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[Chapter 208]
[Devil of the Sea (2)]
The recent political situation in Japan was unstable.
Kaguya Tsukiko couldn't dismiss it as just a feeling.
She sighed after hearing the news from the cabinet.
Managing Tokyo and Osaka alone is already overwhelming for me.
So I can't help but pay less attention to Kyushu relatively.
Already 4 times since the beginning of the year.
Riots have occurred throughout Kyushu, including Fukuoka, Kagoshima, and Nagasaki.
And today, the 5th riot occurred in Miyazaki.
It was evidence that public sentiment in the Kyushu area was not good.
It was unavoidable.
The land is too big.
We tried to protect the rest of the regions even if it meant almost giving up Hokkaido, but it's still too big.
My body can't handle it.
During the <End of Century Destruction>.
Monsters appearing all over Japan completely cut off all land, sea, and air routes.
Ironically, Japanese people had preserved their long history and culture due to geographical and historical uniqueness.
That became a big problem.
The mana in Japan's atmosphere created monsters unique to Japan based on that.
Unlike Korea's monsters, which didn't reflect much national characteristics due to relatively damaged history and culture, they had to fight monsters that only appeared in folk tales and legends.
China's situation was similar to ours, but they managed to block it with the irrational method of pushing through with numbers.
And then two Hou Yi appeared, bringing some stability.
Yuki-onna, Nurarihyon, Inugami, etc.
Japan, said to have over 8 million gods living in it, became teeming with over 8 million monsters after the great disaster.
All sorts of monsters appeared.
Even grotesque monsters based on cultural characteristics, like magical girls, popped up in Akihabara.
Still, they somehow repelled them.
Japan was able to produce players with excellent skills in the process of recovering the country.
There were that many crazy people too.
It happened recently as well.
"Was it around this time last year? How could they try to summon monsters by activating collective shared consciousness magic to materialize their favorite characters, even if they're crazy?"
Kaguya felt self-loathing at being Japan's leader just thinking about the most recent incident.
Let's say the suicidal aspirants who threw themselves at truck-type monsters to live in another world were one thing.
But to try to cause a distortion on the roadside where people pass by, saying they'll summon heroic spirits?
Moreover, passersby found it interesting and just took videos.
There were even cases of people spontaneously joining the ritual and forming sworn brotherhoods.
Anyway, Japan had circumstances that could never be told to other countries.
What she was worrying about while looking at the report now was one of those.
Anyway, to stop the riots in Kyushu, we need to show that the royal family and cabinet are paying attention.
How should I do this?
To get back to the main point.
Japan had a strange political system where the royal family and cabinet coexisted.
The royal family played the role of a spiritual symbol, and the cabinet governed Japan riding on the status of the royal family.
And Kaguya was playing the role of mediator between the royal family and cabinet.
Theoretically, it was a stable structure.
It was actually successful.
The problem was that the success of the Japanese government was only in areas centered around Tokyo and Osaka.
For people in relatively distant areas like Kyushu, the status of Kaguya or the royal family didn't directly resonate.
There weren't enough numbers to deploy royal family members taking on symbolic roles throughout the country, and even gathering people with divine descent wasn't enough...
The royal family was facing succession issues.
Currently, only Kaguya's husband was recognized as a legitimate male royal.
Even including royals who experienced divine descent, the number of males was woefully insufficient.
How bad must it be for Japan to legally allow harems?
Nevertheless, Japan was in a situation where there weren't enough male royals to continue the next generation.
At this rate, they might have to violate royal norms and have a female royal become emperor.
Of course, even if they set up people related to the royal family as symbols in each region, they couldn't do it for all regions.
Or in the case of regions that received relatively less important royals as symbols, they expressed dissatisfaction.
Moreover─
"─Apart from royals, local influential figures are interfering with governance... If the importance of royals decreases and the authority of local influential figures is relatively strong, that's a problem too."
Due to long-term regional disconnection after one destruction, the authority of local influential figures was strengthened.
Influential figures inheriting the lineage of daimyo.
It was good if they sided with the royal family, but it was quite troublesome if they were opposed.
Kyushu was like that now.
The influence of Kyushu's influential figures is too strong.
But if we send a matching royal working in another region, that place will become a problem...
We can't even rotate them.
Kaguya looked into families that had settled in Kyushu.
Since she couldn't deploy royals, she was thinking of pushing people from other families as a second-best option.
But now there weren't many families continuing their lineage.
"The only family we can bring in is Hoshinomiya (星宮)... But this family doesn't have a proper successor either."
Kaguya's worries deepened.
In the end, unable to come up with a solution, she had to board a plane to Korea.
☆
The group with the most connection to Jeju Island is Donghae Group.
This is because all family members except the eldest son's family were exiled or expelled to Jeju Island by the order of the first chairman Jung Ji-man.
And the direct descendants who went down to Jeju Island were running businesses based on the capital they had.
"You must have had a hard time coming. I'll guide you to where you'll be staying. Follow me."
"If even hyung came down here, the situation there must not be good either."
Seogwipo City, Jeju Island, Donghae Hotel.
Eun-ha, who led Ha Baek-ryeon and clan members, was guided by Jung Geum-jeon, special advisor to Donghae Clan.
Jung Geum-jeon, who was also a direct descendant of Donghae Group, exuded a sharp atmosphere.
He scratched the back of his head after hearing Eun-ha's words.
"Don't even mention it. They say there wasn't much damage, but the shipping industry itself has stopped until we defeat Demonpus for the time being, so the losses are no joke. That's why hyung told me to come down to Jeju Island."
"Why?"
"Why? Because you're coming, he told me to entertain you. Damn, I want to play games comfortably but can't. And the Korea-China-Japan summit is being held here. A representative has to be present."
"You're working hard. But I don't see noona Sehui today? She was always acting as your secretary."
"She's busy working since the heads of state are coming."
Jung Geum-jeon grumbled.
Eun-ha heard some information from him as he guided them to their rooms.
Thanks to that, he could grasp the situation without much effort.
Kaguya's group just arrived, and Hou Yi's group came a day earlier and are staying at the hotel?
Im Ga-eul is here too...
Eun-ha decided to go meet Im Ga-eul as soon as he finished organizing his luggage.
Then Jung Geum-jeon added:
"Try to avoid the Chinese as much as possible. They threw a wild drinking party as soon as they arrived yesterday. Those guys, their drinking is no joke."
"You want me to avoid them because of alcohol?"
"No, watching them drink and play, they looked very eccentric. There's one person, someone like <Yama >, be especially careful of him. He seemed to want to show off his strength quite badly."
Eun-ha thought he knew who he was referring to.
It must be Lao Chen of the Eight Generals.
In his previous life, he would pick fights with Lee Do-jin and Japan's Twelve Divine Generals just to show off his strength.
But no one responded, so he went back grumbling.
There's nothing good in getting involved, so I should ignore him.
Eun-ha resolved.
Then he placed his hand on Ha Baek-ryeon's head as she walked beside him.
She looked up at him with a blank expression.
"What is it?"
"Don't show curiosity towards players from other countries, and stick close to me during the summit."
"Shouldn't you be the one sticking close to me?"
"I will, so don't worry."
"Then that's fine. I had no intention of being apart anyway. And take your hand off my head. What if other people see?"
"Okay, I got it."
Ha Baek-ryeon, now 15 years old.
She retorted while puffing her cheeks.
Eun-ha chuckled.
Then he withdrew his hand and focused on what was ahead.
Look at this?
Someone was approaching while emitting an aura.
Pandora Clan members including Eun-ha paused, sensing the energy.
"Oh my, unnie. Someone's coming while leaking power all over the place?"
"It's like they're saying 'please catch me'."
The twins whispered.
But their eyes were sharp.
It was the same for others.
It was a clear provocation.
I am this strong.
Is there anyone among you this strong?
The aura seemed to be saying that.
"Clan Lord, what are you going to do?"
"The Clan Lord should leak too, quickly."
The twins urged.
Eun-ha sighed.
He was already thinking of doing that.
Hamper Wave
I don't know who it is.
No, I think I know who it is.
So I dislike getting involved even more.
But he was accompanying Ha Baek-ryeon.
He couldn't show weakness in front of the person who would become the Fairy in the future.
It was a violation of her authority.
Therefore, Eun-ha boldly exerted his power towards the front.
No matter how much you try, you won't be able to do anything against the principle of courtesy.
It was quite a heavy aura.
Nevertheless, Eun-ha drove away the incoming aura as if brushing it off with his hand.
Then the opponent exerted himself.
A stronger aura than before flew straight in.
Even that succumbed to the principle of Hamper Wave.
"Oh? When one guy doesn't work, now two guys are trying to join forces?"
Soon Eun-ha raised the corners of his mouth.
Another person had joined in.
It seemed they had been watching quietly and quickly lent their strength when it looked like they would lose the battle of pride.
Eun-ha waved his hand once more.
Hamper Wave
That was the end of it.
A new wave pushed away the aura of the two people.
By then, Eun-ha could see the faces of the people walking from the front.
As expected, it was as he anticipated.
"Who just used magic? From the feel of it, you seem quite confident in your control, let's see your face."
"Lao Chen, restrain yourself. What are you doing in a foreign country?"
"You joined in with me too."
A man with an outfit that almost exposed his upper body.
The name of the bald, muscular giant was Lao Chen.
And the name of the man wearing Chinese-style clothing with a Western-style sword at his waist was Xiao Lang.
They were all Eight Generals led by Hou Yi Hao Ren.
Of course, Eun-ha couldn't understand what the two were saying.
That's why he brought interpreters.
"Ling, Lin. What are they saying?"
"They're cursing the Clan Lord?"
"Yes, they're definitely cursing!"
"I thought so."
Eun-ha chuckled.
There was no need for interpretation.
Lao Chen's eyes were burning.
He must be curious about the person who drove away his mana.
And he saw through Eun-ha's identity with his animal-like senses.
He approached Eun-ha.
"Was it you?"
"Yes, it was me."
Chinese and Korean.
The two understood what the other meant even though they didn't know each other's language.
Lao Chen held out his hand.
"This schedule will be interesting. Seeing a man dressed up so prettily, you must be Korean, so you must be one of the Twelve Seats."
"What's he saying?"
"He says the Clan Lord is his type?"
"Translate properly."
"He says the Clan Lord is very pretty?"
"I shouldn't have asked."
Eun-ha grasped his hand.
Lao Chen burst into laughter.
"I'm Lao Chen."
"Noh Eun-ha."
"Noh Eun-ha, I'll remember your name."
"Don't remember it, baldy."
His grip was quite strong.
Eun-ha didn't back down either.
Lao Chen's laughter grew louder.
The two continued their battle of strength until Xiao Lang intervened.
What happened after that was:
"But who's this little one? Her hair seems quite white..."
"Lao Chen, don't you know even after seeing? This must be the successor the Korean Fairy said she would bring."
"Oh, is this her? I heard she was young, but she's quite young?"
"It's a bit inappropriate for us to say that when there are Hou Yi..."
"She's pretty."
Lao Chen's eyes turned to Ha Baek-ryeon beside Eun-ha.
Ha Baek-ryeon flinched when their eyes met.
Regardless of her attitude, Lao Chen reached out his hand without hesitation.
"Lao Chen! What are you doing now!?"
"Little one, nice to meet you. I'm Lao...!!"
Worm Hole
When Xiao Lang was startled and tried to stop him.
Eun-ha snapped his fingers.
With this, Lao Chen's hand trying to pat Baek-ryeon's head disappeared into a split space.
That hand came out at Eun-ha's feet.
Eun-ha immediately stepped on the hand.
"Where do you think you're trying to touch her?"
"Ugh!! You bastard, what are you...!"
"I don't even know what you're saying."
To avoid diplomatic issues.
Eun-ha stepped on Lao Chen's hand to a moderate degree.
He wanted to crush it, but he couldn't help it.
Meanwhile, Lao Chen hurriedly pulled out his hand that he had put into the space.
His eyes flashed.
Eun-ha read his emotions.
This guy, could it be...?
Eun-ha's eyebrows twitched.
Soon, as if confirming his guess, Lao Chen burst into laughter.
"With this, I've created a justification to have a match with you."
"Lao Chen, you... Who says such things with their own mouth?"
"What's the problem? This guy won't understand what I'm saying anyway. Well... it seems he's guessed roughly though."
"..."
"I'll admit my mistake, but I still need to recover my wounded pride. You, have a match with..."
"Ling, Lin. Quickly relay my words. 'Alright, I'll forgive you.'"
""好的, 会原谅你.""
In the previous life, and in this life.
How much had he suffered from <Yama >?
How much is he suffering?
Eun-ha quickly requested interpretation from the twin sisters as soon as he noticed the sign.
The twin sisters giggled and quickly intercepted Lao Chen's words.
"You..."
"I've accepted your apology well. Let's go, Baek-ryeon."
"What? Yes..."
"Hey, you! Stop right there!"
"That's enough, Lao Chen. Unfortunately, you've lost."
Eun-ha patted his shoulder with a magnanimous face.
Lao Chen's face turned red.
But he couldn't use such childish methods anymore.
He could only glare at Eun-ha's back.
"What kind of person is Baek-ryeon for him to try to touch her head?"
"...Then why do you touch it, uncle?"
"Because I'm your guardian."
"So that means you can touch it?"
"I can touch it, right?"
"...I'll think about it. But how did you notice? That that person was going to request a match?"
"People usually notice instinctively when things are going wrong. How much longer have I lived than you?"
"Hmph, only 12 years difference, yet..."
"It's more than that now, you know?"
"What?"
"It's just like that."
Ignoring Lao Chen's gaze.
Eun-ha walked down the corridor, giggling with his clan members.
☆
Japan's epithets were unique.
For example, <竜殺者 > is written but read as "Dragon Slayer".
Because of the unique way of reading epithets, in Korea they were usually written as <용살자(드래곤 슬레이어)>.
Meanwhile, that epithet was quite famous in Japan.
"Come to think of it, didn't Hikigaya-kun have a match with a Korean when he was a student at the Academy?"
"...Yes, there was such an incident."
A few years ago, Hikigaya Hayato, who inherited that name and now holds a position among the Twelve Divine Generals, also participated in the subjugation operation.
After guiding Kaguya to the hotel, he was about to head straight to the pier.
A ship docked at the pier was scheduled to transport players participating in the subjugation operation on time.
It was then that a woman participating in the operation with him spoke.
"I heard that after experiencing defeat then, you became one of the Twelve Divine Generals through bone-grinding training... If you fought that person again, do you think you could win?"
<水の妖精 > is written but read as "Undine".
Kashiwagi Sena, one of the Twelve Divine Generals, asked.
Hikigaya Hayato gave a bitter smile at the senior's question.
"Kaguya-sama just told me about that person's recent situation."
"What did she say? Don't tell me that person is here too?"
"Yes, it seems so."
"It must be fate. Could it be that you and that person are connected by an invisible thread? Musubi."
"Maybe so."
Fate, huh.
Maybe it is.
Hikigaya Hayato agreed.
By then, the pier came into view.
Players were gathered.
Hikigaya unconsciously tried to find Noh Eun-ha among them.
Of course, he wasn't there.
He had heard from Kaguya that the man was in charge of guarding the Fairy's successor.
There was no way he would be here.
"So, Hikigaya-kun."
"Yes, Undine-sama."
"Going back to the question, how about it? Do you think you can win now?"
Undine asked again.
That question seemed like asking which was stronger between Korean and Japanese players.
Hikigaya Hayato could understand her feelings.
Although she usually had a calm personality, it was natural to become curious about the other's skills when meeting players from other countries.
And the only person who could satisfy her curiosity was him, who had once had a match with a Korean player.
However, unfortunately─
"─I will lose."
Hikigaya Hayato couldn't live up to her expectations.
As expected, Kashiwagi made a somewhat displeased face.
"But Hikigaya-kun has become stronger."
"People might think I lost by a narrow margin when I had a match with him, but in fact, I was utterly defeated then. I probably didn't even draw out half of his power."
"That's impossible..."
"He's a monster. I don't think I can win against him."
He was sincere.
Hikigaya Hayato greatly realized the difference in skill when he had a match with him in Japan.
Noh Eun-ha.
No, now <Cardinal >.
He was a being of a different caliber.
Until then, he had been able to gauge the opponent's strength when crossing swords.
But with him, it was impossible.
When trying to gauge his strength, it was like looking at a clear, clean water surface.
So he couldn't gauge the depth.
After all, the clearer the water, the harder it is to gauge the bottom.
Noh Eun-ha was such a being.
"So that's why Hikigaya-kun has been looking gloomy since earlier. You're hearing that you have no match among players your age in Japan, but there's such a high wall here."
"...That's part of it."
"It's okay. Hikigaya-kun has the qualities to become even stronger. When I return to Japan, I'll ask the Twelve Divine Generals to help with your training."
"Thank you."
Of course, Hikigaya also thought he couldn't beat Noh Eun-ha in other aspects.
But he didn't want to tell Kashiwagi about that.
The fact that he married the person I liked and has a child... And that he took two more wives even with Seo-hyeon...
While falling into an unspeakable shock.
Hikigaya headed to the pier.
And so the subjugation operation began.