Chapter 120

Chapter 120. Commotion (4)

“That’s everything Daji asked me to pass along, Nameless King.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

After listening to Number 49, I crossed my arms and fell into thought.

Saionji Keito...

The screen projected in midair showed Keito eating breakfast.

Eggs, bacon, and pancakes.

A typical American breakfast.

Apparently, being Japanese didn’t mean he always ate a Japanese-style breakfast.

“He really is an unusual person.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. He’s the representative of an entire country, yet he personally came all the way to Seoul. Is he the unconventional type like Cheon Sangwoon? Or maybe he’s more like Kang Yujin and just does whatever he feels like at the moment?”

Comparing him to Kang Yujin might have been more accurate than Number 49 realized.

If Belial’s information is correct, Saionji Keito is the same kind of existence as Kang Yujin.

When I met Belial before, he had told me that Saionji Keito of the Tenka Restoration Association was one of the Vessels.

He had also said that if Ha Mina intended to mobilize the other Vessels and make them compete with Kang Yujin, Keito would probably be the first one to clash with him.

That must be why Keito and Kang Yujin fought last night.

They had spoken too quietly for me to hear what they were saying, but the atmosphere alone had made it obvious.

It would be easier if he simply decided to kill Kang Yujin and came at him openly. But in the current situation, even that’s difficult.

If Keito openly attacked Kang Yujin with the intent to kill him, we could simply kill Keito.

But right now, Keito had come on behalf of the Tenka Restoration Association to offer cooperation to the Eight Guardians.

And it didn’t look like he intended to settle things with Kang Yujin immediately either.

This isn’t good for us. Keito could change his mind and attack at any time.

While I was thinking, Number 49 spoke beside me.

“Nameless King... what should we do? This situation is unfavorable for Kang Yujin’s side, right?”

“Yeah. If the negotiations continue like this, the Tenka Restoration Association could establish a foothold in Korea.”

“But they can’t simply drive the Tenka Restoration Association away either. If they do, Japan could use that as an excuse to invade.”

Number 49 crossed his arms and frowned.

“And Daji erased Matsushita Soichiro’s memory of attacking Kang Yujin, so we can’t use that against them either... Is there any clever solution?”

"..."

I thought for a moment.

Right. I can deal with the Vessel issue later. First, we need to respond to the Tenka Restoration Association’s proposal. Then Keito might make another move too.

With that thought, I slowly spoke.

“Number 49.”

“Yes, Nameless King.”

“Pass a message to Joo Minha.”

“Joo Minha?”

“Yeah. This sort of thing is better handled through her. And tell her to call Ma Taesu too.”

I organized my thoughts and continued.

“This is how they should counter the Tenka Restoration Association’s proposal.”

“Considering all of that, I don’t believe the Eight Guardians have any grounds to impose these restrictions on us.”

At the firm declaration from Matsushita Soichiro, the Tenka Restoration Association’s chief negotiator, the expressions of the Eight Guardians hardened.

Lee Hyeonje, Jegal Geum, Won Pilso, Shin Minyu, and the others had continued exchanging opinions and combining their ideas throughout the morning.

But they still hadn’t found a satisfactory solution.

“What do you think, Representative Lee Hyeonje?”

“Hmm...”

They wanted the Tenka Restoration Association’s cooperation to make victory more certain.

But at the same time, they wanted to prevent the organization from gaining excessive influence in Korea afterward.

The Eight Guardians had to somehow balance both goals.

“The Tenka Restoration Association sincerely wishes to make this joint operation happen.”

"..."

“That is why we ask that you accept at least these minimum conditions. If even that is impossible...”

Matsushita spoke in a heavy voice.

“It would be extremely regrettable from the perspective of the Tenka Restoration Association.”

"..."

His words were practically a threat.

If negotiations collapsed, the Tenka Restoration Association could use that as justification for military intervention.

“We would prefer to maintain friendly relations with Korea’s Contractors on a continuing basis...”

“Yes...”

There were no longer international organizations in this world.

Nor was there any overwhelmingly powerful nation capable of mediating between countries.

At first glance, it seemed like the world should have become a lawless place ruled only by strength.

But that wasn’t entirely true.

The Constellations were watching from above.

That meant having justification was still advantageous whenever someone wanted to make a major move.

It made obtaining Constellation support easier.

If the Constellations began thinking, That side seems to have the better justification. Maybe we should support them, then naturally that side would gain an advantage.

Right now, the Tenka Restoration Association was presenting itself as willing to accept losses and cooperate for the future of humanity as a whole.

If negotiations failed simply because the Eight Guardians refused to make even minor concessions...

it could appear as though the Eight Guardians were at fault.

Even if relations deteriorated and eventually turned into an armed clash, the Tenka Restoration Association might be viewed as the justified side.

It wasn’t as though the Constellations would understand the complicated historical emotions between the two countries.

“This is difficult... Everything happened so suddenly that it’s hard to make a decision.”

“If you take too long, Pandemonium will have time to reorganize. We need an answer before the end of today.”

Matsushita continued pressuring the Eight Guardians.

He showed no intention of backing down.

“Excuse us.”

At that moment, two men entered the conference room.

Ma Taesu, who hadn’t been present until now.

And Joo Minha.

“My apologies, but we have some material we would like to distribute.”

At Ma Taesu’s words, Joo Minha handed documents to Lee Hyeonje, Jegal Geum, Won Pilso, and Shin Minyu.

“What is this?”

“My apologies for not telling you beforehand. We received some new information early this morning.”

“Let’s see...”

“Hmm?”

“This is...!”

Seeing the surprised expressions on the Eight Guardians’ faces, Matsushita looked puzzled.

But they merely exchanged glances among themselves, silently communicating.

“What is it?”

“Mr. Matsushita.”

Lee Hyeonje finally spoke.

“It seems the situation has changed somewhat.”

“What?”

“We’ve received new information concerning the Kaesong reclamation operation. It appears we’ll have to scrap the original plan entirely.”

“What... are you talking about?”

Matsushita looked confused.

Joo Minha approached and handed him a copy.

“It’s the same material everyone else received.”

“What does it say?”

“There are three main points.”

“Three?”

Matsushita began scanning the documents.

“The first is new intelligence concerning the Kaesong region.”

“Wait, this is...”

“The second concerns a new Event that has appeared in the Kaesong area.”

“Th-This is impossible!”

“And the third is...”

“Wait! Just wait a moment!”

Matsushita was clearly shaken.

He sprang to his feet with the papers in hand, his eyes wide.

“What exactly is this...?”

“Mr. Matsushita.”

“R-Representative Lee Hyeonje!”

“You’ve skimmed through it, so I’m sure you understand now. The situation has changed.”

Unlike before, Lee Hyeonje now looked much more relaxed.

“The Eight Guardians will deploy fewer than fifty elite members for the Kaesong reclamation operation.”

He spoke calmly.

“That means we have no need for one thousand reinforcements.”

Matsushita trembled.

“That’s absurd!”

He raised his voice and slammed a hand on the conference table.

“You’re saying you’ll reclaim Kaesong with fewer than fifty people? That is absolutely impossible!”

“Kang Yujin’s group invaded Sariwon with only four people and killed its commander.”

“That was nothing more than terrorism and assassination! To completely seize a city and turn it into territory, you need a proper army!”

“That is true. But we have received new information.”

Lee Hyeonje tapped the documents with one finger.

“These papers contain detailed intelligence about the Kaesong region. How Pandemonium’s forces are deployed, where their defenses are weakest, and especially the structure of the ‘underground’ area... everything is recorded in considerable detail.”

“Can this information even be trusted? Where did you obtain intelligence like this in the first place?”

“You should probably ask Ma Taesu about that.”

Matsushita immediately turned toward Ma Taesu.

But Ma Taesu remained perfectly relaxed.

“Mr. Ma Taesu, what exactly is going on?”

“As you already know, I’m an expert on Pandemonium. Obtaining information of this level is well within my abilities.”

“Where exactly did you get it?!”

“Haha. That is classified information. I cannot casually reveal it.”

“Then we have no reason to trust this intelligence!”

“Is that so? I don’t think the others share your opinion.”

Ma Taesu looked around.

Everyone nodded.

“The reason Kang Yujin’s group was able to attack Sariwon and defeat Phenex was because of the intelligence Ma Taesu provided.”

“That’s correct. From our perspective, Mr. Ma Taesu’s intelligence is trustworthy.”

“If we can’t trust this, then whose information are we supposed to trust?”

Jegal Geum, Won Pilso, and Shin Minyu each spoke.

Matsushita fell silent, apparently unable to respond.

“And Mr. Matsushita.”

Joo Minha, who had quietly watched the situation until now, spoke again.

“The second point I mentioned earlier... the new Event in Kaesong is even more important.”

“R-Right!”

Matsushita hurriedly flipped through the pages.

“This is strange too!”

“What is?”

“An Event requiring fewer than fifty Contractors to capture the Kaesong region... isn’t that far too unnatural?”

That was right.

The documents Joo Minha had brought contained information about an upcoming Event in Kaesong.

It seemed almost perfectly timed to coincide with the reclamation operation.

Its clear condition was to drive Pandemonium’s forces out of Kaesong.

But there was one unusual requirement.

No more than fifty Contractors could participate.

“Mr. Matsushita, as you can see from the document, the rewards for clearing this Event are extremely good. We have to carry out the Kaesong reclamation operation anyway, so naturally we would prefer to do it while satisfying the Event conditions.”

“The rewards aren’t the issue! Why would an Event like this suddenly appear at exactly this moment?!”

“What are you implying?”

“Don’t pretend not to understand.”

Matsushita’s expression turned frightening.

“Wasn’t this artificially arranged by your side specifically to prevent a large number of our Contractors from participating?”

“Mr. Matsushita.”

Joo Minha answered calmly.

“This is confidential information, but I’ve heard that those who need to know are already aware, so I will tell you.”

“What?”

“The S-rank Constellation ‘Nameless King’... the Constellation contracted with our side, is carrying out a plan to drive out Pandemonium with the cooperation of numerous other Constellations.”

"...!"

Matsushita sucked in a breath.

“Beings as insignificant as us cannot even begin to guess what plans such higher existences are making... but the previous infiltration of Sariwon was also carried out according to a plan drawn up by Him.”

"..."

“It seems He intends to involve Himself deeply in the Kaesong reclamation operation as well.”

Joo Minha continued.

“From our perspective, we would prefer to follow along with that.”

“Follow along...?”

“I mean that acting according to His direction seems like the best option.”

Her voice remained calm.

“It may indeed be, as you said, that the ‘Nameless King’ established these conditions specifically to interfere with the Tenka Restoration Association’s participation.”

Matsushita frowned.

“But if the ‘Nameless King’ decided that, then I believe following His decision is correct. He must have judged that doing so was necessary for reclaiming Kaesong.”

“Hmm...”

“Mr. Matsushita, although He is technically the Constellation contracted with our side, that Constellation possesses enormous influence. And He intervenes heavily in events occurring on the ground.”

Joo Minha’s final words sounded almost like a warning.

“I would advise against opposing Him.”

“Hmmm...!”

Matsushita bit his lip, clearly struggling to restrain himself.

A moment later, he opened his mouth as though he wanted to object.

But then Keito, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.

“Matsushita, enough.”

“M-My lord!”

“With things having reached this point, we can’t keep forcing only our position.”

“But...”

“Matsushita.”

Keito gave him a look.

Matsushita immediately bowed his head.

“U-Understood!”

“Good.”

Keito nodded, then turned toward Lee Hyeonje.

“Lee Hyeonje. Then let’s do this.”

"..."

“The Tenka Restoration Association will send five Contractors.”

Lee Hyeonje blinked.

“Five?”

“Yes. I’ll give up on sending one thousand. But allow us to participate in some small capacity. Otherwise, we’ll lose face if we return empty-handed.”

“That much...”

Lee Hyeonje exchanged glances with the others and nodded.

“Even with this intelligence, it will be a difficult battle. We’ll send only the best of our best, so they should be useful.”

“Yes. Understood.”

“Good.”

Keito nodded, then looked toward Joo Minha.

“Your name was Joo Minha, right?”

“Yes.”

“Your Constellation... seems rather capable.”

Keito smiled.

“Ordinary Constellations wouldn’t be able to come up with a countermeasure this quickly.”

Then his smile deepened slightly.

“So it isn’t only Kang Yujin. That Constellation isn’t someone to underestimate either.”

"..."

Leaving those words behind, Keito departed.

“M-My lord!”

Matsushita hurried after Keito as he left the conference room.

“My lord, I’m sorry! Because of my shortcomings, the negotiations...!”

“The negotiations are over, Matsushita.”

Keito spoke coldly.

“You didn’t seem to be in very good condition today. Was there some problem?”

“What? W-Well...”

“Did you sleep badly? You weren’t as sharp as usual. Well, it’s already over, so there’s nothing to be done.”

Matsushita looked flustered.

Keito continued calmly.

“You could call this our defeat.”

“M-My lord cannot be defeated!”

“Don’t worry about it, Matsushita.”

“My lord...!”

“Sending one thousand Contractors here was the old men’s plan anyway. I was never particularly interested.”

“That...”

“The real victory and defeat will be decided somewhere else.”

Keito strode down the hotel corridor without hesitation.

“The Kaesong reclamation operation...”

His eyes narrowed.

“That’s where I’ll settle things properly with Kang Yujin.”