Episode 133 – War of Belief (3)
“This, this place…”
“A fantasy that no one can enter. Here, I want to have a serious talk with you.”
Looking at the horrified Lee Jong-pil in this flipped world, Rene quietly began to speak, her smile gone. This was a realm of illusion based on her memories.
Lee Jong-pil and Lee Soo-chan were left speechless at the sight of the mansion, which was engulfed in flames with screams and chaos echoing around them.
“We’ve met before, haven’t we?”
“Gah…”
They were at a loss for words at Rene’s statement. As she said, they had indeed met before. Back then, she tried to interrogate them using a somewhat special method, but her attempt was thwarted by an intrusion from the Special Task Force guarding them.
“You definitely didn’t act unilaterally. You were nothing but pawns. You must have evidence linking you to it.”
“What the hell is the reason behind all this?”
“…Do you see why everything around has become like this?”
Rene, faintly smiling at the furious Lee Jong-pil, pointed towards the surroundings. The two flinched and cautiously glanced around.
It was a grand and beautiful mansion, reminiscent of a palace from past Europe, but now it was a scene of catastrophe.
“This tragedy stemmed from a misguided power. It’s true that stopping at nothing for victory is a fundamental aspect of competition. However, if that competition is for the emperor’s throne that is supposed to lead countless citizens, or for a politician who should represent the people, the story changes.”
“W-what nonsense are you spouting…”
“Whether in competition or war, slandering, defaming! Whatever you do!!! Have you forgotten the essence of it?”
Lee Jong-pil, who was about to get riled up from Rene’s outburst, was instantly silenced. She wasn’t using magic, yet a seasoned politician like him felt completely overwhelmed.
“Are you really politicians? Are you leaders who represent and guide the people?”
Rene pointed her finger at them, her face twisted with disgust. She reflected on the corrupted politicians who had lost their essence to desire and greed, projecting her image of the emperor of the empire.
“What kind of struggle has your fight been? What about your desires? What has your competition been for all this time? Think for yourself. Consider what that faith you wanted to realize truly is.”
“What the hell is she talking about…”
Flustered, Lee Jong-pil unconsciously began to reflect on Rene’s words. He was definitely a politician. However, the desires he harbored were different. He couldn’t care less if this country fell apart. After all, his grandchildren were all foreign nationals with black hair from the United States.
He didn’t care what happened to the people. The life and death of the citizens had nothing to do with him, the upper class.
For him, politics was merely a means to an end.
A way to fulfill his subconscious elitism and desires, manipulating inconvenient truths just to reign.
‘Why…why am I…’
Lee Jong-pil’s eyes wavered. Looking into Rene’s piercing blue eyes, he couldn’t help but recall the facts he had been dodging from himself.
“There’s not a shred of responsibility, duty, or belief as a politician in you… Can you really call yourself a politician? Do I need to treat you as one, like I would another politician? You’re nothing but a low-life.”
“Shut up! The people elected me! My son even got elected three times in his district! I am a politician! Ignoring me is ignoring the people who voted for me, you bitch!”
“Sorry, but the democratic notion you cling to means nothing to me.”
Instinctively sensing a crisis, he shouted in desperation. But as he watched Rene silently shake her head, his face turned pale.
“And when people come to know your true nature as a low-life, will they still trust you? You managed to hide it well, but it’s all going to be meaningless now.”
“What… Gah!”
Rene swung her staff towards them. Instantly, chains sprang forth, binding them completely.
“I’ll treat low-lifes like low-lifes. If you want to suffer less in your old age, you better figure something out.”
“Where do you get off talking like that…”
“Graaaah!”
Despite her apathetic words, Lee Jong-pil was left aghast as he saw Rene, now wielding a gleaming lightning axe, cut off one arm of his son, Lee Soo-chan, without hesitation.
“You’ll get only three…No, four chances now.”
Amidst his son’s mad screaming, Lee Jong-pil froze as Rene’s axe pointed at his remaining arm, legs, and neck.
*
“Are you really okay? I mean, you know… that girl, Rene, has a history.”
“…I’m fine. Now that we’re in the illusion, she’ll probably show them an illusion too. Of course, they won’t be able to tell what’s real and what’s not.”
As Rene disappeared with Lee Jong-pil and his son into the realm of illusion, Aria was busy managing the scene along with the police.
They were attempting to apprehend the unidentified awakens who had been subdued.
“It’s dangerous!”
But at that moment, sensing something, Aria instinctively leaped. Just after, the bodies of the fallen assailants exploded in unison.
“Are you okay?”
“Uh, um. Thanks…”
Having shielded the nearest police officer with her body, Aria burned the splattered blood and entrails surrounding her with magic.
The young police officer, who suddenly found himself cradled in her arms, cleared his throat and rose. Nobody was injured, but it wasn’t good that they couldn’t prevent the attackers’ self-destruction.
“What kind of scumbags are these?”
Aria furrowed her brow, guessing at their identities. She had more than enough suspicions but couldn’t prove them.
“It’s definitely the work of The One Road. Their methods are the same as what they did to Takilas.”
Just then, someone approached her with a heavy sigh. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of the man dressed in a tattered Special Task Force suit.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Team Leader Park Soo-hyun… currently a disgraced member of the Special Task Force. Aria, I’ve heard a lot about you.”
A bittersweet smile appeared on Park Soo-hyun’s face as he extended his hand first. Aria grabbed his hand.
At that moment, Park Soo-hyun’s eyes shone. He had always admired magical girls and saw them as something remarkable, which is why he volunteered for the Special Task Force hoping to become like them.
Moreover, having been threatened with footage of her fighting against the experiment subjects of The One Road, he was in awe of the determination and will she had displayed as a person.
“What’s this One Road business about?”
“Their headquarters isn’t in Korea, that’s for sure. They can conduct awaken enhancement research anywhere. Their skills are not things you pick up in a day or two.”
He was confident that The One Road was behind everything, and that there were nations deeply involved with the organization. It was a reasonably logical inference. Aria was thinking along similar lines too.
“Those bastards, aren’t they scared? It was just a few days after their Korean branch was wiped out by Takilas.”
Park Soo-hyun bit his lip as he spat that out. Aria flinched at the mention of the familiar name.
“It just doesn’t make sense. Do they really think they can stop Takilas?”
“…They probably have some kind of confidence.”
Aria shook her head at Park Soo-hyun’s lament. She prided herself on knowing Takilas well. She had already guessed the tendencies and ultimate desires of Takilas.
“As long as things don’t escalate further, Takilas probably won’t interfere with foreign issues.”
“Wh-why not?”
“Instead, what they want is for us to solve the problem. To get stronger to the point where they don’t need to step in.”
She made an accurate judgment. Takilas was an entity that couldn’t be moved by any force. The only things that could move Takilas were their own beliefs and whims.
But there were lines that existed within those beliefs. Even if many people didn’t know that they should enjoy their vacations, most were aware that Takilas disliked being a nuisance.
“So even if the enemies rampage outside, as long as there are no problems domestically or around them, they won’t budge. The enemies know that too.”
“I can’t believe it… What the… no, really, that sounds just like her. I should be glad it’s safe domestically at least.”
Knowing that Takilas could be a considerable threat, Park Soo-hyun laughed hollowly while hanging his head. Clearly, their power was as catastrophic as natural disasters, but they were a presence that couldn’t be controlled by human intent.
“But I can’t help feeling disappointed. There are times when I wish Takilas would go on a rampage, but it wouldn’t be easy. Where else would you find such a weirdo?”
As he quietly mumbled that, looking at the soon-to-be-finished cleanup, he lost himself in thought.
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