ALL NOVEL Chapter 235
Chapter 235. Kabuum (4)
“King! You don’t need to meet them in person.”
“Are you suggesting I break the rules I set for warriors?”
“There’s been not a single person using these rules until now! I could handle these guys on my own…”
“Enough!”
As the king beyond the door commanded, the mage fell silent.
Opposing him any further wouldn’t be good for him.
The frustrated mage glared at Yoo Ji-han, grumbling, “You’ll die if you mess around.”
“Please, just open the door already.”
Creeeak—
The unnecessarily ornate gem-encrusted door slowly opened.
The king’s residence had a very high ceiling, with large pillars spaced at regular intervals.
The light, made from an unidentifiable material, reflected off various jewels, tormenting Yoo Ji-han and his party’s eyes.
‘Is that him?’
The King of Kabuum was perched upon a golden throne positioned across the entrance.
He was taller and more muscular than the warriors seen in Kabuum.
The aura of a strong man, reminiscent of feeling before a Rank 1 Hero, emanated from him.
‘He truly is a king.’
His presence was the most outstanding amongst the locals encountered in Kallem.
It seemed the story of him being the strongest warrior in the world wasn’t just empty talk.
Observing those who had entered his chamber, he spoke to the mage and warriors.
“Everyone except Warrior Tuta, leave.”
“But!”
“Out.”
“……!”
The king’s curt words fell heavily upon the listeners.
The mage stepped outside in a slightly disgruntled manner, following his command.
Remaining inside were Yoo Ji-han’s party, the tense Tuta, and the king of Kabuum himself.
“Hmm?”
“Chirp, chirp?”
The king’s gaze, resting on his chin, roamed over Chilla’s entire figure.
It was as if he had discovered something curious.
“I’ve never seen such an animal before.”
“Chirp! I’m human!”
“You can speak human language? Quite clever. However, do not lie before me.”
“Chirp….”
“The breath and physique you exhibit are definitely not of a human.”
Chilla’s round ears drooped slightly.
He realized he wasn’t an opponent one could easily deceive with words.
“I can sense some energy from within you.”
The King of Kabuum pointed to Yoo Ji-han’s chest.
He recognized the magic of the spirit that was half-hidden.
In response, Yoo Ji-han summoned the sylph.
—Hello!
“Huh! You’re a spirit, aren’t you?”
—Yup? Have you seen a spirit before?
“There are a few who’ve contracted with spirits in Kallem.”
He hadn’t heard that there were spirits in Kallem.
The King of Kabuum was aware of the spirits’ existence.
“It seems the people here know nothing of spirits.”
“Because they are so rare.”
The king’s gaze then turned to Tuta.
Upon receiving his attention, Tuta stiffened into a salute.
“You must be Warrior Tuta, who rose to the elite troops five months ago.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Why did you protect them?”
“Because they are not evil beings.”
“On what basis do you say that?”
“They offered me chaos and shared their food.”
“Oh, you make a valid point.”
“It was quite delicious food!”
In Kabuum, which is considered normal to eat four to five meals a day, the fact they shared their food made the king nod in approval.
Yoo Ji-han harbored hopes that the problem at hand might be resolved more easily than expected.
“But that’s still insufficient!”
The position of a king didn’t seem to be a mere decoration; he demanded additional evidence.
However, Tuta had nothing substantial to present to the king.
“Um….”
Kim Si-hoo cautiously raised his hand and spoke.
“What proof do you have that we’re the evil ones?”
“Because you reacted to this special medicine.”
“And you know where we came from?”
“At least, I know you’re not from Kallem.”
The King of Kabuum was aware that Yoo Ji-han’s party hailed from outside Kallem.
To that, Kim Si-hoo crossed his arms and said, “Does that mean everyone who comes from outside is evil?”
“Indeed.”
“Why is that?”
“……Because humans like you have deceived us!”
BANG!!
The King of Kabuum slammed his fist down on the throne.
As a result, one of the armrests of the throne broke.
“I shouldn’t have trusted you then.”
“You keep referring to ‘you’… Please don’t lump us together with the people you’re thinking of.”
“Pig’s Soup?”
“Hem, hem! That’s the name we use here.”
Kim Si-hoo asked the King of Kabuum to differentiate between them and the Kallem Expeditionary Force and stressed they were entirely different people.
After a moment of thought, the king spoke.
“Pig’s Soup. Aren’t you humans from Russia?”
“What?”
“……Russia?”
“Russia?”
“Russia?”
No, how did Russia come up in such a situation all of a sudden?
Caught off guard by the unexpected mention, Yoo Ji-han’s party was left dumbfounded.
Barely regaining his composure, Yoo Ji-han asked in disbelief, “Are the ones who angered you from Russia?”
“Exactly! Looks like you know.”
“I do know, but…”
“Then they truly are scum!”
“If only those damned fools hadn’t shown up, there wouldn’t have been a war…”
One year ago.
In Kabuum, beings claiming to be from another dimension appeared.
Though they wore strange clothing, their manner of speaking wasn’t too awkward compared to the locals of Kallem.
Initially, the king harbored great suspicion towards them.
“Less than half of Kabuum’s citizens can read and write freely. Yet, you speak better than them despite claiming to have come from outside Kallem.”
“It seems language skills from the respective dimension are granted when one crosses dimensions.”
“Those scoundrels claimed to be from Russia.”
A world the King of Kabuum had never heard of.
Skeptical at first, he gradually started to warm up to them as they shared knowledge and stories unique to modern Earth.
“Have you heard of the name Dostoevsky?”
“Oh, I know him.”
Lee Mi-a recognized the name the King of Kabuum mentioned.
It was because she had seen it in a book.
“He was called a great Russian author. His stories were interesting.”
The cultural differences between Russia and Kallem were significant.
He particularly liked that many people in Russia made sure to eat three meals a day.
Whereas other forces besides Kabuum generally ate just about two meals a day.
The frequency of meals seemed to be a common denominator between Kabuum and them.
“I treated them well. They had delicious meals every day and a comfortable place to sleep.”
To those who could not return to Russia, the King of Kabuum extended his hand as a friend.
But one day, they expressed curiosity about other regions and went outside Kabuum, and everything turned upside down upon their return.
“They came back with severe injuries.”
——The rulers of LeRon and Maz tried to forcibly abduct us……!
The Russians barely escaped with their lives after fleeing from LeRon and Maz.
——How dare they touch my friends!!
The King of Kabuum, who considered them very close friends, was left with no choice but to be furious.
“Out of anger at them rudely disrupting us, we retaliated against the other forces.”
“Perhaps the fight that occurred a year ago…?”
“That incident became the catalyst.”
Although the incident with the Russians was but a spark,
That spark had grown into a significant blaze, leading to conflict between forces.
Perceiving the other forces as having conspired against them, Kabuum prepared for war.
In turn, LeRon and Maz gathered their troops to respond.
“When I realized that everything they said was a lie… Too many had already died.”
“What happened to them?”
“I dealt with them personally.”
The King of Kabuum killed those he once considered friends with his own hands.
Afterward, the conflict between the forces subsided swiftly and came to an abrupt halt.
No one had wanted the fight to happen in the first place.
After finishing his brief story, the king sighed and said,
“Does a world called Russia truly exist?”
“It’s just a country, much like the forces here.”
“Even if someone from the same country has come, it will be a completely different ideology from them.”
“…….”
The King of Kabuum fell silent with his mouth pressed into a thin line.
At that moment, recalling the three teams, Yoo Ji-han asked,
“Where are the people who were captured first?”
“They are locked in prison.”
“Please tell me… there aren’t any injuries or deaths among them, right?”
“Unlike you, they surrendered quietly. I didn’t meet them personally, for I felt I’d want to kill them if I did.”
Creeeak—!
A terrifying sound came from the king’s palm, pressing down on the broken throne.
Yoo Ji-han, utterly unfazed by this, said,
“If they suffered in any way, I won’t let it slide.”
“What do you plan to do?”
“I will demand compensation in some form or another, or I will retaliate.”
“Hah! You dare discuss revenge in front of me? What confidence you have.”
Zing!
The two glared at each other.
Yoo Ji-han, without blinking, held the King of Kabuum’s gaze.
As their eyes crossed paths and sparks flew in the tense atmosphere, the king raised an eyebrow.
He had not overlooked the strength within Yoo Ji-han, yet somehow he remained undeterred.
‘How is he able to speak like that in front of a king…!’
Tuta was filled with awe as he witnessed Yoo Ji-han engaging in a mental duel with the king.
His body trembled, and all he wanted was to scamper off.
After a while, the King of Kabuum, rubbing the bridge of his nose, said,
“Pig’s Soup. You are different from the scum, is that it?”
“That’s the gist of it.”
“Can you prove that before me?”
The King of Kabuum wanted proof that the beings who caused chaos in Kallem are different from the Pig’s Soup Mercenary Corps.
But how could they possibly prove that?
Yoo Ji-han tilted his head and asked,
“Is there a way for us to do that?”
“There is in Kabuum.”
“What is it?”
“Prove your strength.”
“Strength?”
“Show me that you are completely different beings from those who only chattered away.”
Kabuum held the principle of placing great importance on individual strength.
Accordingly, the King of Kabuum sought to confirm the strength of Yoo Ji-han’s party.
He was anticipating a different appearance than those Earthlings who had visited a year ago.
“The previous scum was weak. That’s why they clung to me.”
“…….”
“If you show me your true self, I will trust you.”
It was so utterly ridiculous that there was no explaining it otherwise.
Yoo Ji-han finally became convinced that they were indeed barbarians.
Their lifestyles and attitudes were strikingly similar to those barbarians he remembered.
“So, does that mean I just need to fight you?”
“Quite bold. The spirit is good, but don’t be too cocky. You’ll die.”
“Me? Or you?”
With a blank expression, Lee Mi-a lightly flexed and relaxed her fingers.
If the king allowed it, she was ready to rush in and throw a punch right away.
Min Yu-ri hastily grabbed her shoulder, genuinely concerned that a fight might break out.
For Lee Mi-a, she could easily stir up a ruckus even here.
At that moment, Tuta spoke,
“Your Majesty. Are you planning to permit them to participate in the sacrifice?”
“Indeed.”
“But in Kabuum’s history, outsiders have never been allowed…”
“I shall allow it.”
The King of Kabuum’s eyes sparkled.
As the ruler of the Kabuum faction, as well as the truth itself, Kabuum.
With the land beneath their feet belonging to Kabuum, no one could go against his will.