I acquire to amass a fortune through dimensional trade?”