Chapter 67: 67

Thirty seconds ago…

“Those bastards are at it again… Sigh…” Siegfried grumbled and let out a sigh while looking at the Adventurers hunting a female elf down. The reason he said that was that these Elf Hunters were a group of Chinese and Ethnic Korean Chinese gamers who were actual criminals in real life.

Of course, this didn’t mean that Chinese and Ethnic Korean Chinese[1] gamers were bad people, but this specific group was comprised of those two demographics. And BNW was a hotspot for criminals because it was a game where a lot of money could potentially be made.

There was a saying that some people would never change, and this perfectly suited these criminals since they brought their criminal impulses into the game as well. These criminals usually lived a life of poverty in real life, but they started earning heaps of gold in the game by committing murder for hire, harvesting organs, operating a gambling den, and other criminal activities targeting both players and NPCs alike.

That was not all; these people were pretty rampant as criminals back in the real world as well. They were known to operate illegal betting sites, which allowed people to bet on guild wars or duels between high Rankers, which made gambling much more accessible not only to adults but to minors as well.[2]

‘They are at it again… tsk tsk…’ Siegfried couldn’t help but click his tongue since he was very familiar with these criminals’ deeds. As such, he decided to get involved.

He normally would not have gotten involved and simply continued on his way, but the reason he decided to act out of character and get involved was simple.

‘This is my land. I can’t let these bastards do as they please in my backyard…’ 

The entire Proatine Province belonged to him.

The mountains, fields, rivers, and villages belonged to him. Even a single strand of grass, a single tree, and even a single ant was his property.

However, the elf wasn’t his property. She was more like his neighbor, but he couldn’t simply sit still and watch when a crime was being committed in his land.

As such, Siegfried decided to get involved.

***

“Landlord…?”

“What the hell is this bastard spouting? Landlord? Who?”

“Who do you think you are? Do you even know where this is?”

The Elf Hunters scoffed and sneered at Siegfried in return. This was because the Proatine Province was well known as a land the empire had abandoned hundreds of years ago, so it was technically a land without an owner.

“Ah, never mind…” Siegfried grumbled while waving his hand in annoyance. Then, he asked, “Why is your imagination so shallow? Do you guys have a rule that you can only make money from illicit activities? Why are you acting like this even in a game?”

Siegfried seriously found it difficult to understand the Elf Hunters. These were people who often blamed society and the environment they had grown up in whenever they were asked why they were living a life of crime. Since this was a game, there was no reason for them to become criminals even here, right?

BNW was the type of game where one could work hard and grind without dirtying their hands to earn money.

One of the Elf Hunters cracked his knuckles and walked threateningly toward Siegfried while saying, “This bastard… Who the hell do you think you are to lecture us—Kuheok!”

Siegfried did not give the Adventurer a chance to finish his words as he smashed the latter’s head with a mace just like what he did to the latter’s comrade a few moments ago.

“W-Wait a minute!”

“This guy… isn’t he the one who defeated Raptor?!”

The remaining two Adventurers finally managed to recognize Siegfried, but it was already too late.

Bam! Bam! 

Siegfried swung his mace twice.

Thud…! Thud…! 

The remaining Elf Hunters dropped dead to the ground.

“Since they had the time to do these kinds of things, they should have just used that time to focus on leveling up. Tsk, tsk…” Siegfried clicked his tongue while looking down at the Adventurers’ corpses.

The Elf Hunters were only Level 30 to 40, so they weren’t Siegfried’s match who was Level 50, and the reason he clicked his tongue was that he found it absurd that a bunch of low-level players was trying to hunt elves.

“Are you alright?” Siegfried approached the elf and extended his hand out.

“…”

However, the elf didn’t grab Siegfried’s hand.

It seemed that she was traumatized after what she had gone through with the Elf Hunters. Now, it looked like she would find it difficult to trust another human.

“It’s alright. I won’t hurt you so stand up,” Siegfried said as he extended his hand further toward her.

“Ah… yes…” the elf hesitated for a moment before she grabbed Siegfried’s hand.

“You must have been surprised,” Siegfried started as he retrieved a handkerchief from his Inventory and cleaned the dirt and blood off of the elf. Afterward, he retrieved a potion and applied it to her injuries.

“…”

The elf flinched when he touched her, but she neither resisted nor pushed him away. It seemed that she instinctively realized that he wasn’t a bad person.

“T-Thank you…” the elf said after calming down a bit.

“My name is Natasha. May I ask the name of my savior?” Natasha asked.

“My name is Siegfried van Proa.”

“Siegfried van Proa…?” Natasha muttered in surprise before saying, “From what I know… the Proa surname is this territory’s—”

“Yes, it just so happened that I was passing by.”

“Are you saying that you’re this territory’s ruler?”

“Yes, I just started a few days ago, though.”

“That is a surprise…” Natasha muttered, “The last time a king appeared in this place was… around two hundred years ago if my memory serves me correctly...”

“What? Two hundred years ago?”

“Yes…”

“Why…?”

Siegfried could not understand what Natasha was trying to say. The Proatine Province’s location could be considered a bit rural on the continent, but it was positioned in a very strategic location. Moreover, it also possessed a large river that cut across the Nürburg Continent. As such, traveling to the center of the continent wouldn’t be that difficult from here. The only downside of the Proatine Province was that half of the province was made up of rugged mountains.

“These lands are unimaginably difficult to tame, and there are a lot of problems here as well,” Natasha said.

“What are those problems? Can you tell me?” Siegfried asked.

“I will tell you as much as I know, King of the Humans,” Natasha replied with a bow in a show of respect for Siegfried.

***

While they were on their way to the elf village, Siegfried discovered the province’s problems through Natasha, and he couldn’t help but think that the future was bleak as he grumbled, “This is hopeless…”

The reasons were the following:

1. The barbarians living in the northwest would always come down every winter to pillage, which often led to wars.
2. A Vampire Lord’s castle exists within the province, and it was mandatory to send a citizen of Proatine as a monthly offering.
3. The Elf Hunters frequented the province to kidnap elves.
4. Countless ancient dungeons existed in the province.
5. Powerful and vicious monsters inhabit these lands.

It was safe to assume that this wasn’t a territory but a dungeon at this point.

However, the biggest problem was…

“The humans neglected these lands after establishing the empire, and they would only send the absolute minimum required support to the people here, and they had never been consistent with that as well,” Natasha said.

“So you’re saying that… this is a rough neighborhood? Is it something like that?” Siegfried asked with a flabbergasted look.

“It is an extremely rough neighborhood.”

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“…”

“I do not really want to say this but… it will not be easy for you to rule over these lands…”

The neighborhood would definitely be rough if even the elves were calling it rough.

Why?

The reason was simple. The elves had better abilities and were stronger than humans.

‘What kind of a reward is this? This is just a bag of shit. No wonder the emperor was willing to give it away for free…’ Siegfried inwardly complained and gnashed his teeth at the emperor after listening to Natasha’s explanation.

The Proatine Province could be considered something akin to chicken ribs. It was a waste to throw away, but it was pretty difficult to make proper use of it.

This was the reality of the land Siegfried had received as a reward.

“King of the Humans, I shall take my leave now,” Natasha said while pointing at a small narrow road.

“Hmm? Will you be alright?”

“Our village is just up ahead, so it will be safe from here.”

“Ah…”

“And this is...” Natasha extended a small flower ring to Siegfried and said, “This is a token of my gratitude for saving me.”

“Huh?”

“This is something my mother gave me before she passed away, but I want to offer this to you, King of the Humans.”

The ring was called ‘Flowering Ring with Maternal Love.’

[Flower Ring with Maternal Love]

[Type: Accessory (Ring)]

[Rating: Unique]

[Abilities: Mother’s Love.]

[Mother’s Love: The user’s HP will be instantly restored to 80% if it falls under 10%. This ring will disappear once the ability is triggered. (Consumable)]

It was a piece of consumable equipment, but the ring Natasha gave had a lifesaving ability.

“No…” Siegfried shook his head and said, “I cannot receive this. Please, take it back.”

“Why?”

“I am an Adventurer from the other world. I will come back to life if I die, but that is not the case for you. You only have one life, so I should not take this from you…”

“Take it,” Natasha forced the ring into Siegfried’s hand and said, “This ring would have disappeared if it weren’t for you saving me.”

“Still…”

“You are my savior, and I am willing to offer my life to you as well,” Natasha said. Then, she nimbly backed away from Siegfried after giving him the ring and bowed before adding, “Thank you very much, King of the Humans.”

“Natasha!” Siegfried shouted.

“Please come and visit me in our village if you ever need my help. Then, I shall take my leave…”

“Wait!” Siegfried shouted, but she had already disappeared into the forest.

“Ah… She didn’t have to give me something like this…” Siegfried muttered with a troubled look.

It was quite burdensome for him to receive a potentially lifesaving item from an NPC because he knew what it meant.

***

Siegfried continued his march after separating from Natasha, and he finally reached his destination, which was the capital of the Proatine Province, Casein Castle.

Casein Castle was a mountain fort nested on top of a rugged mountain, and it was more appropriate to call it a fortress rather than the capital of a kingdom.

‘The terrain is too rugged. The population is too small. There’s no need to mention its productivity… This can’t even be called a country… this is just another feudal territory…’ Siegfried inwardly complained while assessing the Proatine Province’s situation with his own two eyes.

“Halt!” a guard standing in front of the castle gates raised his spear at Siegfried and exclaimed, “Who goes there? Identify yourself!”

The reason the guard immediately turned hostile was that this place was simply too rural, which meant tourists were pretty rare.

‘What should I say…?’ Siegfried wondered how he should introduce himself to the guard. He was conflicted since the thought of saying, “I’m your new king!” felt extremely cringey to him.

“I said, identify yourself! I will give you a nice new hole in your neck if you don’t respond in three seconds!” the guard threatened while shoving his spear near Siegfried’s neck.

“One… two!”

“Uhm… so… I am…”

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“…?”

“I am the new… k-king…”

“The new what?”

“The new king.”

“Kiiiing?” the guard revealed a condescending look that seemed as if it was saying what kind of bullshit Siegfried had just said.

“Hey! Look at this guy! He says he’s the new king!” the guard called out to his colleagues.

“King?”

“The new king has come?”

“Really?!”

The guards immediately looked at Siegfried.

Exactly three seconds later…

“Bahahahaha!”

“Look at this crazy guy!”

“Hey! You punk! Did you eat something wrong today? Didn’t your mom teach you not to eat anything you find on the ground just because you’re hungry?”

“Kekekeke! He said he is the king! THE KING!”

The guards had a field day laughing at Siegfried while pointing fingers at him. Yes, they were having the time of their lives.

1. Ethnic Korean Chinese are people with Chinese nationality but Korean ancestry. Refer to this link for more information. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koreans_in_China ☜

2. Gambling and betting are illegal in Korea for both minors and adults. ☜

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