Chapter 134: The New Zashiki-warashi

“What you did for that child was admirable. But there was definitely damage, wasn’t there?”

“No way! If there had been damage, this dungeon would’ve already been over!”

[“That’s right.”]

The zashiki-warashi acknowledged it without hesitation.

Of course.

Even if Harusaki Yoshino denied it, things would have been different before Japan took control of this dungeon.

There must have been people who sneaked inside.

Either way, the zashiki-warashi must have captured them to protect this girl.

Maybe by using spirits.

“In the name of the goddess, I will now execute you.”

“Uh… C-can’t you let this slide?”

“Hm. Let it slide? That’s impossible. The damage inflicted on people so far has been immense, and Kanora Church cannot overlook it.”

From the start, the goal was to crush this girl’s skull.

After what she’s done, calling her a spirit or a god is questionable.

At this point, she’s just an evil ghost.

This girl will have to become the new zashiki-warashi.

And if I take her in?

That means no more money problems.

“But it’s also true that thanks to the zashiki-warashi, we survived until now. My family lived in prosperity, too. So, it’s not like he was completely in the wrong…”

[“Enough. What I have done requires a price. And you must live.”]

Fine.

If he’s willing to die on his own, that works for me.

He was already in no condition to fulfill his original duty.

At this point, calling her a zashiki-warashi was wrong—she was more like an evil spirit.

“No. I can’t… I can’t let you die just so I can live.”

[“The zashiki-warashi is no longer me. It’s you.”]

The zashiki-warashi gave the kimono-clad girl one last smile.

And I stepped forward, raising my scythe.

“!!”

“Skull smash!”

Smash!

I struck the zashiki-warashi’s head.

Even though she was just a spirit, my scythe cut through her soul, weighing it on the scales.

She was in worse shape than I thought—completely blackened.

“Nom nom.”

I swallowed it down.

Ohh.

The zashiki-warashi’s power and memories flowed into me.

I could hear our goddess enjoying the feast of her soul.

—Wow, as expected, having a good follower means I get to taste souls like this. You better know it’s all thanks to me.

This goddess had some demonic influence, but in the end, I couldn’t let a fragment of the Demon King remain and risk his revival.

“Wow, I was actually moved… and you just killed her.”

“Just like we predicted.”

“Every time something touching happens, this always happens.”

“Ironically, the one who set this all up was the Saint.”

My fellow returnees were busy criticizing me.

Yeah, yeah.

I set the stage, and I ruined the touching moment.

But it couldn’t be helped.

Even if I look like this, I get things done.

I take what I need, but I justify it.

I’m a kind angel who self-rationalizes.

That’s why I did it.

“We had to take her down. If we left her alone, she would’ve turned into an even worse evil spirit. It was better to deal with her while she still had some reason left.”

This lie was actually true.

If she had been left alone, she would have turned into an evil spirit.

The proof was right in front of me—the girl.

That foolish zashiki-warashi didn’t even realize that she was already becoming the new one.

I approached the sniffling girl.

“What do you mean?”

“The zashiki-warashi had already surpassed his limit—to protect you. And now that the evil spirit is dead, you have the opportunity.”

She gave up her body and died.

And since this kimono girl had been here all along, her body was already well-suited to take in the zashiki-warashi’s role.

That was all.

Nothing more, nothing less.

“Then… I…”

“You are now the new zashiki-warashi.”

Since she transformed from a human into a zashiki-warashi, she would probably be different from the ones in legends.

She might even have a lifespan.

She would be something like a half-human.

“Well, that’s the end of it.”

“Wait, then this dungeon…”

“Yes, it’s over.”

“As expected… Saintess, you’re amazing. You actually cleared this place.”

Harusaki Yoshino was amazed.

But wait—you’re not really in a position to be impressed right now.

Because of me, the dungeon was cleared.

Which means the Osaka Dungeon Guide is completely finished, isn’t it?

“Isn’t this a big deal? The dungeon has been cleared.”

“Now that I think about it, you’re right. Hmm. But it doesn’t matter.”

“Hmm? What do you mean it doesn’t matter?”

“I’m just a guide, so I need to check with my superiors. Besides, even they considered this place troublesome to deal with. Honestly, this was just a part-time job for me.”

If it was just a part-time job, then I guess it doesn’t matter.

Wait, was this place originally a hassle to handle?

So they just dumped it on me?

Well, at least I got the zashiki-warashi out of it.

But I wasn’t given any warning.

“Is that so?”

“People have been visiting less recently. But still, my job…”

“Hmm. Then how about becoming a Kanora Church ambassador?”

“Me?”

“Yes. I’ll inform the Japanese Prime Minister. If you work for Kanora Church while I’m away, it would be a great help.”

Yoshino’s eyes rolled around.

She was calculating it, no doubt.

Since I was telling the Prime Minister directly, she would likely rise in ranks under him, overseeing Japan’s Kanora Church operations.

In other words, thanks to me.

“Then what happens to me now?”

“You’ll come with me to Korea. As a follower of Kanora Church and a zashiki-warashi, you must stay by my side under the goddess’s guidance.”

A reasonable excuse, but basically, I just wanted to keep her in my house.

“You just want to keep the zashiki-warashi at your place, don’t you?”

“Of course not. Our goddess devoured the former zashiki-warashi’s soul, so she knows all about them. That’s why I need to manage it.”

—Wow, you naturally roped me in.

Well, she was kind of pitiful.

Besides, this zashiki-warashi was originally human.

Since a human was forcibly given a zashiki-warashi’s body, there were bound to be unpredictable variables.

So my decision wasn’t wrong.

***

A few days later, news of the dungeon’s clearance—originally used as a horror attraction—spread rapidly across Japan.

—The Korean Saintess who defeated Osaka’s evil spirit!

—Who is this Saintess, the pride of Joseon?

—Prime Minister Saito officially recognizes Kanora Church as a religion.

Japanese media was flooded with articles about me.

Obviously, this was thanks to Prime Minister Saito Mizuki, who took the lead in spreading the news.

“Hahaha. Who would’ve thought clearing the Osaka Dungeon would blow up like this?”

Honestly, for just clearing one dungeon, this was over-the-top.

But since the Prime Minister himself was pushing the narrative, he was using my achievements to credit the Kanora goddess, hoping to spread Kanora Church throughout Japan.

He even told me in advance.

Because of that, even those who were fans of dream demons supported the movement, allowing Kanora Church to gain massive traction in Japan.

In short, Kanora Church was the biggest winner of this event.

“That’s amazing. Is the Prime Minister seriously in love with you or something?”

“When people get obsessed with religion, they tend to lose it. Just check his SNS—he’s posting about his crazy workload.”

It was actually kind of pitiful.

Even our President wasn’t struggling that much.

“Isn’t that just propaganda to show how hard he’s working?”

“No, it’s real.”

“Still, for someone to go that crazy… If you clear another dungeon, will they start calling you Japan’s god?”

“Even Korean articles are covering this.”

-Has the Saintess settled in Japan?

-Guild Union: The Saintess’s departure from Korea is unrelated to the Guild Union.

-Kanora Church is gaining popularity even in Japan!

“Hmm. It’s even been uploaded on the video-sharing site TTube. The title says, ‘The Greatness of K-Korea, Admired by the U.S. and Praised by the Japanese Prime Minister!’”

“Oh, I saw that just now. The title is misleading; the actual content is just an introduction to the Saintess.”

Well, in the end, this just proved the greatness of Kanora Church once again.

With this, the President might have gained leverage over the Guild Union.

***

Blue House

President Ha Sang-jae was fuming.

No, to be precise, he was pretending to be furious.

Standing before him were the Director of the Management Bureau and key Guild Masters of the Guild Union.

Ha Sang-jae had his Chief Secretary pull up an article about the Saintess on a screen for these “criminals” to see.

“Well then, speak up.”

No one dared to say a word.

And rightfully so.

Because of the Guild Union’s actions, the Saintess was now active in Japan.

Ha Sang-jae wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip by.

This was his chance to strip some power away from these damn Hunters.

“If you have mouths, then use them! You fools who took bribes behind the scenes, you idiots directly responsible—thanks to you, we’ve lost a valuable asset!”

“That’s going too far! Even if Korea isn’t the Returnee Guild, we still have plenty of talent—”

“Oh? Do you even know where you are? How dare you glare at me like that?”

“Hey, Hunter Daily reporter, make sure tomorrow’s front page says, ‘Guild Union defies the President!’”

“I-I apologize! Please, not that…”

They talk big, but when push comes to shove, they crumble.

Thanks to the Saintess, the tables had turned so quickly.

Ha Sang-jae smirked inwardly.

‘I really backed the right ally. If I can use this to cut down their authority, I don’t care if a succubus sucking men dry becomes the face of Hallyu.’

Not that it would be wrong—after all, that succubus was getting famous.

For now, it was time to press harder.

“You’re all doing great. I knew this would happen ever since people started calling you the future of this country. So, how many of you even went to college?”

“We do have academic backgrounds, you know.”

Oh, look at him trying to argue, just because he’s a representative.

Sure, that might be true.

A Guild Master wouldn’t be some uneducated thug with only a high school diploma or less… right?

But the real problem lay beneath them.

A guild isn’t run by its leader alone.

“Alright. Even if you so-called big shots have some education, what about the people under you?”

“Well…”

“This is what happens when just anyone can become a Hunter. You’re all so insecure about losing your precious little thrones that you resort to petty bullying.”

Ha Sang-jae clicked his tongue, pressing them further.

When else would he get such a golden chance to tear them down?

“Haven’t you always favored the Returnee Guild, Your Excellency?”

“Ah, now that was a good point. They’re returnees—literal citizens who need help. Isn’t it a president’s duty to support his people?”

A great answer, but that was all it took.

The people would support him for standing up for Koreans.

Returnees were, after all, still Korean citizens.

His approval rating would only climb.

“The Guild Union? It’s just a guild in name. They abuse the system—”

“And yet, they still follow the rules, don’t they? Meanwhile, what you lot did directly led to Korea losing valuable talent.”

“Then what exactly do you expect us to do?”

Ah, there it is.

Now the real game could begin.

This was the perfect moment to slash their authority.

With public sentiment turning against the Guild Union, Ha Sang-jae could seize more power.

“I can’t let this slide. I’ll be taking authority over the Management Bureau. From now on, the bureau will only handle Hunter welfare and basic registration matters.”

“Isn’t that too much? We—”

“Shut up! You lot have been stuffing your pockets with bribes, and now you want to complain? Either way, I, as President, will personally persuade the Saintess to return. You’d best watch yourselves.”

The Guild Union representatives had no rebuttal.

Not only because the President was pressuring them, but because the public now saw them as the ones responsible for sending talent overseas.

With that, Ha Sang-jae secured a new weapon against the Hunters.