Kingdom: The Black Moon Assassin

The journey took about three days to start, and it was extremely boring for Jun, who had been moving all over the south to eliminate as many bandits as possible.

Things would have been smoother if Kyou Kai had been more typical, but she seemed constantly concerned about whether they were taking the exact route. Jun had intel that the village she was looking for was somewhere between Zhao and Wei, meaning it would take a long time to find it.

The good thing about all of this was that they could build an army as time passed, one willing to fight for the highest bidder.

During that time, Jun devised plans to increase his personal strength—a massive army that would only join the battlefield to ensure victory when it mattered most.

He would have to seize the right moment to forcefully conquer an entire kingdom. Wei seemed the best option, but Zhao could become a problem if they decided to stake a claim to the territory.

But these were passing concerns. What Jun really wanted to know was what the King's plans were—the King who only sat around receiving reports from his followers.

Truth be told, Jun liked kings who fought their own battles without fearing death. Only then could he stop underestimating the crown and its decisions.

But those things wouldn't happen, at least not in these times.

Kyou Kai enjoyed the food Jun had been preparing for a long time, meals inspired by more modern recipes.

...

At a camp, Jun was watching over the cart they were using to carry food, clothes, and areas where they could rest without having to set up tents every night.

After finishing cutting the meat, Jun returned to camp, but not before cleaning the blood from his body from the rabbits he had hunted.

Kyou Kai was sitting under a tree with Mandarins, passing the time as she knew how, lost in her thoughts.

"You smell like blood..."

Jun approached Kyou Kai and said, "I went to get enough food for the journey. By the way, will you follow my orders on this trip?"

Kyou Kai looked at Jun and said, "We won't get involved in unnecessary, pointless matters that will only bring us trouble. You might want to be a hero, but sometimes people need to face things they can handle themselves."

When it came to people, Jun understood this well. Nobles who weren't warriors were usually despised in his eyes for not having their priorities straight, sitting in luxury while their people were massacred by demons.

It's true that not everyone deserves this fate. That's why Jun had developed a plan to create a unique army, one interconnected between cities that raised their banners.

Jun wasn't seeking the benefit of others but of those who had lived through war and deserved some peace. This would give his actions meaning.

"If we're going to do this, we have to do it right. My plan now is to slowly work our way through the towns of Wei, helping the inhabitants just as I did before while gathering valuable information."

This was Jun's plan—to establish footholds, winning the people's favor by helping them with their problems.

Manipulation or not, this was the way they could move through Wei to Zhao, ensuring they wouldn't be attacked.

"Are you going to form a group of mercenaries?"

"Yes, that means we'll fight for the people who pay us. We won't get involved in wars of conquest, but in eliminations. We'll only kill bad people according to common morality."

"That sounds good, but we'll attract a lot of attention."

"Which is why we'll conquer some nearby cities during our activities." Jun had everything planned; they just had to trust him.

"Then let's go as soon as we finish eating."

"That's what I'm talking about."