“Phew.”
A sigh of relief, for now.
Even before firing, I had already decided to deal with the aftermath later. I gave Illinois the order to fire.
A target roughly 5,000 km away.
And after firing, I realized—
It worked.
After wiping out all the monsters, another thought crossed my mind.
Thank goodness.
“Commander. So? Any regrets?”
“No way. I’ve already fired, so there’s no point in regretting it. If anything, I think it was the right decision.”
I lightly sipped my coffee while watching the footage of the bombardment on Illinois’ bridge display.
“If we hadn’t fired, the nearest Hunters wouldn’t have arrived for at least 10 minutes. And in those 10 minutes, those monsters would have crawled out of the Tower and slaughtered the civilians nearby.”
“You’re more of a hero than a Hunter now.”
“Hero, huh? It’s a bit of a cringeworthy title, but anyone with this power would have done the same.”
Having the power meant taking on at least a minimal sense of responsibility.
When people see a child fall onto train tracks, most scream or panic, exclaiming, “What do we do?”
That reaction comes from two conflicting emotions.
One is the desire to save the child.
The other is the self-awareness that trying to do so might get them killed by the train.
But what if, during that moment of self-awareness, another thought emerges?
— I can do it. If it’s me!
Anyone with the ability to save the child before the train hits would move without hesitation.
That’s why I fired.
By my own will.
“If anything, I should be disappointed. The Tower is still intact.”
Currently, near the breached A-rank Tower, a group of Hunters was engaged in combat with the monsters.
They weren’t as strong as the vanguard monsters, but they were just the right level to handle those creatures. They were putting up a good fight against the giant monsters while evacuating civilians.
“What do you think, Commander? Should we send a few more support bombardments?”
“Judging by the battlefield, it doesn’t seem necessary. Let’s not overdo it. We should conserve mana, and Illinois needs time to recover its energy.”
To be honest, it wasn’t like Illinois was completely drained of mana. But after clearing a dungeon and launching a magic bombardment equivalent to an ICBM, if Illinois remained perfectly operational, people would start expecting more.
They would keep asking for more.
“Hm? Wait a second.”
Beep-Beep-Beep-Beep.
“Yes, Mr. President.”
[My friend. I have a question for you.]
“What is it?”
[You don’t happen to have nuclear missiles, do you?]
“…”
A sudden phone call was one thing, but the content of the conversation made me chuckle.
“I don’t have nuclear missiles.”
[No nuclear missiles?]
“Yes.”
[Are you sure?]
“Of course.”
Even if Illinois had fired a precision magic bombardment at a Tower thousands of kilometers away, it didn’t carry something as brutal as a nuclear missile.
Not yet.
[Understood. Get some rest.]
“Oh, do you need one?”
[…]
“I’m joking, I’m joking. An American joke.”
[Ha… Haha. But when you say it, it almost sounds real.]
“Even without an actual nuclear missile, we have plenty of tactical nukes in a different sense. There’s no need to drop a literal one.”
[…That’s…]
“Since we’ve cleared an S-rank Tower, I believe it’s time to discuss the rewards, Mr. President.”
I sent a message to President Luigi, addressing someone in particular.
“I request legal action against those p*dophiles who drugged and harmed children. We’ve cleared an S-rank Tower—surely it’s reasonable to at least ask for justice against criminals?”
* * *
[About an Hour Later, U.S. Congress – A Quiet Room]
A room with no electronic devices.
Not even the glow of a CCTV camera.
A storage-like space with no anti-eavesdropping devices, where about ten people sat around a table.
“No matter how helpful the Master was in clearing an S-rank Tower, an explanation is still required for this incident.”
A bald man spoke.
A badge on his suit marked him as a U.S. senator, and the others wore similar insignias.
“Oregon to Pennsylvania. That’s practically from the West Coast to the East, isn’t it? We can’t view the footage here since electronic devices are prohibited, but I assume you’ve all already seen it.”
“You mean the footage of the battleship docked in Crater Lake National Park firing its main guns at an A-rank Tower in Pennsylvania, completely eradicating the monsters inside?”
“Yes. Tell me, do you think this situation makes any sense?”
“Well, what can we do? It already happened.”
Indeed, it was an event that had already transpired, and they had gathered to figure out how to handle it.
“What should we do?”
“What else? Just accept it as a good thing.”
“That’s an awfully simple way to put it…”
“If it’s within U.S. territory, and the range is about 5,000 km—”
“Damn it, yet another person here has had their brain customized for the Master. Because of him, we’ve had to change all our standard measurement units to something new.”
One of the senators threw up both hands in frustration over the mention of kilometers.
But after a few deep sighs, he changed his expression and tapped the table to draw everyone’s attention.
“Let’s have a serious discussion. President Luigi has two years left in his term. After that, it’s the presidential election.”
“…”
“Who’s going to run against President Luigi? Someone has to step up as a candidate.”
No one immediately responded to the senator’s words.
“Just by bringing the Master to the U.S., President Luigi’s approval rating has hit 70%. And now that people know he has the power to prevent Towers from breaking and releasing monsters, what do you think will happen?”
“The administration will stay in power. It already has.”
“Exactly. That’s why we’re gathered in this secluded room, ensuring there’s no chance of eavesdropping—even hacking.”
“How about putting a media personality up as a candidate? Someone who’s interested in the presidency.”
“What? That real estate guy? No way. He’s already spouting insane nonsense about using our aid to Panama as an excuse to impose exorbitant transit fees on other ships passing through. If he becomes president, what do you think he’ll do next?”
“Well, who else would run? You?”
“…”
Silence weighed heavily in the secluded room.
Normally, they would be shouting their arguments, veins bulging in their necks.
But after witnessing Illinois’ overwhelming firepower and the fact that President Luigi had successfully brought someone like him to America, they had no words.
“We should just give up. It’s foolish to charge into a typhoon. The best move is to hunker down at home and wait.”
“For how long?”
“Who knows? Until the day Master walks a path that opposes this country’s?”
“…Do you think that day will come?”
“We should hope so. One day, resentment will build up until it explodes against him. Or maybe, someone who can replace Master will emerge. When that happens, the White House will truly turn white again.”
“…This is insane.”
The senators covered their faces with their hands.
“We have to hold our breath and whisper just to say what we really think, in a place where even radios can’t get a signal?”
“There’s no other choice. Everyone’s on a leash, held tight by the government agents Luigi sent. Honestly, we’re lucky the worst crimes committed by the people in this room are just hiring fraud and tax evasion…”
“…”
“There is one good method.”
“What is it?”
“The oldest trick in history—honey trap.”
One of the senators pulled a yellow envelope from his bag, taking out a printed document.
“Master is still a man. He won’t refuse a beautiful woman, especially if he already has two in his life.”
“Th-this is…?”
“Alright, gentlemen. From now on, our task is…”
Gulp.
“We must select a ‘mobile gacha character’ that embodies the most American image, aligns with our political ideals, and matches Master’s taste. Then, we’ll make her a member of our party.”
* * *
[At the Same Time, South Korea – NPia Corporation President’s Office]
“Wow, look at that guy getting hauled off to prison.”
The president of NPia clicked his tongue as he watched the breaking news. The broadcast showed a politician in handcuffs being taken away.
“Drugs… Ugh. I’d heard the rumors, but I never thought they were true.”
“President, you didn’t do anything like that, did you?”
“What?”
“I’m just asking preemptively for risk management purposes.”
The vice president eyed him suspiciously, but the president scoffed and shook his head vehemently.
“The only mistake I ever made in my life was one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Getting married.”
“Ah.”
“Other than that, I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“You’re still married, though.”
“What I mean is—I should’ve married one year earlier! Anyway, I never did anything illegal, so I wouldn’t end up like that guy.”
The NPia president spread his arms confidently.
“If I had done anything even remotely like that, would Master have summoned Elaine—ahem, I mean, a maid?”
“You can just say it comfortably now. Everyone thinks of Elaine as Master’s right-hand Hunter these days.”
“That’s… a bit disappointing.”
The president let out a wry smile and picked up his mug.
“But in a way, it’s also a relief. My daughter isn’t working under some random shady guy—she’s standing beside someone who’s genuinely working to restore the world… and bring peace.”
Slurp.
“Hey, is the modeling team on break right now?”
“Yes, their vacation ends tomorrow.”
“As soon as they’re back, I want to start a project with them. I’ll personally oversee development.”
“Huh? What kind of project…?”
“Simple.”
The NPia president pulled out two pre-prepared photos.
“We’re making and releasing a new skin.”
“…”
They were internet fanart.
2D illustrations of Elaine, but in outfits other than her usual maid uniform.
“At the very least, we’ll start with a hanbok. As for the American side… hmm.”
“…Maybe a cowgirl outfit?”
“Shouldn’t we be more focused on creating the next gacha character to target Master? The entire country is scrambling to develop gacha games now.”
“We’ll just keep doing what we do best.”
Slurp.
“The game itself has to be fun first. Do you know why Elaine was the first one summoned?”
“Why?”
“Because our game is a god-tier game.”
Slurp.
“If we don’t want to get overtaken by soulless, mass-produced cash-grab gacha games trying to get Master’s attention, we just have to use our current profits to make an even better game. Sincerity always wins.”
“…President.”
“Of course, that’s only possible because of the money we made thanks to Master! Hahahaha!”
“…Sigh.”
The vice president let out a long sigh.
“If we’re making a skin, should we turn it into a main story-level event? Something beyond just hanbok or American-themed outfits?”
