VS the Association
Three days later, at a hotel press conference hall in Korea.
“Nervous?”
“A little.”
I answered Keira’s question with complete honesty. This was the moment that would decide whether everything we had prepared over the past three days would land or fall flat.
“Honestly, I like that you’re being branded a demon.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Because that way there are fewer competitors. You did something with Suyeon again this time, didn’t you?”
“Huh? No, that’s…”
I hadn’t said a single word. How the hell did she know?
“Hey, this is exactly why… Elena, Elena, get over here and stop her already. Are you just going to sit there and watch?”
“I’m fine, Lady Keira. All of this happened because Jungmin is so charming. Just having him keep me by his side is more than enough for me.”
“Elena, if you keep talking like that you might end up alone in an empty room. Jungmin’s heart is his to decide, but he only has one body.”
“That’s…”
Elena’s expression hardened. Clearly she hadn’t thought that far ahead. Well, outside of sex, Elena was the type who only ever thought in terms of pure, platonic love. The moment sex started, of course, she would throw everything else away and dive straight into it.
“Don’t worry, Elena. I won’t let you be lonely. If it really comes to that, I’ll go learn some clone technique somewhere.”
“Ah, Jungmin…”
It felt like love lasers were shooting from Elena’s eyes. Being able to receive this kind of love—of course the corners of my mouth lifted on their own. Thanks to that, my tension naturally eased.
Hmm… is this all thanks to Keira?
“Oh, it’s starting.”
We were inside a secret space within the GGC press conference waiting room. Even while inside that space, we kept ourselves hidden with transparency magic. And the conversation just now had been in voices so quiet they were nearly inaudible. Association personnel were packed into both the waiting room and the conference hall itself. If we got caught before the Leader finished her announcement, the entire presentation could collapse, so extreme caution was mandatory.
“This is Kim Nari, Leader of GGC. Welcome to the reporters present here, and to all the citizens watching this broadcast.”
I could see the interior of the conference hall through the smartphone screen relay. I was listening through earphones.
“Skip the greetings. Defending a ‘demon’—are you out of your mind? Are you confessing to being an accomplice right now?”
Han Seongmin, sitting in the front row, stood up. Next to him was General Manager Lee Jayoung.
That damn bastard. Because of him, things had come this far, and instead of reflecting, he was acting up again. I was so ashamed of having once been a fan of someone like that. I wanted to turn back time.
Swoosh.
Keira took my hand. She must have sensed my quiet rage. Cancel the time travel. If I messed that up, I might never meet Keira.
“I’ll take questions later. It’s because of that kind of unilateral action that the skeletons came out of the Gate in the first place, isn’t it?”
“No, wait…”
Leader is the best! It felt so refreshing.
Public opinion on Han Seongmin was getting worse by the day. Five days had passed since the incident, and nothing had come out of the Eternal Gate. In other words, if they hadn’t gone into the Gate, everything might have been fine. The current flow of public opinion saw me—the so-called ‘demon’—as the primary perpetrator, and Han Seongmin as the secondary one.
“If you’re about to claim this is defamation, stop right there. I am speaking based on facts. If Department Head Han Seongmin had not entered the so-called ‘Eternal Gate’ on the day of the incident, this accident might never have happened. After that, the unstimulated Eternal Gate has remained quiet to this day. More than anything, Department Head Han Seongmin bears direct and indirect responsibility for the lives of the twenty Keepers who entered the Gate with him, could not even flee, and died on the spot, as well as the citizens who lost their lives caught up in his escape. I intend to proceed with criminal litigation regarding this.”
As if it were a sports broadcast, the screen caught Han Seongmin’s contorted expression. Leader’s pretty face filled the frame right after, but that brief flash of his face alone made the real-time reactions explode.
“…Continuing. Currently the Association is claiming that two of Lee Jungmin’s companions—two otherworlders whom our crew recognizes as full crew members—are demons. Their basis for this is ‘Lee Jungmin uses demonic power.’ First of all, the equation ‘otherworlder = demon’ is false. I will now introduce someone who will provide supplementary explanation on this point.”
The relay screen shifted to the large display. The moment a face appeared on the screen, successive gasps erupted throughout the press conference hall. I recognized the face too.
George Lance, President of the U.S. Keeper Association
I never expected a giant of the Keeper world to personally testify. It was proof of just how extraordinary the power of Ttanttani was.
Hello to the people of Korea, and greetings to citizens around the world. I heard about the situation in Korea from a friend, and I judged this an excellent opportunity to announce new facts, so I recorded this message. To get straight to the point: otherworlders exist in the United States as well. We had kept it secret because we feared the revelation that intelligent life other than Earth humans exists would throw society into chaos. But since the Korean Keeper Association has already revealed the existence of otherworlders, there is no longer any meaning in hiding it. And we cannot simply stand by while every otherworlder is branded a demon. America’s otherworlders are, of course, not demons. I have also been informed that otherworlders in other countries are not demons either. Just recently I received a report that Korea’s otherworlders are not demons either—but the people on the ground will know that matter better. What I wish to say is simply this: we now stand on the threshold of exchange with people from entirely different dimensions, transcending nationality, race, and religion. At a time like this, rather than rejecting a new world with prejudice and hatred, accepting it with an open heart is comparatively the right path—and Earth’s history has proven that. I look forward to your wise judgment. That is all.
Then the video changed. This time a woman with green hair appeared. Her ears looked nearly fifteen centimeters long.
Hello. I am Nanariluri Venesia. I am an elf.
She greeted them in clumsy English. Of course the chat went completely insane.
She probably couldn’t see the chat, yet the elf acted as if she had read it. She bent her ears. The sight of those fifteen-centimeter ears folding until they touched her lips was profoundly alien.
These ears are not decorations. They are truly mine. I have heard news of other otherworlders. I do not know the detailed situation, but I ask that you receive them with warm hearts. If communication had been smoother I could have said more, and that is very regrettable. I look forward to the day we meet again.
I myself had only heard for the first time the day before yesterday that other otherworlders existed. Whether there were Keepers with the same trait as me, I didn’t know. We hadn’t gotten that far in the conversation. In any case, the fact that still more otherworlders existed was a huge help to me. It was perfect evidence for the claim that not every otherworlder was a demon.
“First of all, that video is authentic, and the Shinyongsan Crew guarantees it. I’m sure you have many questions, but please wait until you have heard my entire presentation before asking them.”
The reporters held their questions, but the people watching in real time flooded the chat with a question rush. The number of people watching the broadcast began to grow exponentially. Already a million.
“Of course, this alone does not prove that the two otherworlders belonging to our crew are not demons. It simply means there is also no guarantee that what the Association is unilaterally pushing is true. Next is the matter of ‘demonic power.’ Once again I have prepared a video. For reference, this video was provided by the U.S. Keeper Association.”
A foreigner’s face appeared on the conference hall screen. The subtitle read: “Keeper with knowledge trait regarding demons.”
I am Jennifer of the U.S. Keeper Association. I have no combat ability—only a knowledge trait. I watched the footage you sent carefully. Demons are certainly skilled at fighting one another and at using one another. It is also true that they are desperate to grow stronger by crossing dimensions. But demons are not the only ones who can use ‘demonic power.’ In general, ‘demonic power’ refers to the force that arises when emotions explode, and anyone can use it. I can, you can, and one could say we are always using it. The difference is that the demonic power we use is so weak it cannot affect reality, whereas the demonic power demons use is strong enough to destroy reality. The important point to note here is that just because someone can use demonic power at a level visible to the eye does not make them a ‘demon.’ The most critical part of the definition of a ‘demon’ is the ability to forcibly steal emotions from others. If one cannot do that, one is not a demon.
It wasn’t just one person.
I am with the French Keeper Association…
I am with the Brazilian Keeper Association…
The accounts of ten Keepers of different nationalities were all the same. Anyone can use demonic power, and being able to use demonic power does not make everyone a demon. The condition for becoming a demon is the ability to forcibly steal emotions from others.
“The authenticity of these videos is guaranteed by the Keeper Associations of each country. In addition, the unedited full versions of these Keepers’ interviews have just been made public. Please watch them yourselves and form your own judgments.”
“Are you ignoring the Association right now? Isn’t this a statement that the Association is speaking falsehoods? The ones who actually colluded with a demon and hid it all this time are GGC, aren’t they?”
General Manager Lee Jayoung, unable to hold back any longer, snatched a microphone and snapped at her. The Leader responded with a poker face and a calm voice.
“I’m sorry, but I have not finished speaking. I do not believe the Association spoke falsehoods. I do, however, believe that statements were edited to serve the Association’s claims. Therefore I request that you, like us, release the unedited interview footage. Alternatively, arranging a meeting with those Keepers in person would also be acceptable. Some of the Keepers from various countries who appeared in the videos above are already on their way to Korea. I apologize that they could not attend together, given that this press conference was prepared in only three days.”
“I will instruct that the unedited versions be released immediately. But does this mean Lee Jungmin is not a demon? He already looks thoroughly accustomed to demonic power. Isn’t it possible he is already going around stealing other people’s emotions?”
“Did I not say earlier that I would take questions after my presentation is finished? If you continue to obstruct the proceedings, I will have no choice but to ask you to step outside for a moment.”
The relay screen was by now showing both the Leader’s poker face and General Manager Lee Jayoung’s slightly flushed face at the same time. Lee Jayoung worked her lips a few times, then sat back down. From her perspective she had probably thought she had successfully redirected people’s attention with one challenge. But the broadcast framing had already locked into a confrontation, and it made it look as if Lee Jayoung had tucked her tail between her legs. The chat reactions said the same.
There were a few defending comments, but they were quickly buried under the ones tearing into General Manager Lee Jayoung. This kind of confrontation could only work in the Leader’s favor. The charisma that came through in appearance alone was already a massive gap. The Leader was beautiful and cool; General Manager Lee Jayoung looked ordinary. Truly, the Leader is the best.
“Continuing. I was curious whether every person can truly use ‘demonic power.’ From my personal experience, I have never once used anything like demonic power. So I consulted an expert on this matter, and that person will now explain it directly from this stage.”
Click, click.
Suyeon, wearing a two-piece suit, stepped out of the waiting room and climbed onto the platform. In formal attire she carried a seriousness I had never seen from her before. Still cute, though. I cheered for Suyeon, who I knew must be trembling inside.
“Hello. I am Woo Suyeon, Chief Researcher of the Shinyongsan Crew.”
Suyeon, fighting!