The Time-Limited Leader Makes the Raid a Success - Chapter 449



Only Noblemtl

Episode 449

#449. I almost felt disappointed.

The Atlas Mountains were a long folded mountain range that stretched east to west from northwestern Africa to the north.

It spans three countries: Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, and the northern part of the mountain range borders the Mediterranean Sea, forming a steep slope.

It has a total length of 2,400 km, a width of 400 km, an average height of 2,000 m, and its highest peak, Mount Rubkal, is 4,167 m.

Those who don’t know about the Atlas Mountains might think that this would be a great place for monsters to hide, but the mountain range has relatively little vegetation for its size, so in reality there were few places for monsters to hide.

Kang Moo-hyuk also knew this and asked back.

“But the coastline there is so monotonous that there wouldn’t be anywhere for a large group of Nagas to hide out?”

“During the Great War, the Atlas Mountains were a paradise for large monsters. There were many battles that changed the coastline. Gates exploded, and large impacts distorted parts of the mountain range. They may have found some hiding places in the gaps.”

Because North Africa was close to Europe, Edoardo had a close look at the local situation.

When one condition that allowed Naga to hide in the Atlas Mountains was met, Kang Moo-hyuk brought up another condition this time.

“Then what about the food problem? There are fewer people in the mountainous area, so there aren’t many creatures to eat. If there had been no Naga activity in nearby Spain, the number of people who attacked Northeast Asia this time would have been difficult to come by.”

“Below Morocco are Western Sahara and Senegal. They are quite chaotic places in North and West Africa. There is also a serious disregard for human life. It’s not just those two countries that are the problem. You could almost say that the entire western coastline of Africa is a hunting ground for Nagas.”

Edoardo’s comment made Kang Moo-hyuk think of the countries located along the western coastline of Africa.

Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, etc.

Most people would be familiar with some of the countries, while others would be heard of for the first time.

The point is that most of these countries were in a state of political instability. Some were on the verge of collapse.

Although some countries are fighting fiercely against monsters, they are unable to respond to all threats due to the lack of systems in place.

In particular, they were practically letting go of attacks at sea.

The questions continued to arise again.

“It’s so far from the Atlas Mountains.”

“They’re the ones who went all the way to Asia. They’re willing to go that far to hunt. They probably used the Atlas Mountains as their base, but they expanded their territory to gain power. That’s just how the Nagarans are. They fight among themselves over territory, but when they unite, they expand their territory rapidly.”

“Then wouldn’t it have been better to put down roots there rather than come all the way to Asia?”

Edoardo thought that Kang Mu-hyeok was dull today.

Before, he would just blurt out everything if I gave him even the slightest clue, but this time, for some reason, he was incredibly slow to understand.

Then suddenly another thought occurred to me.

“Chief Kang… Did you notice everything from the beginning and are asking this on purpose?”

“I’m just checking. Asia is not familiar with the situation in Africa.”

Edoardo sighed deeply. When he hesitated to answer, Vito spoke instead.

“I know that the number of Nagas that attacked Northeast Asia this time is unusual. To secure that number, they must have eaten a lot of people.”

“So there has been some change in West Africa too?”

“I checked and found that the coastal population in West Africa has decreased drastically in recent years. Most people have moved inland due to the threat of sea monsters. As a result, people have flocked to Central Africa, and conflicts between tribes and forces have intensified, affecting North Africa as well.”

Kang Moo-hyuk looked back and forth between Vito’s remarks and Edoardo’s reaction. He sensed a discontented look on Edoardo’s face.

At that point, Kang Moo-hyuk could sense what he was reluctant to say.

‘North Africa’s chaos and the EU.’

Edoardo, who realized that Kang Mu-hyeok had noticed, sighed again and spoke.

“The conflict in Central Africa attracted hunters from North Africa as mercenaries at high prices. This weakened North Africa’s vigilance against monsters, and the EU, skeptical of the bottomless pit of support, drastically reduced its support. This created an even bigger vacuum in the monster vigilance.”

“I guess I could have been as powerful as I wanted. And with the West African coast emptying out, I guess it would have been difficult for me to find food near the coast.”

“They are intelligent monsters that have been fighting against the Europeans for a long time. They are crude, but they are also the ones who pass down records. Some scholars consider them to be another race rather than monsters. So they must have thought that they would suffer great damage if they fought against the European hunters. They probably left in search of a new habitat with plenty of food.”

A place where there are no natural enemies, such as hunters, who come into the water to catch and destroy the nestlings, a place where there is so much food that you can step on it, and a place where there are no monsters to fight over territory.

There is probably no place in Asia that satisfies all these conditions as much as Northeast Asia.

“It’s a shameful story. As a result, it seems that Europe’s selfishness has incited the Asian crisis.”

“This prediction model. Is it reliable?”

“At least that’s what our strategy team is guessing.”

This was a trustworthy result for a guild’s strategy team, which is always considered one of the best in Europe.

‘There is no such thing as a vicious cycle.’

If you organize it, a very clear flow unfolds at a glance.

Nagas ravage the coast of West Africa using the Atlas Mountains as a base to increase their power ▶ Refugees from West Africa move inland to escape the Nagas ▶ A chain of population movements eastward like dominoes ▶ Chaos in Central Africa ▶ Shortage of food and supplies ▶ Conflicts between tribes and forces ▶ Outbreak of civil war ▶ Shortage of hunter power ▶ Hiring of hunter mercenaries in North Africa ▶ Weakening of monster security in North Africa ▶ Skeptical view of the EU’s North African defense theory ▶ Reduction of support ▶ Weakening of North African power ▶ Nagas gain power

From then on, it was an endless loop.

Kang Mu-hyeok’s eyes sparkled.

“In the end, all of this comes down to one thing.”

The birth of a highly intelligent entity that can unite Naga and make such judgments.

“The King of Naga, who disappeared after the Great War, has returned.”

When Kang Mu-hyeok spoke with certainty, the audience held their breath and shut their mouths. Edoardo agreed with his guess.

“As expected, this is the second coming of the Kingdom of Naga.”

“Then we must look into the process by which the king was born.”

“I guess so.”

Then Mr. Joe quietly raised his hand.

“But. Why do we need to investigate the origin of Nagawang? Why don’t we just find him and kill him?”

“that…….”

“Let me explain. I know them well, because I have a long history with them.”

Edoardo stopped Kang Mu-hyeok and took advantage of his luck.

“I heard that Chief Kang dealt with carnivorous hornets during the LA incident?”

“yes.”

Kang Mu-hyeok nodded. Then Edoardo began to explain.

“Unlike carnivorous wasps with extremely short generations, it doesn’t take just one or two years for a Naga to evolve into a king-level individual. It takes a considerable amount of time. If it has become king-level in a short period of time, then it can only be seen as something irregular.”

“If it’s irregular… … .”

“It means that there must have been something that promoted the evolution of the Naga King. Otherwise, the Naga would not have been unified and its power would not have grown so rapidly without any warning.”

“You can’t put spilled water back in. Of course, that Irregular could be another threat, but the immediate danger is on the Naga side. Shouldn’t we clean up that area first and then look for it?”

Mr. Joe asked again, still seeming not to understand.

“According to records from the Great War, the Naga royal bloodline is not passed down to the next generation. Their habits are like salmon, and they raise their successors in the king’s cradle. If the cause of the Irregulars is somewhere along the coast of the Atlas Mountains, then the successor to the Naga king is also likely being raised here.”

“The kingdom moved to Asia?”

“If we were to compare it to humans, it would be like the Holy Land. The Vatican is in Rome, but it would be like the Crusaders going to Jerusalem. It would be like the Holy Land of Nagas.”

“Your Highness, if you put it that way, there will be chaos in Rome again. Treating me like a monster is a bit… .”

Vito, who was nearby, gave a warning as if he was troubled. Edoardo waved his hand as if he was annoyed.

“Don’t worry, the Holy See will not doubt the faith of the Knights Hospitaller.”

“In the first place, there were hardly any religious people in the Knights Templar, right?”

Edoardo listened to Vito’s grumbling, turning a deaf ear to it.

Kang Moo-hyuk finished his explanation as if he was continuing the conversation that had been cut off because of Vito.

“To bring down a kingdom, you start by cutting off the bloodline. Eliminate the aftereffects, then cut off the hands and feet, and then cut off the head. That’s the standard.”

“So, in order to do that, we must first find Naga’s holy place and destroy it.”

Mr. Joe nodded, saying he understood.

Edoardo spoke to Kang Mu-hyeok.

“So, is your next move decided? I guess we should go to Morocco.”

“Your Highness, you can’t go.”

“So you should go.”

“Me?”

“You’ll feel better if you go and check it yourself. Weren’t you planning on going even if I didn’t tell you?”

“I was thinking of it as a transit point on my way back home.”

“It looks like it’s going to be quite a ride.”

“Not only will I have to go a long way back, I’ll also be running errands for the Grand Duke, so please take care of this and that.”

“Are you asking to borrow an artifact?”

“Then it would be even better.”

“Is there really a need for that? It’s already overflowing.”

Edoardo looked back at Thomas.

To someone who didn’t know English, this would have been completely incomprehensible, but those who knew Thomas understood what he meant.

‘Just in case, we’ll need power that’s no less than mine. In that sense, it’s a relief to know that there’s an S-rank magician.’

Unlike Edoardo who was relieved, Kang Mu-hyeok had a corner of anxiety.

‘Thomas Hunter is not yet in a state where he can exert his full power. The aftereffects of preventing the gate explosion are considerable. It’s better than a party of high-ranking hunters, but it’s best not to overdo it.’

Kang Moo-hyuk hid Thomas’ condition as much as possible.

Although Edoardo showed a friendly attitude, he could not reveal the weakness of an S-rank.

“When dealing with monsters, it’s never too much to be prepared.”

“That’s an old Hunter’s proverb. I didn’t know there were still friends who said it.”

“Wasn’t I a hunter too?”

Edoardo’s eyes widened. Kang Mu-hyeok claimed to be a hunter, based on what he had said. For some reason, he felt friendly.

“Yeah. You were a hunter. Good. I’ll give you a guide.”

“Johanna Hunter?”

“Even this Sereti? I was going to recommend another friend. Well, I guess that doesn’t matter. What do you think? Do you want to go together?”

Edoardo turned around and asked. Johanna answered.

“I would have been disappointed if the captain hadn’t taken me.”

“Okay. In addition to Johanna Ceretti, you have a guide. She’s quite capable, so she’ll be useful. I’ll contact her, so you can meet her in Morocco.”

So, Kang Moo-hyuk’s next destination was decided to be Morocco.