“Kalia! It’s been so long, my daughter. Was the journey here difficult? You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”
“…No. Thanks to your concern.”
A nomadic village filled with large gers (Mongolian-style tents).
The one who came out to greet us, weary from the long journey, was none other than the chieftain of the village.
“You’re still as reserved as ever. In any case, you’ve done well to come all this way. Go on inside now.”
“Yes.”
“Your mother is waiting too, so greet her as soon as you see her.”
Was his name Mahdi Lisan?
Kalia definitely once said with her own mouth that she had lost her parents.
Judging by the fact that they’re of a different race, they must be her foster parents.
It’s quite a unique combination—A child born as a persecuted demon, raised by nomads who are also subject to discrimination.
‘He has a gentle face.’
For the leader of a large tribe, he looked quite mild.
You’d never guess he was the warrior who repelled the invading forces of the Artium Empire and the Navre Kingdom.
“And… you must be Ishmael, right? The one who’s been throwing the world into chaos with all those bizarre, mysterious books.”
“Y-yes, Chieftain.”
But a gentle appearance doesn’t mean a lack of charisma.
In fact, it was quite the opposite.
Just meeting his gaze filled me with pressure.
My entire body tensed up, instinctively curling inward.
So this is what it means to overpower someone with just your eyes.
Maybe this is the aura that only a true conquering monarch possesses.
Now I think I understand what it must’ve felt like for foreign envoys to face Genghis Khan.
No—maybe it’s more like a son-in-law meeting his terrifying father-in-law for the first time.
It gave me a strong hunch that if I made a wrong move, I’d regret being born.
“Come on now, no need to be so nervous. I didn’t summon you here to interrogate you.”
“M-my apologies. I haven’t heard the reason I was brought here from Miss Kalia…”
“She didn’t tell you? That girl, honestly.”
The chieftain clicked his tongue briefly and shrugged before explaining to me.
“Well, it’s nothing grand. I just wanted to say thank you. And ask a few things too.”
“To thank me?”
“Yeah. Thanks to you, our organization has gained enormous benefits. We’re now closer than ever to achieving a lifelong dream.”
That’s true.
The outbreak of war, the chaos and destruction spreading across the world—that’s all my doing.
Even though I received help from others for distribution and spread of ideologies,the core knowledge was something only I possessed.
And if you count the effort I put into choosing and preparing the right content for each situation,I’d say I have every right to be considered the MVP.
“You flatter me. I merely did my best with what I could do.”
Still, when I responded with a humble attitude, Mahdi burst into hearty laughter and patted me on the back.
His build was so massive that it actually hurt a bit.
“If it’s something others can’t do, then it deserves praise. Who else could’ve accomplished such a feat if not for you?”
He pointed his finger far into the distance, toward the direction of the mountain range—where Artium and Navre were located.
“Since my ancestors founded Carmen, we’ve dreamed of this for generations. To bring down those cursed bastards and reclaim our freedom. To defeat that wretched woman who calls herself a goddess and create a world of our own.”
“……”
“I thought it would never be achieved in my lifetime… but it’s finally becoming a reality. Just a little longer and the Mahdi family’s lifelong wish will come true. So how could I not be grateful to you?”
Well, yeah.
That damn goddess wasn’t exactly someone worthy of worship.
The nomads were constantly getting beaten down, and not once did she send a divine message telling them to stop.
It’s only natural they’d grow to hate her.
That’s probably why, even if the methods were strange, they’re praising me for dismantling the goddess cult’s faith.
“Though, thanks to that, fanatics have exploded in number among the nomads.”
“That’s a price we’ll have to pay. Once the number of believers drops, that woman won’t have any power. A misguided faith can always be replaced with something else later.”
He was bold about it.
I guess it means he’s confident in his ability to control and manage the nomads.
I thought about it for a moment, then quickly understood the reason.
It’s because this tribe was the key force that stopped the massive invasions and raids from foreign armies across the plains.
They even gained overwhelming power based on rocket weaponry.
With achievements, authority, legitimacy, and force all in hand, it wasn’t hard to unify the fractured nomadic tribes.
The founding emperor of the Jin dynasty, Wanyan Aguda, was a textbook example.
After a great victory against the Liao dynasty, wealth and power naturally gathered under him—and he built a vast empire.
“Oh, and thanks to you, Ishmael, our organization was able to clean up internally too.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Internal cleanup?
Could he mean a purge?
I hadn’t heard anything about that.
“You know there were several factions within our organization, right? Kalia must’ve told you.”
“She did say that since the group is made up of hardcore radicals who hate the system, they’re all so stubborn it’s hard to reach consensus.”
“Exactly. But this time, they all pledged real cooperation and loyalty to me.”
Mahdi once again slapped me on the back with his palm.
Then he pulled out some liquor from his waist and took a swig.
“You know that plan you drew up and sent me? The one that outlined how our organization should move forward.”
“Yes. It was more of a rough concept than a detailed proposal.”
“It worked perfectly.”
I hadn’t included specific instructions on what exactly to do.
It was more of a broad strategic direction.
But it worked?
“You look like you don’t understand, but it’s simple. You, someone in my faction, achieved a solid accomplishment, and I showed force. So everyone else submitted to that authority.”
“Ah.”
With that, I was able to grasp the whole picture.
The credit for breaking the world into chaos rests with me.
Which also means that credit extends to my superior, Kalia, and Kalia’s superior, Mahdi.
Since I belonged to their faction and pledged my loyalty, their voice and influence likely increased thanks to me.
Moreover, Mahdi had recently repelled an invading force numbering in the tens of thousands all on his own.
It was clear proof of his overwhelming strength compared to other factions.
Even if you gathered all the members of the organization, you’d barely have a few thousand, but this man alone commanded tens of thousands of nomads.
‘If you have power and justification, obedience follows naturally.’
It’s the same principle as unifying other tribes.
On top of that, we even had the long-term strategy I had put together, so in a way, the unification of the organization was a natural result.
“But because of that, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”
“Please go ahead. I’ll do my best to help within my capabilities.”
“I think it’s about time we start getting specific with our strategy. Could you prepare concrete goals and methods for our organization moving forward?”
So, basically, he’s telling me to decide the organization’s future as I please?
*****
After a brief moment of contemplation, I slowly opened my mouth.
“…It won’t be easy.”
“I figured as much.”
“Yes. In our current situation, it’s difficult to decide what should take priority.”
This is an era where everything is pushed to the extreme—War expenditures, the public’s fatigue, military attrition.
The world’s first total war, combined with 17th-century technology, was devouring the resources of participating countries like a beast gone mad.
The technological level remained unchanged, but I had advanced doctrines and ideologies—no wonder things turned out this way.
“It’s like a game of chicken. Wouldn’t be surprising no matter who hits the wall first.”
To put it in metaphor: it’s like a bunch of ticking time bombs with invisible timers.
Even I can’t predict exactly which one will explode first from hitting its limit.
If this were the 21st century, maybe.
But in an age where real-time information sharing doesn’t exist, that’s too much to ask.
I could respond once things happen, but preparing in advance is hard.
“However, I can come up with a few scenarios. Let’s start preparing slowly.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Still, I have some guesses about where and what problems might arise first.
If I prepare a plan for each one, at least one will hit the mark.
Even if none do, I can just revise them based on the framework.
“I think you, Chief, will end up playing an active role too. I’m thinking of putting the nomads’ military strength to use.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Originally, I considered focusing on maximizing the organization’s power, but… after coming here, I’ve changed my mind.”
The nomads are stronger than I expected.
Way too strong.
When I only heard about them, I thought they were a backward, declining group stuck in the past.
But it’s completely the opposite.
They’re guys riding monsters the size of cars, firing rockets.
And they come in tens of thousands.
Sure, I made them that way,But still—no one can beat them.
There’s no way an army using line infantry and bronze cannons could possibly stand a chance.
“At this rate, you might even be able to rebuild the Nomadic Empire.”
“Now that’s something to look forward to. Truly.”
If they could just stay united, world conquest honestly didn’t seem that far-fetched.
Though whether they could hold onto occupied territories for long was another question.
“Let me know once you’ve got something ready. It’s not urgent, so don’t rush it.”
“Understood.”
“It’s cold—let’s head inside. The feast we prepared might get cold if we wait any longer.”
Leaving his mount to an attendant, Mahdi was about to enter the tent when he suddenly turned to me with a mischievous grin and asked:
“By the way, you. You’ve slept with Kalia, haven’t you? How many kids are you planning to have with her?”
“…..”
Chief… that’s moving a bit too fast, don’t you think?