The Price of Patriotism
"The South Korean government is making such a racket. The State Department's been crying to me every single day."
The Oval Office.
The man speaking from behind the desk, his tone quiet yet leisurely, was the President of the United States. Henry Komoloff's solid muscle and rigid bearing, barely concealed by his suit, made it plain that he was a former Marine.
"After hearing from Chairman Volkov, I figured I ought to meet you myself. Mister Kim. Mister Lee. Staging a fragging on a global scale, I see."
President Komoloff lit a cigar. He offered us one as well, and Yeonghak and I took them and lit up. The aroma was far stronger than the cigarettes I usually smoked.
"Did you know it was us who blew up the military base in Daejeon?"
"How could I not? I'm the one Chairman Volkov reports to. Leaving no CCTV or black box footage was smart. If there'd been evidence, things would have gotten rather awkward."
Cigar smoke filled the room in silence. Yeonghak's expression trembled slightly as his actions kept being brought up, but he clenched his fist and kept smoking. I understood. For him, that incident had been impossible to endure. I gave his shoulder a light pat and asked my question.
"Are you angry with us over the military base incident — over what we did to the Korean president?"
"My personal feelings don't matter. What matters is the seat I occupy. I am the President of the United States. My foremost concern is whether America stands to gain or not."
The president set down his half-smoked cigar and began to smile.
"You've made things interesting. Two hundred wyverns. And on that foundation, you flipped Europe, Russia, and India to your side. The moment I heard it, I thought it was a fine idea. Russia's deference was especially unusual. Thanks to you, we've got a leash on Russia."
"Russia's landmass is enormous and its population sparse. I figured they'd desperately need the wyverns."
"Well done, Mister Kim. I like it very much."
The president raised his cigar to his lips again. The tip glowed red. He exhaled quietly, watching the two of us with eyes so intense the smoke couldn't hide them.
"Climbing to this position, I've seen a great many people. Plenty of them cause trouble. But among them, those who clean up their own messes are exceedingly rare. And those who clean up while generating profit on top of it? Rarer still. You two did that. You delivered benefits to America."
"We'll keep doing so. We'll be the ones who bring America profit."
"I believe you will. In the coming age of Elixir, your value will only continue to rise. Which is why I'd like to propose a deal right here and now."
A deal.
A deal proposed directly by the President of the United States.
What would he demand?
"I don't imagine forbidding it would stop you, so let's put it this way. As long as America doesn't take a loss, I'll help you take your revenge on Korea. Of course, actions as conspicuous as this last one are best avoided. But if they stay under the radar… America will stand on your side as much as possible."
If the devil's temptation were real, this would be the feeling. An offer we couldn't possibly refuse was being laid before us. I looked at Yeonghak. He swallowed hard, fist clenched tight. For us, this was an unbearably sweet proposal.
But sweet or not, snapping it up without thought would be a problem. For every blind eye America turned to our actions, we'd have to give them something in return.
"Then what do you need from us?"
"Enforcer."
The president made a playful gesture of swinging a blade.
"Rifts themselves make excellent weapons. When we need to pressure another country, or when a nation acts against American interests, I'd like you to be the ones applying that pressure. Nothing that happens inside a Gate leaves any electronic record. And if people die, the witnesses disappear with them. A perfect crime becomes possible."
"You want us to be America's hunting dogs?"
"That's exactly what I mean. Bite who we tell you to bite. Guard what we tell you to guard. Act along those lines. Watching you force the Korean president to his knees, I thought you were perfectly suited for the role. In exchange, we'll provide considerable convenience. Including the trouble you caused America over the Korean president this time, we'll look the other way when appropriate going forward."
So even here, we were being treated like dogs.
But it didn't feel bad.
I looked at Yeonghak. He looked back at me.
Our eyes met for a moment.
Without a word, we understood we were of one mind.
If we were going to be treated like dogs anyway—
"We'll do it."
A master who fed you well was a good master.
At my answer, the president nodded with a pleased smile.
"I'd also like you to manage the Japanese sector inside the Gates. Between their Peace Constitution and various other complications, Japan has legally banned sending hunters beyond the Gates. Right now America is handling the rifts inside Japan as well, and if you lend your strength, things will get considerably easier. In return, a portion of the rift-clearing fees Japan pays will go to you."
"We'll do that."
"And one more thing. When you meet President Yu Myeonghak, demand the city of Daejeon from him."
"Daejeon?"
"In the early days of the Gate crisis, everyone abandoned their homes and fled, so land prices collapsed. The South Korean government bought up every scrap of land in Daejeon and has been using it as military facilities. That land. Declare that you'll take all of it as your territory."
My fist clenched.
Daejeon.
Just hearing the name set my teeth on edge. So why send us there?
"May I ask why?"
"We need to contain China. The conservative administration has lost massive support because of President Yu Myeonghak's actions. The next presidential election and National Assembly elections will almost certainly be landslide victories for progressive parties. And those progressive parties are close to China."
The president exhaled another plume of smoke. It seemed thick with irritation.
"China is a dangerous country. It must be controlled somehow. And for China, Korea — sitting right under its chin — is a nation it must either devour or eliminate. I don't want to watch the South Korean government side with China and stab America in the back."
"You want us to plant ourselves in the middle of Korea and keep watch?"
The president gave a cold smile.
"Surveillance is fine. Beating them is fine. Toppling them is fine. Rifts make excellent pretexts. Do everything you can to stop China from using the rift crisis as an excuse to swallow Korea. Even if the methods are somewhat illegal, as long as they don't come to light, America will tolerate them."
So that was the intention.
I'd planned to seize Korea's security, cut off their limbs, and slowly bleed those bastards dry — but I hadn't intended to go back.
And yet things had turned out this way.
Even better, actually.
Being close made it that much easier to fuck with them.
"We'll do as you wish."
"Excellent. Then I won't take any more of your time. Go meet with President Yu Myeonghak."
At those words, the two of us rose from our seats.
We were about to leave with a parting remark about how good the cigars had been when the president stopped us.
"Ah, one more thing. I hear you're planning to establish a guild?"
"Yes."
"It's inconvenient without a name. What's the guild called? What should I call you from now on?"
A name.
Our name.
There was really only one name that suited us.
I told the president the name Yeonghak and I had agreed on.
"The Stray Dog Guild. Call us that."
The atmosphere in the room was heavy. But I couldn't have cared less. Heavy or not, I was grinning as I looked at President Yu Myeonghak.
"Hunter Kim Seongho. Please return to Korea."
"Oh, I'll go back. Like I've said all along — if the rift-clearing fees are paid properly, there's no reason not to."
President Yu Myeonghak looked like he wanted to say something. Did it really have to be about money? Did they have to be so cold about defending their motherland? But he never managed to put those words into his mouth.
President Yu Myeonghak lowered his head.
"We'll do as you ask. One hundred billion won per rift. We'll pay it. Please handle the Suwon rift situation."
"Two hundred billion per job. And let's set it in dollars, not won. At current exchange rates, two hundred billion won is roughly a hundred forty million dollars, right? Let's just clean it up to a hundred fifty million. Send that much per job."
The president's face crumpled.
"Last time you clearly said a hundred billion—"
"We walked away after rejecting that, so the price goes up. A hundred fifty million dollars per job. If you don't like it, get lost."
"……"
"Next time I come, it'll be double that."
"You—!"
"Should've gotten on your knees when it was a hundred billion per job."
I grinned as I said it, and the president's face flushed red. Rage, hatred, revulsion. But also helplessness. There was no alternative besides us.
"A hundred fifty million dollars per job. We'll pay it."
In the end, he had no choice but to say those words. I nodded.
"And Daejeon. It's all state-owned land right now, right? Hand every last bit of it over to us."
"What did you just say?"
"Ten years ago during the Gate crisis, land prices turned to shit and the government bought up Daejeon. Hand over that city and all the surrounding state-owned land to us. Daejeon is ours now. We're going to use it."
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah. Dead serious. Our base got blown to hell. To rebuild, we need cement, materials, all kinds of shit — which means we need our own territory outside the Gates. Give us all of Daejeon."
"……"
"All of Daejeon is American territory. Treat it the same as an embassy. We're trying to get some work done, and if those shitty Korean laws trip us up, it's a pain in the ass. Designate it as an extraterritorial zone."
The expressions on the Chief of Staff for Civil Affairs and the president were truly a sight. I wanted to take a picture. This was pure comedy. But I wasn't done yet.
"And all the Magic Stones we harvest from clearing Korea's rifts belong to us. We won't be paying any taxes to Korea either, so keep that in mind. And if you touch our families one more time, I'll make you cry tears of blood. Free them immediately."
"You son of a bitch—"
"Those are the main demands. There are various other detailed conditions, but you can work those out with Chairman Volkov. If you agree to all of it, I'll clear the rifts."
At my words, President Yu Myeonghak seemed to snap. He ground his teeth and spat a line at me.
"You selfish bastards. You and every hunter who ran away with you are selfish dogs. You put yourselves before the nation. You're all traitors."
I burst out laughing at that.
"When the country shoves you into becoming a traitor, what else are you supposed to do? Myeonghak. These days, in the age of capitalism, even spiritual values can be bought and sold with money."
I smiled as I looked at the president.
"The money you're paying isn't for anything else. You're just buying patriotism. That's why it's expensive."
President Yu Myeonghak glared at me. I met his eyes with a smile.
But in the end, it was President Yu Myeonghak who had to yield.
"…I'll grant it. Just clear the Suwon rift as quickly as possible."
"Don't worry about it. Head back. It'll be done by the end of today."
Hearing that, the Chief of Staff and the president turned and left the room as if they couldn't stand to look at me any longer.
I watched their backs for a moment, then placed a call to America.
"Chairman Volkov? Send the wyverns to Yeonghak. Tell him to stop collecting slime and take care of those golem packs trying to open a rift."
Level 900-class wyverns. Golems would be cleaned up in an instant.
That evening.
The government of the Republic of Korea hastily announced that the Suwon rift crisis had been resolved.
And the next day.
A hundred fifty million dollars was wired to us.
It was the first price of the patriotism we had torn from Korea.