They were in the administration conference of the Arpen Empire.

The lords listened attentively to Harold’s speech and criticism of Weed.

‘Weed has fame and is highly regarded by the public. Hence we cannot exercise force like with the Hermes Guild.’

‘Harold’s words may sound plausible, but it is really a load of rubbish. We were appointed as lords after Kaybern began his move. How did an idiot who knows nothing about the current circumstance become a lord?’ Then again, it is true that we are suffering because of the monsters… It is a justified point to bring up. Now, Weed took a blow so how is he going to respond?’

‘For Weed, he’s going to end up with more losses than gains no matter how he resolves this. He’ll be hit hard.’

The conference was being streamed live, it was a one-sided situation with Weed on the defensive.

If he were to get furious his popularity would be impacted, and if he were to stand down he would be looked down upon.

Expecting generosity from the lords or even convincing them were not possible solutions to begin with. Harold would endlessly bite his tail and chew at Weed’s mistakes.

‘Continuous instigated criticism could put an innocent man behind bars. This is what defines politics, ya punk.’

As the grandson of a rich family, Harold loved to use adroit speech even in the world of finance. He also liked being the leader in a crowd and had an ambition to take control of the atmosphere of this very conference, spreading his reputation across Versailles Continent.

Weed just stared blankly for a while.

New lords caught his expression and were disappointed yet found it peculiar.

‘Is he lost about how to react?’

‘He should just get furious, if anything.’

‘He’s a newbie, as expected. The assumption that he would be weak in politics was right after all.’

***

Roam’s chest trembled with anxiety. He participated in the lords conference held in the Earth Palace and watched the silent Weed who faced the opposing lords.

“Weed-nim must be more mindful of establishing public security.”

“Aren’t you spending too much time in the North? Are you not aware that monsters are rampant in the Central Continent?”

“Kaybern’s Lair. The treasures you stole from that place; how about you distribute them to us, too? At the most minimal level of compensation for damages!”

As Weed stood idle, several new lords stepped up after Harold.

The scene of these people pacing the atmosphere to their accord was too ominous and awkward.

‘These crazy idiots. Have you no sense poking up that man? You’d rather take on the Hermes Guild with bare fists. No. They’d have it better going up to Kaybern and call it a lizard.’

Nowadays, their faction was weakened and assassination orders just weren’t possible, and as for the dragon it would all end if it just died once.

Weed however, was truly the most powerful ruler of the Arpen Empire.

He took on the appearance of a just, benevolent adventurer but his true form a villain who had no boundaries in his devious and vicious tricks.

Roam met eyes with Carlise who was watching with his jaw dropped. They understood each other just by the stare.

‘They are all out of their minds.’

‘I know. Let’s stay put, aside from this atmosphere.’

‘We have to stay under the blanket at times like this.’

‘Mmm, that is indeed the best for us. This is a really dangerous situation.’

They never thought once of supporting these foolish rookie lords who can’t even access the situation.

‘Still, what if Weed blows up in such an official event? I mean, it’s good for me as I have to expand my influences… But, why am I feeling so uneasy?’

Those that felt the same as Loam exchanged whispers carefully with one another.

– Gunter: This is going to get ugly.

– Michel: These fools have no understanding of Weed. That man is not at all afraid of the public. He manipulates people like it’s nothing.

– Sherwood: I agree. They are all unaware of Weed’s personality and his abilities. They may believe he became the ruler of the continent out of sheer luck. The same kind of idiots who know nothing about anything and comment online anyway.

– Roam: He’s determined and ferocious. Does that man look like someone who will take a blow and walk away? Moreover, Royal Road is not subject to the politics of the real world.

Politicians could make promises about anything and take no responsibility in the real world. However, Royal Road was different.

– Roam: No matter what happens, we must stand by Weed.

– Carlise: Of course. I worked so hard to get my faction back on its feet. Weed isn’t a man who will endure these dull-toothed piranhas for long.

– Michel: Unless a whole lot of time passes and he loses motivation. They’re courting death by trying to intimidate a beast at its prime.

– Sherwood: The lord of Castle Sisley surely dug his own grave.

The leaders of the prestigious guilds believed that Weed was capable of anything. Their hearts raced as they watched, hoping to not get caught in the crossfire.

“We are not enough to defend against the monsters. Supply us with reinforcements, or give us the treasures you stole from the lair.”

“Kaybern is putting the entire world in danger. It is unfair that one person hogs all the treasures stolen from that very dragon. Do you not believe we all have a share in that?”

“You are ripping off taxes when you can’t even protect us lords. If this is to continue, we must have something in return!”

The new lords wandered way over the line.

The one thing Weed hated more than anything was free riding!

He knew such a day would come.

‘This world is too harsh for someone to live kindly. I took money in exchange for lord seats and that is why those men are here now.’

In the name of duty fees he sold lord seats. It was inevitable that these ungrateful wolves after a serving of good will, would pounce for more.

‘The lord appointment would have had its drawbacks no matter what route I took. But, if they want to come straight at me, I will do my honors to stomp them.’

The new lords by level were novices and had no influence on the public. They were appointed lords by Weed himself and they were truthfully insignificant.

***

Weed quietly heeded to the complaints of the lords and smirked.

“Hu-hu-hu-hu.”

His laugh was threatening, as he took out a sculpting knife and a wood block.

Sss-skid.

The sculpture that quickly took form resembled Harold, and the quick and precise knife movement stole the attention of the lords.

“Woah, that’s…”

“It’s the same as what I saw online. It’s so fast when looking at it in person.”

It was something he did countlessly as a sculptor.

Easily he made a sculpture that looked identical to Harold.

Weed slowly looked around the space and made eye contact with the lords.

He was looking for a lord who had the nerve to try and stare him down.

‘I can tell from the faces that there are a few. A few that will not stop at free riding and steal from my pockets too…’

Weed’s voice spread gently through the room.

“I am aware that some inequalities have arisen in the Arpen Empire. I am doing the best of my abilities to prevent Kaybern and the monsters, but a solution is nowhere close. I understand that you all are disappointed.

Harold looked down on him even further now that Weed was apologizing.

‘Was this guy this stupid? In politics, you can’t take back a step or admit a mistake knew this guy was some raw country punk, but to think that I would completely roll him over…’

Even more, he thought that Weed made his sculpture for him as an apology.

‘K-haha. This kid was such a pawn.’

Even a beast was nothing more than a household pet if it didn’t know how to use its sharp claws and teeth.

Harold instead was thinking about changing his approach.

‘Actually, maybe I should be a bit more gentle. If I stand on his side and encourage the Arpen Empire… Maybe that would land me second seat to the throne. I could also ride on a better tide in future situations.’

It was when Harold was trying to calculate various scenarios.

Weed put forth his hand that was holding the sculpture.

“But, Lord Harold.”

“Yes?”

“Speaking of yourself, just how much have you done as lord?”

“What do you mean by that?”

Harold shrivelled his eyebrows and responded.

Weed then took the sculpting knife and struck down on the sculpture in resemblance of Harold.

Sh-wack!

The detailed sculpture split in two and the air in the room froze cold.

It was quick and decisive.

Without a hint of hesitation, the way he slashed the sculpture was violent and had indomitable force.

Weed stood from his seat and stared at the lords one by one. Unlike before, they were afraid.

“It sure wasn’t easy to govern the Arpen Empire. Especially when the war had just ended and territories expanded all the while the dragon’s threat. This crisis is ongoing and I cannot afford the luxury of keeping lords that have nothing better to do than blame others.”

“Blaming? All I did was rightfully criticize you in my perspective as a lord.”

Harold expressed as if he was being victimized to turn the tides, but Weed continued without reserve.

“Rightful criticism? All of you in this room know what I have done until this point. Every day I roamed the continent and eradicated monsters and carried out quests to stop Kaybern.”

Of course he did pull off a robbery too, but Weed saw that as par the course; he was on a hunt to grind down the multiplying monsters.

‘I did all that for my own gains… But it’s not like I didn’t pull any effort to defend the continent.’

Weed smacked his lips wet.

“You ignore the quests and hunts that I have done until now. You ignore the many peoples who appreciated my heart and efforts from the frozen lands of the North and who helped me on this journey. Together we threaded one needle at a time and built the Arpen Empire from the ground up.

The reason I conquered the Central Continent and appointed lords was because it was a necessary measure to make the Arpen Empire a better place.

I sold lord seats for money. I get it. There are many of you that questioned if that was the way to go.”

“…”

The lords were silent like babies with suckers in their mouths.

It was the Arpen Empire that offered these seats for money, but the ones who bought them were also subject to criticism from the public.

Weed had achievements and progress under his belt that backed him up, but the lords had weak justification.

“Do you think that I sold those seats to you all because I was short on personal finances? That is not the case. Eh-hem. There were many abandoned cities in the Arpen Empire that were about to be invaded by monsters. There were many difficulties governing the continent, so I collected money from you all. The same money was all invested back into the Empire. Now I ask all you lords. Why should I be under the rain of criticism? Is there anyone here that has the right to criticize me?”

“…”