WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: DereKimchi
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Abandoned Tank is a Disaster-class Awakener ◈
Chapter 24
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That afternoon, the American Awakeners Association announced an unscheduled emergency briefing.
The notice had come only an hour earlier.
Even the subject had not been disclosed.
Even so, the Association briefing room filled with reporters in an instant.
Cameras from countless outlets, including major American media, turned toward the podium.
Live broadcast captions appeared on every station, while the footage was simultaneously transmitted to Awakeners Associations and government agencies around the world.
Then, at the appointed time.
Click.
The side door opened.
David Miller, chairman of the American Awakeners Association, appeared.
A dark navy suit.
Hair streaked with silver.
He looked no different from usual.
But the relaxed smile that was always on his face was gone.
Thud. Thud.
Miller stepped onto the podium.
Click, click!
Countless shutters went off.
Standing at the podium with its prepared microphones, he did not look down at the prepared script.
Instead, he looked directly into the cameras.
Then.
“Since the Tower appeared.”
The room grew heavy at those brief opening words.
“For a long time, America has been called an Awakener backwater.”
It was a calm admission from a country once called the world's strongest nation, the world's police.
“I will not deny it.”
America had failed twice.
It had failed to stop the timer, losing its people and Awakeners, and above all, the experience it had painstakingly built while climbing the Tower.
Miller contained all those wounds in a single sentence.
“We fell twice.”
But.
“Both times, we rose again.”
He did not make excuses for failure.
Nor did he dwell at length on the sacrifices.
He merely stated the facts.
“And now, America stands at a third starting line.”
Guardian thrones secured one after another.
Newly accumulated clearing experience.
A Vanguard beginning to thrive again.
No one could deny America's rise anymore.
“However.”
Miller's voice cooled.
“It seems there are still countries that believe America remains lying where it fell. That is why I had no choice but to call this briefing.”
The large screen behind him turned on.
Eric Halvorsen, Norway.
Marcus Reed, the United Kingdom.
Sofia Alvarez, Spain.
Mei Lin, China.
Murmurs spread through the reporters' seats.
They could hardly help it.
Those four names belonged to naturalized Awakeners presumed to be part of America's Vanguard.
But Miller did not wait for the commotion to die down.
“As you know, these four are Awakeners America intended to cultivate as its next-generation Vanguard.”
Then the screen changed.
“...?!”
Though the details had been omitted, it displayed their scroll communication records, financial transactions, and evidence of connections to agencies in their respective countries.
“And at the same time.”
Miller's words pierced the confused room like sharp thorns.
“They were spies planted in America by Norway, the United Kingdom, Spain, and China.”
Click, click, click!
Flashes erupted.
“Their purpose was clear. To grow using American resources, take America's clearing experience, steal the research and information America accumulates, and return to their homelands when the time came.”
That brief explanation alone made the heart of the incident easy to understand.
“The necessary procedures for these four individuals are currently underway in accordance with American domestic law and international Awakener regulations.”
In the past, exposing them and expressing regret would have been the end of it.
“But the American Awakeners Association is not satisfied with these measures.”
Miller lifted a sheet of paper.
“Because this incident was not the misconduct of individuals.”
His gaze grew cold.
“They were sent by their countries, instructed by their countries, and their countries sought to profit from them.”
If that was the case.
“Then those countries must also pay a fitting price, just like them.”
Miller spoke as though making a declaration.
“Effective today, the American Awakeners Association will suspend the exercise of Guardian approval authority for Norway, the United Kingdom, Spain, and China.”
Murmurs burst out.
But he did not stop.
“At the same time, we will completely freeze ongoing exchanges of Tower-clearing information with those four countries. Guardian information, clear records, information concerning rare resources, future data from higher floors that America secures. None of it will be shared.”
Reporters hurriedly typed on their devices.
Breaking news spread across the world.
But Miller's announcement was not over yet.
“This declaration does not apply only to the four countries I have named.”
The whole world was listening.
“I have a message for every country that still judges America solely by its past failures.”
His voice was not particularly loud.
Yet every word weighed on the briefing room.
“In the past, we failed. Therefore, we fell behind. But failure and being finished are not the same thing.”
The flashing cameras fell still.
“America will no longer look to others before making concessions. We will not sell the rights earned with our blood for a low price, nor will we smile and clear the way for countries that seek to exploit our goodwill.”
This was no empty threat.
The investigation had already revealed that spies were rampant within America.
“If you respect us, we will answer with respect. If you trust us, we will answer with trust. If you wish to climb alongside us, we will extend our hand.”
But.
“If you seek to use us... then from now on, calculate the price of that choice as well.”
Miller looked down at the podium for a moment.
Two catastrophes.
Mockery that America had fallen behind.
Assessments that it would never return to the top.
All those years gathered into those words.
Miller raised his head.
“America will not be taken advantage of anymore.”
For the first time, his voice gained a little force.
“Starting today, we will conduct a complete reinvestigation of the intelligence network within America. Any country in which we find the same traces... will receive the same treatment, without exception.”
Then he gave his final words.
“We will reclaim the place we lost.”
Its past standing as the power that ordered the world.
America would devote all its strength to reclaiming it.
“Make America Great Again.”
With the end of that speech.
Clap.
Applause sounded from somewhere.
Then.
Clap clap.
It spread in an instant.
Clap clap clap clap clap!
But even amid the applause filling the briefing room, Miller did not smile.
He did not bow his head.
He merely looked directly into the cameras.
That day, America had not merely announced sanctions against four countries.
It was a declaration that a nation which had fallen twice would no longer remain where it had been defeated.
* * *
Since the emergency briefing, Miller had been too busy to catch his breath.
Protests from other countries.
Consultations with the American government.
The follow-up measures resulting from suspending Guardian approval authority.
And above all, a massive investigation into the intelligence network remaining within America.
Perhaps because of that, far more documents than usual were piled on his desk.
As I sat on the sofa across from him, I asked,
“Did it have an effect?”
Miller's hand stopped.
Then.
“...An effect?”
A bitter smile spread across his tired face.
“It was perfect.”
“To that extent?”
“Yes.”
Miller picked up a sheet of paper and lightly shook it.
“Since the briefing, a considerable number of foreign agents operating in America have begun moving.”
“They must have pulled out.”
“Some did. Some suddenly stopped their activities. Others tried to erase traces of their connections to their home countries, only to leave a trail instead.”
Miller took off his glasses and pressed firmly at the corners of his eyes.
“It is only natural. They have confirmed that America's attitude has changed.”
He put his glasses back on.
“Until now, they likely thought that even if they were caught, it would end with a diplomatic protest. But we actually cut off Guardian approval authority and information exchanges as well.”
The corner of his mouth lifted bitterly.
“If they don't want to lose out, they should clear out on their own.”
From the sound of it, the result should have been satisfying.
Yet Miller did not look particularly pleased.
“Isn't that a good thing?”
Miller was silent for a moment at my words, then sighed.
“It is a good thing.”
Then he pushed a folder from one side of the desk toward me.
“However.”
Thud.
“I did not expect there to be this many.”
“...”
I opened the documents.
Names.
Affiliations.
Nationalities.
Periods of activity.
Suspected connected organizations.
Even after turning several pages, there was no end to them.
I furrowed my brow.
“There are a lot.”
“There are too many.”
This time, he was not joking.
“And it is not only agents.”
He took out another set of documents.
“A considerable number of Awakeners were mixed in as well.”
“...”
“That is the more troubling part.”
Miller's finger tapped the list.
“Some came in to gain access to research facilities. Others moved to assess the performance of equipment and consumable items. And many were Awakeners who entered from the beginning to observe America's growth process up close.”
It was not strange.
America had not yet fully established security systems to deal with magic scrolls or rare consumables.
It was an ideal environment for exploiting such gaps.
Moreover, I had recently been claiming Guardian thrones one after another.
From another country's perspective, it would have been stranger not to keep a close watch on America.
“Isn't it fortunate that so many left this time?”
“From an intelligence perspective, yes.”
Miller nodded.
“The problem is that the positions those people filled have been left vacant as well.”
At those words, I looked over the documents again.
Come to think of it, quite a few of the names were familiar.
Mid-tier Raid Parties.
Elite candidate groups.
Awakeners assigned to support departments.
Some had even been gaining experience directly below the Vanguard.
Miller spoke.
“The exact count has not been completed yet, but.”
He chose his words for a moment.
“Looking only at combat personnel, it feels like nearly five percent have left.”
“...Five percent?”
Even I was a little surprised.
It did not mean five percent of all Awakeners in America.
It referred to personnel ready to be deployed to clear the Tower, specifically those the Association had counted as a certain level of fighting strength.
“Recently, more Awakeners have been seeking naturalization, so I thought America's standing had changed. But it seems they were also meant to obtain information about you, Mr. Kang.”
Miller smiled bitterly.
“It feels like we did a major cleaning, only to find someone else's name tag on every object in the house.”
“...That is not a very pleasant analogy.”
“That is how I feel.”
He leaned back in his chair.
“Above all, we desperately need talent to follow in your footsteps, Mr. Kang.”
I knew that as well.
No matter how quickly I climbed the Tower, I could not replace all of America's Raid Parties on my own.
“The problem is that it is difficult to bring in foreign talent carelessly now.”
America had been burned once.
No, to be precise, I had stopped it just before it got burned.
But to immediately bring in another naturalized Awakener and pour valuable resources into them?
Even a fool should know better than that.
“But we do not have enough room to build our forces solely with Americans.”
“...Because of the number of Awakeners?”
“Yes.”
Miller slowly nodded.
The so-called America's Curse.
I did not know who had first coined it, but it was a fairly well-known expression.
America had a large population and abundant resources.
Its facilities and research capabilities were also among the best in the world.
Yet, for some reason, the number of Awakenings was low compared to those conditions.
Awakeners with the talent to grow into the upper ranks were especially rare.
Because of that, America had no choice but to actively use naturalization policies early on to make up for its shortage of domestic talent.
And other countries had exploited that gap precisely.
Miller rubbed his temple with a finger.
“We urgently need to recruit talent that can follow in your footsteps, Mr. Kang.”
A bitter smile.
“But now, even when we see talent, it seems we will suspect their passport first.”
“...”
“But we cannot spend months verifying them either.”
It was certainly troubling.
The Tower would not wait.
America organizing its internal affairs did not mean other countries would stop clearing the Tower.
If anything, during a period of growth like this, it needed people to support those in front.
“Mr. Chairman.”
Knowing that concern was why I had come here despite his busy schedule.
“Go ahead.”
“May I recommend someone useful?”
Miller blinked.
It was only for a moment.
“Personally, Mr. Kang?”
“Yes.”
Miller leaned forward.
Some of the tiredness he had shown until then faded.
“Then this is a different matter.”
Miller spoke seriously.
“What America desperately needs right now is Awakeners who have been verified.”
Then the corner of his mouth rose.
It was different from the bitter smile from before.
It was Miller's familiar expression.
“And if the world's foremost Awakener recommends someone personally, why would I say no?”
“...”
“Rather, I would like to ask you.”
Miller interlaced his fingers.
“So, what country is the Awakener you recommend from, Mr. Kang?”
For a moment.
“...”
I looked at Miller.
Then I answered.
“South Korea.”
Those who would one day be called calamities.
It was time to bring the White Calamity hidden in South Korea to America.
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