Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: The Mayor's Commute
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Monday.
A concept universally hated by all humanity, transcending language and culture. Humanity's worst invention born from the five-day workweek. The illegitimate child spawned by the seven-day week system.
If you think of a week as one big family, Monday would be the delinquent no one loves.
The kind that squanders the inheritance left by its parents, the weekend, and leaves nothing but suffering for its younger siblings.
If days of the week are just arbitrary human agreements, couldn't we abolish Monday through social consensus? Start the week from Tuesday instead.
Or better yet, propose a bill to make every day Sunday.
Special Ordinance for the Perpetual Happiness of Neo Incheon Citizens.
Of course, that bill would crumble to dust before the overwhelming reality named Seria.
Yeah, maybe Seria herself is my living, breathing Monday.
Beep beep beep—
I smashed the noisy alarm.
As I sat up, my vast penthouse came into view— so expansive it bordered on desolate.
When I first became the owner of this ultra-luxury penthouse, I was thrilled for a moment. A symbol of a successful life. The rich existence you only see in comics.
But it didn't take long to realize that humans are ultimately animals confined to the bed.
I'm the monarch of a vast kingdom, but my actual domain of rule is just this fluffy mattress.
The rest of the territory belongs to the disc-shaped cleaning robots that patrol periodically.
How profound and tragic is this truth?
I slowly changed clothes.
The costume for performing my role as Mayor of Neo Incheon. As I slipped on the custom-tailored suit handcrafted by an Italian artisan, I thought to myself.
"Haa."
I don't want to work.
I hate the position of mayor.
So what about a working mayor?
Oh my god. The birth of a horrific hybrid.
The negative synergy of two worsts creating the ultimate evil. Just thinking about it gives me chills.
By the time I finished preparing for work, it was 9 a.m.
The mayor's official start time is 9 a.m.
Finishing preparations right at start time. How ironic.
I'm already late. But my goal is to tack on another 30 minutes.
I'll take the emergency stairs instead of the elevator and walk on my own two feet instead of using the official car.
This is my passive resistance, my work slowdown. My declaration of a quiet strike, Lee Garam style.
I trudged toward City Hall.
The savory butter scent wafting from my usual corner bakery momentarily halted my steps.
Yeah, I need these little pleasures.
The privilege of the common folk: an Americano and a freshly baked croissant.
"Oh my, Mr. Mayor! You're out quite early today!"
The bakery owner's cheerful voice pierced my ears.
"Ah, yeah. Heh, haha."
Early? At this hour? It's 9:10 a.m., and City Hall is a 20-minute walk away.
Perfectly late for a 9 a.m. start. And she calls it early.
Just what time did the original 'Lee Garam' arrive at work?
Damn.
Am I so hopeless that no matter how hard I try, I can't even match a natural slacker's pace?
Is this the gap in talent?
The sense of defeat that a slacker can never beat a genius washed over me.
I took a sip of my iced Americano and recalled the weekend events.
Seria. And the tiger split in half.
Her overwhelming power. The surreal sight of a single finger erasing an A-rank monster.
This world is dangerous.
It's on a whole different level from the peaceful Earth I knew.
Heroes and villains smashing buildings in fights, unidentified monsters bursting from dimensional rifts. Even super-science labs churning out deadly bioweapons for some insane reason.
To survive this living hell, there's only one way.
Stay as inconspicuous as possible. And escape this place as fast as I can.
My utopia, my Shangri-La, a quiet island in the South Pacific. That's my salvation.
To get there, impeachment is essential.
Abuse of power, dereliction of duty, corruption.
How sweet those words sound.
Only the stigma of an incompetent, corrupt mayor will set me free.
I reaffirmed my resolve and stood at the crosswalk. The red light blinked boringly.
That was when it happened.
"Aigoo! Thief! Somebody catch him! My bag!"
A grandmother's desperate scream shattered the quiet. I turned to see a man in black snatching her handbag and running off.
A textbook pickpocket. A clichéd scene straight out of a drama.
Of course, I have zero intention of getting involved.
Not my business.
That grandma is a stranger to me.
That pickpocket is a stranger to me.
Therefore, this incident is a stranger to me.
Perfect syllogism.
Trivial crimes like that are for the police or patrolling low-tier heroes.
That's the division of labor in modern society. Stick to your role.
The mayor just needs to arrive at City Hall... not on time, but fashionably late.
As I turned away to keep walking—
Bam!
Justice rained from the sky.
No, justice dropped from the sky.
"A single beam of light cutting through the darkness! Your North Star, Polaris, has arrived!"
A childish entrance line.
A navy-blue costume clinging tightly to a body emblazoned with constellations.
A blonde girl landed on the asphalt.
She wobbled a bit after the flashy landing but quickly struck a heroic pose, hand on hip, as if nothing happened.
Hmm, did she just stagger a little? Must be my imagination.
A small drone hovered beside the girl. It had a "Neo Incheon Support" sticker.
Battle cams provided to heroes on the city budget. A D-rank supply model, at that.
"Oh, it's that kid again."
"Polaris, right? Always messing up."
"D-rank, so no expectations..."
The surrounding citizens' reactions were lukewarm.
"Stop right there! Stealing a grandma's precious belongings? Polaris won't forgive you!"
The girl called Polaris pointed at the pickpocket and shouted.
The pickpocket smirked and picked up speed.
"What? Some rookie hero? Catch me if you can!"
"Urgh!"
Polaris yelled in frustration and chased after him.
Her movements were shockingly clumsy. Her full-force punch sliced empty air, and her signature kick flew in the wrong direction.
I watched the spectacle from across the crosswalk, intrigued.
It felt like watching a low-budget action comedy.
Is this the privilege of taxpaying citizens? Free entertainment courtesy of Neo Incheon.
"No escape! Return the bag peacefully, and I promise leniency!"
Whoosh—
Cornered in a dead end, the pickpocket suddenly drew a dagger from his pocket.
Oh, things are getting dicey.
At that moment, Polaris's eyes changed. She clasped her hands forward and shouted briefly.
"Hya! Starlight Shot!"
A starlight energy bullet shot from her fingertips.
"Gah!"
The beam hit the dagger dead-on, and the pickpocket screamed, clutching his burned hand.
Clang!
The dagger hit the ground.
Oh. Not bad?
But as I admired—
The beam didn't stop after hitting the dagger. It pierced straight through the grandma's handbag in the pickpocket's hand.
Whoosh.
The leather bag burst into flames instantly.
Silence fell.
The pickpocket, Polaris, and even I watching from afar were speechless.
"Ah..."
She stared blankly at the ashen remains of the bag.
The belatedly arriving grandma saw the scene and collapsed in despair.
And to top it off, the pickpocket got caught by brave citizens.
Where was the hero's triumph?
"S-Sorry, Grandma! I'll compensate you for everything! Just wait until payday..."
Polaris flailed her arms, on the verge of tears.
The grandma grabbed Polaris's hand and comforted her instead.
"It's okay, hero girl. The thief's caught, that's what matters. The bag? I can buy a new one."
Polaris bowed her head and spoke weakly to the hovering drone.
"Everyone... that's the stream for today... sniff... Likes and subs next time..."
A city entrusting public safety to such a lame hero.
I want to escape this place ASAP.
I finally arrived at City Hall at 9:47 a.m.
Tardiness doesn't get more habitual than this. No, "tardy" doesn't cut it.
This is practically a refusal to work. My timid rebellion succeeded again today.
Disqualified as a professional. Worst as an organization head. I'd give it a solid B+.
No A because, considering my potential, I could've been 30 minutes later—such a shame.
Humans must always leave room for growth.
Of course, the price of that success was the mountain of documents awaiting me the moment I opened the mayor's office door.
Himalayan, Everest-level majesty.
What tectonic shift happened over the weekend?
"You've arrived, Mayor."
A voice came from beyond the peak.
It was Seria. A faint lilac scent brushed my nose. Like the fragrance of a flower blooming in hell.
"Tardy as always today. Can't you read a clock? Or do you have some special disability preventing you from grasping the concept of scheduled time?"
Visual impairment. Not viewpoint, but time impairment.
"Seria, that's a misunderstanding. A total misunderstanding. On the way here, I witnessed a major incident. A clash of three values: citizen safety, hero ethics, and elderly property rights. A microcosm of modern society. How could I, as mayor, ignore that?"
I dramatized the morning's pickpocket, Polaris, and grandma encounter as solemnly as possible.
"So in conclusion, you were late because you watched a third-rate low-budget comedy on the street?"
"C-Comedy?! This is a serious social issue!"
"And you just spectated without intervening. Excellent. Your non-interference principle must be the ultimate policy for maximizing Neo Inchon's autonomy."
"Th-That's!"
Seria lightly tapped a peak of the document mountain with her slender finger.
Crack.
A few sheets slid down precariously.
"Anyway, Mayor. Spectating is fun, but how about focusing on your actual job now?"
"Th-That is, and..."
How can I escape this hell called paperwork and its fearsome ogre warden, Seria?
"Right! That thing! The sudden emergence of the Hell Tiger last weekend caused me PTSD! Yeah, post-traumatic stress disorder from mental shock. I need a doctor's diagnosis!"
Mental trauma. PTSD. The most reasonable, modern excuse for sick leave. Perfect.
But Seria reacted the opposite of what I expected. She even smiled softly, relieved.
"No need to worry. Your mental state hasn't been normal a single moment since I started. This is your usual self, so relax and focus on work."
I slumped to my seat.
I weakly reached for the document pile. And mechanically began stamping.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The approval stamp's rhythmic impacts echoed in the office.
Brain empty, hands moving— the so-called "office worker automaton mode."
Meanwhile, my true intellect buzzed actively amid the mindless repetition.
How to get kicked out of the mayor position.
Step 1: Act incompetent mayor. Fail. Earned the dreadful title "Latent Dragon Lee Garam."
Step 2: Act debauched. Fail. Called cute due to small scale.
Step 3: SNS rants. Epic fail. Gained an MIGA fan club.
What's left?
Suddenly, the clumsy hero girl from morning popped into mind.
Childish lines. Sloppy moves.
Polaris. North Star, right?
A familiar name. In the original work... yeah, Han Sia. Real name Han Sia.
I immediately accessed the World Tree Wiki. Typed "Polaris," and results appeared.
[Polaris]
- Real name: Han Sia
- Rank: D-rank
- Ability: Stellar Light Manipulation
That's it?
In the original, she was a classic late-bloomer.
Immense potential, but such a huge vessel that her awakening was glacially slow. Extreme late-bloomer type.
Always striving, failing, yet rising again—a model righteous hero.
Though up to my last read, she hadn't shed the "prospect" label.
Currently still D-rank.
What's D-rank hero reality like? I dove into City Hall's intranet for Hero Association data.
...Grim.
D-ranks weren't even heroes.
Treated as hero hopefuls or interns. City activity stipends were half minimum wage.
To earn points for C-rank promotion, they handled all the dirty work, and unstable incidents made normal part-time jobs impossible.
Pure passion pay. This world's dark side exploited youth on dreams, just like mine.
Perfect. A plan dawned.
Use a hero.
Polaris, Han Sia specifically.
Secretly support a D-rank no one notices, as Neo Incheon's Mayor Lee Garam.
Start as personal sponsorship, funnel money discreetly. When exposed later?
'Mayor's Secret Sponsorship,' 'Backroom Funding Scandal,' 'Mayor Blurs Public-Private Lines.'
How sensational and beautiful!
Media catnip.
'Mayor secretly funds female hero' headlines incoming.
Media and public will swarm. My approval rating will crater through the floor to bedrock.
Plus, Polaris Han Sia is canonically a justice zealot. Can't tolerate injustice.
When she grows and learns Neo Incheon's mayor was a corrupt sleaze?
Enraged, she'll judge me. In justice's name!
Kukuku. What long-term vision! My genius amazes me again!
"Mayor."
"Eek!"
Seria was peering into my face, unnoticed.
"What idiotic thought has you grinning like that?"
"Ah, nothing! Just... an innovative idea for the city's future! Haha!"
I laughed awkwardly and turned to my monitor. Typed "Polaris" in search.
First hit: Nutube channel, Polaris Official.
Official, huh. Rings a bell. Someone impersonating a D-rank channel?
Live now.
Viewer count in corner: 3.
...Her PC, phone, and me.
Tears welled up.
On screen, Polaris faced a monster in the park.
Opponent: D-rank "Horned Rabbit."
Cute bunny with a sharp forehead horn. Quintessential lame D-rank design.
[Oh! Everyone, look! It's a Horned Rabbit! So cute, right?]
But something was off.
[Hey bunny, hi? I won't hurt you. Wanna be friends?]
That instant, a Horned Rabbit chomped her ankle.
[Ow!]
As she fell in pain, every surrounding Horned Rabbit swarmed her.
Polaris was mobbed and trampled by the rabbit horde.
[Ow! Wait, eek! N-Not there! Don't step! Don't bite! This is my only costume!]
Screen shook wildly. Filled with her pathetic screams. Brutal lynching in progress.
This is it. This lameness. This pathos. My sponsorship target right here.
The more lame and record-less the hero, the bigger the fallout later.
No need to watch more. I hit "Sponsor" without hesitation.
Nickname: ...Creepier the better. Obviously impure intent.
[Ilruwait]
Amount: 1,000,000 won.
I typed my malice and sleaze into the message, letter by letter.
Fanfare!
[Ilruwait sponsored 1,000,000 won!]
[Sponsor message: Hehehe... Wanna be secret friends with uncle?]
The moment I hit send, the on-screen situation flipped.
[Huh? Eh? Ehhh!?]
Polaris let out a shriek. Blinding light exploded from her body.
Stellar light. Her ability.
Boom!
The light wave erased the rabbits without trace.
Having instantly cleared the scene, Polaris stared blankly at her smartphone. Her eyes shook like in an earthquake.
The flashy sponsor notification at the top.
She rubbed her eyes in disbelief. Then stammered in a terrified voice.
[Is this... real? Um... did you send it by mistake? R-Refund...! Should I refund it?]