Chapter 126
Chapter 126
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: A Nation for Humans
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“The central continent organization, Black Night, is in retreat, and the organization known as Dawn, who wear the Faceless Masks, has been annihilated save for a few survivors. And… we have concluded that the probability of Lee Si-woo surviving that chaos is extremely low.”
Rios, the chairman of the Dongbanhoe, chugged down a dwarven-brewed beer after receiving his secretary's report.
After briefly soaking in the carbonation that forcibly suppressed his stress, Rios asked.
“What's the current situation in Granada?”
“All transportation is down, and within the city, protests for the expulsion of humans and riots by the lower class are breaking out one after another. Large supermarkets and electronics stores are being looted, and violent crimes such as murder, rape, and arson are occurring at a rate of several dozen per hour. About sixty percent of the city's systems are not functioning properly.”
“And the police?”
“They’re preoccupied with controlling the factory district. White corpses are still appearing there frequently, and with a significant number of remaining bodies, the situation is difficult to manage without the police's firepower.”
“And Si-woo? Is he really dead?”
“If you're asking about the survival probability of a 3rd-Circle mage in a clash between Dawn and Black Night… Yes. In my judgment, there's a ninety percent chance he's dead.”
“Tsk, a shame to lose such a talent… He was one of a kind…”
Rios trailed off, then put a cigar in his mouth.
Lighting it, he spoke with a cold glint in his eyes.
“Pull the police forces and redirect them to stabilizing the city.”
The secretary asked, surprised.
“Sir? If we do that, the factory district will fall into chaos. White corpses are already appearing there quite often…”
“Of course, we can’t pull all of them. So, take seventy percent and assign them to security stabilization. Deploy the remaining thirty percent to the outskirts of the factory district and have them kill every human they see. Killing is easier than controlling, isn't it?”
“…Are you saying to eliminate all the humans in the factory district?”
“Yes. They were worthless without Si-woo anyway. Now that he’s dead, there’s no need to assign our precious police force to those people. And record the killings and broadcast them. That should calm down the protestors demanding human expulsion, and the rioters will watch their step after seeing the crackdown.”
As Rios was giving various instructions to his secretary, his phone rang from his pocket.
*Ring.*
Rios’s eyes widened as he checked the name on the smartphone screen.
He cleared his throat a few times and said to his secretary.
“Wait, hold on a moment. And everything I just ordered is on hold… no, cancel it all.”
“Sir? What do you mean…”
Rios put a finger to his lips in a gesture to be quiet, then answered the phone.
He spoke in a bright voice, as if greeting an old friend.
“Haha, Si-woo. I knew you'd be alive. So, are you hurt anywhere? Hmm? Oh, you’re asking about the city's situation? It’s a complete mess, of course.”
Rios tugged at the collar of his dress shirt as if he was feeling a bit warm and continued.
“Well, don’t you worry. Just as you asked, the humans are staying safe in the factory district. Thanks to that, all our private police have been deployed there, but what can I do? It’s a promise I made to you.”
As he continued speaking, Rios's face stiffened.
He had heard something completely unexpected from Si-woo.
“…Dawn is your ally? Ah, so that’s it. That’s why they appeared at that moment. Hmm, and you used your influence to make Black Night retreat… Interesting. Hmm? What was that? A scheme? Heh heh, that’s disappointing. Why would I do something so foolish when I hold you in such high regard? Why would I ever tug on a tiger’s whiskers! Don’t you agree?”
The secretary sighed, watching Rios cater to Si-woo with a contorted expression.
It seemed the plan to withdraw the private police from the factory district was off the table.
***
Granada’s downtown hotspot.
This place, usually bustling with fashionistas and influencers, was now a chaotic mess of rioters and protestors.
“Expel the humans, the breeding ground for the virus, from Granada!”
“Drive out the humans who killed my father and mother! Chase away the humans who will kill my daughter and son! How many of my relatives have died because of them? And how many more will die in the future?”
“Why is the city protecting humans instead of us? You are supposed to protect us! Not those cancerous humans who are destroying our quarantine system!”
*BOOM!*
A crowd of beastmen, carrying home appliances on their backs, poured out of an electronics store that had been blown up with C4. Once they broke the dam, nearby dwarves and goblins who had been watching cautiously also rushed into the store, stealing large appliances they could normally only dream of.
The rioters were using the supplies Si-woo had hastily distributed to carry out their looting.
Walking side-by-side with Si-woo through this chaotic street, Solare spoke.
“The situation isn’t good.”
Even as she spoke, Solare threatened a beastman who had been cautiously approaching them by slamming the tip of her bastard sword just in front of his nose.
Watching the frightened beastman flee at the sight of the bastard sword slicing through the concrete floor like tofu, Si-woo said.
“Not good? No. It’s gotten much better. At the very least, the quarantine for the White Calamity seems to be in its final stages.”
“That’s good to hear. Although it’s just a degraded, next-generation virus created by Black Night… its infectivity and danger are unparalleled by any other virus.”
“That’s true. By the way, how is Dawn doing? Is everything under control?”
While following Si-woo, Solare had been intermittently contacting Dawn to coordinate the situation.
“There isn’t much to control. All we did was gather the few survivors and retreat.”
Si-woo stared at the protestors with a dry expression and said.
“Doesn't it feel unfair? That those people, who wouldn't have survived without Dawn's sacrifice, hate humans so much?”
“Of course, there are times when it feels unfair and sorrowful. But it can’t be helped. They have been incited and brainwashed by Black Night. So, it’s only natural for them to hate humans. They, too… are victims.”
Si-woo stopped walking and turned to look at Solare.
“Treating them as victims as well, and trying to coexist even if it means taking a loss. Is that Dawn’s policy?”
“Hate begets hate, and revenge begets revenge. The more we act harshly out of a sense of injustice, the worse the situation will become. Black Night is in the wrong, not them. So, indiscriminate retaliation… is nothing more than a meaningless act of terror.”
Si-woo muttered in a dry voice.
“As I thought, no matter how I look at it, Dawn and I are not a good fit.”
Just then, a commotion erupted from the direction of the protestors.
A few of them had captured some humans and forced them to kneel in the middle of the road.
The protestors dragged forward one of the five or six humans in handcuffs and collars, one whose eyes were white, and shouted.
“Everyone, look! These white eyes! This is proof of infection by the virus, and soon he will turn into a white monster and attack us! Did we attack the humans first? No! We incorporated these inferior beings into our society and showed them consideration. We let them live, I tell you. And the result? Look. Look at our ruined home and our land—!”
A protestor aimed a gun he was holding at the back of the white-eyed human's head.
Si-woo had distributed so many guns that not only the rioters, but even some of the protestors were armed with rifles.
Moreover, these rifles were even more useful to them because, while useless against other races who possessed mana, they were incredibly effective against humans.
The protestor pulled the trigger.
*BANG!*
As Solare’s eyebrows twitched and she moved to intervene when the human collapsed to the ground, Si-woo stopped her.
“What are you going to do?”
“I have to stop them.”
“How? Are you going to kill them?”
“No. I will try to persuade them with words. No matter how much they rampage, they can't inflict even a scratch on me, so I will persuade them until they are exhausted and ask for their cooperation.”
At her determined words, Si-woo slowly shook his head.
“That method may have worked until now, but with the city half-destroyed by a new virus, it will only fuel their hostility. It’s not a solution.”
“Then what? Are you saying we should just leave them be? Sir Si-woo, is this the meaning and the path of the Faceless you spoke of?”
Si-woo didn’t reply to Solare’s angry words, instead contacting Allen with his smartphone.
—…Si-woo?
“Come to downtown Granada. There’s something that needs to be taken care of.”
—What, what do you mean all of a sudden…
“No backtalk. Bring as many mages as you can. Right now.”
Hanging up, Si-woo used Barathrum to summon Ixion.
The centaur Ixion appeared before Si-woo and bowed lightly.
“You called.”
“Go, save the humans, and disperse the protestors. You have permission to kill any who resist fiercely.”
“As you command.”
Ixion charged off like the wind, and the blade-wind he created with Spell Breaker swept over the protestors.
The other races, who had been so bold in front of guns, screamed and scattered in all directions at the appearance of a mage.
The protest leader, who had been inciting the crowd, pointed at Ixion and shouted.
“You! What is the meaning of this?! Don’t you see? Who is the source of all this disaster? It’s the humans! Granada will only be at peace once the humans are expelled! We will only be safe once the humans are killed!”
Ixion glanced back, and Si-woo lightly drew a thumb across his own neck.
Understanding the gesture, Ixion swung Spell Breaker.
As the protest leader’s head rolled on the ground, the protestors screamed and scattered in all directions.
Beginning with that pandemonium, mages from the Senior Magic Tower arrived on the scene on motorcycles and in vehicles.
Allen ran up to Si-woo and said.
“…You’re alive?”
“You look like you wished I were dead. Well, don’t worry. If I die, you won’t be living comfortably either. More importantly, from now on, take care of anyone in downtown Granada who hunts or assaults humans.”
“What? What do you mean…”
“Also, record the process of dealing with all the rioters and protestors and broadcast it. Show them that if they touch a human, the Magic Tower will move.”
“You’re insane, that’ll just cause more chaos. It’ll be a total mess.”
“It’s already a mess, what’s new? And send people to the plains to record the scene there, add subtitles, and broadcast it. Say that the slum humans stopped the White Calamity and waged war against the terrorist group that spread it in the city. Show them exactly how much we sacrificed for them.”
“They’ll just think it’s all fabricated.”
“I don’t care. Throw the ones who riot, claiming it’s fake, into prison, and give preferential treatment to those who accept it and advocate for humans.”
“Fine, I see what you’re planning… but will Kenyon just stand by? Don’t forget, Kenyon is the Tower Master. Not you.”
Si-woo shot back, a chilling light in his eyes.
“I saved this city. All of them survived thanks to my master and colleagues, and they were able to endure because of our human sacrifices. So I won't tolerate any pathetic attempts to oppress and suppress humans. And Kenyon?”
Si-woo glanced at Solare and continued.
“That man is no longer a threat to me. I’ve got a very reliable bodyguard now.”
Solare spoke with a stiff expression.
“Sir Si-woo. What is the meaning of this? Didn’t I tell you? Hate begets hate, and revenge begets revenge. Oppressing them like this is completely meaning…”
Si-woo cut Solare off without mercy.
“That would be true if we did it. But it’s a different story when the Magic Tower steps in, not humans. Their own kind, those who live in the same sphere. Not only that, but beings far superior to them? Then they won’t be able to say a word.”
Si-woo whispered as he brushed past Solare.
“It’s in their nature not to raise their heads against those who rule them from within the same fence, rather than against a common enemy like humans. So stay quiet. Redirecting their hostility not to us humans, but to their own ruling class. That’s one of my methods.”
“This… is not the way of the Faceless. The Faceless moved and enlightened others with his voice. Embracing the wandering in his heart, that was his way.”
Watching Allen, who had begun to suppress the protestors and rioters with magic under his compulsion, Si-woo said.
“Lady Solare. That’s why the Faceless chose me. Because he realized that such methods would only lead to failure.”
Solare gently closed her eyes as she watched a beastman, who had been resisting fiercely, turn to ash in Allen’s flame magic.
She wanted to stop Si-woo right then and there, but at the same time, she wanted to see.
To see what this inscrutable man was truly aiming for.
This time, Si-woo contacted Kenyon.
“Lord Kenyon. This is Si-woo. We need to talk. Let’s meet for a moment.”
***
Granada was rapidly normalizing, built upon the blood and corpses of many.
Kenyon silently watched the situation on the plains being broadcast on his hologram TV.
—This area, once a plain, has now, as you can see, turned into a giant sinkhole. According to a witness, a human faction called Dawn stepped up to fight the group known as Black Night, which released the virus in Granada, and this sinkhole was created in the process. According to a Dawn member we interviewed on an emergency basis, it was an unavoidable measure to stop the White Calamity…
Kenyon turned off the hologram TV, his face etched with annoyance.
He asked Si-woo, who was standing before him.
“So? Si-woo. What is it that you want?”
“I want an alliance.”
“An alliance? Hmm… I wonder if you really need something like that. As I understand it, you have a massive organization called Dawn backing you up, don’t you? One filled with incredible people who could put someone like me in their place.”
Kenyon glanced sideways at Solare, who was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.
He knew the moment he saw her.
The Spider Matriarch he had once encountered.
This woman was an absolute powerhouse on par with her.
‘The women I’ve been meeting lately are all extraordinary. And to have a woman like that as his backer… Tsk, Si-woo. I knew he wasn’t an ordinary man… but he far exceeds my imagination. But… why would someone with such a force behind him want an alliance with our Magic Tower?’
Did he sense Kenyon’s inner thoughts?
Si-woo spoke in a soft voice.
“Do you think Black Night has retreated for good? No. They will return. And it will be within three years, guaranteed.”
“…So? What are you suggesting?”
“You, Lord Kenyon, and we have already crossed a river of no return with them. We must join forces and prepare for the future.”
“I saw the sinkhole on the plains. A massive, bottomless pit that takes up a third of the plains. I’ve never seen or heard of such a thing… and it’s a mark that a country bumpkin from a frontier continent like me could never dream of making. But… an alliance with a force that can casually create something like that? Hmm, it only makes me more suspicious of your intentions.”
“You are correct. To be frank, the forces in Granada are so meager that they aren’t even worth allying with. Even if there were a few more like you, Lord Kenyon, it would be a distant hope to stop Black Night.”
“…I suppose so.”
“However, for what I intend to do, I absolutely need you, Lord Kenyon, and the Magic Tower… no, to be precise, Granada’s infrastructure.”
“You need our infrastructure?”
“I will gather the humans of the frontier continent and build a city.”
At the words that came out of Si-woo’s mouth, Solare’s eyes shot open, and Kenyon’s narrowed.
“A city of humans?”
Si-woo spoke with a strong, intense voice, his words carrying a heavy accent.
“Yes. A city where only humans can enter and live, a place that will be our future and our foundation. And… a nation that will be our paradise.”
Si-woo looked back and forth between Solare and Kenyon as he continued.
“There, the humans will have a religion to lean on, and strong individuals to be their shield. That is why I need you, Lord Kenyon. We need someone to protect the humans in Granada. So please, take care of these pitiful people for a while. I will soon find a home for us and relocate them.”
“…You’re attempting the impossible. If rumors of a city just for humans spread, not only that Black Night or whatever, but the Ranker clan ‘City Pillagers’ from the central continent won’t stand by idly.”
“Yes. Of course, it won’t be easy. But I can do it. No, it is something only I can do.”
With Barathrum, Si-woo could wield enough wealth to disrupt markets as long as he had human souls, and through the ‘Expedition’ system, he could maintain ironclad security using subordinates who would never betray him.
So, if Si-woo handled things well and responded properly, he could even build a phantom city of illusion that no one knew existed.
Si-woo raised an index finger and said.
“One year. Within one year, I will unify all the free cities on the frontier continent and relocate the humans there. So please help me. I need your help, Lord Kenyon.”
“…What’s in it for me?”
“It goes without saying that I will hand over all information on the Forbidden Arts, and I will fully support you using a certain system I possess. If you, Lord Kenyon, provide me with an appropriate number of human criminals, providing you with an elixir to reach the 6th-Circle Master level is nothing to me.”
After weighing Si-woo’s proposal for a long moment, Kenyon spoke.
“And if I accept? Do we need to make a Mana Pact or something?”
“No. You just need to hand over Lady Isabelle to me. There is no one who can solidify the bond between you and me as firmly as Lady Isabelle.”
“Isabelle… Fine, I accept.”
As Si-woo nodded and rose from his seat, Solare spoke to him.
“A city of humans? A nation? That’s impossible. You don’t know how powerful the ‘Clans’ on the central continent are, how persistent and greedy the nations there are.”
“It would have been impossible for you. With such a clumsy and weak policy, maintaining the status quo would have been your limit. But not me. I will not be picky about the means and methods for the sake of our future. In return, the humans only need to offer me one thing.”
Si-woo forced himself to ignore the voices of people echoing in his ears and continued.
“Divinity. Yes, if they offer me their divinity, pray, and obey… I will gladly become a god for them. Not only that, I will build them a paradise. Yes. An ideal world for us…”
Si-woo trailed off, swallowing the rest of his words.
He certainly intended to build a paradise in the Main Dimension.
It was just that this ideal world was not for humans, but a paradise for himself and Yun.
‘Yun. I’m sorry. I think I’ll be a little late. As they say, haste makes waste… For now, I’ll build my strength here. I need to grow as much as possible in the three years Jin gave me to be able to protect you.’
What worried him slightly was whether Yun was in a safe place.
Considering Jin’s strange hostility, Yun could have been in a dangerous place.
So, after using Barathrum’s divination, Si-woo was finally able to be certain that Yun would be safe.
Unfortunately, her exact location couldn't be determined, as if some kind of barrier was in place.
‘So please wait. Until I build a nation in this world… for you. Yes, a nation of humans where no one can point a finger at you or express their hatred.’
Solare would probably never imagine.
That Si-woo’s actions for the sake of humans were not out of pity for them, nor out of any conviction, but simply to create a world where Yun would not be hurt.
Perhaps Jin might have known of his selfish motives.
And perhaps that was why he hadn’t told him Yun’s exact location.
But it didn’t matter.
As long as he had confirmed that Yun was in this world.
Si-woo would go to her.
Without fail.