Ch.538Chapter 20. American Doblin (28)

I forced them out.

They’re trying to take advantage of us with ridiculous reasons and logic.

Those who lack power, need to save face, or must consider political or diplomatic issues might sometimes be taken advantage of.

But we’re different.

Behind Desmond Faygreen stands the Syndicate, and me.

“W-what did you just say…?”

“I said go to hell. Please leave now.”

Desmond pointed to the door.

“My time is valuable, so I’d appreciate if you left before I say something worse.”

“…Mr. Faygreen, I’ve heard you’re quite recently expanding your routes to Japan.”

“If that has anything to do with this, I have my own plans.”

If there’s ever a time when a businessman becomes stronger than anyone else…

“I’ll have to completely withdraw from business in Japan and bet everything on Korean routes instead.”

“Grrk…!”

It’s when they’re in the absolute position of power.

“Two trillion won from selling the Phoenix feathers. That money is currently tied up in Korean accounts. How could I convert it to yen? And if such a trivial matter disrupts business, how could I trust that country for future business?”

It’s a bluff.

News of the Japanese route expansion significantly raised Faygreen’s stock price, and about half of the feather money is in dollars, not won.

And considering tax issues, it’s difficult to see the full two trillion as a clean two trillion.

“No, we simply want to verify the authenticity of the artifacts. This is related to our history…”

“Your history is none of my concern. I’m a person living in the present, just a businessman. When my personal hobbies interfere with business, I’m not someone who abandons hobbies to pursue business.”

It’s the opposite.

Desmond is a man who would sell anything, whether hobby or not, for business, for money.

“I’ve already made enough money, so now I want to live as I please. And if someone interferes with that, I can’t just sit still.”

But the reason he’s become someone who would give up a business that could earn hundreds of millions of dollars for a hobby is because he’s in a position where he can afford to do so.

“If you don’t want to make me the devil of capitalism, please leave now. If you leave now, I’ll pretend nothing happened in this room.”

“……”

“If they ask back in America why I abandoned the Japanese route business, I’ll honestly answer it was because of Congressman Fujimura.”

“Grrk…”

Though he tried to hold out silently, once the responsibility became clear, Congressman Fujimura finally stood up abruptly.

“I won’t forget this.”

“Remember or forget as you please. I’ll do as I wish. Ah! Of course, if it affects business, you’ll be dealing with the Chairman of Faygreen, not old man Desmond.”

“Kuh!”

The congressman left roughly.

His blatant display of displeasure, unlike typical Japanese behavior, was probably due to the influence of his physical form.

‘Is it because of the pretty girl face?’

Fortunately, the visible appearance of someone leaving while sniffling wasn’t irritating.

Of course, knowing that inside was a middle-aged bald man, and the words flowing from those lips were full of displeasure, it was naturally annoying.

Clunk!

The door closed.

After the congressman and secretary left, I immediately moved to reach for the decorative stand next to where the secretary had been standing.

“Phew, really troublesome… What are you-“

Crackle!

“…A listening device?”

As soon as Desmond saw the black device I was crushing between my fingers, he frowned and pressed his lips tightly together.

Crackle, crack.

“You can speak freely now. I’ve set up a barrier, so don’t worry.”

“Phewww…. Damn. They planted a listening device in that short time?”

“When it comes to items related to Hwalbindang and the Syndicate, of course they would. Ah, right. I have someone to introduce.”

I pushed aside the chair where Congressman Fujimura had been sitting and brought a new chair to place beside me.

“Let me introduce you. Magical Girl Platinum Sun, demon purifier. Her name is Ymir.”

“Hello?”

“Gasp….”

As soon as Ymir appeared in the seat next to me, Desmond trembled in surprise, even more shocked than when I destroyed the listening device.

“Since when…?”

“From the beginning.”

“My goodness. You’re really saying she’s an invisibility ability user? No, if it’s the Platinum Sun… I suppose that’s entirely possible.”

“Are you surprised by the ability? Not by the fact that Platinum Sun is working with the Goblin?”

“There’s no… need to be surprised.”

Desmond smoothed down his chest with his hand and let out a hollow laugh.

“There must be reasons why you’re working together. Whether Platinum Sun is with the Syndicate, or you two are actually lovers, there’s no particular need to be surprised.”

“Why not?”

“Whatever happens around the Goblin, as long as nothing bad happens to Faygreen, that’s all that matters.”

“You have a positive mindset. You won’t have to worry about hair loss.”

“My genes aren’t baldness genes, but if I get hair loss from stress, that would be too unfair, wouldn’t it?”

Perhaps it was because he was talking with a real pretty girl.

Desmond, with a completely relaxed face, lay back on the sofa and exhaled deeply.

“Is this really okay? Seeing a Japanese politician go this far, this seems like quite an important item.”

“It’s not just a simple artifact. What do you think it is?”

“…Is it actually a fake, with mana powder hidden inside?”

Desmond revealed his guess with a truly serious face.

“Or maybe it contains the remains of an S-class ability user who died in Japan, or some kind of S-class ninja secret technique containing S-class abilities.”

“If you break this and turn it into powder, it would indeed be mana powder.”

“…Huh?”

“You saw the Mecha Lord of Radiant Wings, right? That gold lump is an object that can hold mana.”

I quickly finished explaining about mana gold, and as Desmond listened, he looked at the artifacts with an increasingly serious expression.

“Two trillion for the feathers would be ‘mere change’ compared to this, I suppose.”

As expected of a businessman.

Rather than the historical content, he immediately showed sensitivity to the ‘money’ aspect.

“Like, if we made airplane engines with this, and put ability users who can create wind in the engine room, could we fly planes without fuel and such?”

“It’s not impossible. Rather, if you focused development in that direction, we might have planes flying without petroleum within a year.”

The form would probably resemble the “airships” often seen in medieval fantasy games.

“Civilian applications will come later. For now, it will be used in the World Cup, and as ‘weapons’ for ability users.”

“I see….”

“When humanity developed bronze and iron, the first and most numerous things they made were weapons. It’s similar.”

“You mean dedicated weapons…. Ah, perhaps you too?”

“I’m a bit different.”

Revealing the external core would be too much.

While Desmond did have the airline chairman’s perspective of using it as an “energy source,” going further to talk about the golden orbs would be excessive.

‘Sorry, but everything I tell you goes straight to Yang Da-rin.’

In other words.

All information I share with Desmond is information that can be open to Yang Da-rin.

When Yang Da-rin picks up the information I’m leaking through Desmond, I need to test the waters and naturally make her extend her reach toward Desmond.

The Haeguneul chairman also knows about the existence of mana gold.

She’ll probably learn from the chairman that mana gold is only mined from veins centered around the northern Korean peninsula.

But what if she learns that it affects Korean cultural artifacts remaining in Japan, or that the Syndicate already knew and secured them first?

‘Our response will vary depending on Yang Da-rin’s choice.’

Will Yang Da-rin, as a double agent, join hands with the Syndicate?

Or will she place her hand on the chairman’s bald head and explode together with the Haeguneul headquarters?

That depends on how Desmond is tempted by Yang Da-rin going forward.

“Well, shall we start the ‘conversion’?”

“Conversion…?”

“Yes.”

I took out the Goblin’s club.

“It’s an object made about fifteen hundred years ago, but you can’t fight holding a Maitreya statue in battle.”

“Wait. Conversion? Are you trying to change this artifact into a different form?”

Desmond reaches for the artifact in panic.

“No, wait. You said it was made over 15 centuries ago? It’s authentic? A historical artifact from your country, Korea??”

“It’s fine. If we use this for a meaningful purpose, our ancestors would surely give us a thumbs up.”

“No!! Do you realize what you’re trying to do? It’s like taking out China’s Terracotta Warriors and trying to turn them into modern armor!”

“If the Terracotta Warriors were made of mana gold, I would certainly do that too.”

Even artifacts in Korea.

“Think about it. Wearing old precious metal ornaments, holding a Maitreya statue with both hands, and Buddha shooting beams…”

Hmm.

That might actually be pretty good.

A Baekje king holding the Maitreya statue, with a giant Buddha appearing like a silhouette behind him, bombarding with mana attacks?

“…It could cause religious issues, so it’s better to change it into another form. Hmm.”

There are ability users who hold crosses and shout “GRAND CROSS!!!” but the Syndicate doesn’t support any specific religion.

“The person who made this would be happy too. These artifacts coming together…”

Click.

“To become the heart and body for a virgin ghost to revive.”

Our cultural artifacts found in Japan will become the new bones and flesh of S-class beauties.

“Our ancestors would surely be pleased.”

Isn’t this a hundred, a thousand times better than Japanese people stealing our cultural artifacts, claiming them as their own?

At this moment.

Hwan’s will is on our side.