Chapter 236: Politics is Power
Chapter 236: Politics is Power
Should I call this Lieutenant General Par’s office? The place where the general resided was quite unique.
Boom—!
The sound of an explosion echoed from far away.
Soon after, the vibration of the earth followed.
When I shifted my gaze toward the distance, I felt a disconnect between my vision and the background.
This meant there was something nearby distorting reality.
Since my knowledge of the Magic Kingdom was meager, I couldn't say for certain, but this was likely the front line of the war against the Otherworld enemies.
In other words, it was a familiar place to me.
However, there was one crucial difference.
“....”
“Isn't that him? You know, that guy?”
“Ah, the Brigadier General running in the election?”
“Looks like it, right? What’s he doing here?”
“Probably here to see Lieutenant General Par. Let’s not pay them any mind. Getting involved will only lead to a headache.”
“True. Anyway, duty during Election Season is way too tight.”
“At least the hazard pay is good.”
“Pay is pay, but tired is tired. Switching from four shifts to three is rough.”
“That’s for sure.”
These were the words of the Magic Kingdom residents passing us by.
They held small ice pops in their hands.
Despite what they were saying, there was almost no trace of fatigue in their voices.
“...It’s the front line, yet everyone seems so bright.”
“...Well, it’s quite different from your world, Ha-ram-nim.”
Yes, that was the decisive difference between us.
What was our front line like?
It had changed a bit now that the Great Barrier existed, but in the past, the front line was a dark, muddy place.
An Avici Hell where death always loomed, a place you could never get used to.
Someone once described it as being like the water-logged trenches of World War I, and that was probably the most accurate comparison.
Except for the problem that the enemies were beings who could ignore the trenches entirely.
Compared to that, the Magic Kingdom’s front line was so bright it was hard to put into words.
There wasn't a single piece of surveillance equipment—the kind built to prevent soldiers and Awakened from deserting—to be found.
The buildings that looked like barracks were polished and shining without a speck of grime.
Furthermore, the soldiers wandering the camp didn't have a hint of darkness about them, just like the people from before.
“Is this the difference between us and the Magic Kingdom...?”
Because their survival was guaranteed.
Because they were a strong world that wasn't on the brink of destruction.
Between the threat of our deportation and Un-ho’s candidacy, those thoughts had briefly slipped my mind, but seeing this sight brought the gap between the Magic Kingdom and our world back to the forefront of my brain.
“Earth will be like this one day too.”
Perhaps trying to comfort me as I was lost in the past, Un-ho spoke to me while hovering around my shoulder.
Right. One day, our world too.
Strong enough to be at peace even while under invasion.
With that prayer, I walked slowly toward the office where Lieutenant General Par was said to be.
* * *
The scene we first encountered upon being guided into Lieutenant General Par’s office was quite peculiar.
While not as many as Captain Af, numerous Magic Circles were floating in the air.
In the center sat a fairy with a slender, androgynous appearance, slightly smaller in stature than me, firing mana into each one.
Around them, as they produced countless spells, the Magic Circles continuously glowed, firing magic toward the open ceiling.
Only when the Magic Circles around the fairy had all vanished did Lieutenant General Par finally turn their gaze toward us.
“Brigadier General Un-ho. What is your business?”
A voice that was incredibly stiff, unimaginable coming from such a delicate appearance with light purple hair, flowed out.
“Ah, well. I came to talk about the election...”
Unlike when he was with Captain Ronia, Un-ho opened his mouth to Lieutenant General Par without acting intimidated, but...
“Leave.”
Lieutenant General Par cut Un-ho off flatly, turned their head, and once again scattered Magic Circles around themself.
“Um. Excuse me. Could we at least have a conversation...?”
“I have no time for conversation. Enemies from the Otherworld have appeared on the front line I am responsible for, and I am fulfilling my duty. Or is it something else?”
As Lieutenant General Par waved a hand, numerous Magic Circles glowed, firing projectiles into the sky.
“Are you planning to fight now? If so, I don't mind.”
The fairy slowly looked at us with unfocused eyes.
He wore a fishy smirk filled with hostility.
At that, I felt a sense of dissonance.
Was it because Lieutenant General Par’s presence felt as large as mine?
Or was it something else?
Something about Lieutenant General Par felt fundamentally different from the others I had met in the Magic Kingdom.
I had seen dark emotions like that even with Captain Ronia.
However, that had been a dark smile meant to test the opponent, like in a game of poker, rather than pure hostility.
But the smile and expression this person made lacked the "flower garden in the head" quality typical of the Magic Kingdom’s residents.
Even Captain Ronia had a underlying belief that we wouldn't actually slaughter each other.
But the hostility radiating from Lieutenant General Par felt as though they could kill us right this second.
“Poyo?!”
Perhaps because he was on the receiving end of that hostility, Un-ho, who was sensitive in strange ways, jumped into the air as if truly startled and landed on my shoulder.
“Wh-what is it?”
Un-ho addressed Lieutenant General Par in a voice full of fear, but...
“...Even as a UN Entity, you don't react to this? I had high expectations since I heard you were a Brigadier General who only stayed on the front lines, but this is disappointing.”
Lieutenant General Par only uttered those cryptic words before turning away and summoning Magic Circles again.
“....”
I really don't get it.
Are all the Magic Kingdom generals like this?
Captain Af is obsessed with efficiency.
Captain Ronia is a politician.
Brigadier General Un-ho has his head in the clouds.
And now we have Lieutenant General Par, who just does whatever the hell they want.
Sigh.
Un-ho seems too scared to speak, so I guess I have to step up again.
Nothing ever goes smoothly.
“Haa... You are Lieutenant General Par, correct? Do you have any intention of talking?”
“....”
No answer came back.
It wasn't that he didn't hear me.
I could clearly see his body reacting to my words.
“I’ll assume you’re listening and continue.”
I took a short breath.
“The reason we came here, the reason Un-ho is running, is due to our own circumstances. We have no intention of actually being elected, so there’s no reason to fight...”
Since these were the same words I had said to Captain Ronia, I spoke them without much thought.
However, due to the deal with Captain Ronia, some details were omitted.
Even so, I didn't think Lieutenant General Par would have anything to say about it. But that was my mistake.
“...No reason to fight?”
They turned their head.
Revealing a distorted, alien emotion filled with the same dissonance shown in that fishy smirk from before.
“Poyoyoyoyoyo.”
Un-ho was terrified by the sudden change and burrowed into my arms, but I spoke up without being intimidated.
“Yes. We have no reason to fight with you, Lieutenant General Par...”
Before I could even finish my sentence, my vision flashed.
Thud.
Immediately after, a loud impact rang in my ears.
What just happened?
I regained my senses instantly and looked around, quickly understanding the situation.
My body had been slammed into The Wall.
I had been struck by someone.
And there was only one person who could have hit me.
When I turned my gaze toward the center of the room, I saw someone with a bizarre form.
Except for their left arm and part of their left eye, Lieutenant General Par looked the same as before.
However, that left side—the part that had changed—was bizarre beyond belief.
A twisted, Multi-jointed Arm of dark red flesh, with skin torn here and there.
An eye with a black sclera and a single, glinting red pupil.
Swinging the arm that had clearly just struck me, Lieutenant General Par spoke.
“Are you in league with Ronia too? Despising combat, trying to settle my blood?”
Crack. Crick-crack.
The arm made of flesh continued to proliferate, growing in size.
Then, a cracking static began to underlie Lieutenant General Par’s voice.
“Or are you mocking me? By showing me a fellow UN Entity?”
UN Entity?
He must be talking about Un-ho...
Before I could think deeply on it, a fist flew at me.
At a speed so blindingly fast it was barely perceivable.
Boom!
This time, however, I summoned my Hammer and blocked it. My switch had already flipped to combat mode the moment I took the first hit.
Despite the situation, I hadn't raised my Hammer to strike yet.
It was still fine. It didn't seem like the other side had the intent to kill me just yet.
This was simply the Magic Kingdom’s election war. A military election meant to neutralize each other. So, instead of swinging The Hammer, I spoke.
“We are not in league with Captain Ronia. We don't need to fight...”
“That’s exactly what that damn bastard Ronia wants!”
Crash!
This time, I couldn't block it. However, it wasn't a fist that attacked me.
What struck me was a Silver Sphere that fell from the sky.
...So this is what he meant by bombardment.
Enduring the impact, I stood up.
“Tui.”
I spat out the blood pooling in my mouth and spoke.
Normally, I should be filled with rage after being hit, but the being before me wasn't radiating killing intent toward me.
“What’s the problem? The war between you and Captain Ronia was already over. Does Un-ho joining now change anything?”
Instead, I stopped being polite.
“It changed everything.”
Grin.
The Lieutenant General before me smiled.
“It made it so we can fight again. Just as the blood from the outside dictates. Legally, and officially.”
...Blood from the outside?
“That’s why your words aren't even worth listening to. Why would I stop when we can start the fight again? I just need to crush you and that Ronia fellow again. Just like before, the one left standing takes the seat of victory. It’s enough for the one who leads to be the one who excels in every aspect. It would be strange if that didn't include strength.”
...Is he a crazy battle maniac?
No, that’s not it.
This person seems crazy, but they are actually suppressing their emotions.
For some reason, something different from this world is sleeping inside them, and they are merely enduring to keep it contained.
That was why this election was a place where they could reveal the destructive combat instincts locked deep within them.
“Lieutenant General Par.”
“Stop talking and fight.”
“Then, we shall participate as well. However.”
With this, the option of not fighting had gone out the window.
Captain Ronia.
Lieutenant General Par.
Both of them wanted internal strife.
Though their reasons were different.
Captain Ronia didn't want Lieutenant General Par to enter The Council.
That was why he tried to restart the internal conflict by using Un-ho, who had suddenly dropped into the finished election landscape.
And Lieutenant General Par wanted a place to fight.
But while Par’s patience was suppressing their impulses, Un-ho’s arrival allowed the internal conflict to begin anew.
Their directions and reasons differed.
But both involved in this situation wanted a fight once more.
Then, what was it that we had to do?
It was simple.
“Fighting is fine, but is there a need to engage in such a wasteful battle?”
“...What do you mean?”
The cracking noise in Lieutenant General Par’s voice began to fade.
As if connected to that, the movement of the proliferating left arm subsided.
“Since you are all citizens of the Magic Kingdom, I’m suggesting we end this with a single battle, without any losses.”
So that it doesn't interfere with our lives.
If combat is unavoidable, let’s end it as quickly and with as few encounters as possible.
“Captain Ronia, Lieutenant General Par, and our Un-ho. The three of you gather in one place and have a single battle. The winner takes all.”
Perhaps finding my words interesting...
“...Keep talking.”
Lieutenant General Par’s left arm and left eye returned to their original forms.
“First, let’s sit down.”
Though all the chairs and everything else were smashed because of your rampage.
“Because from here on, the real politics begins.”