Bohemia Church (2) [Over the World~ Over the World~!]
"Over the world~ Over the World~!" had begun. Iris Adler's debut song, the one she always sang at the opening of her shows—Salve, munde! Literally, "Hello, world!" It was Iris greeting the world with her presence.
But there was a huge problem with this song.
"Hera, do me a favor."
Affirmative. Executing H.E.R.A System: 004.
Hai-jjang—no, the AI now called H.E.R.A (Hero Educate Rating Assistant). The name didn't quite fit if you broke it down piece by piece, but it was basically an artificial intelligence designed to assist heroes. This was the reason I, Hwang Bo-jun, could still be called a hero even without doing any broadcasting—and it was my identity.
...Though it eventually got handed over to Lee Moo-hyuk anyway.
It had taken me nearly a month of agony to find the activation code for Hera. The novel never mentioned it in the description, so of course I had to suffer through it myself. Seriously... even if it was a soon-to-be-discarded character's ability, couldn't they have given at least a hint?
Anyway, what I'd activated through Hera right now wasn't just basic noise cancellation. It was a system that blocked pretty much any external interference.
Aeri, I've detected cracks in the sound waves emanating from the arena's speakers.
"Yeah, keep blocking it for now."
Affirmative.
I glanced at Duk-cheol sitting next to me. It was his first time experiencing something like this, and he was wildly cheering for Iris.
'Sorry, Duk-cheol, but regular noise cancellation wouldn't cut it against this.'
The reason I'd used Hera to block external interference was Iris's song—specifically, the crack code embedded in the sound waves of her song. C.R.N (Cracking Root Network). Commonly known as Siren.
That was why she could lead a cult with tens of millions of followers. It explained why people went so fanatically crazy over what seemed like an ordinary girl.
"That's Siren. Iris's ability."
No one in this cyberpunk era was a plain human. Almost everyone underwent body modification and enhancement curricula right after birth. Sure, there were rare cases like people who refused the procedures or unenhanced humans like me—who'd been erased from records and become one from the start—but living as a normal human wasn't that easy.
If you refused, they'd force it on you. And if you still refused? They'd execute you without question.
'Humans in this era are human... but not really human.'
In short, everyone was like walking computers. Without an AI like Hera, no one could escape Iris's Siren.
Siren used auditory signals to inject its crack code into the code of the nanomachines inside anyone who heard Iris's song. Once that crack code was etched into the nanomachines, it directly affected the C.B (Cybernetic Body)—especially the brain.
'And boom—you become a blind fanatic who worships Iris.'
This was why Iris held live performances regularly: to grow her flock of followers. In this world, broadcasting was power. To her, followers equaled subscribers equaled viewers.
The more, the stronger she got. No reason to stop.
A massive chat window floated above Iris like a holographic billboard. During live performances, she always streamed in real-time on S-Tube for subscribers who couldn't attend in person.
'At least the Siren effect is weaker through broadcasts.'
Siren spread less potently via streams than live attendance. Still, Iris had this magnetic pull that drew people in, keeping them watching. Over time, prolonged exposure turned them into Bohemia fanatics too.
'What a scary woman.'
Chills ran down my spine at the thought that without Hera, I'd be chanting "Iris-sama Saikyo!" too.
The concert was nearing its end. Iris was about to do it.
I couldn't hear it, but Hera was feeding me updates.
Aeri. The target is about to begin her speech.
"Yeah, I figured without you telling me."
Iris always ended her lives with a speech targeted at first-time attendees—like something cult leaders do to fully hook their followers.
Probably.
"Now that we've sung all the songs, I'd like to share some good words with those of you attending my live for the first time."
Good words? Good for Iris, maybe.
Everyone else but me had taken a direct hit from Siren, so it probably sounded good to them too.
"Our Bohemia Church doctrine is simple: no monopolies. If someone hoards something, others can't enjoy it. That's why Bohemia Church exists—to pursue a goal that lets us stand firm. For now, it's limited to this country, but our aim is to check the H Group, who monopolize cyber technology."
As Iris said, Bohemia Church wasn't really a religion—it was a terrorist group. News stories abounded of her brainwashed fanatics torching and smashing H Group's subcontractors.
Yet H Group never cracked down. Simple: it wasn't them getting hit. Subcontractors? Just replace them like machine parts.
Even if an H Group affiliate got targeted and they responded, Bohemia would just cut off tails.
The nation let this pseudo-religious terror group slide because Iris wielded massive influence.
'Power rules supreme, whether in the modern world or here. Bitter reality.'
"Bohemia Church is always recruiting followers who yearn to be free from dictatorship, monopolies, and oppression. After the show, indicate your interest at the handshake—and we'll guide you kindly."
People yearning for freedom from dictatorship, monopolies, and oppression... Nice words.
She was the dictator, the greedy monopolist, the oppressor of her own followers.
'Time to move to the next phase.'
Iris's speech ended. What remained was the "handshake" event—a front for recruiting devotees.
"Where'd Duk-cheol go?"
I'd headed to the handshake alone after leaving the concert hall—Duk-cheol, who'd been beside me, had vanished. Bathroom break, maybe?
No big deal. The plan could proceed without him.
"And damn, the line's insane."
A Great Wall-scale queue snaked toward Iris for handshakes. Impressive, for better or worse.
She wasn't called the Idol Saint for nothing.
"Y-yes! I've been a fan forever! Look at all the Iris merch I've bought!"
"Really? That makes me so happy. What's your name?"
"H-Han Mu-deok!"
"Mu-deok, huh. Here, your autograph."
"Whoa! This'll be my treasure."
"If you're interested in Bohemia Church, our manager over there will guide you kindly."
The line had shrunk; only one person ahead of me now. They clutched their signed merch and headed to a man in a black suit.
Another fanatic born.
"Hello, Iris."
"Oh! A rare female fan."
"I've had my eye on you for a while."
"Really? I'm thrilled a cute girl like you admires me."
What to call it? Her fakeness felt real and unreal at once. Even up close, she was an enigma.
"What's your name?"
"Ju Ae-ri."
"Ae-ri, right? Here's your autograph. If you're interested in our church, the manager will guide you kindly. We'd welcome a cute devotee like you anytime."
Iris wrote my name and her signature on the paper, then handed it over.
"Oh, right. I have a message for you."
"For me?"
What I said next would lay the foundation for my next plan. I took a deep breath and spoke.
"The tears that woman shed into the sea have resurfaced."
Iris's face hardened instantly. In a low, icy voice, she replied,
"We'll discuss the details in my waiting room after the handshake ends."