797

 [Chapter 202]

[Foundation of a Monarch]

The 2nd Uijeongbu Recapture War ended.

The recapture that people had wished for decades was successfully completed.

Moreover, the recapture team achieved the feat of pacifying not only Uijeongbu but also northern Gyeonggi.

Nevertheless─.

"─It's all thanks to the players' hard work. Then what did the Fairy do? Is activating Cocoon all she did? Oh my."

Public opinion was very bad.

People were interested in something other than the successful recapture of Uijeongbu.

The military's bombardment of Uijeongbu.

Players returning from Uijeongbu spoke in angry tones to reporters waiting in front of the barrier.

"─The military!! Attacked us! They tried to destroy Uijeongbu that we recaptured while sacrificing our comrades!!"

"Those bastards were blinded by greed for achievements and tried to take all our achievements!"

"They tried to kill us and cover it up!!"

The Fairy Government's media control didn't work.

People had been watching the course of the Uijeongbu Recapture War with interest.

In the end, the sight of them denouncing emotionally was reported nationwide.

People were greatly shocked.

"So the Fairy ordered the military to destroy Uijeongbu? And even ordered to deal with the players too?"

"Complete betrayal. Did they think players had finished all their work? Is that what a ruler should do?"

"This is why we can't trust those in power! They don't think about making commoners like us live well, they're always thinking about living well themselves first!"

"No, they do care about us. Just, they care about us after they live well first."

Even more than during the Seoul Disaster.

People denounced the Fairy.

Soon after, as objective circumstances were reported and it was revealed that the military's bombardment was not the Fairy's order but the commander's coup plot.

And as it was revealed that the Fairy bowed her head and apologized to players.

Public opinion improved somewhat.

"The military staged a coup!? Are we supposed to believe that now!?"

"Okay, fine! Let's say it was a coup! But when the military was plotting a coup, not a single government person knew about it!? This is no different than the Fairy admitting she couldn't properly control those under her!"

"Step down! Come down! Resign!"

"We don't need the military anymore! What use is the military in this world! The police can maintain public order, and players can kill monsters!!"

"Everyone!! We must disband the military to prevent this from happening again!! Do we need to pour taxpayers' precious money into the military that just digs the ground anyway!?"

""""That's right!! That's right!!""""

"We should have the power to protect ourselves from monsters! We must disband the military!"

"Give more authority to players!!"

"Allow civilians to own private armies!!"

It was chaos.

All sorts of people came out to Gwanghwamun and staged protests.

Violent clashes occurred by angry people.

Disband the military.

More authority to players.

People protesting chanted two slogans.

That was public sentiment.

Public sentiment grew to a size that even the Fairy Government couldn't handle.

Meanwhile, there was one more slogan that was smaller but steadily emerging compared to the two slogans.

<Cardinal > for the monarch of this country!!

<Cardinal > Noh Eun-ha.

Crimson or most important.

It was the new epithet he gained.

His achievements this time were great.

Subjugation of 3rd rank overrank Goeshini.

Subjugation of Cobalt Knight of the same rank.

Salvation of <Florist > Bang Yeon-ji.

Finally─.

"─Isn't the Pandora Clan Lord's actions really refreshing!? How could he blow off the commander's head there?"

"What about after that? He looked down at the Fairy from above and threw the commander's head at her feet?"

"<Cardinal > was <Crimson Wing> before, and before that he was definitely <Quick-witted >. Just like his epithets, he's very gallant."

Who plotted the military's coup.

Summary execution of the commander.

Because of this, Eun-ha also gained the epithet <Guillotine > in this recapture war.

Noh Eun-ha had public sentiment and players' support behind him.

That momentum was sky-high.

☆

A few days after the 2nd Uijeongbu Recapture War ended, at the Mana Management Organization headquarters.

On this day, high-ranking officials including the Fairy attended the conference room.

""""...."""

And opposite them sat player representatives.

<Cardinal > Noh Eun-ha.

Regulus Clan Lord Koo Yeon-su.

Acting Dark King Clan Lord Ko Eun-sil and others.

Besides them, all players who had authority to command platoons in the Uijeongbu Recapture War were present.

The strange thing was that Mana Management Organization Surveillance Bureau Director <Abyss > Seon Woo-hwa-ryeong was sitting alongside them.

"─This matter must be clearly judged right and wrong. As someone who protects players' rights and interests, I absolutely cannot overlook this matter."

As Seon Woo-hwa-ryeong suddenly said.

The Mana Management Organization was the Fairy's shield and sword.

At the same time, it was the flag leading the protection of players' rights and interests.

So the reason Seon Woo-hwa-ryeong attended wasn't that strange.

"45 people lost their lives due to the military's bombardment! If <Florist > hadn't activated magic to completely heal people, the damage would have been even greater than this."

""""...."""

On this day, Mana Management Organization Minister Baek Seo-jin did not attend the meeting.

The nominal reason was deteriorating health.

In reality, it was because even the Mana Management Organization minister couldn't side with the players.

The ideal role of the Mana Management Organization was to be a mediator between the Fairy and players.

But the situation was too serious.

Yet they couldn't express extreme support for either side.

Therefore, Baek Seo-jin had to compromise and took a policy that minimized the fall of the Fairy's authority.

"Fairy, don't keep your mouth shut and say something."

It was a good opportunity for Seon Woo-hwa-ryeong.

Because he didn't need to watch Baek Seo-jin's mood.

Moreover, the justification was with him.

He pressed the Fairy-side officials more zealously than anyone else present.

""""...."""

Neither the Fairy nor Fairy-side officials.

No one opened their mouth.

For them, that was the best they could do.

It was obvious that whatever they said would all become excuses.

Moreover, even they felt like they had been struck by lightning out of the blue.

"Fairy."

"...Yes."

"According to reports, the commander who ordered the bombardment testified that he received orders from the Fairy. All the officer-level commanders under the commander said so too."

"..."

"Do you really not know?"

"...I'm sorry."

Seon Woo-hwa-ryeong pointed at Fairy Lim Ga-eul and spoke in a reproachful tone.

Lim Ga-eul shook her head.

In a few days, she had become much thinner.

On this day, she didn't wear makeup, nor did she wear the red clothes with the intention that she wouldn't bow to anyone.

She just looked like a powerless leader.

That's how much her authority had fallen to the bottom.

"Right now, Fairy, you've admitted your incompetence in front of us. Do you really not know?"

"...I really want to answer if I could. But I really, didn't know about this. I never gave such orders to the military."

"When we investigated the Fairy's phone records, you called the commander before the military went up to Hoeryong Station."

"..."

"Didn't you order then?"

"The reason I called the commander that day was to tell him I would arrive at Mangwolsa Station in the afternoon."

"I wonder."

"...Don't you believe me?"

"Can we believe the Fairy?"

"..."

Seon Woo-hwa-ryeong zealously represented the players' position.

Each time, Lim Ga-eul couldn't properly refute.

Afterwards, Seon Woo-hwa-ryeong continued to single out Lim Ga-eul among people and speak to her.

Lim Ga-eul couldn't refute.

And the officials around her all pretended not to know her situation to avoid taking responsibility.

Right at that moment─.

"─That's enough, please."

""""...."""

Eun-ha, who had been keeping his mouth shut until then, cut off Seon Woo-hwa-ryeong's words.

The attention of those present turned to him.

He had a face that seemed displeased.

"I heard from the commander. Saying he received the Fairy's orders was just a pretext to move the soldiers."

""""...."""

"He said it was something the commander himself plotted. So I don't understand why you're trying to blame the Fairy for something she didn't do."

"Pandora Clan Lord. Do you really think that makes sense? If it was a coup, there should have been traces of preparation beforehand. But nothing came out even when searching the commander's house. Looking at the circumstances at the time, we can guess the military's bombardment was a hastily arranged affair."

"I guess it was a hastily arranged coup. And think about it logically. What reason on earth would the Fairy have to order the bombardment of Uijeongbu?"

"That's not logical either. And I think the Pandora Clan Lord is at fault too."

"Me at fault? What is it?"

"Why did you kill the commander. Thanks to that, we couldn't properly conduct an investigation. The Pandora Clan Lord who gave in to emotions and ruined things should actually be held responsible too. Do you know that?"

Then Seon Woo-hwa-ryeong retorted.

Eun-ha tapped the table with his hand while listening to his words.

No one intervened in the conversation between the two.

No, they couldn't.

The person with the most power in this place right now was─.

"─Can the Surveillance Bureau Director ask? Does the Surveillance Bureau Director have judicial power?"

"..."

"If you were going to say that, you should have spoken when I killed the commander. Why are you saying something different now after silently watching and tacitly approving then?"

""""...."""

<Cardinal > Noh Eun-ha.

No one among those present could defy his words.

Public sentiment followed him.

He had players' support.

And he even had the justification of suppressing a coup.

Even Seon Woo-hwa-ryeong was in no position to protest against him.

Therefore─.

"─Fairy."

"...Yes, Pandora Clan Lord."

It wasn't the Fairy who determined the direction of this meeting.

It was Noh Eun-ha.

Eun-ha called her.

She raised her head powerlessly.

"─Please disband the military. We no longer need the military. Everyone wants it."

"...Yes. I'll disband the military. I'll also provide sufficient compensation to soldiers and players who suffered damage due to wrong orders."

Lim Ga-eul couldn't refuse.

She accepted Eun-ha's opinion.

Afterwards, the meeting proceeded according to Eun-ha's words.

From this meeting, the power structure between Lim Ga-eul and Noh Eun-ha changed.

""""...."""

Meanwhile, the military was disbanded.

People who heard the news cheered.

It was the first time since the military was disbanded during <End of Century Destruction>.

There weren't many people left who remembered that time.

People who didn't know that time welcomed the opening of a new era.

Not knowing that with the disbandment of the military as a starting point, people claiming to be monarchs appeared in various places, opening an era of warring states.

However, what was different from then was that the foundation for only one monarch was prepared.

☆

Disbanding the military.

There was no better method than this.

The country was going crazy.

Public sentiment wanted it.

This was the best option.

If they had stayed still any longer, Lim Ga-eul might have been framed for giving orders to the military.

If they hadn't disbanded the military, it probably would have left a lifelong stain on Lim Ga-eul's political life.

So Eun-ha asked Lim Ga-eul to disband the military.

And Lim Ga-eul agreed.

The two thought there was no other way.

"But I never thought I'd be the one to say disband the military...."

On the other hand, Eun-ha felt bitter.

In the previous regression, it was Seon Woo-hwa-ryeong who raised this to the Fairy as a representative.

But he never imagined he would be speaking from a position pressuring the Fairy in this life.

Nevertheless, he had to do it.

Because that way, they could end it with just disbanding the military.

If Seon Woo-hwa-ryeong had spoken as representative, he would have demanded even greater responsibility from the Fairy.

"...My head hurts. I haven't been able to sleep properly these days because of this."

Soon Eun-ha frowned.

He had been running around without properly resting since returning from Uijeongbu.

Many people sought out Eun-ha.

And he had to deal with distributing compensation for the Uijeongbu Recapture War.

Besides this, there were many other things to worry about.

For example─.

─Special Bureau Director Min Ji-a died. How is this flowing exactly the same as before the regression too?

When things seem to be going well, they flow badly.

Mana Management Organization Special Bureau Director Min Ji-a.

The director Lim Ga-eul trusted most among the seven directors died.

They say she died hit by a shell.

They couldn't even find all of her body.

She had such bad luck.

Anyway, they had to fill Min Ji-a's vacancy.

The Special Bureau Director is an attacker if I had to say. It's the department where the strongest in the Mana Management Organization are assigned.

While the Intelligence Bureau, Surveillance Bureau, and Control Bureau could be said to have strong influence in the Mana Management Organization.

The Special Bureau couldn't be ignored.

They who were dispatched on special missions were composed of almost all the strongest in the Mana Management Organization.

For Lim Ga-eul, she had to select someone who would definitely be on her side as the new Special Bureau Director.

That's a problem too.

In the current situation, who would express definite support for the Fairy?

Eun-ha clicked his tongue.

The Mana Management Organization was shaking.

Baek Seo-jin faction and Seon Woo-hwa-ryeong faction.

It was dividing into two like that.

As the ship was shaking, people were thinking about which side to stick to.

There was no loyalty to the Fairy.

In that situation, it was difficult to select someone new.

In fact, the person who became Special Bureau Director in the previous life wasn't that favorable to the Fairy.

"Why on earth did it turn out like this."

Eun-ha left the Mana Management Organization.

He could only sigh deeply.

The military's bombardment ended up with the conclusion that it was the commander's coup after all.

The case ended unresolved.

So his chest felt stuffy.

Someone brainwashed the commander.

It's someone with extraordinary skill in interfering with minds.

Eun-ha recalled his memories.

After returning to Seoul from Uijeongbu.

Eun-ha investigated soldiers whose minds collapsed like the commander.

Their minds were shattered to the extent that not even a clue could be found.

The culprit is someone skilled in brainwashing magic.

Until now, such a person─.

─Is it Armageddon?

He only knew one person.

Armageddon.

A ma who reached the pinnacle of magic studies.

That guy secretly infiltrated the military and brainwashed the commander. That's how he made him order the bombardment....

A very small possibility.

But not impossible.

That's why it was even more frustrating.

If this is really Armageddon's doing─.

─Even before the regression, Armageddon and Guma were active much earlier.

In the previous life.

It turns out he was caught up in one person's schemes for a long time.

He died without even knowing that.

That was so frustrating.

On the other hand, Eun-ha thought.

"─Maybe <Abyss > and Armageddon are connected...."

Seon Woo-hwa-ryeong's actions were suspicious.

His actions went too far.

Moreover, Eun-ha remembered that in the previous life, he became one of Ha Baek-ryeon's political opponents.

If, as he suspects, Seon Woo-hwa-ryeong is in cahoots with Armageddon─.

─Maybe I should think darkness has been dominated by that guy.

All information flowing into darkness might be being monitored by Armageddon.

An assumption he didn't want to think about.

But circumstances were saying there was a high probability of that.

Eun-ha clenched his fist tightly.

"..."

Five years since graduating from the academy.

He had many worries during that time.

It seems the time has come to make a decision now.

☆

That night.

Eun-ha finished bathing and entered his room.

A house between Yongsan-gu and Jung-gu.

People living in the 3-story house basically used rooms alone.

The reason, there was no need to say.

"I wonder when this matter will be resolved well.... I should sleep early today. I'm too tired from using my head."

He sleeps alternately with his wives.

But on days like today, it was difficult.

No, it wasn't just today.

Since returning from Uijeongbu, Eun-ha had been using his room alone almost always.

Because he had many things to think about and also came home late.

Today was the same.

Eun-ha said he would sleep alone and entered his room.

But─.

"─You came?"

"Ah, you're here? Are you very tired?"

"Why are you...."

Han Seo-hyun and Lee Yu-jung were there.

The two were waiting for Eun-ha in pajamas.

Eun-ha who entered the room stood blankly and blinked.

Regardless, the two wives tapped the bed with their hands.

"We were going to massage your legs when you came. You must be tired from working busily these days."

"Yeah, that's right. Come here, Eun-ha. We'll massage you. You'll feel somewhat less tired after the massage."

"Since we couldn't be with you during that time, we should spend time together like this to be called a married couple, right?"

"..."

Jung Ha-yang wasn't there.

Apparently, she gave up sleeping with Eun-ha for a while, saying she spent time with him in Uijeongbu.

Han Seo-hyun used some trick.

Lee Yu-jung just went along with it.

Anyway, Eun-ha lay on the bed.

"How is it? Does it feel good?"

"Ah, it's good. It feels refreshing."

"Tell me if there's anywhere that's stiff. I'll massage it."

"Ah, then can you get on and step on my back?"

"Huh? Your back? I'm heavy...."

"You're not heavy at all. The heavy one isn't you Yu-jung...."

"Really? Who's the heavy person then?"

"...None of my wives are heavy. It's okay."

While receiving massages from his two wives.

Eun-ha was able to relieve his fatigue.

Of course, the two didn't withdraw after finishing the massage.

As if they would receive compensation─.

"─We won't make it hard for you. Let's just sleep holding hands."

"Yeah, I want to do that too. But... is it okay?"

"...Let's really just sleep holding hands."

The two clung to him on both sides.

Eun-ha ended up giving his arms to the two in a daze.

And they really just slept holding hands.

Whether that was true or false, only the three people knew.