Chapter 416: The World is Crazy About Him (1)
iDUeIt had been about ten days since the incident with Kali Yuga, also known as the “Seoul Disaster.”hamv5V
cdbhDuring that time, international politics had been on pause, but finally, it was beginning to move again.XyNzPZ
Q4jadIt was a sign that, in another sense, winds of war were beginning to blow.rWX7T
mlTH7***Yg4NX7o
eu6REven in Miracle Blessing M, the capital was still Seoul. It was also a hellish megacity with nearly 20 million people crammed into a brutal population density.J35X81
h1dNAnd that place had been reduced to rubble.wVJRXe4
bEY6PNot only the representatives of Seoul districts, but also those of other regions, were desperate.4hG
reEnBwThat the capital had been destroyed meant that the function of the State had been paralyzed.aXmM
wW3CZ“What do we do now?”TqHiA
1bWOBoom!LF9e6Hg
K67BUMr“Damn it, right now of all times!”7aI
OntIn a meeting where politicians gathered regardless of ideology, each exploded in their own style—pounding desks, shouting, shifting alliances at lightning speed.Ibmg
A1DSeveral general and local elections were approaching. There wasn’t even time to breathe.F00iS
hyL2DbAnd now they were about to be destroyed by the wrath of the citizens.Ofq
mPBae“No, seriously, I think they really are going to throw flour at us.”1PPpYU9
KTeKCwI“Hahaha haven’t you ever been made into a snowman for being a rookie lawmaker? I’m so used to getting pelted with eggs and flour that I feel nauseous just looking at a tonkatsu. Hahaha…”zYwI
FuO4RWmEveryone was on the verge of mental collapse.5cCA
ABie4“I’m used to being the target of hatred, but still…”3y93
9oy88ie“Ah, damn it! I don’t even know how we’re supposed to campaign. I wake up in the middle of the night from anxiety.”OTxkV1G
79B4l“Your situations are better than mine… My district was practically wiped out.”5yh
N4EBAn empty water bottle rolled through the halls of Parliament. They had to cool themselves down somehow, even with cold water, since in that world the poison called nicotine didn’t exist.owtj0H5
qUAfm“So then, since we’re at it…”5HQU3
BTlw“Don’t you dare! Don’t even think about mentioning that!”3v8rG
40XVj“R-right, right…”IlmIU
kfVWiYN“Damn it! Expand Seoul’s land? The true citizens who fund our campaigns will crucify us!”RO2fSg
l79gfMIn crude terms—the sponsors. More than half of them were aristocrats.oJv
FTRwBSv“Really… sometimes I just want to set fire to everything and start over.”OZsgf
HudsBWhat kind of city was Seoul?KeBMW58
fdi0Tz0A city that could explode at any moment. They had crammed too many people into too little space.wSvJ
mdqQUqCAnd yet, it couldn’t be expanded because of pressure from the sponsors. If the territory expanded, density would drop, and that would reduce demand.azh
Tq6It was a deadlock.lUS
IGNbAt that moment, the Minister of Planning and Finance, who had been watching silently, spoke up.nMC
ni6tQ“Honorable representatives, since we’re like this, why don’t we just move it?”sGO0b1
iVYgP0That minister had been key in the ousting of the prime minister a few months earlier.4ppACPG
6drvVLWith those narrowed, sinister eyes, he had collaborated with the director of the Joaquin Academy to bring him down.hH292E
ky7ZwYPoliticians had their eyes on him. And his connection with Joaquin was what weighed most heavily.VMEm
1ZwEven the president was wary of Saki Ryozo. No, rather, he feared her, even without factoring in the halo of Kang Geom-Ma.4iLK3Q
M1ZlSaki Ryozo.tcy2
pMoSaki Ryozo was a monster.nHXyh9
1mVCgBecause of the incident, Kang Geom-Ma was about to become the target of public criticism. And just at that moment—lFJAM
WwXWuRsSaki Ryozo announced that she would move up the Academy’s greatest event: “Joaquin Day.”4BE5u
hE9JhT4They changed the name to “Commemorative Ceremony,” and instead of a parade, they would hold a candlelight vigil.dV6VX9U
7xJY7FHNaturally, the social queen and Lady of the Sword Abel von Nibelung played a fundamental role.cBq
OpxNjW1She secured all the necessary items for the ceremony with her overwhelming network of contacts.mjj
W91xBOtIn addition, Rachel Mura and the Lancelot Company raised funds. The contents of the festival were the responsibility of the Hero Association, so it was Speedweapon’s turn.ScGcHGW
yeakb5Finally, the Joaquin Academy’s graduate school, focused on magical research, would present a thesis on the “Seoul Disaster.”vn41Jtl
xStjLQvEven the pretext for organizing it was perfect.TYpU
GXwqWhat kind of person is Saki Ryozo, really?sYV
HWYIs she even human?wV0Yj
kVtmThey say she defeated the prime minister like a chess piece.M1TBI
hQPVJpKFaced with the overwhelming drive of Joaquin Academy, the politicians could do nothing but grit their teeth.hgRjuj5
j4SAnd just then, the Finance Minister, marked as a spy of Saki Ryozo, said.EcGqM
lUlWk“Move it? Move what?”FjMHGE
6pt“The capital.”UXVKG70
zkfscGfHe said a total absurdity.O8s
6CE“…?”npN2fW
prUwyL“Are you talking about relocating the capital?”vkOuN
b9SGPd“Yes. Isn’t the city where the academy is just as good as Seoul?”vxXBA
cR0VHuEWhat the hell is this guy saying?vvY7j
nDR3uBAM!CqtPs
9L4E“Minister! Even if you’re an unofficial minister, we have the rope around our necks for every single vote. And you dare to say something so ridiculous?!”GR6a
SPH9v9“And why would it be ridiculous?”uaoUQ
HHdnG“Sure, people have talked about moving the capital for a long time. To Wonju, where Joaquin Academy is? Not a bad idea. But right now, Heavenly Sword’s public image is in the gutter. If we move the capital to his territory, the people…”I6gw
b7BfjT“Haa…”0h5w9DZ
PPiemThe minister let out a sigh loaded with emotion.7hNoAP
FOVMK0“Was that a sigh?”fb4tPQt
yugbxO“How is it possible that you, being representatives, understand less of the people’s feelings than I do? No, wait—could it be that because you’re representatives, you no longer understand them?”fup
xpS8uVQWithout another word, the minister looked toward Parliament’s monitor. The others followed his gaze.IYaGBs
MuakAs if waiting for it, the giant screen lit up.WGOAqo
XpLedw— Did you see that article? They say in the Seoul Disaster there were practically no casualties.Bnp1t6
ZCVUi— Wtf, how can there be ZERO deaths when everything was in chaos?ZKru8W
lHt— I was there. I saw a black-haired hero and the Sword Master saving people like crazy. I swear I ran faster than sound for the first time in my life.LnNuA
1z38— Ah, that one! My cousin says that man introduced himself as Balor Joaquin.OOV
O9h— Go to sleep, kid!qq1n
cYdo64h“W-what…?”SSkwfm
4jB94J0Chaos broke out.008fW
TR01XAEveryone had completely forgotten that Parliament’s server had been hacked.YLSNx
MBJ97yAs they sank into silence, another post appeared on the screen.bNOQs8
IukFc========================L4ZYv
2xXw1r[Citizen present at the scene]eeADRi
nzxxDz〈Evidence photo.jpg〉oz3O9
1aEZCWa(I can upload more if you want)n0oK
zruThis is my first time writing something like this, so it may be a bit messy.4Na
1m2Sorry about that.1aS
Du0tBI hesitated a lot about whether to post this right after a national tragedy, but since there are still people criticizing Heavenly Sword, I decided it was worth receiving insults to say this.YbvC1
Mcl4xQI know everyone can freely share their opinion on the internet. In fact, I think blindly supporting a single person is also dangerous.ZyvD
KVO2I’m not saying everyone should blindly believe in him.fTBZW
vyNLuI only ask that you think calmly about what he has done, what he is doing, and what he will do.unOwynp
q6n94m☞ To be continued in the next part.V7oIfs
3YrHC========================HaB7Ta
gDgyBjGulp.1I2s
qbGBxThe Adam’s apple moved with a big swallow.fT3BX
jjWb0xThose present watched with such tension that their eyes almost popped out of their sockets.b1B4
SvHw========================YzF
MV3zL…Think about it. This is already the second time a disaster like this has happened. There is no guarantee that it won’t happen again. In fact, it will happen again.uOVWwZK
hgrCAnd then, are we going to depend on other heroes?GJts3MF
OOMYes, I know.RmoVYS7
cEmOf course, there are many wonderful heroes.ysb7
NkQ5Among the previous comments, the heroes who safely evacuated the citizens should be textbook examples.fdbV5k
OG4hirI’m not generalizing, this criticism is directed at a specific “privileged group.”dQMIvKB
hNP8They want Heavenly Sword to be despised. It’s a mix of complex emotions.myoR
yehU6L2Envy, jealousy, and so on.DBU
tu6YIt’s human to feel that. But I wonder if we should also join in on that.BVGrU
2ZyHeavenly Sword. The hero Kang Geom-Ma will be criticized no matter what he does. Because little by little, he is moving away from what we can understand.2bL
a39GiThat’s why, at least until that moment comes, I, a simple Citizen A who owes him my life, intend to trust and support Heavenly Sword.opDXPkr
vP4g3JOI’m not saying I’m right. I’m just one among many citizens. Also, I clarify that this post is not meant to convince anyone.dRv1l
iZK3CSAI just wanted to leave a message of gratitude to Heavenly Sword, using the internet as a medium.rmhO0
gG8Thank you, Heavenly Sword.rqtrP
WWZeAnd to all the other heroes.hK9
Zpb92👍895,095,3263s1
OY1nTJcThe eyes of the lawmakers widened layer after layer.OCn
NgQl52“W-what is that number of likes…?”U8j
tesCcUA simple post had an absurd number of reactions.j5PheK
PqKdAsApparently, an AI with the Vixbig logo had translated and spread it around the world.kFk
XZ8mx0This was followed by articles from international media. They used this post and the photos from the scene as reference and broadcasted them.Skdq
ohujFTThe whole world was under the wave of Heavenly Sword.wPqSSEU
qwbpvUs“Public opinion toward Heavenly Sword is not just emotional.”0QCk
jG7fd7nA voice broke the silence.FVKg
Bnl7hThe minister went up to the podium, but it wasn’t his voice. It was a woman’s. The giant screen changed images.76f
wg6“You are…”So1EhKy
0f8P“I am the director of the Joaquin Academy.”no20Kj3
9UkuDSaki Ryozo.4GEpn7a
IywIbfFrom the other side of the screen, she spoke calmly while leaning back in her chair.Ztl
lrgho“As you know, Seoul is currently overcrowded. Even a house like a chicken coop is impossible to acquire even if one works their whole life. And yet, people want to live there. Because others also want to live there.”ioJJE
M5IKEm6“……”VqCBtyp
X9b“And now what? There’s nothing left, neither for you nor for me. Forced equality born from destruction. So I ask—between the privileged and the non-privileged, who are greater in number?”3VqXvG6
j1HQx“Well of course the non-privileged…”vRKK5W9
k1R“What you must remember is that being non-privileged doesn’t mean being weak. The moment you ignore their voice, your votes will hit rock bottom.”9aw
xlMRIt was nonsense.eDgI2
5tto6saThat Saki Ryozo, a person with the most extreme blood, lineage, and privilege, would say that.njmy
VyxxBut far from resisting, the lawmakers who normally opposed her were moved by her frankness.pUl
tSuGjA“As you’ve seen, people want a new beginning. Although it’s unfortunate that this start came because of a disaster, thanks to Heavenly Sword and the many heroes, the situation has stabilized quite a lot.”mpPJo
e6rzThat there hadn’t been a single victim in such a tragedy.6v4
Q3ofEiIt was practically impossible.FthP
ttN“Now is the time to start again. And the best moment is now.”5crmRiV
2eq7nXj“May I ask a question?”rAS
nWAaNM“As many as you like.”RIa7
jgywMA young lawmaker stepped forward.Dqy
qBtttoSShe tilted her head and faced him from the screen.VrO
EgCVao“If we are going to move the capital, then we must completely sever ties with the so-called privileged you mention.”aUPX3f
0Pt63Nl“I know.”xdsS0
6RclSaki nodded.E1QGH
KS1sWVe“Your words are certainly inspiring, director, but that would expose us to danger.”HBzze
32uoQsj“You mean you need a wall, is that what you’re saying?”vLOAt
GPjrgqL“Frankly… yes.”8LRX
YLau“I like your honesty.”yKnCy0I
8mzNSaki smiled with satisfaction.20Ks0u
R3k8Rwv“But you’re overlooking something.”YRS
iAz6“What do you mean?”XRmNW
8xXhaj“The wall.”O3WOG
FHgfSt1Saki rested her chin on her interlaced hands.Lm2IoIV
IIhr“Heavenly Sword has always been your wall.”i6VQe
ySIs“……!”1xWAutd
P8ycXk“As long as you don’t suddenly become enemies of humanity, Heavenly Sword will be your greatest support.”mzj
VMcsIs this what it feels like when the hardest enemy becomes your ally? The politicians had always been ingrained with the idea that Heavenly Sword was their enemy.SVVImn
udMGHBmBut Ryozo directly refuted that prejudice.OJh8
jH3vThinking about it, the reasons to oppose Heavenly Sword were.IAl
CZV“They don’t exist.”IwTZ
l1jThere were none.yecPP
bRPryCertainly, they would have to turn their backs on the privileged, the aristocrats, but those were too busy trying to rebuild their assets lost in the tragedy.9Bhx
fPT3BThe young lawmaker’s head buzzed.dtw
CIVL3“Are there no more questions?”8gZHOJZ
3P6BThen a sweet voice brought him back to reality.TbT2N
Oga“O-one more!”DIJr9j
Rs3Ctc“Go ahead.”sNa
iEBBq“If it is decided to move the capital, then we must at all costs minimize public recognition of your merit in this crisis.”GdvGy
TBi2“You mean that we shouldn’t allow the public to have the impression that the Joaquin Academy was behind all this?”pBfXgqf
zjKHiub“I can’t hide anything from that woman…”CrC6ydi
bnscx“That’s right.”BmcKea
IzteLP“It doesn’t matter.”rKjnl
78c“W-what?”slAAW
dKM4How could she react so calmly despite not being recognized with even a single word of merit?! No matter how little she desired recognition!CKzt9F
UI8B“I receive my reward every day.”amNTUJ
v5Y“What kind of reward do you mean…?”7JCTac
wBh4YAt that moment, the sound of a door opening was heard from the other side of the screen. Saki, who had been smiling so much that her cheeks were trembling, quickly regained her composure.qOL8nN
GUs0“Then, I’ll disconnect.”TAJvIz9
5wwZDXIn Parliament, silence reigned for several minutes.NvBCVKF
uXNLt42***9Kxsn
7In6Same moment. Office of the academy director.SAxAQ
itLIT“Sorry. Were you in a meeting?”1ikkNF
5sh“No. It just ended.”4NFx7M
XY5UsJSaki got up from her seat, walked over to him, and took his arm.z81
91Cg“What’s for dinner today, chef?”rjDHx
SQakX“The boss… since my father came, I was thinking of making kimchi jjigae with tuna.”SQ5b7
izf“I love it.”Y7Vudm
88xeIW4Ryozo doesn’t use the word “happiness” lightly.uH64I
v5oarXFShe fears its meaning will be diluted if she says it too often.4eAUQ
5LXPeVL“Geom-Ma.”mwLUvQ
QBU6G“Hmm?”Iba
QkZyvI“Are you happy?”mrP5y
Ck0JHe scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably. It was adorable. Even so, he always ended up avoiding her gaze and replying in the end.jhy
uB3Hw“…You ask obvious questions.”db7
ii7PJc“Say it with words~.”SOGu5wY
EOTY“H-a-p-p-y.”9nMx
ygX8Y“Ugh, you’re so dry.”Y97PKR
laXDZzRyozo laughed. Just looking at him made her laugh.vsoB5D
Be3P6L“If you’re happy, then I’m happy too.”lnfn
TgrdShe rested her head on his firm shoulders.g2PB
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