< Episode 239 What's Changed (3) >
The world was amazed.
[Shock! An unidentified male elf who stopped Savior's attack alone!]
[Presumed to be a similar ability to Shin Ji-ah's 'Generational Inheritance'.]
[Estimated magical power detected: 1.29 million. Estimated to be more than twice the average magical power of Savior and the Pakai.]
Things are different than yesterday.
Countries that had been mocking Korea all shut their mouths as Korea's status changed in a single day.
They seemed nervous that the sparks might fly to them.
– Does this mean Korea will become the world's third largest power?
―That unidentified elf. If he can stop five celestials on his own, isn't he practically one of the strongest?
– Absolutely. You turned it into scorched earth in one blow. Who else can show off such grandeur?
The world was excited by the appearance of a hero.
The most excited among them were definitely the Korean citizens.
How could one not be excited by the appearance of a hero who would free them from the fear of destruction?
―F*ck. Those fucking politicians. Yesterday, they were all busy running away overseas. Now, let's see them making a fuss again.
―Yeah~ You don’t believe me? This isn’t the first or second time you’ve been scammed, right? Shin Ji-ah is the best, right?
-If I trust those fucking politicians again, I'm not human.
In contrast to the growing praise for Shinwha Group, Shin Ji-ah, and the heroes who handled this matter, anger towards the politicians who abandoned Korea and fled only grew.
―Don't worry, everyone. Those bastards won't show up again. It'll probably be news soon.
―I know someone who works in the control room, and he said that a major shakeup is about to begin in both the political and superhuman worlds.
―They say that this time, the turnover was easy thanks to the old guard running away on their own.
―They say that the politicians who stayed behind and did not flee this time, led by the Shinwha Group, will take over the new government.
-Listening to it, it's fucking crap. Is this a country?
-The country is the country. The Tang Dynasty.
A torrent of crude insults were unleashed against the fugitive president, his chief of staff, politicians, and superhumans.
-Still, we're lucky. Look at Japan. It's just an apocalypse there right now.
―Yeah. There are fucking politicians everywhere in the world, but we’re the only company like Shinwha Group. Let’s be satisfied with that.
-Shirelujah. Long live Shinwha Group. Long live Shinzia. Long live Elf.
Of course, not everyone was happy.
Even though the immediate crisis may have passed, the current situation of hostility towards Savior has not changed.
―Come to your senses, everyone. Even if you say you stopped them, you only stopped five celestials. Who knows what will happen if you bring more troops next time.
-That's true.
―Really. There's a mountain beyond a mountain.
Of course, it wasn't just about thinking pessimistically.
―Hey. Don't you know that Savior is currently at war with the faction? In that situation, why are you sending such a large number of troops to Korea? No one but an idiot would do something like that?
-That's true too.
―If you take it out on a large scale, they will invade and say it is good for the group.
In the end, they were parallel lines.
A feast of empty talk where no one can be said to be right.
-What I mean is that there is now hope.
―Yeah. I don’t know because it hasn’t been officially released yet. Whether it was the elves helping us or someone with similar abilities to Shin Ji-ah helping us, it’s true that the situation has gotten a lot better.
-Ah. But it's still scary. What if I sleep now and can't wake up tomorrow?
The day passed with a mysterious mix of pessimism and optimism.
And the next morning.
-Hey! Breaking news! An armistice has been signed!
Once again the world was amazed.
– This time too, the hero solved it!
―Mchdmchng.
-This is my country! Shit!!
Korea turned a crisis into an opportunity.
* * *
“It went better than I expected. I didn’t expect them to accept the armistice agreement so quickly.”
“That’s right. I guess you were worried about me while you were fighting with the rebels.”
Jia put down her teacup in front of me.
“It must have been important to send back the five celestials alive.”
“Right. If I was really a lackey of the faction, there’s no way I would have kept such an important force as a mid-level angel alive.”
I lifted the teacup and smelled the fragrance.
Just the scent seems to clear my mind.
“It smells good. What kind of tea is this?”
“We make tea with the leaves of the rhododendron. It is good for recovering from fatigue.”
“Ah. That’s it. Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”
I just lifted the teacup and brought it to my lips.
“Oh. The taste is amazing too.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
I placed the teacup back on the table and stared at Zia.
“Why are you doing that?”
“Hmm. I’ve been worried about this since earlier······.”
"yes."
“Why did you suddenly turn back to formal speech?”
I didn't notice it because I felt something was off. But when I thought about it, I realized that he had been speaking politely to me ever since the situation ended yesterday.
"that······."
“Is it because I turned into an elf?”
“Hmm. It’s a similar reason.”
If it's right, then it's right, so what's the similar reason?
“Does my polite speech make you uncomfortable?”
“Huh? No. That’s not it······.”
It's a bit confusing because it suddenly changed.
“If it doesn’t make you uncomfortable, I’ll keep doing it like this.”
“······Well, if it’s comfortable for you, Jia.”
I don't care at all.
“While I’m at it, I’m also going to change the title back to what it was before······.”
“Previous title?”
If it's a previous title, does it mean 'ancestor'?
“Why that?”
Is there a reason?
“Because I need it for image making.”
“Image making?”
"yes."
Jia sipped a cup of tea.
“Now, our ancestors are famous all over the world. But their fame in Korea is unparalleled.”
“That’s what you were aiming for from the beginning. To maximize your influence in Korea.”
The main thing was that I intentionally spread the battle footage. Thanks to that, I got the title of hero who saved Korea from the brink of destruction.
“To further enhance that reputation.”
“Pull it up?”
“It’s not an unidentified elf who helped Korea, but a hero of the elves. Among them, he is the first elf, a high elf. That’s what they’re revealing to the media.”
Aha. That's why?
“Will you increase my value?”
“Yes. If we do that, it will be a good deterrent externally, and internally, it will increase unity.”
“So you are my ancestors.”
“Yes. I don’t know where or who might be watching. I thought it would be better to call them ancestors even on a regular basis.”
“So formal speech is also a type of speech?”
If you think about it, there were a lot of people around when they first started speaking to me politely.
That was the intention.
"yes?"
You seem a bit confused.
"no?"
“Oh, no. That’s right. Yes. That’s why.”
Jia immediately returned to her usual smile and nodded vigorously.
“Hmm. If that’s your intention, then….”
Now, do you think honorifics and ancestors are a big deal?
“Okay. Then I’ll call you Ancestor again.”
Jia laughed heartily.
“Is my press conference going to be held tonight as planned?”
“Yes. That hasn’t changed.”
Zia smiled bitterly, fiddling with the handle of her teacup.
“······I’m sorry. I asked you to do such a ridiculous thing.”
“Hmm? No. It’s not that hard to hold a press conference in the form of an elf. If this makes your position more solid, how many times can you do it?”
“Ancestor······.”
Jia looks at me with a moved expression.
"thank you."
And then he smiled brightly.
* * *
[Unidentified elf, turns out to be a high elf!]
[It was natural that they were strong! About the power of high elves.]
[Let's learn about the high elves, the legendary elves that appear only in mythology.]
The press conference ended safely.
I was worried that sensitive questions would come up, but my worries were for nothing.
Rather than sensitive questions, I was embarrassed because only considerate questions were asked.
“Well, there’s no way anyone could say something bad to me right now.”
When I thought about it, it was obvious.
I am a hero of my country.
If you pick a fight with me like that for no reason, you won't be able to move your bones. It was natural for that kind of atmosphere to develop.
“Whew. That feels refreshing.”
As I was skimming the news, Siyeon came up behind me with a towel wrapped around her head.
“Did you just take a shower?”
“Yeah. I worked out hard for the first time in a while, so I sweated a lot.”
“Do you ever have days when you don’t exercise hard?”
What's more amazing?
“Uh······. Come to think of it, there isn’t any. Hehe.”
Siyeon smiled cutely.
Well then, that's right.
“What were you looking at?”
Siyeon pushed me away and took up half of the chair. The scent of the shampoo became stronger.
“Do I have to sit here?”
“So what? This is more comfortable.”
Siyeon, who had shaken off some of the water from her head, hung a towel around her neck.
“Ah. I was reading the press conference articles today.”
Siyeon returned with a serious expression and started touching the hologram here and there to read the articles.
“They are all so friendly.”
“That’s right.”
“I’m jealous. When I first joined the Shinwha Group, I was half a malicious knight.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Yeah. No matter how many times you say it’s a parachute.”
Siyeon's expression became gloomy.
“No one has eyes to see.”
How dare you treat Siyeon like a parachute, and not someone else.
“Yeah, that’s right. No one was paying attention. Actually, an article like that came out not long after. Were you a little happy at the time?”
Siyeon smiled brightly.
“How about some freezing magic?”
“How is it?”
“Did you grow up well while I was away?”
"aha."
Siyeon smiled brightly, emphasizing her presence.
“You’ve grown up well. What kind of person is my teacher?”
“What a person. He’s a terrible person who suddenly disappeared before I could even tell him anything properly.”
“I admit it. Seo-yool, you were really bad.”
Siyeon glares at me.
“Do you know how surprised I was when I suddenly heard that you chose the companion seal?”
He pokes my cheek.
The two eyes looking at me are filled with regret.
"sorry."
“If you’re sorry, don’t disappear on your own from now on. Got it?”
“It doesn’t disappear.”
“Okay then.”
Siyeon got up from her chair.
Then he did some light stretching and brought up a different topic.
“Seoyul, what have you been doing for the past year and a half to become so strong?”
He stares at me intently, carrying his luggage on his back.
“No, is it true that it was really sealed in the dimensional rift in the first place?”
"hmm······."
I was wondering why I didn't ask this question.
It finally came out.
Well, it's strange that you don't think that way when you see my changed strength.
Jia must have been about to ask too.
You must have been considerate of me.
“If it’s something difficult to talk about······.”
“To be honest, it’s not sealed.”
I could have said that I had been there in the past, but I decided to keep it a secret for now.
There's something bothering me, so I'm going to refrain from talking about my past to others until I resolve it.
“I see.”
“I don’t want to go into detail right now, but anyway, I flew to a place that wasn’t a dimensional rift. I became stronger there.”
I guess I can just say this much.
“A certain place······.”
Siyeon lowered her head and became lost in thought.
“By any chance. That place······.”
Siyeon's speech was vague.
A face that seems to be seriously contemplating whether or not to say this.
I feel nervous for no reason.
About 30 seconds passed like that.
“······No. Forget what I just said.”
Siyeon changed the subject.
“What, it’s bland.”
I feel so discouraged for no reason.
* * *
That night.
Left alone, I lay in bed lost in thought.
'First, the urgent fire has been put out.'
The urgent fire of the war between Savior and Korea was put out.
We're not on friendly terms yet, but I guess we can leave it alone for now since time will tell.
'As for Korea, I guess we can leave it to Jia now.'
Jia's influence was much stronger than I imagined.
'Korea's number one superman.'
'The successor and current president of Shinwha Group, which has become the best in Korea.'
'A righteous man who devotes himself to his country.'
'Skillful handling of affairs that is not appropriate for one's age.'
These are all Jia's modifiers.
'That's amazing.'
In Korea, where age is valued and young people are secretly looked down on, it is surprising that a 22-year-old has gained this much influence.
I can only exclaim in admiration.
Of course, Gia didn't do this alone.
'You said that Mr. Yuhwa and Mr. Maiden intentionally brought fame to Jia.'
Yuhwa and Maiden take care of the back-end work, and Jia takes care of the front-end work.
They say this was the master plan of the three.
Even now, they are actually going on secret missions to infiltrate China and gather information.
'It is also significant that the political and superhuman people who were interfering with Jia have lost their justification as they have abandoned Korea and fled.'
Here, the country used its fame as a backing to supplement its lack of strength.
It is no exaggeration to say that Korea is already in Zia's hands.
Jia will take care of all domestic affairs.
“By the way, it’s strange that Yuhwa and Maiden haven’t been in touch yet.”
Even if he had secretly infiltrated China, there was no way he would not have heard about the appearance of the high elves.
And if you heard about high elves, you would naturally think of me.
It would have been normal for him to have been surprised and contacted Gia.
“What happened?”
I wonder if something happened in China.
I'm worried for nothing.
“The same goes for children.”
If the child had heard about high elves, he would have naturally thought of me.
And yet there's been no contact.
It's strange in many ways.
“Ugh.”
If only the Dragon Tribe's stigmata would turn white again, I could summon the Golden Tiger and the White Tiger with the Guardian's Contract and find out what happened.
Unfortunately, it will take 4 more days until activation.
“Surely you can’t return to the present?”
It was when I was muttering like that.
“Meow.”
I heard a cat crying.
A fresh yet clear cry.
I quickly turned my head in that direction.
“Baeknyangi, you······?”
Beyond the window, the white fur of the white tiger shone brilliantly in the moonlight.
< Episode 239 What's Changed (3) > End
