Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Suddenly in Command
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I had no idea how things had spiraled into this, but suddenly I was running the show for this relief train.
"Damn it. Damn it."
I muttered under my breath as I pored over the paperwork without a break. Lee Se-eun had successfully arrived in the Netherlands two days ago, but she'd been resting for the past three days after that.
A hunter in the top ten was basically a national treasure. It made sense they'd give her that kind of consideration.
But hey, I'm basically slated to be a national treasure myself. Wasn't it overkill to work me like this?
"How should we handle relief supplies distribution? Like with the Warsaw incident before, it's proving hard to control."
Falsifying ration lists, stealing supplies from others, dragging in kids or the elderly for sob stories. People were the same everywhere humans lived.
And on top of that, folks were starting to speak more formally to me.
I gave the man a cold reply.
"Set a daily total disbursement amount and a fixed time window. Anyone can come pick it up. Shut the doors after three hours from the start of distribution or once the quota's gone."
I didn't care if the same person came back for more. I didn't care if they stole or snatched supplies from others. Time to show this world some isekai-style relief strategy.
"Will that... actually work, though?"
I shot back immediately.
"Distributions have been averaging ten hours so far. Use the other seven to comb the area like you're hunting rats."
Focus on rooting out the ones secretly selling supplies for cash or looting others' shares.
"When you find them, smash them flat. And give extra supplies to anyone who tips us off."
Isekai kingdom-style disaster relief. I wasn't sure if you could even call it relief, but whatever.
"That could turn into a witch hunt."
Like, that guy's loaded, so let's report him, strip him bare, and grab extra rations! Fair point, and honestly, it's the core flaw in this kind of system.
"Can't be helped."
I wasn't aiming for some perfect relief distribution utopia that'd last a thousand years.
"A policy everyone loves? Save it for heaven after you die."
We were only human, and any policy humans cooked up to control other humans was bound to have holes.
Even if problems cropped up, if the benefits outweighed them, you just pushed forward.
"But..."
"No buts."
It was like treating a patient. Sure, if you could pick the method with the least side effects, you would. But if not, the priority was keeping them breathing by any means.
This situation was the same.
"Three hours a day, fixed quota of supplies. Then deploy every available body to hunt down the cheats playing dirty with the rations."
Someone else piped up at my words.
"But the ones siphoning supplies off probably have some wealth. What if they try bribing the patrols...?"
"Han Sang-ah."
At my call, Han Sang-ah—who'd been lounging in the command room for once—turned her gaze my way.
"Got a chance to see what you did in Warsaw."
"Yeah."
Pretty damn impressive. She'd lopped off the heads of guys hoarding supplies and abusing minors, then hung them up in the town square. Brutal, but I figured it was the best move for the circumstances.
"I think your approach was right, so do the same here."
There had to be organized groups among the hoarders. I'd track them down, sever their heads, and string them up in the market.
"Hold on, I can't just sit here listening to this!"
Finally, one of the people in the meeting shot to his feet.
"The Netherlands might be under informal control, but it's by us! Shouldn't you at least ask our opinion before pushing this through?"
I turned to him. The Secret Alliance. Warlords who'd started in the Netherlands and spread to France and Spain.
And the one speaking now was Robert Anelka, the guy they'd appointed as Governor of the Netherlands.
"I don't think so, Robert Anelka."
I stood up as I said it. Robert's face stiffened. No way he hadn't heard the rumors from Hamburg.
Yet he'd raised his voice anyway. Obvious why.
There were ties between him and all the crime syndicates dug into the Netherlands.
"Don't worry. I wasn't planning to drag you all down with them anyway."
I acknowledged that even if security was a mess, they were still holding the Netherlands together. Wiping them out would just make things worse.
"Cooperate quietly, and I'll leave you be."
"You..."
Robert started to say more but clamped his mouth shut.
"You're outsiders at the core. Can you handle the backlash this'll cause?"
"The supplies were made in Korea and shipped by us. They're ours. If they're not going where we intended, we have every right to prevent it and take follow-ups."
I swept my hand slowly across the table as I finished.
"What, you wanna sue us like dogs? Not sure if a bunch of illegal armed thugs without international recognition even have the right."
Lucky street punks who'd swallowed a whole country were getting mouthy.
"Do you think Lee Se-eun would approve of handling it this way?"
Down to dragging Lee Se-eun's name into it.
"I'm the one talking to you right now, not Lee Se-eun. And I have her approval to handle this."
"If Lee Se-eun finds out how you're doing it...!"
Didn't matter if she did. I looked away from Robert and spoke.
"Meeting's over. Calculate daily quotas and report. Draft patrol manpower and schedules, submit by afternoon."
I left the room and headed back to mine. Moments later, a knock, and Ja Su-jeong came in.
"You were on fire today."
"Yeah, even I thought I was disgustingly over the top."
I gave myself a curt self-assessment. Ja Su-jeong looked flustered, like she'd wanted to say something nice.
"Huh? No, I meant you had real charisma and..."
"Not doing it to feel good."
Charisma? I didn't care what she thought.
"It's just brute-forcing with the power I've got."
I'm stronger than you, so you weaklings shut up and obey, or get your skulls split. That was it.
I clenched my fist tight. It was the kind of crap I'd been sick of back in that other world—the exact thing I'd hated.
Yet here I was, doing it on Earth.
"It was just the only thing I could think of right now. And I don't like it."
Even telling myself it was the best option didn't make it sit right.
"Daily disbursement paperwork?"
I glanced at the papers in Ja Su-jeong's hands, and she handed over the report.
"Yes. This should work if we proceed."
I signed off, let out a small sigh, and stood.
"Alright, thanks for the hard work."
With that, I headed to where Lee Se-eun was recovering.
"Got the report."
I nodded at her words.
"I know you don't like it, but no choice."
She was the one who'd handed me the reins.
"It's fine. Our styles differ, can't be helped. Point is, things are running."
I glanced around at her words.
"Still replaying it?"
Lee Se-eun was mentally rerunning her fight with the army coats from Hamburg over and over. Her injuries and fight aftermath were long healed, though.
She murmured softly at my question.
"Yeah. Can't see the path."
No matter how many times she reviewed the battle, she couldn't find a way to win.
They called it hitting a wall. Looked like she'd struggle with it for a while. I doubted she'd listen to my advice, but...
"Enlightenment doesn't hit like a sudden flash."
That was all I could say.
We weren't training monks. If you wanted to get stronger, you fought, gained experience, tempered yourself. Hunters were physical jobs—you didn't reach new heights sitting and meditating.
"...Yeah."
She gave a grudging nod.
"Once Netherlands relief is sorted and we ship supplies to England from the port, the shield generators go out too."
That'd wrap our job.
"I know. So why bring it up?"
"Dangun's Heirs won't just give up."
They might target the shield generators in England too.
"So, you're staying in England?"
"Yeah. According to the Embassy Tower, we need 3-4 months for meaningful data."
Han Sang-ah and I would sign short-term contracts and stick around England.
"What's the plan?"
"Spend 3-4 months in England boosting our skills, then on the way back to Korea, hit the Grade 1 Erosion Core fridge we ran into in Bratsk."
Lee Se-eun eyed me up and down at my words and chuckled.
"You mad bastard."
She held out a strawberry candy. I took it, and after a moment's thought, she spoke.
"I was planning some real rest after this mission. Long as two months, short as one."
She'd held Cheorwon for years, then jumped straight into transport ops. Even Lee Se-eun wasn't made of steel—she needed a break.
"I'll stay too. England won't refuse anyway. And I'll help however I can."
Her eyes gleamed as she finished.
"If you rack up some real results while I'm gone... I'll join you for the fridge."
I bowed politely.
"Thank you."
No reason to turn down backup like her. She watched me bow, then added,
"Bratsk's fridge is considered weak among Grade 1s. Cores get graded by standards, but..."
"I know Grade 1s vary wildly from there up."
Same label didn't mean same threat. The gaps were even bigger than between lower grades.
"Still, a Grade 1's a Grade 1. You said before you'd form a team focused on tackling them."
She glanced at her massive sword as she said it.
"Even after experiencing a Grade 1 in Bratsk, I hope you keep that fire. Some hunters at my level call them the real deal... others say hell."
"I will."
I've been to real hell. Not this world's, but still.
Lee Se-eun's expression grew complicated. If things went well here, maybe she'd ditch Zanabi as partner hunter and team up with me for real.