Chapter 123: For the spread of the Kanora religion.

“Hmm. So, they’re trying to bring in both Hallyu and Kanora Church this time.”

“The Korean president recognizes Succubus as a Hallyu icon, and the Japanese prime minister is obsessed with the Kanora Church? They’re not normal.”

I agree.

At least the Korean president is coldly using Succubus as a Hallyu asset for national interest. But the Japanese prime minister?

That’s different.

The Kanora Church?

The Kanora Church has only just started spreading in Korea.

Succubus is more famous overseas than the Kanora Church.

But for the Japanese leader to already know about it?

“What’s there to be obsessed about?”

“It’s probably a lie. Would the prime minister really be like that? Isn’t the Japanese prime minister young? Most likely, they just became a fan of Succubus or something after watching our pride of Korea.”

It seems suspicious otherwise.

“Well, anyway, it means the Japanese prime minister is interested in us.”

“But didn’t Korea-Japan relations worsen before the Great Cataclysm? Now, post-Cataclysm, with no international rules, wouldn’t things get even more extreme?”

Was that the case?

Despite wanting to return to Korea, I seem to not care much about such matters, possibly because of my identity as a Yukran being.

“That doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. Since the Cataclysm, such things seem to have disappeared. They’re too busy with their own national issues to worry about external ones.”

“But to kick things off with the Kanora Church?”

I smirked. A rather interesting thought came to mind.

“What’s with that weird smile?”

“In ancient times, Baekje spread Buddhism to Japan, right?”

Baekje spread Buddhism to Japan back then.

We could do the same now, spreading an advanced religion and culture (the pride of Korea).

“No way, are you thinking…?”

“Korea alone isn’t enough. Originally, I aimed to target lawless China, but now that things have turned out like this…”

I had thought China would be a good target due to its chaos, but this changes things.

“Now that it’s like this?”

“Let’s expand the Kanora Church to Japan first!”

Thus, our destination became Japan.

Haha, we’ll have to introduce something good to our Japanese friends.

It would be great to turn Japan into a second Yukran continent.

“Uh, but.”

“Yes, Si-yeon? Do you have something to say?”

“The Cheonghwa Guild just sent a message saying they’d forgive me if I return now.”

“You don’t actually want to go back, do you?”

“No, what do I do?”

So, it seems they’re set on crushing the returnee guild.

“Hm. Would you like to come to Japan, Si-yeon? The rest can stay and guard the guild.”

“Can I come too?”

“Honestly, I’m a bit worried about the guild.”

“True, who knows how they might react.”

If we go to Japan, they’ll realize we’re no longer tied down to Korea, and if the returnee guild makes a move in Korea, they’ll still have a chance to survive, so they won’t mess with our guild too much.

“Well, the guild can handle itself. Si-yeon, it might be better if you come to Japan. After all, you’re one of Korea’s top hunters. When we go, the Japanese hunters will probably want to show off.”

Neiphir said that, trying to impress me.

Is he trying to show his worth, or is he emphasizing that he’s the vice guild master?

“Well, it does seem more presentable if we bring someone like you rather than just returnees. Neiphir has a point.”

“Then I’ll go.”

Good.

Japan it is.

“But still, I feel a bit wronged. They tried to screw us over, and now we’re leaving for Japan. It feels like we’re letting them win.”

“True, from their perspective, they’re trying to preserve the hunter society.”

The hunter society is structured around a few elite hunters monopolizing dungeons and profits, while lower-ranked hunters struggle.

This needs to be dismantled, but going to Japan now only expands our influence.

It doesn’t directly challenge the hunter society.

“So, I’m thinking of dropping a little bait.”

Everyone’s eyes turned to me.

“What are you planning?”

“Our revolutionary leader will need to help us out.”

This is where that man’s talent for stirring things up will come in handy.

“How should we do it?”

“We’ll claim that the hunter guilds are ostracizing us just because we’re returnees, and that’s why we’re going to Japan.”

We’ll create a simple wave of new propaganda.

Along with this, we’ll start a narrative about the president being the only one supporting the returnee guild, which will garner sympathy for him too.

“Ah, so you want to create sympathy for us?”

“Yes. These idiots will become upgraded idiots who harass the returnee guild. The general public doesn’t know what we’re after, do they?”

Ordinary people, not being awakened, don’t know our true goals.

They just care about living safely without the threat of monsters.

Our position is crucial.

Since the returnee guild has already gained public support, if we claim we’re being driven out to Japan, the guild alliance will face backlash.

It’ll be chaos.

There might be people who believe that the returnees are no longer Koreans.

They’ll probably point fingers at the Guild Union, blaming their foolish actions for causing the returnees to choose Japan instead.

Meanwhile, we can take our time spreading our Kanora religion throughout Japan.

***

Tokyo, Japan.

K-Succubus! K-Succubus!

K-Succubus! K-Succubus!

As soon as we arrived in Tokyo, the sound of people praising Succubus echoed around us.

If before the Great Cataclysm, K-pop and other aspects of the Korean Wave captivated Japanese women, this time, it was different.

Most of the voices cheering were from Japanese men.

It turns out that, unlike Korea, which had the military to hold things off during the early days of the Great Cataclysm, Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force was in terrible shape, making things much harder for them.

Most Japanese had to become Awakened and turn into hunters to survive the chaos.

And in the midst of that, K-Succubus, dancing in the dungeons while defeating monsters, was like a beacon of hope for the worn-out Japanese hunters.

That’s how I see it.

Honestly, besides that, it doesn’t make much sense that our “Pride of Korea” would be popular in Japan.

Well, Succubus is pretty, though.

“The enthusiasm is incredible.”

I glanced at Succubus, who gave me a thumbs-up before tossing off the sunglasses she had been wearing and flaunting her well-built chest.

WOOOOOAAAHHH!

It was pure madness.

I felt a bit embarrassed by Succubus, so I walked slightly ahead toward the accommodations the Japanese hunters had shown us.

“It would have been easier to spread Kanora religion if we could also capture Japanese women with a new Hallyu wave.”

For that, a good-looking man capable of riding the Hallyu wave alongside Succubus would have been helpful.

The Revolutionary Leader would’ve been perfect for that role.

He’s actually quite handsome when you look closely.

The problem is, he stayed behind to work on the sympathy operation for the guild.

“Maybe we should have brought an orc instead?”

But the orc seemed to have a lot going on with his friends.

In any case, he did say he would help with dungeon clearing after the job was done, so we decided to let him off for now.

Not that it matters—below-the-belt jokes aside, he’s not really a meaningful character.

“Hey, bringing me should be enough.”

“Huh? You actually came?”

Surprisingly, even the Hero had joined us for this trip.

-That’s right, Lady Elin, the slave-born daughter of a slave, and Lady Maria, the hair mage of the Jeongoran Tribe, are helping defend our guild.

-And what about me?

-Oh, Hero, you’re here? Hmmm, well… Since there are so many women on this trip to Japan, having a bodyguard might not be a bad idea.

That’s how we ended up bringing the Hero as our bodyguard.

Actually, this became an issue as soon as the Japan trip was decided.

The thing was, there were too many women involved in Kanora religion, and we were worried that something might happen in Japan.

At first, I considered bringing someone from the Martial Arts faction, but they were busy too.

And the returnees from Daeyuk seemed like they would want to fight as soon as they arrived in Japan, so I gave up on that idea.

That left only the Hero.

“Hm. Come to think of it, does he have a face that would be well-received here?”

He does look kind of like a Westerner.

But since the Hero isn’t exactly a returnee, he had to naturalize as a Korean.

Thanks to the relaxed naturalization process after the Great Cataclysm, the Hero didn’t have much trouble with it.

The question is, could he become a K-Hero?

That’s what I’m wondering about.

As I got closer and examined his face, I could see that he’s actually pretty handsome.

“Hey, stop… Stop shoving your face into mine.”

“Why? I just want a better look at that handsome face of yours.”

I spent some time turning the Hero’s face back and forth in my hands.

Yep, he’s good-looking.

With a face like this, he could totally become the new Hallyu star to capture Japanese women’s hearts.

After playing with the Hero’s face for a while, I let go.

For some reason, the Hero was clutching his chest, his face flushed—he looked much weaker than the hero who had slain the demon lord.

It feels odd to say this, but when he acts like that, he looks kind of pathetic.

“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

“Of course. If you’ve followed me all the way to Earth, you should expect to be teased a little.”

“Wow, you’re such a devious woman.”

Succubus pouted as she teased me.

What’s so devious about it?

“I think the Hero should try acting more assertive. But honestly, I can’t tell if he’s strong or weak.”

“Even if he acted tough, it wouldn’t change anything.”

Well, if the Hero started acting tough now, it might be a little awkward.

Even so, I acknowledge the Hero’s strength.

Whether it shows or not, he’s strong.

“Even a saintess can’t resist when you get physical. No matter how virtuous she is, she’d end up whining.”

“You wanna die?”

I slapped Succubus across the face as she made obscene gestures.

Seriously, only Succubus would say something like that.

Just then, there was a commotion up ahead, and a group of people appeared.

Most of them looked like hunters.

“Welcome, we are honored to have you in Japan.”

Among them, a person escorted by the Japanese hunters approached.

From the look of excitement on their face, I could tell they weren’t just anyone.

If I’m not mistaken, from what I’ve seen on TV, this person must be the Japanese Prime Minister.