episode_0029

There are famous sayings related to lying.

People can easily see through 100% lies, but if you mix 1% truth with 99% lies, people are easily deceived.

Incitement can be done with just one sentence, but hundreds of pages of documents and evidence are needed to refute it, and by the time it is completely refuted, the public has already been incited.

Leos was now checking the inter-runner site and was painfully aware of those words.

[Isn’t the Peren Empire really crazy? Fuck, we’re locked up right now and you’re going to kill us all?]

[Isn’t this a fabricated document? That doesn’t make sense. A confidential document like that was spread through the Internet?]

[It must be an internal revelation. Can’t you see the emperor’s seal over there? Can’t you see the names of the people in the organization written there?]

[No matter what, it’s a bit hard to believe something like this without any evidence…]

[Fuck the evidence. Are you part of the Imperial Agency? Did the emperor tell you to at least agitate public opinion?]

[No, what kind of nonsense is this?]

[I was suspicious of that bastard from the beginning. Until you reveal your location, I will consider you a stooge of the emperor, so keep your mouth shut.]

An extermination plan. Naturally, as it was a top-level secret agenda in the Empire, there were some who were suspicious of the fact that it had spread to the Interrunners, but it was not just the stamp on the document, but the names of people belonging to the organization that actually existed. And furthermore, the systematically organized documents were enough for people to truly believe them.

The empire can’t do that. No matter what, there is no way to force an action that could lead to a major riot, right? All those who made such claims were dismissed as dogs of the empire. That’s because the extermination team members were manipulating the public opinion of interrunners.

The leader of the extermination team, Rakarte, spoke to his subordinates.

“ Those who defend the empire, drive them out as dogs belonging to the imperial institutions. And continue to write articles of anger and doubt. Post simultaneously from multiple galleries using various patterns. The same process is repeated for the next three hours. Be careful to avoid duplication in tone, spelling, and sentences. Every time you use a new distance, you become a different person.”

When Rakarte gave the order, hundreds of distance stones were laid out on the ground and the extermination team members began writing posts and comments as if it were a workshop. Leos stared at him blankly in a way he had never imagined.

“Why? Did you think that just because we were an extermination group, we wouldn’t use this kind of method?”

“Honestly, it’s surprising. I thought you didn’t know how to use distance.”

Rakarte smiled and said at Leos’s words.

“Killing people is easy. But after killing, there are many things needed to cover it up. For example, if there is a record of the murder target writing a message on the Internet or sending a message to acquaintances, an alibi must be created based on that and the murder scene and location must be manipulated again. That’s why we always studied and learned how to use interrunners and distances. I didn’t know it would be used in this way.”

Those who systematically manipulate comments. The posts being uploaded simultaneously from multiple galleries at an incredible speed were at a level that was difficult for Leos to believe, even if he was seeing it with his own eyes.

[The Empire was moving a large number of troops. Could that have something to do with this incident?]

[We also have to find a way to fight back. Otherwise, they search everything]

[How can you kill all people at once? These bastards…]

[My family…my family is still in Redgate…]

[If the Empire does something crazy, we just have to repay the same.]

[I just saw it, but I heard there are other revelations from insiders as well?]

[Fuck… it looks like it’s true. I didn’t believe it, but now I have no choice but to believe it.]

Articles are uploaded at an insane speed, one by one every few seconds. It was all written down by extermination team members. Since it was an anonymous community where one could deceive oneself as long as the distance existed, this manipulation of public opinion was very effective.

“You can stop now.”

After about two hours, the public’s tremendous anger was spreading through the Internet even without the assassination team members writing anything. Some people posted verification messages saying that they would take up weapons and rebel against the empire, and the list of the top 10 popular posts on Interrunner was all filled with posts saying that a rebellion should be launched.

The crazy backlash, not only from those inside the Redgate Vortex but also from those whose families were trapped there, was also due to the Empire’s attitude.

[You damn bastards. They kept a lot of high-level floating artifacts floating near the imperial palace, and they only took care of their own safety without any intention of solving the Red Gate Whirlpool in the first place!]

Lukewarm attitude in the empire. Although attempts were made to clear the inside of the Redgate Vortex several times, they frequently failed, and in order to hide such a miserable failure, the Empire made the initial attack attempt a failure. But in the end, it became a knife that stabbed them.

From the citizens’ point of view, it was inevitable that the empire had taken no action so far.

“It’s perfect.”

Lakatre looked at the interrunner and smiled bitterly. Leos looked at the man and asked a question.

“Did you know it would happen like this from the beginning?”

“Of course.”

“What if public opinion is suppressed later? I’m sure the imperial family will also announce data.”

“Hahaha! Even if the imperial family were to release the data, would anything change? The large-scale massacre plan was indeed intended to be used at the very end, but it was one of the methods the emperor considered in the end. The document is also true. Even if I tell this truth, will the public understand it?”

“You won’t understand.”

“Accurate. If that’s the case, you’ll have to distribute false information, but that’s no problem. Since public opinion has already been formed, no matter what evidence they present, all of it will be subject to suspicion. It is thousands of times more difficult to prove one’s innocence than to point out the other person as the culprit.”

He added, walking slowly and raising his finger in the sky toward Leos.

“Sinners will one day meet a servile end. Therefore, God exists. Do you know how many thousands of examples and tens of millions of characters are needed to refute this one sentence? Even if you bring up all of those examples, you cannot completely refute them. That is why it is tens of thousands of times more difficult to prove that something does not exist than to prove that it exists.”

Leos was silent. This is because I sympathized with Lacarte’s words. After being singled out by Belin, he complained to so many people that he was innocent of any crime, but in the end, he became an ugly criminal and had to be imprisoned. He killed tens of thousands of mutant monsters, and even Leos, who could kill dozens of people with a single sword right before his eyes, was helpless. Even if I presented Distance usage records or other evidence, I was told that it was fabricated and had to do nothing. Incitement is an invisible weapon of war. The extermination team members were clearly showing this.

Rakarat slowly walked towards Leos and spoke.

“It seems disgusting to see public opinion being so easily incited.”

“Because I was also treated the same way.”

“Don’t do that too much. Because you are taking revenge on those who made you like this.”

Leos briefly recalled the past and twisted his face as if he was angry. However, he spoke quietly.

“I really hope they know how I feel. How shitty it is to be caught up in this kind of propaganda.”

“Be angry as much as you want. And don’t worry. The Empire will be punished even more than it did to you. You were sentenced to prison, but the only punishment for them is death.”

“How could that be possible with only this many people?”

“If you and we are together, it is possible.”

Leos tried to reply that Rakarte’s words were nonsense, but after seeing him inciting public opinion just now, Leos’ evaluation of him completely changed.

‘The boldness of approaching completely disarmed at first, the ability to monitor from afar without being detected even by me, and even the use of hundreds of distances to incite public opinion among interrunners.’

He’s not a normal guy. I don’t know why, but with this guy, wouldn’t we really be able to take revenge on the Peren Empire? This absurd idea was gradually being brought into reality.

Leos took food out of his inventory and threw it at the guys while talking.

“Eat. It looks like you didn’t bring any food.”

However, Rakarte shook his head and rejected it.

“We will not accept anything materially from you. What we need is you, not your stuff or resources. We will get food voluntarily.”

“Are you planning to plunder those around you?”

“No, just catch the monsters and eat them. That’s what I did when I first came here.”

Finally, Lacarte added another word.

“As I said, in the entire process of retaliating against the empire, we will place ourselves in the most dangerous place. During this time, I will not receive any material support from you. But one thing. There is something we need your help with.”

“What is it?”

“It’s still too early to say. However, I want you to promise me one thing. We decided to help once, when we wanted it.”

Leos was silent for a moment, then turned around and spoke.

“Do whatever you want. Also, since food is thrown away, dispose of it yourself.”

Rakarte looked at the beef jerky and bottled water on the ground, smiled, and spoke to Faron next to him.

“Faron, don’t you think he’s a better guy than you think?”

“You may not know. This is a person who has killed countless people. Didn’t we just see them kill about 20 people? They even tried to kill us all at first.”

Rakarte shook his head and picked up the beef jerky that had fallen on the ground. Monsters could flock here if left as is, so the idea was to collect them all at once and bring them back to Leos.

However, Faron, who misunderstood that Rakarte was trying to eat it, was surprised and stopped him.

“Rakarte, there may be poison mixed in the food. So you should leave it as is…”

As soon as Rakarte heard those words, he changed his behavior and started munching on the beef jerky right in front of his eyes. After eating for a while, he smiled and said.

“Paron. I don’t doubt those I think are mine. You know? How am I living?”

“…Then the day will come when you will greatly regret it.”

“It would be better than regretting not believing. If I had doubted you, wouldn’t you have been on the side of the empire by now?”

“I might really die.”

“I have committed many sins, so I think it would be better to pay for my sins if I die like that.”

“…”

Faron was a spy for the Empire, but turned to Rakart’s side. He remained silent, unable to find words to refute. Because it’s true that I was attracted to this foolish side of the man.

“I used to eat trashy monsters, but eating something like this is delicious. I’ll have to return it with better food later. I don’t like being in debt.”

*

Emperor Vermon of the Peren Empire summoned Kelthazar, the leader of the Empire’s shadow group. Next to him were several members of the Imperial Shadow Corps lined up, including Kozaric and Velin.

Emperor Bermon shouted with an expression full of anger.

“Everyone knows the situation after being briefed, right?”

Vermon drew his sword and held it to Kelthasar’s neck as he spoke.

“I will give it exactly one week. Resolve this situation within that.”

“…Okay.”

Kel’Thazar lowered his head in cold sweat, and the Emperor scolded coldly as he looked at the members of the Imperial Shadow Corps standing behind him.

“It’s a week. If you don’t solve it properly, you will all die by my hands. Catch those who distributed documents and carried out false propaganda! Cut off the heads of those who did such shameless things and bring them to me!”

At the emperor’s frantic shouting, Belin began to tremble.

‘I don’t want to die…’

Because the fear of death was clearly approaching her.