-When you entrusted me with the nominal position of the battalion commander, I went along with it. It would be somewhat useful when dealing with other military camps, and I do have some confidence in my way with words. But…  

Lieutenant Kim let out a subtle sigh.  

-You are the one who decided to bear the hardships. And you are also the one who has decided to protect those people, but now I’m the one receiving the gratitude. This is too much of a burden for me.  

To that,  

I responded a bit incredulously.  

-It’s not like you’re receiving any bad feedback, they’re just praising you. What’s so burdensome about that?  

-If only they would curse me instead…!  

Lieutenant Kim also seemed to have a clear point about this.  

-It’s burdensome because the praise is for something I didn’t do.  

-Hmm.  

-Since it’s certain that the other military camps have been wiped out, my position may not play as big a role anymore. Maybe it’s time for you to take a more public-facing role? If needed, we could even promote your military rank from a sergeant to a staff sergeant.  

Hmm.  

While he’s not entirely wrong.  

-That’s too much hassle.  

-I, I see.  

Even though we’ve gained a bit of leeway now, the reason I originally delegated that role to Lieutenant Kim was not just about external status.  

‘I also had the selfish intention of reducing my own workload.’  

I’m already busy enough as it is.  

Adding the external commander role on top of that is just too much of a hassle, isn’t it?  

-I also don’t think it’s a good idea to publicize Young-joon as the actual commander.  

I thought it might be a bit irresponsible, but  

Min-jae hyung backed my view.  

-It’s a dangerous world, after all.  

-What does that have to do with this-  

-If there are any hostile forces out there, they will most likely target the commander. Like during the vampire extermination, and the recent goblins we encountered. There’s no need to put the real commander in that risky role.  

In other words, according to Min-jae hyung,  

-Are you saying Kim Lieutenant should become my shadow warrior?  

-Sergeant Min-jae, that sounds like you’re saying I should be the one to die.  

-It’s not quite that extreme. Lieutenant Kim is also an important asset, so if someone has to die, it’s better for it to be you rather than him.  

‘….’  

-All the guild members know that Young-joon is the real boss anyway. You can tell just by checking the guild status. As long as there’s no confusion among the guild members, I don’t see a problem with the positive external evaluations going towards Lieutenant Kim.  

As long as the external evaluation is positive, it doesn’t really matter who the target is.  

-Lieutenant Kim’s job is to manage the image of the battalion as its external commander.  

-Sigh. Alright, I guess that’s something I’m confident in – politics and image management. I’m not sure if I should be thankful for that or not.  

So, it ended up that way, where Lieutenant Kim was still known as the commander to the outsiders.  

Apparently, he often patrols the village and communicates with the people.  

If that had been my job, it would have been terribly annoying.  

‘I’m so glad I passed that on to Lieutenant Kim.’  

Anyway, the plan to rebuild a human settlement near our camp seems to be progressing very smoothly.  

However, there are always side effects to these kinds of things.  

“Ugh, urgh…!”  

“Don’t move, you bastard.”  

I went to the place where Min-jae hyung had called me.  

A man was pinned to the ground, his face pressed against the floor by a soldier.  

“What’s going on now?”  

“Oh, Young-joon, you are here.”  

“Soldiers! This is a misunderstanding!”  

Misunderstanding or not,  

I don’t understand the situation at all.  

I looked at Min-jae hyung.  

“This man is suspected to be a plunderer.”  

“What?”  

“One of the recently joined survivors came and told us privately. This man looks just like the plunderer who had attacked them.”  

“But I’m telling you, I’m innocent!”  

“That’s why we approached him to properly investigate, but he tried to attack our soldiers and run away. And still claim it’s a misunderstanding?”  

Hmm.  

I roughly get the situation now.  

“You all, return to your duties for now.”  

“Huh? Is that okay?”  

“Yeah, Min-jae hyung and I will handle this one, so don’t worry about it.”  

“Hmm… If it’s Shin Sergeant, I don’t think any dangerous situation will arise. Understood.”  

I dismissed the soldiers except for Min-jae hyung.  

“Sir, please come with us.”  

“Uh, where are you taking me?”  

“If you’re truly innocent, there won’t be any problem. Don’t worry.”  

I took the man to a secluded area.  

It was just Min-jae hyung and me around.  

There’s evidence that this man is a former plunderer but he’s claiming to be innocent.  

So, what to do?  

There’s an easy way to find out.  

“Alright, open up~”  

“Ugh.”  

After forcibly opening his mouth,  

I popped open a piece of candy that I always carry around.  

[The Honest Emotions Candy prepared by an Intermediate Chef]  

“Okay, let’s have an honest talk. Why did you come to our camp?”  

“Rec-recently, I started hearing some bad rumors…”  

The effect was immediate.  

The man quickly became more honest than anyone else in the world.  

But,  

“What kind of rumors?”  

“It seems there are people who specialize in hunting down plunderers…”  

Specialized plunderer hunters, huh.  

…Hmm.  

I have a bit of an idea.  

‘So, the rumors have already started spreading this much.’  

In this world where it’s hard to even go outside, rumors seem to spread remarkably fast.  

“Those hunters are apparently incredibly powerful. Even groups that have built up some strengths are disappearing without a trace…”  

“Hmm. So?”  

“I was already struggling with power struggles within my own group. It was obvious what would happen – either get hunted down by those rumored hunters and die or get kicked out of the group and starve to death on the streets. In the midst of that, I obtained information about this place.”  

Amidst all this he casually admitted of him being a plunderer.  

“Those guys seem like some real pushovers, offering almost free protection. From my position, I couldn’t find a reason to stay away from here.”  

“Wow, so after arriving in this village, you meant to suddenly turn over a new leaf and live righteously?”  

If that was the case,  

I might have given him one chance.  

“What, are you crazy? Turn over a new leaf? As if.”  

Unfortunately, it seems like he hasn’t turned to a new leaf yet.  

The next words that came out of his mouth were even more absurd.  

“Where there are people, there is not just brightness. As the light grows stronger, the darkness also grows… Since this society is still in its early stages, if I can quickly infiltrate and blend in, I can seize control of that darkness.”  

“…Ah, so that’s what you were thinking.”  

“Heheh. As long as I can evade the soldiers’ gazes, it won’t be difficult to quietly build up my power.”  

“Well, even if you manage to gain that power, what’s next?”  

“First, I must take revenge on those who tried to drive me out. But that’s not the end of it. As society crumbles and time passes, a new society will emerge from the ashes. And I will become the lord of the underworld in that new society.”  

Some grandiose dreams he had there.  

Well, I feel like I’ve heard enough at this point.  

“Is that so?”  

“Hmm, I had a feeling it would turn out this way.”  

Min-jae hyung, furrowed his brows and rubbed the space between them, as if getting a headache.  

I glanced back at the man, just in case.  

[Ingredient Identification (Enhanced)]  

[Novice Thug Lv. 9]  

It seems this man, despite his appearance, is an awakened individual.  

His level was around 9, which was pretty decent, but he didn’t seem to have any particularly useful skills or traits.  

“It’s good to build a society, but how many more of these kinds of people will come in… It’s giving me a headache.”  

“Well, some side effects were to be expected.”  

“As for disposing of this fellow…”  

“Ah, I’ll take care of that.”  

Min-jae paused for a moment when he heard that.  

“Is it the ‘disposal’ I’m thinking of?”  

“Probably.”  

“…Sigh. Well, that would be the most beneficial.”  

Seeming uneasy but resigned, Min-jae hyung nodded.  

“Let’s get to work. Come out.”  

As I tapped the floor, a voice answered,  

“Yes, master.”  

Something emerged from the shadows.  

“Wh-what is that?!”  

The self-proclaimed future lord of the underworld seemed quite shocked by the sight.  

For someone aiming to rule the underworld, he didn’t seem to have that much nerve.  

“My beloved master, have you summoned me again to bestow your grace?”  

“Dinner time is still a bit off.”  

“Ah, yes.”  

One of the abilities possessed only by noble vampires –  

[Shadow Veil] – the skill to create their own space within the shadows.  

At night, she hunts for prey, and during the day, when it’s difficult to move around, she returns to my shadow to rest and serve as my guard.  

Her subordinates have also officially joined my party, so they were essentially sleeping in there during the day.  

“From the start, you must have been listening to our conversation, haven’t you, this man.”  

“Ah, yes. He is nothing more than a mere insect.”  

She looked at the man with a contemptuous expression, as if truly seeing him as an insignificant bug.  

“I didn’t even notice such a trivial existence.”  

After becoming my vassal there were times when she would show her original shelf.  

The one that sees humans as nothing more than livestock to feed upon and would act arrogantly, showing her royal pride.  

But then,  

“I told you to speak politely.”  

“I-I’m sorry!”  

As a [Vassal] recognized by the system, no matter her original personality, she absolutely obeys my commands.  

“This fellow has an okay level, but as a human, he’s trash.”  

“Hmm, he might be suitable for recycling.”  

“Take him away.”  

“As you wish, master.”  

Since I’ve lost quite a few vassals in recent battles, he would be a suitable replacement.  

“…To spare your companion’s eyes from an unpleasant sight, I shall take this man elsewhere.”  

In the meantime, Min-jae hyung was watching her with a cautious gaze.  

Unlike the man who will soon become my vassal, Min-jae hyung was my companion.  

Seeming to sense this, she moved the man to a secluded location to turn him into a vassal.  

“…Young-joon.”  

Min-jae hyung spoke, with a slightly uneasy tone.  

“For now, I respect your choice. Based on my experience, you have always made the right choices.”  

“Your sudden praise makes me worry about what’s coming next.”  

“But…”  

Min-jae hyung sighed softly.  

“I do have some doubts about whether making that woman your subordinate was truly the right choice.”