The Flame Emperor's Spotlight
The comments section under the article was lively.
Yu Junseo's daily routine began with checking news articles. More precisely, he checked the comments beneath them, especially the highly recommended ones. In that sense, the morning comments today were excellent. While some were written in a somewhat critical tone, most of the top-recommended comments were full of praise for him.
Yu Junseo's shoulders trembled. "Eheheh." A rather unpleasant laugh slipped through the gap between his slightly parted teeth. He turned his head to look at the new subordinate standing beside him.
[4★ Flame Guardian is watching you.]
The status window used the word "watching," but the Flame Guardian had no eyes. In fact, it had no limbs either. Yu Junseo's new disaster was a suit of black armor wreathed in flames—a living armor floating in midair. Though the Flame Guardian was not a named entity and its combat power was not particularly impressive due to its extremely specialized tanking ability, that hardly mattered. Yu Junseo now possessed a 4-star disaster, and that alone had earned him the sweet title of S-class Awakened. For him, that was more than enough.
"Kang Se-na, so what I'm saying is, shouldn't I be called something like Flame Emperor instead of Flame King?"
"…What on earth are you talking about first thing in the morning?"
Kang Se-na, who had been organizing documents, frowned. Under her sharp gaze, Yu Junseo looked slightly deflated, but he pressed on.
"No, when I was A-class I was called Flame King, but now I'm S-class, which is on a completely different level. I feel like I should have a different title than that third-rate nickname from back then. Yeah, something like that."
Yu Junseo spoke with genuine seriousness, but Kang Se-na only let out a deep sigh. How on earth had this man succeeded in synthesizing a 4-star disaster?
"This really is the end of days." She muttered under her breath, too quietly for him to hear. He had clearly been completely captivated by the display Nam Juyeon had shown in the conference room last time. Even after Nam Juyeon left for Daejeon, Yu Junseo had kept insisting they should follow his will and become independent from the government. Then, out of nowhere, he had taken the two strongest 3-star disasters he possessed and thrown them into a synthesis—a reckless gamble.
"Haah, the fact that it actually worked is even more surprising."
He had succeeded in the gamble, just as he had boasted. At this point, Kang Se-na had no choice but to admit it. Yu Junseo was not someone who had simply ridden the current of the times—he was simply a man blessed with extraordinary luck.
"Well, at least Seoul's forces have been reinforced, so that's a good thing. If you want to be called Flame Emperor, I'll give the reporters some guidelines, but personally I wouldn't recommend it."
"Why?"
"There's already an Awakened far more impressive than you who's called Dragon Emperor. If a latecomer starts calling himself Emperor, won't there be a lot of backlash?"
"…Ah."
When she brought up the absent Nam Juyeon to persuade him, Yu Junseo nodded and then shouted with all his might.
"Then I need to meet Nam Juyeon!"
"Hmm. I wonder how our director arrived at that conclusion."
Kang Se-na had no interest whatsoever, but she forced herself to ask after seeing Yu Junseo's expression.
"Flame Emperor and Dragon Emperor! Together, the Twin Emperors! Korea's two guardian deities!"
"…Haa."
Maybe it was time to quit this job after all. Kang Se-na was seriously considering it when Seo Ye-rin entered the director's office carrying an armful of documents.
"Director, sir?"
"What now?" Yu Junseo was already mechanically clicking recommend and not-recommend on news comments, having lost interest in most of his work.
Seo Ye-rin spoke cautiously. "…There's someone who wants to see you."
"Who? Can't you see I'm busy?"
"…It's someone a bit high-ranking."
"High-ranking?"
Seo Ye-rin fidgeted before answering. "The National Security Office…"
"…"
Yu Junseo shot to his feet.
*
The moment he returned to Seoul, the management bureau building was holding some kind of event.
"Taxpayer money is melting away again."
If they had the luxury to throw a party just because one synthesis succeeded, they should have used it to take care of the soldiers instead. Moreover, this event did not seem to be solely for celebrating Yu Junseo. Members of the newly formed cabinet were gathered, chatting freely among themselves.
"…Ah, Nam Juyeon…"
However, the moment most of them saw the man who had just entered the building, their expressions hardened. It was because of the scene he had caused in the conference room not long ago. Even the lawmakers who had not been present that day had heard the stories—about the National Assembly member whose nose had been smashed and who was still hospitalized. To them, he was an asymmetric force capable of overthrowing the government at any moment, depending on his mood.
Perhaps because of that, not a single person among the noisy event attendees approached him to speak. Except for one.
"Ah, Mr. Nam Juyeon! Welcome! Did everything go well with the matters in the provinces?"
Seo Ye-rin, an A-class Awakened who clearly had no sense of tact whatsoever, approached and greeted him warmly. She seemed completely oblivious to the sharp glances the lawmakers were directing at her. She asked after his well-being in various ways, and Nam Juyeon answered half-heartedly. Then she smiled brightly and held out her phone.
"Have you seen this? Now Mr. Nam Juyeon has a reliable rival too!"
"…What the hell."
He was only realizing it now, but the media really did love to make a fuss. Just as he was thinking that, he noticed something shocking on Seo Ye-rin's phone screen.
A typical fossil-style comment often seen under articles. The problem, however, was the edit button right next to the comment section. In other words, the person who had written this comment was…
'Don't tell me Seo Ye-rin was that ultra-nationalist fossil?'
He had learned something he never wanted to know. It was what they called the curse of knowledge. The foolish woman in front of him no longer looked innocent at all. Still, Nam Juyeon merely cleared his throat without giving any indication and changed the subject.
"By the way, Ms. Seo Ye-rin, where is Director Yu Junseo, the star of this event? I don't see him anywhere."
Given his personality, Yu Junseo should have been on the stage basking in applause, yet he was nowhere to be found.
"Ah, the director went to speak with some government officials, so he's not here right now."
"Government officials? To talk?"
"Umm… Ms. Se-na told me not to say anything, but… I think it's better if you know too, Lord Dragon Emperor."
Seo Ye-rin's mouth was as loose as her brain capacity. She smiled meaningfully and whispered to him.
"It's the National Security Office. Ms. Se-na said it's an agency directly under the President! Isn't that amazing? Ah, have you already met them too, Mr. Nam Juyeon?"
"…Hmm."
Just then, his eyes met Kang Se-na's as she walked toward them. Instead of speaking, she simply squinted one eye, summarizing the current situation. The National Security Office had summoned Yu Junseo. There were several possible meanings behind that, but none of them were satisfactory.
"Ms. Seo Ye-rin, I'd love to catch up since it's been a while, but something urgent has come up. Unfortunately, let's have a meal together next time."
"Ah, aah! When is next time?!"
Subtle language did not work on Seo Ye-rin.
"Well… let's say next week."
"Yes! I'm free anytime!"
After sending Seo Ye-rin away, he left the event hall and entered a nearby public restroom. Once he confirmed there was no tail, he summoned Mirien.
"[5★ Storm of the North Sea Mirien summoned.]"
"Actor, why?"
"You might have heard just now, but things are taking a strange turn. What do you think Yu Junseo was told at the Security Office?"
"…Hmm. I don't know? But what's the National Security Office?"
Right. Mirien would not know. Selene, who was equally ignorant of worldly affairs, would be the same. But having grown up in this country all his life, Nam Juyeon could not hide the chill he felt.
"If you don't know, then we need to find out. Mirien, you can track Yu Junseo, right? You saw him once before."
"Actor, what do you take me for? As long as he doesn't leave this planet, he won't escape my sight."
"Good. Then track Yu Junseo and find out what he's discussing with the government."
"Okay."
Mirien's body transformed into particles of light and scattered. She was probably heading to the top floor of the Tower of Rebellion to use tracking magic. Nam Juyeon turned and walked in the opposite direction. The Blue House had been half-destroyed, and Mirien's tower now stood where the National Assembly had once been. The current executive branch of Korea, including the President's office, was located in Jung-gu, where City Hall stood. Entering a nearby alley, he pulled his hood low and called Selene.
"[5★ Scorched Saint Selene summoned.]"
"Selene."
"Yes, My Lord."
"Just in case, prepare yourself."
"…Prepare what, exactly?"
"Prepare to fight."
It would be best to assume the worst.