Chapter 257 – The Rule of the West 3 (1/2)

“Yes!”

At Woohyuk’s instructions, the guards ran toward the blond man who had evil intentions.

The blonde man made a puzzled expression for a moment before taking a bomb out of his coat.

“Don’t come closer! Otherwise, I’ll blow this whole place into pieces!”

The bomb pulled out by the blond man was like a crude Claymore, which would have been used tactically in World War II, so it didn’t seem to be a product of magic engineering.

It was probably made by a person who possessed relevant knowledge in reproducing military-grade weapons based on Earth’s human history.

Woohyuk overwhelmed the blonde man using mana aura because he didn’t want the situation to get out of hand.

“Keuk!”

Slump!

The blonde man knelt down with a painful expression.

When the guards took the bomb that he was holding, Woohyuk spoke up, “No one can leave until we get to the bottom of this. If you don’t want to be under suspicion, don’t try to leave.”

A frosty atmosphere descended on the banquet hall.

Everyone in attendance realized at that moment that there was an attempt to assassinate the Queen.

Although unpleasant things had happened frequently in recent years, no one in attendance expected Joanna to be targeted, as she was loved by the royal people and the commoners.

Contemptuous gazes fell upon the blonde man…

“I will interrogate him myself. Take him to the dungeon,” Woohyuk, disguised as Joanna, said.

“Yes, my Queen,” the guards replied.

The blonde man was subsequently tortured to the point that it would traumatize him for the rest of his life.

“Ack!”

The blonde man’s screams reverberated in the dark room as the torture officer continually scraped his thighs with an electrocution device.

Woohyuk allowed the torture to continue a bit longer before asking, “Why did you try to kill me?”

“Well, he said he would give me a lot of gold coins. Enough to be able to play and eat for a lifetime…” The blonde man gasped as he answered the question.

Woohyuk pulled the torture officer behind him and pushed his face in front of the blonde guy.

“Who?”

“I-I don’t know. I don’t know who the client is because the middleman didn’t tell me…”

Pu-Wook!

Woohyuk used Bhilante’s Dagger to strike between the thighs of the blond man.

The blonde man was instantly awakened with fright and corrected his own words.

“H-H-He said it was from a very large clan. Originally, I was active in the East, but after being pushed out of power, I came to the Rhine Kingdom…” he hurriedly responded.

Though he couldn’t ensure its accuracy, Woohyuk obtained some useful information.

Woohyuk nodded after listening to the guy’s story.

Jonathan Adler.

He was a scientist who researched weapon development in the US military-industrial complex. Once he moved to the Eeth Continent, he continued to practice his tradecraft.

Although he predominantly produced conventional weapons, they were enough to easily turned people into armed soldiers and help the Orbis Clan secure local strongholds.

‘If I recall, he ultimately couldn’t stop Necromancer Logan’s 100,000 undead army.’

Despite Jonathon’s constant scouting and poaching of industry background individuals and technicians, his basic production ability and facilities were very poor. He needed time to develop the right conditions to produce what he once did on Earth.

As a result, the number of munitions that could be supplied per a certain period was limited, and to make matters worse, Logan’s undead army destroyed all his production facilities, leading the Orbis Clan towards its demise.

… Of course, that was the story from Woohyuk’s previous time in this world.

‘I guess I’ll have to take care of him myself this time around.’

Woohyuk wouldn’t have concerned himself if Jonathon just made conventional weapons, but if left unattended, Jonathon could expand his business and create weapons of mass destruction further down the road.

‘What if intercontinental ballistic missiles or nuclear bombs were used on the Eeth Continent?’

That would be a serious problem, greater than the three Great Catastrophes.

Woohyuk clicked his tongue after imagining the scene in his head.

“Where’s the broker who connected you with Jonathan Adler?” Woohyuk asked with a stern expression.

“His name is Burnt. I’m not sure of his identity, but he often shows up at the service centers operated by the Treburn Guild.”

Woohyuk recognized the name. The Treburn Guild was based in the southern Ertonia region.

That region was managed by Lee Jaesung, so Woohyuk could seek his help to resolve this situation.

As Woohyuk turned his back, the blonde man spoke urgently, “W-What are you going to do to me now?

Since I’ve confessed, please have mercy…”

“I will decide on your fate after this case is closed,” Woohyuk responded.

It was premature to kill off this blonde guy right now, as things might go wrong in the middle of resolving this situation.

After entrusting the blonde guy to the torturing officer, Woohyuk hurriedly walked out.

***

“What are you thinking, Count?” a noblewoman with brown hair asked Lee Jaesung, who was standing by the window.

She was Sally of the Tanis Family.

She married Lee Jaesung after he quelled a rebellion in the past, and she currently carried his child.

“Ah, I was reminiscing on the past.”

Lee Jaesung smiled at Sally who was laying down on the bed.

She was the only reason he still lived in this harsh world.

Because she existed, today had meaning.

“You seemed to be reminiscing on when you first came to this world,” she continued.

“Yes, it was a really dark period for me in the beginning,” he replied.

Jaesung was like any other ordinary office worker on Earth. He did what his superiors told him to do and lived a relatively mundane private life outside of work. However, one day, all that changed and became a hellish nightmare.

He had to compete against others to survive. Betrayal and violence were constant.

If it wasn’t for Woohyuk…

‘I wouldn’t have been able to live with a pretty noblewoman after receiving the Count title.’

His sword skills weren’t very good, and he wasn’t one of the brightest people either.

Just because he was trustworthy, Woohyuk entrusted the Ertonia region to him, and as a result, he was able to become and enjoy who he was now.

Like any other day, it seemed like his peaceful daily life would continue…

‘The Game of Divine Thrones. This world is really crazy.’

Suddenly, because of the step-by-step achievement quest that went out to everyone, the Eeth Continent was overturned overnight.