-Clouds of War
“The Mage Tower had a Golden Apple laboratory and factory?”
“It did. But because our team found it, the black mage who leads the Mage Tower destroyed the place himself.”
Once again, Freya and I led the conversation in the form of an interview.
“So that upheaval back then was because of that destruction. The Golden Apple was behind that incident as well. But if it was a place the Mage Tower had secretly built, does that mean they did it without Vanaheim knowing?”
“That appears to be the case. In any case, to sum it up, Vanaheim joined hands with the Mage Tower to conduct experiments for the development of the Golden Apple. But that doesn’t mean the Mage Tower became Vanaheim’s subordinate. They coveted the Golden Apple in their own way as well. Then, as Chairman Kim Seonho and Yashin fell out, their relationship worsened.”
At about that point, the host suddenly cut in and interrupted the conversation.
“This is becoming an extremely serious discussion. These are truly enormous suspicions regarding Vanaheim. To cool things down for a moment, there’s something I’d like to ask Ren.
As I recall, when Vanaheim released the description of the missing person they were searching for, they identified Ren’s species as a lizardman. But as you can all see, Ren’s appearance is no different from a human’s. Did you perhaps undergo bio-modification surgery?”
The tactless host said he was cooling things down, yet he had brought up a topic that would only set the flames higher.
He really knows how to touch a fuse.
I looked back at Ren.
Ren was quietly staring at the camera with an expression that said the moment had finally come.
She seemed calmer than I had expected.
“I didn’t undergo bio-modification surgery. I was born in this form. The truth is, I’m a hybrid born between a lizardman and a human.”
Ren answered calmly.
For a moment, silence fell over the studio.
If there had been an audience, they might have stirred, but there were only the cast and production crew in the studio, and no one made a sound.
Since we hadn’t discussed this part beforehand, the host and Freya both seemed surprised.
It could only have been a few seconds, but after a silence that felt like an eternity on broadcast, the host opened his mouth again.
“Ah……! I see. A hybrid between a lizardman and a human, you said.”
He merely repeated Ren’s answer hesitantly, as if he had no idea what to say next.
That was when the quick-witted Freya stepped in.
“Now there are some things I can guess at. Then was the reason Vanaheim used Ren as an experimental subject precisely because Ren is a hybrid?”
“Yes. I think that was why they tried to experiment on me in various ways. After all, I’m a rare existence in this world.”
“That’s absurd!”
Freya flared up.
Truly, I couldn’t have been more grateful that Freya was here with us.
“Using a person as an experimental subject simply because they’re a hybrid? That’s far more malicious than discriminating against someone because they’re a different race. It’s something that must never be allowed to happen. As an elven member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, I cannot let this matter pass. I will ensure that Vanaheim receives legal punishment!”
Freya spoke firmly, her voice heated.
As I was wondering how to steer the atmosphere from there, the host quickly took over.
“That’s right. Regardless of species, there are human rights that must be protected. We’ll take a short break and continue our discussion afterward. Viewers, please stay tuned.”
As it happened, it was time for commercials.
When the camera lights went off, everyone finally let out deep sighs.
The meaning behind each sigh may have been different, but at least the feeling of being able to catch one’s breath was the same.
“Ren, I had no idea. You must have gone through so much hardship all this time. I’m an elf, but living in a human-centered world, elves have our own sorrows too. But I can’t even imagine how much more you must have experienced.”
Freya immediately approached Ren, took her hand, and spoke to her.
I had thought she was very clever and quite political, but it seemed she was also a warm-hearted person.
I hadn’t known from a distance, but after speaking with Freya for so long on the broadcast, even my perception of elves was improving on its own.
Perhaps that had been the very reason Freya wanted this interview.
“Thank you for saying that. There have been many difficult things about living as a hybrid.”
Ren smiled brightly as she looked at Freya. Ren, too, was opening her heart to Freya without even realizing it.
“I’ll help you from now on. While you’re in the Republic of Korea, if you ever face any difficulty, tell me. I’ll fight for you.”
“Thank you so much, Assemblywoman Freya.”
Listening to Freya’s words made me newly aware of the fact that Ren was not Korean.
A new worry arose in me—that by appearing on this broadcast and revealing her whereabouts, she might end up being deported for no reason.
‘Ren has nowhere to go back to…….’
She had effectively been driven out of the small nation in Thailand that was her homeland, and in Korea, she had only been granted a visitor visa. Her situation was different from her father’s, who was an employee of Vanaheim.
Moreover, now that she was taking on the role of accusing Vanaheim like this, there was a high possibility the company would even invalidate that visitor visa.
I thought I would have to step in and do something. I needed to at least get her recognized as a refugee.
“It seems I poked a beehive without knowing what I was doing. The viewers’ message board is full of talk about hybrids. I’m sorry. The topic got derailed, and it ended up revealing something private for no reason.”
Hearing a voice whispering beside my ear, I turned to see the host standing next to me with his back bent.
I didn’t know why he had come to me to apologize. The private matter he had revealed concerned Ren.
The host was holding out a tablet to show me.
When I looked, the viewers’ message board was on the screen, and sure enough, even at a glance, I could see the word “hybrid” everywhere. There were also comments that were discriminatory toward species.
It was unpleasant.
But for the moment, I answered the host calmly.
“It was something that would have become known one way or another anyway. We’ll have to respond to it.”
It wasn’t only the tactless host’s fault. We had come here expecting this point as well.
“Ah, yes. We’ll have to respond. It’s a relief Assemblywoman Freya handled it so well. Then I’ll have the excessive hate comments deleted. People really should be ashamed of themselves……”
With that, the host hurried off toward the program writer. It seemed he intended to have measures taken right away.
I raised my head and looked around the studio.
It felt like more than a minute had passed, but somehow the commercial break seemed to be getting longer.
On top of that, the atmosphere in the studio was strangely unsettled.
It didn’t seem to be merely because it had become known that Ren was a hybrid. Something else appeared to be happening.
“Is something going on?”
Just then, the producer was walking toward me, so I asked him.
“There’s news of a terrorist attack.”
“A terrorist attack happened?”
“For now, we’ve extended the commercial break a little. I don’t think we can continue the broadcast like this. The station received a call looking for you, mage.”
I hurriedly took out my phone and checked it.
Since I had set it to silent, I wouldn’t have known even if I had received a call. But there were no missed calls in particular.
Then again, everyone who knew me would have known I was on broadcast, so it seemed they hadn’t called me directly.
“Please contact the Bureau right away.”
At the producer’s words, I immediately called Yu Jaeseon. The bell rang twice before Yu Jaeseon answered.
“A terrorist attack?”
When I asked bluntly, skipping any greeting, Yu Jaeseon also skipped the greeting and went straight to the point.
[Yes, mage. I think you’ll have to end the broadcast there. The pigeon terror has happened again. They released pigeons mainly in entertainment districts with lots of people. People are collapsing one after another.]
“It’s Vanaheim’s doing.”
Was this their attempt at revenge because I exposed them on the broadcast?
No. Since they hadn’t attacked the broadcast station or me directly, rather than revenge, it should be seen as their own counterattack and propaganda campaign.
They must be trying to make people feel the need for the Golden Apple.
In any case, it was a vile thing to do.
[The pigeons aren’t the only problem. Strange creatures have appeared around Yongsan and Itaewon. They don’t seem to be particularly huge, but apparently they look horrific. We haven’t identified what they are yet.]
“Yongsan and Itaewon? Then should I head there first?”
[But there’s another problem. The Mage Tower has issued a terror warning.]
“A terror warning?”
[Yes. They displayed a message in lights around the Eternal Life Building. It said, ‘From now on, the era of the Mage Tower begins,’ and announced that at midnight tonight, they would send a great gift to the people of Seoul.]
In other words, they had displayed the message right there, in the very place where the Mage Tower was located, as if they wanted everyone to see. It was a declaration that they would no longer hide.
The content of the message was the same.
The era of the Mage Tower begins from now on?
At long last, calamity was about to begin.
“Midnight means there’s hardly any time left, doesn’t it?”
[That’s right. Mage, please come to the Bureau immediately.]
“Understood.”
After hanging up, I checked the time.
There were less than ten minutes left until midnight.
“I have to go.”
“Yes. Please hurry.”
The producer, who had been watching the call, already wore an expression of resignation.
I gave Freya only a nod of farewell, then took Ren and left the studio at once.
Just as we were leaving the broadcast station, I received a call from Gil.
[Mage, can you talk right now?]
“Yeah, I can. I’m on my way out of the station. What’s going on?”
Gil’s voice sounded anxious, which bothered me.
[The house is strange. Some kind of vibration I can’t identify keeps coming in waves. I think someone is destroying the barrier.]
“What? Who? Can you see anyone outside?”
[I can’t see them. There’s no one there. Nothing’s showing up on detection either. But the vibrations keep…… coming in waves. I’m sure someone’s doing this on purpose…… but I can’t…… see anything.]
The call quality gradually worsened as well. I could even feel the vibration in his voice. Then, in the end, the call was cut off.
After driving the car out onto the road, I thought about where I should head first.
Things were happening simultaneously in multiple places. But my hesitation did not last long.
Naturally, I had to go home first.
Gil and Cheon Danbi were at the house. At the moment calamity was approaching, the people I had to look after first were none other than my team members.
I headed home.
The night streets were quite dark and eerie. When I looked up at the sky, it was thick with ash-gray clouds. They seemed like clouds announcing the beginning of war.
The midnight that the Mage Tower had announced was drawing near.
At that moment, my heart began to pound hard.
The era of the Mage Tower begins from now on?
This time, I had a feeling Samir would surely reveal himself.
It was what I had been waiting for.