-Publicity War
We all sat around and quietly observed the pigeon.
The pigeon caught in the magic snare was perfectly still. It would have been useless anyway, but it didn’t even try to move or escape.
It merely turned its head this way and that, staring fixedly at us.
It was almost as if we were having a staring contest.
“I can’t tell anything just by looking at it like this. What do we do now?”
“Right. But it’s not like we can kill it and dissect it, either.”
“I’ll observe it a little longer. If this pigeon is actually some other life-form that polymorphed, then its skill is truly exceptional. Enough that even I can’t recognize it properly.”
Ren said this as she touched the pigeon’s tiny foot.
“All right. Ren, take another look for now, and if you sense anything, let us know.”
Since this whole discussion had started with Ren sensing a familiar aura in the pigeon’s mana, everyone had no choice but to trust Ren’s senses.
I withdrew the detection magic I had extended.
I had already tried detecting it at the scene, and I had tried again after coming home, but aside from sensing a faint trace of mana, I hadn’t discovered anything in particular.
[I don’t think it polymorphed. It just seems like a pigeon.]
[Exactly. Judging by how it doesn’t talk, it doesn’t seem like a magical animal either.]
[But it is a suspicious pigeon. Doesn’t it somehow feel unpleasant?]
[And on top of that, it’s leaking mana little by little.]
Even the crows were sending their opinions through voice transmission.
While everyone was helplessly watching the pigeon like that, my phone rang.
Thinking I might as well get some air, I took my phone and went up to the rooftop.
It was an unknown number, but I answered right away.
[Hello? This is Freyja.]
To my surprise, it was Freyja.
This time, she hadn’t gone through an aide but had called me directly.
“Hello, Assemblywoman Freyja. You called me personally?”
[Of course I should call the heroic mage personally. Last time, I was busy, so I had my aide deliver the message in my stead. I’m sorry.]
“Not at all. I wasn’t able to take the call personally back then either.”
[I’m grateful you answered today. I’m sorry to bring this up so suddenly again, but are you free tonight by any chance?]
“Pardon? Tonight?”
I was a little flustered because she had abruptly asked whether I had time tonight. I ended up stupidly asking back.
In any case, Freyja seemed to have the power to knock a person’s soul out of their body. We weren’t even meeting face-to-face, but just speaking over the phone was enough to leave my mind tingling.
I pulled myself together and asked again.
“Is something happening tonight?”
[It’s nothing else, just a broadcast appearance. The talk I proposed before. The broadcasting station just contacted me, and they would like to schedule that talk as a special program tonight. It’s probably because of the Gangnam Station incident that happened today. It is sudden, but I think it would be fine to go ahead. What about you, Mage?]
For a moment, I looked out at the scenery beyond the rooftop.
At a glance, the city seemed peaceful, but the photos and videos taken earlier were probably spreading across the internet.
Images like the end of the world, with countless people collapsed on the streets, convulsing.
The situation had already been resolved, but fear and unease would once again be seeping into people’s hearts.
So the broadcasting station was probably trying to put forward the heroic mage and a brave, popular member of the National Assembly to deliver a positive message to the citizens.
That was surely the role Yu Jaeseon wanted me to play as well.
It was not a role I could refuse.
Before I knew it, the sun was setting.
Even if they said tonight, there were only a few hours left. How was I supposed to prepare?
It was my first time in my life appearing on television, so I had no idea what I should do to prepare.
At any rate, I should accept first. With my own condition attached.
“Let’s do that. However, I have one condition. It’s a talk, but I’d like to have one special guest appear.”
[A special guest? Who would that be? I’m curious.]
I was thinking of appearing on the broadcast with Ren.
In order to stop the release of Golden Apple, we had to expose the illegal experiments Vanaheim had been conducting.
And if we wanted to reveal the conspiracy surrounding Ren and make it so she no longer had to hide, then making everything public was probably the most proactive and certain solution.
Having Ren appear on a suddenly scheduled live broadcast was the best method possible. As a preemptive strike against Vanaheim.
“Let’s keep who it is a secret for now. If you can obtain the broadcasting station’s permission, I’ll appear together with them.”
[All right. I’ll speak to the broadcasting station. There shouldn’t be a problem. I’m really looking forward to this.]
After that, Freyja and I discussed the topics and direction of tonight’s talk, as well as the schedule.
There was nothing particularly special about the topic of the talk. It was to discuss future counterterrorism measures.
[That’s the kind of era we live in these days. All sorts of videos and opinions run rampant on the internet, and now even groups that follow black mages are springing up. If we don’t actively promote ourselves, people won’t recognize what we’re doing. Tonight’s talk will be a time to clearly imprint on people’s minds who stands on the side of good. I believe there is no such thing as too much publicity for the heroes fighting against black mages.]
What I found quite interesting in Freyja’s words was that she didn’t say “mages” fighting against black mages, but “heroes.”
In other words, it meant the elves would be fighting too. It seemed the elves intended to actively step forward in the war against the black mages from now on as well.
I had thought a little before about what their purpose might be in entering such dangerous battles, and it seemed it was probably to further raise the elves’ status.
In other words, through this talk with me, Freyja intended to promote the brave elves. She planned to make use of me, the hero.
Then again, when you thought about it, the broadcasting station and the Bureau actively approving Freyja and me having a talk was nothing other than publicity for the counterterrorism front.
And since I was also trying to use the broadcast appearance as an opportunity to expose Vanaheim and free Ren, I had nothing to say.
If that too counted as a kind of publicity, then it was publicity.
Even if everyone was using one another from their own positions to promote themselves, there was no problem as long as we all stood on the same side.
Moreover, our side would not be the only one entering the publicity war.
Vanaheim, more than anyone, was certain to launch a large-scale publicity campaign targeting the public in order to release the Golden Apple product.
Vanaheim was not the Magic Tower. It was not an organization of black mages that people vaguely feared, but a renowned conglomerate that had greatly contributed to the nation’s wealth up until now.
Even if one black mage had been discovered and arrested there this time, as long as Kim Seonho continued to deny it, the entire company called Vanaheim would not collapse because of that incident.
From now on, the fight against Vanaheim was an image war and a publicity war.
Above all else, ahead of the release of a product called Golden Apple that would seduce people, it was a matter of which side would gain the public’s understanding first.
“You said tonight’s live broadcast is at eleven, right? Then should I come to the broadcasting station by around ten?”
[Yes. That should be fine. Once I finish speaking with the broadcasting station, they’ll contact you right away and give you detailed instructions. Then I’ll see you tonight.]
“Understood. I’ll see you at the broadcasting station.”
At last, I ended the call and turned around, when a sudden cheer rang out.
Faces were hanging in clusters from my room window. It seemed they had been eavesdropping on my call all this time.
“Wow! Mage, you’re really going to be on television!”
“A talk with Lady Freyja? My heart is pounding more than yours!”
“A broadcast appearance? That’s so cool!”
Everyone was excited as if it were happening to them.
I gestured for them to calm down and went into the room.
“A live broadcast tonight? Then we have to hurry and get ready! Let’s see, what clothes would look good?”
“Ah! Ren and I picked out some clothes earlier. Wouldn’t a suit be better after all?”
“No. A mage should look like a mage. Rather than a suit, how about a mage’s robe?”
“Ugh. I don’t think that’s it. I feel like it wouldn’t suit him at all. Though I’ve never seen the Mage wear a robe.”
“Is that so? Is that not quite right?”
Cheon Danbi and Gil had their heads together and were earnestly pondering what I should wear for my broadcast appearance.
A hollow laugh escaped me on its own. It wasn’t as if I had so many clothes that there was much to choose from, so what were they scheming?
If I just left them alone, they looked like they would immediately suggest going out to buy clothes.
“Calm down. What on earth are you talking about? I’m not some celebrity. Why does what I wear matter?”
“What are you talking about? Clothes matter to everyone. If it were any other day, maybe not, but you’re appearing on a broadcast!”
“I’m going to dress like usual. So stop talking about my clothes.”
“Fine. Then at least wear a shirt. I’ll pick out at least the shirt for you.”
As if she would make no further concessions, Cheon Danbi immediately got up and approached the wardrobe.
Even so, it was my meager wardrobe. Since I had only a few shirts, it would be easy to choose. So I left her be.
“But who’s the special guest?”
When Gil asked, everyone turned their eyes toward my mouth.
Only now were they showing proper curiosity.
“Ren.”
When I said that, everyone was startled and asked back.
“Ren?”
“You’re putting Ren on the broadcast?”
“Yes. I think that would be best.”
I looked at Ren and spoke slowly.
“I’m sorry I didn’t ask you first, Ren. If you don’t want to go on the broadcast, we can cancel even now, so don’t feel pressured. It’s just that, in my opinion, if we want to make it so Vanaheim can no longer chase after you, having you appear on the broadcast seems like the surest method. You’ll step forward as living proof of their illegal experiments. If we do that, we may be able to stop the release of Golden Apple as well. What do you think?”
Ren stayed quiet for a moment as if thinking it over, then soon nodded.
“I’ll go on. If it means I don’t have to hide anymore, I’d like that too. But do I have to reveal everything on the broadcast, even the fact that I have a polymorph trait?”
“No. There’s no need for that. Let’s just say you’re a hybrid with special mana. All we need to reveal is that you were used as an experimental subject by Vanaheim. The fact that you’re a hybrid will attract some attention to a certain extent, but there’s no need to draw the public’s interest beyond that.”
“Ah, that would be good.”
Ren let out a shallow sigh. Was it a sigh of relief?
A being rarely found in the world, a special being. For Ren, who had been tormented even by her mother and relatives simply for being a hybrid, revealing herself before people could not be an easy thing.
But having to keep hiding and running away was surely just as painful.
In the end, it was a matter of choice.
Not only that, Ren probably also wanted to expose Vanaheim’s illegal experiments and crimes and bring them down.
That must be why she agreed to my proposal of appearing on the broadcast, but I still wanted to leave her with at least a minimal safeguard.
I hoped that not revealing her polymorph trait would become the bare minimum protection for Ren.
Not because it was Ren’s weakness, but because it was, on the contrary, a powerful weapon.
In truth, Ren had more than enough ability to protect herself from anyone in the world.