Chapter 238: Prelude.
Chapter 238: Prelude.
Four of us were gathered in one room, but there was no real conversation.
That doesn't mean it was silent. One person kept prattling on to the empty air.
"So, Brigadier General Un-ho. How does it feel to be back in your hometown after all this time? Didn't you notice how much it's developed while you were away?"
"Lieutenant General Par. You're as stiff as ever. Why not brighten up a bit? With your track record, you could easily rise to the rank of General. In fact, there are rumors that the position of Field Commander for District 3 will be opening up soon."
"Lee Ha-ram, was it? How does this world compare to yours? We send expeditions to many worlds, but it's rare for them to come to ours."
No one gave him a long answer.
"I wouldn't know, since I haven't been able to go outside."
"Then I suppose someone with a silver tongue will be the one to reach the rank of General."
"Ah, I did see a few things changed here and there while looking around, but I've been stuck in the hotel, so I'm not really sure how much. Oh, but the Fruit-Meat seems to have gotten a bit cheaper. Poyo."
Except for Un-ho.
Still, if it weren't for Un-ho, this room would have been utterly desolate, so perhaps it was for the best.
In this seat that felt like a bed of needles, the only thing that could be called a pleasure...
Was the single steak placed before me.
Chewy on the outside, perfectly cooked on the inside—a harmony of savory, flavorful juices.
Of all the meat I had ever eaten, I could say with confidence that none had been grilled more perfectly than this.
It was just a pity to be chewing on such meat in this hellish room.
While I cautiously cut the meat piece by piece and put it in my mouth...
Commander Ronia had long since finished devouring his portion.
Lieutenant General Par had only cut a single piece and eaten it.
Since then, Par hadn't even glanced at the meat, instead glaring intensely at Commander Ronia.
…I didn't realize they hated each other this much.
They said they had already reached an agreement before Un-ho arrived, but how on earth did they settle things?
Maybe the committee, led by Captain Af, had just bargained in and ordered a cease-fire while they were fighting.
In this suffocating psychological warfare, the only thing I could do was let my imagination run wild while chewing on my meat.
Part of me wanted to swing my hammer right now and show them the logic of power, but I couldn't do that.
The logic of power worked because I was among the strongest on Earth and the Demon Train, but in the Magic Kingdom, I was only in the range of an 'ambiguous' powerhouse.
Of course, I was the one who gathered the three of us here, but I wasn't the one with the greatest power in this room.
There was Commander Ronia, who possessed the means to threaten us.
And Lieutenant General Par, who commanded an equal faction.
A quick glance at their combat prowess showed they were weaker than me, but 'power' in this room was entirely different from pure strength.
Hadn't Commander Ronia said it? Politics is about showing the cards in your hand.
If they were invaders, a pure battle of strength would be possible.
But this election was a battle with rules, designated by the mighty world of the Magic Kingdom.
Just as I could lose to the Thunder God in a duel, everything becomes complicated when rules are involved.
Furthermore, this tripartite talk was a place to play cards other than raw strength.
That was why we, who had nothing but strength, simply enjoyed our meat in silence.
Time passed, the meat dishes were cleared away, and the dessert—Purple Jelly—was placed in front of each of us.
"Six days from now. Leharsi Victory Memorial Park. Noon."
Lieutenant General Par suddenly spat out those words.
It was such a brief sentence that one might have questioned it.
However, everyone here, including Un-ho, knew exactly what those words meant, so no one questioned them.
"Any time is fine for us," I said on Un-ho’s behalf.
"Hmm, that's a bit far. That's close to your office, Lieutenant General Par. Wouldn't that be advantageous for you?" Commander Ronia said in a leisurely voice.
"Then what are your thoughts, Ronia? Since you've opposed me, speak for yourself."
Lieutenant General Par spoke in a flat voice, as if they had expected this.
"Isn't seven days from now a holiday? So, seven days from now. Central Memorial Park Annex, at sunset. How about that? I asked a fortune teller, and they said this time would be auspicious."
As Commander Ronia finished speaking, a thin smile played on his lips.
I wondered what kind of trap, what kind of plan lay behind those words.
Lacking information, geographical knowledge, and an understanding of this world, we had no way to deduce the filth hidden within that suggestion.
The only one who could perceive what was inside was Lieutenant General Par.
"…A fortune teller. Since when did you believe in superstitions?"
Lieutenant General Par showed a crooked smile, revealing emotion for the first time.
"Divination is also a branch of magic. Although its accuracy isn't great, it's not a field to be ignored. I myself have been helped by it several times."
What a load of nonsense.
Just in case, I looked down at Un-ho, but Un-ho was also...
"…Fortune telling?"
He tilted his head with a puzzled expression, clearly having no idea what was going on.
If I squeezed my brain for an answer, Commander Ronia probably knew his own story was ridiculous.
Then, what was the aim behind these words? Just as I was letting my imagination run wild because I knew nothing...
"…Fine. But the time will be noon. There's no need to wait for the sun to set."
Lieutenant General Par proposed a revision, as if half-giving up.
"Hmm, that should be fine. I'll have to cancel a lunch appointment, but since it's a major national affair, I'm sure the other party will understand."
…Yeah, right.
If he really had a lunch appointment, he was looking down on us that much.
If he didn't, it was clearly a sentence intended to provoke us.
Even I could understand that much.
"…Tsk."
Whether they had the same thought or not, Lieutenant General Par clicked their tongue and glared at Commander Ronia.
Then, as if wanting to end this meeting quickly, they immediately spoke up.
"Then, let us decide on the number of participants—"
Before Lieutenant General Par could even finish their sentence.
"Unlimited. Wouldn't that be good?"
Commander Ronia cut him off.
As if he were trying to make him angry on purpose.
Was that why?
The muscles in Lieutenant General Par’s face twitched, and their left eye briefly turned black before returning to its original color.
"Are you planning to bring your entire grand army? To match that, we'd have to pull personnel from the front lines, and The Enemy would love that. A maximum of 100 people. Everyone whose name is on the Representative Council list must participate."
They spat out those words in a voice laced with a bit of static.
They had suppressed the physical change, but it was as if the blood inside them had begun to boil.
It was clearly a danger signal.
"Hmm. On our side, there are representative candidates who are purely command-oriented and far from combat."
As if uninterested in Par’s change, Commander Ronia spoke leisurely while putting a piece of jelly in his mouth.
…This is bad.
Just as I, who wasn't even the one being directly provoked, thought so.
BANG—Splat.
With a loud noise, the table collapsed.
The source of the sound was Lieutenant General Par.
Their left arm, which had turned slightly pink, was covered in crushed jelly.
Immediately, the perpetrator of the commotion spoke.
"…If someone without even a minimum of strength intends to call themselves a representative, tell them to get out of that seat right now and write their discharge papers. It's a waste of military resources."
The voice was entirely different from before, filled with emotion and static.
As if they were right on the verge of exploding.
By this point, Commander Ronia should have changed the atmosphere, but...
"My, my. No matter how angry you are, you shouldn't cause damage to private property."
The being who caused this situation spoke those words and waved a heavy hand.
At the same time a white light appeared in the air...
Everything returned to the way it was.
The broken table, the crushed jelly.
Everything was in the same state as before Lieutenant General Par had struck the table.
"Getting that angry is a sign of sugar deficiency. You should try the fruit jelly in front of you. It looks like a simple snack for children, but it's a masterpiece created by a renowned chef."
It was a bit much to think this in this situation.
But that pig was right.
When I had picked up my spoon to taste the jelly earlier...
Contrary to expectations, the jelly showed enough elasticity to bounce the spoon back.
And the moment I scooped it up and put it in my mouth, unlike my expectation that it would be tough, the jelly melted on my tongue, leaving behind a rich, fruity sweetness.
On top of that, with a dish this sweet, the aftertaste should normally be cloying.
But it left only a refreshing aftertaste, as if I had just bitten into a succulent fruit. It was truly a masterpiece.
Of course, as I thought before, it was absolutely not the kind of thing to say in this situation.
"If it's such a good dish, I'll give you mine, so you eat it. Maximum of 100 people. All representative candidates must participate. My requirements remain unchanged."
Lieutenant General Par, determined not to lose control here...
Spat out those words through gritted teeth.
"…Hmm. As I suggested earlier, there are those on our side who are far from combat."
To that, Commander Ronia took Par’s jelly as requested, put it in his mouth, and spoke again while chewing.
Snap.
The sound of something breaking echoed from somewhere.
"Fine. Seven days from now. Central Memorial Park Annex. Noon. Maximum of 100 participants. All candidates must participate. This should be acceptable."
In response, Commander Ronia recited the agreement containing Par’s demands.
As if he had been waiting for this exact moment.
"Then, is this satisfactory? Ah. Brigadier General Un-ho. You haven't offered much of an opinion. If I recall correctly… your faction has a total of three members…. A maximum of 100 is a very harsh condition. How about it? I can lend you 97 of our people."
He continued to speak in a smooth tone.
Despite having decided everything himself, he acted as if he were looking out for us, the weaklings in this room.
Even so, he couldn't hide the slimy filth hidden between those sentences and words.
Ha, he's acting like he just realized there are only three of us.
Why? So you can use us to have 197 people participate? Telling us to 'go to hell' would be more polite than that.
Those words boiled inside me, but...
"Three of us are enough."
I spat that out and patted Un-ho on the back.
To signal him to speak up too.
At that, Un-ho, who was eating the fruit jelly, had a blank expression for a moment.
"Ah, I'm fine with that too. Poyo."
He spoke up, seemingly having understood the situation.
I couldn't tell if he actually knew what had been discussed.
Regardless, once those words were exchanged, Commander Ronia nodded in satisfaction and fluttered his white wings, flying up from the table.
"Then, let's end the meeting here. If there's anything else you'd like to eat, please do so before you leave. I'll take care of the bill later, so enjoy yourselves."
With those words, he left the room.
Just before exiting...
"Ah, I didn't mention it here, but naturally, fighting is forbidden until then. It's so obvious that I forgot to say it."
He said that and closed the door.
As if he wouldn't permit any counterarguments.
Click.
With the sound of the door closing...
A brief silence dominated the room.
About a minute after the silence took over...
"…I'll take my leave."
Lieutenant General Par also stood up from the chair and headed for the exit.
Since that sight was quite on my mind...
"You've worked hard."
I offered a farewell to their back.
"…I'll see you on that day."
As if they hadn't expected my farewell, Lieutenant General Par returned the greeting in a voice tinged with fluster.
And so, the tripartite talk ended.
But Un-ho and I didn't budge from our chairs.
Soon, I threw a question at Un-ho.
"Hey, that Ronia guy said he'd pay for everything earlier, right?"
"He did, didn't he? Poyo."
Oho.
"Un-ho?"
"Yes?"
"Let's order everything we want to eat before we go."
I was going to clear out the menu from start to finish today.
I had been curious about that fruit wine with the different number of digits in its price last time.
Since I couldn't say anything during the meeting and felt like my insides were burning, I had to vent my frustration this way.
While I'm at it, I should call Al’shel too.