Episode 157: Lake of Swords (1)
…the morning of election day.
I leaned against the windowsill and looked up at the sky. It was still before dawn, but the sky was unusually dark.
Kururung.
The thunder continued to echo incessantly. That was why I woke up early. The thunder continued to shake the dawn, and I opened my eyes on my own.
“I wonder if a storm is coming.”
However, there are ominous signs that it is not simply a matter of worsening weather.
“Somehow, it doesn’t seem like the election is the issue.”
Something is going to happen. My intuition warned me so. I just don’t know what specifically.
One thing is for sure, it’s not because of the election that’s just a few hours away. The cadets just have to cast their ballots and wait for the counting to happen.
Even if I get anxious, the results won’t change. And during the election season, my staff and I did our best.
Ryozo and Weapon used their fingers to pound the keyboard hard and launched a massive election campaign on the Internet.
It was quite a sensation online because of its effectiveness. Weapon said that some event(?) was quite successful… but he didn’t tell me, the person involved.
Check it out for yourself on election day. I was a bit worried about how I would promote myself, but I let it go since the response was good.
‘You must have done well since you have a tutor.’
I heard that Leon’s approval ratings have risen to a level where they are neck and neck.
I rubbed my temples.
I have an ominous feeling. If I am detected by the sensitivity of [Sword God’s Protection], something will inevitably happen.
But what can I do? I can’t be afraid of something that hasn’t even happened yet.
As before, we just need to respond immediately according to the situation.
Worrying won’t change anything. I’m fully equipped to deal with most crises.
In addition, he has acquired absolute reason in exchange for humanity, a mentality that allows him to remain calm in any situation.
Unless something is really crazy, this issue will be resolved with a stick of sashimi. However… … .
Boom— boom— boom—
Thunder rings out like a drum announcing the start of war.
The white curtains fluttered like ghosts. I felt the wind with my whole body and soon closed the window. The rain that fell steadily began to soak the soil.
* * *
The annex to the northwest of the academy is used as an election hall today.
Because it is one of the few buildings that can accommodate thousands of cadets.
The interior was no different from any other polling station: several booths with tents and students packed tightly together.
Another difference was the screen hanging from the ceiling, which was intermittently uploading the vote counting status.
There, Weapon stood blankly, staring at the screen. A pleased smile spread across his lips.
‘The manager’s approval rating is not bad.’
Weapon looked around. There were many male students with Daiso sashimi on their waists.
The line around Weapon’s mouth became darker.
You may wonder what the heck is going on, but it was all just Weapon and Saki’s idea.
Weapon and Saki made their strategy for this election clear: selection and focus.
Kang Geum-ma was a special promotion student. In any case, it was impossible to persuade the students who were steeped in the idea of chosen people within the academy.
Rather than lecture those idiots, I’d rather read the sutras to a deaf ear.
The idiots who block their ears are completely abandoned. Instead, they are solidifying the main support base of Ganggeomma.
For reference, more than half of the supporters were male students of the Tiger, Rang, and Dragon classes.
Now that the direction of the strategy has been decided, the next question is ‘how’. In other words, the method. From there, Saki did her part.
Saki had extensive internet knowledge. She discovered a fandom for the strong sword called “Sashimi Dan” among the Joaquin Academy community.
I immediately sprayed them with promotional material.
『How about all the people who voted for Kang Geum-ma in this presidential election coming with sashimi? It wouldn’t be bad to take the initiative against the arrogant nobles, right? Haha.』
It’s an absurd and somewhat childish idea. Wearing Daiso sashimi on your waist to break the pride of those arrogant bastards.
But teenage boys tend to feel a sense of solidarity in these areas.
Saki’s intention was taken seriously. The cadets, who were initially busy laughing, were moved by the continued promotion.
As the number of likes increased, it soon led to a campaign called -Supporters of Ganggeomma = Wear Daiso sashimi.
Why, when you go to an idol concert, don’t you bring a cheering tool that looks like a baton? It was a similar logic. They just replaced the idol baton with Daiso sashimi.
“At this rate, I might be able to beat Leon.”
Weapon’s eyes, which had been wandering around, stopped at the window. Water was pouring down like a waterfall. It was a day when the rain was falling so hard it was scary.
Weapon turned his head, praying that nothing would happen.
* * *
Whaaaa …
The drizzle quickly turned into a downpour. The fallen leaves covering the ground were wet and made a sloppy sound when I stepped on them.
“Damn, did a hole suddenly appear in the sky?”
Manager Sung quickened his pace. Even though he blocked the rain with his umbrella, the wind was still a problem. The strong wind broke the iron core and turned the umbrella upside down.
Manager Seong’s umbrella became a wreck in an instant. His clothes were also soaking wet and a mess.
Still, he somehow managed to get to the polling place.
Taking advantage of the gap in the roof that blocked the rain, Manager Sung shook the water off his suit jacket. Only his hands were soaked with water, but the jacket was still damp.
The wind blew coldly and his body became cold. Finally, Manager Seong took off his outerwear. If he continued like this, he would most likely catch a cold.
Tch.
Manager Sung clicked his tongue. The weather had been strange for the past few days. It was gloomy and gloomy, unlike autumn.
It seemed like it was going to rain so badly, but today, on election day, it rained so hard that it seemed like it had been waiting for this day.
“On the most important day… … .”
Manager Sung hung his jacket over his left shoulder and glanced around the area.
There has never been a disaster like this. This was just a flood.
Here and there, puddles of water were slowly swelling up and coalescing into one. At first glance, it looked like a lake.
If the polls had started later, many students would not have been able to get to the polls.
The only fortunate thing was that the only person who was late was Manager Seong himself.
Manager Seong looked at his wristwatch.
[PM 14:34]
“By now, the vote counting will be almost over.”
The Joaquin Academy presidential election was held with voting and counting taking place simultaneously.
And the voting rate appears in real time on the screens installed at the polling place.
It was intuitive, but it didn’t look very good from an aesthetic standpoint. The sight was exactly like a racecourse for cadets.
‘If you take Joaquin Academy apart, it’s a really strange educational institution.’
All cadet voters stayed at the polling station from the time of voting to the counting, feeling joy and sorrow. During this time, outsiders were not allowed to enter.
Whether it’s the Hero Association that hosted this election, the faculty and staff of the Academy, or even the headmaster, Media.
It was a place where the cadets themselves chose their own representatives. It was reasonable to keep the intervention of adults to a minimum.
It is a day of the cadets, for the cadets, by the cadets.
But he came running right when the vote counting was over. He had to report the results to the association’s higher-ups right away.
While he was using the roof as an umbrella to avoid the blood, a woman wearing a patient gown approached him from in front. Manager Seong’s eyes grew wide.
“… Chief Ha?”
The distance was far, but I recognized her at a glance. It was Chief Ha. She walked toward me in the pouring rain. Without an umbrella, she was soaking wet with the rain.
A look of shock appeared on Manager Seong’s face as he looked at Ha-na-eun.
“Why are you here!?”
“… … .”
Despite Manager Seong’s shouts, Chief Ha continued to cross the rain-soaked road without saying a word.
After the competition, she was hospitalized at the Joaquin Academy Hospital.
Since it was a subspace duel, there were no injuries.
First, Chief Ha shivered while covering himself with a hospital blanket.
Her boss, Manager Seong, felt responsible.
Since a senior-level hero was attacked by a cadet, the psychological shock must have been great.
In my defense, I didn’t get along well with Kim Woo-jin.
Chief Ha wasn’t specialized in combat and his weakness was endurance. He was an office worker.
However, since his opponent was a dogfighter, the longer he stalled, the more advantageous it was for Woojin Kim.
Besides, he is still quite young, so how healthy must he be?
But in the end, the fact that Ha-na-eun lost did not change.
Manager Seong suddenly came to his senses, breaking free from his wandering thoughts.
The important thing was why Chief Ha, who should have been hospitalized, showed up here.
The moment he was about to open his mouth to Ha-na-eun, a feeling of discomfort suddenly came over him.
… … ?
It was a day of torrential rain. In a matter of minutes, a huge pond formed, isolating the polling place like an island.
‘But how… did Chief Ha manage to get here?’
His gaze naturally shifted to Manager Ha’s feet. Manager Seong’s pupils shook violently.
“Ah, ah, no.”
Slap.
Hana Eun was walking on water. Every step she took created ripples on the surface of the water.
Slap.
Not only that. Her hospital gown was stiff, despite the fact that she couldn’t avoid looking like a wet rat. It was as if the raindrops were avoiding her.
Slap.
Ha-na-eun had already come closer. Manager Seong spoke to her cautiously.
“Ha, ha, Chief. How on earth do you walk on water? And more importantly, why did you come here in the first place!?”
“… … .”
He lowered his head so that I couldn’t see her face. Goosebumps appeared on his skin. He waited, but there was no answer.
Manager Seong, who was terrified, shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Hey, boss! Speak up! Speak up!”
Only then did Ha-na-eun raise her head. Manager Seong was startled.
“You, what’s wrong with your face?”
“… … .”
Her cheeks had sunken in, her eyes had lost their color, and her once soft appearance had disappeared, leaving her face haggard.
Above all, Ha-na Eun was crying.
“Manager… … .”
She spoke first. Manager Sung quickly accepted her words.
“What’s going on? Explain, Chief Ha!”
Suddenly, Ha-na-eun started sobbing. She said in a wet voice.
“When I was young, I really wanted to go to Joaquin Academy. It was a place of dreams and hopes. But I couldn’t get in. Still, it was my childhood dream, so I was so happy when I heard I could come here.”
“… … .”
“At the time, I didn’t think I lacked talent. I just didn’t get in because my family wasn’t very well-off… That’s what I thought. In reality, I worked like crazy and became a senior-level hero at a young age.”
“Yes, I know. I know very well. Chief Ha, who in the association doesn’t know that you are very talented?”
“no.”
The crying stopped. At the same time, Ha-na-eun smiled brightly. Her face was distorted.
“A few days ago, after the competition, I realized that people are born with a grade. I was just making excuses about my family. I was just born with no fucking talent.”
She muttered like a madwoman, blood flowing from her biting fingernails.
“I realized it again. No matter how hard I try, I can’t even reach the toes of the kids who go to Joaquin Academy. And I made up my mind. I’m going to kill them all! All the kids who were born to good parents and inherited the wealth and look down on people!”
“Chief Ha, what the hell are you talking about!”
“Shut up! What does a bastard who has lived an ordinary life know? I wanted to be special!”
Ha-na-eun’s voice overlapped several times.
“Seong Hyun-seong, do you know that? When I was in the depths of despair, ‘that person’ reached out to me. We should slaughter the people who were so discriminated against and create an equal world together. He waited patiently for me to answer. Unlike those busy whining association idiots!”
There was madness in Ha-na-eun’s eyes.
“Damn, get a grip! And who the hell is that ‘he’ you’ve been talking about all this time!”
“Vesna, Commander of the Demon King’s 3rd Army Corps.”
The smile that had filled her lips disappeared. She hummed softly.
“The lord will personally descend into this body.”
Hana Eun slowly raised her right hand.
At that moment.
〓 〓 〓 〓 〓 〓 〓 〓 〓 〓
The raindrops that had been pouring down were frozen in midair. The world stopped like a paused video.
Seong Hyeon-seong was just flustered like a carp at the unprecedented phenomenon. Ha-na-eun smiled faintly at him for the last time.
“Manager Seong, thank you for everything. Bye.”
“Get better!”
With a desperate look on his face, Seonghyeonseong extended his hand towards his subordinate, Ha-eun Han.
But it was too late.
▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶
The world that had been at a standstill began to speed up. The raindrops trembled thinly. Then they formed a huge whirlwind and shot upside down like a dragon ascending.
Kwaaaaang!
