Unstoppable (10)

Unstoppable (10)

“W-Wait a moment!”

As I was about to leave, someone bravely raised their hand. I clearly said I wouldn’t take questions, but I didn’t expect someone this brave.

“What?”

“I’m Management Bureau Chief Lee Min-hyung. There’s too little information. What do you mean by that sudden talk about an era of chaos coming?”

Management Bureau Chief Lee Min-hyung, who flinched greatly under my gaze, still managed to speak up with some courage. In the dead silence, I tried to calculate in my head for a moment.

Come to think of it, I might have spoken a bit inadequately. I ended up using the demon lord-style speech of just making unilateral announcements.

“Should I explain it more simply? This afternoon, I dealt with the monsters that came through the dimensional gate and secured testimony from them. At least hundreds of monsters have infiltrated this land in that short time. They were monster parasite swarms, hive organisms that eat the internal organs of normal people and lay eggs inside to increase their kind.”

I just openly disclosed everything. Then, a stir spread among the people. They seemed to grasp it now.

“Is that enough now? I’m leaving.”

“Wait! What’s going to happen to Casilena then!”

But at that moment, someone else grabbed my ankle. Frowning, I looked at the guy near Management Bureau Chief Lee Min-hyung. He was a middle-aged man with a plump build.

“Who are you?”

“Wh-What?!”

“I asked who you are.”

When I asked back in a flat voice, he flinched and fumbled. Everyone’s eyes turned to him as well. Of course, I could guess roughly. Several people wearing black suits with badges were around him.

“I-I am Jang Su-hyeok, a four-term member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea. I’m 56 years old this year.”

“Why are you telling me your age? Are you expecting respect because of that?”

I snorted as I received his self-introduction. 56 years old. It’s an age when one should be in their prime. But somehow, as I expected, his face crumpled.

“True respect comes from one’s own strength, not from age that accumulates just by time passing. That’s why I never respect those weaker than me. But I do specially grant ‘mercy’. Casilena, why are you asking me about that?”

“Oh my…”

“I know that Rene, the head of Casilena, is a magical girl from the same affiliation as you.”

I deliberately provoked him arrogantly to annoy him more, and he trembled even more. In the end, it was the young congressman standing next to him who spoke to me again.

“That’s right. So what? We’re in the same affiliation, but I’m not interested in them. Likewise, they don’t dare to mess with me either. Does that answer your question?”

“How can that be…”

“But I’m already disappointed.”

I just answered because I had to officially clarify that there was no relationship whatsoever between Casilena and me.

It wasn’t just that kind of question that irritated me.

“Is this really the time for you to be concerned about such things?”

A hint of annoyance mixed into my voice and my eyebrows twitched.

“What did I just warn you about? I think I said that monsters could pop up anywhere at any time. People might be dying even at this very moment, you know.”

“But if the domestic magical girls divide into factions and keep each other in check, our ability to deal with the monsters will decrease.”

“Don’t underestimate them. Even if they’re rotten, they’re still magical girls. They won’t act like that in a real emergency.”

Here’s the English translation:

I didn’t want to hear such ridiculous excuses.

Every time I saw such pathetic sights, I wondered what the cause of this rising irritation was, but now I think I know.

It’s because of my workaholic instinct. I should just leave it alone and not care, but when I see rulers who keep doing inefficient nonsense while managing a group, I can’t help but want to wring their necks.

“Just do your jobs properly. Stop interfering with people who are working fine. Hey you, answer with your own mouth.”

“Ugh… urgh…”

I pointed my finger at him, Jang Su-hyeok. But for some reason, he was grinding his teeth, clearly displeased.

“Not going to answer? Is it so hard to say you’ll stop doing stupid things and work harder? Can’t you say that one thing to the citizens watching all of this right now?”

“Fine. I said fine!”

Suddenly becoming my target, he couldn’t withstand the pressure and opened his mouth towards the camera. It might be a cliché, but… it’s better than not saying anything.

“But the same goes for you all.”

Watching this, I turned to face the camera.

“You all. The ordinary people watching this right now, the members of this society. You all need to get your act together too.”

In the Demon Realm with its iron-clad hierarchy, it would be enough for just the rulers to come to their senses.

But this place wasn’t like that. This was a place where laws existed stating that all people should be treated as equal individuals.

Therefore, in the end, each and every member needs to be in their right mind. If that doesn’t happen, the majority will suffer at the hands of a few madmen.

‘Of course, that’s not likely to happen easily.’

I didn’t particularly expect it to. It was obvious things would go to hell. I smirked and flew up into the sky.

*

“No way, seriously.”

“But he’s so damn arrogant. Talking down to everyone like some edgy middle schooler…”

Right after Takiras’s shocking press conference. Naturally, it caused enormous ripples. Not just in Korea, but in foreign countries as well. After all, alien beings don’t care about national borders when they act.

“Is that a typical reaction? What’s the public opinion, Director Oh?”

“…It’s almost half and half. No, more like 60-40.”

“I assume the 40 are the ones who don’t take it seriously?”

Management Bureau Director Lee Min-hyung, who had been standing in place and overheard the conversation of a few passersby, turned his attention away from their voices and looked at Oh Yun-seo, who had just come out of the convenience store with coffee.

“No. The 60 are on that side.”

“That’s hopeless. Or is it a miracle that it’s even that much?”

He laughed bitterly. Perhaps because it’s still so recent, there weren’t many people who took Taquilath’s words seriously compared to the reaction.

People were already used to monsters and magical girls. Although Taquilath warned that it would be incomparable to before, people’s reactions were lukewarm.

“Many people know Taquilath as a teenage girl. But it’s because of her notoriety that she’s managed to elicit this much of a reaction.”

“Do you know what the problem with people these days is, Director? They know a little bit about too many things. And this society pursues rationality and dislikes cowards. As a result, people unknowingly become arrogant and their useless beliefs become more firm. I have no thoughts on that, but at least in this situation, it’s irritating.”

He sighed and accepted the coffee.

Those who knew what kind of being Taquilath was would never take those words lightly. But to the vast majority of people who would never clash with Taquilath, she was just an interesting oddball and a maverick.

In fact, the internet was overflowing with posts insulting and mocking Taquilath.

“Contact Aria. And Karin. No, contact all the magical girls we can reach.”

“What do you plan to do?”

“We need to do everything we can. We’ll have to cooperate with Casilena as well.”

He made his decision. It was an independent move without consulting his superiors. It was also evidence that he didn’t have much expectation from the higher-ups.

“What about the Management Bureau Director? Did he say anything?”

“He’s moving busily.”

“How foolish.”

But while people like Lee Min-hyung were moving to prepare, they weren’t the only ones in motion.

“We’ll have to reorganize the Management Bureau anyway. Soon, magical girls will lose their place in this land.”

Congressman Jung Chan-hyuk said while gauging the reactions, then laughed awkwardly.

“That crazy little girl is a bit of a variable, but well. She provided a good justification.”

However, among the various people present, the first-term congressman had considerably less influence.

Amidst several key figures from politics and business with significant influence in their respective fields, they began to devise a larger plan in this private gathering.

“But will everything really be alright? It’s quite unusual, isn’t it?”

“The stock market continues to plummet daily, and the unpredictable international situation remains the same. How could this world move at the whim of a child’s words?”

One of the oldest men there raised his voice, laughing heartily. Though retired from politics, he was one of the most influential figures in the gathering, leading many factions under his command.

“More surprising is that the deadline has been shortened. I heard they were still gathering materials as the experiment wasn’t finished yet.”

“Don’t worry. Enlightenment sometimes comes suddenly.”

He changed the subject. His gaze turned to a young woman wearing a pristine white lab coat, unlike the others – Oh In-sun, a researcher from The One Road.

“Next-generation warriors to replace the magical girls. If your loyalty remains, this small peninsula will be able to enjoy that grace.”

“Then I’ll believe that and start planning soon.”

As she sparkled with excitement, someone approached him with a smirk. It was a young male congressman with a tense, stiff face.

“Everyone should give a round of applause. For the heroes who will gloriously self-destruct while obstructing our path.”

“Self-destruct, sir?”

“There are a few troublesome fellows these days, aren’t there? Congressman Kang here will expose some of them in a sex scandal. Hahaha!”

He laughed heartily, saying it was a brilliant move to sink and drag down opponents amidst the chaos.

Despite Tachylas’s warning, the rampage of the monsters crawling out of the dimensional gate was just another opportunity for some people.