847

 [Chapter 212]

[Mine Attack]

The emergence of new humans.

The Fairy Government immediately denied and degraded their existence.

"They are not new humans or anything of the sort. They are merely a terrorist group trying to overthrow this country. 'New humans' is a term beautifying Mines."

Im Ga-eul's statement was extremely firm.

The damage was that severe.

She knew very well that she needed to come out strongly to raise national consciousness.

So she recognized those who caused this terror as enemies to be defeated.

Seven Devils (Chilma), meaning seven Mines.

"The Seven Devils' terror will certainly not end here. We must prepare for the next terror."

As Im Ga-eul started using the term Seven Devils in official settings.

The word referring to Mines was decided in all media.

No one expressed them as new humans.

People also thought they shouldn't submit to terror.

The disaster they experienced this time inflicted deep wounds to a degree different from disasters experienced so far.

"Make sure to deal firmly with people who suffered damage from this incident. Especially, their honor must absolutely not be damaged."

While disasters that have struck people so far brought destruction, slaughter, and a sense of loss.

The Seven Devils' disaster brought something even more terrible in some cases.

"Lilith's damage is quite extensive. People who were directly exposed to Lilith's magic are still unable to come to their senses and suffering from lust."

"Is there no solution?"

"There's no method for now. If we block them from relieving their lust, people will go crazy and die, and on the other hand, if they relieve their lust..."

"It's okay, tell me."

"It's one of two. Either they go crazy and die, or they realize the atrocities they committed while losing reason and make an extreme choice."

Honor, social image, and damage to humanity.

In the case of people affected by Lilith, even if they survived, it wasn't survival.

People engulfed in lust engaged in relations with anyone, suffering mental damage.

Survivors were bedridden from the shock of having relations with strangers.

For people with spouses, the situation was worse.

While the affected person was in shock, their spouse inevitably fell into great shock too.

"There aren't many people in a normal mental state. According to supporters, even if they seem fine on the outside, the probability of festering inside is quite high. And also..."

"What else is the problem?"

"If those people become pregnant, they say they will conceive Ain whose parents cannot be identified."

"Hah..."

Besides that, the ripple effects brought by Lilith were quite large.

Especially, Lilith caused trouble at a festival attended by celebrities.

So well-known people had their lives ruined by Lilith.

The Fairy Government had to come up with measures to protect the honor and humanity of such people, including those who survived.

"There's a lot of aftermath to deal with. Selecting people to be in charge of Seoul's public safety will be a task too."

The ripple effects brought by other Mines couldn't be ignored either.

In Mastema's case, brainwashed police officers were receiving national criticism.

Most people who woke from brainwashing complained of guilt.

Furthermore, people were paying attention to how crimes committed by them while brainwashed would be handled.

Even if they were brainwashed, police officers shot and killed my father.

Yet are you saying to forgive the police who killed my father because they were brainwashed?

Distrust between humans.

Mastema was playing a role in dividing public opinion.

Meanwhile, in Beelzebub's case─

"─Order them to search thoroughly. Monsters causing infections shouldn't be dealt with roughly."

"Yes, we're searching over and over. We're putting in all our efforts, deploying remaining manpower."

An infection that makes one not human.

Beelzebub's ability was to transform the opponent into a monster through blood-sucking.

It didn't stop there, the monsters also caused infections.

In Seoul with a dense population, her ability was terror itself.

Im Ga-eul had to pay attention to quarantine while instructing officials.

"Hah... Each one is really troublesome to deal with."

Besides that, they had to deal with the damage caused by Samael, Mammon, and Abaddon.

Of course, they had to keep Armageddon, who claimed to be the leader of the Mines, in mind too.

Im Ga-eul was exhausted.

She had been working almost without sleep since the terror occurred.

The damage doesn't end here.

The Seven Devils will cause terror again soon and throw this country into chaos.

The Mines appeared and disappeared mysteriously.

Their base couldn't be found.

In the end, they could only wait for terror to occur to detect their existence.

Im Ga-eul felt complicated.

Though she had experienced various disasters so far, this type of terror was a first.

At this rate, public opinion towards the Fairy Government would worsen.

It's thanks to the Pandora Clan Lord that we can sustain people's morale.

If not for that, this country would have ended there.

I should thank the Pandora Clan Lord.

Fortunately, thanks to Noh Eun-ha's presence, public sentiment wasn't shaken.

It was understandable.

Noh Eun-ha's dramatic appearance inheriting <First Sword>'s will gave new hope to people watching through screens at the time.

Even Im Ga-eul remembered that emotion vividly.

"<Crimson Lotus Sword>..."

<Crimson Lotus Sword> Noh Eun-ha.

His aliases that had been sprouting rampantly starting from <Crimson Wing>, <Cardinal > became established as <Crimson Lotus Sword> from that day.

The player succeeding <First Sword>.

This country's best swordsman, etc.

Praises for Noh Eun-ha were endlessly popping up.

Moreover─

─As Zenith Clan collapsed, Pandora Clan came to be counted as this country's top clan.

22 years since the Fairy Government's inauguration.

For the first time in over 22 years, Zenith Clan, which had been recognized as the nation's best, handed over that position to Pandora Clan.

The implications were huge.

It meant the era of the 3rd generation had come.

Above all, it meant people around the world expected Noh Eun-ha and Pandora Clan members to defeat the Seven Devils.

Im Ga-eul couldn't go against public sentiment.

She felt similarly too.

"Secretary General."

"Yes, Fairy-nim."

Im Ga-eul called the Mana Management Organization's Secretary General.

The Secretary General discussing countermeasures with other officials quickly raised his head.

"Please complete the personnel measures before the player meeting later."

"What kind of personnel measures..."

The Personnel Director and other officials all expressed doubt.

Im Ga-eul met their gazes and spoke clearly.

"The country is not in a good state now. To pull together public sentiment, we need to quickly elect a new Twelve Seat to replace <First Sword>."

""""..."

"But we don't have the time or leisure for that situation. So I think we need to temporarily appoint <Crimson Lotus Sword> Noh Eun-ha player as a Twelve Seat until the Seven Devils situation is resolved."

""""...!!""""

Currently, Pandora Clan had two Twelve Seats.

If Noh Eun-ha was added as a Twelve Seat even temporarily, they would occupy three of the twelve seats.

Im Ga-eul didn't hesitate even knowing she was strengthening Noh Eun-ha and Pandora Clan's authority.

Other officials were concerned but didn't oppose.

No one could deny Noh Eun-ha's status and power.

☆

The world was unsettled due to the ripple effects caused by the Seven Devils.

After Armageddon withdrew, the Fairy Government gathered information by calling S-rank clan officials and players who fought the Seven Devils.

It's fortunate no clan members were injured.

Players spoke freely about their experiences facing the Seven Devils.

With Eun-ha's information added, the Fairy Government in this life could efficiently analyze the Seven Devils.

Meanwhile, Eun-ha returned from the meeting and first checked the condition of clan members.

Jin Seo-na, Son Ga-yeon, and Ariel suffered exhaustion from battling to the point their mana hit bottom, but injuries weren't severe.

The problem was <Healing Notes> Kim Meri who was exposed to Lilith's magic and became engulfed in lust to a small degree.

There's no proper way to break Lilith's magic. The best thing is just to relieve the other person's lust.

Then when the person comes to their senses, they need to be mentally cared for so they don't feel self-loathing.

In the end, special measures had to be taken.

Eun-ha kicked Jin Pa-rang's butt as he worried about Kim Meri's condition.

'There's no choice. Hyung, take responsibility.'

'Kek...! Hey! What are you doing!? What do you mean take responsibility!?'

'Everyone else leave the room, only idiot hyung stay. If left alone, either idiot hyung or Meri will figure it out.'

'...Is that really the only way.'

'It's unfortunate but there's no other way. You guys be especially careful not to be affected by Lilith too.'

Mok Min-ho felt uneasy about whether Eun-ha's handling was right.

But there was no proper method.

Around that time, news was reported of someone who couldn't relieve their lust reaching extreme stress and making an extreme choice.

Pandora Clan members locked the door leaving Pa-rang inside.

Kim Meri came to her senses the next day, and Jin Pa-rang died.

It's fortunate she came to her senses in a day. If severely affected, it could have taken over a week.

If in that state for a week, there's a high possibility of mental collapse when the magic's effects disappear later.

Idiot hyung is bedridden for a while, but anyway it's fortunate nothing like that happened.

Jin Pa-rang was recuperating.

So embarrassingly, he couldn't attend today's meeting.

Eun-ha clicked his tongue seeing the empty seat among the Twelve Seats' seats.

That hyung is surprisingly weak.

He should be able to endure for a day or so...

Should I ask Lee Ship-o to find some royal bees?

He should recover by today though.

It's troublesome if a Twelve Seat can't participate in the upcoming Seven Devils subjugation.

Eun-ha waited for the meeting to start while wishing for Jin Pa-rang's quick recovery.

""""..."

Eventually Im Ga-eul entered.

She sat down and opened her mouth looking at the audience.

"─Before the meeting, I will give an order in the Fairy's name."

A voice ringing clearly.

People listened attentively.

Im Ga-eul's gaze turned to where the S-rank Clan Lords were sitting.

Eun-ha was sitting there.

"It was unanimously decided in the director-level and above meeting to temporarily appoint Pandora Clan Lord Noh Eun-ha player as a Twelve Seat. I will not accept objections."

""""..."

A sudden Twelve Seat appointment.

However, people weren't surprised.

Everyone had expected it to some degree.

I expected this would happen, but to become a Twelve Seat again.

Even Zenith Clan's sub-lord <Camellia Sword> didn't raise objections.

Everyone acquiesced.

Eun-ha was the same.

So the meeting began.

☆

"The biggest problem is that we don't know where the Seven Devils are now. In the end, we're in a situation where we can only detect their existence when terror occurs."

Whether Im Ga-eul or the directors.

Everyone attending the meeting had exhausted faces.

It was because the Seven Devils disaster was a completely different type from existing disasters.

Im Ga-eul is right.

It's hard to even close our eyes because of a disaster that could occur anytime.

They weren't natural disasters, but man-made ones.

We can't confirm when, where, or how they will occur.

If the places where the Seven Devils cause terror are the same as the previous life, that would be fortunate but...

They're moving differently.

Eun-ha recalled yesterday's terror and compared it with memories from before the regression.

The previous life and this life.

The Seven Devils' terror locations were different in each.

What can be known from this is that they move based on personal interest under the purpose of instilling fear.

There were no crazier bastards.

The purpose itself isn't clear.

No, the purpose is to cause terror throughout Korea.

So it meant the Seven Devils would cause terror anywhere.

But looking at yesterday's Seven Devils terror, there was something that could be inferred.

"The places where terror occurred yesterday were all concentrated in Seoul's Gangnam and Gangbuk, and Armageddon, the Seven Devils' leader, said their purpose was to make people submit centered on Seoul. From this, we can infer that the next terror will likely occur in densely populated areas."

"I studied criminal psychology in the past. <Necromancer >'s type is one with a lot of exhibitionism..."

The Intelligence Director and Control Director spoke.

Soon they narrowed the Seven Devils' terror range to Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon.

Still, the area was wide.

As long as they couldn't confirm where terror would occur in specific regions, they were in a situation where they couldn't prevent their terror in advance.

"But we can minimize damage. If it's Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon, we can respond quickly from here. Above all, at that distance..."

"Yes, though there's a limit to the number of people, movement is possible with my magic."

Im Ga-eul nodded at <Time Witch> Pricis Memory.

She who had been quietly listening to the meeting smiled gently and expressed affirmation.

"Depending on the situation, I may not be able to send you directly to where terror occurs, but I can send you to the closest possible distance. However, there's backlash from the magic so you can't move spaces within 24 hours and must return to the departure point."

"<Time Witch>-nim, how many people can be moved?"

"Hmm, up to 20 people at most. The number of times I can move to the same place is limited to 3 times a day at most."

"That's enough. We can deploy 20 people to the scene first, then send reinforcements after."

<Time Witch>'s magic extract.

As she explained about the magic, all players marveled.

Eun-ha knew her magic, so he just nodded.

In the previous life, <Time Witch> took us to terror scenes with space movement magic too.

Though there are limits on number of people and times.

Her magic was advantageous for responding to sudden terrors.

If we couldn't use her magic in the previous life, we would have had no choice but to watch the Bears' terror.

Eun-ha thought so.

"So I ask each clan to have forces that can counter the Seven Devils anytime on standby at the Mana Management Organization from today. All Twelve Seats stand by here too. Pandora Clan Lord, make sure <Navy Wind> recovers quickly."

""""Understood!!""""

"...I'll wake him up even if I have to beat him."

"And according to terror analysts, new terror is expected to occur within a week. Everyone stay alert."

Response measures for when terror occurs were decided.

Clan Lords decided to have clan forces on standby at Mana Management Organization headquarters to suppress terror.

And when terror occurs, they were assigned to deal with specific Mines.

"The Mines' rank is 4th rank, but... Please assume you're facing at least 3rd rank."

The Mines' ranks were also decided.

It was 4th rank.

There were plenty of political intentions behind this.

The Seven Devils were a terrorist group.

As long as they were causing terror to instill fear, they couldn't unnecessarily raise their status.

That is what the Seven Devils intend.

So Im Ga-eul outwardly designated them as 4th rank, and indirectly informed officials of their actual rank.

No one expressed doubt.

It was then.

Suddenly the meeting room door opened.

""""..."

People's gazes turned to the person who suddenly entered.

It was a familiar face.

Why is <Sword Empress>-nim here suddenly...

The living legend, <Sword Empress> Hwang Jin-hee.

 People stirred at her appearance.

Hwang Jin-hee ignored their gazes and walked straight to Im Ga-eul.

Soon she stopped walking.

"I apologize for coming without permission, Fairy-nim. It's embarrassing, but I am Hwang Jin-hee who uses the alias <Sword Empress>."

"Not at all. It's an honor for a living legend to visit like this. But what brings you here?"

Im Ga-eul welcomed her.

Expectation filled her eyes.

It was a hopeful feeling.

And her expectation was fulfilled.

Hwang Jin-hee drew the sword at her waist and thrust it into the floor with a thud.

"I would be grateful if you allow me to participate in the Seven Devils subjugation operation. I will subjugate the Mine bastard who abandoned the honor of being a living legend with my own hands."

It was <Sword Empress> Hwang Jin-hee's declaration to join the battle.

☆

"Yes, that's great. It's reassuring for us to have a living legend help with the subjugation."

"Thank you."

"There happens to be an empty seat over there where <Navy Wind> sits. Please sit there."

Im Ga-eul gladly accepted.

Others welcomed her too.

No one present had seen her skills firsthand.

But the honor of being a living legend was acknowledged in itself.

So people didn't question her abilities.

"With this, I'll end today's meeting. As I said earlier, S-rank clans please send about 10 troops to the Mana Management Organization."

Eventually the meeting ended.

The Mine Hwang Jin-hee would face was naturally decided to be Armageddon.

She didn't show interest in other Mines either.

"<Sword Empress>-nim."

"What is it?"

Hwang Jin-hee tried to leave immediately after finishing her business.

At that time, Eun-ha followed after her.

He stopped Hwang Jin-hee in a corridor with no people.

"It's nothing else..."

"Neither of us has much time, so just state your business."

The moment he met Hwang Jin-hee's eyes.

Eun-ha sensed she would answer honestly what he asked.

She seemed to have come to the meeting not only to subjugate Armageddon, but to resolve his curiosity.

Eun-ha decided to ask honestly.

"Please tell me how to manifest myth."