Chapter 134. Choosing a Sacrifice.
Chapter 134. Choosing a Sacrifice.
Once everyone fully grasped that this couldn't be dismissed as a simple nuclear explosion, the atmosphere grew somber. It wasn't something we should be discussing on our own, so we hastily reconnected the video call with the United States.
"Good heavens... I never imagined that 'mana' would have an effect..."
Edwin paused mid-ramble to catch his breath and took a sip of water.
"The problem is that you are the only one who can go there, Representative. Even Chernobyl didn't reach radiation levels this extreme."
At that, the U.S. President asked, with the utmost caution,
"Would other Awakened be incapable?"
"To be honest, the correlation between the mana Awakened use and the radiation emitted by nuclear material hasn't been proven yet. And we can't exactly run experiments on them."
Galrand pondered something for a long moment, then excused himself and stepped away briefly. Soon after, he returned carrying a few items and set them down on the table.
"Galrand, what are these?"
"Devices that purify a contaminated area by forcibly decaying the residual radiation. They work by counteracting whatever prevents decay and endlessly generates energy."
Galrand had brought two objects.
"Then what is this one?"
"This one..."
He demonstrated it directly: he attached a palm-sized badge to his chest, gave it two taps, and the badge's center lit up, producing a thin membrane of mana that enveloped his entire body.
'A nano suit...'
"The mana membrane prevents radiation from penetrating and destroying cells. We do occasionally use these during our own experiments, but their duration isn't very long. However, looking at the radiation readings from the Hanford Site, I suspect we could only use them for an extremely short time..."
Dangerous. Absolutely unacceptable. Healing magic works by pushing cellular regeneration to its limit to aid recovery—it's useless on cells that are already dead.
The expressions on Galrand and Edwin, who had presented these inventions, were deeply troubled.
"What's wrong?"
"Benefactor, I am truly sorry to say this, but..."
"...?"
"Even if you are the one to resolve the matter—to erase the radiation from the area in one fell swoop—you will ultimately have to deploy other people as well..."
"Why is that?"
Once Galrand finished, Edwin continued.
"With such an unprecedented level, there is definitely the possibility of recontamination. And if weather conditions like wind or rain spread it, it could travel very far. In fact, radiation from the Fukushima nuclear plant reached the U.S. West Coast by riding the jet stream."
"Which means..."
"We must split into teams and activate all the decay devices simultaneously..."
"If it's only simultaneous activation, can't I just plant them all myself and trigger them at once?"
"The devices won't hold out until installation is complete at every location..."
I stared up at the ceiling in silence, lost in thought. Galrand and Edwin, having no choice but to present me with such a dilemma, hung their heads, too ashamed to meet my eyes.
How long had it been since I'd been forced into a binary choice?
Move at phenomenal speed and jam all the devices in within the blink of an eye?
Who knows what the physical forces generated by that kind of movement might trigger.
Use teleportation to move?
Running on foot is far faster than teleportation.
"A solution has at least emerged, so I will end the meeting here. President Bruce, I will contact you again within a few days."
The U.S. President, aware of the dilemma I was facing and the situation at hand, did not press me and simply nodded.
The moment the video call ended, everyone here fell silent, all of them gauging my reaction. I'm not some stubborn old fossil, so I dismissed them all.
"Researchers, thank you for coming when called. Please, all of you, go and get some rest."
No sooner had I finished than they all filed out, apparently unable to endure the awkward atmosphere any longer.
"For now, let's wrap up for today and gather again after lunch tomorrow. It's been a while since I had something to agonize over, so I suppose it's refreshing."
I forced a smile to lighten the sagging mood and left the Assembly Hall first.
'So in the end, I have to personally handpick the ones who'll be sacrificed?'
I couldn't decide whether it was right to choose people myself and sacrifice them by my own will. Even when I ran the mercenary band, I gave the members autonomy to take on their own contracts. Not once did we have a task so absolutely non-negotiable.
"Ha... fuck..."
From a distance, Terion approached—now in the human form I'd grown accustomed to.
"Indeed, the moment when a king must make an unavoidable choice always arrives."
"..."
"If you cater to the tastes of the people, you fall under the scrutiny of your ministers; if you cater to the ministers, you fall under the scrutiny of the people."
"What are you trying to say?"
"You said you were building a nation. This was something you were going to face someday. I, too, have stood at a crossroads like yours. Looking back, I think I would have regretted it no matter which choice I made."
"..."
"A method that satisfies everyone is nothing but an ideal."
"Heh, thanks. I do feel a little better."
"If you're grateful, treat me to some good liquor later."
I slept through the day, and as announced the day before, I notified everyone to gather at the Assembly Hall after lunch. Rumors of the situation had spread, and I could feel the village atmosphere shifting strangely. But it wasn't the kind of strange with a negative connotation.
While I was passing the time, I suddenly received a request for a meeting from the Special Forces Commander.
"What's this about?"
"Sihu? Why?"
"Nothing... The Special Forces Commander is asking if I can spare a moment."
"That old man? That's unusual..."
"I'll be right back. Wait here a moment."
I thought he'd call me to his own house, but he set the meeting place at the Assembly Hall. When I got there, the Special Forces Commander and the special mission agents were there, of course, but quite a number of villagers had gathered too.
For a second, seeing the villagers, I thought I'd gotten the meeting spot wrong and double-checked my phone.
"Representative, over here."
"I never expected the Special Forces Commander, of all people, to request a meeting..."
"Haha, even an old-timer like me still has his own worries. Ah, should I not be mentioning my age in front of you, Representative?"
He cracked a joke to lighten the mood, and everyone else laughed along. After chatting for a while about how things were going, he began to steer the conversation toward the main topic. What was peculiar was that everyone else seemed to have already heard something from the Special Forces Commander; they all had a knowing look.
"Everyone here wishes to take part in the operation at the Hanford Site."
"..."
"No one was coerced. These are people who stepped forward of their own volition."
"Why? I never forced anyone to sacrifice. The families waiting for you all..."
I spoke in a slightly worried tone, thinking of the families who would be waiting for them.
"Representative, we don't have families anyway. If anything, wouldn't it be great to seize this chance and be remembered as 'the heroes who saved humanity'?"
"Haha, wouldn't it be an honor if our names were recorded in history books later?"
"That's right. You know, weren't there plenty of people who volunteered at Chernobyl too?"
"You could die. We don't know how long the mana membrane will hold out against that level of radiation."
As if refusing to hear any further objection, they simply looked at me in silence. Left with little choice, I nodded and accepted their offer.
"Anyway, do the others know about this?"
"Yes, we have informed the U.S. President and the others. They all hesitated but, without exception, told us to get your permission."
"Heh, you're thorough."
"Soldiers may lack flexibility, but we get the job done for sure."
Before long, the time came, and people began gathering at the Assembly Hall one by one. In no time, everyone was assembled.
"Special Forces Commander, did your discussion wrap up well?"
"Yes, the Representative granted permission, albeit reluctantly."
The President looked around at those who remained, said a single line, and then bowed his head deeply.
"I sincerely respect your courageous decision."
The agents and villagers, aside from the Special Forces Commander, gave their greetings and yielded the floor for the meeting.
"Representative, you seem displeased."
The President asked, seeing the subtly irritated look on my face.
"It's been a long time since I've felt this way."
"For now, all you need to do is praise their courage."
The participants for the operation had all been decided. Others had rushed to volunteer as well, but I refused. Among those who wanted to go were Chaeyeon and Jia.
The moment they said they were going, my mood instantly soured. My quick-witted mother-in-law sent them off on an errand and had them leave the room for a bit.
"Sigh... I apologize. I lost control of my expression for a second."
Everyone in my party knew. That no matter what angle you argued from, I would never, ever send them. If someone sacrifices for humanity, that person will be praised. But I didn't want that person to be my family.
Sacrifice for the group, the nation, even the world? People with such spirit and courage deserve to be respected.
'It sounds selfish, but absolutely not my family.'
"As you've all probably guessed, I absolutely cannot send them. I feel sorry for the volunteers who stepped up saying they would sacrifice themselves, but..."
"..."
"I'm not such a saint that I can demand sacrifice from my own family. So please just let me be satisfied with going there myself as the Representative."
"Your wives won't agree to that..."
"I'll take responsibility and stop them. If words don't work, I'll even use coercive measures."
They're not so selfish that they'd stand by and watch others sacrifice themselves with their eyes wide open. They'll definitely feel a sense of responsibility and strongly insist on joining the operation.
'If it really comes down to it... I'll have no choice but to temporarily seal away their mana...'
The two of them returned after finishing their errand with some suitable excuse, and everyone else stopped what they were saying and changed the subject. We reviewed the building blueprints, maps, and other materials we'd received from the U.S. side, and sketched out a concrete operation.
Phase one: I infiltrate alone to assess the situation. Once any danger is eliminated, we deploy people to install the devices. After that, we activate all the devices.
It sounds simple, but we don't know what variables might arise, and the current situation is unclear. The biggest problem is that radiation makes communication impossible.
We talked in the Assembly Hall for longer than we ever had before.