WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 24: A Slightly Theatrical Response

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Rimon’s press conference ended like that.

Even so, Park Hyeon-gun could perfectly understand why Lee Cheon-gi could not take his eyes off the television.

Park Hyeon-gun had also gone blank and frozen for several minutes when watching it live.

The footage had been that shocking.

He had taken the president hostage.

He had announced a series of future hostage crises.

And it was all a message for a Monarch.

He had bundled together every act no sane person would commit and thrown them out in one straightforward blow.

Any reasonable person would have been left stunned.

“...Rimon Aspelder is a more formidable man than I expected. To catch me this off guard.”

“What do you mean?”

That was why Park Hyeon-gun looked puzzled the moment Lee Cheon-gi spoke.

Rimon was clearly no ordinary lunatic, but Lee Cheon-gi’s words seemed to carry another meaning.

“Do you not understand? This is checkmate.”

“If you mean that insane threat calling you to the Blue House, you can simply ignore it...”

“Then people will think I used a borrowed knife[1] to seize power in this country.”

“Surely no one would believe such insane nonsense.”

“My true intentions are irrelevant. The problem is that the high-ranking officials named as his next targets now have grounds to pressure me.”

Park Hyeon-gun’s expression immediately hardened.

Park Hyeon-gun’s mind, which had frozen from the absurd footage, finally began working again.

“You mean they will pressure you, my lord?”

“Their lives are at stake.”

Normally, no matter how high-ranking they were, they would not dare do something so insane.

A Monarch was an absolute being in this era.

To provoke one was to invite ruin.

But Rimon’s hostage crisis had changed matters in a strange way.

One had to survive before worrying about reading the room, and they were all in danger of dying.

There was no time left for political calculations.

Furthermore, they had the justification of needing to save the president. Anyone who valued their life would cling to Lee Cheon-gi.

Even a Monarch with absolute authority would find it difficult to ignore that.

“If they even bring in other Monarchs, it will turn into a messy fight.”

Lee Cheon-gi was not the only Monarch.

What if he refused to move until the very end?

There were plenty of high-ranking officials who would run to other Monarchs without caring about the consequences if it meant surviving.

That was a threat beyond comparison with Rimon’s threats.

Unlike Rimon, an outdated relic of the previous era, the other Monarchs were opponents even Lee Cheon-gi could not dismiss.

“Are you saying Rimon Aspelder planned all of this that far ahead?”

“I do not know how much of it was intentional, but he clearly meant to create a situation where I had no choice but to act personally.”

The most fatal part was that Rimon had carried this out as though advertising it to the entire world.

It would have been different if he had made a private phone call.

But now that broadcast had practically been transmitted worldwide, Lee Cheon-gi had no choice but to step in and resolve the situation.

Whether to secure practical interests.

To protect his honor.

Or for some other reason.

“Manager Park, withdraw the personnel stationed near Leviathan.”

“Are you sure that is wise?”

“It is better to lose the Black Dragon Princess’s trail than let the other Monarchs take an interest in Leviathan.”

“Then I will redirect them to the Blue House.”

“No, that will not be necessary.”

Lee Cheon-gi shook his head.

Then, staring coldly at Rimon’s grinning face on the frozen television screen, he spoke quietly.

“It seems the Guardian Deity of Humanity wants a final reckoning. I shall settle it personally.”

* * *

Clink, clink.

“Oh, this is good.”

The Blue House luncheon hall.

President Han Jeong-guk had spent a considerable budget renovating this place early in his term, and he liked it quite a lot.

That was why he had enjoyed inviting guests from every walk of life here, from foreign dignitaries and corporate chairmen to international students and entertainers.

But at this moment, President Han felt as though the luncheon hall he loved so much was hell itself.

“The world has certainly improved. Kings of old could not even dream of eating a warm meal while worrying about food tasters and poison.”

What era is he talking about?

“And they had to eat bland food for their health, and could not even have late-night snacks whenever they wanted. Poor bastards.”

They were not as miserable as I am.

“On that note, Mr. President, why don’t you eat something? It was made with precious tax money. It would be wasteful not to.”

Do I look like I can swallow a single bite right now?

“Hey, bring more alcohol. Make it expensive.”

That alcohol was bought with precious tax money too!

As though this were his own living room, Rimon sat comfortably on the floor and stuffed food into his mouth.

Watching him, President Han felt his insides boil.

If he could, he wanted to invoke the dignity of a head of state and say something. No, a hundred things.

But he could not bring himself to open his mouth.

The blade pressed to his throat even while Rimon ate taught him the virtue of silence.

You crazy bastard! At least put the sword away while you eat!

“I am a little crazy, that is true.”

“Gah!?”

President Han recoiled in horror.

Rimon had responded to the words he had only spoken in his mind far too casually.

“H-how...? Do you have a [Mind Reading] skill?”

“The hell with skills. Guys like you who glare at people behind their backs all think the same things.”

Rimon snorted.

It was not as if he had only done this once or twice.

Having dealt with all kinds of hostages whenever he took hostages, it was easy for Rimon to guess what President Han was thinking.

Most of it was bound to be insults like mad dog, crazy bastard, nutcase, and psycho anyway.

Realizing that he had fallen for a trap, President Han’s face turned bright red.

But only for a moment.

Despite being caught insulting him internally, Rimon remained far calmer than expected. Seeing that, Han Jeong-guk took the opportunity to speak.

“Are you not afraid of the consequences after causing something like this?”

Naturally, he did not forget to speak politely.

Being president did not give him two lives.

“Are there consequences I should be afraid of?”

Fortunately, Rimon did not cut off his hostage’s head simply because he had spoken boldly.

He only asked as if he were genuinely curious.

With that, Han Jeong-guk recovered some of his confidence and spoke forcefully.

“Did you think you could get away with taking the head of state hostage? You have gone from a hero to a traitor!”

“I was nearly arrested on terrorism and treason charges before I even did this.”

Rimon asked indifferently whether it really made any difference to commit one more act of treason when he had already been saddled with treason charges.

“I-if there was a misunderstanding, isn’t it proper to resolve it through conversation?”

“Are you admitting you framed me?”

“That is not what I meant...”

“Then what? You sent Unit 909 after me over something that was not even certain and got them all killed. Could you say that to the reporters outside too?”

“...”

President Han thought that perhaps he should have just kept quiet.

The moment Unit 909 had been mobilized, he had no excuse.

If he knew about it, that was a problem. If he did not, he could be impeached for failing to know that the nation’s elite special unit had committed illegal acts on its own.

But Rimon did not leave him alone.

As if this had worked out perfectly, he lightly tapped Han’s throat with his sword and asked:

“Actually, I am the one who wants to ask something. What exactly did you people believe in when you pinned treason charges on me?”

“That is...”

“No, you do not need to answer. You must have done it because you trusted the Infinite Monarch.”

Then don’t ask, you crazy bastard!

Whether Han Jeong-guk cursed internally or not, Rimon calmly continued as he tore into a chicken leg.

“I have felt this for a while, but you people take the world too lightly. If you accuse someone of treason, you should be prepared for actual treason to happen.”

As if he was not enough of an old fogey already.

Han Jeong-guk gritted his teeth as he watched Rimon lecture him even now.

“...Talk all you want. You do not have much time left to act so high and mighty.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Do you think even you can face the forces of the Infinity Guild?”

Han Jeong-guk made his threat.

He had ended up like this by underestimating Rimon.

But the Infinity Guild was on an entirely different level from the Blue House security detail.

One of the world’s top ten guilds!

If the Infinity Guild acted directly, Han had no doubt they could subdue Rimon.

“If you release me now, I will do everything I can to stop the Infinite Monarch from mobilizing the Infinity Guild.”

Take the bait. Take the bait!

Speaking as though he were granting a favor, Han Jeong-guk activated his unique skill, [Support Pledge].

[Support Pledge] was a skill that allowed him to gain another person’s support in exchange for a pledge.

The pledge had to appeal to the other person, and he had to fulfill it after gaining their support, but its uses were limitless.

In fact, that skill was why he had been able to become president-elect.

“Pwahahaha!”

But the moment he heard those words, Rimon burst into uproarious laughter.

After rolling around on the floor several times, he looked at the flustered Han Jeong-guk and asked with a snicker:

“The forces of the Infinity Guild? You don’t seriously think Lee Cheon-gi will bring every guild member with him, do you?”

“...Of course he will.”

Han Jeong-guk answered stiffly.

The president being taken hostage was an emergency. There was no reason to hold back their strength.

Rimon lightly mocked Han’s judgment.

“Will he, though? I think Lee Cheon-gi will come to the Blue House alone, proud as can be.”

“Don’t talk nonsense!”

“Well, we will see.”

Rimon smirked.

As though the result did not matter either way.

But Rimon was certain.

The Infinite Monarch would never bring subordinates with him after receiving such a public provocation.

That was the pride of an absolute being.

“Even if the Infinite Monarch comes alone, you will still be finished!”

Perhaps Rimon’s calmness had made him anxious instead.

Han Jeong-guk shouted desperately.

Rimon tilted his head as he looked at him.

“Hmm, I have been genuinely curious about something for a while.”

As if he could not understand it at all.

Or as if he were dying to know.

Rimon looked at Han Jeong-guk with golden eyes full of curiosity and bluntly asked:

“Why are you people so certain that I am weaker than a Monarch?”

Han Jeong-guk made an incredulous expression.

It was not merely because the question was unexpected.

Rather, the answer was as obvious as which side of the sky the sun rose from.

“Well, because you are not a Player.”

Just as guns were stronger than swords.

Just as cavalry could not defeat tanks.

How could an ordinary person without skills defeat a Monarch at the pinnacle of Players?

Rimon gave a small laugh as he watched Han answer without the slightest hesitation.

“Right. You are all the same.”

As though asking had only been a waste of time, Rimon muttered with a bored expression and lost all interest in Han Jeong-guk.

Instead, he thought to himself.

Something is definitely off.

Recalling a strange feeling that no one else could understand, but that he alone could sense, Rimon reached for his plate.

But before his hand could touch it, Rimon seized Han Jeong-guk and hurled himself away like lightning.

Then, immediately afterward:

KABOOM!!!

A missile tore through the ceiling and struck the luncheon hall.

Footnotes:

[1] Use a Borrowed Knife: A stratagem of using a third party to eliminate an opponent.

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