Chapter 38

Chapter 38. Madman (1)

War needs a cause.

Didn't even that Doramp, now fallen into hell, claim that China was making monsters through Awakened experiments in order to deploy nukes to the Korean peninsula?

But my cause was different from such absurd wordplay.

'The Dark God Necribas, and the demon worshippers.'

There was a reason I had come to favor extreme builds in the [Raise a Sword] world.

The kind of bastards who sacrificed a village, a city — even an entire nation — wholesale.

To obtain power, they corrupted the Abyss — the Gates — and destroyed the world indiscriminately, drunk on corrupt power, committing terrible evils.

People who abandoned humanity for power — creating victims on the scale of millions and tens of millions.

'But how am I supposed to explain that?'

Even with demon worshippers appearing and the Dark God Necribas Descending, the world was unchanged.

It was because Earth's circumstances differed from [Raise a Sword]'s.

Already, countries like India and China had committed no less vile acts.

My speculation was that they too had some kind of connection with Dark Gods or Outer Gods, but…

'The silence is too heavy.'

The Patriot and I faced each other and sat still for a long time.

My statement about striking North Korea had drawn admiration from the Patriot, but still, as a human, he seemed to know the weight a name like 'war' carried.

I calmly organized my thoughts and was about to recite my cause.

This was not a choice — it was survival.

"The reason I want war is—"

But there was this.

"Exterminating Chings? Sure, sure. What reason do you need for that? It's a perfect cause on its own!"

The Patriot accepted it without demanding any explanation, purely on the basis of the single fact: 'strike the North Korea absorbed by China.'

"A sacred war to reclaim South Korea's legitimate territory. Whew—. Good, good."

During the awkward silence, he seemed to have been deliberating in a completely different direction from me.

"To end it in one blow, we should enter the Tower and build up some power first, right?"

The Patriot asked with a beaming smile.

Was he envisioning himself planting the Taegukgi atop the Forbidden City?

Or was the phrase 'heavy punishment' striking a chord in him?

Or perhaps all of those things were shaking up the Patriot's head simultaneously.

'Going after growing at the Tower would be better, but…'

The vessel of the Dark God Necribas was in North Korea.

Once it grew and grew and overflowed, that enormous being — the Dark God — would manifest in this world—

"The sooner the better. I'm not sure we even have time for a Tower trip."

Trials in the [Tower] varied by individual.

And the Tower grew stranger and stranger the higher one climbed.

'Time ratio is the issue.'

If you stayed 1 hour in the Tower, a day would pass outside.

Conversely, if you stayed 100 hours, 1 hour would pass outside.

But the assumption that more time inside meant less time outside was no longer an established truth.

Elder Sword Emperor, the SS-rank Hunter who had gone missing on the 10th floor of the Tower.

That was the riddle he had left behind, and the truth proven by other Hunters.

"Is it because of the Sword Emperor?"

Naturally the Patriot knew it too.

He seemed to have no worry about it whatsoever.

"This is confidential, but—"

The Patriot hardened his expression.

Gazing at me steadily with a meaningful look, he continued.

"—I'm on Floor 3 of the Tower. So I have plenty of room."

It was a deeply shocking statement.

Problems arose on the Tower's higher floors — from Floor 10 onward.

That was why he was saying not to worry.

But I was stunned more by another fact than by anything about the Tower.

Naturally so, because—

'The Patriot is only on Floor 3?'

The Transcendent being who had the nation of Korea in his grip still had infinite potential left.

Jesus no longer entered the Tower.

The British Doctor had been the same.

But the Patriot was different.

"At longest, a day is enough for me to come back out of the Tower."

Floor 3.

That meant he was similar to me.

'So he still had that much room to grow his power.'

A day was plenty of time.

To begin with, the plan was to strike North Korea with the Korea-US-Japan alliance, and I'd been assuming a month.

"All right, my problem's solved, and…"

The war problem had been fully settled.

Then the Patriot put forth one request of his own to me.

"Junior."

He furrowed his brow as he spoke.

As though recalling something deeply loathsome.

"Even if the objective is to reclaim South Korea's fully legitimate territory, a Japan alliance is another matter entirely."

He muttered 'Those Ggampre—', then as though he couldn't bear it any longer, he shouted.

"I can put up with the Yankees. But no matter how I think about it, the idea of the Japs standing shoulder-to-shoulder with us — I can't accept that."

At the Patriot's subsequent words, I widened my eyes in surprise.

Because it was a shocking statement that left me speechless.

'Hah…'

What I was trying to do was war.

A fight between nations, with lives on the line.

Or perhaps South Korea's struggle to escape the polluted beasts flowing in below the 38th Parallel.

To me, it was a deeply important matter of eliminating the seed of a catastrophe.

And yet the Patriot was ignoring all of that wholesale.

He didn't ask the purpose of striking North Korea — China.

Of anti-Japan, anti-China, anti-US, 'anti-China' was the strongest feeling at present, so he could tolerate an alliance with America.

But…

"At the very least, I need the Japanese Prime Minister and those three Transcendents of theirs to apologize on [WorldNet] public broadcast for every crime they've committed against South Korea."

He expressed only hatred toward Japan.

"Oh, and that elf! Have her come to Korea separately. I have something to look into."

The Patriot was a madman.

 

—Ep. 14. Madman.

"That Lord Patriot — said he would go along with your plan, Shin Si-woo, on just that level of conditions?"

Senior Prosecutor Kang Mu-jin asked me with a shocked expression.

"No, gathering Japan's leadership in one place and forcing them into the prostration ritual isn't 'just' anything, is it?"

"Tch, you don't watch the news much."

Senior Prosecutor Kang furrowed his brow and rifled through WorldNet.

Then he said,

"Including this one, that'll make it the 23rd apology."

"23rd?"

"Whenever Lord Patriot's mood is foul, he bombards the area near Japan, then demands a public apology."

Carrying with it the immense purpose of redressing the bitterness of the Japanese colonial period.

"Then isn't that meaningful?"

"No, no it isn't."

Senior Prosecutor Kang recited the conditions of the 23 apologies that had occurred so far with a thoroughly disgusted face.

"If Japan doesn't apologize, missiles fall on Tokyo. If they apologize, he lets them off. That was the end of every single conversation."

Threats coupled with abrupt apology demands.

Each time, the Japanese Prime Minister had performed a dogeza to soothe the Patriot.

They had even handed over Mysteries and money under the name of reparations.

But this time was different.

"If they apologize, doesn't it mean agreeing to form a Korea-Japan alliance and, going further, achieving a Korea-US-Japan tripartite solidarity?"

"What's the problem with that?"

"Compensation? An alliance because Japan apologized?! Ha!"

Senior Prosecutor Kang was at his wit's end…

Well, I see it differently.

That boisterous Patriot would surely endure that much in order to personally punish China.

"Aren't you saying it's because he hates China more?"

"Reuniting the lost Korean peninsula. And driving out the illegally-occupying Chinese Red Army. The cause is sound, isn't it?"

No matter how I thought about it, it felt like the Patriot was acting this way because he hated China that much…

Was it because he was Seol-a noona's father?

"Even so, the Lord Patriot allowing a Korea-Japan alliance?"

Senior Prosecutor Kang spilled fierce remarks like a man who had been through a trial himself.

He poured out his pent-up frustration about how the words "Korea-Japan alliance" coming out of the Patriot's mouth were beyond conceivable.

"Unless we are in a situation where we are colonizing Japan, this is something that absolutely cannot happen."

To think he'd even bring out the insane word 'colonization.'

Well…

By this point, even my head had cooled.

"That's true."

Looking back over the Patriot's past conduct, I could fully understand why Senior Prosecutor Kang was being like this.

President Lee Seok-hyeon, beside us, was still too shocked to say a word, wasn't he?

"Hah! Finally, a diplomatic request worthy of being called diplomacy. And one we are unilaterally bestowing!!!"

The President finally opened his mouth.

Whether 'bestowing' was the right word was another matter…

'It is unprecedented, though.'

If Japan apologizes publicly, Korea grants them an alliance.

Yes, an alliance.

It was hard to deny.

It meant if just the Japanese Prime Minister and three SSS-rank Transcendents publicly apologized, Korea-Japan peace would arrive.

Of course, on top of that there was the additional special demand that Half-Elf Yuki had to visit Korea…

"Since she has to drop by once anyway to install the Spirit World, we'll arrange for a surprise meeting at that time."

The President organized the future diplomatic schedule.

Then he asked,

"Any objections, by chance?"

There couldn't possibly be any.

To begin with, wasn't this the kind of thing the country's leaders should be handling on their own?

The Patriot had been over-interfering all this time. As for me, Shin Si-woo, I had no particular intention of holding state affairs in the palm of my hand.

Therefore—

"I trust you'll handle it well."

I bowed to the President and stepped outside.

Inside, I held the hope that I might be able to turn this Republic of Korea into a place a little more like one fit for human beings.

'The Patriot can be made gentler.'

He listens to reason.

Looking at the present situation, that was clearly the case.

The reason the Patriot had been so out of line all this time was perhaps because he had no companion who could understand him — who could share the burdens of being a Transcendent.

Of course, I'm different.

⦗Sword Master, this servant Reinhardt, together with the awakened swords, shall prepare for war.⦘

The world inside the sword.

Within it dwelt steadfast and trustworthy companions.

They told me they'd been watching my conversation, and would prepare future countermeasures.

"I'm counting on you."

After offering my words of acceptance, I checked the status window for the first time in a while to inspect my swords.

『Sword Master, Shin Si-woo Lv.5』

—Skills: [Single Slash, Horizontal Cut] [Lord of Blood] [Infinite Divinity] [Supreme Heavenly Cradle]

—Sword Summon (Authority):

State—Baby Sword / Name—Undecided (Lv.5)

Alignment: Chaos. 50:50

Sword Form: Holy-Demon Sword.

—Ego Sword Summon (Authority):

[Communication Ability] [Sword Master's Dominion]

1st Sword, Reinhardt Euclid. [6/100]

2nd Sword, Yuria Lanestia. [17/100]

3rd Sword, Jun. [0/100]

4th Sword, Muratan. [5/100]

5th Sword, Iris Ruzbella. [14/100]

6th Sword, Bellatrice. [0/100]

'I'm growing too, definitely.'

I'd come back from the lava Gate and my level had risen by 1.

To balance the [Baby Sword]'s good-and-evil ratio, I'd channeled the overflow of power to Iris and Yuria.

The reason I was prioritizing those two was that they were the most appropriate for balancing things at the moment.

Thanks to divine power that built up just from breathing, [2nd Sword Yuria]'s manifestation value was rising.

[5th Sword Iris]'s manifestation value, having frequently manifested in the world while devouring the Molten Sea, the Red Sea, and so on, was rapidly catching up to Yuria.

That was how the balance had been achieved.

"Why has Muratan increased?"

If anything seemed off, it was that Muratan, who had only just shown himself, should have been at [4/100] but had risen to [5/100].

It seemed the prophecy of the 'Saintess of Fate' had hit the mark squarely.

Because there was only one reason Muratan would rise.

'He's forging iron in the world of swords.'

I just hoped he wasn't pounding on another sword's head.

* * *

The 1st [Sword Council] was convened in the world of swords.

"Hahah! War—!!!"

Thanks to the world growing more vivid, an enormous throne had appeared in Iris's domain.

At the same time, a space resembling an audience chamber was, however dimly, taking form, and the swords on the outside took the opportunity to visit Iris's domain to look around inside.

"War, war, war!!!"

The crimson little lady looked up at the sky in joy.

She seemed ready to break into a dance.

In ordinary circumstances, this would have been a situation where Reinhardt would shout 'Halt!!!' and the Saintess Yuria would express her shock.

But—

"The chance to execute the Dark God's lackeys has come."

"The very perpetrators… who made me live as a Pure One!!!"

Not only the Righteous Sword Reinhardt, but even the Holy Sword Yuria — all of them were greatly excited and honing their fury.

The swords in the world of swords, that is.

"It is fitting to purify the entire territory soiled by the Dark God."

"Not a single living being should be left. The phrase is, root and branch — pluck out and burn the very stems."

They were beings who would never, under any circumstances, compromise on matters of Dark Gods or demon worshippers.

Of course, there was one exception.

CLANG!!!

CLANG!!!

CLANG!!!

A massive noise broke through the swords' voices.

And then a voice with absolutely no relevance to war flowed out.

"The demon is truly a hard iron. A genuinely captivating iron. I'd like to marry it — no, I am already one with iron."

Muratan kept pounding on the demon without rest.

At that, Iris frowned and said,

"Lumpy little dwarf. Do not interfere with Our war. You're noisy — get back to your forge!"

At which Muratan let out a wild laugh.

"Bwahahaha!!!"

The voice of a smith pounding on truly proper iron.

It carried a weight worthy of being called a sword that had risen to the rank of an absolute being.

In that state, Muratan said,

"War requires good weapons."

He had developed a new weapon.