Level 0 Master

The day after Sungjin encountered the silver-haired lady, Sir Liberte Todam, a self-appointed historian, worked on two manuscripts on his desk at the same time.

Both had the same title The History of the Kingdom of Sevrantina, but the texts were very different from one another.

[The Demidevil of Another World, the Arriving Darkness]

[The New King of Another World, the New Light]

And the stories following each title were also very different.

[Sungjin, the demidevil from another world, took away the lands using his evil and sly tactics, and the heroes who had been given powers from god found their natural rights robbed and voided.]

[Sungjin, the new king from another world overcame the divine punishment of being level 0 and saved the kingdom with his revolutionary tactics and pure martial art skills, using such powers as the foundation to save other level 0 extras.]

It was a double standard evaluation of one person, but Sir Todam was happy with what he had written.

"Hm, hm. Good. Very good. This is it."

He was satisfied with his work and kept on writing.

[His tyranny didn't stop when he took away land from the heroes; he also prevented them from using extras for labor or collecting tax. The temptress Ereka took over Sungjin's tyrannical rule while Sungjin overpowered the heroes, forcing them to live in despair. But the darkness couldn't last forever, for there was a hope growing without anyone knowing.]

[He protected the extras by preventing the heroes from stealing them and enslaving them. He reduced the tax rate by half, while also using those taxes to build charity hospitals, like a real Merciful Rulership should. The great Queen Ereka supported him as a lover and a partner. His unconventional rulership caused the resistance of the privileged, but the new era had already started.]

He closed his books after finishing both manuscripts.

"Good. Now I need to keep them safe until I decide on which one I will publish."

At this time, it was clear that Sungjin owned the Kingdom of Sevrantina. But no one knew if he could keep it or if it would fall.

In a time like this, I need to be prepared.

He would publish the book that suited the trend when the clear winner came out.

"Sir Todam, isn't it a bit inefficient to write your manuscript while knowing the other half will become useless?" standing next to him, Mr. Gunan asked him carefully. "Maybe it is better to start writing when you know what happened."

"What are you talking about! With that attitude, you can't publish a good book at the right time. You have to be ready to throw two away in order to publish one book just so that it is revised and edited thoroughly. Which means you need to start editing today."

"But, wouldn't it be better to start editing when you know which one..."

"If you start editing then, it will be too late! Start today!"

"Do I really have to?"

"When you are done, I will prepare a plan for the next volume for both cases, so let's discuss it right after."

"Wh… What do you mean by… Both cases…?"

"Ugh. Listen. Everything looks different from a different point of view. What Sungjin is doing is no different. We don't know which one will become mainstream yet, so we need to prepare both cases to make a best seller. So do it."

Sungjin was a tyrant from the privileged heroes' point of view but a savior from the extras' point of view. The heroes who used to abuse the extras to achieve their luxurious lifestyles now suffered from their luxury being taken away.

On the other hand, the extras who used to starve and die once sick were happy for the new world where they could live a better life.

Sir Todam looked at the hospital out of his window. There was an old woman and a child with her who were showing gratitude by bowing to the hospital staff. The hospital staff was shaking her hand.

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

"No, it is thanks to the princess… The queen who built this hospital."

Nania, who had once been captive as the Blood Ruler's Sacrifice, and had returned to the hospital upon freedom, smiled brightly.

She was able to return because Sungjin saved Her Majesty. The sick could escape illnesses.

"Other than that, Grandma, you can't skip a day when you give this medicine to your daughter. When it starts to run out, come and take more, okay? If you don't, the situation might turn dangerous."

"Yes. I got it. I'll remember."

"I'll take care, big sister!" The child replied confidently.

Sir Todam closed his window.

That was either a beautiful scene or a waste of money.

The point of view depended on if Sungjin would become a final winner or a one-time-wonder. He planned to publish his book faster than anyone else once the results came to be.

"So start editing, okay?"

"....Okay."

Mr. Gunan wanted to punch him in the face, only if he weren't a noble. His level was the only thing that stopped him from punching Todam.

At the same time, Sungjin and Ereka were discussing the matter of either "tyranny" or the "wise rulership", as described by Sir Todam.

"Sungjin. This is the complete report on the new hospital's construction that I told you about."

Ereka reported to him with a map.

"These blue circles are the local hospitals where the extras in the region can go when needed. One healer and a sub healer in general, but we have more staff in the areas with a denser population."

Then she pointed to a dozen green circles scattered on the map.

"These green points are bigger hospitals for patients who can't be treated at the small ones. They have more experienced healers and have beds for patients who must remain under observation."

"It's very well organized."

"As for the last, these two red circles in the North and the South are the grand hospitals with Heroic Power healers. To build them, it took 832 billion dilents, and the annual operational cost is estimated to be 150 to 200 dilents."

"Great. This system which takes care of even the poor sounds amazing." Sungjin praised honestly.

In the country where he used to live on earth, they had a system of medical insurance, but the system had a lot of holes. Many diseases were excluded from government's support. Ereka's system was better organized to help people in need.

If she lived in a country like this, my mom would have lived longer. Maybe.

He couldn't change what happened in the past, but he could change this world. Sungjin was immersing himself in such emotions when Ereka's face turned darker.

"But I still have a concern."

"What is it?"

"Since it's 100% free, I've received reports that people with light issues who can be healed naturally or people with fake illness go and make the real patients who need medical help wait for a long time."

"Ahah. That's why communism has broken down."

"Huh? What-ism?"

Ereka blinked like a rabbit checking out a new object. She was so cute, it made Sungjin smile.

"Ah, Sorry. It's a word from earth. Don't worry about it. Let's solve the problem this way. When someone goes to the hospital for the first time, charge them an affordable fee. If they can't afford it, they can work temporarily at the hospital instead. Those patients who have grave illness can be the exceptions."

Even if it was something small, if it wasn't free, people would think twice before doing it. The fee had to be there so that the actual patients could get their turn.

Ereka smiled at that idea.

"That sounds like a good idea. You are brilliant, Sungjin."

"No, you are working on all the details. I'm just helping you with the big picture."

"You are too modest. I didn't do much."

"No, I really think you are doing great."

Sungjin meant it.

He didn't want to be abused or watch others being abused. He didn't want that nasty feeling again. That was the truth. But what he wanted was not what he could actually do. He couldn't take care of all the state affairs in detail, and he had to work on military tactics for the upcoming battles with other countries. That took most of his time.

Without Ereka, he wouldn't have been able to complete the state affairs. Ereka took care of the complicated part of the work, whereas he had to set up the budget, manage the officials, build the hospitals, set up tax rates and establish the legal system so that he could concentrate on the tactics for the battle.

"It's all thanks to you. If I did it myself, it would have taken me ages to understand the situation of each region."

He was just a high school student without any governing experience, while Ereka was a ruler of a kingdom.

"I'm flattered. I can do what I am doing thanks to your protection and help."

"That's not true. Internal affairs are the base of a country more so than foreign affairs. Thanks to you, I am able to concentrate on the upcoming battles. I'm the one who has to thank you for not letting me worry about the war." Ereka blushed, smiling as she praised their teamwork.

Then Sungjin held Ereka's hand.

"That's why I wanted to ask you to not just to take care of this country but also our family."

"That means..."

"Be my wife. You are my soulmate."

"Sungjin..."

Sungjin took Ereka in roughly when she nodded with blushing cheeks and tears in her eyes. His deep passionate kiss tasted her lips and started to go down.

Sungjin's burning desire didn't wear off.

"You shouldn't... Before… Dinner..."

Ereka locked the door with her left hand for privacy while hugging Sungjin's waist with her right hand, despite resisting.

"Ereka?"

Ereka opened her eyes at someone calling her name. It was Sungjin holding her hand.

"Oh. The hands."

Had Sungjin holding her hand been reality, and not just her imagination? When Ereka blushed, Sungjin didn't know what to do and released her hand.

"Ah… Not what I intended… I called you, but you didn't answer."

He realised he could have called her once more without holding her hand.

I can't trust myself in these situations.

"Huh? Did you say something?"

"Yeah, the hospitals are already set, so I hoped you could take care of something else."

"Oh. What is that?"

Ereka lowered her head.

She was hoping Sungjin wouldn't know about her imagination.

Sungjin smiled.

She has a strong habit of spacing out in the middle of a conversation.

That only made her cute though.

He rejected her marriage proposal, but he felt more and more that she was a cute and charming girl. Moreover, being with her made his life comfortable. She took care of the internal affairs as the queen while taking care of his daily life at the same time.

Sometimes, he wanted to bite her ear to tease her.

Sungjin realized his hand was moving again and stopped. He was about to hold her hand again...

He knew his instinct was a dangerous thing. He knew that much. Just when he was off his guard, the lion who desired the girl tried to take him over.

Jenna who had been listening into their conversation with an innocent expression straightened her tail.

Hmm. When the queen spaces out, Sungjin Oppa smiles as if he thinks she is cute.

She quickly wrote down another line in her brain-note.

Later, she found out that Sungjin rejected Ereka's proposal, but that didn't stop Jenna from working on her plan to make Ereka his wife and herself his concubine.

It motivated her even more.

I will find out everything about Sungjin Oppa to change his mind.

"After the hospitals, all over the country..."

When Sungjin finished, Ereka's eyes became big with surprise. Rittier's face became hard, and Jenna's tail stiffened again.

"Would you mind repeating that?"

"Let's establish schools so that everyone can become literate and get a basic education."

Ereka was silent for a while. She couldn't understand why schools were needed.

But I'm sure Sungjin has a good reason for it.

"Huh? Sungjin Oppa, why do you need schools?"

"I don't understand either, Master Sungjin."

The hospitals were necessary; they could save sick and dying people.

Ereka and Sungjin fought to protect the people from the Blood Ruler who tried to sacrifice them.

And the result was that there were now charity hospitals all around the country.

But why a school?

In this world, there were two factions of heroes: The majority believed in Divine Birth Privilege and thought that the heroes could use and abuse the people who were extras. The minority believed in Rightful Rulership and thought the heroes should protect and take care of the weak extras.

Ereka was a part of the latter faction, and she risked her life to protect her people. But even for her, school was not an easy idea to understand.

Jenna and Rittier opposed the idea.

"Sungjin Oppa, shouldn't we do something else with that money?"

"I agree. Throw a party… Pave the roads… Build a dike..."

"No. We need schools."

"I'm sure you have your reasons; can you explain your reason to us?"