The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

Bang!

“Wh-what is this? Step aside! Do you even know where you are, you… Ugh!”

Bang!

The massive doors of the meeting hall were smashed to pieces.

Thud thud thud.

Then, knights clad in pristine white armor entered through the broken entryway. Blue mantles with golden hawks embroidered on them fluttered behind them.

“Why is the First Knight Order Order here?”

The 50 knights who had entered the meeting room lined up in precise intervals, taking control of the hall. The 200 or so leaders of the Pioneer Alliance gathered inside were frozen by their intimidating presence.

“What is the meaning of this tyranny? You are trespassing in the capital of the Pioneer Alliance! Who is in charge here?”

Gene Ryan, the representative of the Alliance, shouted from the platform. There were surely hundreds of central army guards outside the meeting hall.

Moreover, considering the entire capital, thousands of soldiers were likely guarding the area surrounding the government building in Town Tree.

‘How could they have breached this quickly…?’

It had only been a few minutes since he received the report that a portal had opened near the capital. Given the distance from the outskirts to the center, it meant they had broken through without facing any resistance.

Clack clack.

At that moment, someone began walking through the entrance. The members of the First Knight Order Order placed their right fists over their hearts in a salute.

‘…Count Raul!’

Gene Ryan’s face stiffened instantly. He had only seen Raul’s face briefly through a magic crystal orb when he was accused of being behind the Connect abduction incident.

This was the first time he met him in person. Raul, accompanied by Philip and Kane, walked slowly to the center of the meeting hall. His imposing presence made it feel as though this place belonged to the First County.

‘Damn it!’

Ryan gritted his teeth. Although the atmosphere was overwhelming, this was still the capital of the Pioneer Alliance. Given time, those who noticed the disturbance would rush to defend the area.

“Count Raul. I didn’t expect to meet you in person. What brings you here? And with so many knights, no less.”

Gene Ryan asked, unable to hide his displeasure. Though caught off guard by the unexpected visit, he had no intention of abandoning his pride. However, Raul dismissed his words entirely and took a slow look around the room.

“So many familiar faces. I thought you were all banished.”

Raul’s gaze landed on Chairman Han Sangyong’s family of Daesung Corporation, the main culprits behind the abduction incident.

Not only them, but members from China’s Qinghua Group and America’s UD Soft—all involved in that incident—were gathered there. Those who caught Raul’s eye subtly turned their heads to avoid his gaze.

“What is the meaning of this, representative Ryan? We had an agreement, didn’t we?”

At that time, it was Raul’s mediation that allowed the Pioneer Alliance, accused of colluding with the Empire, to continue existing. Raul had curbed the kingdoms’ greed, who saw it as an opportunity to claim forbidden lands.

And, an agreement to expel and punish those involved had been made. Yet, representative Ryan responded confidently.

“I fail to see why you are bringing up past events now. And questioning our acceptance of refugees who had no choice but to leave their homeland is excessive, don’t you think?”

‘What a laughable farce.’

If those individuals were merely hiding within the Alliance’s lands, he may have had a point. But the fact that they were sitting in decision-making positions showed they never intended to keep their promise.

Raul had much to say but chose not to argue further. He wasn’t here to play the blame game. Seeing Raul remain silent, representative Ryan assumed his argument had won and shouted,

“And to invade the capital of another nation with armed force without a valid reason! This is nothing short of banditry. Do you think other kingdoms or the inhabitants of Connect will tolerate this? Apologize and withdraw immediately. Otherwise!”

“Otherwise? What do you plan to do?”

Raul asked without blinking at Ryan’s audacious words.

Shing.

The First Knight Order Order simultaneously placed their hands on their sword hilts. The room was filled with an oppressive aura, close to bloodlust.

At that moment, a guild communication flowed into Ryan’s mind.

「Representative, we have a problem. The situation in the conference room is being livestreamed to the players!」

Likely, someone from Count Raul’s side was broadcasting the footage.

‘Well, on second thought, this could work in my favor.’

Ryan saw this as an opportunity. If he could cast Raul as an NPC lord threatening players with force!

No one could ignore the influence and numbers of over 500 million players.

“If you’re looking down on us just because we’re immigrants from Earth, you will regret it! Your power may be strong for now, but someday, when we Earthlings have fully adapted, we’ll be no less powerful than the residents here!”

Gene Ryan shouted fervently as if he were a martyr representing Earthlings. Raul nodded and even encouraged him.

“Of course. But I don’t understand why there’s a need to divide Earth immigrants and the existing residents. We are all humans living on the same land now. And besides.”

Raul gestured, and knights dragged in some individuals from the entrance.

“Let me show you the real reason I’ve come here.”

The Alliance’s leadership grew agitated as they recognized the faces of those kneeling, bound, before them. They were the envoys the Alliance had recently sent to the Empire.

“Judging by your expressions, it seems I didn’t need to say a word. Do you have anything to say, representative Ryan?”

Raul asked, watching Ryan’s face grow pale, who then tried to appear indifferent as he spoke.

“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about. And why are you persecuting our innocent citizens? This is outrageous!”

“Innocent citizens, you say? At least you acknowledge they are your citizens.”

Pop.

A magical screen appeared in the center of the meeting room, projecting some documents, causing an uproar.

“This is slander! Those documents are fabricated!”

“Even though our relations are strained, fabricating documents is a step too far!”

“Don’t believe it! It’s fake! That document is fake!”

The content of the documents was shocking. They proposed handing over the Alliance’s territories to the Empire in exchange for proper treatment and rewards for the Alliance’s leadership and their families.

The documents even included clauses offering to act as spies for the Empire. And at the bottom, the documents were filled with the handwritten signatures and seals of the Alliance’s leaders and representatives.

It was a sort of petition. The document was too elaborate to be a forgery. Moreover, the fact that those captured were among the Alliance’s leaders and ranker players made it evident that this was the truth.

“From this moment on, I declare the Pioneer Alliance as traitors to humanity and order all of their leaders to be detained. Furthermore, all territories of the Pioneer Alliance will be temporarily governed by the First Knight Order, with allied forces of each kingdom responsible for securing the borders!”

Clang.

The knights of the First Order drew their swords, and dazzling aura blades sprang forth from their weapons.

“By what right do you make such decisions! This is an outrageous conspiracy! Everyone, don’t be deceived! This is all part of Count Raul’s scheme to seize our Alliance’s territory!”

Representative Ryan screamed desperately, but the situation was already beyond redemption.

「Over a hundred thousand allied troops from various kingdoms have crossed the border!」

「A powerful barrier is surrounding Town Tree; there’s no way to breach the interior!」

「Disaster! Soldiers are deserting, claiming they no longer trust their leaders.」

「A massive protest is erupting in the capital! Crowds are marching towards Town Tree, condemning the Alliance’s leadership!」

Faced with a flood of grim reports, representative Ryan couldn’t maintain his composure.

Then, suddenly, all communications went dead.

The livestreamed screens also froze. Raul approached the frozen Ryan with a cold expression and spoke.

“When given a chance, you should have been grateful and kept your promises. I tolerated it for the sake of innocent immigrants, but this time you’ve crossed the line. Collaborating with the Empire to protect your own vested interests? Rot in a dark prison cell without a ray of sunlight until you regret your foolish decisions!”

“You! Who do you think you are! What grudge do you hold against us to go this far?”

Ryan shouted with a voice filled with venom, but Raul merely scoffed.

“Who knows. If you truly don’t understand why, I have nothing more to say. Take him away!”

As the knights grabbed Ryan, he suddenly fell to his knees and cried out.

“I-I’m sorry! I’ll do anything you say, just spare my life! I’ll even give you all my hidden assets, just please…! You son of a—!”

Dragged away, his figure was a pitiful and miserable sight. The others seated in the conference room were also bound by knights and led away one by one.

“Please, spare me!”

“I’m innocent! This is unjust!”

“You’ll regret this! Don’t think this is the end!”

Watching each of them being taken away, Raul’s face remained devoid of emotion. Yet, internally, he felt as though he had completed an overdue task. Among them, someone must have been deeply involved in the death of Bae Dohyun in his past life.

‘In the past, I only took over their companies, but this time, it will be different.’

Once they crossed over to Connect, their fates were sealed. Raul had never intended to forgive them. It was just that today had become the day for that moment. And he had come to another realization.

‘People don’t change easily, after all.’

Had the corporate heads of the Pioneer Alliance’s leadership sincerely decided to act for the betterment of the Earthlings, Raul might have hesitated a bit more in deciding their fate.

‘Thank you for acting as expected.’

The only inconvenience was that this happened to coincide with the final scenario.

*

The aftermath was easier to manage than expected. When it was revealed that the Alliance’s leadership had been negotiating with the Empire for personal gain, the Alliance’s players were the ones who felt the most outrage.

“To think we’d have to witness such treachery even after crossing to this world!”

“They made us risk our lives to defend the borders, while they were making secret deals? These bastards!”

Since there was no clear new leader, they offered little resistance to the First Knight Order’s control. Moreover, with the Alliance army securing the Empire’s border, many felt safer and even relieved.

As the cleanup was underway, Raul wrapped up the assault on the Demon God’s Temple. While the place had swallowed nearly a hundred superhuman players, it was no match for Raul and the First Knight Order.

Once again, this event proved something important.

-Not all superhumans are created equal.

Although the Pioneer Alliance had lost many rankers, there were still quite a few superhuman players remaining within the Alliance.

Despite this, the First Knight Order had easily broken through their ranks with just 50 men, showcasing their overwhelming power.

And the fact that Raul and just a few knights had swept through the Demon God’s Temple emphasized this to the players from Earth. It made them realize once again that the systems’ displayed levels and ranks were not everything.

This understanding brought results.

“Master, the United Government of Earth has contacted us. They are requesting our help in clearing the remaining Demon God’s Temples.”

The United Government had finally accepted reality. Having witnessed firsthand that trying to maintain pride could lead to the downfall of a nation, they decided to ask for help.

A few days passed, and finally, all 15 Demon God’s Temples that had appeared across the continent were conquered. With the red beams of light gone from Connect’s sky, only the pillar of black light remained, swirling ominously.

Raul and a few of his knights appeared before the Tower of the Demon Realm.

(To be continued)