-Exposé
Freya’s startled expression was truly a work of art.
It was as if the very emotion of surprise had been sculpted into a living statue.
With that dramatic expression dominating the camera, Freya repeated her question.
“Is it true that the black mage Yasin, who perpetrated the Incheon terror attack and several other terrorist incidents, was originally a researcher at Banaheim?”
“That is correct.”
“Ah……! You have just raised a tremendous allegation. Banaheim is one of our nation’s leading conglomerates, a pillar of our economy. And you are saying such a company produced black mages? Chairman Kim Seon-ho also claimed that the researcher who carried out the Amoeba terror attack acted independently, with no connection to the company whatsoever?”
This time, Freya spoke as if she were taking Banaheim’s side, at least on the surface.
But she was doing it on purpose. It was a clever tactic.
As a member of the National Assembly, by speaking as if defending a major corporation that drives the national economy, she was earning the viewers’ sympathy and softening the shock.
Of course, with my specific rebuttal to follow, the public’s shock would only be amplified.
After all, interviews have a greater impact when the participants stand in opposition to one another.
“That is a lie. The Amoeba terror attack was a strategic act of terrorism orchestrated by Banaheim. They did it to frame the dwarves as terrorists.”
“It’s hard to believe. Why would Banaheim do such a thing?”
“It was to find someone. They must have determined that the person they were looking for was hiding in the dwarf district. You remember the large-scale sweep conducted in the dwarf district around that time, don’t you, Assemblywoman?”
“Yes, of course I remember. So you are saying all of that was done by Banaheim to find someone? Who exactly were they looking for?”
“Someone who had been used as a test subject.”
“A test subject? Are you saying Banaheim used people as test subjects?”
Freya’s expression now reflected pure horror.
At the same time, the mana Freya possessed gradually spread in all directions. It was a wave akin to mental magic.
Viewers watching the broadcast from beyond the camera would have found themselves empathizing with Freya’s emotions before they even realized it.
Now that I observed it, it happened almost naturally. It was the power Freya possessed.
I could only hope that her hero’s premium and elven charm would combine to create synergy.
“That is correct. Banaheim has been carrying out numerous illegal experiments. In particular, during the development of the Golden Apple, there were experiments conducted with the involvement of black mages.”
“If this is true, it is truly shocking and horrific. But how did you come to know of these matters, Mage? These are stories that have never appeared in the press at all.”
“Because I saw the test subjects with my own eyes. I once took on a job for Banaheim. I was tasked with strengthening security at Chairman Kim Seon-ho’s residence. That is where I saw the test subjects, and I also heard directly from Chairman Kim Seon-ho that Yasin was a researcher from Banaheim.”
At last, I had exposed the truth. Breaking the non-disclosure agreement, revealing only the core facts.
Kim Seon-ho must be flying into a rage about now? Somehow, it felt refreshing.
“Ah, then there can be no room for doubt. To think that you confirmed it with your own eyes.”
“There is another witness. Earlier, I mentioned that Banaheim was looking for someone? That person is here right now. I invited them as a special guest. They will testify directly.”
“What? They came to the studio?”
Freya’s startled face briefly appeared on camera before immediately cutting to the host.
“Yes. We will be bringing out the special guest invited by Mage Odin. We’ll continue shortly. Viewers, please stay tuned.”
It was time for commercials.
No matter how great the exposé, it could not defeat the commercial break. That was simply the nature of broadcasting.
This break wasn’t one minute, but ten.
They needed to guide and prepare the special guest, and while the cast rested briefly, it was also time for the production crew to check viewer reactions.
Ren entered the studio, guided by the floor director.
Seeing her gave me relief.
While I was exposing Banaheim and the Magic Tower, I had been worried that something might happen to her.
Though I had thought she would be waiting safely in the waiting room, I hadn’t been entirely free from unease.
There was no guarantee that the Magic Tower’s reach didn’t extend to the broadcasting station.
“Ren, welcome.”
As I stood up from my seat and tried to approach Ren, the floor director hurriedly guided her to her seat. It was right beside me.
“Please have a seat here.”
“Thank you.”
After the floor director attached a microphone to Ren and stepped away, I asked.
“Nothing happened?”
“Yes. I was quietly in the waiting room.”
“Are you nervous?”
“A little. But I’m fine.”
Just then, the director entered the studio and approached us.
“Good work. But the viewer message board is going crazy. Opinions are divided. At first, there were only comments defending you, Mage, but gradually some strange comments are appearing? It looks like Banaheim has launched a smear campaign. Also, Banaheim’s legal team has formally lodged a complaint. They’re claiming defamation?”
The director spoke with a face that was half excited, half worried.
It wasn’t unreasonable for the person in charge of the broadcast to be concerned.
After all, we were in the middle of an enormous exposé against a major corporation.
But we hadn’t proceeded with the broadcast without anticipating this kind of reaction.
Above all, the ratings would elevate the value of the broadcasting station and production crew, so there shouldn’t be any complaints.
“You needn’t worry. I will take responsibility for everything I’ve exposed. Moreover, since it’s all facts, there is no way they can win legally.”
“Will it be alright? Given how big of a corporation they are……”
“What we’re doing now isn’t an ordinary broadcast—it’s part of counter-terrorism operations. You can consider the government administration to be behind us as well. In truth, we are fighting a war against terror.”
“Ah, that’s right. I see.”
As long as they didn’t carry out a terror attack on the broadcasting station right away, everything was fine.
But since I couldn’t rule out that possibility entirely, I remained vigilant without letting my guard down for even a moment.
“Please just make sure to thoroughly secure the studio and all the rooms related to the live broadcast feed.”
“Yes. We’ve already requested security from a mercenary company. One that has mages on staff.”
“Well done.”
While I prepared Ren and briefly spoke with Freya about the proceedings, the commercial break passed.
The floor director signaled that the cameras were rolling again.
Soon, the host opened her mouth.
“Let us welcome our special guest. Please introduce yourself first.”
The camera quickly shifted from the host to Ren.
Ren’s flushed face filled the screen.
She appeared slightly nervous, but her expression was bright.
“Hello. My name is Ren. I am not Korean; I am from a small kingdom in Thailand.”
I had her stop there and took over the introduction.
“Ren, welcome. Let me add to that introduction. Some of you may have already realized this, but Ren is the daughter of the Banaheim employee whom Banaheim claimed was a missing person and put out a bounty for. You remember that, don’t you?”
“Yes, I remember. The very person Banaheim offered a bounty to find.”
Freya played along.
“But the truth is different from what Banaheim claimed. Ren did not go missing—she left that place of her own accord. From the Banaheim research facility. There, she was a test subject subjected to illegal experiments.”
“We heard this earlier as well, but this is truly a shocking and horrifying story. First and foremost, I would like to tell Ren that I am truly relieved and grateful that she managed to escape the research facility.”
Freya turned to Ren, who was seated beside her, and showed an expression rich with emotion. Her face was steeped in empathy and compassion.
It was a well-timed reaction.
“Thank you for your concern.”
“Experimenting on a human being…… you truly suffered a terrible ordeal. Ren, are you all right now?”
“Yes. I am all right now.”
After letting the two women’s conversation go back and forth briefly, I raised the subject at the appropriate moment.
“Let’s hear from Ren directly now. Ren, please tell us what kinds of experiments you endured at the Banaheim research facility. You mentioned there were experiments related to the Golden Apple, didn’t you?”
“Yes. They continuously fed me prototype Golden Apples that were planned for release. As if feeding them to me wasn’t enough, they also kept injecting specific components of the Golden Apple into my body. At one point, my biorhythm went haywire and I lost consciousness and collapsed. I nearly died.”
“Heavens! You nearly died? It is truly a blessing that you survived. So they conducted human experiments disguised as clinical trials for the prototype product?”
Ren spoke in a calm tone, while Freya responded actively with her usual variety of expressions.
The two of them conversing seemed to be effective, so I stayed silent once more.
“In fact, they didn’t just experiment on me with the Golden Apple. They performed all sorts of experiments. As if testing my limits, they subjected my body to extreme magnetic fields, pressure, temperature, humidity, noise, pain, and more.”
“How terrible. It’s unbelievable. How could they……!”
Looking at Freya’s horrified expression, Ren gave a faint smile.
That appearance evoked even more pity.
“There were many experiments, but the Golden Apple product experiments were the most dangerous. And it wasn’t just me. I overheard something in the laboratory: lower-ranked black mages from the Magic Tower were also mobilized for the Golden Apple clinical trials. And even they experienced life-threatening crises.”
“The Golden Apple is truly a dangerous product. But lower-ranked black mages from the Magic Tower were mobilized for the clinical trials? According to Ren’s testimony, it was indeed true that Banaheim and the Magic Tower had some kind of relationship.”
Once again, Freya keenly pointed out the crucial detail.
“Yes. The researchers at the facility whispered amongst themselves about it. I couldn’t catch all the details, but it seemed certain that they had some kind of pact or agreement with the Magic Tower regarding the product known as the Golden Apple.”
“I know something about that part.”
I jumped into the conversation.
Ren’s story was sufficient at that point. As someone who had directly experienced the experiments, she had achieved her purpose by testifying about her experiences.
I had to continue the assault on Banaheim and the Magic Tower.
Because the arrows of their counterattack had to be focused on me.
“You remember the seismic event that occurred in the Danyang region? There was the Magic Tower’s laboratory. It was both a laboratory and a factory. It was where the Magic Tower secretly produced the Golden Apples.”