“What, what is it?”
“I do have the mission to promote Mr. Kim Deok-Sung’s achievements, but I can’t perform my duties properly due to a lack of materials.”
Is that really what failing to perform your duties looks like?
Hearing that with such a serious face makes my head spin.
Is this what true madness feels like?
A different kind of dizziness hits me compared to the typical light novel reactions.
[Pa, partner… Sorry, I’m just gonna bail.]
Even the Black Prince is so fed up he’s trying to run away from Han Seo-Jin’s tone.
One step.
Han Seo-Jin steps closer and looks at me with fiery eyes.
“If it’s alright, may I assist you from the side while collecting materials? I want to let more people know about Mr. Kim Deok-Sung’s greatness. That alone is my one and only wish and mission. May I have your permission?”
“Uh… well, that is…”
My head is spinning.
Should I refuse?
I can’t do that.
Han Seo-Jin, no, Korea, is my top sponsor.
To maintain a good relationship with Korea, it’s beneficial to promote myself as much as she says.
‘If it’s just a bit embarrassing, it’s a gain, not a loss.’
Besides, even though Han Seo-Jin pledges absolute loyalty to me, I can’t completely ignore my relationship with her.
She’s a character not found in the original work.
So, I don’t know her personality or past.
Thus, it’s better to listen to her as much as possible within limits that cause me no harm, for the sake of maintaining our relationship.
Refusing won’t make her listen to me anyway.
It might actually be better to officially give her permission.
“Sure…”
“Thank you for your permission, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung. I will dedicate my body and heart to serve you faithfully from now on.”
Han Seo-Jin bows her head.
So, is everything settled now?
I feel like I’ve aged ten years for some reason.
I stagger over and sit at the table on the terrace.
Clink.
Han Seo-Jin follows me like a shadow and places a glass of cola on the table.
I take a sip of the cola from the ice-filled cup.
As the refreshing carbonation slides down my throat, I finally snap back to reality.
I feel alive.
“How was your meeting with Rin today?”
Han Seo-Jin’s question rings in my ears.
“Meeting with Rin? Why do you care…?”
“Managing Mr. Kim Deok-Sung’s friendships is a part of my responsibilities.”
Han Seo-Jin replies, as serious as ever.
“So, are you my manager now…?”
I say it without thinking.
But surprisingly, it hits close to the truth about her essence.
She’s essentially a personal secretary assigned to take care of my affairs.
In fact, it’s also Han Seo-Jin who manages royalties from national pride YouTube content and various Kim Deok-Sung merchandise.
Since she is my manager, I have no retort.
“Well, I guess you are kind of like that. Nothing special happened. Don’t worry about it. If something unusual comes up, I’ll let you know.”
Looks like I’m treated like some kind of idol back in Korea.
It seems I’m being treated like an idol.
I was just an average otaku, and now in this world, I’m an idol?!
What the heck is this? Ridiculous.
“······Understood.”
Han Seo-Jin nods with a serious expression.
Her expressionless face still makes it hard to guess what she’s thinking.
I figured there’s no point trying to guess Han Seo-Jin’s thoughts since it just gives me a headache.
After all, she’s not someone who would do anything harmful to me.
I keep sipping my cola.
Ah, nothing beats a cola after work, I think to myself when suddenly—
Vroom.
My phone, which I had placed on the table, starts ringing.
‘Who could it be?’
I turn on the phone.
There it is.
[Master (*≧∀≦*)]
[You haven’t forgotten the wish promise with Eri-ring, right? ヽ(✿ﾟ▽ﾟ)ノ]
[Eri-ring wants to go out with you (๑ơ ₃ ơ)ﻌﻌﻌ♥]
[Just the two of us! (✧∀✧)/]
[Master! You will grant Eri-ring’s wish, right? ♡＾▽＾♡]
A message from Nishizawa arrives, packed with emoticons.
[Wow, partner. You’re quite the popular guy.]
I can hear the annoying voice of Raul Napoleon Bonaparte.
[Partner, you’re not planning to break a promise with a girl, are you?]
‘No way.’
Normally, the fifth volume’s episode should be taking place right now, but thanks to me preempting Durandal, the entire story focusing on the Durandal competition has been thrown out the window.
Since it’s a rare break, I see no reason not to accommodate a small request.
I’m not particularly fond of Nishizawa, but I did make a promise back then, so I have to keep it.
‘I can’t believe I’ve agreed to such a damned promise again.’
[Partner, are you pretending to dislike it while actually enjoying it?]
‘What nonsense is that? Shut up.’
I retort against Raul while sending a reply to Nishizawa.
[I’ll do it, but let’s talk more when we meet later.]
[Got it!! As expected, Eri-ring’s master is the best! ♡(*´∀｀*)人(*´∀｀*)♡]
Clonk.
I close my phone after Nishizawa’s message.
First Nishizawa, then I’m meeting with her tomorrow.
A bad feeling arises that tomorrow will be yet another day without a calm breeze.
Kim Deok-Sung Harem Plan Report
Shuo Hero Academy Dormitory.
Servants’ accommodation. Han Seo-Jin’s room.
The room is plastered with Kim Deok-Sung posters and merchandise.
A gray-haired beauty, Han Seo-Jin, dressed in a black suit and stockings, sits hugging a Kim Deok-Sung cushion tightly, typing away on the keyboard.
‘Thank goodness I got permission to closely cover Kim Deok-Sung.’
I can spread the word of his greatness more widely.
Her heart swells with excitement at that thought.
Her cheeks tint a slight red.
‘But I can’t just settle for this.’
Promoting his achievements and handling trivial errands.
Anyone from the National Intelligence Service could do that.
I cannot be satisfied with just that.
For a perfect support, I must take another step forward and act proactively.
Tap tap tap.
Han Seo-Jin types on the keyboard.
The document title appears prominently on the word processor on her computer monitor.
[Kim Deok-Sung Harem Plan Report]
Han Seo-Jin’s eyes blaze with seriousness.
Tip tap tap. Tip tap.
She quickly moves her hands, writing the contents of the report.
“Currently, the women expressing interest in Kim Deok-Sung are Olivia Napoleon Bonaparte, Shinozaki Rin, Nishizawa Eri, Hoshino Kasumi, Kamiya Makoto, Saionji Aris, and Yoshizaki Seira, totaling seven…”
The information about Kim Deok-Sung’s relationships, acquired through the National Intelligence Service’s network, flows through Han Seo-Jin’s mind.
“Out of these, definitely aware of their feelings are Olivia, Rin, Eri, Kasumi, and Makoto—five in total. Aris and Seira are still on hold…”
Tap tap tap.
Han Seo-Jin enters the relevant information.
“If all seven of these women marry Kim Deok-Sung and receive Korean nationality, the national hero force of Korea would instantly multiply several times…”
“The hero force of Korea is instantly multiplied several times…”
Han Seo-Jin’s eyes sharpen.
Korea’s marriage system is monogamous, but it’s not a problem to establish a special law allowing Kim Deok-Sung to have multiple wives just for him.
South Korea is a weak nation with only one hero, Kim Deok-Sung.
No matter how much national pride is promoted, the essence does not change.
If things continue this way, Kim Deok-Sung must bear the entire responsibility for South Korea’s security.
‘How painful must it be for him? How burdensome must it feel?’
Han Seo-Jin couldn’t let it be that way.
Although Kim Deok-Sung is truly heroic, he is still just one human being.
There’s no way he can withstand the pressure of carrying the security of a nation.
Someone has to share his burden.
But Han Seo-Jin is a hunter. She can’t stand alongside him at the same level as a hero.
That’s why she focused on the girls around Kim Deok-Sung.
If she could use those who love Kim Deok-Sung to establish a harem…
It would alleviate his burden of having to shoulder Korea alone, the love of the girls for him, and the position of Korea as a weak hero nation.
Everything could be resolved.
A world where everyone is happy can be created.
Han Seo-Jin believed that.
“Domestic public opinion is absolutely in favor of Mr. Kim Deok-Sung… The more harem members, the better.”
From the president to chaebols, K-Pop stars, sports stars, middle-class citizens, and the common people—there isn’t a single person in South Korea who doesn’t idolize Kim Deok-Sung.
It would be entirely possible to incite public opinion for a polygamy system with just a little nudging.
Along with that, actual benefits in increasing hero power would follow.
A weak hero nation like South Korea can’t afford to reject the opportunity to escape its status just because of the principle of monogamy.
Moreover, just like the term “hero brothel,” Kim Deok-Sung must secretly desire a harem.
Otherwise, there’s no way he, who is well aware of the girls’ feelings, would keep a strange distance without establishing clear relations with anyone.
Han Seo-Jin thought just that.
“Leave it to me, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung. I will definitely create it—your harem. A future where the motherland, the girls, and you are all happy together…!”
In Han Seo-Jin’s mind, an image of Kim Deok-Sung and harem members holding a joint wedding ceremony at a 7-star hotel in Seoul surfaced.
Beside him was her own image in a white wedding dress.
“Wha, what…?”
Han Seo-Jin shook her head.
Her face flushed red.
Thump, thump.
Han Seo-Jin’s heart raced wildly.
“I am nothing more than your loyal shadow. It is unthinkable for someone like me to stand equally beside you.”
Han Seo-Jin suppressed the pounding of her heart.
To her, Kim Deok-Sung is the perfect and ideal man, a hero.
So, falling for him was only natural.
In reality, Han Seo-Jin loved Kim Deok-Sung.
She could devote herself, or even die, for him if needed.
The question of when she fell for him was foolish to her.
It would be odd for a woman not to fall for someone of his caliber.
In that sense, Kim Deok-Sung’s harem was just a natural occurrence for Han Seo-Jin.
It was a loss for all humanity if such a perfect man were to be bound by the tradition of monogamy, monopolized by a single woman.
The harem plan she devised was merely a minor formality to officialize the harem.
Desire glinted in Han Seo-Jin’s eyes.
“Mr. Kim Deok-Sung…”
In Han Seo-Jin’s feelings, ‘love’ was only a small part.
Her love as a woman, her loyalty as a subordinate, her reverence as a devotee, her awe as a citizen, her support as a National Intelligence Service agent, her longing as a fan…
All her emotions, her body and soul, her life and existence were solely for him.
That’s why Han Seo-Jin knew.
Han Seo-Jin knew.
The fact that she, merely a hunter and not a hero, would never be chosen for his harem.
‘But I don’t mind.’
It’s okay not to be part of his harem.
Even being a mere enjoy partner is fine.
As long as she can fulfill his wishes, she couldn’t care less about her own fate.
Han Seo-Jin shook her head, scattering her fantasy of wearing a wedding dress.
She bit her lip.
“······I will dedicate my body and heart to fulfill your Harem Plan. My beloved Mr. Kim Deok-Sung.”
The reflection of the monitor screen glimmered in Han Seo-Jin’s eyes.
*
The following Monday after her meeting with Rin.
After school
I was meeting with Nishizawa due to a damn wish.
The summer campus.
Surrounded by trees where the cicadas’ sounds were getting louder, I sat at a picnic table with Nishizawa.
“Hehe. It’s been a while since it was just me and my Master. Eri-ring is super happy.”
Still wearing her red dog collar, Nishizawa placed her rosy cheeks in her hands like a flower display.
My name engraved on the collar sparkled under the summer sun.
It felt even more embarrassing up close.
If I had known, I wouldn’t have put that collar on back then.
I should have just taken the dogeza instead.
Regret surged within me.
[Partner. That girl Eri, how long are you going to keep the dog collar on her?]
‘What do you want me to do if she won’t take it off even if I tell her to?’
[You have quite the taste. I’m worried about my lovely sister. If you pull that kind of stuff with her, I’ll kill you, you know?]
‘Who do you think is the pervert here?’
[Wasn’t it you?]
The Black Prince shamelessly retorted.
Continuing this conversation wouldn’t yield anything but losses.
I ignored him and looked at Nishizawa.
What on earth was making her smile so brightly while blushing?
“Master. Here! These are cookies baked by Eri-ring herself!”
Rustle.
She placed a paper bag on the picnic table.
Pulling out a cookie from the bag, she held it up to my mouth.
“Here, ahh. I’ll feed you, Master!”
“I’ll eat it myself, so quit fooling around.”
I snatched the chocolate chip cookie from her hand and popped it into my mouth.
Crisp.
The cookie crumbled inside my mouth.
True to the setting of being the best cook among the heroines, her cookie was tastier than most bakery cookies.
And that just made me more annoyed.
“Hehe. Got it, Master.”
Nishizawa’s shoulders drooped in disappointment as she chewed the cookie she made.
“It’s delicious.”
“Really? So, you do like Eri-ring’s love-filled cooking? There’s no one else besides you and Mom who gets home-cooked meals from me! Hehe.”
Nishizawa sparkled her eyes and beamed.
[Partner. What should I say about that girl? She seems a bit parched for your affection, doesn’t she? Poor thing, why not pay her a little attention?]
The Black Prince’s words echoed in my head.
Interest? What kind of interest?
‘Just thinking about what she did to me still sends chills down my spine, so what kind of interest are you talking about? Stop talking nonsense.’
[Hey, Partner. Such an ultra-top world rank beautiful girl is craving for your affection, and why are you so disinterested? Is it because of her chest?]
Her chest?
Rin talks about chests every single day, and now the Black Prince wants to talk about it too?
I’m going crazy.
‘Shut up.’
[Right? It’s about the chest. You, Partner, did you perhaps make my sister your exclusive maid… ?]
In this crazy light novel world, both men and women seem to possess an unwanted delusional passive skill, and it’s a problem.
I sighed.
“What’s wrong, Master? Is something the matter? Eri-ring will listen to your worries, just tell me.”
Nishizawa said with a smile.
“Nothing’s wrong.”
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