“Alright, so again. Do you have anything to say to me?”
“……I’m sorry.”
As the brainwashing wore off, Government Wen—no, there’s no need to call her that anymore—Hwang Dahye was now able to think completely normally. It was just that she had been completely entranced by Zhao.
Even though the brainwashing had been lifted, I still worried if someone who stood with the government would so easily switch to Silo…
“That, those… damn bastards!!!”
Once she confirmed that the government had been playing with her about her fiancé, she immediately expressed hatred towards them. Good for Parang.
“Alright then. Let’s talk again. First, what was the reason for bringing me in to torture me?”
“Of course, it was an order from above. They said a B-rank hunter would be sent over, so torture them to switch sides to the world government, and if that didn’t work, just kill them.”
To the side, the special lie detector in Silo was running. Ding, truth.
Parang jumped right into the question he most wanted to ask.
“Why torture in particular? There are countless ways to persuade someone. Your superior, Zhao, could have stepped in right away, couldn’t they?”
“They said that ordinary persuasion wouldn’t work on Yu Parang, given their resolve to avoid being submerged. And Zhao is extremely unwilling to step in when there is even one danger present. They have a profound aversion to having anyone around who isn’t on their side.”
So, the truth. The description of Zhao matched what Parang knew from the original work.
Wait, so you decided to conclude “It’s likely they won’t be persuaded, so let’s torture them” without even trying persuasion?
Are they insane?
Torturing someone to break their mind and switch sides has a higher success rate than regular persuasion, sure… but that’s a plan that could be executed after trying some ordinary persuasion first.
“Didn’t you say you had orders to execute me after torture at the time?”
“More precisely, it was execution if you didn’t cooperate after torture.”
That’s just absurd.
“Why was that task assigned to you then? Even going as far as brainwashing?”
“I don’t know why, but I can guess. They probably thought my abilities had synergy with Yu Parang.”
“Do you remember anything from when you were brainwashed?”
“Yes, very vividly. At first, I refused the order to torture the B-rank hunter from Zhao, saying when did our Special Operations Division become a department for torture? I was prepared for punishment.”
“Wasn’t that your department?”
“Of course. Our main job is combat. Against Silo, and against the association.”
True enough, that sounds more fitting for a Special Operations Division.
“Couldn’t you have just assigned that to a department that specializes in torture? Why did you have to do that?”
“As far as I know, the world government doesn’t have such a department.”
“Doesn’t have one??”
“Yes. Given that such orders came to us, that seems almost certain.”
Now that’s unexpected. The lie detector was still confirming the truth.
“Wait, why?”
“It’s the policy of the second president, Cloverfield. Torture is prohibited.”
Did they really set such a policy?
That detail hadn’t even come up in the original work. If there was such a policy, then it makes sense that there wouldn’t be a torture department.
The former president from the Slayers organization decreeing “Don’t torture,” how could they then just say, “Hey, we’re going to torture now.”?
“So what happened after you defied the order?”
“As soon as I defied it, Zhao showed me a video. It was a recorded video of Yu Parang’s hunter killing my fiancé. The moment I saw that, without a shred of doubt, I began to hate you madly. I wanted to torture and kill you for real.”
At this point, it seems brainwashing took place. That video probably didn’t even exist.
To sum up, the truth behind the world government’s attempt to torture Yu Parang is this:
The world government failed to kill Yu Parang. Feeling a need to do something about her, they decided to switch her sides or kill her.
However, thinking that they couldn’t persuade her with typical methods, they switched to torture.
Now, since there was no one to torture, they brainwashed a high-ranking official to take on the task. That’s the story.
‘Are these idiots for real?’
Do they have no concept of testing the waters?
Of course, if some mediocre crime organization or mafia set up such a plan, it might make sense. I could even commend them for being somewhat clever.
But government?
For a governing body ruling the world, this is way too reckless, radical, and extreme.
The Slayers personnel, when in charge, were exceptionally competent.
The superhuman administrative and political skills displayed by the world government back then were truly impressive.
A group aiming to unify and rule the world appeared, and it was so appealing that a supporting force arose saying, “As long as it’s livable, who cares?”
Parang also felt greatly relieved the moment President Kang Yuri of the first world government took office.
But now, this situation seems like something one can only attribute to being mesmerized.
Parang decided to ask Hwang Dahye about this part.
“So, what was Zhao’s behavior like when you were being brainwashed? Did they show any signs of irrationality or unusual behavior?”
“Ah, yes. Someone who wasn’t like that before suddenly began to show emotional, fiery aspects that were suspicious for several days. They used to be incredibly cold and meticulous.”
Zhao was portrayed as an intelligent character in the original work. Cleverly brainwashing people, skillfully using them, and always evading Han Siwoo’s party’s tracking nets.
Seeing that person now showing emotional and fiery characteristics is a highly unnatural phenomenon.
“Were there any other suspicious points? Did they start doing anything they wouldn’t normally do?”
“Ah, suddenly developed an attachment to ‘the sea and water.’ They brought in an aquarium to the office that they would usually ignore, and later, every time I entered, there were more and more paintings related to the sea or water. Combined with emotional behavior, it made them seem really crazy. They even suggested making an aquarium in the office all of a sudden or were throwing water down the hallway while shouting.”
“!!!”
Exclamation mark!
A high-ranking official of the world government showing an unusual attachment to the sea.
“When did that start?”
“About… a week ago.”
Parang then questioned a Silo member who had been listening from outside.
“Is there anyone in the world government who could brainwash Zhao?”
“No. As far as we understand, there isn’t.”
So it’s certain. Zhao is either enchanted by something in the sea, or influenced by someone else enchanted by that something.
Since they were keeping their sanity while turning emotional and fixating on the sea, the likelihood leans heavily toward the latter.
If the current world government president, Yoo Sungjun, is fine, such nonsense wouldn’t have happened, so he’s either the primary instigator or at least a victim.
This means the very top of the world government isn’t all there.
Then Hwang Dahye and Zhao can be viewed as individuals who are like severed tails.
So, just now, Parang has confirmed that the world government has been enchanted by something.
Then it makes sense why they’ve been acting irrationally.
“……Understood. I have said everything I needed to say here.”
“Um, Yu Parang Hunter. I’m really sorry.”
Well, they were enchanted too, and they also refused at first, so there seems to be no need to be mad at Hwang Dahye here.
“……It’s fine.”
“……I’m watching your broadcast. This is genuine.”
“Ah, thank you.”
As Parang opened the door and left the room, another Silo person took over the spot. It seemed they were asking about the world government’s organization chart, the members, their abilities, and so on.
Well, that could all be gathered later by Silo and sent to Parang.
As Parang exited the room, a familiar face appeared.
“Nice to see you again.”
“Ah, hello.”
It was that man she met in Hong Kong. It seems the words about him being a high-ranking individual were not false, as the people around him bowed and greeted him whenever they made eye contact.
“From your expression, it seems you were satisfied with the information you received.”
“Yes. Quite satisfied.”
A brief conversation passed between them.
“……Yoo Sungjun. It’s been too long since I’ve seen that guy.”
“Do you know him personally?”
“Well, not personally, but I’ve had quite a few opportunities to meet him in official settings.”
A figure from Silo who frequently meets the president of the world government officially.
He was much higher up than Parang had thought.
“Do you know anything about him?”
“Oh, I know a lot. However, I don’t have any information that would interest Yu Parang Hunter. Things like personal skills, the list of skills he possesses, and his actions after the ascent of Slayers, for example.”
“Hmm…”
“What’s certain is, if he’s in a normal state, he wouldn’t do something so ridiculous. The position of president of the world government can’t just be held by brute strength. I’ve considered the possibility that he might have been enchanted by something… but now that such decisive evidence has come out, I also feel a bit strange.”
“I see.”
Of course. If someone at the level of president of the world government took action, he should be strategically capable, more so than Parang.
That such a stupid plan would be carried out with a clear mind is hard to believe.
“Yoo Sungjun went silent the day after the ascension of Slayers. The world keeps rolling and functioning, probably due to the time it takes for the upper echelons’ insanity to trickle down.”
It seemed Parang had gathered all the information she could for now.
The top brass of the world government was enchanted by something. What that was exactly, she didn’t know.
And those who were enchanted were emotional, radical, and obsessively attached to the sea.
That should be considered excellent information. Parang decided to return home for now.
Arriving home, it was 11 PM.
This wrapped up the eventful day of August 4th.
Rolling around among organizations that controlled the world, it was quite the death experience.
But having gotten through this big hurdle.
Tomorrow will be an apology broadcast followed by an interview with a reporter.
As Parang lay in her tank intending to drop off to sleep…
Thunk.
Something dropped at her feet.
‘Ah, this.’
It was the USB that Seo Sunwoo had handed over during their last meeting.
<It’s impossible to coerce Natsuko. Yu Parang Hunter. Moreover, the moment she realizes what is in the sea, the situation will begin to spiral into the worst.>
He had given this USB as evidence.
Parang got up from her attempt to sleep and sat in front of her computer.
She thought to check this out before sleeping.
And moments later.
Parang, looking at the countless documents that popped up on her computer screen, found herself mumbling without realizing it.
“……What a crazy woman……”
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