Novel Full Chapter 1258. The Impact of Treatment (1)
Chapter 1258. The Impact of Treatment (1)
[The Blue Guild’s Mistake—The Republic’s Jin Young is the Young Hero Who Saved the Continent. A Calm Statement from Blue Guild’s Spokesperson, Smith. - Reporter Kim Sung-Kyeong of the Lindel Daily Report]
[The Republic states—“This was not the Blue Guild’s fault. It was merely an unfortunate accident... Our blood alliance with the Democratic Country remains entirely unaffected.” - Reporter Kang Yoomi of Lindel Political Desk]
[Pope Basel declares—“The Vatican will never stand by and watch the unfortunate actions of the demon summoners.” - The Vatican Daily]
[Terrorists Break into the Blue Guild’s Youth Center—"Why Didn’t the Guild See it Coming?" - Reporter Park Danji of the Opposition Daily Report]
[Jin Cheong of the Republic Declares War on the Terrorists - Reporter Kim Sung-Keyong of the Lindel Daily Report]
[The Republic in Mourning; Still Unable to Recover from the Loss of the Small Shadow... Concern Grows Over Commander Jin Cheong’s Disappearance Since That Day... - Republic Monthly]
[Small Shadow’s Funeral to Be Private, not State-Run as per Commander Jin Cheong’s Directive - Weekly Republic]
‘The press really blew it up big time.’
Even on the forums, people talked about the incident all day long.
— Spokesperson Smith has issued an official apology, and the Blue Guild has given access to the Republic’s special investigation team. They have agreed to cooperate in tracking down the tails of the Six Star terrorists.
— The decision to transfer custody of Professor Traore has sparked debate, with some raising concerns that the Blue Guild may have conceded too much to the Republic.
— Nonetheless, the Blue Guild, one of the three major guilds, dismissed such complaints, emphasizing that in the face of terrorism, the entire continent must unite as one.
‘It’s the same here, too.’
— The Blue Guild’s International Academy, officially known as the Blue Guild’s Youth Center, has decided to resume operations on the 13th. This decision demonstrates a firm resolve not to yield to the terrorists involved in the recent incident.
— With the protective barrier set up by Archmage Jung Ha-Yan and the commitment of renowned adventurers from various nations to personally oversee security, the issue concerning the problematic professor appointment has effectively been resolved.
‘It’s the same over there, too.’
— So what the hell has the Blue Guild been doing?! Look at the mess we’re in! There was a terrorist attack right in the heart of Lindel! In this day and age... such attacks are unacceptable!
— Are you seriously blaming the Blue Guild now?! Try blaming Lee Ki-Young, the Blue Guild’s sub guild master, if you dare! Think about who shaped this era before making such claims!
— Everyone, let’s take a moment to calm down... Let’s conclude this topic here and proceed to the next topic. Up next is Kim Yang from the Lindel Citizens’ Coalition...
‘It’s been a long time since things were this lively.’
— At 2:30 PM today, the Republic will enact a brand-new Personal Information Act. Under this law, officials will be able to access all personal data of their citizens. While some criticize it for infringing on privacy, most people don’t seem to mind it. Here’s a quick interview...
— We need to kill all those bastards!
— I want Mr. Jin Cheong to be happy even just once... This is so heartbreaking...
“...”
“...”
The atmosphere on the Republic’s side was the best.
— He exploded with rage and declared... he would wipe out the family line of those damned Six Stars bastards. The Republic’s leader expressed that he can no longer endure their insolence and pledged to deploy all national resources to bring them to justice, down to the very last one...
‘Honestly, Commander Jin hasn’t really lost anything.’
Naturally, the Blue Guild faced severe criticism from the press for their failure to manage the facility appropriately. It was an inevitable outcome. The fact that a professor appointed by the youth center had turned out to be a Six Stars villain alone was more than enough to warrant heavy criticism.
It could’ve been controlled if we really wanted to, but there was no particular reason to do so. In situations like this, letting things play out on their own was the right call.
‘That way, the guild members will get their act together.’
It seemed like Commander Jin felt somewhat wronged by the incident, but in the end, it was the Blue Guild who took the real hit. If anything, he ended up being the one receiving sympathy and support.
His approval ratings shot up just as expected.
He was probably pretty pleased with how things had turned out. The Republic government, which had been wanting stronger control, was able to use this incident as an excuse to push forward to implement more surveillance-heavy policies.
And the people, screaming for justice, were already tearing into the Six Stars scums.
It was, by all accounts, a success.
These days in the Republic, even flashing one letter from “Six Stars” was enough to get one dragged off by Public Security and mind-probed with mental-type spells. They were hunting people as if they were rats, and it seemed like there was no place left for them to hide.
They couldn't care less about things like human rights. If they found anyone suspicious, they’d take them in and interrogate them first. No excuses and no questions asked.
Even displaying symbols resembling a star could risk one getting detained by the members of the Public Security.
‘The atmosphere is nice.’
In the Democratic Country, such actions weren’t possible, and it made them all the more necessary. What was a bit surprising, though, was...
“There’s a lot more than I imagined.”
“Right?”
It had seeped into their everyday life more deeply than they realized. Of course, the continent was vast, and we couldn’t monitor every small village. With such a large landmass and population, monitoring every event in every location was logistically impossible. Still, even considering all of that...
“The statistics look relevant.”
I turned my chair and saw Miss Kim Mi-Young nodding. Now that things at the youth center had more or less wrapped up, she shed her Rina persona and returned to being herself.
‘Come to think of it...’
It had been a while since things wrapped up, but of course, I still wanted to hear her thoughts. Things kept shifting and changing, and somehow we ended up here, but the whole point of all this was to bring Miss Kim Mi-Young along for a vacation.
“Anyway...” I paused.
“...”
“How was it for you this time?” I asked.
“It was fun,” Kim Mi-Young answered without hesitation.
“Really?” I asked.
“Yes, I was a bit skeptical at first, but I think it turned out to be a pretty good vacation. I felt a sense of fulfillment and pride in my work.
"Living the same routine over and over was definitely tough, so it was a good change of pace... and thanks to it, I got to know Myung-Won better. There were sides of him I hadn’t seen before... things like that,” she answered.
“I’m glad you think so. There was no denying that things got a little messy,” I commented.
“I think it was an unavoidable situation. We never expected that the terrorists’ reach would extend even into the youth center,” she said.
“That’s true, but... how’s Myung-Won doing? Isn’t he having a hard time?” I asked.
“...”
“...”
“He seemed like he was handling it well,” she replied.
“Really? I was worried that he'll be a bit traumatized,” I said.
“If he were worried about that, I’m sure he'd tell you himself. No matter how you look at it, this place isn’t Earth, after all,” she said.
“...”
“It would be ideal if he could grow up safely in a safe place, but on this continent... especially living as an adventurer, danger is something you’re bound to experience at least once. If it happens in a controlled situation and in a safe way, then I’m actually the one who should be grateful for it,” Miss Kim Mi-Young added.
‘She’s tough.’
She was definitely like me.
“If Traore had carried out some plan while you were away... it wouldn’t have been a very pleasant situation,” Miss Kim Mi-Young added.
“You’re not wrong,” I said.
“In the end, he’ll come to understand why he’s studying. No matter what, the sorrow of losing Jin Young will be his driving force. And... most importantly, it seems his relationship with the children has also improved,” she informed me.
“Looks like they’re finally getting along,” I said.
“Yes. Yesterday, he was invited to the Hanest Family... so he’ll probably be staying there for a few days,” she said.
“Really?” I asked.
“Yes,” she answered.
Miss Kim Mi-Young looked really happy.
“It seems that the decisive factor was that the children went through the same sorrow and came to share the same goal,” she added.
“...”
“I also talked to Senator Hanest about Myung-Won,” she informed me.
“Ahh...”
“I remembered what you told me... that’s it’s okay to be a little pushy. Of course, I didn’t pressure Senator Hanest or anything like that, and he’s not someone who would be swayed like that, nor am I in a position to do so.
"I simply told him, as a fellow parent, that I wanted to maintain a good relationship moving forward. That seemed unrelated to this invitation, however...” she explained.
“You did well. He’s actually pretty clever... so I’m sure he’ll handle things on his own. I think he’s likely to support Felis and Myung-Won... His family’s pretty conservative, so they don’t usually host guests overnight. If they’re letting him stay for several days, then that says a lot,” I told her.
For some reason, I decided to look at the Hanest Family Estate through the Telescope, and I caught sight of Felis and Kim Myung-Won having tea. Unlike Felis Hanest, who was wearing an elegant suit, Kim Myung-Won was dressed rather simply.
— Hmph. Consider yourself lucky. That’s a tea you’ll never get to see in your lifetime. It’s the Saint of Revival and Sacrifice’s favorite...
— Four-colored Herb Tea?
— ...Your eye for things is pretty good, especially for a failing student.
— My mother drinks it often as well...
— Wh-What? Hmph. In that case, today I’ll treat you to dishes so exquisite that someone as poor as you can't even dream of looking at them.
‘Honestly, I don’t know if it's a good move to let him get friendly with Felis Hanest.’
— You don’t need to...
— I’m going to stuff a feast down that cheap mouth of yours. You got all the dining manners memorized?
‘He’s got some serious attitude problem.’
— Somewhat...
— Idiot. That isn’t something you can learn just by skimming over it. The higher you try to climb, the more essential those manners become. Every position requires the proper attitude. Imagine yourself alongside the Honorary Archbishop at an important event. Do you think wolfing down your food like that will do you any favors?
— Do you think the Honorary Archbishop cares about things like that?
— That’s nonsense. If you saw his table manners, you’d never say that.
— ...
— Anyway, our tea time snack is the famous rainbow cotton candy from Lindel. It’s not expensive, but it’s hard to get because of the limited quantity they produce everyday. Do you think you can handle this sweetness?
‘I think you picked the wrong friend.’
Still, seeing them bickering like that all the time did look enjoyable. And that sudden dive into magic training was interesting as well.
— The Griffon of Sunset is most efficient when used by two people. I’ve finally realized that fact. The reason I called you here is to teach you my original spell, the Griffon of Sunset. You’ll take Whitefall, and I’ll take Blackburn. And I’ll also show you a few spellbooks our family owns.
— Are you allowed to do that?
— We share the same enemy. It’s not something important, so there’s nothing I can’t teach you. I’ve also got permission from my father, so don’t worry...
— The same enemy...
— That’s right. The Six Stars bastard...
— ...
— Surviving is a disgrace. I don’t like that Jin Young became a hero of the continent. Of course, I’m not denying that he left behind a great legacy. But... if only he had been here with us...
— ...
— ...
‘Yeah, that’s right. You heal each other’s wounds and move forward together.’
Felis Hanest’s clenched fists were trembling, and he looked like he'd burst into tears at any moment. Kim Myung-Won also looked gloomy.
Having seen both of them at Jin Young’s funeral, I couldn’t help but think they were doing their best to cope as best as they could.
— Anyway, it’s training. I hope you’re ready.
— Of course.
— Don’t slow me down, loser.
— I can say the same thing to you, Felis Hanest.
‘It’s such a shonen manga-style ending.’
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t the end. For those kids, this was just the beginning. Like Miss Kim Mi-Young said, they would go through a lot from here on—challenges, trials, and growing pains. The incident would serve as a spark for their growth, and eventually, they’d move on from the safety of the adults.
Where they would end up was all up to them.
As the sunset-colored griffon soared across the sky, I looked through the Telescope once again. Miss Kim Mi-Young noticed the slight curve of my lips and smiled as she asked, “Is he doing well?”
“Yes, I don’t think you need to worry. I do have a few doubts about whether he chose the right friend...” I replied.
“I don’t think he’s a bad child,” she said.
“Yes, he’s just a bit unusual, that’s all. Anyway, that’s enough about the kids...” I paused.
“...”
“Anything else out of the ordinary?” I asked.
“Yes. I think you need to take a look at Celia. Most of the traces that we found were located in Celia, and there was apparently an unreported anomaly as well. Miss Kasugano Yuno has personally asked for you to take a look at it,” Miss Kim Mi-Young answered.
“Ah, I think I understand what you’re saying,” I said.
‘I also need to visit Commander Jin’s performance evaluation at some point.’
“This is regarding another meeting. I canceled all unimportant appointments, as Miss Oscar wants you to lead the meeting,” she reported.
“I thought I wasn’t attending official meetings for the time being,” I reminded her.
“She asked if you could lead the meeting through the communication channel,” she said.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen Lady Aris.’
“Also...” she paused.
“Yes?”
“The guild master sent a gift and a letter,” she said.
“Hyun-Sung did?” I asked.
“Yes.”
‘I really should visit him at the hospital sometime soon.’
Everything was an important matter.
“I’ll take a look at the letter first. You can leave the gift in the bag display case,” I instructed her.
“Sir,” Miss Kim Mi-Young said.
“Yes?”
“He didn’t send a bag,” Miss Kim Mi-Young explained.
“...”
“...”
“Really?” I asked.
“Yes.”
I couldn’t help but think that the treatment was effective.