Ch.165Chapter 7. A Week of Turbidity (1)

Though many things happened in a single day, surprisingly, it was now only the second day of the internship.

Too much had happened in one day—many people had died, and an incredible being had also perished.

People were thrown into confusion, terrified and frightened as groundless rumors and hearsay mixed together.

However, one thing.

Thanks to a piece of information announced at dawn, people could feel somewhat relieved.

“Tavern Owner, did anything special happen while I was sleeping?”

“Special? Yes. The Chairwoman herself appeared on TV and gave a speech. Through a worldwide hack.”

“…You have a recording, right?”

One piece of officially confirmed information.

-The Syndicate’s Goblin had executed a being called Dueoksini.

This information was so certain that it needed no separate verification.

Not because it was true, but because the Chairwoman herself had come forward to say it.

The Chairwoman does not tell lies.

Her principle is that someone aiming for world domination must always tell the truth, because if she were to lie, no one would believe her.

…At least that’s how she is when speaking in front of the mass media.

“She said she would handle it herself, and that meant revealing the whole truth.”

“Is there something you don’t like about it?”

“No.”

I added salted shrimp to my soup and checked the video again.

“The Chairwoman announced that I killed Dueoksini for two reasons. One is to prevent arrows from turning toward Platinum Sun, and the other is to let the world know that Dueoksini has been killed.”

“Dueoksini’s death?”

“Yes. She thought it was more urgent to spread the information quickly to quell the world’s confusion than to gain advantage by hiding it. Look at this.”

I opened a stock app on my tablet.

“From the moment it was reported that Dueoksini had released demons in Korea and 500 people died—more precisely, when it was officially announced that they couldn’t catch Dueoksini despite the chaos—the NASDAQ hit bottom as soon as the US market opened.”

An accident happens in Korea and the US stock market crashes?

It’s only natural.

Korea is the center of the world, and when an unmanageable incident occurs in Korea, the whole world can’t help but tremble in fear.

“They even triggered a circuit breaker. A complete trading halt.”

“And it was lifted….”

“Thirty minutes after the official broadcast from The Syndicate.”

Small investors living in America must have tasted hell.

The fact that an unstoppable demon appeared in Korea means that no one anywhere in the world could respond to it.

“By being known as the one who killed Dueoksini, I’ve prevented the collapse of the international economy. The Chairwoman judged that was important, and I agree.”

“Well, the Chairwoman doesn’t need to ask for Manager Do’s opinion….”

“The Chairwoman’s opinion is my opinion. And the Chairwoman never does anything that would cause me harm.”

“Even if it means all-out war with Pandemonium?”

“That’s actually a good thing.”

Thinking about it, now is more of an opportunity.

“The whole world now holds hostility toward Dueoksini and those behind him. No one would dare take their side. With The Syndicate at the forefront of all-out war against them, if this matter is resolved well, we can take one step closer to world domination.”

We eliminated someone who turns ability users into demons.

And we eradicated the organization where he was one of the seven stars.

The Syndicate protected the world from a threat that nations couldn’t resolve.

That alone is enough to secure future support and public opinion for The Syndicate.

“Yes. That’s sufficient.”

“For someone who thinks it’s sufficient, Manager Do, your expression looks quite bad while watching the video.”

“…That’s for a different reason.”

I pointed at the black silhouette.

“No, why did the Chairwoman appear in this form to make the announcement?”

“…Maybe she just wanted to.”

“No, hah. You can pretend not to know… even after seeing this.”

Looking closely, the turtle placed on the lower abdomen isn’t there for no reason.

It’s not actually a turtle, but since it only appears as a silhouette, let’s just pretend not to notice.

“I’ll have to ask her later why she appeared in this form. People must be going crazy now. Saying the Chairwoman’s appearance has changed.”

“Certain groups seem to like it though.”

“…Those certain groups, don’t they need the FBI’s attention?”

The Chairwoman’s transformation also became an issue.

-The Chairwoman got younger! This is the truth!

-Police officer, over here!

-Isn’t this actually her original form? The Chairwoman we’ve seen until now was the giant Chairwoman OMG

-What is this, drugs?

Of course, people can discuss the Chairwoman’s appearance change because they feel relieved that Dueoksini has been eliminated.

-Anyway, since the Chairwoman herself came out and said that Goblin killed Dueoksini, he must definitely be dead.

Everyone can feel relieved because Dueoksini is dead; otherwise, they would be condemning the Korean heroes who failed to capture Dueoksini by now.

That collateral damage would have spread to Baek Seol-hee and Platinum Sun as well.

“Thanks to that, this country dodged a bullet. Thanks to the Chairwoman stepping forward, all the nonsense meetings they held until dawn would have been useless.”

“…Probably.”

They would have made all sorts of plans to find and kill Dueoksini, but unfortunately, all those plans have become garbage.

By now, they’re probably wasting resources by feeding their freshly printed press releases into shredders.

Moving unnecessarily busily, and acting unnecessarily.

“Then what we need to worry about now is…oh, you’re awake?”

“Mmm….”

Taowu staggered to the dining table.

As soon as she sat down, she buried her head on the table, and the Tavern Owner turned toward the induction stove with a slightly awkward expression.

“For breakfast….”

“Tavern Owner. Bring milk.”

I put down my spoon and took out a bowl I had requested from the pension owner in advance.

“Um…? Isn’t that a bit harsh?”

“It’s fine.”

At first glance, it looks like a dog bowl, and it is.

“Pour in the milk.”

“……What are you treating her like.”

“I’m not a personnn.”

Taowu rubbed her cheek on the table and then raised her head groggily.

“I’m a ghosttt.”

“…Even if you’re a ghost, drinking milk from a dog bowl is.”

“This is my bowl?”

I took the milk from the Tavern Owner and poured it into the bowl, and Taowu buried her face in the bowl and started licking the milk with just her tongue sticking out.

Lap, lap.

The Tavern Owner seemed a bit shocked by the sight.

“What? Does it bother you to see a Syndicate executive eating like this?”

“……Qiongqi, ah, no. Don’t say it.”

“He chomps his food.”

“…….”

The Tavern Owner covered her face with her hands.

“People think of The Syndicate as dark heroes who prevented a global crisis, but the two leaders of The Syndicate are having breakfast like this.”

The Tavern Owner lamented, pointing at me and Taowu.

“What a world.”

“That’s just how the world is. We can’t always be dressed in suits with our hair styled.”

I scooped a spoonful of perilla powder and put it in my soup.

“It just means you’re comfortable with the Tavern Owner. Think of it that way.”

Lap, lap, lap.

“Now what we really need to worry about is….”

“Platinum Sun?”

“No.”

The Platinum Sun issue is just a minor problem for some people.

“The real issue is something else. It’s coming up in the news right now.”

Though it is a problem derived from Platinum Sun.

“What are we going to do with the Zenros people now?”

Those who became demons and were then purified.

“We know what humans will do.”

Fear, disgust, hatred toward them.

“They’ll make a fuss. Saying, ‘How dare these demon bastards come into my neighborhood.'”

Humans.

They’re just humans.

* * *

-Breaking news. The government has announced that as soon as the ‘ability-lost individuals’ complete their vaccination and adaptation, arrest warrants will be requested….

“…….”

On the Gyeongbu Expressway, heading down to Busan.

Baek Seol-hee sat in the back of a limousine, watching the news and lost in thought.

“Senior. What do you think about the Zenros people?”

“I’m not sure.”

In response to the question from the A-rank hero “Blast Girl” who was in the limousine with her, Baek Seol-hee turned her gaze to the window.

“First, we need to finish the investigation.”

“Will the investigation really be conducted properly, or rather, will the judgment be fair?”

“Kim Eun-jung, what are you trying to say?”

“Well.”

Blast Girl, Kim Eun-jung, pulled up a list on her Taegeuk Watch with a serious expression.

“Among the Zenros people, there’s a former minister’s son and relatives of legal professionals.”

“…So you’re saying they won’t be punished because they’re related to judges?”

“Even if they are punished, it’ll be a slap on the wrist? Well, it’s going to be complicated. A few years for killing people, a few years for property damage…. Ugh. At times like this, I think Goblin’s way is right.”

“How can you say that too?”

“It’s true, Senior. You must have felt it when you fought the S-rank demon alongside Goblin.”

Kim Eun-jung approached Baek Seol-hee with a meaningful voice.

“If Goblin steps in, we wouldn’t have to get our hands dirty—”

“Goblin is not a thug. We shouldn’t use him for such things.”

“As expected, you and Goblin—”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

Baek Seol-hee warned in a coldly subdued voice.

“If you say something like that one more time, I’ll get angry….”

Screech.

The car stopped.

The limousine carrying Baek Seol-hee, as well as the cars following behind, came to a halt one by one.

“What is it? Is the road damaged?”

“Th-that.”

The driver at the front pointed ahead with a serious expression.

“Up ahead, there are people lying on the road, blocking it.”

“……What?”

“They’re wearing red headbands and lying on the road right now.”

Baek Seol-hee immediately opened the limousine door and went outside.

Flutter.

Banners fluttered on flagpoles stretching left and right.

Seeing the red letters hastily scrawled on white cloth, Baek Seol-hee couldn’t help but read them in a daze.

“Once a demon, always a demon, we oppose their entry into Busan…?”

“Wow, Senior. Is this the NIMBY phenomenon we read about in textbooks?”

“…….”

Clang clang clang!

As the sound of gongs rang out, someone began shouting through a megaphone.

“How dare they bring demons into Busan! How dare they!”

“””How dare they! How dare they!”””

“Hero Association, wake up! Wake up!”

“””Wake up! Wake up!”””

“Demons to hell! Criminals to the execution ground!”

“””To the execution ground! To the execution ground!”””

“Execute the villains! Bring Goblin here!”

“””Bring him here! Bring him here!”””

“Hah.”

Baek Seol-hee felt a chill down her spine.

“Are they… protesting for Goblin to kill all the Zenros demons?”