◈ Episode 294. Overlooked (3)

The Blue House was in an emergency.

Jeong Han-taek.

The famously gentle president’s face contorted.

“Damn bastards don’t know moderation, moderation.”

How much can he take?

Even if he stretched out his hand, how far did he reach?

Jeong Han-taek resented his fingers.

Quick!

He gritted his teeth in frustration.

“If it wasn’t for that damn agreement……!”

The International AAU Agreement.

After the Cataclysm.

An agreement made in the belief that the free activities of players will protect humanity from rift erosion. The clause was clearly stated in the first page.

──────

The state shall have no influence over the players.

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Jeong has desperately defended the AAU agreement.

After all, wasn’t Korea the lucky country to be chosen by Arcana?

Besides, Arcana was not their field.

It was obvious that nothing good would come of his influence.

We didn’t have to go far, we had a good drama teacher in a neighboring country.

From China, who didn’t even sign up to the AAU agreement, and who wielded so much influence that they were eaten by a player, Liu Zunqun. To the Japanese government, which violated the AAU agreement and lost a giant pillar of strength called Inazuma when it tried to put a leash on a player.

‘I firmly believed.’

Nam Taemin, followed by Lee Hoyeol, who is showing great performance.

Seeing them reassured Jeong that his judgment was not wrong. He trusted the players and thought it was best for him to stay in his room and sip tea.

But…….

“Even if you feed me shit, you still feed me like this?!”

Even in a world turned upside down by cataclysm.

Those assholes with their outdated politics.

I can’t believe they’re making such a fuss.

Jeong Han-taek blamed himself again.

“I should have trusted the guys I trusted.”

This is Jeong Han-taek, who has been rolling in the political arena with them.

He’d battled with them.

He didn’t expect them to stay quiet.

But there is such a thing as a degree.

If it’s your fault…….

‘I guess they realized that they were borrowing from the Sinhwa and overlooked it.’

Part of the Sinhwa Group.

Sinhwa Guild.

No ordinary guild.

‘My mistake was thinking they were a new affiliate.’

They’re simply taking bribes from the chaebol.

It was a mistake to ignore them because they were not a normal Sinhwa Guild.

Jeong Han-taek’s eyes glowed a frosty blue.

“I should have done something about it then.”

I should have intervened, even if it meant breaking the AAU agreement.

It’s come to this.

Shinhwa became Inazuma and eventually reached out to Heavenly Unity.

The result.

“If it weren’t for Lee Hoyeol, he would have directly asked me to…….”

Jeong Han-taek was too embarrassed to look up.

But even as he shook his head, time was passing.

A sigh escapes him.

“……Haa.”

I know it’s too late.

I might as well be fixing the barn after losing the cow.

Hisagi’s face flashes into my mind.

“Maybe Lee Hoyeol will turn Korea around…….

Wasn’t there a precedent called Hisagi?

Yusra, the ancient kingdom of Arcana in the real world.

Hisagi was an exile in the Yusra Kingdom who cut off ties with his ugly homeland. And in that Yusra Kingdom, Lee Hoyeol wielded influence comparable to that of a king.

Jeong clenched his fists.

“If that’s what happened……. Damn, that’s unanimous impeachment.”

Still, a wrong must be righted.

You can’t avoid it because you want to.

Lee Hoyeol, he had no choice but to impose his will on him.

Like declaring war on crime.

He had to show him that he was declaring war on the rats of Yeouido.

But Jeong Han-taek was at a loss.

“……Where should I start, what should I do?”

Sweeping the rats off the streets won’t solve the underlying problem.

They are used to being taken advantage of.

In the end, you can’t solve the problem without the player’s help.

‘Maybe he knows something?’

The question comes to mind.

He’s innocent as sin.

I can’t help but wonder about Lee Hoyeol’s behavior.

Even a demented rat would never ask him for a bribe.

Pondering, Jeong Han-taek raised his head.

“Let’s hope he’s being presumptuous.”

He secretly hoped for help from Hoyeol.

“Even if you’re not presumptuous, you can’t be like this, Jeong Han-taek.”

The moment the president regained his composure.

Beep, beep, beep!

A magic reaction has been detected in the Blue House.

Since the Cataclysm, dealing with the Arcana threat has been a challenge for all governments.

It was the desire of all governments.

A threat that was relayed over the aide’s radio.

“Mr. President……!”

The aide said urgently, but Jeong had guessed.

He glanced at his wristwatch and realized it was exactly on time.

“I know.”

He headed directly to the entrance of the Blue House to greet Hoyeol.

Soon, a figure emerged from the portal.

But.

…… Not one person?

One, two, three.

They are all familiar faces.

The moment he recognized their faces.

Jeong Han-taek was relieved of his worries.

“I’m so happy to see you……!”

Lee Hoyeol.

And Nam Taemin and Baek Yiseol.

I knew they’d be able to take care of the rats.

*

It’s a new feeling, but…….

You’ve really stepped up, Grandfell.

President from the start.

You’re my man.

I know they say to keep your horns short.

I mean, I never thought I’d suddenly find myself face to face with the president.

But I understand.

‘When am I digging, corruption?’

No matter how far back you go.

If you go this far, you’re really going to run out of 24 hours in a day.

Besides, neither I nor Grandfell are experts in this area.

That’s why I’m getting help from two people.

Nam Taemin and Baek Yiseol.

The number one and two guilds in South Korea.

Guildmasters of Gaon and Shinhwa.

“I thought I was dying of bother, Mr. President. Really!”

Even if the perpetrator is forgotten, the victim is never forgotten. In particular, in the case of Baek Yiseol, didn’t she have exchanges with numerous political figures because of the succubus?

This gave her a sense of expert power.

“In a cataclysmic time, it’s not common to find a gentleman in an apple box. An item or artifact. There are bribes in the Arcana world that are hard to trace, but their value is guaranteed.”

Because it basically sounds like a billion…….

Clearly, there was a lot of information from experience.

At Baek’s words, Nam Taemin swallowed hard.

“No, did you exchange it so carefully? It wasn’t a joke, you guys? Well, the media always praises Shinhwa, but criticizes us……”

“Again, it’s all in the past.”

“I know. I’m surprised. I’m surprised.”

Of course, I swallowed a sigh of relief.

‘This is what happens when you stick to your guns.’

Exorcism ritual.

Thanks to this, I was able to make contact with Baek Yiseol.

What could have been a very troublesome task was being made easy, day by day.

Imagine if I had come to the Blue House by myself.

I’m getting a little choked up just thinking about it.

“The conversation wouldn’t go anywhere.

I might have just spewed venom at the president.

But Baek Yiseol had a specific list.

That’s when I realized.

I realized why they took it.

Why they’re using ridiculous logic.

‘Because if there’s a falling out, everything will be revealed.’

In that sense, I’m grateful for the integrity of Grandfell.

Me, Lee Hoyeol.

After I awakened as a player.

‘I’ve been living my life without any shame to the heavens.’

Thanks to you, I am.

I didn’t even touch the Ssanghwa tea on the table.

I opened my mouth.

“If you did not know, you are incompetent, and if you knew and neglected it, you are an accomplice.”

“……!!!”

A blunt statement that struck a chord in the hearts of those who heard it.

This is also due to his pride, which cannot be overlooked.

It’s up to me to clean up the mess.

“But I would understand if there was a procedure before that.”

President Jeong Han-taek.

The reason he couldn’t step up was because of the complicated AAU agreement. As the general manager of the AAU Yusra Branch, I know how complicated it is.

I’m a workaholic who can’t neglect anything.

‘If it were any other excuse, I would have punished him…….’

I was able to understand and move on.

There was nothing more to discuss at length.

As I said, procedure and agreements are important.

I’m not interested in getting too deeply involved.

Grandfell, I don’t know about you.

Going in and out of the Blue House through a portal.

As a small citizen, I find it quite uncomfortable.

I was glad that the President sorted things out on his own.

“I will uproot it as much as you have trusted me.”

It didn’t take long for everyone in South Korea to realize that Jeong was right.

The breaking news kept coming at night.

Articles that would send shivers down the spines of writers.

They literally never stopped.

-[breaking news] Jeong “I will root out the forces that eat up the country.”

-[breaking news] Jeong “Trading dirty money for national security is unforgivable……. We will strictly punish them regardless of political party.”

-[breaking] Seoul official, “We already have a list……. It would be good for your reputation to confess.”

Are you saying the rant wasn’t just empty words?

There is no shortage of strong remarks rarely seen in politics.

If they do this, there’s no way I’m going to step forward.

“Unless it stinks.”

The stench, of course, refers to the stench of the demon. I didn’t sense the stench of the demon in the Blue House, where I unexpectedly stopped by. If that’s a relief, I guess it’s a relief.

I thought about it for a moment.

‘Let’s see.’

Time for me to get back to work.

The office of the Kingdom of Yusra.

I sit in front of my desk and look at my teacup.

‘You must have been itching since Ssanghwa tea, really?’

Mmm.

I sip my tea bag green tea to quench my thirst.

I cut to the chase.

I’ve got a pretty good track record, don’t I?

Defeating the Great Evil, the Seven Deadly Sins of Envy.

A dizzying array of messages.

It’s time to enjoy the loot, one by one……!

*

The upper floors of a spacetime social hall.

No ordinary transcendent is admitted to the upper floors.

Transcendents had to prove themselves worthy.

“Certainly a stranger.”

In the past, it was a very quiet place compared to the lower floors.

The patriarchs of four families, even though they are the only ones staying in the upper class.

The upper floor felt relatively more crowded than the lower floor.

“There are many people who have died.”

“To be killed by mere demonic mongrels.”

“It’s unfair to be treated as a transcendent like this.”

Transcendent.

Because I wasn’t happy about being tied to wholesale level.

Going down to the lower level was something I didn’t want to do.

The Golden Maxima Family.

The Forest Yugrik Family.

The Valor Kansul Family.

The Shiver Acamond Family.

The four patriarchs of households spoke in hushed tones.

“The Empire is rising again.”

Today’s main course was the Empire.

An empire that was surely on the verge of collapse. They were all looking at each other, trying to figure out when to act so they could take control of the Arcana continent.

“It must be frustrating to hunker down in the territory, right?”

Even for the almighty themselves.

A family estate in a corner of the continent could not be expected to be fluent in the news of the Empire. There were no cities, no towns, no villages intact to serve as a conduit for rumors.

But he could make a prediction.

“It must be for the Dark Dragon.”

Phew, the sneer returns.

“Claudi? Well, I suppose it could be.”

It is said that Claudi has fallen and is the only survivor.

A crumbling empire.

Maybe he has what it takes to keep that last flame burning.

“Actually, the ones on the edge of the Empire are probably a bunch of demonic mongrels, and even a toothless Claudi could manage that.”

“It’s certainly an insult to Claudi to think he couldn’t pull it off……. Wouldn’t you be spitting in the face of our ancestors at the same time?”

“Hoho, it would be nothing more than a stunt anyway.”

Why weren’t the Four Families afraid of the demon?

It was simple.

They were the actual masters of the Empire.

Even if they claimed to know everything about the Arcana Continent.

They were in possession of information that was beyond exaggeration.

Information about the demonic hierarchy was just one of them.

Then.

Falang-

A piece of paper fell from the chandelier.

“……Are you a judge at a time like this?”

『Screening Request Form for Entry to the Upper Level of the Spacetime Social Hall』.

The four families who witnessed the mentioned achievement.

The pupils of the four patriarchs widened.

It was clearly stated there.

“Crushing the Great Evil, Seven Deadly Sins Envy……?”

A true evil, different from the demonic mongrels.

Proof that it had been hunted to death.

But it didn’t end there.

“Who on earth accomplished this feat……?”

There are no secrets in space and time.

Surely the name of the person who did such an outrageous feat would be listed.

The faces of the patriarchs turned white when they saw the name.

──────

Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo

──────

Golden Maxima.

The patriarch, Ignite Maxima.

His golden pupils darted impatiently.

“Time, time and space. Something is definitely wrong!”

He shouted at the chandelier.

“It can’t be, it can’t be…….”

Five steps to accepting disposition.

First, denial.

The emotion was vigorously expressed.

“Grand, Grandfell, I can’t believe he’s alive……!”