Chapter 198 – Conflict (4)

I entered the guest reception room. My eyes immediately widened. Someone I didn’t expect to see was waiting for me.

“You’re here! I thought I’d grow a beard waiting.”

“Changseong?”

Changseong, seated with arms crossed, greeted me with open arms.

Clang!

Just then, a sword plunged into the floor near his feet, as if it had been about to launch straight at me.

I turned toward the direction the weapon had come from.

“Don’t get any closer to student Kang Geom-Ma, Richard.”

With a furrowed brow, the Sword Master approached Changseong and retrieved the sword he had just thrown.

“If you take one more step, it won’t just be a warning.”

His voice was firm, the blade pointed directly at Changseong’s throat.

“Kuhaha, always so suspicious! I was just happy to see him—man to man. Besides…”

Changseong’s toothy, bandit-like grin twisted. He recrossed his arms and spoke with disdain.

“Since when do I have to bow and say ‘yes, sir’ every time you speak? The only one I answer to is the President of the Association. Don’t forget that.”

“……”

“If you’ve got a problem, say it anytime. But I don’t do words. Real men settle things with fists or swords.”

“You think just because I retired from the Seven Stars that I’ve lost my strength? You of all people, Mura, should know better.”

“Oh, I know. That’s why I’m excited. Only if you’re at full power can I enjoy knocking that smug smile off your face. What fun is it to beat that idiot Nibelung?”

Despite the Sword Master’s threat, Changseong didn’t show a hint of fear.

He even gestured for him to come at him. A vein bulged visibly on the Sword Master’s forehead.

“All right. This time, I’ll really wipe that smile off your face.”

“That’s more like it, Nibelung. I’ve missed this fire in my blood.”

As the two Heroes of the Seven Stars squared off, I swallowed hard.

‘I knew they didn’t get along, but I didn’t think it was this bad.’

The atmosphere was electric. The table legs shook, and the chandelier swayed like a pendulum.

That’s when Media, seated off to the side, spoke in a low but firm voice.

“You two seriously thinking of fighting here? In the academy? In front of the director? Have you lost your minds?”

The overwhelming pressure that had gripped the room vanished instantly. The Sword Master, Changseong, and I all turned toward her at once.

Tock, tock—

Media tapped the table lightly with her nails. A silent command to shut up and sit down.

“Why don’t you both re-enroll? Since I’m here, I could give you a crash course in basic manners.”

She said. The Sword Master coughed awkwardly. Embarrassed, he tried to regain some dignity.

“Ahem! Media, this is an important event. Please don’t make such crude remarks.”

“Important? And yet you draw your sword? Good thing Kojima wasn’t here. What if he had seen that? Did you even think about that?”

“……”

“You two together are almost 150 years old. And Kang Geom-Ma here, still a teenager, acts more mature than either of you. Aren’t you ashamed?”

With that, the Sword Master fell silent. Wounded in pride, he turned away and sat down. Changseong scratched his chin and also took his seat.

I, still standing, timidly sat in the remaining chair. I glanced around cautiously, trying to read the room. A solemn air hung over the reception room.

Why were all the Seven Stars present? Why had they summoned me? I had many questions, but it wasn’t the right time to ask. From the looks of it, things had been tense even before I arrived.

‘Why do they all hate each other so much?’

Four survived the operation against the Sixth Corps Commander, Basmon. Yet they seemed to get along worse with each other than with their enemies.

Media, with her outgoing nature, treated the Sword Master and Changseong familiarly, but even then, there was obvious hostility.

And Kojima? Forget it. From the moment his name was mentioned, Media had warned me to stay away.

What could’ve happened between them to cause such rifts? Even if they weren’t close, you’d expect some camaraderie at least—but there was none. This ran deeper than just time passing.

I began to think that the Heroes of the Seven Stars carried secrets I still didn’t know—secrets that had carved deep divisions between them.

Clack.

At that moment, the door opened, and the last member of the Seven Stars entered. Kojima appeared, smiling brightly.

“Apologies for the delay, everyone. Took longer than expected.”

…It was at that moment I realized—he was probably the root or center of all this tension.

Not one of the others even looked at him.

“……”

“……”

“……”

That said everything. The most blatant expression of hostility was indifference. Even a death glare would’ve been better than this total disregard.

But Kojima seemed unfazed.

He dragged a chair and sat directly across from me. Media and the Sword Master grimaced at once, but said nothing.

Kojima smiled at me warmly.

“Now that everyone’s here, I believe we can begin right away.”

“…Begin what, exactly?”

All I’d received was the location from Media, who still looked annoyed in the background.

“Ah, I see the director didn’t explain anything.”

Kojima’s eyes briefly flicked toward her before returning to me.

“I suppose she was too busy.”

His face was relaxed and polite, completely unlike the other three Seven Stars. Yet his words were laced with subtle barbs.

“If she didn’t tell you, then I will.”

Kojima rested his chin on his interlaced hands.

“From this moment on, Kang Geom-Ma, you will undergo the succession interview to become one of the Seven Stars. Right here.”

***

Before beginning, Kojima explained the purpose of the interview. Honestly, I tensed up as I listened. I thought they would analyze every aspect of my life—my background, my record, even my private life.

Looking at myself objectively—

First, my background. I have no family, no relatives, no siblings. If you searched the civil registry for my birth record, all you’d find is a blank sheet. I’m an orphan with no ties—just Kang Geom-Ma.

And my record? It’s full of problematic things. Where do I even start? The Undertaker massacre, the annihilation of Vendetta. Even if they were evil, they were still human—not demons—and I wiped them out completely.

Journalists would love to sink their claws into that. I’d have to give explanations, and that would trigger an endless chain of attacks. I know from experience.

‘It’s not like the media screwing me over is anything new.’

And my private life? It was relatively clean in the past. The problem is Horn’s existence. I’m the one who allowed a demon to live at the academy.

Everyone in the know is aware of it. But it’s also something better left undisclosed. It would be a source of endless controversy.

‘And not just any demon—a dragon. The scandal would be huge.’

In short, I have way too much to hide. On paper, I look like the perfect suspect. That’s who I am, Kang Geom-Ma.

And if I got caught on anything? Forget becoming one of the Seven Stars. It would cast doubt on my entire existence—and drag down everyone close to me.

But as I listened to Kojima, I realized my fears were baseless.

“This interview is simply an evaluation to determine whether Kang Geom-Ma possesses the character needed to become a member of the Seven Stars.”

In other words, it was a personality assessment. The Seven Stars are heroes among heroes. They’re expected to embody vocation, integrity, and responsibility. Kind of like a job interview for a firefighter or police officer.

“And by the way, this interview will not affect the succession ceremony. It’s already scheduled. It will not be canceled, no matter what.”

In short, this was just a formal procedure. No need to stress.

…Although honestly, was it really necessary for all of them to show up just for this?

They didn’t even attend the Joaquin Academy Festival, but they all gathered for my interview. As far as I know, it’s the first time in half a century all active members have been in the same room.

Still, I nodded. As the saying goes, you can’t spit on someone who’s smiling. And Kojima spoke with a charming smile.

“Just as my daughter said, Kang Geom-Ma is direct and decisive. Very good.”

Upon accepting, Kojima smiled and started the interview.

“Lately, the demons have been unusually restless. Understandable, given that three of their commanders were killed by humanity. If the remaining ones use that as justification to attack… Kang Geom-Ma, what would you do?”

“Send them to join the dead commanders.”

—The future of humanity.

“As a Hero of the Seven Stars, you’ll receive hundreds of billions in monthly funding to uphold the dignity of the position—money that comes from the taxes of people all over the world. What do you plan to do with it?”

“Save it. In a high-interest account.”

—Rights and responsibilities.

“Once you become part of the Seven Stars, criticism will surely follow. Nobles, in particular, will be outraged, and high-ranking heroes will likely voice their disapproval too.”

“Because of my age, right? I mean, I’m still young. It makes sense they’d be annoyed.”

“People might understand with their minds, but not always with their hearts. Some will scorn you. Others will make you their target.”

“That kind of local noise needs to be silenced immediately.”

Clink—

“In the face of sashimi, everyone goes quiet.”

— The example a member of the Seven Stars must set.

As Kojima had said, the questions were reasonable and completely standard.

“This last part isn’t a question—more like a personal suggestion.”

After nearly an hour, Kojima spoke to wrap things up. His eyes flickered with a sudden, cold glint.

“As I mentioned before, once you become one of the Seven Stars, you’ll inevitably make enemies. Reaching the top always draws opposition, whether internal or external. And no matter how powerful you are, you can’t fight them all alone. There are things even strength can’t solve. So I offer you this…”

His expression suddenly changed. As if this was the real reason for the interview. His pleasant smile cracked for the first time.

“If you so wish, I will wipe out those lower forces entirely. I won’t allow them to even think of rebelling against you. In the name of Saki Kojima, Prime Minister of Japan and head of the Kojima family.”

“You, son of a bitch!”

Suddenly, the Swordmaster shouted in fury. His killing intent flared instantly.

“Kojima, don’t you dare try to drag Kang Geom-Ma into your personal ambitions.”

“Senior, you’ve already retired. I’d ask you to refrain from interfering. Unless, of course, you want to cause an international incident.”

“Do you think I give a damn about that kind of thing? I held back even when I saw you approach him with bad intentions. But if you’re going to start speaking so brazenly, I won’t stand for it.”

Kojima looked at him with cold indifference. He stayed silent for a few seconds, then sighed.

“Senior Siegfried… it’s clear you’ve grown old.”

“……?!”

“You used to be a man of reason. But seeing you act so passionately today… You used to be a mountain I could never climb. But now…”

At that moment, something intense flashed in Kojima’s eyes—a mix of madness and desire.

“You look weak.”