Chapter 135

We went through two rounds of vetting in one day.
My first stop was immigration in the Federal Canton of Lucerne. At the checkpoint, I was asked to provide various documents. My passport was the main one, and if I was a laborer, I had to provide income documents.
“Ugh. That’s pretty unusual.”
Chelsea grumbled that she was afraid to go through the checkpoint. She thought she’d just have to swipe her passport and be done with it, but the process was more of a hassle than she expected.
“Not a disaster. Though strict.”
“Really? Kilikia doesn’t need anything, does she?”
“That’s a Kilikia thing.”
There are too many refugees in Polaris. Many countries have been overrun by refugees. In order for the country to run smoothly, it needs a filter.
Rather, Kilikia and Bastitera, where Kim has been traveling, are not typical. Not to mention lawless Banzar, or even Atlanta, where the borders were closed to the outside world.
“And the real judging is next.”
“Uh-oh. There’s more?”
“Once in Geneva.”
After entering the country, I boarded the train.
“It’ll take about six hours.”
“That was quicker than I thought.”
“Because it’s not a big chunk of land.”
As soon as he took his seat, Asterique started chewing on the jug he had bought at the station. Chelsea, on the other hand, stretched out in a slump. Bryce’s mouth watered at the contrast.
“If you’re tired, keep your eyes open now.”
“Is that okay? I’m here as a bodyguard.”
“Close protection is the job of the security forces. They owe us.”
The trip to Lucerne was attended by the chief of police.
You’ve been proven innocent, but your reputation has been tarnished by scandal. Upon his release, he needed a public accomplishment that would be widely recognized, rather than an internal stabbing.
With their motivation, there wasn’t much for Dustborn to do.
There are only four of them, including Bryce. It’s more of a special forces operation to deal with emergencies.
Unsurprisingly, the Kilikian side of the council was composed entirely of members of the Paneros faction. This was for practical gains, rather than the vague purpose of discussing the state of the continent, as the Shiran Empire had suggested.
As you can see, it was very political from the inside.
“Hyun, this is good. Do you want to try it?”
“What is it?”
“Ah- try it. Ah-”
“…….”
The train raced along the rails, passing through several small and medium-sized cities.
Lucerne was a colorful country throughout. Rivers and mountain ranges. Flower gardens and fields. The harmony between modern infrastructure and nature was impressive.
In such a Lucerne, Geneva was certainly an alien city.
A circular wall encircling the city. The place itself seems to have been isolated from the world. The checkpoints at the entrances are all white, completely cutting off the green and yellow landscape.
As she rummaged through her memory, Kim felt a small twinge of nervousness.
Second screening. If you slip up here, you could be labeled an international terrorist.
The screening took place in a cramped room. A room reminiscent of a confessional. Kim was greeted as he entered.
“Hello.”
“Yes. Good afternoon.”
“You’re very personable.”
“You were greeted, so I gave it back.”
“There are a lot of people in the world who don’t even do that. I think that’s pretty amazing.”
Kim didn’t bother to answer. He didn’t even want to respond, and the voice continued.
“Please have a seat.”
A wooden chair was placed in the center of the room. I sat down as instructed, and a cubicle was in front of me. Across from me sat the examiner, but I couldn’t see his face.
The horizontal curtains blocked her view. The only part of Kim’s face she could see was her lips and half of her upper body.
“I’m going to ask you a few questions now, and I’d like you to answer them first with a yes or no, and then add any intuitive explanations.”
“Yes. Got it.”
The lightly pigmented lips were once again parted.
“Do you understand the common language I’m speaking?”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Are you sure your real name is Kim Yi Hyun to understand what I’m saying?”
“Yes, that’s my real name.”
“Are you the Kim of the Dustborn Corporation who accompanied me as a bodyguard to the Kilikian Parliament?”
“Yes. Exactly.”
The examiner’s questions were never “rambling”.
A neutral voice and loose-fitting clothing. The neck is wrapped in a cloth so that the collar is not visible. The ambiguity of your attire is entirely up to the examiner.
The Inquisitor of Geneva is an unusual spellcaster. They can tell the truth from the lies of what someone is saying. This is convenient, but it comes with two conditions.
One. It must be a one-on-one conversation.
Two. You have an informational advantage.
“Well, that’s a little tricky.
There’s no denying it’s an unconventional ability. If the Inquisitor is old or sick, you’ll have to take a different approach. He has a ridiculous criminal apprehension rate that is mentioned in-game.
Little else is publicly available, so the “informational advantage” condition is met even against Kim, who has knowledge of the game. Luckily for Kim, this was the case.
The questions kept coming.
“Do you have a weapon that could harm a person?”
“No, I turned them all in because they’re not allowed.”
Geneva even prohibits bodyguards from carrying weapons. In the unlikely event of a terrorist attack, the city has a full-time terrorism response team.
It’s a sign of absolute confidence. That no matter what comes up, they can handle it.
Of course, it’s not just weapons that are cracking down.
“Do you possess a spell that could harm a person?”
“Yes, but I’m not planning on using it in Geneva.”
“Do you intend to cause trouble in Geneva, which includes physical and verbal assaults on others and any damage to buildings and objects.”
“I will stick to the business of Dustborne Corporation.”
“Please answer yes or no first. Is part of Dustborn Corporation’s business to cause trouble in Geneva?”
Cub. Tenacious.
“Not at all, it’s all Dustborne Corporation’s job to work together to make sure the talks go well, to protect our client, the Kilikian Council.”
“Yes.”
The barrage of questions finally stopped.
The examiner, who had been silent as if going over the questions in his head, lifted the corner of his mouth. His face was less than half hidden, but for some reason, he smiled. To Kim, it seemed like a very businesslike smile.
“Welcome to Geneva. Please have a good time.”
Kim sighed inwardly.
“I didn’t lie.
Like I said, I’m going to stick to my day job.
‘To bring the talks to a successful conclusion’.
The “normal wrap-up” is a bit personalized.
Because working together to normalize is part of the job.
* * *
Lucerne International Exchange Center (LIEC).
The International Congress Center is the heart of Geneva. It is the place where many historic treaties were signed, and in modern times it has become the pride of the citizens and the raison d’être of the city.
The grounds of the center were vast and lavish.
Dozens of building wings arranged in a circle, with a central plenary hall as the anchor. There were no natural features of the city. The floors were all tiled, as if outside was inside.
Kilikia Council and security personnel were stationed in Building 4.
The number of consents per se was meaningless, as all the consent facilities were equal. But if you’re asking if it was perfectly balanced, it wasn’t.
The key was “neighborhood.
“The Xuran Empire is nine wings.”
Shiran is considered the most powerful nation in the modern era. Its neighbors, such as Kadilak, were assigned to nations with sufficient power. It’s too much of a coincidence to be a coincidence.
“It’s almost the opposite of this one.”
“Hmmm. I’m not happy about it, but I suppose it’s not a big deal. Kilikia is not a great nation, to say the least.”
Even during the Kilikian Confederacy, it was not a major power.
The mere fact that we were invited is an acknowledgment of the incredible progress Kilikia has made.
“That’s kind of neat.
Episode 13 was off to a rocky start. Kilikia, who would normally have been the Legion’s bogeyman, is now in the game. There’s also a huge twist that goes beyond Kilikia.
Kim looked out the window at the building to his left.
Building 3. This was the quarters of the Bastitera. There were a few Pecatum knights and agents of the Celbrox Labs around to see if they had arrived earlier.
“This is the complete opposite.
Bastitera was being treated worse than a city-state. This was the beginning of the real discrimination. Some countries might not even know why Bastiterra was participating.
“Hey, boss. What are you going to do, show your face?”
“No, no. The council would have a problem with us getting involved with the Bastitera.”
“Don’t you know everyone you need to know anyway? Last time I checked, you’ve become quite famous.”
“That’s a friendship we made, it has nothing to do with Congress.”
I don’t want to add to the hassle by getting off on the wrong foot.
Because we have a problem to deal with in this episode.
“We’ll have a chance to meet naturally, we’ll be here for more than ten days.”
“That’s right, too.”
Today is July 25th.
With five days to go until the summit, most of the people on the invite list have already arrived. This is to get the groundwork done before the summit begins.
The Lucerne team was also very generous with their invitation.
“There will be a three-day socializing party starting on the 27th. Naturally, we’ll be mobilized for security. If it bothers you, just hang in there for a few days. We’ll have an international embarrassment on our hands if we mess around here. You understand?”
No answer. Kim Yi Hyun glanced at the gold teeth.
“I know, I don’t know. Asterique, Chelsea.”
“You’re talking to us, aren’t you, Mr. Asterike, the one with the most outbursts?”
“Huh? Well, what. Mmm.”
I feel a little betrayed by Asterike, who doesn’t deny it. I look at Bryce, and he shrugs his shoulders in disbelief. Kim’s face flushed.
In fact, I can’t even think of a rebuttal.
It’s just a lame excuse.
“…but you’re careful not to catch the tail.”
This is the most important part.
* * *
Late at night, in the parlor of the main building, Building 9.
The Emperor welcomed an old friend who had come to visit unexpectedly. His hair was neatly tied back. Cool, piercing eyes that spoke of great intellect. He was not surprised to see a face without a single wrinkle.
“You’re still giving me the dirty look, Heinz.”
“Don’t you know who I am here as?”
“Kushan from Celbrox Labs, because I can’t seem to get it out of my mouth.”
Tsk. The tongue-lashing was blatant.
“Haha. You’re a curiosity, too. Aside from Markus, you’re the one of us who’s changed the most, but somehow your personality is still the same as I remember it. It’s not easy, at least for me.”
“Spare me the nonsense.”
“We’re not asking how each other is doing.”
“I’m not going to tell you what my life is like, and I’m not going to hear about yours.”
“It’s chilly.”
It was not rude or unpleasant. Heinz, no, Kushan, was not a man to whom the Emperor owed courtesy. He may have been in the past, but not now.
“What are you here to talk about?”
His eyes sparkled in the warm light, curiosity shining through. But Kushan was not so quick to trust the emperor’s emotions. He knew the boredom in those gazes all too well.
In the midst of his boredom, the emperor refused to hang himself. What was once a vague dream became a concrete goal, a lifelong desire, and now the only reason to continue living.
The emperor lives and breathes solely on obsession.
“What is this meeting for?”
“The agenda has been announced. It is to discuss the state of affairs on a continent in turmoil.”
“For 44 years, the continent was always in turmoil.”
But why now?
Kushan asked, and the emperor gave him an answer.
“A catastrophe is a catastrophe. No mere mortal can fight it, so discussion is futile.”
Kushan’s mouth twists. He knows the nature of the disaster. The Emperor knows, too. As a fellow sinner, he could hardly tolerate such a cavalier attitude.
The cold fury was funny to the emperor.
“But this is an obvious talent. He can be dealt with, and he’ll have to be dealt with. It’s a chance to make up for a long absence, and I’m sure you’re happy for it.”
“You’re just paying lip service.”
“Whatever you hear is true. Markus has become a threat to the continent, leading his fanatical hordes to tear it apart. I cannot stand by and watch as the defender of my country and its people.”
Kushan clicked his tongue once more. It seemed he would not get the answer he wanted. The emperor’s cause was just, after all, and his appeal was not lacking in merit.
But they probably don’t mean it.
The Emperor was aware of the Legion’s existence. He knew and ignored them. In fact, to this day, Xuran has not had a single conflict with the Legion.
Why are they targeting Legion now? Is it because they think it’s weak and can be easily defeated? Is it to steal Legion’s technology, and if so, why involve other countries?
What’s in it for the emperor.
‘……I don’t know.’
Kushan forced his deeply dormant thoughts to surface. He glared into the Emperor’s face. Clearly smiling, but with an unnatural expression, as if wearing someone else’s skin.
Dysphoria and self-loathing set in.
“Excuse the late hour.”
“Are we going already?”
“Should I review my expense plan?”
“You’re struggling.”
Kushan turned his back. He stretched out his legs.
“Oh, right.”
A muffled voice reached my ears.
“How is the child growing?”
Your steps have stopped.
He stops and shakes his head.
Turning to face Kushan once more, the Emperor smiled wryly.
“Don’t look at me like that. In the broadest sense, it’s my child, too. It’s Markus’ child, it’s the Professor’s child, and there are countless others who had a hand in its birth-”
“Let me warn you.”
Sounds like a beast growling.
“If you so much as utter a word or glance at Leila, you’d better be prepared. I will turn your beloved palace to dust.”
“You love your children too much.”
“Anyone would.”
The conversation was over. As if there was nothing more to discuss, Kushan left the parlor, his footsteps steady for such a furious man, and the way he opened and closed the door calm.
That imbalance has questioned the emperor at every turn.
No love, no remorse, it’s all an act.
“I guess I don’t count.”
“Haha. Still haven’t made up with Chapter?”
“You have to have had an argument to not make Chapter.”
Heinrich, who had always stood like a shadow of the Emperor, grumbled. People were like cogs, sometimes mismatched. No matter how much time passed.
The Emperor looked at the spot where his old friend had left. The faint scent of disinfectant lingered. And the remnants of intense emotion.
He closed his eyes and basked in the afterglow.