‘The Eight Seats?’

I somewhat understood why the Holy Empire was trying to create these seats. They didn’t give high positions to the players, and becoming the honorary bishop of the Vatican was a rare moment that caused a big commotion. Aside from me, everyone else had nothing to do with the empire’s official positions. The Guildmasters of large guilds and powerful players would usually receive the same treatment a general would receive, but the empire made sure not to let players intervene in politics. After all, it wouldn’t be good for the empire if the players started to get involved.

‘But now…’

They might’ve changed their minds when they saw how the players risked their lives to save Castle Rock, but I didn’t think that was the case. There could be an external reason, but it wasn’t beneficial for them to do all this just because we stopped one monster wave.

‘Are they wary of the Republic?’

It wasn’t a bad assumption because the Republic and the Holy Empire had long been in a strange rivalry. If the Holy Empire built a high building, then the Republic would do the same. If the Republic announced its research regarding new magic or dungeon, then the Holy Empire would make an announcement about a similar research not long after. There had always been a war between the two regarding public relations.

Because the Republic had the Five Tiger Generals, it was likely that the Holy Empire thought they had to make a move, too. I hadn’t heard any official announcements from the Republic about the Five Tiger Generals, but since we had sent a few spies there, I was sure they would know whether they existed or not. Since the Republic had five, we should have eight! The emperor’s faction and the pope’s faction were fighting for power, so there had to be some kind of political factor I wasn’t aware of. Because two people from the Blue Guild could receive a seat, all I could think of right now was that maybe they made the seats so that I could keep the emperor in check, as I was a player and an honorary bishop.

‘Are they not going to give the imperial denizens a seat?’

Once I talked to Kim Hyun-Sung, I should find out whether my assumptions were true or not. I did feel uncomfortable seeing him right now due to the misunderstanding we had, but I didn’t think it mattered since everyone was going to be there.

“Hehehe…” Jung Ha-Yan giggled.

“Why are you laughing?” I asked.

“It’s been a while since we got together like this, so it’s nice,” she replied.

“You’re right.” I acknowledged.

Jung Ha-Yan was smiling brightly regardless of my complicated thoughts.

‘I’m sure she’s not one of them.’

Actually, no one from the Blue Guild was competent enough to receive a seat. Our party was famous for growing rookies, and Jung Ha-Yan, Kim Ye-Ri, Sun Hee-Young, and Jo Hye-Jin weren’t considered strong players.

‘I’m sure it’s our regressor.’

Even though he hadn’t done anything significant yet, it would make sense that he was the reason for the Holy Empire’s move, as he had filled in for Cha Hee-Ra during the monster wave. I wasn’t able to see his performance because I was busy running around, but unlike me, who was busy spreading touching stories, he showed the imperial and free city denizens just how powerful he was.

‘Maybe it's good that Hee-Ra noona didn’t participate.’

If Cha Hee-Ra had been there, then his performance wouldn’t have received the same acknowledgment as it did. Still, he had been at the center of Castle Rock’s defense war.

Jung Ha-Yan smiled brightly amidst my complicated thoughts, and she was walking while holding onto me. It was a bit annoying, but walking with Jung Ha-Yan after so long wasn’t that bad, as she was usually pretty cute.

When I opened the restaurant door, I saw the party members. I noticed Hwang Jung-Yeon talking to Park Deok-Gu, and next to them were Sun Hee-Young and Jo Hye-Jin quietly drinking their tea.

‘They kind of look alike.’

I saw Kim Hyun-Sung taking care of little Kim Ye-Ri, and he was the first person who saw us. He didn’t seem that upset when he quietly raised his hand. I thought he would ask a bunch of questions, but he must have decided to ask later.

‘That’s just like him…’

The uncomfortable feeling Kim Hyun-Sung had was bad for both of us, so I thought about creating a situation where it would be just the two of us. Park Deok-Gu must’ve seen Kim Hyun-Sung raise his hand because he turned around and exclaimed.

“Hyung-nim!”

“Yeah,” I replied.

“I guess those chosen by dragons are different. I haven’t seen you for so long,” Park Deok-Gu complained.

“It’s not a big deal. Stop overreacting,” I chided.

“It’s a big deal! It’s only possible because you’ve lived with a grateful heart to god—”

“It’s really not that big of a deal, Miss Sun Hee-Young,” I said, cutting her off.

After hearing Sun Hee-Young compliment me, Jo Hye-Jin looked at me strangely, and it bothered me, but it made me think that she didn’t want to get involved when she avoided my gaze. Seeing us awkwardly standing there, Hwang Jung-Yeon spoke, “You two are together today, too. How romantic…”

“Th-Thank you,” Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.

“You two should sit here.”

“Okay, Miss Jung-Yeon.”

It had been a while since I had seen the party members, but it wasn’t awkward. Kim Ye-Ri nodded lightly, and I nodded back. When I sat down and looked at the members, I noticed we had grown.

‘Maybe it’s normal…’

Kim Ye-Ri, Kim Hyun-Sung, and Jung Ha-Yan had already changed their jobs, but I still hadn’t decided on mine, as I wanted to see the details before deciding. I thought everyone had unlocked new jobs, but Sun Hee-Young, Hwang Jung-Yeon, and Jo Hye-Jin only managed to increase their stats.

‘Their… growth rate is already high.’

Park Deok-Gu was the problem.

‘It’s really unfortunate. He’s…’

I wasn’t sure if he was delaying in choosing his job, or he simply hadn't unlocked it yet, but he still had a rare-ranked job. His endurance and stamina had increased, but his growth limit didn’t increase all that much. His stats were great compared to other ordinary people, but Kim Hyun-Sung’s party was filled with members whose stats were abnormal, so Park Deok-Gu could be considered ordinary here.

‘I think I need to give him shock therapy or something one day…’

I knew better than anyone that Park Deok-Gu was trying his best, but I guess he must have encountered a bottleneck, as he wasn’t making any progress. I wanted to solve his problem right now, but since I had more urgent matters to handle, I had no choice but to look at Kim Hyun-Sung.

Naturally, everyone looked at him because they were expecting our guild leader to start the conversation, and he started talking as if he had realized what we wanted. His voice could definitely draw people in.

“It has been a while since we gathered like this. I feel like we’ve been busier after the war ended. Hahaha…”

“...”

He must have wanted to say it like a joke, but it only confirmed that Kim Hyun-Sung didn’t have a talent for jokes. He must have realized it because he cleared his voice and continued talking, “Ahem. A-Anyway, I’m glad everyone is safe. Also… thank you very much for trusting me.”

“No need to thank us. We were just following your orders…”

“No, Miss Hye-Jin. That’s not what I meant. This was Miss Ha-Yan, Mr. Deok-Gu, Ye-Ri, and Mr. Ki-Young’s first large-scale battle. You’ve only been here for a year, and I know better than anyone that being at the front line is a difficult thing to do,” he explained.

“Oh… I see. So this was their first large-scale battle…” Jo Hye-Jin commented.

“That’s right.”

‘He’s right.’

Running away while trembling in fear was the reaction people would usually have in such a large-scale battle. Park Deok-Gu scratched his head like he was embarrassed.

‘So he was scared…’

I was also scared despite relying on our regressor and Hee-Ra noona. I didn’t know what Kim Ye-Ri was thinking due to her expressionless face, and I was sure Jung Ha-Yan didn’t understand what Kim Hyun-Sung was saying, as she hadn’t been afraid.

“It’s fine. We knew you wouldn’t just leave us by ourselves, which is why we were able to stand on top of the wall, and you did save us a few times,” I said.

“Ki-Young hyung-nim is right. I would’ve died a few times if it wasn’t for you, bro. I can’t say that I wasn’t scared, but I can say that it was a good experience, so it should be us that should be thanking you,” Park Deok-Gu added.

“Oppa is right…” Jung Ha-Yan chimed in.

“Yeah, Mr. Ki-Young is right,” Kim Ye-Ri remarked.

Kim Hyun-Sung was an emotional person, so when the members shook their heads and thanked him altogether, he looked touched. When he bowed to express his gratitude, I confirmed once again that he truly had a great personality. I thought our regressor didn’t have a cute side on him, but it was amusing to see him clear his throat because he was shy.

“Anyway, thank you, everyone. Oh! The reason why I called for everyone here was because of the eight seats the empire is going to announce. I’m not sure if you heard Mr. Ki-Young, but…”

“Ha-Yan told me on our way here. It’s so unexpected…” I commented.

“Yes, it was a bit unexpected for me as well. I had a feeling that they would do something like that, but it seems too early…” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

“Have you heard anything regarding the seats, bro?” Park Deok-Gu asked.

“I haven’t, and it seems like even Mr. Ki-Young hasn't heard anything about this before. It’s understandable for me not to hear about it, but for Mr. Ki-Young to not know about it is…” Kim Hyun-Sung stopped talking.

We could assume that the emperor had organized the seats. Of course, I couldn’t say that the pope’s faction wasn’t going to make their move, but anyway, the emperor’s faction had planned all this.

“I should first explain the eight seats of the empire. Basically, it seems like a system where they select eight people who they think are the strongest in the empire and give them a position and authority. I’ll have to look into the details, but I’m sure it’s no different from giving a person a noble title,” he continued.

“Then does that mean the eight people must accept it no matter what? Wait, are you saying that there are two people in our guild the empire thinks are one of the strongest?” Park Deok-Gu asked.

“They probably look at their stats, but I’m sure there are political reasons involved as well,” he replied.

“It’s an undeniable fact that you’re strong, bro, but…” Park Deok-Gu commented.

I somewhat agreed with what Park Deok-Gu had said. Kim Hyun-Sung was strong, but he wasn’t strong enough to be part of the eight seats. When I was about to explain, I heard Jo Hye-Jin talking, “I’m sure they excluded the imperial denizens because if they included them, then eight would be a small number. There’s Mr. Victor Hart of the imperial castle, and I heard the three templars from the Vatican are either a little bit stronger than Miss Cha Hee-Ra or on the same level as her. That’s already four people…”

“You mean… stronger than that red-headed lady? I’ve heard of the gramp named Victor Hart, but… Wh-what’s a templar?” Park Deok-Gu asked.

“They’re the three strongest knights the Vatican has. They’re an armed group that only moves when a cardinal-ranked priest is in danger, and I heard their individual skills are legendary-ranked. I’m sure Miss Hee-Young knows more about them since she’s a priest,” Jo Hye-Jin explained.

“She’s right. It’s because cardinal-ranked priests play a major role in the Vatican. If Mr. Lee Ki-Young becomes a cardinal…” Sun Hee-Young said with a nod.

If that happened, then I was sure something good would happen. Since I was sure it wasn’t going to happen anytime soon, I remained quiet, and Jo Hye-Jin continued talking, “The number fits if you exclude the imperial denizens. There’s Miss Cha Hee-Ra of the Red Mercenary Guild, Park Yeon-Joo of the Black Swan Guild, Miss Kasugano Yuno of the Yozora Guild, and one person from Celia will take the dead Ito Sota’s place… There’s also a large guild in the Free City of Dawan where the Taiwanese live, and two people from there should be selected as well.”

“Oh…”

“Of course, there are a lot of strong players within the empire, but they likely excluded the retired people and those whose skills are rusty. Our Blue Guild may even have a chance at getting a seat because of the few people who’ll decline.”

“Why would they decline?” Park Deok-Gu asked.

“With the position and authority comes responsibility. Those who didn’t want to be shackled by those will decline the offer. Since a monster wave happened at Castle Rock at the same time they were going to announce the eight seats, I’m sure they’ve been paying close attention to the news here. They selected—”

Jo Hye-Jin paused as if asking whether it was okay to say it, but Kim Hyun-Sung decided to finish her sentence for her.

“Mr. Ki-Young and I received an offer to join the eight seats,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

“Hyung-nim did?!” Park Deok-Gu exclaimed.

Park Deok-Gu then stared at me.