Chapter 51 (1/2)

They are going to join the expedition team voluntarily?

“What are you planning.”

“....Planning?”

It was the Ark who tilted her head.

“I'm trying to help the people of Chaos?”

Help the people. The audience exclaimed softly. Her words touched a nerve in them.

Although not everybody reacted positively.

“What do you want to say!”

“Hurry up and pull out your sword!”

They were more interested in the match right now rather than some idyllic future. Jae Hwan shrugged his shoulders after glancing at those groups.

But Ja Guk Lyung shrugged back leisurely.

“I think the lord has forgotten the real purpose of this tournament.”

“Purpose?”

“Yes.”

Ja Guk Lyung was not only speaking to Jae Hwan.

“I will throw this out since we’ve got this far, but the lord had no inclination to give up his seat in the first place. Isn't that right?”

Jae Hwan maintained his silence.

Ja Guk Lyung continued for him.

“Because, this tournament was never a ‘lord election tournament’, but an ‘expedition team recruitment tournament’.”

A faint commotion pa.s.sed through the audiences. Ja Guk Lyung did not lose her chance and continued.

“Truthfully, this lady admires you. No one has dared to plan out something this grandiose since the previous Abyss expedition failed. And to propel this project risking your own life. I cannot praise the lord’s actions enough.”

She had her back to Jae Hwan , she was definitely speaking to the audience.

“That is why I am extremely happy to be here right now. That must be the same for the spectators here.”

Her speech was made with a sound amplifying skill. She had the attentions of ten thousands of the strongest in Chaos.

“This lady knows, that so many would not have gathered if this affair was solely to elect a new lord. Because despite being strong enough to contend in this tournament, lots of the people opted not to.”

And at this moment, she threw off her veil as if this was planned.

The ones seated above gulped audibly. The Ark’s eyes scanned the crowd from left to right, and the audiences made a wave as they hurriedly tried to dodge her eyes and look down.

The sight that made them look at the most honorable aspects of themselves. Ja Guk Lyung’s highest skill, [Eye of truth].

Soon, Ja Guk Lyung spoke again with a fainter voice.

“Everyone. This lady wishes to hear all of your true feelings. Did you come here to try your chances at being the lord? Or…. was it the Abyss expedition that compelled you?”

A calm but unbearably heavy question wrapped with the Ark’s penetrating sight pa.s.sed through their hearts. And the first one opened his package.

“Ahh….”

As they all started to unwrap that gift, the people changed. Was it that they finally realized? Realized that they had the answer to this question all along?

There were ones who came solely to see this tournament, and ones who came here solely for entertainment. But as her inquiry fell on them, they felt their goals of coming here change to something more ideal and hopeful.

It was being born, the thing Chaos desired for centuries, but could not acquire. Something they all wished, but could not achieve.

Ja Guk Lyung opened her mouth.

“This lady wants to believe that Chaos has not yet lost it’s romance.”

That was the wedge that opened the gates. The gates to their final romance.

Abyss expedition.

They stirred. The audience that had been trying to escape her gaze looked up and spoke with a coherent voice.

“She is right.”

“Yeah. What we really wanted to see here was….!”

Her supporters started to pop up.

An old man said,

“I agree with her. I did not march all the way here to see some street fight.”

It was a voice filled with spirit that reverberated throughout the whole arena.

“Its ‘virtuous sword’!”

The Virtuous sword of the supercontinent, Han Myong Gwan. As an unaffiliated swordsman, he is known to be equal to the ten Arks in terms of power. He was also respected for his benevolent nature.

But it was Jae Hwan who noticed the brief exchange of eyes between Han Myong Gwan and the Ark of the Holy maid sect.

‘They are in on it together.’

Ja Guk Lyung nodded her head and accepted Han Myong Kwan’s praise.

“He is correct. What we must have is not an internal conflict, but a unification of our power.”

Voices of concurrence rose from the crowd.

“In that sense, this lady is thinking about asking the lord to immediately cease this tournament. It has already fulfilled its purpose. Because right now, in this place, there are those souls who are willing to join the expedition on their own account.”

The crown exploded. The power over these people has been s.n.a.t.c.hed by this woman in front of Jae Hwan. She was praising Jae Hwan’s motivation for holding this tournament, yet by displaying piece by piece the awkwardness of the process, she was trying to take the credit of recreating the Abyss expedition.

“But everyone, it is too early to celebrate yet. We have an important matter to discuss first.”

When someone asked ‘what is it?’ she answered readily.

“Its this. Who would be the leader of the expedition?”

Chung Heo, from the arena front row seat, frowned.

“That wrench.”