Chapter 108: World Boss Raid (5)

Count Schmidt, who had been presiding over the meeting regarding cooperation between players in the [Dimensional Battlefield] under the emperor’s direct orders, frowned.

Players from the new server, led by a small girl, were entering the room.

According to prior investigations, they had rallied around a guild called ‘Nokjukdan,’ with the girl as their central figure.

‘How could such weak, cowardly vermin, hiding behind a little brat, gain any power?’

It displeased him greatly.

Since childhood, he had tirelessly swung his sword, reaching the level of a knight through relentless effort, while these wretches merely played the game, Rudera, to achieve similar results with no effort.

It was something that should never happen.

The world was going in the wrong direction.

This was all because the GM of Rudera had fallen asleep, leaving his deputy to run things in his place.

He needed to ascend the tower quickly, wake the GM, and set the world back on the right track.

The atmosphere among the players surrounding the newcomers from the new server grew increasingly hostile.

It was because each of them harbored anger toward those newcomers.

As the one who had promised to act on their behalf, I rose from my seat to face them.

“Well, well, who do we have here? Isn’t this the new server’s rookies?”

I extended my hand to the girl who stood before them, my voice filled with mockery.

Her shoulders were squared, and her short legs tried to hold a posture of dignity.

She wasn’t a child who should be standing on such a dangerous battlefield.

How could these supposed men hide behind such a small, cute child, using her as a shield?

And yet, they called themselves men?

Vermin who didn’t even deserve to be here.

I intended to insult them and chase them out, representing all the players gathered in this place.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Dua,” the girl said.

But…

The moment she took my hand, all those thoughts vanished from my mind, as if they had never existed.

Could such a small, round, and adorable creature exist?

Who could possibly harm this child?

No matter how corrupt, no matter how evil a demon or mad a monster might be, if they saw this girl, they would surely surrender.

This girl was… more than anything in this world…

“…Cute.”

Oops!

I quickly covered my mouth with my hand, startled.

What had I just said?

It felt like I had been hit by some sort of mind magic.

I glanced around quickly.

The players were all murmuring in surprise, as if they had heard what I had muttered.

“Well, nice to meet you… I am Count Schmidt…”

Awkwardly, I greeted her with a handshake.

I had fully intended to humiliate her to her face, but if I were to throw her hand aside now and shout, ‘How dare a lowly child from the new server sit at this table?!’ it might reverse the situation, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

‘S-she’s… cute.’

This bright-eyed, fluffy child was completely different from my troublesome daughter who caused me grief every day.

The idea of humiliating such a child…

I would rather defy the emperor’s orders than do such a thing.

‘What’s going on? Why isn’t the guild leader saying anything?’

‘This isn’t how it was supposed to go.’

As I silently accepted the players from the new server, murmurs spread among the others.

I was making the worst decision.

But there was no other choice.

I would make the same choice again, even if I went back.

Dua is always cute.

There’s no way anyone could be cuter than my Dua.

I thought I might have been a bit biased because I’m her father, but…

“A small child like this joining the battlefield? She’ll only be a burden!”

“What nonsense! These players chose her as their guild leader! On the battlefield, skill matters more than age! Are you trying to diminish the sanctity of this battlefield because of her age?”

‘Was Dua always this cute?’

Before I knew it, Count Schmidt, once the emperor’s most trusted confidant and the empire’s top-ranked player, had become Dua’s devoted knight.

“But, Count! That so-called skill is only recognized by those vermin from the new server. How can we trust that?!”

“Silence! Can you not see the sacred aura radiating from her skill pouch?!”

“Hrm…”

Dua took a big bite of the refreshments prepared for the meeting.

Count Schmidt, passionately defending her, pointed to her puffy cheeks.

‘She just has food in her cheeks…’

“How can such a being exist… No, this too must be the GM’s blessing.”

Even Rebecca, who usually showed no emotion, seemed unable to contain her feelings upon seeing Dua.

Throughout the meeting, Count Schmidt, as if under a hypnotic spell, continuously defended Dua.

No one dared to oppose her, not even someone of Count Schmidt’s stature.

“C-cute.”

“Look at those squishy cheeks! I just want to touch them.”

As the meeting progressed, more players fell under Dua’s spell of cuteness.

“Yummy…”

Even though Dua was just sitting there, enjoying snacks, the players were enthralled.

Was this why Dua was able to establish and lead a guild?

Indeed, my Dua was divine.

She was so small and precious, but she filled me with pride.

I even began to wonder if she was using some kind of psychic ability on me.

“Dua… Huf, huff…”

Some of the players looked a bit dangerous, but still.

‘I should have a guide keep an eye on those guys.’

“And that is my proposal.”

As more players fell for Dua’s charm, Count Schmidt stepped into the center of the meeting room.

“Why not have all the players from the new server join the alliance?”

Bang!

“Are you out of your mind?!”

“You’ve been bewitched by that witch!”

Several players, unable to contain their anger, shot to their feet the moment he made his proposal.

“…Witch?”

Count Schmidt’s eyebrow twitched.

“To accept those lowly vermin! You’ve surely gone mad!”

“Who would ever allow this?!”

Although many players had been swayed by Dua’s charm, others still harbored resentment, feeling discriminated against by the new server’s advantages.

‘I’ll have to remember that one. How dare he call Dua a witch.’

“Are you calling this girl a witch?”

I added that player to my mental hit list and looked up to see Count Schmidt’s body radiating with burning aura.

“What’s wrong with you, Count Schmidt! Get a grip!”

Just as some players were about to clash with Count Schmidt—

“Hweh?”

Dua, who had been dozing off while snacking, suddenly opened her eyes wide at the loud noise.

“…Hmph. This won’t do. That’s enough.”

A player, who looked like an elf, stood up from his seat.

“How can anyone call such an adorable child a witch? I’ve heard that humans cherish their young… Was I mistaken?”

I scanned his status window and saw that he held quite a high position, even among the elves.

“I, Dalk, a High Elf, swear upon my name that I sense no corruption from this child. In fact, what I feel is a purity so profound, it’s hard to believe she’s human.”

“T-The Elf Regulator himself vouches for her…!”

“That much?! Just who is this child…?”

The Elf Regulator? 

He was one of the two commanders elected by the Elf Council, effectively holding the reins of military power.

One of those two had stepped forward to defend Dua.

“Hmph, so that slippery elf is personally intervening… Very well, the dwarves also give their support.”

“What?!”

The leader of the dwarves, who had been silently observing the meeting, also sided with Dua.

“He may be insufferable, but his eyes are sharp. If that guy thinks she’ll be useful in the upcoming battle, we dwarves agree. Those pointy-eared fools rarely make mistakes in this regard.”

With the two largest guild leaders of the gathered races declaring their opinions, the atmosphere in the room shifted.

“Well, this is getting interesting. We’re on board too,” said another.

“Even the Republic’s Executor…!”

Executor Lena had also joined their ranks.

As more and more players declared their support for the new server players joining the alliance, those who had opposed began to pale.

“Then we shall put it to a vote. We had previously agreed that major decisions of the alliance would be decided by vote.”

Count Schmidt, checking the mood around him, smiled confidently, certain of his victory.

The result was overwhelming.

“It’s decided. The proposal to allow the new server players to join the alliance has passed.”

Bang, bang, bang!

Count Schmidt declared, officially ending the meeting.

All players from the new server, including Dua, were now permitted to join the alliance. 

However, there was no unified command for the entire alliance; instead, each group was free to act independently.

Even though Dua’s cuteness had made the meeting go smoothly, gathering such a diverse group of players under a single command was impossible.

It wasn’t even a proper raid yet, just the first World Boss raid, where they would all swarm the boss and hit it until it fell.

Sure, the sheer number of players would probably cause chaos, but that was expected.

“Congratulations, Guild Leader Dua.”

“Thank you!”

“I’m looking forward to seeing you on the battlefield.”

“Thank you!”

Players, already captivated by Dua, swarmed around her, shaking her hand and then leaving.

“I’ll never wash this hand again! So squishy!”

“Buhihit! Such a nice smell… Buh!”

Many of them acted as if they had fallen under some hypnotic spell, completely devoted to Dua.

Of course, my Dua’s charm was incredible, but these were the continent’s leaders… Was this okay for the future of the continent?

Even the players who had opposed Dua’s inclusion earlier were now blushing as they shook her hand.

This… This was getting intense.

At this rate, if we held another meeting and Dua simply asked to take command of the entire army, she’d probably get the majority vote.

“Guild Leader Dua.”

“…Oh? Ah! The one who helped earlier!”

The Elf Regulator, who had turned the tide of opinion in Dua’s favor, approached her.

“I have something to say to you, Guild Leader. May I borrow you for a moment?”

He smoothly invited Dua to the elf’s camp.

I didn’t like this.

A High Elf, whose beauty surpassed that of many human women, was inviting my Dua to his camp?

There was no doubt in my mind that he harbored impure intentions.

As I followed Rebecca out of the meeting hall, I summoned the GM’s observation tool, [Observer], to keep an eye on Dua.

The elf led Dua deep into a secluded tent.

Suspicious!

How dare he take my Dua!

I stood ready to descend upon that tent the moment he tried anything strange.

It was a tense moment.

I anxiously watched, wondering if something strange might happen to my precious daughter.

Thud.

‘…?’

The elf knelt before Dua.

“I greet the great savior.”

…What?