30. The King

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“How’s the world gonna turn now? The situation was already chaotic, and now that guy’s back too….”

“How’s it gonna turn? Like this.”

 

 

 

 

A man with a stubbly beard frowned as he answered.

The thick bag slung over his shoulder, the notebook he was holding, and the large camera held by the man who called him “sunbae” were all telling of their identities.

 

 

 

 

“We’re all screwed.”

 

 

 

 

The simple answer was filled with utter despair.

 

While Yu-Eun was in the other world, the world had exerted strong sanctions against Harem Palace.

Although it didn’t have much of an effect, the important thing was the act itself.

 

 

 

 

China even tried to sweep it away with Korea by mobilizing military force. Now that the owner has returned, would they just stand by and watch?

 

 

 

 

“Even if it wasn’t that human, if an organization he owns was treated like that, he’d retaliate in kind. If he doesn’t, the organization, and the power, will crumble.”

“R-retaliate…? Didn’t he already do enough? Honestly, the justification for the sanctions all came from his side….”

“Does that kinda thing matter? What matters isn’t our thoughts or position, but their position and thoughts. The world’s common sense or morality doesn’t mean a goddamn thing.”

“….”

 

 

 

 

His junior reporter also wilted at his words.

 

He barely managed to get hired after fierce competition, but now there were signs that Yu-Eun would return and cause a ruckus.

He couldn’t even guess how shocking the words he would spew at today’s press conference would be.

 

Perhaps the world economy would plummet because of it, and he, who barely got hired, would also be thrown into the abyss.

 

 

 

 

As he was shivering like that, the senior reporter let out a faint smile.

 

 

 

 

“Well, we might be okay, though. Kinda.”

“Huh?”

“When the whole world was sanctioning Palace, only our country consistently defended it. Under the President’s strong will.”

“Ah.”

“Who was the first to welcome him when he returned? Our police, wasn’t it? A superintendent even personally handled the protocol.”

“That’s… that’s true.”

“A leader must be clear about debts of gratitude and resentment, and rewards and punishments.”

“But there’s no guarantee that he’ll do that. Honestly, judging from his actions and words so far, he’s just a teenager… Will he really handle things as clearly as you say?”

“It’d be good if he does, but it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t.”

“…Huh?”

“If he doesn’t make debts of gratitude and resentment clear, that organization won’t last long.”

“I wonder… if that’s true….”

 

It wasn’t very reassuring, but those words were hope, so he nodded.

Hoping that Korea, at least, would be spared from Yu-Eun’s wrath….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“He’s here!!”

 

 

 

 

Keulkeul!

Keulkeulkeul!

 

 

 

 

After waiting for about ten minutes, someone appeared.

A man walking briskly, surrounded by extremely beautiful women.

 

A face that looked as young as his age, and an appearance that even men would admire. If it weren’t for the ugly things he did every day, he might have been treated like an idol and even gained a fandom.

 

 

 

 

The cameras flashed like machine guns, and it continued even after Yu-Eun and the women who actually handled the affairs of Palace, such as Im Seo-Hyun, took their seats.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Ah. Ah.”

 

He tapped the microphone lightly to test it.

The noisy hall immediately became quiet.

 

 

 

 

“I am Yu-Eun, the strongest adventurer in the world and the head of the largest guild in human history, 『Harem Palace』.”

 

 

 

 

Uncharacteristically, he started with various modifiers from the beginning.

Come to think of it, he didn’t have the playful expression he showed during the casino announcement last time.

 

“I think everyone is curious about me. The fact that there are hundreds of reporters here proves it.”

 

 

 

 

It’s quite normal for a Yu-Eun press conference.

Of course, maybe this is what he’s really like. The only image the world has seen of him is the things that happen behind the scenes and his appearance at the last casino announcement.

But even so, people were a little shocked because the things he did behind the scenes were so out of the ordinary.

 

 

 

 

“Today, I will tell you everything about what happened to me back then, what I experienced in the other world, what happened to Palace while I was gone, my position on what Palace did, and how Palace will act in the future.”

 

 

 

 

Keolkeok.

 

 

 

 

Someone swallowed.

You don’t have to hear it to know.

It’s a huge scoop.

 

 

 

 

Moreover, he said he would explain ‘what happened back then’ and already said ‘what I experienced in the other world’. In other words, he revealed from the beginning that the conspiracy theory that was circulating and that Palace officially announced and that the Korean government accepted was ‘true’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“First, I will tell you what happened at that time.”

 

 

 

 

Yu-Eun added details to the story of how, during the fight with Zhandarke, the leader of Barkana, his wife (officially his fiancée) Lee Yu-Na intervened, successfully defeated Zhandarke, and just as she was about to resolve the situation, Yu-Eun and Lee Yu-Na were sent to another world by her trick.

The reporters wrote it down diligently.

 

They knew about Barkana’s attack on Incheon, but the figure of its leader 『Zhandarke』 was revealed for the first time.

 

 

 

 

“You may not believe it, but the other world really exists. Because I came from there. I was able to see a kind of 『civilization』 built by creatures identical to humans there. Although there are quite a few parts that are lacking compared to Earth’s modern civilization, they form a society based on the unprecedented power of 『magic』, and it has been confirmed that there are clear merits.”

 

 

 

 

Yu-Eun left several words about the other world.

 

He briefly listed interesting things such as the overall level of civilization, people’s values, and estimated population.

When he said that they could communicate through the gate built in Palace, the hall almost exploded.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then came the words about Palace’s position on what it had been subjected to and what it had done, and its future direction, which was virtually the main point.

The reporters, who had been excited about the other world, became as quiet as mice at this point.

 

 

 

 

Tension.

 

That was all that was here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“First of all, I have heard enough from the maids that there have been worldwide sanctions against this Palace while I was away.”

“….”

 

There’s no charisma.

But just saying that much made his mouth dry and his hands sweat.

 

 

 

 

“I have also heard that Korea alone has supported and recognized us during that time. As the owner of Palace, I would like to express my gratitude to the Korean government and the people who have endured the resulting disadvantages.”

 

 

 

 

He bowed his head slightly as if to greet them. People were quite surprised by the appearance he had never shown before.

 

 

 

 

“Also, before I state my position on whether you sanctioned us or supported us, I would like to say a verse from the Bible.”

 

 

 

 

Why the Bible all of a sudden?

 

 

 

 

As everyone was puzzled, Seo-Hyun slightly lowered the microphone in front of her and opened her mouth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I will judge each person according to what they have done. Repent and turn away from all your sins. Then it will not be a stumbling block of sin for you.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“….”

 

 

 

 

The sound of swallowing could be heard here and there.

 

 

 

 

 

I will judge according to what you have done.

 

 

 

 

It was quite an arrogant statement, but it was also a frightening one.

In particular, when the person who massacred the Chinese People’s Army so terribly through the unprecedented monster 『Bozinia』 recited that verse, there was no horror like this.

 

 

 

 

In that atmosphere, Yu-Eun continued.

 

 

 

 

“Before there was sanction and support, I have already heard and know what kind of things this Palace has done. I also know that many people were shocked and saddened by it. However, as the head of Palace, as the owner, I have no choice but to take corresponding measures against those who despise or look down on this Palace and dare to sanction it for any reason. In particular, I express my strong regret to China, which directly mobilized military force to remove this Palace and even the Republic of Korea, which embraced and supported Palace, and I would like to say in advance at this place that there will be sufficient response through me afterwards.”

 

 

 

 

China has already taken the steps of division.

Because of Im Seo-Hyun’s massacre.

 

 

 

 

But this time, there will be a ‘sufficient response’ through Yu-Eun.

The reporters were already sweating at what that could be.

 

 

 

 

“Because I have been acting without thinking, so-called as I please, until now, I think many people think that I will continue to do so in the future, but you are mistaken. As a leader who will lead the world in the future, I intend to make debts of gratitude and resentment clear more than anything else. So, there is no need to antagonize me with thoughts like, ‘Anyway, that guy will do whatever he wants, so it’s meaningless to treat him well.’ As I said earlier, I intend to deal with China, which has wielded military force against us, separately, and I intend to repay Korea, which has embraced us to the end and even welcomed me, accordingly.”

 

 

 

 

The reporters’ hands reached out.

Dozens, hundreds.

The camera shutters flashed incessantly, and the hall became noisy in an instant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“What do you mean by sufficient response to China?”

“Please tell us what kind of reward you will give to Korea!”

“Do you think China has already paid the price?”

“Many Korean citizens protested against protecting Palace, what do you think of them!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Various questions poured out.

But Yu-Eun raised his hand to stop them and continued to say what he had to say.

 

 

 

 

“I will take questions later, after my conference is over.”

 

After saying a few more words, he thought he had roughly explained his position on support and sanctions, and changed the subject.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I will tell you what kind of things this Palace will do in the future.

 

 

 

 

First of all, I intend to start working for the purpose of normalizing the entire Earth. I will tell you about this later through the maids and through Palace’s full explanation of its position, but there are still many countries on Earth that have not resolved the dungeon situation. There are even places where the ground has become a dungeon.”

 

 

 

 

The ground turning into a dungeon.

This is what happens when a dungeon defense fails or the reverse flow phenomenon cannot be prevented. As the name suggests, the ground becomes like a dungeon.

Fortunately, since the surroundings are open, magic power does not accumulate and modern weapons do not malfunction, but it is a serious threat since the general public is the majority.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“This is a very serious situation and a difficult problem that must be solved by gathering the power of the entire Earth. But it is no exaggeration to say that the world’s countries, including the UN and so-called developed countries, are turning a blind eye to this.”

 

 

 

 

I will step forward.

 

 

 

 

Before going to the other world, I dispatched maids to places where dungeons were being created. The result was very successful, and you may have heard about it through articles, or there may be people here who wrote the articles themselves.

 

I don’t know yet whether it’s temporary or whether it has permanently driven out the dungeon, but what is certain is that it has driven the monsters in the area into the dungeon right now.

 

 

 

 

In the future, I will expand this dramatically so that at least civilians will not suffer because of the dungeon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yu-Eun’s words were truly shocking.

 

 

 

 

The reality of the Earth that everyone knows but ignores.

 

 

 

 

He made people think about the terrible and hopeless future in which countries other than some developed countries are almost collapsing, and even developed countries could be in such a situation as the difficulty of the dungeon increases, and criticized the world organization for failing to come up with a solution to the problem.

And then he volunteered to solve it himself.

 

 

 

 

 

“Also, since there may be invasions from aliens like the last 『Incheon Incident』, we will thoroughly investigate and prepare solid defenses so that humanity will never experience the same sadness as then.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some reporters nodded without realizing it at the certainty felt in his tone. They were moved by his words.

 

 

 

 

 

“Perhaps the fate of mankind was extinction. The ever-increasing difficulty of dungeons and the revealed alien threats, etc. Such things that humanity could not overcome with its original capabilities, or even know what was happening, are coming to Earth one by one.

 

 

 

 

But you don’t have to worry.

 

 

 

 

If you accept this Palace and do not antagonize it, this Palace will also accept you and will not antagonize you.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Harem Palace will be responsible for the future of mankind.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I left the heated press conference.

 

Ah. It was a bit nerve-wracking to do something like that, unlike usual.

 

 

 

 

“Is this good enough?”

“….”

 

 

 

 

The reason I didn’t do it as usual is because of Veronica’s words.

When this little rascal first came to the modern world, she was surprised with wide eyes, but soon became calm and started meddling in this and that.

 

 

 

 

No, you’re a maid, right? You have to follow my words, right?

But because she’s a knight, she started coaching me on this and that, burning with a strange sense of duty that ‘I can’t allow the owner to bear dishonor.’ It’s so tiring.