Chapter 363. Revolution (2)
Ariel stopped within two meters of Chi-Woo. She stared at him while floating in the air, without saying a word. Chi-Woo did not shy away from her gaze and stared back with a calm expression. The chaos around them instantly died down as a chill like the cold wind of early winter permeated between them. Chi-Woo showed no signs of fear or surprise as he looked up. He hadn’t instigated or dragged the League’s troops out. In the first place, he had left by himself without any hope that the half demons would come to his aid. They did that of their own volition, and moreover, they had succeeded.
As a result of beating two great demons, they had smashed the Demon Empire camp and safely rescued all the prisoners. What he did should not be considered reprehensible, but worthy of praise. However, Ariel looked extremely sour and offended. She glared at him silently for a while and finally said, “You really—made your point.” She spat out her words like a fierce dance. “What are you trying to do? Do you want to fight me?”
Her sharp tone sounded antagonist, so Chi-Woo snorted and said, “Why should we fight? Unlike the Demon Empire, the League and humanity are alliances in name.”
“In name?” Being an alliance in name alone could mean that this alliance was yet incomplete, and it had a negative connotation depending on the situation. Ariel sensed a hint of mockery from Chi-Woo’s tone just now. She continued, “I can’t just overlook what you just said. Are you looking down on the League?”
“I’m not looking down on anyone…and I’m just telling you the truth,” Chi-Woo replied flatly, and his att.i.tude further fueled Ariel’s anger.
“I’m sure I told you to wait since I was going to make my move as soon as I received an answer from the League. Did you not hear me?”
“Well, you did tell me that.”
“I’m here to represent the will of the Ca.s.siubia League. If you ignore me and act on your own, I can only think of that as you looking down on the League.”
Chi-Woo snorted. He couldn’t figure out her intention, but she was desperately trying to tie this situation to the entire Ca.s.siubia League and making it bigger than it was. “I think you’re completely mistaken.” Chi-Woo was about to call it a misunderstanding, but decided to go stronger instead; he wasn’t going to fall for her trick. “I’m not a member of the Ca.s.siubia League,” Chi-Woo continued. “The League is just an alliance to me. I respect them as an ally, but there is no reason for me to follow the League’s decision.” In other words, since Chi-Woo belonged to humanity, he had no obligation to follow the orders of the League. And strictly speaking, he wasn’t wrong.
However, considering the difference in size and strength between humanity and the Ca.s.siubia League, Ariel could not easily accept his argument. “W-Who told you to follow the League’s order? Still, I showed my respect to you considering your reputation! Then you should at least respond with an att.i.tude worthy of my respect!”
“Respect. Was that your idea of showing respect? I’m surprised to hear that. To me, it sounded like you were one-sidedly notifying me to shut up and stay quiet.”
Murumuru, who was standing behind him, nodded with a smile.
Ariel ground her teeth and looked at him sharply with her chin tilted back. “So, you interpreted my words as such and took the half-demon tribe on your own to the enemy camp?”
“Ah, that’s not the case, Commander-in-chief.” Murumuru, who had been smiling brightly, answered as if they had been waiting for this question. “The Seven Star leader acted alone, and it was my independent decision to support him.”
“W-What?” Ariel sputtered. “How dare you act—!”
“I think we talked about it a while ago. If you had no intentions to move, we’ll act separately.”
“I never gave you permission to do that.”
“But you never told us not to either. Didn’t you just shut your mouth and turn away? Wasn’t that a go-ahead for me to do as I see fit?” Murumuru said in a sly tone.
Ariel took a deep breath; if Murumuru had no intention to help her, they should just stay still. She was already annoyed, but Murumuru only added oil to the fire. Her expression stiffened as she said, “…We’ll talk about your treatment later.”
“As you wish.” Murumuru shrugged as if they had nothing more to lose now. The half-demons belonged to the League, but it was no exaggeration to say they were treated like the ugly ducklings. Despite the circ.u.mstances, the long-running discrimination against them hadn’t disappeared. In the first place, Ariel would not have cared whether the half-demon tribe all got annihilated or not. Of course, Murumuru detested humans, but they were in the same boat. An external ally that supported each other in times of necessity was way better than allies on the same side who always looked down on them. Therefore, it was only natural for Murumuru to side with Chi-Woo. Above all, Ariel really reacted as Murumuru had expected. It was not the half-demons that mattered. Ariel needed to somehow resolve the “responsibility” of this victory.
The situation was too ambiguous to just push her opinion, but she couldn’t back down like this. “War is not a child’s play.” Ariel firmly resolved herself and cleared her throat. “Even if you don’t understand right now, there’s meaning in all our decisions. From a long-term perspective.”
That sounded more truthful, but what exactly was the League looking at from a long-term perspective?
Ariel continued, “It was the League who started this war. Thus, it’s also the League that would determine in detail which direction we’d take.”
Chi-Woo realized what Ariel was trying to say—he had interfered with the League’s plan. Then suddenly, he became curious. “And what is that?”
“Excuse me?”
“You said that the League is looking at it from a long-term perspective. I’m asking what they are looking at? Shouldn’t I know the basic information to understand what you’re talking about?” If it really was a reasonable explanation on a grand scale, Chi-Woo was willing to accept it.
However, Ariel, who had been talking nonstop, suddenly became silent. “I…don’t think there’s a specific reason I have to tell you.”
Chi-Woo let out a hollow laugh. She talked about showing respect as an ally, but when he hit a nerve, she immediately closed her mouth.
“Anyway, since the situation became like this, you have to go with me.”
“Me? Where are you taking me?”
“To the Ca.s.siubia Mountain Range. We’ll go and—”
“Why would I go there?” Chi-Woo cut her off as he thought she was being ridiculous.
“Have you not been listening to me so far? Your actions have led to the League—”
“Seriously, League this and League that.” Chi-Woo purposely cut her off again. “No matter how important the will of the League is, aren’t you the commander-in-chief here?”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Since you’re the commander-in-chief, don"t you have the authority to act independently to some extent? But you’re…” When Chi-Woo purposely trailed off, Ariel’s expression instantly became menacing; Chi-Woo was clearly insinuating that she was a puppet who only moved according to the League’s will.
“You…!” Ariel almost got angry, but soon calmed her expression. She gulped and let out a soft laugh. “…How funny? Isn’t it the same for you? I didn’t expect to hear that from humanity who is receiving protection from the League.”
“Receiving protection…I won’t deny it completely, but that’s not the case for me.”
“?”
“Doesn’t the Hala Forest prove my point?”
Ariel realized her mistake. The Hala Forest was a case in which humanity had stepped forward and solved a problem that the League hadn’t been able to solve. In fact, it was from this point on that many more members of the League recognized the value of humanity and argued for active cooperation. And the human male in front of her was the one who brought about the success.
“The same goes for this instance. As such, I don’t think we’ve only received protection.” Chi-Woo made his point dead-clear and proved that he wasn’t just taking big.
The jade-colored Ariel’s face turned bright red.
Chi-Woo added, “I don’t feel too good. I risked my life to defeat the enemy and save my friends as well as my allies. I didn’t expect to be treated like a criminal.”
“W-When did I treat you like a criminal?”
“Anyway, it’s fine. If the League has business with me, tell them to get out of the Ca.s.siubia Mountain Range. Come to Shalyh, in person.”
Ariel looked as if she was about to froth and faint. Paying no heed to her, Chi-Woo was about to move when Ariel rushed to block his path.
“No! You can’t go!”
Chi-Woo looked flabbergasted. She was acting like a five-year-old throwing a tantrum; he knew she was desperate, but there was a need for moderation.
“Get out of my way.”
However, Ariel blocked his path again; she looked like she was going to take him to the Ca.s.siubia Mountain Range no matter what.
Chi-Woo closed his eyes. How many times had he held it in? “…Two times.” Chi-Woo muttered to himself and moved slowly, as if he was challenging her to block him again.
Ariel was about to move again but stopped. She didn’t know why, but she had a strong feeling that she shouldn’t get in his way the third time. The alarm in her head fiercely rang in warning, and in the end, she couldn’t stop him. Chi-Woo pa.s.sed her by, and Ariel looked back in a daze. The Seven Stars member also walked past her.
“W-What are you doing? Quickly get him!” Ariel shouted at the League members gathering around them like clouds; since she couldn’t bring herself to stop him, she was telling the others to do so in her stead. Ru Amuh and the other Seven Star members put their hands on the handle of their swords. If the League continued to get into their captain’s way, they were determined to throw away the alliance and immediately fight. However, their concerns turned out to be unfounded.
“What are you doing! Can’t you hear me!” No one moved even when Ariel shouted again. No, rather, they were faltering and moving away to make a path. How could they possibly dare to stop the expedition members who were able to fulfill a task they couldn’t complete and return safely intact? However, it wasn’t just fear. There was also appreciation and awe. Chi-Woo was a benefactor who saved their tribe members and comrades who had gotten caught and might have been lost to them forever. Moreover, the power that Chi-Woo demonstrated this time was more than enough to earn their respect. As a result, some of them made gestures of respect unique to their tribe even while withdrawing. Some of the rescued members of the League even followed him.
Although they didn’t know what plans or arguments were being exchanged at the top for Ariel to act like this, not all the members of the League were in agreement. Those who came here under orders and fought through harsh adversity acknowledged and supported Chi-Woo. They at least found out that the rumors about him were true. In the end, there was nothing Ariel could do in this situation. She could only stare helplessly at Chi-Woo as he left.
* * *
The camp of the two great demons of the Demon Empire was destroyed by a single human being. The news soon spread across the continent; not only to the Demon Empire, but to the League.
“Ahahhahahahhaah!” An untimely laugh rang out in the center of the Ca.s.siubia Mountain Range. The person responsible for the cheerful laughter was none other than a freckled girl with pigtails. Although she looked like a common country girl from the outside, she was the Last Dragon acting as the League’s heart. She laughed for a long time until her belly hurt.
“This is—crazy—” After some time, she finally calmed down. Hearing the news, the Last Dragon was sh.e.l.l-shocked because the information that Ariel delivered was extremely biased. It was clearly evident from the fact that in the report, Ariel’s remarks were well-polished and elegantly phrased, while Chi-Woo’s remarks against the League were extremely direct and rough. However, the Last Dragon did not take Ariel’s report at face value, since her insight, which had been honed for thousands of years, led her to investigate the truth on her own.
“As expected—I was right—” She wiped her eyes and chuckled again. If the legend had acted like this, it wouldn’t have been controversial or a problem in the first place. She wouldn’t have even worried about it. Chi-Hyun only acted after thorough and meticulous calculations, so she would have just thought there was some kind of meaning behind his actions; that was the weight of the legend’s reputation. However, this was not the case for Chi-Woo. Although Chi-Woo’s name was well-known in its own way, it was still far below his brother’s. Nevertheless, Chi-Woo achieved what he wanted in the end, and the results fell perfectly in line with the current situation of the League.
Not long ago, the League received messengers sent by other factions. Not only the nearby Demon Empire, but the Abyss and Sernitas expressed the same will. Their messages could be summarized in one sentence: step away from Shalyh. In other words, they should cut their ties with humanity. Around that time, Chi-Hyun had also secretly asked her for a favor to look for any suspicious activities from the enemy’s side. If that was difficult, he had asked whether or not she could draw the enemy"s attention away from him, even by attacking the Demon Empire if necessary.
In response, countless arguments arose within the League. There were sides that said they shouldn’t throw away humanity, sides that fiercely argued that if they went against the ultimatum, they didn’t know how their enemies would react. And others argued that they should continue cooperating with humanity but hand over Shalyh for now. As there were so many pros and cons for each side, the public opinion landed somewhere in the middle. Of course, since Shalyh was a jointly governed city, the League couldn’t one-sidedly push for their decision, so they decided to create a situation in which humanity had no choice but to give up Shalyh. While fulfilling Chi-Hyun’s favor, they planned to bring humanity from Shalyh to the Ca.s.siubian Mountain Range under the pretext of the war that had been going on anyway.
Chi-Hyun would have never accepted that development, but it couldn’t be helped since this was the internal consensus of the League. Chi-Hyun happened to be away as well, so there was no alternative. Thus, even if it was regretful, the Last Dragon was planning to make a decision in the direction of giving up Shalyh. However, things changed dramatically overnight. Chi-Woo appeared out of the blue on a battlefield with an implicitly decided outcome and completely turned the tide.
Whether it was from the Ca.s.siubia Mountain Range or Shalyh, there was a place that they must pa.s.s to invade the Demon Empire’s mainland—the Narchaide Volcano. Originally, it was a natural fortress that a past kingdom once boasted of, but it was now part of the Demon Empire’s territory. The Demon Empire also noticed its geographical advantages and had established an iron defense there early on. There were always exceptions. Even if they didn’t go through the Narchaide Volcano, there were other ways to get into the mainland of the Demon Empire. The Demon Empire had already established a firm defense in these places as well, however, and that was where the war between the two factions had taken place recently.
It was a place where the Demon Empire must protect at all costs, and the League had to subjugate to attack the Demon Empire. The League thought it wouldn’t be an easy task, and they hadn’t sent an expeditionary force in the first place expecting to win. However, this unbelievable event turned out to be true. Even the Demon Empire probably never thought in their wildest dream that their iron defense would be shattered by a single person.
It was clear how the Demon Empire would take this crisis. They had finally re-launched their forces and went on the offense after barely managing to settle their internal chaos by taking a dramatic approach to streamline their hierarchy. As such, they would have tried to take another ambitious step forward. However, before they could do that, their plans had completely gone awry. The Demon Empire would feel intense fury and insecurity at the same time. Regardless of recent events, the League was still an ally of humanity, and occupying a critical strategic area was the same as the League securing a bridge to the Demon Empire’s mainland. The Demon Empire was probably feeling as if someone was sticking a knife into their neck now.
However, the League couldn’t simply celebrate the development either; this incident made it clear to the other two factions, including the Demon Empire, that they had no intentions to let go of humanity’s hand and were going to keep fighting alongside them. Regardless of the internal situation, that was how their enemies would interpret what had happened. It was hard to believe that a strategic location of the Demon Empire was destroyed by a single person, and that there was even a force within the League that independently supported Chi-Woo. The Last Dragon had asked Seven Stars for help just in case, but she hadn’t expected the result to turn out like this. When she heard that Ru Amuh was sent out to help, not Chi-Woo, she had thought there really was no turning things around now.
“What is this—even though we want to break up, he’s not letting us.” The situation was funny no matter how many times she thought about it. Furthermore, there was something she had no choice but to admit at this point. She could tell just by looking at this event. This young man had not just swim in the opposite direction of the water flow but twisted it completely—towards the direction he wanted. If he had been aiming for this result, he would be a terrifying human being comparable to the legend. However, if things turned out this way without him intending to make it so…the mere thought of it gave her gooseb.u.mps. It would be way too much of a coincidence, and he could hardly be considered a mere human being.
“Is the World still alive…?” The Last Dragon muttered to herself and made a mysterious smile. “Yeah, that’s what happened. I didn’t think you would easily accept it considering your personality…but you couldn’t help it because he was your own brother.” Then she got up from her seat and prepared to leave immediately. According to Ariel’s report, Chi-Woo had told her if the League had business with him, they should visit him in person. So what could she do if not exactly that? The heart of the League, the Last Dragon, began moving. It was not something to be taken lightly. However, she showed no qualms and moved without hesitation because she had already made her decision.
“I’ll ask him later when he comes back in one piece.” The Last Dragon smiled while spreading her wings wide. “How does it feel to be in a supporting role for the first time after always playing the lead?”