Chapter 590: A Stale Old Connection (9)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 590: A Stale Old Connection (9)
Ever since I revealed my dissatisfaction with the government, requests have been flooding in.
Some ask to meet just once, others want to schedule a meeting about guild sponsorships.
They're dredging up every excuse imaginable just to get a face-to-face meeting with me.
But why?
“They must think this is their chance.”
Isn't there a saying that whatever’s on the ground belongs to whoever picks it up?
Of course, in reality, that’s misappropriation of lost property, but anyway.
An S-rank Hunter disgruntled with their country is like a smartphone hanging precariously from a pocket.
An expensive item that could fall at any moment, ready to be snatched up by someone the instant it does.
In short, they're just waiting for me to fall.
And some of them are trying to egg me on, to make me fall even sooner.
I hate to say it because it sounds like bragging, but my stock is pretty high right now.
“It’s quite peculiar.”
Watching them rush at me as if they'd pay any price just to meet makes me wonder all over again what Hexagram's true intentions are.
Reduce the authority granted to S-ranks.
Expand the welfare benefits for A-rank and other lower-ranked Hunters.
On the surface, it sounds plausible.
It means replacing a security system reliant on a handful of S-ranks with a denser network of numerous personnel.
If that happened, Korea's national security would certainly become more robust.
Right.
“If they could actually pull it off, that is.”
If their intentions were laid bare, the S-rank Hunters would revolt.
Who would be foolish enough to meekly hand over what's in their grasp just because someone wants to take it?
Some might say they should suck it up for the sake of a stronger nation, the country where they were born and raised.
That's wrong.
“Why should they?”
They have no reason to endure it.
Because they have nothing to lose.
The country where I was born and raised?
It’s precious, sure.
But how many S-rank Hunters in the world possess such profound patriotism that they'd value their country over their own lives?
As I always say, being a Hunter is a job.
A means of livelihood to earn money and support myself and my family.
Which means there's precious little room for things like patriotism or loyalty.
And in the midst of that, they're suddenly going to strip away my authority?
They'd immediately post ‘Unhappy’ on their social media accounts.
Just like me.
Then, scouts from other countries would descend like hyenas, and if they really decided to naturalize or transfer to an overseas guild, the very national security they talk about would end up even weaker.
As my thoughts reached this point, something flashed in my mind.
“Huh? Wait a minute.”
What if that's what they're really after?
What if their goal is to drive a wedge between the S-ranks and the state by ostracizing them, all while pretending to champion a stronger national security?
“Hmm… something's not quite right.”
It was a plausible theory, but it felt a little too vague to be the definitive answer.
The general direction felt right, but… how should I put it?
“It feels like a few screws are missing…?”
The feeling of assembling something but not tightening a few of the necessary screws.
It would be great if I had a slightly more concrete clue.
What could it be?
While I was lost in thought, staring blankly out the window…
Vrrrr!
The communicator on my desk, disguised as a decorative item, began to glow.
Only one person was connected to this device.
“Yes, Saintess.”
Saintess Sophia.
The leader of the Guardians.
Her laughter came through the communicator.
-“Hehe… you answered faster than I expected. Were you waiting for my call?”
She joked in a tone much friendlier than before.
The distance between us had closed that much.
The decisive reason for that was likely… Francis's absence.
After he, who had led the Guardians alongside the Saintess with his overwhelming charisma and power, fell into a coma, she chose me to quickly stabilize the chaotic organization.
In short, I was Francis's replacement.
As a result, we started contacting each other more naturally, and the frequency of our private conversations increased.
This newfound familiarity was the result.
“I know you must be incredibly busy. I'm surprised you found the time to call.”
-“No matter how busy I am, it's not more important than our work.”
Our work, she says.
That must mean she's calling about Guardians business.
-“It was just as you said, Do-jin. Recently, the number of people raising national security as an issue has been increasing in various countries.”
Korea recently suffered considerable damage from a terror attack disguised as a disaster.
It wasn't enough to threaten the nation's existence.
If things had gone as planned, perhaps 20 to 30 percent of Seoul's districts would have been paralyzed.
Right.
From the very beginning, it was a terror attack meticulously calculated to cause just that much damage.
Not nearly enough to bring about ruin, but just enough to remind people of an extreme terror they had forgotten.
They wanted that kind of fear to spread among the public.
To instill fear in citizens who had been living in relative peace since the establishment of Hunter society.
Why did they need that fear?
-“They all had experiences similar to Korea's. They suffered damage from a sudden rift, and then, as if they'd been waiting for that very moment, a new power faction emerged, gaining influence by citing national security.”
It was all to exploit it.
The fear engraved upon the public. To sympathize with it, ride on its back, and wield it as they please.
Take Maeng Gi-yong in Korea, for example.
He, who had long been a congressman in name only, used this incident as a stepping stone to become the minister of a new government department.
And these kinds of events are unfolding in countries all over the world.
-“Do-jin… do you think all of them were instigated by Hexagram?”
I shook my head.
“Not all of them. Probably 80… no, 90 percent of them are being used without knowing a thing.”
This is why they can avoid suspicion.
The majority are naive people who have been deceived by the false ideologies peddled by agitators and mouthpieces.
And the ones who instigated them also outwardly and actively support their activities.
This is what makes outsiders mistakenly think, ‘Wow, these guys are really getting things done.’
The more that happens, the more the suspicion directed at them fades.
“The ones to watch aren't the ones taking the lead.”
-“…It's the ones who are standing one step back.”
“Exactly.”
The real players don't stand at the front.
But they don't hide at the very back, either.
They're just one or two steps behind the front line.
That's where the real ones stand.
A place where they can boast, ‘Look at me, I'm right here at the front!’ but where they won't be singled out when it's time to identify the culprit.
-“This is difficult.”
Because of that exquisite positioning, the Saintess had been wrestling with this problem lately.
I only have to dig into Korea's situation, but she has to read reports coming in from all over the world.
It's inevitable that the amount of work she has to handle is on a completely different level.
-“It would be really nice if someone could help, you know.”
Her translucent, mana-formed image shot me a subtle glance.
A hint that she wanted me to volunteer my help.
“That's the burden a leader must bear.”
-“……”
I deliberately ignored the request she'd been making for days.
She still doesn't seem to understand that the younger generation only moves their lazy asses when a clear reward is offered.
For a moment, I endured her sharp glare with a thick skin.
She grumbled to me.
-“Honestly, I'm still not sure. Could seizing power like this really be their ultimate goal?”
Well…
I couldn't give a definite answer on that part either.
After all, I had just been pondering something along the same lines.
However, one thing was certain.
“It can't be the whole story. Don't you think this is just a preparatory stage for a bigger picture?”
-“I think so too. That's why I'm even more worried.”
It was intriguing, yet terrifying.
By this point, we should at least have an outline of what they're planning, but we don't.
Just how grand is the picture they're painting to make things this frustrating?
To resolve this frustration, I need to dig up information, but even that isn't easy.
-“Jincheon… was that his name? Is he still the same?”
“Yes. It's not easy.”
After detaining Jincheon, I visited the bastard several times, trying to pry information out of him.
But it was all in vain.
The bastard absolutely refused to talk.
Ignoring my questions was a given; he's even refusing all food and water.
It seems he's trying to starve himself to death since I won't kill him myself.
-“This is truly difficult.”
A complaint that dissipated with a sigh.
The situation was just that complicated.
The organizations that rose up in countries around the world, citing national security crises, have become sanctified.
Supporting them is seen as the right thing to do, while cursing or criticizing them makes you a traitor.
Thanks to the blow I dealt them, the situation in Korea has calmed down, but it's much worse elsewhere.
The policies of several nations are already being swayed by them.
My deliberation dragged on.
Should I hold my breath and wait for this raging storm to subside, even just a little?
Or should I confront it head-on and break its momentum myself?
Just as I was endlessly postponing the choice, with neither future looking optimistic…
Bzzzt-
A message arrived on my smartphone.
[Han Ju-hee: Let's meet for a bit.]
A change of heart, palpable in just those few words.
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
Perhaps she would become the clue that could provide the answer to my current dilemma.