This Is Not a Game - This Is Not a Game chapter 160
each other’s position
Everyone except the hero is Ganja.
The reason for such a deformed party composition was simple.
Because the hero was too unstable.
-A human being who suddenly gained power comparable to that of the country one day without any sign or reason. How many people can truly use that power purely to defeat the demon lord?
A former serf who became a warrior destroyed the aristocratic family that persecuted him.
The former paladin drove out the corrupt priests and reformed the church.
There were cases where a former thief founded a new dynasty, and there was also a different race that expanded the influence of his own race.
It was just a fun heroic story for the ordinary people, but from the perspective of the ruling class who wanted to maintain the existing order, there was no greater danger than this.
An existence that must be eliminated at all costs.
However, if that happens, the continent will be ruined by the demon king.
After much thought, the world’s ruling classes came to a secret pact.
– To sum it up in one word, the hero cannot be stopped, so let’s try to minimize the damage as much as possible. Pretending to be coincidence or inevitability, they send special personnel from various factions as members of the hero’s party, and then manipulate the party’s movement route so that the hero does not do anything stupid.
“Then they treat Han Jae-kyung kindly… … .”
– Of course it’s acting. Does common sense make sense that three women fall for one man when they haven’t been on a trip in a while?
“I felt a bit out of place, but I didn’t expect this to happen.”
As a result, the hero thinks he is traveling freely, but in reality, he has an adventure planned by the ruling class.
An adventure full of dreams and hopes, where you see and experience only the bright things with your handsome and beautiful colleagues.
I was surprised by the insidious tricks of those who wanted to protect what they had, but that wasn’t the point.
‘The important thing is that Han Jae-kyung’s every move is being watched.’
The information that Han Jae-kyung received a letter written in a strange text from the monster and the information that he started to distance himself from the party members after that.
And what do people who heard about the conversation I just had with Jenny think?
“To be stupid.”
Yuseong muttered in a voice, forgetting that anyone might hear it.
It was because Han Jae-kyung was so pathetic.
The trap he dug was obviously ingenious.
Even the letter written in the language of the mother country is shocking, but the contents written in it were intrusive.
A series of shocking stories, such as that the goddess has no choice but to destroy the hero and the demon king and rule the world, that she is a warrior summoned from Earth in the past, that she defeated the demon king, but was betrayed by the goddess and nearly died, and barely survived and became the demon king. .
What if clear evidence such as things on Earth are added to that?
Anyone who has read a novel or comic has no choice but to be captivated by it.
The problem is that in the process, Han Jae-kyung gave off a suspicious look.
“I know how you feel, but you shouldn’t show your emotions outward.”
Even if you get angry, it only breeds suspicion, nothing changes.
Even if I felt betrayed, I should have acted the same as usual on the outside.
It’s not too late to show your sincerity after acting, acting, and acting again.
‘The military might be strong, but using your head is a complete mess. I can fool you enough.’
A few days of observation since starting the quest.
And while exchanging letters, I was able to understand to some extent the person named Han Jae-kyung.
An ordinary human who thinks he is special.
Yuseong, who thought he had spent enough time, returned to the camp at a slow pace.
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Jenny is meditating, Sasha is petting a bird, and L is praying.
It’s a sight that doesn’t seem strange at all, but Yooseong’s eyes saw something different.
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Jenny was tapping the bracelet on her wrist at irregular intervals, the bird Sasha was stroking was so clean that it was unbelievable that it was a wild animal, and El felt irregular waves of divine power.
The first evening of the quest.
Yooseong noticed these suspicious actions at once and was able to find out that the party members were Ganja through Evan.
Having been together for a long time, Han Jae-kyung must have seen the party members like this at least once.
However, Han Jae-kyung just watched, and did not go further.
‘To be stupid.’
Yoosung muttered the same thing again in his heart and went to his seat in the corner and pulled a blanket over his head.
* * *
No matter how slowly you move, as long as you don’t take the wrong direction, you will eventually arrive at your destination.
A fortress located between steep canyons.
The size of a tolerable apartment and the walls shining silver, as if using special materials, made it feel more like a piece of art than a simple fortress.
If he had been himself not too long ago, he would have genuinely admired the marvelous architecture that could not be seen on Earth, but it was different now.
“Long live the goddess! Long live the warrior!”
“Hero! Please defeat the demon lord!”
“Dice Fort is a very important strategic point. You are in an exquisite position to prevent a direct clash between the Empire and the Kingdom and keep the Demon King’s army in check.”
Neither the cheers of the people nor the explanations of his colleagues were heard.
It was because his whole mind was focused on the letters he exchanged with the demon king.
Han Jae-kyung was able to return to reality only after Jenny, who was next to him, stabbed him in the side.
Han Jae-kyung, who turned his gaze to Jenny’s eyes without saying anything, realized that there were knights in front of him and cleared his throat.
“nice to see you. I am Han Jae-kyung, the hero.”
“I am Count Hartmann, the lord of Dyce Fortress. I never thought I would meet a warrior. What an honor.”
After greeting the shaggy old man, walking around the fort like a parade, they enter the palace and attend a party attended by important figures such as aristocrats, wizards, and danju from a large merchant guild.
Until now, I hadn’t given much thought to these things, but once I had doubts, I felt somehow pretentious.
“Recently, a demon village was built near the fortress. With the troops here, the defense of the fort alone is not enough to do this or that. If it is not rude, would you be able to take care of them?”
“Why should I do that?”
“Yes?”
Han Jae-kyung, who had inadvertently refused, hurriedly turned around at the bewildered Count Hartmann’s voice.
“Hmmmm, it’s time to get to Halton Kingdom, so I can’t afford to fight the demons.”
“Yeah, I guess. But since the town isn’t that big, it shouldn’t take long.”
“Because it took so long to get here, we were behind schedule. I’m sorry, but I think you should hire mercenaries with better skills than us.”
“Um, then how about this? If you take care of the demon village, I will provide you with a war horse. Then you will be able to arrive in Halton Kingdom in time.”
“Because jumping is faster than riding a horse… … .”
As Han Jae-kyung and Hartman’s conversation got longer and people’s eyes began to gather, L, who was having a conversation with the priests, intervened.
“Hero, why don’t you help me instead?”
“You said you had to go to Halton Kingdom quickly.”
“It is important to keep promises, but it is also important to save people who are suffering. If you explain the situation, Halton Kingdom will understand.”
Han Jae-kyung was about to say something, but shut his mouth at the warmth he felt in his hand.
Although there were some incidents, the party ended in a pleasant atmosphere overall.
After a formal greeting with the people and moving to the room following the guidance of the attendant, Han Jae-kyung asked L a question.
“Do I really have to fight the demons?”
“Yes?”
“Among the demons, there are beings with intelligence. I suddenly thought that maybe we could solve it through dialogue without fighting.”
Considering that he was from a different world, it was a reasonable question.
Because Han Jae-kyung was ignorant of this world, there were times when he would ask dangerous questions, and L calmly explained each time without panic or anger.
But this time it was different.
“The demon’s purpose is to plunge the continent into chaos and dominate all living beings. This is not a problem that can be resolved through dialogue.”
L, who always greeted others with a smile and a warm voice, showed a hard expression and a cold voice for the first time.
Normally, he would calmly answer why he had no choice but to fight the demons and why he shouldn’t have a conversation, but the situation was different now.
The person who secretly exchanged letters with the demons mentions a conversation with the demons?
It was a situation where there was no choice but to suspect that he was colluding with the demons.
From El’s point of view, getting angry was a natural reaction.
However, Han Jae-kyung’s position was different.
‘I didn’t ask anything strange, I just brought up the question of whether we could have a conversation rather than a fight. But why are you so serious and angry?’
Han Jae-kyung, who looked at L for a while, left her behind and followed the attendant.
And as soon as he entered his room, he locked the door and took out a letter from the demon king from his magic bag.
[The demon realm is barren. The land is barren, not a single plant grows, and poisonous rain falls from the sky, polluting the water sources. The reason the demons came to the continent was just to survive. However, the goddess gave an oracle that the demons should not exist just because they did not believe in her, and caused the demons and humans to fight for thousands of years. What the demons want isn’t much. Even the most arid and barren land is good. The demons are not dangerous, but they can coexist… … .]
I did not completely believe the contents of the letter.
Even so, there were things he had seen and heard for months, but Han Jae-kyung’s ears were not thin enough to think that all of them were lies with only a few letters.
“Well.”
But I would be lying if I said I didn’t flinch at all.
Han Jae-kyung’s heart was shaken by clichés such as Hangeul, things on the earth, and the fact that the devil is not actually an evil being.
‘L’s reaction just now. This is by no means an ordinary reaction. It’s one thing, but maybe… … .’
Han Jae-kyung, who was deep in thought, could only realize that there was someone outside the door when he heard something crashing.
At first, I thought it was an attendant and tried to ignore it, but the being clung to the door and didn’t even move for a while.
bang!
Han Jae-kyung, who smashed the thick wooden door with one kick, immediately stretched out his hand and grabbed the person who was rolling on the floor by the collar.
“What are you, what are you doing in someone else’s room… … . uh?”
A man with his eyes closed and his mouth open.
At first, I thought it was fainting and put a heel on it, but I was able to realize that something was wrong when I didn’t even move.
“Lord, are you dead?”
“what? What are you talking about?”
“Hero, no matter what… … .”
The late arrivals froze at the sight of the broken door and the warrior holding the dead servant by the collar.
Han Jae-kyung and the others just stared blankly at each other, not knowing what to do.
What broke the indescribably strange atmosphere was a sound from outside the palace.
“It’s a demon!”
It is a series of embarrassing events.
Someone shouted the word demon and knocked on a nearby door, someone ran outside, and someone looked at the hero with strange eyes.
In the complex confusion, no one noticed the presence of something wriggling in the dead servant’s nose.
this is not a game