Chapter 26 of Season 1: The Streaming of the Genius Archer

10. Emilia (2)

The expression Emilia made during Almond's broadcast that day became a legendary meme and spread widely.

- Haha, crazy!

- Can you make such a face?

- Hahaha

- Emilia is human too.

- How shocked must she be? Haha

- Almost a level of shock.

└ I can't even imagine the real thing. Haha

└ Really, haha

- It's understandable. She said she was going to kill the lord, but ended up wiping out the entire castle.

Considering Emilia's usual dignified and noble personality, the expression and gestures she made were truly at a level that could be called 'legendary.'

"Th-the guards were so strict... and you dealt with all of them...? I've never heard such a story. Guards are there to prevent that from happening."

"......Is that so?"

At Almond's blunt response, Emilia's face turned bright red. It was as if the noble lady was being swayed by the words of a mere mercenary.

"Hem. Anyway, if that's the case, it means the castle is now empty, right?"

Emilia asked, turning her gaze.

"Yes. There was no one."

"There's no need to delay. We need to go right now."

Emilia called her retainers again and set the carriage in motion.

She wanted to get there before other nobles extended their influence and absorb the people of the fief.

"Almond?"

"Yes."

"......What are you doing?"

"Well......"

"Get in quickly."

Moreover, Emilia even offered Almond a seat inside her carriage.

It wasn't a common occurrence for a lady to let a man into the inner seat of her personal carriage.

- Wow. This must be a full affection response, right?

- Wow, man.

- Haha......

- Almond, you scoundrel! How did you do it?

Since Almond had never pursued an affection storyline, the viewers were naturally puzzled by Emilia's complete infatuation.

- Hey, why are you doing an affection storyline?! Just take over the castle!

- Really, haha

- Yeah, exactly!

- I just want to do an affection storyline......

- Me too, hahaha

- How did you take over the castle? Haha

- It seems that achievements can also increase affection......

This was the moment when the fact that achievements could increase affection was first discovered.

Overwhelming achievements can move the heart as well.

Almond, in the end, won the heart of the noble lady with his archery skills alone.

"......I'm curious about you."

A cut scene inside the carriage.

Even there, Emilia showed a great deal of interest in Almond.

"How...... can you be so strong? I've seen many knights, but no one has shown such results as you."

"I just have a talent for archery."

"Can you really eliminate all the troops in the castle with just that?"

"......I can, can't I?"

"......"

It was a bit of an odd conversation.

However, the fact that Emilia kept asking questions to Almond first was a significant signal.

But the conversation that followed was even more shocking.

Emilia suddenly started talking about knights.

"Knights usually love swords, spears, and horses."

"There's no way. Most knights probably love you more than those things."

At Almond's joke, Emilia burst into laughter, a girlish laugh unlike the dignified lady she usually portrayed.

"That's true. Ladies love them too. But it's not just knights, right?"

"?"

"Any man, even if he's a rough mercenary...... women will like him."

- Wow! What is this!?

- Wow, man.

- Bro! My heart is racing, I can't watch!

- I've never seen anything like this!

Emilia used the word 'women,' but in context, it referred to herself, and the rough mercenary was Almond.

"Anyway, I like it. Knights love Emilia, spears, swords, and horses."

At Emilia's joke, Almond chuckled this time.

"But I've never seen a knight who loves archery."

"I'm a mercenary, not a knight."

"Do you have no intention of becoming a knight in the future?"

"......What?"

At this point, both Sanghyun and the viewers were momentarily stunned.

Becoming a knight isn't something you can just decide to do. Even being outstanding doesn't guarantee it.

"......If this castle becomes a new fief, we'll need someone to manage it......"

Emilia deflected, looking out the window.

But this was essentially asking if Almond had any intention of becoming a knight.

- Wow! Is Emilia's route really going this way?

- Is this kind of development possible?

- There's a knight route too?

- Amazing!

- But it's a mercenary game, won't it change if he becomes a knight? Haha

- Even before he suggested it, the hardcore fans are already ahead.

Of course, Emilia didn't directly ask Almond to become a knight, as the viewers speculated.

"......I'm just curious."

She deflected and ended the conversation there.

"How can I become a knight? I'm just a talented mercenary."

"......"

Emilia just smiled faintly without saying anything.

The carriage continued to move, and as they approached their destination, the silence melted away with the sound of hooves.

"We've arrived. Ah, Almond. My father wants to see you."

"......What?"

"He seems to have a good opinion of how you handled this matter."

"......?"

Almond hesitated to respond.

'It's a lie, right?'

Emilia's words were too obvious a lie.

The duke hadn't even heard about Almond's achievements, yet he wanted to see him.

- ???

- What?

- He hasn't even told the duke yet, haha

- Didn't he just report and get in the carriage? Haha

Confused, Almond asked.

"Doesn't the lord know yet?"

Emilia's index finger gently covered Almond's lips.

"?! "

Seeing Almond's flustered expression, Emilia smiled.

"Such things are best overlooked as a matter of courtesy to a lady."

- Wow, man, hahaha

- Did she just make up a story because she wanted to see him again?

- Is she really going to introduce him to her father and make him a knight?

- Unbelievable!

- Holy moly!

- So loving, Emilia!!

What was going on? Was she really going to make him a knight by introducing him to her father?

Almond couldn't respond.

By then, the carriage had already come to a complete stop.

"We've arrived."

Emilia got out of the carriage first, and Almond followed, still dazed.

His gaze lingered on Emilia's flowing blonde hair before turning to the towering castle.

* * *

A castle standing tall on a desolate plain.

The castle that Almond had unintentionally taken over.

It was the castle of the Talorant family.

Until yesterday, this place was under the control of the Talorant family.

But Emilia walked towards the castle gate without hesitation, as if it didn't matter.

There, the fief's people were tidying up the aftermath of last night's raid.

"Excuse me, who are you? Are you from the Talorant family?"

The commoners seemed to think Emilia was from a relative of the Talorant family.

Of course, that was a mistaken assumption.

"No. I am Janneret."

She was the complete opposite.

"......What?"

"Janneret?"

"Unbelievable."

Janneret and Talorant.

The fief's people knew well the relationship between the two families.

They were enemies.

Logically, the fief's people should have opposed her.

But they only swallowed their dry throats, unable to say anything.

There were no Talorant troops to protect them. At least not in this castle.

On the other hand, Emilia had ten fully armed soldiers, two knights, and Almond as her escort.

Two fully armed knights could handle all the fief's people, so no one could stop Emilia's group.

She naturally walked up to where the family crest was hanging and tore it down.

The boar, the symbol of the Talorant family, fluttered and fell.

Over the extinguished flames, the acacia flower, the symbol of the Janneret family, bloomed.

"......Unbelievable."

"Huh......"

The fief's people looked dejected.

But they soon returned to their tasks. To them, the upper class could change, but their lives wouldn't change much.

Besides, wasn't Talorant the worst?

They said Janneret ruled much better.

Of course, all nobles were the same in the end.

They muttered these things to each other and returned to their positions.

"......You have nothing to say?"

Almond asked Emilia.

"What do you mean?"

"A speech or something...... They need to know who to serve from now on, don't they?"

By his standards, when a ruling family changed, it was proper to give a speech to the fief's people and establish order.

But Emilia shook her head with a smile.

"It's fine. The fief's people will adapt quickly."

Emilia looked confident. Almond was a bit puzzled, but soon realized she was right.

* * *

About a week later.

The fief's people had already adapted to the new lord and were even more satisfied.

The fief's people, who were about to be sold into slavery due to debt, were now allowed to pay off their debts through labor and were permitted to own a certain amount of money.

Naturally, the amount of labor increased, and the castle was filled with people working day and night.

This would likely bring much greater benefits to the fief in the long run.

"......Hmm?"

But Sanghyun was puzzled and tilted his head.

"Huh? Three days have passed, and they're still in the castle together?"

- Uh......!!

- King-level dedication......!

- Hahaha

For three days, Almond and Emilia stayed in the Talorant castle.

The viewers were delighted, each imagining what might have happened.

But the game didn't provide any detailed descriptions.

However, Emilia approached Almond, who was looking out the window, took his hand, and said:

"Let's go see my father tomorrow, Almond."

And Almond replied:

"Let's go."

At that moment, the chat window was flooded with reactions.

- ????

- What?

- The tone changed?

A moment later.

Seeing their affectionate gazes, the viewers were convinced.

- Wow! What happened in three days! Hahaha

- Hahaha

- They did it, they did it.

- Almond is a pro, hahaha

- Wow, he already broke through the Emilia route, hahaha

What happened between the three nights.

"Wow. A happy ending."

But it seemed this Kingdom Age world wasn't going to let them off with such a happy ending.

Buuuuuuu......!

A ominous horn sounded from outside.

"......Oh."

Emilia hurriedly looked out the window.

"It's here. A bit sooner than expected."

"Are they the relatives of the Talorant family?"

"Yes. Almond. They'll try to take the castle back."

"I can stop them."

"Please......"

Before Emilia could finish her sentence, the scene changed.

* * *

Whiiiiii......!

On the vast green plain, silver-armored soldiers lined up, numbering in the hundreds at a glance.

Almond's formation was on the far left.

Roman, at the front of the formation, raised his flag and shouted.

"Chargeeeeee!!!"

Thud!

Almond and many other mercenaries stomped their feet and formed ranks.

Roman's veins bulged as he surveyed them.

"For the honorable Lady Janneret who hired us, we will win this war!!!"

A deafening roar.

Thud.

Familiar drumbeats accompanied by a large text floating above Almond.