Summary:
After cowardly fleeing the orc abduction and trapping more of your people, the wounded soldiers no longer see you as fit to rule. They no longer trust you, and their loyalty is decreasing. Prove them wrong.
Loyalty Progress: 25%
Trust Progress: 5%
Horus remained quiet for a while after seeing the sudden system interface.
"Fuck," was all he could say.
Because indeed, he was fucked.
---
When Horus finally stepped out of the cave, he saw several wounded soldiers, some sitting beside their tents.
He also saw several healers; as they used their magic, a healing plus sign floated above the wounds.
Horus wouldn't call himself a gamer, but he knew something like that belonged in games.
Many of the soldiers were already leaving. Horus had already seen the reckless decision the fool made, so he couldn't blame them.
However, if he didn't stop them, he would face the consequences.
"Wait," he said—something he'd never say in his past life.
As a Mafia boss, Horus would have demanded the heads of these deserters, but his death had made him realize he was wrong.
A real leader shouldn't force respect or rule with an iron fist; what he did had made his own men turn against him...
Needless to say, they had been harboring hatred toward him for a long time.
Something he failed to notice—something the opposer used against him—it cost him his life and that of his brother.
Horus sighed.
He was about to say something, but as he stared at them, he froze when a system interface appeared before him.
---
-[Alert: Your troops' loyalty is decreasing]
Troop level: 35
Knights LV 40: 150/1,000 (System notification: twenty-five were captured)
Knights' loyalty: 15% (0% equals rebellion)
Mages LV 25: 50/100
Loyalty: 4%
Archers LV 30: 40/999
Loyalty: 6%
Upgrade Points: 0 (you have used your bonus upgrade point)
-[OPTIONS]-
-Shop (buy armor, battle plans, elixirs, and other battle items)
-Inventory (buy blueprints)
-Achievement (once an achievement is obtained, you can claim upgrade points)
---
"Is this thing even real? Did I somehow enter a kingdom-building game?" Horus imagined the possibilities.
-[Loyalty: 23%]
Then his attention was once again drawn back to the current situation.
"I guess my leadership has been a mess lately," he said.
The camp was small, at most a hundred meters across, so everyone could hear him clearly.
"Allow me to correct my past mistakes. Let me step up and become the ruler you once looked up to. Let me earn your loyalty and respect once more." Horus raised his head.
"From this day forward," his voice echoed with conviction, "I shall no longer be the same foolish emperor. Let me avenge our fallen comrades. I will return with our people. Give me one last chance to restore our honor, our pride." For the final words, his voice thundered,
"And our Empire!!"
Who would have thought it would only take a few words for the knights to start roaring and for the loyalty progress to rise exponentially?
-[Loyalty: 34%]
-[Loyalty: 56%]
Horus closed his eyes and thought—if only he had led his gang this way in his past life.
As he thought about the sight of his brother's severed head, he felt a familiar warm touch on his shoulder.
It was Lady Vi; a warm, proud smile was visible on her face.
"Are you sure going alone is the right decision?" she asked.
For some reason, everyone was staring at him, waiting for his reply.
He knew the only way to fully gain their trust was to complete this quest alone. "Yes," he said.
The soldiers, already wounded and tired, could hardly believe what they were witnessing. Horus wasn't just the most foolish emperor; he was also a weakling.
Which was why, before his father passed away, he had ensured Horus had three godlike fiancées.
Whispers began to spread through the camp; doubt and worry could be felt from every corner.
"Oh no, the emperor is going to die."
"He can't even kill an infant goblin."
"Well, at least we'd get a new king. Let him go alone and die; he's useless anyway."
Horus was well aware of the whispers. He had been ruthless in his past life, but he was anything but a coward—that trait was far from him.
"Let me come with you, please," Vi begged.
Horus sighed; never would he have imagined a woman in a gunfight, but he clearly wasn't taking any of his men with him.
On top of that, this was Vi's world; it's not as if there was a taxi that would take him directly to the orc hideout.
"Okay." That was why he agreed—otherwise, he would have surely gotten lost.
---
Soon after, Horus and Vi left the camp on horseback. The road ahead was long and forested.
Horus, however, kept himself busy admiring Vi's body. With her knight's plate removed, she would be called a goddess in his world.
"My liege, who is your favorite among your wives?" she asked. "Is it me?"
Horus blinked several times.
"You did mention having sex with me after your hunt."
"What?" Horus paused. "I mean, yes, I did say that."
Silence. As she stared at her palm, she recalled the strange feeling from when Horus had touched her earlier.
"My liege, what did you do to me back in the cave? I felt my strength grow enormously. Have you obtained the holy touch?"
Horus clicked his tongue. From talking about sex to this—what a drastic shift in topic.
But before he could explain what had happened, the horse neighed and came to a halt.
From the top of the trees, two demonic monsters jumped down with ferocious force that not only shook the ground but cracked it.
Horus managed to keep his horse steady; otherwise, he would have been thrown to the ground.
"Who dares trespass?" For the first time, Horus saw a talking creature bigger than two men combined. They were green monsters with long black hair and pointed ears; their eyes glowed red.
The barbaric orcs.
"Relax, I've only come to meet your leader," Horus said.
The orc growled, then gestured for them to follow him into the cave ahead.
"How exactly are you planning on defeating Volka?" Lady Vi whispered, as it now seemed they had been captured as well.
"Negotiation," Horus said with a smile.
"What?" Vi's heart skipped a beat. Clearly, the emperor must have forgotten one crucial detail about Volka. "He doesn't bargain—he'll kill you," she added, but Horus' reply left her speechless.
"I know."
"No side talks", the orc growled.