Game Opportunity Becomes Reality Chapter 196
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Game Opportunity Becomes Reality Chapter 196
45. Each Side's Position (6)
The Chairman's feelings were perfectly understandable.
He probably wanted to give back as much as he had received.
But the Chief of the Central Office, who held the secretary's position, couldn't help but express concern.
If the other party had been a foreign leader he'd known all along, that would be one thing but weren't these unknown entities?
There was no telling how such opponents might react if he embarrassed them using his usual political style.
'Whether to call it boldness befitting a Chairman who once led 1.4 billion people, or recklessness.'
After China split into four, the Chairman had somehow become even more fixated on saving face.
Unable to do otherwise, the Chief of the Central Office secretly ordered his subordinates.
They were to do their utmost to treat the envoy from Reiers County so as not to offend them.
"Your Excellency, Chairman, while we make them wait, it might be better to investigate them as much as we can."
"Indeed. That way, we'll have at least a slight advantage when we speak with them."
And he urged the Chairman if he was going to waste time, he should waste it meaningfully.
"Then I'll see to it."
"Go ahead."
The core of the investigation was the enemy's military strength, but the living standards of the people in the land called Reiers County were also included in the scope.
After all, the common people's living standards were a direct indicator of a nation's technological prowess.
"Speaking of which."
"Yes?"
"What do you think of their weapons that resemble UFOs?"
"They're extremely powerful. Thousands of interceptor missiles were fired, but all were shot down, and even when they flew low and we landed tank and self-propelled artillery shells on them, the barrier blocked everything without even scratching the armor. And their firepower was like pouring out bunker busters."
"Could that weapon withstand a nuclear strike?"
It came out of nowhere, but it was an ominous question.
The Chief of the Office answered with a bewildered expression.
"If it took a direct hit, I'd think even the toughest weapon couldn't withstand it, no? The problem is that getting a direct hit through that dense interception network seems difficult."
"So you mean a near-miss level would be survivable."
"I can't guarantee it, but it does seem possible."
The Chairman rested his chin on his hand and thought.
And a moment later, a greedy remark slipped from his lips.
"I want it."
That was a sentiment easy to sympathize with.
The Heaven-Piercing Fortress itself was astonishing, but the technology used in it was also remarkable.
It lifted a massive hunk of metal into the sky with no propulsion, and used barriers and beam cannons that had only ever appeared in science fiction.
If only he could get his hands on that technology, the divided China might regain its former glory no, perhaps even greater glory.
But at the same time, the Chief of the Office thought to himself.
'If you want to gain something from the other side, shouldn't you first give them treatment befitting that goal?'
Yet the Chairman, while showing his greed, showed no consideration for the other party.
* * *
The person who visited the Chairman's palace from Reiers County, both to offer an apology and to discuss matters going forward, was a young lord of twenty-five.
He checked the time on his terminal.
Communications had not yet been restored, but not every function of the smartphone-like terminal had gone dead either.
"An hour has passed."
He could fully understand the other side's feelings.
After all, they had been the ones to attack first, and now they had come seeking reconciliation.
But there was a clear reason for Reiers County's actions.
In Rondel, flying near the Heaven-Piercing Fortress that protected the lord's estate was a challenge to the lord himself.
The problem was that this was Rondel's common sense not the common sense of this world.
In other words, it was a misunderstanding born of ignorance.
And so, to resolve that misunderstanding, he was already thinking about compensation for the damage.
The real problem was that the party who should receive the apology had yet to appear.
"Young lord, let's head back. There's no need to deal with such rude people."
Of course, understanding the other side's reaction did not mean tolerating it.
As the waiting dragged on, the faces of those in the envoy party grew steadily harder.
The knights who had come as guards were especially heated.
They looked as if they might draw their Force Swords at any moment.
Part of the reason for their reaction was the mocking attitude of the locals as they looked at their armor and swords.
"Let's wait just a little longer."
The young lord had resolved to tolerate a certain degree of rudeness, since they themselves had made a mistake.
He couldn't afford to make enemies while he still didn't fully understand the situation they were in.
And something that must not be forgotten was that they were outsiders.
He didn't know how many people and how many nations existed in this world, but a troublesome situation where they got marked as enemies could easily arise.
Shouldn't that be avoided at all costs?
"When will the Chairman arrive?"
"I apologize. Please wait just a little longer."
"If you give me a set time, I'll step out for a bit and come back."
"I apologize. Please wait just a little longer."
"Honestly, it's like they've got a recorder on repeat."
But.
No matter how rational the young lord was, even his patience had its limits.
When the wait exceeded one hour, he forced a smile and let it slide.
When the wait exceeded two hours, unease began to form.
When the wait exceeded three hours, his displeasure was no longer hidden and showed plainly on his face.
The Chairman finally appeared only after about three hours and twenty minutes had passed...
"I am Jin Pian, Chairman of the People's Republic of China."
Without a single word of apology, he gave only a brief self-introduction, then plopped himself down in the chair across before the other party could even speak.
The Chairman's behavior struck the young lord of Reiers County as not just novel, but a genuine culture shock.
"..."
No matter how different the world they lived in or how different their culture, manners this terrible couldn't possibly be normal.
Indeed, the people around Chairman Jin were flustered, watching their reactions.
Thanks to that, the young lord asked Chairman Jin with a cold expression.
"Is it this nation's courtesy to make people wait indefinitely with no agreed time?"
At the young lord's sharp words, the knights placed their hands on their sword hilts, as if ready to draw their Force Swords at any moment.
In response, Chairman Jin's guards, his security team, also reached into the inner pockets of their suits and gripped their pistols.
Who in the world would treat the Chairman of China so coldly?
Even though he had deliberately arrived late, the Chairman seemed slightly taken aback by the fierce reaction.
But he was the Chairman of the People's Republic of China.
As if refusing to back down, he struck back fire with fire.
"How much courtesy am I supposed to show an invader?"
In the past, such behavior might have been tolerated.
But unfortunately, the person before him was someone on whom the rudeness Chairman Jin took for granted simply did not work.
The Count of Reiers and his son, the young lord, were nobles to the bone.
Not just that they were the Grand Lord, called the noble of nobles, and his heir.
The modern Chairman could not possibly know that nobles sometimes risked their very lives for honor.
"Then let's just continue the battle as is. It seems the reason our Reiers County was cast into this unfamiliar world was to be tested by the goddess on our honor and convictions."
"What is that supposed to "
The Chairman furrowed his brow.
The other party's response didn't fit within his common sense.
He realized too late that these were beings who had lived in a culture entirely different from his own, but the knights serving as the delegation's guards, as if waiting for this very moment, deployed their Force Armor, fully arming themselves and revealing the true form of the Vanguard.
-Clank!
-Shhhhhh.
The design was reminiscent of the robot suits from American hero movies.
An ominous blue light gathered on their gripped swords, and a translucent barrier enveloped their entire bodies.
At the other party's threatening transformation, Chairman Jin's face went pale, and his guards hastily drew their pistols and aimed at them.
"This is your last chance. Apologize and beg for forgiveness even now. Only then will negotiations begin."
The young lord of Reiers looked down coldly at Chairman Jin, calling it his last chance.
"Hah..."
Apologize?
Those were words utterly foreign to Chairman Jin.
On top of that, demanding an apology while looking no different from a threat only stoked his defiance.
"D-Do you think you'll get away with this?"
Watching him squander his last chance so foolishly, the young lord of Reiers let out a deep sigh.
"How foolish. Is this truly the representative of a nation? To think I tried to negotiate with people like this what a stupid choice I made."
Shaking his head, the young lord of Reiers stepped back and gave orders to the Vangas.
"Kill everyone in this place, except for the one called Chairman."
"Yes!"
A kill order fell from the young lord's lips.
Thinking there was little a mere suit of armor and a sword could do, he had carelessly permitted them to be armed and the damage that resulted from that decision surpassed everyone's imagination.
-KWAANG!
A blue light burst forth from the Vanga's sword strike, piercing through not only the bodyguards but every wall in its straight path.
-Bang! Bang!
Bullets flew toward the Vangas, but they were blocked by the Force Armor's barrier and failed to land any damage.
And so, in an instant, everyone except Chairman Jin was dead.
But even that didn't seem to satisfy them the Vangas launched attacks here and there, and the Chairman's Palace lost its original form in the blink of an eye.
It was a catastrophe brought on by complacent handling.
"Ahh."
Chairman Jin collapsed onto the floor where he stood.
It was a terror of death he had never felt even during the Great Disaster.
The beings before his eyes looked like envoys of death.
"Just wait three more hours. Our response will change depending on your decision."
Then the young lord of Reiers, leading knights who wore faces of vindication and aides who seemed deep in thought, used a Teleport Artifact and returned to the Lord's estate.
As the people before his eyes vanished along with the light, the Chairman fainted with a look as if he'd seen a ghost.
* * *
At the single word "friend," Blake caught on to the Demon King's identity and swallowed air.
"No way. You?"
"That's right."
There was no need for a lengthy explanation.
Lord Exceed was none other than the reincarnation of 'Manuel Lucas.'
I and Arcia froze in place, joy filled Blake's face, and Selin though she didn't understand the conversation let out a small sigh of relief, judging the situation to be favorable for her.
"Haha! You became the Demon King? That's funny, that's funny!"
Unlike Blake, I couldn't welcome Grand Duke Lucas's appearance with open arms.
Because everything I held was practically his property.
And Arcia seemed to share my thoughts even upon seeing her creator, she stepped in front of me and instead kept her guard up against the Demon King before her.
"Yes, that's right. Grand Duke Lawrence was my successor."
Grand Duke Lucas no, Lord Exceed who had belatedly grasped my identity, nodded his head deeply and smiled.
I held back Arcia, who was raising her guard, and offered him a courteous greeting.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Master."
One might have expected me to feel embarrassed using the word "Master" so freely, but he only wore a warm smile.
"What a relief. That the treasure I prepared didn't fall into wicked hands. Are you also someone who drifted into Rondel like me?"
"No. I'm a case of dying on Earth and being reincarnated in Rondel. And like you, Master, I retained my past-life memories."
"I see. Thanks to the Myriad Mirror, there's no need for a lengthy explanation."
As he said, there was no need for complicated explanations.
Lord Exceed, having understood everything, shifted his gaze from me to Arcia.
"No way, you're that "
He reached toward Arcia in admiration, but she took a step back and avoided his hand.
Embarrassed, Lord Exceed scratched his cheek, and Blake tilted his head.
"What? Does Arcia have a direct connection to you too?"
But at Blake's question, Lord Exceed shook his head.
"I thought so, but it seems not. Judging by the way she's rejecting me."
At his vague answer, Blake narrowed his eyes but soon let it slide as if it didn't matter.
"Master, how long can you remain manifested?"
At my question, Lord Exceed seemed to realize his own condition belatedly and let out an 'Ah.'
"I forced this manifestation somewhat, so three minutes from now is my limit. And I won't be able to re-manifest for the next three to four months."
"That's quite restrictive."
"Can't be helped. It's a rule set by the one who was the god of this world."
I nodded, carefully masking my wariness with a smile, and asked what I was curious about.
"This is out of nowhere, but may I ask why you ordered the attack on the Hollywood System's management terminal, Master?"
At that, Lord Exceed answered with an apologetic expression.
"I was curious about my successor, you see. So I figured that whoever responded in some way to an attack on the Hollywood System would be my successor. And while I was at it, it also helped secure funds for the demon race's Contractors."
"I... see."
"Sorry if I startled you. The management terminals had leeway anyway, so I decided a few could be used."
The truth behind the incident I had accepted as a serious threat.
All of it was just to find me.
Could it be that he has some other business with me?
"At any rate, it worked out well. Not only did I get to meet my Contractor Selin, I also got a chance to communicate with my successor."
Did it really work out well, though?
Hiding my complicated feelings, I waited for what he would say next, and Lord Exceed put on a serious expression.
"I'd like to discuss something important from here on. Is that alright?"
"Yes, I'm listening."
Perhaps because his manifestation time was nearly up, Lord Exceed set aside the joy of reunion and began his story.