Chapter 793: The Last (26)

'They are out of their minds. Son of a bitch… Assholes.'

Without knowing, I tapped my finger on my thigh. I couldn't hear the murmurs of the bastards that didn't even know their places well.

It was only for a moment, but I even thought of whether Brigade Jihye was making the right decision.

I'd seen many crazy guys do crazy things, but it had been a while since I had been so annoyed.

As I looked around, I noticed Seraphim handing me a coffee.

"Father."

"Who are you calling father?"

"As you said…"

I was so annoyed that my hands got tense. My hands were so tensed I accidentally spilled the coffee.

"I'll bring another…"

"Get out of here, Seraphim."

-We have to gather will. We have to protect the continent. Wasn't that the intention of the late Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung?

What was most annoying in that process was that a guy that I didn't even know the name of was using my name.

I understood what those bastards were thinking, where those crazy thoughts were coming from, and where they were getting the grounds for such behaviors.

Those bastards thought that if they were lucky, they could twist a few innocent bastards around and manipulate them to suit their taste, but they couldn't guarantee that things would work out smoothly.

When I thought of what was most impossible from the standpoint of those in power, the answer was surprisingly obvious.

What those bastards feared most was a situation that they couldn't control. I felt embarrassed because I felt momentary hate for my race, but that was what the ones in power were like.

How were those guys accepting adventurers who had strength beyond their control?

For example, could they watch Kim Hyunsung, Cha Hee-ra, Jung Hayan, Raphael, and others without remorse?

What did they think of monsters who could sunder countries or cities with individual power?

After defeating the Demon King, the cliché of the abandoned warrior wasn't formulated for no reason.

In a crisis, they were a stronger ally than anyone else, but they would look like a bomb that could explode at any moment during a peaceful period.

It was clear that they would worry about having their privileges taken away, no matter if they were influential because of simple resentment or political reasons or because they wanted to destroy a working society.

With that in mind, the system itself was understandable for those who transcended humans and could go up to the sky, but…

'They're in a transitional period.'

To rise to the top, it was still a time when much preparation was required. That was to say they had no choice but to suffer together with humans.

-We need a stronger institution than before. There will be many changes in the previous committee, but I think it will be meaningful and worth it. Think about how we won that long and tough fight. Wasn't it made possible because the continent became one?

-…

-It is because the late Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung unified us. He was no different from the epitome of sainthood.

Even if he were flattering me, my mouth wouldn't move a millimeter.

-Now, no hero can unite us. That means we have to find a new alternative. We need to create a new focal point that unites the heroes of different races, the Republic, the State, neutral nations, the Kingdom Union, the Federation, and the continent. This is an inevitable choice and an irresistible flow of the times.

-However…

-Yes.

-At the present time when the continent is facing a great danger… I admit that this is a very good offer, but… Will the continent's heroes even join hands with us? Even though we're doing a meeting here, they…

-Maybe? It is not our will. We do not just represent all the races and citizens living on the continent. This is the will of the continent's citizens, and I think our heroes will not shake off the hand of the citizens.

'Where did that bastard come from?'

There was no change in the fact that transcendental people were also social animals.

The guy who led the meeting came into view once again. He seemed to have never been exposed to sunlight. He was unscrupulous, and I couldn't stand the way he was talking.

I wondered if it felt like this when Blue's Lee Seolho saw me for the first time. I could understand why that old man looked at me with nauseating eyes.

'Where did you come from?'

Looking at him with the Mind's Eyes, his Korean name stood out.

'But why are you sitting there? Aren't you from Lindel?'

I had never seen him, so he probably just joined the politics… Honestly, I didn't even know there was such a guy before the war, so he most likely joined recently.

A newbie bastard who just started attending this meeting.

'Is he from a rising guild? Or does he have a connection with the head of the country? Why the hell is he sitting there?'

"Who's that?"

-I am from the Kingdom Union. I'm Song Sookyung, Guild Master of the Union Guild.

"He is Korean. Isn't he from Lindel?"

He went through the tutorial dungeon from Lindel, but I heard he was transferred to the Kingdom Union. After the war was over, after my death, he started to make a name for himself little by little… Not long ago, I heard that he was awarded a title from the kingdom of Merhan. The Union Guild was a solid organization with internal stability, but in fact…

"It's not enough to be invited. He can join the meeting just because of the kingdom of Merhan, right?"

-Strictly speaking, yes.

'He is full of greed.'

An analyst who had a hidden disposition. It seemed like the disposition was representing him. If the way he was acting was the real him, the reason he moved to the Kingdom Union was obvious.

'I guess he thought he wouldn't succeed in Lindel.'

He might have thought that his dreams were difficult to achieve at Lindel.

That was because there were already three hugely established guilds in the State, and it was difficult for new guilds or new ones to climb up.

He would have decided that he would have had better possibilities in a new place, and as a result, his thoughts seemed to be right. Seeing him here right now…

He received a title in the kingdom of Merhan, and his guild took its own place. I couldn't even imagine how proud he would have been to be in that meeting with the continent's tops.

I hated to admit it, but I had no choice but to agree that he had good guts.

I didn't start with a bare body, but I knew best that it wasn't easy to start without anything and climb to that level. Perhaps, even while I was still alive, he was working behind the scenes and outside of my awareness, but…

'Did he feel it was dangerous if he stood out?' magic

It was right to think that he was hiding and was waiting for an opportunity to come forward.

He probably saw Lee Kiyoung's death as an opportunity, so he resurfaced using the foundation he had built up so far, and as a result…

-Many people say they can see the Vice Guild Master in him. There is nothing to say about his evaluation… They say that he is someone that fills the vacancy of the Vice Guild Master. I don't agree, but…

'Right, fuck, it must have been like this.'

I could already see it. Excluding the State officials… No, even a few people from the State were throwing votes at him.

Considering Oscar sitting nearby and Pristina of a neutral country didn't look happy, it seemed that they weren't getting any big results in out-of-sight political battles.

The Republic and the different races too. I could see them being swayed by the sly tongue of that scamming bastard.

-This is nonsense.

'Yes, it doesn't make sense even to me.'

-Think of the continent people trembling in fear, Oscar. The former Continental Protection and Management Committee has already lost the citizens' trust. When Eberia fell, where and what were they doing? Why are you saying that it is wrong to ask to create an institution that the masses can trust and rely on?

-We do not blame the institution. We're just telling you that the method is wrong. All humans must be free. That includes the heroes who saved the continent.

-With great power comes great responsibility. Isn't that a quote we all know? Crucially, I am by no means trying to violate the freedom of heroes. Who would dare give orders to them?

-…

-Who would dare force and control them? Think about it, Oscar. Even Lee Kiyoung couldn't have complete control over them. We're simply creating an institution and conveying the intentions of the continent to them. We are not giving orders. I mean, I'm just giving suggestions and taking steps to make it easier for them to move and make it easier for them to act for the continent. Haven't I told you about it before? We are only representing the continent.

-It sounds like you're saying to control them with public opinion, but… I think we need to reconsider whether this is really the right thing to do.

-There is no time, Oscar. We don't have that much time. What should we do when something similar to the Eberia crisis erupts?

-…

-We need a new institution that inherits the spirit of the Continental Protection and Management Committee. Therefore, I would like to introduce you to the New Continental Protection Management Committee once again.

I could see him slowly coming out to the pulpit.

'Huh… Fuck.'

The sound of applause burst out. There was anxiety on the faces of some of the guys who seemed to have tasted Doom Hyunsung, thinking that maybe they were making a mistake right now…

That was why they seemed to feel more and more that the New Continental Protection and Management Committee was needed.

Before long, the materials prepared by him began to appear in the Goddess's Mirror.

Honestly, I didn't know what's different from the previous Continental Protection and Management Committee.

A few differences were that the figures in it that were from the State and the neutral nations and now were from the Republic and Kingdom Union. Of course, people from the State were included to balance them, but it was nothing more or less than matching the assortment.

Virtually all of the power was occupied by all those bastards.

Oscar and the guild masters of Lindel also didn't look happy. There was an intention to completely exclude the State, so what else did I need to say?

'I didn't fucking invest in the Continent to make those bastards eat well and live well. I invested for our kids.'

From there, thunderous applause burst out.

-The continent will once again become one. It will be safe forever.

Once again, shouts burst out.

The list of heroes that the New Continent and Protection Management Committee wanted to manage also caught my eye.

There was Sunset Swordsman Kim Hyunsung.

Archmage Jung Hayan.

Mercenary Queen Cha Heera.

Gray Warrior Raphael.

And…

Holy Spear Cho Hyejin.

The Eight Seats of the State and the Five Tiger Generals from the Republic. Even the small heroes of the continent. All were listed.

'What? Do you want to use all of them for the public good? Can you trade them? Isn't that no different from exchanging corn for diamonds? Bastards.'

-Let's go into a new future. Let's once again protect the continent that the Honorary Cardinal cherished. Let's show him, the god of the continent, that we can do without him!

Claps continued to resonate.

'You'll try without me? Fuck.'

The applause didn't go away until the meeting was over.

Cho Hyejin's face crumpled.

Several people had already gathered to talk, and the bastard Song Sookyung was showing off his connections with a confident face. I could see him approaching Cho Hyejin with a bright face when he found her.

He looked too pleasant to say that he was facing a continental crisis, and honestly, I didn't if that deep-rooted evil bastard was truly acting for the continent.

-If you found today's meeting rude, I apologize, Cho Hyejin.

-…

-You may resent me, but I want you to know that it was a decision for the continent. Isn't world peace the wish of the masses? I understand that the Blue Guild Master is going through a difficult time, but shouldn't he… forget about it and stand up?

-…

-If it's okay, can you tell me where he is now?

-I don't know what you want, but I'll tell him myself.

He laughed.

-It's nothing specific. I just want to explain the contents of this meeting and… I thought it was the only way to meet him and speak to him. Didn't he lose many things?

-…

-He's probably heartbroken to lose a close friend who was like a soulmate, like a brother. Perhaps…

-…

-Perhaps… I just wondered if I could fill the emptiness the Honorary Cardinal left.

-…

-…

"Is that so, you bastard? Time to destroy the continent. Let's see how far you'll go, dumbass."

-…

"Let's see how well you'll do without me."