The place I was to meet the ruling party leader, Yun Seonghak, was the Japanese restaurant in the department store I had visited before.
He had suggested we meet at an expensive high-class restaurant, but I chose this place.
When I arrived at the Japanese restaurant, no one else was in sight.
They had rented out the entire restaurant again.
Men in suits stood guard in front of the restaurant entrance.
They blocked me from entering.
“We will hold on to your backpack. And before you go inside, we need to search you.”
At the guard’s words, I nodded.
It was a meaningless search.
The spear slung on my back was invisible anyway, and the box inside the backpack would not open for anyone but me.
On top of that, they could not find the things I had hidden with magic.
After their eyes swept over my protruding chest, they let me inside.
Inside the Japanese restaurant, National Assemblyman Lee Junho was waiting for me.
There was no one else.
I had arrived on time, but the other party had not come yet.
Unlike yesterday, Assemblyman Lee looked extremely tired.
When he saw me, he held out his hand.
“The chairman has a packed schedule, so he will be a little late.”
At his words, spoken as if it were only natural, I tilted my head.
“Late? You were the ones who set the time.”
“……”
At my words, the assemblyman withdrew his hand with an awkward expression.
“Perhaps because you’re a soldier, you aren’t very careful with your words. I would ask that you be more cautious in front of Chairman Yun.”
He said it as if something terrible would happen if I was not careful.
Instead of smiling at that, I corrected the part he had wrong.
“I’m not a soldier. I’m a civilian.”
His eyebrow twitched, and he spat out a single remark.
“And a Korean as well.”
I gave him a faint smile.
“Well……”
“……”
Assemblyman Lee’s expression hardened.
After that, we waited in silence for Chairman Yun to arrive.
About an hour passed like that.
After a commotion sounded from outside, an old man with sharp features entered with his aides.
Though I had heard he was in his mid-seventies, the old man looked to be in his sixties. He was Yun Seonghak, the ruling party leader.
“I didn’t expect we would meet in a place like this. Good to see you. I am Yun Seonghak.”
He sat across from me and introduced himself.
“Hyeon Myeonghan.”
He looked me up and down.
“You look even younger than I expected. Is that why? I didn’t expect you to ask to meet in a place like this. There are very few people who try to change the location when they meet with me.”
[His way of speaking is amusing. It’s similar to how the elders of the Magic Tower talk.]
Soph might have found it amusing, but I did not.
Coming in an hour late and then making an assessment like that.
The old man was even more exactly like the rumors than I had expected.
Still, his words carried a strength that did not suit his age.
Whether to call it charisma or spirit.
That feeling radiated from him.
As expected, he was an old man worthy of his name.
Since I had something to say to him as well, I told him honestly why I had chosen this place.
“I had business at the department store. As you know, I don’t have much time on Earth.”
At my words, the old man looked at me with a strange gaze.
“……Well, I was the one who asked to meet, so I suppose I should understand.”
I did not know what he was supposed to understand, but I nodded at his words.
The old man said to Assemblyman Lee,
“Have them bring out the food. We’ll talk while we eat.”
Assemblyman Lee gestured to an aide standing by the entrance, and the aide went out to order the food.
The dishes came out quickly.
This time, too, the food was delicious.
“It’s not to my taste, but the food isn’t bad.”
The old man seemed satisfied as well.
After sampling the food to some extent, the old man set down his chopsticks.
He looked at me with an intrigued expression.
“Then, what should we talk about first?”
Once again, it was the sort of remark that sounded as though he were being considerate to someone beneath him.
The way he spoke was incredibly natural.
Probably because he had lived his entire life that way.
In any case, since he had told me to speak first, I began with the easy matter.
“Let’s talk about yesterday first. Is the schoolgirl all right?”
Perhaps it was not what he had expected, because the old man frowned.
“……You know about yesterday?”
I pointed to Assemblyman Lee sitting beside me.
“I heard him making a phone call. I got the details from the American side.”
The old man did not even turn his head, but Assemblyman Lee’s expression hardened.
The old man said,
“If you already know, I suppose I can tell you the situation. That girl is resting somewhere safe. There are a few things we need to ask her, so it will take a bit more time before she can go home.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
I already knew she would be locked up somewhere.
In any case, it was only something I had brought up to start the conversation.
At my words, the old man tilted his head slightly.
It seemed something was not going according to his expectations.
“Did you find the black stone?”
“You knew about that too. We did not find it. I suspect the Americans took it. Have you heard anything?”
Both of them looked at me with expectant expressions.
I shook my head.
There was no way I had heard anything.
The American side knew less than these two did.
“I haven’t heard anything, but……”
I stopped speaking and slipped my hand into my chest.
From an inner pocket the guards had missed, I took out a black stone.
It was a small, translucent stone—a black stone.
“Don’t tell me……”
“It’s a black stone.”
The old man furrowed his brow.
He raised his voice.
“Are you playing games with me? Isn’t this the black stone that was taken yesterday?”
I shook my head at the old man’s words.
“No. It’s a different black stone.”
At my words, Assemblyman Lee carefully picked up the black stone.
After examining it with a grave expression, he said to the old man,
“It is a different black stone. This one is bigger.”
There was no way I would have brought back the black stone I had collected yesterday.
That black stone was safely inside the box.
The black stone I had taken out now was not the rabbit monster’s black stone, but the black stone from the monster that resembled a hedgehog.
Compared to the Akzar monster’s black stones, it was nothing, but even so, this black stone was much larger than the rabbit monster’s black stone.
“Where were you hiding that? They should have searched you.”
At the old man’s question, I shrugged.
“It’s a simple trick. I can’t use dark energy on Earth, but tricks of this level are possible.”
“I was told that even if one becomes a supernatural ability user on another planet, on Earth they are no different from an ordinary person. It seems that was not the case.”
“I’m a bit special as well.”
The old man looked at me again, then nodded.
“You certainly seem that way.”
He took the black stone from Assemblyman Lee, put it in his inner pocket, and asked me,
“I understand your abilities well enough now. The fact that you are closer to the United States than I expected, and that you can smuggle out a black stone of this caliber without the Americans knowing.”
They called him an old fox, and indeed, he grasped the situation without my having to say it.
“Now then, what do you want? I assume you are not giving this to me for free.”
In truth, it was a black stone I would not have minded giving away for free.
Compared to the Akzar black stones I had, it was nothing.
But it was different for them.
“Pay me in money. There is an amount I was receiving from the Americans. I would like twice that.”
“Do you need more money? I heard you are worth hundreds of billions.”
As expected, he knew everything that had happened at the bank yesterday.
“The more money, the better. Even if I want to buy what I need, I need money.”
In truth, I did not need any more money.
But I could not give it away without compensation either. To deal with greedy people, I had to appear greedy myself.
“That is true. Until the time comes, money is important.”
As expected, the old man nodded with a satisfied expression.
The old man put the drink in front of him to his lips, then said to me,
“Good. You can discuss the matter of payment with Assemblyman Lee. Now, shall we talk about something important?”
“Let’s do that.”
I nodded at the old man’s words.
The old man looked around and said,
“Everyone, step out for a moment.”
At his words, the aides left the room, and finally Assemblyman Lee also bowed his head to the old man and left.
Even when I checked with my senses, only the two of us remained inside the Japanese restaurant.
Once we were alone, I changed my expression.
Grin.
It was a sly smile that would have shocked my unit members if they saw it.
“What you want is information about the planet on the other side, isn’t it?”
The old man looked at my changed expression with amusement, then nodded.
“That is correct. The Americans have far too many secrets. We even went to war for them, and yet they ended it with only a few ship tickets. Of course I would be dissatisfied.”
At the old man’s words, I rubbed my hands together slightly.
“I do intend to tell you information. I know quite a bit as well.”
Seeing me, the old man chuckled.
“As expected, I chose the right person. A patriot, are you?”
I shook my head.
“You must know that isn’t the case.”
When I made a circle with my fingers, the old man laughed heartily.
“Haha, if it ultimately becomes something done for the country, then that is patriotism.”
I wanted to refute him immediately, but I could not do that now.
Hiding my true intentions, I told the old man all the information the Americans knew.
The new monsters and relics. Even the new black stones.
After listening to me, the old man’s expression turned serious.
“There are many things that are hard to believe. More terrifying monsters, and you obtained a black stone a hundred times superior to this one.”
The old man showed more interest in the new black stone than in the fact that people had died.
“If that is true, the situation changes……”
Certainly, if there were new black stones, more people could be saved depending on the negotiations.
But the old man’s expression did not seem to be thinking about that.
He nodded with a satisfied expression.
“It seems I did well to come here. I heard something good.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
I bowed my head.
“And you seem to be different from the image I had of you.”
“People don’t have only one face.”
Seeing my crooked smile, the old man smiled gently.
“Indeed, that is true. Come to think of it, money was not the only thing you wanted.”
“You noticed.”
“How could I not, when you spoke first without even demanding a price? You are trying to keep a foot in both camps, aren’t you?”
I put on an impressed expression at the old man’s words.
“I was intending to make a connection with you, Chairman, but if you put it that way, I suppose that is correct. I was planning to raise my own value.”
“If the Americans find out, things will become difficult.”
At the old man’s concern, I shook my head with a firm expression.
“It’s fine. They cannot cut me off.”
“That is quite the confidence. I will remember it.”
He fell into thought for a moment, then took out a business card.
“For the value of the information, and for the black stone you handed over, and also for the sake of our relationship going forward, it would be right for me to put in a bit more effort.”
He wrote a number on the business card.
Handing me the card, the old man said,
“This is my card. My number and my aide’s number are both on it, so you should be able to handle most matters. The number I wrote down is the president’s private number. It is the number he uses to speak with me, so if you call it, the president should answer personally.”
“Thank you. This is more than I deserve.”
I accepted the business card with both hands.
Once I took the card, he picked up his chopsticks again.
“The important business is over, so let us finish the rest. The food is quite good.”
As he ate, he began to speak comfortably.
“When the Americans first said the Earth would be destroyed, you have no idea how shocked I was. So……”
He continued speaking.
How he had acted after receiving word from the United States, how they had started the war.
Perhaps he felt at ease with me, because the old man told me all the behind-the-scenes details I had not known.
It was while I was continuing the meal with the old man.
Dudududu.
The sound of a helicopter approaching reached my ears.
“Tsk. The sound of a helicopter in Seoul……”
The old man furrowed his brow.
It seemed he did not like hearing the sound of a helicopter above his head.
The old man tapped the table with his chopsticks.
The aides outside came in, and the old man gave an order.
“Find out what is going on.”
“Yes, sir.”
The aides went back outside, and when they returned a little later, they brought news that would surprise the old man.
“It is a helicopter carrying the United States Deputy Secretary of State. It appears to be landing on the roof of this department store.”
“The Deputy Secretary of State? The same deputy secretary who came last time?”
“Yes.”
“What is this about? How did he know I was here?”
The old man clicked his tongue and rose to his feet.
“My apologies. It seems the meal must end here.”
“That’s all right.”
“Then contact me the next time you come.”
“Yes.”
The old man went outside.
After the old man left and the aides followed him out, I let out a sigh.
“That was really exhausting. It didn’t seem strange, did it?”
[Not bad. There were a few awkward parts, but I doubt he thought it strange. I, who have fought the old monsters of the Magic Tower, guarantee it.]
At Soph’s words, I shook my head.
As expected, imitating someone else did not suit my personality.
“I’m more comfortable beating people until they listen.”
Thanks to Soph’s advice, I had barely managed to deceive him.
If not for Soph, I would have given up on everything and charged straight in.
“Then shall we go meet them?”
I rose from my seat as well.
Unfortunately for the old man, the Deputy Secretary of State had not come to meet him.
Beside the helicopter that had landed on the roof, I could sense Magretta.
After hearing Magretta’s words, the deputy secretary had personally come here to see me.
Dealings (2)