Chapter 157: Lake of Swords (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 157: Lake of Swords (1)
...The morning of the election.
I leaned against the window frame and looked out at the sky. Even though dawn had yet to break, it was exceptionally pitch-black.
Rumble.
A relentless roar echoed through the air. It was the reason I had woken up so early. The thunder kept shaking the dawn, forcing my eyes open.
"Is a storm coming?"
However, the signs were too ominous to be dismissed as mere bad weather.
"Somehow, I don't think the election is the real issue here."
Something was about to happen. My intuition warned me as much, though I didn't know what it was exactly.
One thing was certain: it wasn't because of the election happening in a few hours. After all, the cadets just had to cast their votes and wait for the ballots to be counted.
Even if I grew anxious, the results wouldn't change. And my club members and I had done our absolute best during the campaign period.
Ryozo and Weapon had hammered away at their keyboards until their fingers practically caught fire, launching a massive online campaign.
It must have been highly effective, as it caused quite a sensation on the internet. Weapon mentioned that some kind of "event" had worked incredibly well... though he refused to tell me, the actual candidate, what it was.
He told me to check it out myself on election day. I felt a bit uneasy about how they had promoted me, but since the response was good, I let it slide.
Ryozo was with him, so I'm sure they did fine.
Word on the street was that my approval rating had risen to the point of neck-and-neck competition with Leon's.
I massaged my temples.
I had a bad feeling. Whenever something registered on the sensory perception of the [Blessing of the Sword God], an incident was bound to break out.
But what could I do? I couldn't afford to get scared over something that hadn't even happened yet.
I just had to react immediately to the situation as it unfolded, just as I always had.
Worrying wouldn't change a thing. I possessed enough martial power to handle most crises.
Furthermore, I had my Mental Rank, which allowed me to maintain composure in any situation. In exchange for my humanity, I had grasped absolute rationality.
Unless things went completely off the rails, a single sashimi knife would be enough to resolve it. However...
Boom— Boom— Boom—
The thunder rumbled like war drums signaling the start of a battle.
The white curtains fluttered like ghosts. I let the wind wash over my body for a moment before shutting the window. A steady drizzle began to soak the earth.
* * *
The annex in the northwestern part of the Academy was being used as the election venue today.
It was one of the few buildings capable of accommodating thousands of cadets.
The scene inside was no different from any other polling station. There were multiple curtained booths and a dense crowd of cadets.
The only difference was the screen hanging from the ceiling. The screen intermittently updated with the ongoing ballot count.
Weapon stood there, staring blankly at the screen. A pleased smile spread across his face.
The club president's vote share isn't bad.
Weapon looked around. There were many male cadets with Daixo Sashimi Knives strapped to their waists.
The curve of Weapon's lips deepened.
It might seem like a bizarre sight, but this was entirely an idea conceived by Weapon and Saki.
Weapon and Saki had established a clear strategy for this election: selection and concentration.
Kang Geomma was a Special Admission Student. It was impossible to persuade the cadets who were steeped in the Academy's elitism anyway.
Rather than trying to lecture those stupid bastards, it would be like talking to a brick wall.
They cleanly gave up on the idiots who plugged their ears. Instead, they focused on solidifying Kang Geomma's core support base.
For the record, the majority of his supporters were male cadets from the Tiger, Wolf, and Dragon Classes.
Once the strategic direction was set, the next step was the "how"—the method. From there, Saki played her part brilliantly.
Saki was highly knowledgeable about the internet. She discovered a Kang Geomma fandom called the "Sashimi Squad" within the Joaquin Academy community.
She immediately blasted a promotional message to them:
“How about everyone voting for Kang Geomma in this student council election shows up wearing a sashimi knife? Might as well take those arrogant noble bastards down a peg, right? lol”
It was an absurd and somewhat childish idea. Wearing a Daixo Sashimi Knife on one's waist just to deflate the egos of those high-and-mighty snobs.
But teenage male cadets were bound to feel a sense of solidarity in things like this.
Saki's intention hit the mark perfectly. The cadets, who had been busy scoffing at first, were gradually won over by the continuous promotion.
As sympathetic votes grew one by one, it soon led to a campaign: Kang Geomma Supporter = Wearing a Daixo Sashimi Knife.
You know how people bring lightsticks when they go to idol concerts? It was a similar logic. They had simply replaced the lightstick with a Daixo Sashimi Knife.
"At this rate, we actually stand a chance against Leon."
Weapon, who was looking around, stopped his gaze at the window. Streams of water were pouring down like a waterfall. It was raining with terrifying intensity.
Praying that nothing would go wrong, Weapon turned his head away.
* * *
Swoooooosh!
The drizzle turned into a torrential downpour in an instant. The fallen leaves carpeting the ground grew soaked, making squelching sounds with every step.
"Damn it, did a hole suddenly open up in the sky?"
Manager Seong quickened his pace. Even though he tried to block the rain with his umbrella, the wind was the real problem. A fierce gust bent the metal ribs, turning his umbrella inside out.
In an instant, Manager Seong's umbrella became a piece of junk. His clothes were completely drenched, leaving him in a miserable state.
Even so, he somehow managed to reach the main gate of the election venue.
Taking advantage of the shelter provided by the roof, Manager Seong shook the water off his suit jacket. But his hands only ended up dripping wet, and the jacket remained damp.
The cold wind blew, chilling his body. Ultimately, Manager Seong took off his outer coat. At this rate, he was bound to catch a cold.
Tsk.
Manager Seong clicked his tongue. The weather had been strange for the past few days. It had been a continuous stretch of gloominess, highly uncharacteristic of autumn.
After teasing rain for so long, it was pouring down like crazy today of all days—on the day of the election—as if it had been waiting for this very moment.
"On the most important day, of all times..."
Manager Seong slung his jacket over his left shoulder and scanned the area.
It was an absolute deluge. This was practically a flood.
The puddles forming here and there were gradually expanding and merging into one. At a glance, it looked like a lake.
If the voting start time had been any later, many cadets wouldn't have even been able to make it to the venue.
The only saving grace was that Manager Seong himself was the only one who was late.
Manager Seong checked his wristwatch.
[2:34 PM]
"By now, the ballot counting should be nearing its end."
The student council election at Joaquin Academy conducted voting and ballot counting simultaneously.
And the vote percentages would appear in real-time on the screens installed at the venue.
It was intuitive, but aesthetically, it wasn't very pleasing. The scene looked exactly like a racetrack for cadets.
When you look at it closely, Joaquin Academy really is a bizarre educational institution.
All the voting cadets remained at the venue from the start of voting until the end of the count, experiencing the highs and lows of the results. During this time, outsiders were barred from entering.
Whether it was the Hero Association, who hosted the election, the Academy's faculty, or even the Academy Principal, Medea.
It was a place where the cadets chose their own representative. It was only natural to minimize adult intervention.
It was a day of the cadets, by the cadets, and for the cadets.
However, he had rushed over to match the timing of the end of the count. He had to report the results to the Association's higher-ups immediately.
While using the roof as a makeshift umbrella to avoid the rain, a woman wearing a hospital gown approached from ahead. Manager Seong's eyes widened.
"...Supervisor Ha?"
Although she was far away, he recognized her at a glance. It was Supervisor Ha. She was walking through the torrential rain, taking the full force of the downpour without even holding an umbrella.
Shock washed over Manager Seong's face as he stared at Ha Na-eun.
"Why are you here?!"
"..."
Despite Manager Seong's shout, Supervisor Ha silently made her way through the rainy path.
After the tournament, she had been admitted to the Joaquin Academy Affiliated Hospital.
Since it was a Subspace Sparring match, she hadn't suffered any physical injuries.
Yet, Supervisor Ha had huddled under her hospital blanket, trembling.
Seeing that, her superior, Manager Seong, had felt a sense of responsibility.
A Senior-class hero had been defeated by a cadet, so the mental shock must have been immense.
To defend her, she simply had a bad matchup against Kim Woo-jin.
Supervisor Ha wasn't specialized in combat, and her stamina was a weakness. She was a desk worker, after all.
In contrast, her opponent was a brawler, making it a structure where the longer the match dragged on, the more advantageous it became for Kim Woo-jin.
On top of that, he was much younger, so his stamina was bound to be overflowing.
But in the end, the fact that Ha Na-eun had lost remained unchanged.
Manager Seong cut off his cascading thoughts and snapped back to reality.
The important thing was why Supervisor Ha, who should have been hospitalized, had appeared here.
Just as he was about to speak to Ha Na-eun, a sudden sense of incongruity washed over him.
...?
It was clearly a day of torrential rain. It was heavy enough to create a massive pond in just a few minutes, isolating the election venue like an island.
But how... how did Supervisor Ha manage to get here?
His gaze naturally drifted down to Supervisor Ha's feet. Manager Seong's pupils dilated in shock.
"N-No way."
Splash.
Ha Na-eun was walking on water. Every time she took a step, ripples spread across the surface.
Splash.
That wasn't all. While she should have looked like a drowned rat, her hospital gown was perfectly dry and crisp. It was as if the raindrops were actively avoiding Supervisor Ha.
Splash.
Before he knew it, Ha Na-eun had drawn close. Manager Seong spoke to her cautiously.
"S-Supervisor Ha. How on earth are you walking on water? And why did you even come here in the first place?!"
"..."
Her head was bowed low, hiding her face from view. Goosebumps broke out on his skin. He waited, but there was no answer.
Terrified, Manager Seong ended up shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Hey! Supervisor Ha! Say something! Talk to me!"
Only then did Ha Na-eun lift her head. Manager Seong gasped in shock.
"Y-Your face... what happened to you?"
"..."
Her cheeks were hollowed out, and her eyes had lost their luster. Her once-soft appearance was nowhere to be found, replaced by a gaunt, haggard face.
Above all, Ha Na-eun was crying.
"Manager..."
She spoke for the first time. Manager Seong quickly replied.
"What's going on? Explain it to me, Supervisor Ha!"
Suddenly, Ha Na-eun sobbed. She spoke in a wet, trembling voice.
"When I was young, I really wanted to enroll in Joaquin Academy, you know? It's a place of dreams and hope. But I couldn't get in. Still, because it was my childhood dream, I can't tell you how happy I was when I was assigned to work here."
"..."
"Back then, I didn't think I lacked talent. I just thought I couldn't get in because my family wasn't well-off... That's what I believed. And indeed, I worked myself to the bone and became a Senior-class hero at a young age."
"Of course, I know. I know very well. Supervisor Ha, who in the Association doesn't know how outstanding your talent is?"
"No."
Her crying stopped abruptly. At the same time, Ha Na-eun's expression twisted into a bizarre grin. Her face contorted.
"A few days ago, after the tournament, I realized it. People are graded from the moment they are born. I was just using my family as an excuse. The truth is, I was just born with absolutely no fucking talent."
She muttered like a madwoman. Blood dripped from the fingernails she was biting.
"I realized it anew. No matter how hard I try, I can't even reach the ankles of the little brats attending Joaquin Academy. So I made up my mind. I'm going to kill them all! Every single one of those bastards who look down on others just because they were born to the right parents and inherited a blessing!"
"Supervisor Ha, what kind of bullshit is that?!"
"Shut up! What does a bastard who lived a perfectly ordinary life know? I wanted to be special!"
Ha Na-eun's voice echoed with multiple overlapping layers.
"Seong Hyeon-seong, do you know? When I was drowning in that abyss of despair, 'that person' reached out a hand to me. They proposed that we slaughter the humans who are rife with discrimination and build an equal world together. That person patiently waited for my answer. Unlike the higher-ups at the Association who do nothing but nag!"
Ha Na-eun's eyes filled with madness.
"Damn it, snap out of it! And who the hell is this 'that person' you've been talking about?!"
"Vesna, the Demon Army's 3rd Corps Commander."
The smile that had filled her lips vanished instantly. She murmured in a low voice.
"My Lord shall personally descend into this vessel."
Ha Na-eun slowly raised her right hand.
At that moment.
〓 〓 〓 〓 〓 〓 〓 〓 〓 〓
The relentlessly pouring raindrops froze in midair. The world stopped, like a paused video.
Faced with an unprecedented supernatural phenomenon, Seong Hyeon-seong could only gape like a carp. To him, Ha Na-eun offered one last faint smile.
"Manager Seong, thank you for everything. Goodbye."
"Na-eun!"
With a desperate face, Seong Hyeon-seong reached out his hand. Toward his subordinate, Ha Na-eun.
But it was too late.
▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶
The frozen world fast-forwarded. The raindrops trembled faintly. Then, forming a massive vortex, they surged upward in reverse, like a dragon ascending to heaven.
KABOOM!