Before Kwak Jung revealed the true ident.i.ty of Andrei Ivanovic, Kang Chul-In thought to himself the following:

So it was him, as expected.

How could a n.o.body like Andrei Ivanovic, whom Kang Chul-In had never heard of in his previous life, consistently remain as Overlord rank 3? There was no way that Kang Chul-In’s return could have changed anything in the northernmost corner of Pangaea. Andrei Ivanovic ruled over Nosferatu, which was a barren tundra area. It was almost worse than Atal Ramanujan’s territory. In addition, n.o.body knew how Andrei Ivanovic could climb to that high of a rank.

That’s right… if he is truly someone who returned from the past like me, then it makes sense for his rank to be high… hmm, does that mean I wasn’t the only one with the Soul Backup ability?

It was the most plausible hypothesis based on current knowledge.

“Hmm… so right...”

Kang Chul-In was lost in thought when Kwak Jung opened his mouth.

“That thing is not human.”

“Of course not.”

Kang Chul-In was dumbfounded, as if what Kwak Jung had iterated was pure common sense.

“Since when were vampires humans?”

“...”

“Why don’t you call wolverines humans too?”

“That’s not it!”

“Huh?”

“Let me correct myself. Andrei Ivanovic is not Andrei Ivanovic.”

“...?”

“That b.a.s.t.a.r.d, is something else altogether.”

“Something else? He wasn’t a human to begin with?”

“Yes, your Majesty. Demi-humans, vampires, wolverines, dark elves, dwarves, orcs, et cetera. That b.a.s.t.a.r.d doesn’t belong to any of these categories.”

“How do you know that?”

“Gut feel.”

“That’s a little vague.”

“I can’t help it. I have no evidence to produce.”

“...”

“I just know, that’s all...”

Kwak Jung mumbled timidly. He wasn’t confident of saying such fluff to Kang Chul-In, who only believed in actual ent.i.ties that could be seen.

“You just know… just know...”

Kang Chul-In reiterated Kwak Jung’s words.

“Let’s say you are correct. No, I shall believe that you"re correct.”

“Huh? R-Really?”

“Why not?”

“Hmm?”

“To be honest, I don’t give a d.a.m.n whether he is a vampire or a dodo bird.”

“Ah!”

Kwak Jung finally understood what Kang Chul-In meant. In the current situation, it didn’t matter whether Andrei Ivanovic was human or not. The greatest takeaway was that Andrei Ivanovic was the murderer who killed Vilhelm and Ao Xin. As Kang Chul-In said, so what if Andrei Ivanovic was a dodo bird?

Someone who returned… Interesting, but… it hardly makes a difference at this stage.

Meanwhile. Kang Chul-In was brainstorming viciously.

The problem is, what did he prepare?

a.s.suming Andrei Ivanovic had returned from the past, then the time frame which he could have taken advantage of had already pa.s.sed. A new sequel of events had unraveled thanks to Kang Chul-In. What Kang Chul-In had to look out for was how Andrei Ivanovic utilized the ‘superiority in information’, which was the main privilege of those who had returned from the past. Seeing how Andrei Ivanovic was consistently placed at rank 3, this man certainly didn’t just fool around.

“Well, whatever you, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d, presents...”

Kang Chul-In snickered and mumbled to himself.

“It’s over when I kill you, huehuehue!”

A wise mentality indeed. He couldn’t gain any information at the moment, so all he had to do was to continue doing whatever he was supposed to do.

Eek… that devilish smile… at this rate… that mosquito b.a.s.t.a.r.d will also be a goner soon… Tsk tsk… poor fella… Goodbye. Let me bid you farewell first...

Kwak Jung secretly wished the best of luck to Andrei Ivanovic, as he looked at Kang Chul-In’s expression. Did anyone ever survive after challenging Kang Chul-In? None that he could remember. Even Alex Rothschild, who had multiple lives, had his limbs ripped off by Kang Chul-In. How could Andrei Ivanovic escape the Supreme King’s demonic grasp?

“So,”

Kang Chul-In asked Kwak Jung.

“What’s the plan?”

“What else?”

“That, huh?”

“The earlier the better.”

Kwak Jung spoke.

“Before those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds stabilize the line of command and sort out the mess, we have to conquer Esmeralda. This is not a choice. The enemies are stronger than us, and they even have a clear justification for war. If we do not take advantage of Esmeralda’s strategic value, then we may lose this war.”

“It won’t stop there, I presume.”

“Yes. To be honest, our entire kingdom may fall in a blink of an eye. We have to take control of Esmeralda, no matter what.”

“You are right.”

Kang Chul-In nodded.

“I will immediately begin the preparations to conquer Esmeralda.”

“Huh? Are you doing it yourself?”

“Who else?”

“I can do it!”

“Shut up and rest.”

Kang Chul-In shook his head at his subordinate, who volunteered to resume work the moment he woke up from a coma.

“Your eyes are b.l.o.o.d.y-red, so what work do you want to do?”

“Y-Your Majesty! But this war is...!”

“Should I force you to rest?”

“E-Eek?!”

Kang Chul-In slowly raised his fist, which made Kwak Jung gulp his saliva.

“N-No...”

“Rest for the next three days at least.”

“Still, this war...”

“Do you not trust me?”

“That’s not it!”

“It’s just a small expedition. I don’t need your brain for this.”

He was speaking the truth. Of course, this didn’t mean that the conquest preparations weren’t important. However, Kang Chul-In had gone for countless expeditions and conquests before. It wasn’t difficult for him to prepare an expedition.

“I would rather fulfill my ambition and live happily with my favorite subordinate than to let him die in a pile of paperwork.”

“Y-Your Majesty!”

Kwak Jung was deeply moved.

“So listen.”

Kang Chul-In was being genuine.

I do not want my close a.s.sociates to be responsible for my poor decisions.

Kang Chul-In was indeed a selfish man, but he didn’t want his people to suffer in the process of him striving for his ambition.

“Well then, rest well.”

With that, Kang Chul-In walked out of the room.

***

Deep into the night.

In Bifrost.

Thump!

Mei Ling collapsed onto the bed after a long day at the funeral.

“Oppa...”

She couldn’t stop tearing up.

“I… I will definitely take revenge...”

Of course, she didn’t mention a thing about Vilhelm’s death. Her married life had long been over. Vilhelm treated her like a bug, and he even dismissed their son Viktor Vilhelm. However, Ao Xin was different. He was Mei Ling’s older brother, who did not neglect her due to her mishaps. In fact, the upcoming secret meeting’s original plan was to discuss about Vilhelm and Mei Ling’s relations.h.i.+p problem.

Ding. Suddenly, a new notification popped up in front of her eyes.

[‘Inheritance’ system, activated!]

* The ‘Inheritance’ system is a hidden system which activates when an Overlord dies and there is a blood-related Lord or explorer present!

* The ‘Inheritance’ system does not activate upon the death of a Lord.

* The ‘Inheritance’ system applies only to Lords/explorers.

A completely foreign notification, that n.o.body knew the existence of.

“W-What is this?”

Mei Ling was puzzled, but what followed surprised her even further.

[Due to Overlord Albrecht Vilhelm’s death, the owners.h.i.+p of Bifrost is transferred!]

[You’ve obtained the Soul Core of Bifrost, Gjallarhorn!]

[Due to Overlord Ao Xin"s death, the owners.h.i.+p of Red Valley is transferred!]

[You’ve obtained the Soul Core of Red Valley, the Red Moon Spear!]

This happened in a flash. The two ownerless territories now belonged to Mei Ling.

With that,

Ssssss!

A golden light wrapped around Mei Ling, and...

[Adventurer Mei Ling, changing t.i.tle!]

[Adventurer Mei Ling advanced from ‘Adventurer’ cla.s.s to ‘Lord’ cla.s.s! (Adventurer Mei Ling ? Lord Mei Ling]

A job advancement took place. Another adventurer had become a Lord, the second one after Lee Ji-Tae!

“M-Me?”

Mei Ling mumbled to herself in shock. But that wasn’t all.

[Lord Mei Ling advanced to Overlord rank! (Lord Mei Ling ? Overlord Mei Ling)]

As Vilhelm and Ao Xin were Overlords themselves, it was natural for Mei Ling to become an Overlord as well.

In addition,

[You’ve met the requirements to ascend the throne!]

Even the crowning quest – a hidden event – opened.

[Crowning, complete!]

[You’ve acquired an honorary t.i.tle!]

[From the system to Mei Ling, the queen.]

[You are granted the t.i.tle of the ‘Heavenly Queen of the North!]

A new queen was born.

If Kang Chul-In was the King of the West, then Mei Ling was the Queen of the North.

“W-What in the world...?”

Mei Ling was flabbergasted by this rapid turn of events. but that was to be expected. Formerly a mere adventurer, she rose countless ranks overnight to even become a queen. Why wouldn’t she be shocked?

“Congratulations, lady Mei Ling.”

Suddenly, a familiar voice could be heard.

“No, I should now address you appropriately as your Majesty.”

Mei Ling turned around. "He"... was there. Andrei Ivanovic was quietly facing her, with his back facing the bedroom window.

“A-Andrei...”

“Mei Ling, you are not weak.”

“...!”

“The powerless Mei Ling that was once abused by Albrecht Vilhelm no longer exists. Now, only the Heavenly Queen of the North exists. You are now the ruler of two great territories and the leader of this gigantic northern alliance.”

He was right. n.o.body could look down on her now.

“That’s not all.”

“Not… all?”

“I, Overlord Andrei Ivanovic, and Overlord Neptune Spear, will support you.”

“...!”

“Of course, we are not charity workers here. However, what we wish for can be easily granted by you.”

“I-Is that true?”

“Yes, your Majesty.”

Andrei Ivanovic nodded his head at Mei Ling in a gentlemanly way.

“Neptune Spear, the ruler of the southern sea, has no interest in the fight for hegemony in the continent.”

“Then?”

“He wants the future ruler of Pangaea to leave him alone with domestic affairs, acknowledge his sovereignty and sign a semi-permanent non-aggression pact.”

“Overlord Neptune Spear is going to be a king soon?”

“I believe so.”

“Semi-permanent refers to...”

“500 years.”

“...!”

“He does not want the Gullveig Empire in the future to invade his territory for the next 500 years. That is his condition.”

“G-Gullveig Empire!?”

Mei Ling was shocked.

“H-How...”

“If you lead the alliance army in this war to destroy the Valhalla Kingdom, then it will happen.”

“...!”

“The Empress of the great Gullveig Empire... that is you in the future.”

Brrrrr!

Mei Ling trembled. It hadn’t really sunk in yet, but she could feel a surge of excitement.

“And now,”

Andrei Ivanovic looked at Mei Ling.

“As for my condition...”

“Yes?”

“I want your love, Mei Ling.”

“...!”

“I love you, Mei Ling.”

After a surprising confession, Andrei Ivanovic wrapped his hands around Mei Ling’s waist with his characteristic ghost-like movement.

“What are you talking about…!”

Mei Ling tried to push his hands away. However, she couldn’t resist when Andrei’s mellifluous voice wormed its way into her ears.

“A beautiful lady like you...”

“...!”

“You will never know how agonizing it was to hear that you were being abused by a villain like Vilhelm.”

“M-Mr Andrei!”

“The reason why you let Kang Chul-In into the Pentagon, wasn’t it due to motherly love? That was no betrayal or treason. It was just a beautiful struggle of a mother trying to protect her dear son from that demon called Kang Chul-In.”

“D-Do you really think so?”

“Of course.”

Andrei gently caressed Mei Ling’s cheeks.

“Don’t you understand why I joined the Gullveig Alliance in the first place?”

“T-That!”

“I don’t care about who rules Pangaea in the end. I only care about...”

“Mr. Andrei...”

“You, Mei Ling.”