Chapter 509: A Changed Situation (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 509: A Changed Situation (1)
The communication channel connected, bringing Kim Jeong-tae’s face onto the screen. Upon seeing Roman Dmitry, he spoke with a grave expression.
[It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Kim Jeong-tae, the President of South Korea.]
"Get straight to the point," Roman tossed the words out bluntly.
Kim Jeong-tae's expression didn't so much as flicker.
The assemblymen watching the broadcast were outraged by Roman Dmitry's insolence, but Kim Jeong-tae had already figured out that the man was highly combative. Right now, South Korea was in a position of absolute weakness. Kim Jeong-tae was not the type of person to let momentary emotion ruin a grand plan.
[Before I get to the main point, I would like to apologize for the recent incident involving the Central Government. We excluded the Incheon Government because we believed Assemblyman Jo Dal-su's testimony. However, after investigating the suspicious details, we discovered that this entire incident stemmed from the malice of Assemblyman Jo Dal-su and Investigator Moon Tae-jun. I have absolutely no excuse for this. We should have acted only after grasping the facts, but since rebellion is such a grave matter, we had no choice but to react sensitively. As soon as the Great Disaster is over, we will clear Incheon's name to the entire nation. Assemblyman Jo Dal-su and Investigator Moon Tae-jun will receive fitting punishments for handling this matter with malicious intent.]
He turned the screen slightly, intentionally showing a bound Jo Dal-su.
[If there is anything specific you desire regarding this matter, please let me know. The Central Government is fully prepared to cooperate and improve our relationship with the Incheon Government.]
It was a clever piece of diplomacy. By shifting all the Central Government's blame onto Assemblyman Jo Dal-su, Kim Jeong-tae handed over the authority to punish the very man Roman undoubtedly held a grudge against. An ordinary person would have found it impossible to resist. The opportunity to exact clear revenge was an incredibly alluring carrot to dangle.
However.
"I believe I told you to get straight to the point."
Roman Dmitry's reaction was utterly lukewarm.
This was entirely outside Kim Jeong-tae's expectations. He had tried to mend relations with a suitable offering, but Roman didn't react in the slightest to someone of Jo Dal-su's caliber.
In that case, there was nothing left but to speak bluntly.
[I will speak frankly. We wish to use this incident as an opportunity to rebuild friendly relations with the Incheon Government. Lord Roman Dmitry, you have proven yourself by defeating the S-Rank monster, the Green Dragon. Please help the Central Government. If you help us resolve the crisis in Seoul, the Central Government will provide full, unconditional support to Incheon once the Great Disaster is over. If you desire wealth and glory, we will grant you whatever you wish, and Incheon will play a core role in the future of South Korea that I envision. That is the main point I wished to make.]
An alliance.
The President of the nation had swallowed his pride and reached out first.
Roman Dmitry smirked.
"You spout such elaborate bullshit. I reject your pathetic proposal."
At those words, a crack finally appeared in Kim Jeong-tae's composure.
* * *
A flat rejection.
Blatant hostility.
Kim Jeong-tae's face froze over. Roman Dmitry's remarks had crossed a line he could no longer calmly accept.
[Lord Roman Dmitry. I fully understand your ill feelings toward the Central Government. However, a leader must not dwell on emotions; they must set them aside and focus on practical benefits. They must consider which choice is most advantageous. Your strength is indeed formidable. If you can fell an S-Rank monster in a single blow, then without a doubt, you have no equal—not just in South Korea, but in the entire world. The problem is that this is South Korea. Given the sentiment of this nation, many will look down on a foreigner like you ruling over Incheon. This country places immense value on Korean blood, to the point of strictly adhering to the principle of jus sanguinis. If you turn a blind eye to South Korea's crisis and openly antagonize the Central Government, do you truly believe the Incheon Government can survive here? It is impossible. That is why cooperation with the Central Government is absolutely necessary.]
Seizing control of the atmosphere, Kim Jeong-tae pressed on fiercely.
[Take my hand. If you have ambitions here in South Korea, the Central Government will serve as your justification.]
It made sense.
Roman Dmitry was a foreigner.
Although he had put Kim Jun-hyeok at the forefront for now, problems would inevitably arise if he tried to rule all of South Korea. No one in this nation would want someone who clearly looked like a foreigner ruling over them.
Roman Dmitry spoke.
"That is a meaningless premise to begin with. I have no intention of accepting people who do not want me. If they show hostility toward me over this issue of birth you speak of, they will not exist as my subjects. They will merely be strangers. Kim Jeong-tae. Do you expect me to turn a blind eye to reality when I already know the truth? Do you expect me to believe such a pathetic excuse just because compromising with South Korea would be 'beneficial'? The sequence of events is clear. Shifting the blame to Assemblyman Jo Dal-su and Investigator Moon Tae-jun does not change the facts we have uncovered."
This meeting.
He had accepted it intentionally.
He was deliberately having this conversation with Kim Jeong-tae in front of the people of Incheon.
"From the very beginning, I despised you people. I once knew a man named Daniel Cairo. As the successor of a weak nation, he was a fragile existence, tossed about by circumstances just as miserable as South Korea's. Though he was a mere boy, he always prioritized the safety of his people, even in the most wretched of situations. He did not abandon his subjects to maintain his own wealth and glory, regardless of how precarious his position was or the constant threat to his life. Instead, he bore the sacrifices a true leader must make. But what about you? While claiming to rule South Korea, how can you justify sacrificing the entire nation just for the safety of Seoul alone? That is why you are pathetic. I despise you—the rotten leadership of this country that calls itself the Central Government."
He laid bare his hostility.
As he learned more about this new world, he had completely excluded the Central Government from his plans. If the day ever came when friction arose between them, Roman Dmitry had no intention of permitting their continued existence.
"You said it yourselves. You defined Incheon as rebels."
This statement would cause a massive uproar.
The people of Incheon would have to accept a new reality.
"There is no longer any need to correct the words you spat out. From this moment on, Incheon is in rebellion."
* * *
Click.
The communication cut off.
Kim Jeong-tae's face flushed red with rage.
He had tried to resolve the situation amicably by any means necessary, but Roman Dmitry's final statement was completely unacceptable.
"How dare he bring up rebellion in front of me?!"
Slam!
He struck the table.
Rebellion.
It was a sensitive word.
No, it was a word that should never have been uttered.
By declaring rebellion, Roman Dmitry had established a clear hostile relationship, making the rift between himself and the Central Government irreversible. Fury welled up inside the President. Roman Dmitry was a powerhouse capable of taking down an S-Rank monster like the Green Dragon. He was someone the South Korean government absolutely had to win over; Kim Jeong-tae had never expected him to act so extremely.
Since the establishment of the Central Government, this was the first time Kim Jeong-tae's position had ever been threatened.
An assemblyman shouted, "Mr. President! We must eliminate Roman Dmitry. If he openly speaks of rebellion, he will pose an immense threat to the future of South Korea."
"I agree. He harbors dangerous ideologies. If we leave someone like him alone, a state of national collapse will surely follow."
"Mr. President!"
Chaos erupted in the room as the assemblymen raised their voices.
That was how shocking the declaration was.
Because they knew exactly how strong Roman Dmitry was, they could not take his hostility lightly.
'Just as the assemblymen say, if Roman Dmitry is left to his own devices, he will threaten my position. If coexistence is impossible, there is no choice but to erase Roman Dmitry's existence entirely. I must eliminate him before he can build up his forces.'
Malice flashed in his eyes. Kim Jeong-tae spoke.
"Assemblyman Jo Dal-su."
"Yes, sir."
"Go to China immediately. China wished to establish a cooperative relationship with us to annihilate the monsters in North Korea and share a border with us. We have rejected their proposals until now, but from this moment on, things are different. Tell them that if they help us in this Great Disaster, we will favorably review their proposal."
"Understood! I will complete this mission even if it costs me my life!" Jo Dal-su prostrated himself.
This was an opportunity.
Pushed to the very edge of a cliff, Jo Dal-su—who was supposed to be a sacrificial offering to Roman Dmitry—had just been handed a final lifeline.
Kim Jeong-tae had chosen him intentionally. Jo Dal-su would do everything in his power to survive.
Kim Jeong-tae looked at the assemblymen with sharp eyes.
"Roman Dmitry has made a grave mistake. We only sought to handle things easily with his help; we are not a nation that will crumble over a single S-Rank monster. I will dispatch the Directly Controlled Unit. We will defeat the Red Dragon and prove to the world that South Korea remains strong. And once the 6th Great Disaster has completely passed..."
He bared his murderous intent. Kim Jeong-tae never forgave rebellion.
"I will execute Roman Dmitry and the traitors who follow him."
* * *
After the communication ended, the people of Incheon remained dead silent.
They didn't know how to react to the shocking word "rebellion."
Roman Dmitry spoke. "Kim Jun-hyeok. What do you think of this?"
All eyes focused on him.
After appearing to ponder for a moment, Kim Jun-hyeok spoke his mind honestly.
"President Kim Jeong-tae's words make sense. If we put aside our past grievances and cooperate with the Central Government, Incheon will be able to comfortably establish itself in South Korea. However, I do not want that either. They openly excluded Incheon, only to change their stance and reach out once they realized our strength. I do not wish to plan a future with people who might betray us at any moment. The problem is that this choice is not unconditionally beneficial for Incheon."
He faced reality.
Rebellion was not a simple matter that would end easily.
"If the Central Government succeeds in defending itself, the Incheon Government will have turned the entirety of South Korea into an enemy. That is a completely different matter from surviving the Great Disaster. Like fighting a civil war, Incheon will have to raise weapons against our fellow South Korean citizens just to survive. Conversely, if the Central Government fails to defend itself, South Korea's system will collapse. It is realistically impossible for Incheon to handle all of South Korea with our current strength alone."
It was a dilemma.
No matter the outcome, the situation was not favorable for Incheon.
Roman understood their concerns. The people of this modern era were accustomed to compromising, but the way Roman Dmitry had lived was entirely different.
"If you wish to follow me from now on, there is something you must make clear," Roman said. "I will create an entirely new nation centered around Incheon. And in that process, the Central Government will surely fall, one way or another. Whether they fail to survive the Great Disaster, or they all die by my hand. My declaration of rebellion was not an empty threat."
Gradually, his presence swelled.
The people were completely overwhelmed by the sheer weight of his words.
"Even if hundreds of thousands, or even millions of people die because they cannot survive the Great Disaster, I will stand by and watch if they are not my subjects. Once the Great Disaster is completely over, I will slaughter every single person on the opposing side who shows hostility toward Incheon. Keep this in mind. I, Roman Dmitry, will not care for the safety of any place other than this land I rule—this city called Incheon. This world may call that morally unjust, but I possess no such sense of justice that compels me to look after everyone."
He spoke the absolute truth.
A new world.
New people.
For him to accept them, they had to follow a new system. It was not just he who had to adapt to this world; the people of this world would also have to adapt to his ways.
"That is the way I reign."
Roman Dmitry.
He fully revealed his presence as the Heavenly Demon.