Ch.9999. Bad Fate

“That’s… what it was? I thought he had fled.”

The Saintess Gang Hannah kept letting out exclamations of amazement.

Only after noticing my gaze did she explain that Gwon Heejin was also very famous in their world. She added that practically the entire nation knew who he was.

The reason for his fame was simple. He had done the same things there that he did here.

“Saintess?”

When I pressured her to explain quickly, the Saintess snapped back to attention and began speaking.

“That person caused trouble with famous BJs. Apparently, Gwon Heejin was somewhat known in the streaming community. He wasn’t an extremely wealthy person, just a college student, but BJs with good images kept mentioning him and even invited him to appear on their streams…”

“…Continue.”

“But it turned out that Gwon Heejin had manipulated BJs, YouTubers, and even idols into pre-purchasing coins that were about to be listed. It was a scam coin that briefly shined before being delisted. …Thousands of people who jumped in blindly suffered major losses.”

I felt like I knew where this was going.

“And he quietly profited behind the scenes, correct?”

“…Yes. But you know what’s funny? He didn’t actually participate in the pre-purchase himself and only received consulting fees. In cash or major coins at that.”

“……”

“Eventually someone took the fall and exposed everything. That’s when it came to light that Gwon Heejin was the one who essentially designed the whole scheme.”

The Saintess desperately explained everything she knew. At some point, she became so excited that she clenched her fists.

Honestly, I couldn’t understand half the vocabulary she was using.

However, I could grasp what Gwon Heejin had done. In his original world, instead of using the Hero’s reputation, he had probably used these “BJs” to inflate prices.

I wasn’t sure exactly what BJs were, but from what the Saintess said, they seemed to have suffered consequences similar to having their titles stripped. The same went for these “idols” she mentioned.

‘So he was consistently the same bastard.’

But she said he wasn’t famous just because of the coins.

“Until I came here, I thought Gwon Heejin had fled overseas. Everyone thought his father had helped him escape. The father denied it, but what else could people think?”

“I understand. By the way, Saintess, for someone who claimed not to know much, you’re surprisingly knowledgeable.”

“Ah, actually, my father also bought that coin…”

The Saintess’s face suddenly grew gaunt.

“…I see. No need to explain further.”

“Thank you. Anyway, now I understand. It wasn’t normal for someone to disappear without leaving any trace… But, that prosecutor.”

“You mean Gwon Heejin’s father?”

“I feel bad for cursing him so much. He went through a lot, being dragged around everywhere.”

The Saintess messed up her own hair and berated herself for being foolish. I waited patiently for her to calm down.

‘Honestly, I don’t have anything else to ask.’

But there was one thing I was personally curious about.

“Saintess. I’m curious about something—is your country also falling apart?”

“Pardon?”

“According to what Gwon Heejin used to say… please excuse the crude expression. He frequently called it a ‘fucking tiny country.’ He also often mentioned wanting to play in bigger waters. Wouldn’t a small country have difficulty withstanding such turmoil?”

At this question, the Saintess’s small face filled with bewilderment, as if asking if I was seriously asking such a question.

But seeing my expression, she seemed to realize I wasn’t joking, and her face turned solemn. She also seemed to feel somewhat guilty.

“Um, Hero. A country doesn’t collapse because of that. It’s just that people who trusted celebrities with their investments ruined their lives… Somehow things get resolved.”

“……”

“There was even a crew that put a bounty on Gwon Heejin recently. It’s not good, but it’s kind of consumed as a meme.”

She was saying that despite committing such terrible acts, only numerous victims were created while the nation itself remained unshaken. Some people even seemed to find it entertaining.

“Huh.”

A sigh escaped me without realizing it.

Of course, I vaguely knew that Gwon Heejin’s world was different from ours.

A world where even poor commoners living outside the city don’t ask the neighborhood craftsman to make things for them but purchase them with currency, a world where one can communicate with others whenever desired.

That world surely had its own hardships, but it was remarkable that it could handle someone like Gwon Heejin.

“Then was Gwon Heejin’s father killed because of his son?”

“No. He just quit being a prosecutor. I heard he might be prevented from opening a law practice. I don’t really know since I don’t watch the news.”

“……”

I was about to say something more but decided to keep my mouth shut. The more I spoke, the more insignificant I felt.

It was a strange thought at first glance. After all, I had already risen to a position of power unparalleled among humanity.

Commander Waynelight was somewhat bizarre and could somewhat match me, but he wasn’t an equal opponent.

I only realized after receiving it myself, but the Goddess’s blessing was that powerful.

Yet, despite possessing such military might, I felt inadequate. Probably because it wasn’t a matter of power.

“…I understand. Saintess. Thank you for your hard work.”

***

I immediately got to my feet.

Even now, I could hear the commotion outside the Papal Palace. The elven and dwarven delegations had reportedly left with shocked expressions, but the rest were still holding their positions. The Emperor and other imperial powers would be hurrying to prepare for their return.

Yes. I needed to move too.

“Are you alright?”

“……”

The Saintess Gang Hannah looked at me with concern.

She was worried about me despite not knowing anyone in this world, but I had no intention of mocking her. Instead, I looked straight at the Saintess.

Black hair and black eyes.

Up to here, she resembled Gwon Heejin, but her impression was completely different.

She had a cute face, but there seemed to be a subtle fatigue in her eyes, and even while talking to me, she was constantly checking her surroundings.

Unlike Gwon Heejin, who started looking down on us and laughing shortly after being summoned.

Her life probably hadn’t been easy either.

‘At least she’s a decent human, which is fortunate.’

The thought crossed my mind that it would have been nice if someone with both kindness and knowledge I needed had come—but it was too much to ask of the Goddess. If she knew something useful, I’d extract it eventually.

For now, I didn’t even have time to take care of the Saintess.

I could imagine what was happening in the imperial capital and in domains large enough to have merchant guild branches (Hero gambling venues).

The Saintess had her duties, and I had mine.

However, I could help ensure she received at least minimal consideration going forward.

“Saintess. From now on, don’t mention anything about coins or money. If the priests ask you anything, just smile sadly.”

“Ah… yes. Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“See you later. And study the holy laws diligently.”

Not far away, about a hundred clerics were waiting.

I decided to inform them of the Saintess’s harmlessness. Furthermore, I would provide them with a reason to care for the Saintess without resistance. If not respect, she should at least receive sympathy.

“Hero, what about the Saintess—”

“Everyone. The Saintess is also an indirect victim of Gwon Heejin.”

“Pardon…?”

“Her father purchased coins created by Gwon Heejin and his accomplices, and when the value of those coins dropped to zero, he lost his mind and became a criminal. The Saintess herself had to drop out of school and work fifteen hours a day to pay off debts and maintain her livelihood.”

“My goodness… But Hero, I don’t understand how the value of coins can become zero?”

“…I don’t have the ability to explain that either. And the Saintess says there were many swindlers like Gwon Heejin in her world. She says there were over 20,000 types of coins.”

The elder priest looked aghast, alternately staring at the Saintess and me.

At the edge of the group, the holy knight Holan covered his mouth as if about to vomit at the mention of “20,000 types of coins,” and the other clerics’ faces had turned pale.

“…My God, it’s hell. No wonder a demon like Gwon Heejin came from there.”

“20,000 types? How can people live in such a place?”

Some looked at the Saintess with pity, as she had almost become disliked for thoughtlessly mentioning the word “coin.”

‘This should be enough to ensure the Saintess isn’t mistreated.’

Before leaving, I took one last look at the Saintess.

When our eyes met, she bowed to me at almost 90 degrees. It felt awkward to bow back, so I just nodded and left the Papal Palace.

…In front of the Papal Palace, as expected, an enormous crowd had gathered.

A crowd you might only see at a Pope’s inauguration. Actually, thinking about it, a similar crowd probably gathered during the “Gun Prayer” incident too. The difference was that instead of being immersed in grief and cursing the Goddess, they generally wore bright expressions.

“The Hero is coming out!”

The boisterous shout of an old holy knight whose identity I couldn’t determine.

With that shout, the gathered people began kneeling row by row, starting from the front. Those who appeared to have difficulty moving at least bowed their heads.

A ceremony repeated whenever a new Hero was born.

Rather than worship of the Hero, it was a procedure to pay respect to the Goddess who sent the Hero. Of course, I was an appointed Hero, but still.

I thought the congratulatory ceremony might be skipped this time, but surprisingly, an enormous crowd had gathered. It meant that few people in the Papal State had participated in the Hero gambling. Or perhaps they believed the Goddess had made an acceptable choice.

‘Yes. This is possible precisely because it’s the Papal State.’

I drew my holy sword and released holy light to ensure their peace would be maintained. That’s what they had gathered expecting, after all.

“Ohhh…!”

Exclamations erupted from the crowd.

A disabled person who almost dropped his crutches while trying to clap, an elderly person with a tearful expression and palms gently pressed together, and even a young man with somewhat familiar features. They were all looking at me with eyes filled with different expectations.

Shortly after, I headed toward the imperial capital, receiving their blessings.

I could almost visualize how chaotic the Empire must be right now.