I Became a Level -99 Vicious Lord

No matter how powerful Helmut’s army was, it couldn’t take on an entire Kingdom.

So Helmut decided to join forces with the Kerrates, one of the most powerful tribes in the Prairie.

In exchange for their help in defeating the Kongurat, he would gain reinforcements for his rebellion.

“Was Marquis Helmut really that ambitious?”

Camille asked, surprised that Otto had mentioned Helmut’s rebellion.

He had to admit, the Valdemar family was a well-known and venerable one.

They’d been defending the borders against ferocious nomads for generations, and they’d been written about in textbooks as a paragon of chivalry loyal to the state.

“Did you think he’d be so power-hungry that he’d rebel against his family’s honor after generations of service….?”

“No, I didn’t.”

Otto cut in.

“Helmut is not an ambitious man.”

“What…?”

“It’s too early to be ambitious. Maybe in a few years.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“How do I explain this?”

Otto thought for a moment, then spoke.

“I mean… Helmut is a subsistence rebel.”

“What the hell is that?”

“Hey.”

Otto glared at Camille.

“I told you, subsistence rebellion.”

“I’ve heard of subsistence irregularities, but I’ve never heard of a subsistence rebellion.”

“Well, half of rebellions are subsistence rebellions. When people rebel, it’s because they can’t make ends meet, not because they think it’s fair game.”

“You mean like Lota people want to hang your head on the ramparts?”

“Exactly. My people always want my head on the ramparts… what?”

Otto responded to Camille’s words without thinking, then realized something was wrong and his face fell.

“Hey, huh, why do my people want to put my head on the ramparts!”

“They used to do that a lot!”

Otto yelped, and Camille replied calmly, as if he didn’t know what to be upset about.

“I even talked openly about revolting and ripping off His Highness’s head back then.”

“You did?”

“There was even a popular nursery rhyme among the children, with lyrics about ripping out your throat and stabbing it with a metal skewer.”

“That’s not me….”

Otto grunted, looking depressed.

“I resent it…. I was… I had some kind of… mental illness or something back then….”

“You call that a sickness?”

“Whatever!”

“Well, just because you’ve been reformed doesn’t mean that the evil things you’ve done in the past don’t exist.”

“No, it doesn’t!”

And so, after a few moments of past history.

“Helmut rose up because he was tired of being exploited, or more accurately, the Valdemar family had been exploited by the Magritte Kingdom for generations. His family was taken away as personal pawns. What kind of relationship is that, slavery?”

“Ah.”

After listening to Otto’s explanation, Camille nodded as if he finally understood.

“He’s had enough. Normally Helmut wouldn’t have joined forces with those nomads, but he guesses they’ve been pecking away at him.”

“That’s not what….”

Camille seemed bitter that there was such a dark side to House Valdemar’s loyalty, so famous that it was in the textbooks of the Knight Academy.

“Let’s just tear this place apart. Five there. Come with me.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Otto took the five magical swordsmen and turned his horse around.

“Amukhan.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“You stay here and take command of the Kongurat tribe. Ask him to help you.”

Otto pointed to Kairos.

“Camille, you stay here and help Amukhan with the magical swordsmen. Take care of the old dragon.”

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Helmut’s daughter is studying in the capital of the Magritte Kingdom, but she’s being held captive as a prisoner. Helmut will try to get her out any way he can, and if he rebels while she’s a hostage, her head will be cut off, so we need to beat him to it. Then we can control Helmut.”

“You’re going to use her as a hostage?”

“It’s the only way.”

“But that’s too cowardly….”

“There’s nothing cowardly about war and politics. This is a matter of life and death. Not just for us, but for our people. You know what would happen to our economy if we lost the trade routes, and then the angry people would put my head on the ramparts?”

“That’s a pretty compelling story….”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Here we go. Come on!”

Otto opened his snake eyes and glared at Camille, then kicked the horse hard in the side with his heel.

“Heeeeeeeeeeeee!!!”

The surprised horse whinnied loudly and went on a rampage.

“Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!”

Thud!

Otto fell off his horse.

He wasn’t used to riding yet, so he didn’t react quickly enough to the horse’s sudden struggle and lost his grip on the reins.

* * *

Amukhan’s return boosted the morale of the Kongurat tribe immensely.

“The chieftain has returned!”

“Chieftain, why did you wait until now to come!”

“We can finally take revenge on the Kerrates!”

For the Kongurat, Amukhan’s presence was absolute.

Though he may have been defeated by Otto, Amukhan was a very capable chieftain.

His military prowess was so great that when he rode across the plains at the head of his cavalry, even the warriors of the Kerrate tribe would turn tail and run.

It was not for nothing that Togril had joined forces with Helmut.

Their morale was at an all-time low after losing back-to-back battles and the death of the tribe’s ruler, Kaisei.

Now that Amukhan had returned, it was no wonder that hope blossomed on the faces of the Kongurat warriors.

“My son, what has happened to you, and why have you come now?”

A woman, well past middle age and into old age, approached Amukhan.

Her name was Merkit.

She had lost her husband and raised Amukhan alone, and was a great warrior and chieftain herself.

It was thanks to her that Amukhan grew up to become a chieftain.

“Mother….”

Amukhan knelt before his mother, Merkith.

“Your ugly son apologizes. I was….”

Then.

“Mother of the Tribe.”

Kairos stepped forward and knelt on one knee before Merkith.

“I have heard your words. My name is Kairos. I am the one who met Amukhan on the continent and was bonded to Anda.”

[Anda was the word for the bond of brotherhood they had made in the meadows of Haver.]

“……!”

Amukhan was stunned as Kairos told him something completely untrue.

“Be quiet.”

Then Kairos’ voice echoed in Amukhan’s mind.

‘When will I ever do anything to save your dignity? This is wartime, and your people need hope. So keep your mouth shut.’

Amukhan was deeply moved by Kairos’s words, but he did not show it in front of his mother.

Why?

Because Kairos was right, the morale of the Kongurat warriors had hit rock bottom.

If word got out that Amukhan had been defeated by the Continentals and made a subordinate, morale would plummet again.

“You mean to tell me that you have forged a bond between my son with Anda?”

“Yes.”

“You are my son’s first Anda. I know it’s unfortunate, but my son has earned his first Anda, and he deserves a treat. Listen, everyone, here is the Anda of Amukhan. Tomorrow he may die on the battlefield, but tonight he will eat and drink to his heart’s content.”

The warriors of the Kongurat broke into a loud shout of joy as Merkit declared the welcome.

They hadn’t had much to celebrate for a while, but now that Amukhan was back, they figured they could relax for one night.

And that night.

Kairos, Camille, and the Magic Swordsmen joined the warriors of the Kongurat tribe to eat and drink mayu, a fermented liquor made from boiled lamb and horse’s milk.¹

“Heh heh heh heh, for warriors of the Prairie, they’re so hot blooded, heh heh heh heh!”

Kairos, with his characteristically angry and manly disposition, quickly overpowered the rough and belligerent warriors of the Kongurat tribe.

“Oooh!”

“I never knew there was such a manly man on the continent!”

“How many bottles has he had already?”

There were many virtues of manliness, but here in the Haver Prairie, being a good drinker was very important.

No matter how fierce you were in battle, if you couldn’t drink well, you weren’t considered a man among men.

Therefore, Kairos, a large, muscular man who was also a good drinker and exude manliness, could not help but be favored by the warriors of the Kongurat tribe.

“Is this why he entrusted Kairos with this place?

Camille thought that perhaps Otto had done a very good job of organizing his personnel.

If that was the intention….

“Even mercenary skills?”

It would mean that Otto knew how to utilize certain people.

He may be even more brilliant than he’s shown so far.

* * *

Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo!

Meanwhile, Otto ran through the meadow with the three magical swordsmen, crossing the border to the capital of the Magritte Kingdom.

“Faster! Faster! Faster!”

Otto urged his horses on.

Why?

Because time was running out.

If Helmut had stoked the flames of rebellion, he would want his daughter as soon as possible, and the groundwork would be done by now.

‘Maybe it’s too late….’

If Helmut had already rescued her, things would go awry.

He’ll have to deal with Helmut’s army and the allied forces of the Kerrate tribe.

That’s a lot to take on, even for Otto, and he’ll be fighting a very unfavorable battle.

The worst possible outcome for the Kingdom of Lota would have been to abandon the trade routes altogether and surrender control of the Haver Prairie.

In other words, securing Helmut’s daughter could make or break this case.

With such a sense of urgency, Otto and the others arrived in the capital of the Magritte Kingdom and immediately headed to the Royal Academy.

“Phew. Thank goodness. We’re not late.”

It wasn’t until they arrived at the Royal Academy’s gates that Otto was able to calm his nerves somewhat.

If Helmut’s daughter had already been rescued, the entire capital would be in an uproar, not just around the academy.

Judging by the silence, it was clear that the rescue operation had not begun.

“Never mind.”

Otto smiled a smile of renewed conviction.

If the rescue hadn’t begun yet, Helmut’s daughter was already his.

“No matter how they rebelled, the plan to rescue her always followed the same pattern.”

Otto was familiar with the plan to rescue Helmut’s daughter.

It would be easy enough to outrun Helmut’s men and intercept her.

** ** **

TL/N: 

¹ Mongolia distills fermented horse milk to produce an alcoholic drink