The Most Important Thing (1)
“I’d like to suggest that you step out of the expedition.”
The scene I’d been painting in my head finally clicked into place.
It was, quite literally, a masterpiece in the making.
Jung Yura and the rest of the Black Swan party members looked utterly dumbfounded, clearly unable to make sense of what was happening.
Honestly, I couldn’t blame them for wearing those faces.
To Jung Yura, this must have felt like something that had been dropped on her all at once, out of a clear blue sky.
She had no idea how much careful groundwork I’d laid behind the scenes to bring about this very moment.
That was how public opinion worked.
It could look quiet and sleepy, and then, the moment you struck the match, it expanded beyond anyone’s control.
And if the victim and the culprit were already obvious, it became all the more explosive.
“You’re joking, right?”
“……”
The way she fired back, clearly unable to believe it, was almost impressive.
Of course, I wasn’t joking.
Jung Yura fell silent, her mouth shut tight after apparently confirming with her own eyes that Choi Youngki’s expression was deadly serious.
“This is ridiculous.”
“No. As the person leading this expedition, it’s a perfectly reasonable decision.”
“Hah…”
“I can’t know what your intentions were, Jung Yura, but I do know everything you’ve contributed so far. I also know you’ve worked harder than anyone for this expedition. That said, I don’t think we can continue together any longer.”
“And you say that after admitting all of that?”
“It was an unavoidable choice. I judged that continuing the expedition in a state like this would be impossible. I don’t know what you think of the Blue Party, but the behavior you’ve shown is, frankly, highly unreasonable.”
She wanted to shout my name.
I gave her a sly smile, and Jung Yura ground her teeth so hard I could almost hear it.
Just looking at her made it obvious how furious she was.
Pfft.
She was probably hurling every curse known to mankind at me in her head.
Her face said enough.
And naturally, that only made me want to prod her a little more.
So I made sure to say a word to Choi Youngki as well.
“I-it’s all right. Choi Youngki. There’s no need to go this far.”
“No, Kiyoung. This is better. A party member who sows discord will always end up causing a major disaster sooner or later. No, I’m certain something terrible will happen.”
“Are you saying I’m the one causing discord right now?”
“Yes. I won’t go into why. I’m sure you can guess.”
“That’s…”
“Jung Yura’s behavior has already crossed the line of what can be understood. Since she’s also been here for a long time, I trust she’ll understand my decision. Even if she believes her behavior was justified, the majority finds her deeply uncomfortable. For the sake of the other party members, I hope you’ll make the right decision.”
“This is unbelievable. Understand?”
She still didn’t seem to realize where she stood.
Her face was full of nothing but grievance, as if the world had wronged her personally.
With someone like this…
I was starting to feel absurd that I’d ever bothered to play politics with her in the first place.
At this point I could say it with confidence.
This woman was incompetent.
Her hunting ability or stats aside, she simply wasn’t suited to leadership.
And the more I watched her expression flicker and shift, the clearer it became.
Her eyes, fixed on me and Choi Youngki, were beginning to twist in an unsettling way. She was probably frantically spinning elaborate theories in her head, trying to find some connection, any connection at all.
It would only take her a moment to reach her own conclusion about why Choi Youngki and I were treating her this way.
We had a common thread in Mercenary Queen Cha Heera.
“I get it now, Choi Youngki.”
“I’m afraid I don’t follow you.”
“You were the person I trusted, at least a little, because I heard you were fair and honorable, someone who knew how to keep faith… so this was your plan from the beginning?”
Obvious, really.
“Did the Mercenary Queen tell you something? Asked you to take good care of her kept man? You were planning to cut our guild out from the start, weren’t you? This is so infuriating… You were acting all clean and righteous up front, and this was the end game? Why? Did you think licking Lee Kiyoung’s boots would make the Mercenary Queen treat you better?”
“Jung Yura, don’t you think you’re going a bit too far? Heera noona has nothing to do with this.”
Her brain is absolutely on a joyride.
“Shut up, you bastard.”
“Please calm down and… speak slowly.”
She was losing it completely now.
It was like watching an eight-ton truck with a busted steering wheel barreling straight toward the Blue House.
Of course, my own words and expression, which kept needling her raw nerves, had played a decisive role in that, but she had taken the bait more thoroughly than I’d expected.
“Yeah, isn’t that nice. Some people get to sleep with the Mercenary Queen a few times, get free items, and even enjoy a sweet little experience on top of that. Dungeon raids must feel like a joke to you, huh? If that’s how you feel, why’d you even join the Blue Party in the first place? You should’ve joined Red Mercenary instead.”
“Jung Yura.”
The more she talked, the more she shredded her own image.
Maybe because Cha Heera had been mentioned after so long, Jung Hayan also looked uncomfortable.
I could tell it was about time to clamp her mouth shut, but with her abrupt change in tone, everyone was left rattled.
No, that wasn’t quite right.
Choi Youngki didn’t look rattled at all.
He looked like he was forcing his fury down with all his might.
“Noona, p-please stop.”
“Noona, stop it!”
“Let go of me, you crazy bitches! I don’t know how amazing Red Mercenary is, but you think our guild is just going to sit still if we hear about this? Anyone can see that the Blue Party and the mercenaries are crushing our guild! This is unfair! I’m going to file a formal protest!”
Bang!
Jung Yura, who had been loudly insisting on her own injustice, immediately shut her mouth.
It was because of Choi Youngki.
He’d slammed his fist into the wall beside him.
The way his face trembled told me just how much he was suppressing his anger.
Come to think of it…
Didn’t he say that the reason he was who he was now was because of the Mercenary Queen?
I couldn’t remember the exact words, but that was probably it.
Our righteous Youngki had just gone on a rampage by insulting Heera noona, the very woman he admired to no end. Of course he’d react like this.
She’d spewed nonsense about him being a kept man and sleeping with someone for favors and whatever else.
Jung Yura was probably so worked up she didn’t even remember what she’d said.
Still, even in a situation like this, she apparently wasn’t stupid enough to miss the mood.
Seeing the murderous intent rolling off Choi Youngki and the Red Mercenaries, I found myself straightening up too.
My legs were trembling before I knew it.
I’d already guessed it from his stats, but the killing intent Choi Youngki was unconsciously leaking was enough to choke the breath right out of me.
As if sensing what was happening to me, Kim Hyunsung reached out, and almost instantly the same oppressive sensation began to fade.
“Ah, thank you.”
Choi Youngki’s reaction had gone far beyond what you’d expect from someone hearing their group’s leader insulted.
It was probably because Cha Heera had far more influence than I’d thought.
Honestly, I wanted to praise him just for not drawing a sword.
I’m kind of tempted by him...
If Park Deokgu hadn’t existed, I would have seriously considered pulling Choi Youngki over to our side.
The fact that he could still control himself even while looking that angry was proof enough that he could tell the difference between piss and shit.
Jung Yura, overwhelmed by the murderous aura crashing down on her, could only gape wordlessly.
Given her abilities, she probably could have resisted the pressure, but separate from that, it was obvious she’d realized she’d made a huge mistake.
Very nice.
It was the kind of moment that felt like a bomb was about to go off.
And in the middle of it all, Choi Youngki opened his mouth in a low, controlled voice.
“Have you said everything you came here to say?”
“That’s….”
“I’d like you to leave right now.”
“I was a little too worked up. I’m sorry for what I said just now, but…”
“I said I want you out right now. I don’t want to hear anything else from you. As I said earlier, we’ll make sure you’re given your share separately.”
“I—”
Bang!
The sound rang out once more.
“I said leave.”
Beautiful.
A pale, bloodless expression entered my field of view.
The little crooked smile I sent her way was the best I could do, but even so, it felt incredibly satisfying.
It was enough to send a faint, electric thrill skittering down my back, and that said everything.
“We’d like you to leave the dungeon immediately, Jung Yura. I’m afraid it’ll be difficult for us to continue working together here at the Magic Guild as well.”
The party leaders spoke with formal courtesy in front of her, but the voices coming from behind her sounded much more frightening.
The shouts, laced with every kind of profanity, made it feel like I was watching a modern-day version of a medieval witch hunt.
It was only that no one was throwing stones; otherwise, that woman was already standing on the pyre.
The only difference was that she really was the witch in this scenario.
By now she probably wanted to scream that she wasn’t a witch at all, but the crowd didn’t stop throwing stones.
Her lips were bitten raw from how wronged she felt, and blood was spilling from them while tears streamed from her bloodshot eyes.
She looked like she was trying to swallow the tears pouring out of her no matter what, but holding them in wouldn’t change a thing.
Heh.
Watching the fire from across the river always had a strange kind of catharsis to it.
And when it was a fire I’d set myself, all the more so.
At last, after a little more time had passed, Jung Yura quietly walked past us without saying a word.
Still, the glare she gave me made it feel as though she harbored an impossible amount of hatred.
I let the corner of my mouth rise just a little, and she even brushed my shoulder as she went by.
She hit me hard enough to push my body slightly backward.
Good grief…
That said, I wasn’t scared, and I didn’t think it was dangerous.
I’ve always been the type who can’t relax until I’ve made sure the thing that bit me is finished off for good, so I was already thinking a few steps ahead.
A crazy bitch with a grudge might try to stab me in the back with a dagger later, after all, so it was better to be more certain.
I’d seen plenty of lives ruined by a single bad word.
Modern society is no different, and I doubted this place would be either, so it was only natural that things would go exactly as I expected this time too.
This wasn’t even really political warfare anymore.
It was one-sided harassment, or perhaps, if you wanted to be generous, an expensive lesson.
This chapter is about...
Of the two most important things in politics, the one that still remained.
“Then let’s be on our way.”
“Yes.”
“I apologize for the inconvenience.”
“No, it’s us who should be…”
It was exactly this.
Media.
She probably thought it was over.
I’m a little harsher than she realized.