In front of Metheus' wall, the siege ended in an instant. I used the Arrow of Time to move between the enemies and devastated them with kicks. To be honest, I could finish it quickly with Black Night Arrow or Yeouicho. However, I wanted to relax, so I knocked them all down with kicks.

-Wow, look at those kicks.

-Now he is using air steps.

-He can do this...

The reaction from the live broadcast was explosive. The reaction seemed better than expected because I was fighting in this way. Indeed, I also thought it was cool.

“Hmm.”

I couldn't fight by stepping on clouds like this in reality so it was a natural reaction. It was safe to say that my kicks had further developed after I gained Stepping on Clouds.

“Kuock. I lost.”

Darius and all his soldiers knelt before me. I only inflicted minor wounds on them. They were all alive because I didn't purposely attack them to kill. Even so, they looked desolate and had lost their will to fight.

[The siege is over.]

[You have succeeded in defense.]

[You can request tribute from the lord of Rio Castle or you can occupy it if you lead soldiers to occupy Rio Castle.]

Um. Was it this type of system? I tied my beard while looking at the status window of Rio Castle in front of me. Rio Castle was quite close to Metheus. However, something else caught my eye.

-The current high taxes have raised people's dissatisfaction to the extreme.

Look at this?

“This guy.”

“Ah, yes!”

Darius raised his drooping shoulders and answered. It was like I was seeing a recruit in a military uniform.

“Why are your taxes like this?”

Rio Castle's taxes weren't at a level that people could afford. Currently, income in the city wasn't high and many people left because their lives were ruined. I thought that If I left it like this, Rio Castle would be destroyed anyway.

“Huh? The other castles are like this...”

“This guy. What good is a castle without people? Tsk tsk. If you don't have time to listen to the people, then you don't deserve to stand above them.”

The users who watched the live broadcast responded to my words.

-Hey, that is a saying.

“Groan. This is the right vibe.

-Yes. From a humane point of view, reduce taxes. The lords are eating too much these days! Let us live a bit as well!

Most of them criticized the lords who set high taxes. This was probably the case among users. In short, young people these days didn't understand human feelings.

“Kerenos!”

I shouted toward Metheus' walls. Kerenos on the wall disappeared and he appeared by my side like the wind. The users who watched the broadcast were just as surprised.

“Did you call?”

“Yes. Do you know Rio Castle?"

“Yes. I know it.”

“Go and take it. The soldiers who came here seem to be the elites so you alone should be able to occupy it.”

Kerenos looked at Darius on his knees and nodded.

“I will do so.”

“W-Wait a minute...!”

Darius' call couldn't stop Kerenos who had disappeared in the blink of an eye. Only remnants of the wind remained in Kerenos' location. Darius looked dazed before turning red with anger. He shouted at me in a resentful manner.

“I just wanted to earn a lot of money!”

“Aish. Shut up. This guy! What good thing did you do?”

Bam!

I kicked Darius' face. Darius spun through the air and struck the ground.

* * *

Two days pa.s.sed again.

Meanwhile, Rio Castle was smoothly incorporated into Metheus and the high taxes became stable. I had set Metheus' tax to $4 so Rio Castle naturally had to be the same. The people of Rio danced with joy.

[The people of Rio are praising you.]

[All signs of rebellion are gone.]

In any case, it was a pleasure that the newly acquired people of Rio had gained stability. The number of inhabitants in Metheus was increasing every day. The cooking delegation I sent to Fortren last time was a hot topic. There was news that chefs in Arkstar regarded this place as a chef's sanctuary and were flocking here. Many restaurants opened in Metheus and Metheus flourished day by day. Meanwhile, Helena returned. "I'm sorry for worrying you.”

“No. I'm sorry I deceived you.”

“Ah, what is that? You were probably having a harder time than me.”

Helena generously forgave me. In any case, everything went well. Helena had returned and all that was left was to join the subjugation army of the Orca Kingdom. Kerenos and the Sylphid Knights, the Karstein resistance, and some of the vigilantes, including Ma Seokdu, decided to follow. By attracting the users and soldiers who were citizens of Metheus, an army of 5,000 was formed.

“We've all gathered.”

Kerenos spoke to me as the representative of 5,000 people. I nodded slightly. Kerenos turned back and shouted toward the soldiers in front of him.

“We are going!”

The sound of drums and trumpets signaled Metheus' advance while I immediately got on the horse. The others, including Kim Sujeong, climbed onto their horses. The Saintess of Metheus was with them so the morale of the soldiers soared endlessly. We exited from the west of Metheus and directed our horses toward Windia. There, we will join with the soldiers of Windia and move with them. 

Shortly thereafter, we arrived at Windia.

“Jackson!”

“Earl.”

Since it was a public place, I called Edward by his position. Edward didn't seem to care about it. He spoke to me, “You've come a long way.”

“No. It was right next door. Huhu.”

The soldiers of Windia lined up behind the white horse he was on. He was truly an earl. There were a lot of soldiers. I heard from Kerenos that Edward put a lot of effort and materials into building an army in this period of time. It seemed to truly be the case.

“Wow, they are all Jackson's soldiers?”

“Ah, yes. That's correct. Haha.”

In the meantime, Edward had grown quite a bit taller so I chatted with him lightly. Together, we led our troops and headed to the battlefield where the subjugation army was. The sound of horseshoes continued for a long time.

“Whoa, whoa. This guy. Whoa!”

However, my riding skills were poor.

“Hihihihing!”

“You!"

I almost struck the horse's head angrily. I inevitably got off the horse and called Jinny.

“You called, reum?!”

“Yes. Let me get on.”

“I know, reum! Get on!”

Thus, I rode on Jinny. The soldiers looked at me with strange eyes, while Edward's eyes were s.h.i.+ning like he had found a great toy. Suddenly, I had a good idea. “Jinny, can you change your appearance a bit?”

“What do you mean, reum?”

I pointed to the white horse that Edward was riding. “Like that.”

“It is easy to do. Wait, reum!”

Jinny changed her appearance with a strange sound. I went through it while riding on Jinny and the response was once again surprised. Jinny's appearance became a horse made of clouds. I thought I would like to add wings. “Jinny, do you see Chunza's wings? Add that as well.”

“I know, reum!”

After a while, I rode on a winged horse made of clouds. Suddenly, someone among the soldiers shouted.

“P-Pegasus!”

“Pegasus is with us!”

“G.o.d is watching us!”

Waaaah!

The screams of the soldiers continued. I was fl.u.s.tered by the sudden situation. Just then, Edward opened his mouth and cried out, “Weeeeeoh—!”

Edward's eyes were s.h.i.+ning brightly.

* * *

At the Vulcan volcanic zone, the subjugation army's camp...

“...We were defeated again.”

“......”

Damian, the commander of the subjugation army frowned. The subjugation army had lost consecutive battles. They were enemies who simply couldn't be defeated with strategy. The sudden demonization increased the stats of the demons by 30%.

On the other hand, the subjugation army had the penalty of decreased stats on land where demonization was in progress. Thus, it was difficult to fight against the enemies. To be honest, Damian felt that this war couldn't be won.

'Even if we can fight the demons, we can't face the demon kings...'

The demon kings had a power that transcended constellations. There were some with Star Fruit abilities in the subjugation army, but they still weren't a match. Currently, Michael and Zhen Sulong had gone to fight another demon king advancing near Erebos Castle, so the forces here could be called less powerful. Still, it wasn't to this extent.

'Sigh. Now I can only hope for James' Star Fruits.'

James announced that he had found five Star Fruits in the North Pole. He didn't know their rating, but it would still increase combat effectiveness. There were also reports of additional reinforcements coming here. He would surely meet with the old man soon.

'Our cooperation was good when we killed Minotaur.'

Damian had a strange smile as he recalled Choi Chuntaek, known as Dark Wolf at the time. The expectations that they could reproduce that cooperation rose quietly inside him.

'There is really no eternal enemy.'

Damian nodded slightly at the enlightenment he gained. A soldier ran in front of the lieutenant behind Damian. The lieutenant asked the soldier, “What's going on?”

“R-Reinforcements are here!”

Damian's eyes widened slightly at the words. 

'Reinforcements have come? Did Oz really send magicians?'

According to Duke Doug, who appointed himself as commander of the subjugation army, he had requested wizards and witches from the magic city of Oz. However, Damian had been told not to expect too much because the recent relations.h.i.+p with them wasn't very good.

'Did they come?'

Damian left the barracks without hesitation. Then he was forced to feel shocked.

“......!”

Above Damian's head, hundreds of witches and wizards were looking down on him while riding brooms. The person who appeared to be the top magician leading them slowly took off their hood. Then Damian was surprised once again.

'G-Grandmother...?'

It wasn't an NPC. The grandmother in front of him was definitely a user. There was no arrow above her head that symbolized an NPC.

“The G.o.ddess of the moon and magic, Hecatiana.... what was it? In any case, I came to help. Now."  

[1] Now in Korean is a word unique to the dialect of the Jeolla area of South Korea and the old lady tends to use it in her speech