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Chapter 211: Sword Demon (1)
Sword Demon took the phone.
"Seo Jinchul. It's Sword Demon."
—I know, coward. What do you want?
A stiff voice came from the receiver. It was as if he was staring at something repulsive.
"...I know. I was a bit of a mess when I was young. But isn't it a bit much to ignore my calls?"
—Hmph. Think about the things you've done. You gave false interviews, took only the advantageous parts of recordings, and incited public opinion.
Nakazawa's face reddened.
It was a long time ago.
When Sword Saint was active in Korea.
Japan was also greatly stimulated.
They needed a rival.
So they put the young swordsman, Nakazawa, forward. Nakazawa was indeed a great swordsman.
His misfortune was that he lived in the same era as Sword Saint.
The difference in their skills was clear, and Japan and Nakazawa, who couldn't stand being buried like this, joined hands and played all sorts of tricks. They gave false interviews, extracted phone recordings, and used various other means.
Through this, they created the image that Sword Demon was Sword Saint's rival, at least in Japan.
—And yet, you always avoided sparring, even though you were dying to. Are you even a swordsman? And if you have any shame, wouldn't it be normal to contact me?
Nakazawa's face flushed.
At least in front of Sword Saint, he had done such pathetic things that he couldn't even argue when called a coward.
So he had nothing to say in rebuttal.
He quickly changed the subject.
"...It's about Kim Minwoo. There will be a lot of problems in this situation."
—So?
"I can help him. No, I intend to help him with all my might. You can think of it as atonement, or an old man's whim."
—What do you want?
"Let's fight."
—...Fight? You, the coward?
A rather surprised voice came from the receiver.
"Yes. Before I get any older, before I completely lose my skills... I want to have a proper match with you, even if it's just once."
He was praised as Sword Demon.
He had built a strong image of himself as a swordsman who was not inferior to Korea's Sword Saint.
When he was young, he was satisfied with that.
Even if it was a false reputation, being compared to Sword Saint was definitely an advantage.
But now...
—You've gotten old, Nakazawa.
"Yes, I have. So old that I want to be proud of myself, even if it's just once before I die..."
Nakazawa replied with a bitter smile. He wanted to be honest now.
No, he wanted to fight Sword Saint, even if it was just once before he died.
—Is that all you want?
"Yes, that's all. But whether you accept it or not, I will do my best to help this young man. Don't worry about that."
—Do as you wish. Then you will get what you want.
Nakazawa's face brightened rapidly. When he called, he was worried that Sword Saint would refuse the duel.
As expected...
The key point was to win over Kim Minwoo. The moment he said he would help him, Sword Saint's tone changed.
"...Okay, I understand. Ahem. Well, take care. Just in case, I'm telling you, don't die of old age. I'll be there soon."
—Anytime. Now put Minwoo on the phone.
"Okay."
Kim Minwoo, who was a little further away, took the call.
"Yes, sir. It's me."
—I saw your hunting video too. Sword Demon is right. The Japanese won't stay still.
"That's right. That's why I was a bit tempted."
—Yes. Don't refuse the help he offers. At least in Japan, Sword Demon's name will carry weight.
"Are you sure, sir? If you're doing this because of me..."
—No. I also wanted to teach that guy a lesson before I die. You have no idea how annoying he was. I don't know if you would know...
He knew.
He knew it very well.
It was impossible not to know the story of Sword Saint and Sword Demon.
It was a famous anecdote even within the game. However, in the original game story, Sword Saint and Sword Demon never fought, but now things were flowing differently. From the atmosphere, it seemed like they would have a showdown soon.
Anyway.
"Thank you, sir."
—Yes, you must be busy, so I'll hang up first.
The call ended.
He made eye contact with Nakazawa.
Sword Demon, who was looking at him with a satisfied and relieved expression, said,
"Keep the rewards. I'll take care of the rest."
Soon after, his figure disappeared.
No, to be precise, he started running at a tremendous speed.
Towards the Katana guild master, who was running towards them with a grumpy look on his face.
* * *
"Sir!"
Kentaro, the guild master of Katana.
He greeted the Sword Demon with a surprised look on his face. There was also admiration mixed in.
He had heard that the Sword Demon was still far away just before they departed.
'He's here first?'
He clicked his tongue inwardly.
He might be an old man, but his skills, worthy of the Hall of Fame, hadn't gone anywhere.
"This is a big problem, sir."
"Yes, it is. He solved our problem in Japan."
"Yes? No, let's go first, sir. We need to stop him quickly..."
"Stop him? Are you trying to stop him from getting the reward?"
"...Yes?"
"Don't do anything foolish and withdraw all the kids. The Hokkaido incident is resolved. What's the use of letting healthy manpower go to waste?"
"...Yes?"
"Kim Minwoo is a benefactor who has greatly helped our Japan. If you're trying to say nonsense like hindering him..."
Sword Demon's eyes flashed coldly.
He had already reached for the sword at his waist.
He said warningly.
"Tell the government. Tell them that I, Sword Demon, will not stand idly by."
Kentaro gulped.
Even though he hadn't drawn his sword, the sharp aura that could cut flesh had completely enveloped the surroundings.
'Crazy old man...'
Had he gone senile?
The problem was that the senile old man's skills were beyond imagination.
He may have been the eternal second place and Sword Saint's rival, but in other words, he was once considered the second-best swordsman in the world.
Even though he had retired, his skills were not something Kentaro could handle.
"S-Sir..."
"There's only one thing you can do now. Go to the government, explain the situation, and tell them not to interfere with Kim Minwoo. Understand?"
Kentaro's face crumpled like he had eaten poop. His mind was now filled with questions about Sword Demon's sudden change in attitude.
It seemed like something big had happened.
* * *
"Damn it! Damn it!"
Prime Minister's Office of Japan.
Prime Minister Masato, who had been listening to the situation inside, burst out in frustration.
Kim Minwoo had solved the situation.
And what was worse was that he had even taken the reward.
The Fire Spirit King.
It was a monster that had been strengthened much more than usual. It was sure to give a great reward. And this wasn't just a matter of taking the reward. The fact that he took it meant something.
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It meant that the Japanese government had acquiesced to this situation!
Acquiescence, in other words, meant approval.
In other words, the current situation was no different from Japan acknowledging Kim Minwoo's achievements.
—We couldn't solve it even after a week and Hokkaido being destroyed. But Kim Minwoo, a competent foreigner from a neighboring country, solved it in an instant,hah.
It was no different from saying this to the citizens!
"Why! Why did that old Sword Demon step in and make things like this!"
"Th-That..."
"What were the previous prime ministers doing! They couldn't even tell a traitor from a loyal citizen, and they raised that crazy old man? Does this make any sense!"
Prime Minister Masato wailed.
It was frustrating and unfair.
This couldn't be the end.
He couldn't do anything about the fact that the monster was caught in such a short time.
But at least he had to hold on to the reward issue.
It was unreasonable to put him in jail for illegal activities after broadcasting it all over the place.
Japan had a minimum standard.
But at the very least, there was room for negotiation.
Give him the reward, and in return, he could say something nice about the Japanese government. They had to try to get out of the frame of being incompetent.
Thanks to Sword Demon, everything had gone up in smoke.
"Why did that old Sword Demon do that! Why did he change his attitude overnight! I heard he was quiet when the support came!"
"Th-That's right. He clearly said he would cooperate with the top guilds to solve the Spirit King problem."
"But why did he suddenly change his mind! Don't you have any idea?"
"...Since this happened after Kim Minwoo came, it must be because of Kim Minwoo."
"Why? Are Kim Minwoo and Sword Demon close? I heard they didn't even know each other?"
"...That's right. But Kim Minwoo is closely connected to Sword Saint."
"...So?"
"On the other hand, our government has always ignored Sword Demon's requests. The sparring requests, that is."
"Are you crazy! You're saying that's why he's doing this?"
Prime Minister Masato asked in shock.
Recently, for whatever reason, Sword Demon had been making unofficial requests to the government, saying he wanted to fight Sword Saint.
Of course, they ignored him.
The reason was simple.
They might be called fated rivals, but it was obvious that the Sword Demon would lose.
It was a fact that the high-ranking officials of the government were all secretly aware of.
After all, it was the government that raised the Sword Demon as a rival to the Sword Saint.
Then, the whole of Japan, which had built its image as a rival, would be humiliated.
So they were trying to stop it as much as possible.
They even put subtle pressure on the Korean government to refuse the duel.
"...Maybe that's why. No matter how much he listened to our government's requests, it would be difficult to get what he wanted. He might be thinking that."
"So that's why he's messing things up now?"
"...If not, I can't think of anything else. And Sword Demon is not a traitor. He's an Awakened who has dedicated himself to our Japan. You must be careful what you say."
"...I know! Sigh. I was just angry for a moment, it was a slip of the tongue."
At the aide's advice, Prime Minister Masato sighed and nodded.
"...Okay. I understand. Then what do you think we should do? If this continues, my position will be in danger. We need to put out the fire."
"There's no other choice. We have to negotiate with Kim Minwoo..."
"...Damn it."
Just then.
The phone rang.
It was the Prime Minister's personal phone.
The caller was Sword Demon.
He stared at it for a while, then answered after about five rings.
"Is this Sword Demon?"
—Ah, hello? Is this the Prime Minister? This is Kim Minwoo.
"...Why are you..."
—As you know, the situation has become a bit complicated. The knots are meant to be untied.
"...What are you talking about untying? Everything is already tangled."
—Is that so? Then I'll hang up.
"No, wait! My friend. Why are you so impatient? Aren't we Japanese famous for beating around the bush?"
A chuckle was heard from the other end of the line.
Grit.
The Prime Minister bit his lip.
Still, he was the one who needed something, so there was nothing he could do.
"What do you want?"
—I heard from Sword Demon that you refused his duel request? He was very disappointed. As you know, Sword Demon is a great patriot. So he couldn't openly disobey the government's orders... He was very troubled.
"...So?"
—Sword Demon vs. Sword Saint. It's a hot topic, at least in Korea and Japan. If we can turn public opinion around with this, it might give the government some breathing room.
"...You want me to give you an official match? Like a national competition?"
—Exactly. If you do that, I'll put in a good word for the Japanese government.
"What kind of word?"
—Well... There was actually a request for support behind the scenes. They wanted to resolve the issue as soon as possible, but the top guilds dragged their feet. So, with tears in his eyes, the Prime Minister requested support from a Korean Awakened...
"Wait, what? Are you telling me to turn all the Awakened into enemies? Are you asking me to drink from a poisoned chalice?"
—Do you have any other way to solve the Prime Minister's crisis? If this continues, it'll be the story of a 'geommeoweo' coming in and solving everything in one go.
[TL/N: Geommeoweo is a korean slang]
The Prime Minister tapped his forehead.
He felt like his head was splitting.
—If that's difficult, there is another way.
"What is it?"
—We can blame it on the Katana guild master. We can say he made a wrong decision while in command, or that he stalled for time. There are plenty of good reasons like that.
"...Did you have a grudge against Kentaro or something?"
—He had a grumpy look on his face. I thought he would be annoying if we left him alone. So how about we make him a traitor?
"Hmm..."
The Prime Minister's ears perked up.
If it was the sole decision of the 'Katana guild master' who held command, rather than the entire top guild, wouldn't there be no need to turn all the Japanese Awakened into enemies?
And come to think of it.
It was definitely a fact that Kentaro had a grumpy look on his face.
"That's... attractive. I didn't like that guy either."
—Right? He looked like he'd be good at abusing his power. We can just make up a case.
At those words, a smile appeared on the Prime Minister's lips.
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