I Became the Guild Leader in Exile

109 – 7# A Brief Happiness (1)

But unfortunately, he couldn’t take a break.

After the war with the law country, he had to immediately start dealing with the aftermath. He had to reform the system of the law country, which had relied on the gods, including Odin.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a story that could be resolved in 1-2 years. It would take a very long time for them to regain their freedom. But if he gave up now…

It would be too cruel. The law country began to prepare slowly with Gideon’s help. The person leading the reform of the law country was the White Knight, Tir.

Tir was also the strongest of the remaining powers. Above all, he was the one who had felt something was wrong when Odin went berserk.

“Are you really leaving it to us?”

Tir couldn’t believe it. Now that they had won the war, wouldn’t they be subject to harsh interference? But Gideon’s Isaac didn’t seem to care.

Why was that? Were they planning to start a rebellion again? Wouldn’t that be a loss? What was the point of going to war in the first place?

Originally, wars were fought for the interests of the powerful. In other words, the powerful would sacrifice innocent people to gain benefits. But what about now?

Had Gideon gained anything?

No, not at all.

On the contrary, they had suffered losses while pretending to help.

The national support and resources were beyond imagination. Yet Isaac had chosen to help the law country. Tir couldn’t understand that.

“Whether it’s the law country or Gideon, isn’t it all about people living?”

Isaac’s single phrase silenced Tir’s doubts. To survive, to live, and to survive against the end. Now was not the time to fight each other.

There was a common enemy right in front of them. It was foolish to fight each other while ignoring that. Isaac knew that fact well.

Isaac, himself, couldn’t confidently guarantee victory in the face of Armageddon’s power. Although his current winning rate was around 50%, it wasn’t excessively low.

However, it wasn’t a sufficiently high probability either. If they were to lose, the world would truly come to an end. Yet, Isaac didn’t think of leaving everything to Zeke, the protagonist.

“We can do it. It’s a fight worth fighting.”

Thanks to Isaac’s efforts, the situation was much better than in the original story. In the original, the kingdom had already been destroyed, and Loki’s children had all fallen to Armageddon.

Moreover, Zeke’s remaining power at the final battle was also lacking compared to Isaac’s current reserves. Considering that, it would be a fight worth fighting.

The only variable was the current situation, which was unfolding differently from the original story. The prophecy of Armageddon was arriving five years earlier than in the original.

“So, did Zeus intervene to prevent further power consumption?”

As expected, the gods were indeed gods. They possessed insight and wisdom. Isaac had preserved the kingdom’s power and was working to strengthen it further.

Although they had once clashed with each other, they were now allies facing a common enemy. And that sentiment was conveyed to Tier.

“Is this truly the capacity of Isaac Silvertear, the man?”

Tier realized that he couldn’t win against Isaac. He had already lost in terms of power, and even his capacity was inferior. His own appearance was too embarrassing.

The image of Isaac, who refused to yield to evil and maintained his sense of justice, was truly heroic.

On the other hand, Tier knew that his own actions were wrong. He had chosen to surrender, never once raising his voice.

“Later, when we’ve safely overcome the prophecy…”

“Hmm?”

“I want to meet Penrir and apologize.”

That was Tier’s genuine, unadorned sentiment. He knew his mistakes, and therefore, he wanted to meet Penrir and apologize.

However, it couldn’t be done now. He didn’t have the courage to face Penrir now. So, at least, they should overcome the prophecy together, and then apologize.

With everyone’s combined strength, they would overcome the prophecy.

Tier wanted to tell Penrir:

“You’re not the monster from the prophecy.”

Isaac was secretly anxious, but…

* * *

Isaac was anxious due to Tier’s sudden death flag, but fortunately, the normalization of the kingdom progressed smoothly. Of course, not much had changed in the short span of a month, but the leadership had changed.

With a change in leadership, many things would gradually change. The winds of change were ongoing, but not everyone welcomed them.

Especially the hardliners in the kingdom, including the holy knights and some of the strongest paladins, strongly advocated for a return to the previous system.

It wasn’t just empty chatter either. Many of the kingdom’s citizens, who were accustomed to the previous system, also sided with them. Isaac let out a sigh.

“This might lead to a bloody incident.”

Those who couldn’t accept the change in the system were bound to exist. And in the worst-case scenario, it could escalate into a civil war. At least, they had to prevent that.

The kingdom was already reeling from the devastating war and had been abandoned by its allied nations, who were even demanding compensation.

“You didn’t protect us, so return the money you received!”

It was an absurd claim, of course. The allied nations had chosen to form an alliance with the kingdom, and even now, the kingdom was protecting them from the demon king’s grasp.

However, it was difficult to ignore the demands of the nations, given the relationships involved. If Odin were still active, he would have handled it himself… but…

Currently, Odin was restricted by the gods, including Zeus, making it difficult for him to intervene. And if other gods were to step in, it would likely be noticeable.

“Master, what will happen to the kingdom from now on?”

“It’s in their hands now.”

From here on, it was too dangerous for Isaac to do anything. If he made a mistake, it could become a pretext for the hardliners or lead to internal interference, sparking a civil war.

Fortunately, not everyone agreed with the hardliners. In particular, more than half of the paladins unexpectedly sided with Tier, who was part of the moderate faction.

This was evidence that not everyone acknowledged Odin’s solo performance. No, rather, most people felt that it was a mistake.

“This is enough. There’s nothing more we can do.”

“Are we finally going back?!”

“Of course.”

Isaac and Steel’s shield had spent a month in the country, stabilizing it. The Creta Guild and Amazoness had also promised to station themselves with Isaac.

However, Isaac had rejected that proposal. The reason was that unnecessarily stationing troops might be perceived as a threat. But that was finally over today.

“Wow, it’s finally over!”

“Are you that happy?”

“Yes! I can finally go on a date with Master!”

“…….”

A date.

Come to think of it, such a thing existed. Isaac’s expression suddenly turned awkward. Of course, Isaac didn’t think lightly of Zieg. That wasn’t it.

It’s just that things were too busy.

So, he had forgotten about it.

“……Master?”

“!!”

The smile on Zieg’s face, which had been full of joy, suddenly darkened. Zieg’s eyes, which had been clouded with shadows, turned towards Isaac. Those eyes were like a corpse’s.

“You didn’t forget, did you……?”

“There’s no way that could happen.”

Meanwhile, Isaac was able to maintain a poker face because he felt like he would die if he didn’t. Zieg then burst into laughter.

“That’s right? Master wouldn’t forget a promise, would you?!”

“…….”

Zieg laughed, saying he knew that would be the case, but Isaac couldn’t do the same. No matter how busy he was, he had forgotten a promise with his precious family.

Originally, it would be right to speak honestly and apologize, but when Isaac thought of Zieg’s expression earlier, he didn’t have the courage to do so. Then, what could he do?

“Zieg, are you free today?”

“Yes? I don’t have any plans, so I’m free.”

“Then, let’s take a walk around the city together today.”

“What, is this……?!”

“Yeah, it’s separate from the date in Gridon.”

When Zieg heard the phrase “separate from the date in Gridon,” he literally jumped for joy. Seeing that, Isaac felt even more guilty.

He soon calmed himself down.

It’s just that he needed to treat Zieg better.