"Don’t be so suspicious. This time, I’m just giving it to you. Well, technically, it’s for the sake of your authority," said Justin.
"Huh?" Damian looked puzzled.
"I want you both to keep your positions as leaders. If you return with something to show for it, no one will challenge you, right?"
"...."
Damian and Zeal exchanged bewildered glances. While it wasn’t an incorrect statement, it was still surprising to hear.
It was true that as leaders, they had made the decision to participate in the main quest. But if they returned empty-handed after all the struggles, their authority would undoubtedly take a hit. In the worst case, someone might even try to replace them, claiming they couldn’t trust their future to such weak leaders.
’It’s true that bringing back these rewards would bolster our authority,’ Damian thought. But the question was, why would Justin care about that? They were allies, yes, but also potential future rivals. Wouldn’t it make more sense for Justin to let their internal power struggles weaken them?
Justin smirked as he noticed the confusion on their faces. "I can see what you’re thinking. But honestly, it wouldn’t benefit me if you two were removed from your positions."
"Why’s that?" Damian asked.
"Think about it. After all this, don’t you feel like it’d be a terrible idea to face me head-on?"
"...."
The bluntness of Justin’s remark was borderline insulting, but it wasn’t wrong. Both leaders felt the weight of the truth in his words.
’A leader with immense personal power, second-job pioneers under him, and a dragon that can wipe out entire armies with its breath...’ The more they considered competing against Justin’s faction, the more hopeless it seemed. Especially the presence of Fafnir—that was the worst part. Even if they had a territorial advantage, if Fafnir could fly in, unleash its breath, and retreat repeatedly, their land would be left in ruins.
Competing with Justin seemed impossible. Fighting him? A nightmare.
Watching the two leaders avoid giving a direct response, Justin chuckled.
"Exactly. You’ve seen what I’m capable of and what resources I have. You’d avoid fighting me if you can. But if someone else replaces you, do you think they’ll come to the same decision?"
"That’s..."
"And don’t tell me they’ll make the right choice if you explain everything to them. People aren’t as good at listening to advice as you might think. Especially not a new leader who would have to exaggerate your failures to justify their rise."
Damian’s lips shut tightly. He realized Justin had a point.
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A new leader would be motivated to downplay any difficulties and magnify their predecessor’s incompetence to legitimize their takeover. In doing so, they would lose any chance of negotiating with Justin’s faction.
’Once they publicly claim their predecessor was useless, avoiding conflict with Justin would make them seem weak and indecisive...’
Even if they managed to avoid immediate conflict with Justin, the situation would be precarious. Without the option to negotiate with a stronger enemy, war would become inevitable. And if the weaker side refuses to yield, there’s even less reason for the stronger side to back down.
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"I understand your point. You want to avoid unnecessary conflict," Damian finally said.
"Exactly."
"But one thing still doesn’t make sense. With your power, wouldn’t it be beneficial for you if some fool challenged you? It’d give you a reason to go to war and take over their territory."
"Why?" Justin asked, leaning closer with a smile. "Why would I want a war? Do I look like someone who’d make things harder for myself by stirring up grudges and dividing potential allies?"
"...Unification?" Damian murmured.
"That’s right. It’s much better for me to take everything intact. That’s why I want you to keep your positions."
"....!"
Damian and Zeal’s eyes widened, the realization finally dawning on them.
If we ever find ourselves in conflict, we’d be more likely to surrender easily because we know we can’t win...
Damian clenched his fists tightly, anger bubbling inside him. How dare he think so little of us? he thought, wanting to say something in retaliation.
"...."
But for some reason, no words came out. In fact, the more he tried to summon his anger, the more it dissipated.
Ah.
In that moment, Damian realized the truth. If it ever came to a real confrontation, he probably would surrender to Justin. Even if he didn’t hand over his territory on a silver platter, he wasn’t the kind of leader willing to sacrifice countless lives just to cling to power. He knew himself well enough to admit that much.
Just as Damian had figured out Justin’s character, Justin had already sized him up perfectly.
As Damian stood there, silently processing his realization, Justin’s voice interrupted his thoughts once again.
"What are you waiting for? The rewards aren’t going to pick themselves up. Are you just going to stand there?"
With that devilish whisper in his ear, Damian’s hand reached out toward the scrolls, his face pale with resignation. No matter how much he understood Justin’s intentions, there was no escaping the outcome.
Accepting the rewards and maintaining his leadership was better than letting someone else take over and lead his faction into needless conflict.
It’s over, Damian thought, squeezing his eyes shut in bitter acceptance.
"All rewards have been successfully retrieved into the inventory."
"The main quest has concluded, and the exit has been opened."
Rumble.
"It’s open!"
Once the distribution of rewards was completed, the system message chimed in, and the sealed door finally opened. As everyone stepped outside, they were greeted by a sky painted in shades of red as the sun began to set. Amid the lighthearted chatter of the pioneers celebrating their survival, a sudden shout of alarm cut through the air.
"The temple—it’s collapsing!"
"What? The temple is... huh?!"
"What the hell is happening?"
Crack... crumble...
The once-intact temple began to disintegrate, crumbling into pieces right before their eyes. It was as if, having served its purpose, it was no longer needed and was vanishing into the wind. Before the sounds of shock could die down, the grand temple that had stood tall and imposing moments earlier had turned to dust, carried away by the breeze. All that remained was a wide-open stone foundation and an empty field.
’So, it was just an event structure after all. Looks like they don’t want us using it later,’ Justin thought with mild disappointment. He had considered using the site as a defensive stronghold in the future, but it was clear the system had no intention of letting that happen. Still, the location itself was valuable, so it wasn’t a major loss.
With the temple gone, the towering beam of light that had been shooting into the sky also vanished. That alone was enough to signal that the main quest had officially come to an end.
Breaking the silence, Justin stepped forward, turning to face his allies. "Well, it’s over now, folks. Time to part ways. I’d love to give some grand speech as your leader, but I’m not really cut out for that."
"...."
"Just make sure we don’t meet as enemies from now on, alright? If we do cross paths again, let’s use this bond to get along. In a world like this, connections matter. Don’t you think?"
Laughter rippled through the crowd, but only among Justin’s own faction. The others forced awkward smiles, and even those didn’t last long.
"Kyahhhh!"
"Fafnir!"
Now that the temple had crumbled, leaving a clear line of sight, Fafnir spotted them and soared toward the group. It seemed the dragon had briefly flown off in search of prey while waiting near the exit. As Fafnir landed beside Justin, the ground shook slightly, sending tremors through the group. Though the vibration was mild, it felt like an earthquake to the onlookers.
Justin patted Fafnir’s head as the dragon affectionately nudged him, and he shouted playfully, "If you run into any trouble, come find me! Fafnir and I will take care of it for you!"
"...."
This time, not even a forced smile emerged from the crowd. The pioneers couldn’t help but imagine their territories being reduced to ashes by Fafnir’s fire rather than picturing the dragon helping them.
After his lighthearted "speech," Justin turned to Lucian and his remaining men with an air of casual dismissal. "Oh, and you lot can leave now. We took all the rewards, so you’ll be going back empty-handed."
Grit...
The sound of Lucian grinding his teeth was audible as he struggled to maintain what little pride he had left. His face reddened with fury, and he glared at Justin. "One day—"
Bang!
Before Lucian could finish his sentence, Fafnir’s tail slammed into the ground beside him with a deafening crash. Startled, Lucian flinched and stumbled back, cutting himself off mid-sentence.
The sight was so amusing that Justin couldn’t help but burst into laughter. "Are you trying to be a comedian? You act all tough, then jump in fear like that?"
"....!"
"Just stop trying to act impressive and get lost. Say one more word, and I won’t hesitate to kill you, hidden job or not."
Lucian trembled but ultimately lowered his shoulders in defeat, turning to leave. His remaining followers breathed a sigh of relief, hurrying to support him as they shuffled away. It was clear they wanted to get home as quickly as possible without causing any further trouble.
Once Lucian’s group was gone, Justin turned to the remaining allies for a final goodbye.
"You all did well. Take care of yourselves until we meet again."
"Is that... a farewell or a warning?" Damian asked, his face pale.
"That depends on you," Justin replied with a cryptic smile.
The ominous words left Damian visibly shaken. While it was a bit pitiful, Justin wasn’t interested in charity. In this world, you had to eat or be eaten.
With a final glance at Damian, Justin shifted his gaze to Grayson, who had been silent throughout the exchange.
’You haven’t forgotten the terms I set, right? Go back and work hard.’
’...You bastard!’
Though Grayson’s lips moved as if to curse him, he didn’t speak the words aloud. He knew better than to refuse the conditions. If he wanted to rise in this world, he would have to fulfill his side of the bargain, no matter how harsh.
Lastly, Zeal approached with his signature warm smile, extending his hand. "It’s time for us to go as well. Thank you for everything."
"Still playing politics to the end, huh? You live a tough life."
"Please understand. It’s the only way I know how to survive," Zeal replied with a small sigh, his tone laced with self-pity.
Despite his teasing, Justin shook his hand. It was a symbolic gesture, a handshake between equals. By doing this in front of his followers, Zeal was sending a clear message: that he, their leader, was on equal footing with the master of a dragon.
"Wow! Our leader even shakes hands with the dragon’s master!"
"He’s not intimidated by anyone, not even the owner of a dragon!"
As expected, the sound of excited cheers erupted from the cultists behind Zeal. He basked in their admiration with a contented smile. While he was enjoying the praise, Justin leaned in and whispered into his ear.
"You’d better refine your doctrine. Try to work out a way to fully separate royal power from religious power."
"What...? Why?"
"If you do it right, I might not need to kill you when we unify. Your survival depends on how well you handle it."
"....!"