Chapter 52
Part 51
If you don't like it, come out and show yourselves.
After all, they were nothing more than cowards who hid in the shadows and kidnapped people.
If they actually dared to reveal themselves, it would only make things easier for Yugeon.
At that moment, a hand rose from one side of the reporters' section.
"May I ask a question?"
"Go ahead."
A middle-aged male reporter stood up.
"In that case, wasn't the method of dimensional travel you're talking about actually discovered by Genocide rather than by you, Awakener Han Yugeon?"
"Have you already forgotten what I said earlier?"
"Pardon?"
"I said I discovered a method that makes dimensional travel between different races possible. But as you can see, Genocide's experiments were all failures. That means my method must be entirely different, doesn't it?"
"..."
The reporter nodded silently at Yugeon's answer.
However, he soon spoke again.
"Even so, I believe Genocide's research may have helped you develop your method or achieve a successful result. Of course, I acknowledge that Genocide's methods were unethical. But isn't dimensional travel a revolutionary discovery that could change the entire course of human history?"
"And your point is?"
"Medical technology has also advanced through countless trials, errors, and sacrifices throughout history. Thanks to those sacrifices, we now enjoy the benefits of advanced medicine. Similarly, if these experiments ultimately led to the discovery of dimensional travel, couldn't we consider at least some of those sacrifices meaningful contributions to extraordinary progress?"
For a moment, the atmosphere in the conference hall changed.
Several reporters frowned.
Others looked at Yugeon as though they found the question interesting.
Yugeon remained silent for a moment.
There's always at least one person like this.
He let out a disbelieving laugh.
"That's an absolutely horrifying argument."
"..."
"Not only members of other races but also human Awakeners were kidnapped and sacrificed. And you're suggesting that those sacrifices were meaningful simply because they helped reveal the possibility of dimensional travel?"
Yugeon looked directly at the reporter.
"If you think those sacrifices were so meaningful, why didn't you volunteer to make one yourself?"
"..."
The reporter pressed his lips together.
Quiet laughter spread through the conference hall.
But Yugeon wasn't laughing.
"Would you still say the same thing if you were kidnapped, had your arms and legs severed, and lost half your body?"
"W-Well, that's..."
"Of course you wouldn't. And you brought up advances in medical technology, but those advances weren't achieved by kidnapping people. There may have been a few insane doctors who conducted horrific experiments, but they don't deserve credit for the progress of medicine."
Yugeon adjusted the microphone.
"And do you know what's even more ridiculous?"
The reporters fell silent once again.
"I managed to travel between dimensions without resorting to any of those horrific methods."
"..."
"So how are you going to explain that with your argument?"
Silence.
It lasted only a few seconds.
"W-What did you just say?!"
"Is that really true?!"
"Y-You said you'd found a method, but are you saying you've already succeeded?!"
"When did you succeed?!"
"What exactly is the method?!"
The previously quiet conference hall instantly erupted.
Every reporter jumped to their feet, and even the Association employees responsible for maintaining order hurried forward in alarm.
"Yes, it's true."
The barrage of questions gradually quieted again.
"I didn't discover the method by sacrificing members of other races or other Awakeners. I found it through my own efforts."
"Do you have proof?!"
"Do you have any evidence or records showing that you succeeded?!"
"Can you show us that proof right here?"
"Proof that I succeeded? Of course I have some."
Yugeon turned his head toward the entrance beside the stage.
Click.
The door opened.
Step. Step.
Green eyes.
Long, pointed ears.
Eilen, whose complexion had improved considerably over the past few days, slowly entered the conference hall.
"..."
"..."
"..."
This time, absolutely no one could speak.
The reporters stared at Eilen with blank expressions.
They weren't inside the Tower.
They were in Korea.
Right in the middle of Seoul.
And an Elf was walking into their conference hall.
"An... Elf?"
Someone finally managed to utter a word.
At that instant...
Click! Click! Click! Click!
Camera flashes erupted like crazy.
Eilen frowned, but she didn't stop.
She walked all the way to Yugeon's side.
"Eilen."
"What?"
"Did I bring you here using the same horrific methods as Genocide?"
Eilen glanced at Yugeon.
Then she looked directly at the countless reporters.
"No."
It was a short answer.
"Just look at my body. None of my limbs have been severed, and nothing has been damaged. My mind is perfectly intact too."
Eilen raised both arms.
It was true.
There wasn't a single visible injury.
The reporters immediately turned their cameras toward her.
"Is that what you call a camera?"
Eilen looked around curiously before turning her attention to one of the large professional broadcasting cameras.
Then her expression changed.
"And Genocide..."
Her voice turned cold.
A faint but sharp killing intent spread throughout the conference hall, even though she hadn't fully recovered yet.
Several reporters sitting in the front row flinched and leaned back in alarm.
"Those bastards killed my companions."
"..."
"And they used members of my race in their experiments too."
Clench.
Eilen tightened her fist.
"I'll kill them. Every last one of them."
It was testimony directly from an Elf.
And not just any Elf, but one standing before them on Earth, where her presence should have been impossible.
As a result, government officials watching the live broadcast around the world began scrambling into action.
After all, a single deranged criminal organization could now cause an extremely serious diplomatic conflict between races.
"As you've just seen..."
The conference hall fell silent again when Yugeon began speaking.
"I succeeded without sacrificing anyone."
The day after the press conference, Seunggil visited Yugeon again.
"A representative of humanity?"
"Yes."
Seunggil nodded.
The entire world had been thrown into an uproar after yesterday's press conference.
Throughout the night, governments from various countries had held meetings centered around the World Awakener Association.
And they had reached one conclusion.
They needed a human representative to escort Eilen back to her original world.
"So I've been chosen?"
"To be precise, the decision was unanimous."
Yugeon chuckled at the word unanimous.
"Unanimous, huh... So they're saying that since I claim it's safe, I should be the one to go and prove it."
"...Even I have to admit that there's probably a great deal of truth to that interpretation."
Seunggil sighed and nodded at Yugeon's remark.
He knew how difficult it was to achieve a unanimous decision.
It was something that required the agreement of governments from many different countries.
If reaching unanimous agreements were so easy, why would wars and diplomatic disputes ever happen?
The reason everyone had agreed was obvious.
They were afraid they might die trying to travel between dimensions.
"I don't mind."
Yugeon accepted the responsibility without much concern.
He would be the first human to enter the world of another race.
He had intended to send Eilen home anyway.
And now that he had publicly announced that he had successfully traveled between dimensions, contact with other races would inevitably become necessary sooner or later.
"However, the government has one request."
"What is it?"
Seunggil placed a small camera on the table.
It wasn't one of the enormous cameras used by television stations, but a compact action camera of the kind streamers often used.
"Would it be possible for you to film at least a little of the world where the Elves live?"
"Film it?"
"Yes. Of course, only if they give you permission."
Seunggil immediately added an explanation.
"We're not asking you to record sensitive information, such as the layout of their settlements or their defensive facilities. Even some basic footage showing how they live, what kinds of buildings they construct, and what their environment is like would be helpful."
"Hmm..."
"Once relations between our worlds begin, we'll eventually establish diplomatic ties. The government believes that knowing even a little about their culture beforehand could help both sides avoid unnecessary mistakes."
His reasoning was understandable.
They were dealing with beings who belonged to a different race and inhabited an entirely different world.
"I'll ask them first."
"We'd appreciate that."
Yugeon picked up the camera.
"If they don't give me permission, I won't film anything."
"Of course. Thank you."
"Filming?"
Eilen raised an eyebrow when Yugeon brought up the subject after returning to the base.
"Yeah."
"Our world?"
"More precisely, just a little footage showing how your people live."
Eilen's expression became complicated.
Her reaction was perfectly understandable.
Until recently, she had been Genocide's prisoner and had been subjected to their experiments.
And now another human was asking for permission to film her world.
It would have been far stranger if she hadn't been suspicious.
"If you don't like the idea, we won't do it."
"..."
"We're only thinking of filming the surrounding scenery and perhaps parts of a settlement. We won't record anything you tell us is off-limits."
Eilen thought for a moment.
Her gaze shifted from Yugeon to Mincheol, Hwarin, and Woojin.
After spending the past few days with them, her wariness had diminished considerably.
No.
It had gone beyond simply diminishing.
It had disappeared almost completely.
After all, these four were genuinely good people.
However, this was a matter concerning her entire race.
"You can't film the location of our settlements, the roads leading to them, or their detailed layouts. You also can't film Elves undergoing training or anyone in an important position."
"Understood."
"Can you really promise to follow those rules?"
Yugeon didn't hesitate.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to damage our relationship with the Elves by filming something I'm not supposed to."
"..."
After watching him for a moment, Eilen slowly nodded.
"Then it's fine."
"Thanks."
"But if I tell you to stop filming, you have to stop immediately."
"Mincheol, you heard that, right?"
"Yes! Understood!"
Mincheol nodded enthusiastically.
He figured that since he was the tallest, he would be able to hold the camera high enough to capture a wider view and record things farther away.
