Chapter 409: Bullshit
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 409: Bullshit
“Ha… Fuck, it’s the West. The West is the problem. The Western Continent is a fucking problem, too. Did we have some kind of feud with the West in a past life or something?”
“That’s not wrong. Enemies in a past life. Isn’t that true for us?”
“Uh… Fuck, now that I think about it, you’re right.”
Choi Seulgi spoke, her brow furrowed. Every time something blew up, it was related to the West. At this point, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say we were just fated to have bad blood with them. I glanced at the parchment and muttered.
“To be fair, what they’re saying isn’t entirely wrong.”
“But it’s not right, either. Is it?”
“Hmm…”
“Tell them to fuck off. If it weren’t for us, it would be the elves in that underground, not the Japanese. If you pull shit like that, you deserve to be punished. That bitch, Jeong Jina. Something stank about her from the moment I saw her. I’m sure of it… I had a feeling, but I should have just slit her throat then and there. She should be grateful she’s living in a peaceful era, but instead, I could see her sniffing around, looking for scraps to gobble up… Back in the day, I would’ve cut off her head and hung it at the village entrance.”
Her words were quite bloodthirsty; that’s how angry Choi Seulgi was. It was my problem, so I was grateful she was reacting this way, but if we actually did as she suggested, it would cause quite a few issues.
I shifted my gaze to the parchment in Choi Seulgi’s hand.
[We condemn the inhumane practices of the East.]
“Talking about being ‘human.’ Fucking idiots, we’re not even human.”
At Choi Seulgi’s remark, I muttered to myself and looked back at the flyer.
“They could be targeting Jang Ye Ri at the same time…”
[Do you know why one must receive permission from the Witch of the East, Jang Ye Ri, and the Green Skins to travel to the Eastern Continent? Do you know why, even within the East, one can only visit designated areas? Many people must be harboring doubts about this matter.
The Green Skins and the East are currently colonizing the Japanese people on the Eastern Continent to line their own pockets. It is a place so horrific it defies description, a place where hundreds of humans die every single day. The resources they send up from the underground are used to idolize the leaders of the East and to provide them with comfortable lives. Therefore, we, the small clan coalition, along with myself, Jeong Jina, condemn the inhumane practices occurring in the East.]
It was a well-written leaflet. It was short and easy to read. As I finished reading, Choi Seulgi scowled and spoke again.
“Reading it again, it’s still fucking ridiculous. Unbelievable. Can’t you see their true intentions, starting off by talking about opening up the Eastern Continent? And what the hell do they mean, ‘resources they send up’? It costs money to run that underground facility. They’re just assuming we think like their shitty selves.”
“You’ve got a point there.”
Choi Seulgi was right. Far from gaining resources from the underground, we hadn’t even recouped our initial investment.
“More importantly, how do they even know about this?”
“They say that while a certain clan was entering a dungeon in the East, they just so happened to succeed in rescuing a Japanese person who had escaped from the underground. Their official stance is that the Japanese individual is currently under protection and that they will reveal more details through the witness.”
“That’s a lie.”
“Of course it’s a lie.”
An unknown Japanese person escaping from the East was less likely than a camel passing through the eye of a needle. It was far more plausible that someone who knew our situation well had made contact with the West.
“No, the fact that we’re even holding a meeting over this is ridiculous.”
“That’s why they lumped Jang Ye Ri into it. She’s the Witch of the East. She has to release a statement of her own… That’s how it is.”
I gave a short reply to Choi Seulgi’s words. Pinning the blame solely on the Green Skins was an excellent choice on their part. The South was currently governed by the East, while the entire West was managed by the North. It was no surprise that Jang Ye Ri, who could no longer focus on just one major city as she had before, was concerned with public opinion.
“And I’m telling you this in advance, the meeting is going to be pretty annoying.”
“Why?”
“The North has changed a bit since we settled on the Northern Continent… The old social systems are being revived… Now that things are a little safer, people are starting to look elsewhere.”
“You sound like you don’t like it.”
“A little? It’s a total shitshow. A whole bunch of bitches who were high-ranking officials, sons of congressmen, or daughters of some shadowy figures back on Earth have come over and are raising all sorts of hell. They think they’re hot shit because they have some brains, I guess. There are a lot of bastards who are dead set on taking everything for themselves.”
“…”
“Did I not tell you? A lot of bullshit is being thrown around, like, ‘Does it make sense for a country to have a king? We need to hold a presidential election,’ or ‘Those with military power have too much authority,’ or ‘The cabinet needs to be reorganized.’”
“Like that Winter Weasel guy?”
“That old man is a gentleman. A real gentleman. So-Hye is more of an observer, I’d say. She doesn’t really try to protect what she has. That’s what makes it even more frustrating. It would be a different story if the bastards who struggled with us from the beginning were saying this stuff.”
If the old Winter Weasel was considered decent, then it was understandable that the current situation in the North would be annoying. But Han So-Hye’s reaction was a little surprising, even to me. I glanced at Choi Seulgi and spoke softly.
“She wasn’t like that in our past life, was she?”
“You could say her environment had a big influence. In our past life, the goal was survival. Now, people have started pursuing a more stable life.”
“I think I get the gist of the situation.”
“Of course you should, you bastard. If they want to hold a presidential election and reorganize the cabinet so badly, why don’t they just go off and build their own country? The friends who lived and struggled together are staying quiet, but I don’t know what right these newcomers have to be making demands. Maybe I just can’t understand the thoughts of these oh-so-smart people, but if I had my way, I’d kill them all.”
Seeing the genuine annoyance on her face, I continued.
“They’re too scared to survive on their own, and they don’t have the confidence to build their own nation. They don’t want the fence to be broken, and they don’t want to go outside the fence, but they want to grab a big piece of the pie for themselves from inside…”
Choi Seulgi finished my thought.
“But since they have no ability, they use their heads in other ways. That’s it. Ah! I’ll go on ahead, Kim Taesung. I have a few things to prepare.”
Since the meeting was being held in the North, Choi Seulgi, being in an important position, would have much to do. I nodded, and she vanished from my sight.
I usually left these matters to Lee Wanyong or Jung Hayeon, but Hayeon was currently on her way back to the Land of Glory from the West, and I had another task for Wanyong.
I wonder if it’ll work out.
If the task I gave Lee Wanyong bore fruit, I figured there would be things we could do on our end as well.
Lost in various thoughts, a considerable amount of time passed. I had to attend the meeting as well, so I slowly began to rise.
“We have been waiting, Chieftain.”
Hearing a voice from somewhere, I turned my head. My eyes fell upon the third elven princess, who was waiting for me with her head bowed quietly. No, she was now Alisha, the de facto ruler of the elves residing in the East.
Around her were the retainers who would be attending the meeting with her, faces I had seen once before. After glancing at those bowing to me, I spoke immediately.
“We’re a little late. Let’s go.”
“Yes, yes…”
The gray skin that had appeared after she became a Dark Elf came into view. Come to think of it, I hadn’t sought Alisha out even after saying I would arrange a meeting. Feeling sorry, I gently stroked her head, and Alisha slowly lowered her head.
“I’m sorry for dragging you into this.”
“Not at all, Chieftain. We were certainly involved… and besides, we elves believe it is time for us to step forward. I don’t think we can keep cowering forever.”
“A fine thought.”
“No. It’s already too late.”
I didn’t think it was too late at all. In fact, it was a remarkable achievement that the elves, who had only ever communicated with humans through the Green Skins until now, were attending this meeting in person.
“What about your sister?”
“If you mean my second-eldest sister, she is still fighting with my eldest sister. Thank you for your consideration.”
At my question, Alisha discreetly bowed her head and offered her thanks. The two groups of elves that had split before were still fighting, having created a conflict zone. Of course, only the first princess was fighting in earnest. Though it was called a conflict zone, there were virtually no casualties; they were merely keeping each other in check and clashing occasionally.
When Alisha thanked me for my consideration, she was clearly referring to the fact that the Green Skins were not intervening in that conflict zone, in that fight.
“I don’t recall doing anything worthy of thanks.”
“I believe just changing our race and saving us is more than enough to be thankful for. As is the mercy you’ve shown my sister.”
I gave a slight nod at her words, but Alisha’s conflict with her sister was a great help to me as well. I hadn’t done it just to receive thanks, so I simply kept my mouth shut.
“Truly…”
“I appreciate you saying so.”
As I walked with Alisha, a door leading to a large conference hall came into view. The North had grown quite a bit since the war ended. Looking at the door, which was even larger than the last time, I stepped forward again.
“Announcing the entrance of the Elven Queen of the East, Lady Alisha, and the Great Tribe Leader of the Green Skins, Lord Blood Dagger!” a guard holding a spear at the side shouted.
His voice was loud enough to be heard throughout the hall, and the doors slowly began to open. What came into view was a large, circular table, its many chairs filled with unfamiliar figures.
Jang Ye Ri.
Our eyes met, and she gave me a slight nod in greeting. I nodded back. To the right, I could see Jang Ye Ri and the members from the East, and to the left, the members from the North.
Han So-Hye, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, smiled as if happy to see me, and the northern executives who had fought alongside us also gave short bows. Choi Seulgi was openly smiling with her eyes.
I had heard the cabinet had been reorganized to some extent, and there were certainly more unfamiliar faces than familiar ones. There was even one guy who was staring at me with wide eyes, as if seeing me for the first time. I remembered all the faces of the envoys who had come to congratulate me on becoming the Great Tribe Leader, so I figured the unfamiliar faces were probably not on friendly terms with our side.
I slowly pulled out a chair and began to sit down. Alisha did the same, taking a seat with her elven retainers. As soon as she did, one of the men spoke up.
“Heh heh. They’re late. When they should have been preparing in advance… At a time like this…”
He wasn’t speaking directly to me. He had only said it softly to the person next to him, but he must have muttered it as if to make sure I heard, because his voice rang clearly in my ears.