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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: A Plan to Infiltrate
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Stardust is working harder than ever to catch me.
After Lee Seol-ah called me specifically to relay this news, earnestly urging me to be careful, I was relaxing on the sofa, half-sitting, half-lying.
"Hmm..."
Stardust is doing its best to catch me.
...But doesn't that mean, on the flip side, that they haven't been doing their best until now...?
"That's impossible."
Given how righteous our Haru is, and how she can't stand injustice. She's definitely doing her best now, and she'll continue to do even better in the future. Nothing big will change, right? I thought Lee Seol-ah was just overreacting.
As I sat there blankly, lost in thought, the anchor on the TV in front of me continued speaking.
"...With the recent sale of NeanTech Corporation, virtually all major South Korean conglomerates are now under the Yuseong Group. Though voices of concern are emerging from the political sphere, the Anti-Yuseong Group Monopoly Prevention Act ultimately failed to pass in this session of the National Assembly."
Just as I was thinking about Lee Seol-ah, news about the Yuseong Group came on. I, who had been idly thinking of Stardust, shifted my attention to the TV and began to focus on what the anchor was saying.
"[Meanwhile, Lee Seol-ah, Chairman of the Yuseong Group, has maintained strict isolation from external contact, aside from her hero activities. As the Yuseong Group reaches the pinnacle of South Korea's corporate landscape, she has also ascended to become the wealthiest individual in the nation. Amidst this, anxious opinions are surfacing, questioning whether South Korea is becoming 'Yuseong's Nation'...]"
Hmm. Has Lee Seol-ah not gotten her hands on that news agency yet? There's still a channel broadcasting critically about the Yuseong Group.
While harboring a slight doubt, I nodded.
Right. Lee Seol-ah has finally managed to swallow almost everything. Soon, she'll probably devour the political sphere and the media too. Then, the Yuseong Group will truly dominate South Korea. Except for the Hero Association.
"....."
In the end, though a bit late, it happened as per the original story. Lee Seol-ah's conquest of the Korean Peninsula was slowly nearing its end.
...Truth be told, it's never a good thing for a single individual to control an entire country. Especially if that individual controls everything from the market economy to the legislative, judicial, and executive branches? That's a surefire way to ruin a nation. That's why I'd worried about it in the early parts of the original story. Was it right to eliminate Lee Seol-ah from the very beginning?
After much deliberation, I decided to leave Lee Seol-ah as she was and, instead, bring her over to my side. When things went to hell in the latter half of the original story, a powerful individual seizing full control could lessen the chaos. Plus, Lee Seol-ah herself never betrayed the country in the end.
More importantly, doing so would allow the original story's progression to be somewhat maintained and predictable, and I could accomplish more diverse things through Lee Seol-ah. Like the PMC business I'm about to start.
As I continued with these thoughts, I heard a sound from below, in front of the sofa.
"Ugh... Why is it only news on TV...?"
"Hm?"
I craned my neck to look and saw Seo Ja-yeong lying in the corner of the living room.
...She was sleeping so naturally over there that I'd momentarily forgotten she was even here.
"Can't we watch something else besides the news?..."
"Hmm. Alright. Here, use the remote."
"...Yay."
Seo Ja-yeong deftly snatched the remote I tossed her out of the air, flipped through a few channels, settled on something, and then closed her eyes, falling back asleep.
...What is she even doing?
Meanwhile, the channel Seo Ja-yeong had switched to was broadcasting international news.
...But isn't that still news, if you think about it?
"[This is Global Weekly, bringing you international news from beyond South Korea. Seunghee, what's the hottest story this week?]"
"[Yes. This week's top story is the return of America's S-rank villain, Celeste!]"
"[Celeste? Are you referring to the villain widely considered to be Rank 1?]"
"[That's right. Designated by the International Association as the 'Most Dangerous Villain,' she's said to possess an unimaginable number of abilities. With dozens of S-rank villains following her, you can imagine her power and danger, can't you?]"
"[Indeed. It's been years since she, who once reigned as a lord of terror across the US and parts of Europe, vanished. Now, she has suddenly returned. Associations worldwide are already on high alert. What she intends to do upon her return has not yet been determined, and...]"
I, who had been idly watching the TV screen, focused my mind on the unexpected news. Celeste's return, huh.
...Has that much time passed already?
Then, that event must be coming up soon. Quickly finishing my thoughts, I immediately stood up. I should start preparing.
I gently covered Seo Ja-yeong, who was lying with her stomach exposed, with a thin blanket, then headed up to my room.
Seo Eun and the others had long since gone down to the basement, claiming they'd be developing new suits.
In other words, it was personal time, for the first time in a while.
With that realization, I entered my room, and for the first time in a long time, pulled out a book from the bookshelf on my desk.
It was my journal, which I'd been consistently writing in.
"Hmm..."
The day is coming soon when I'll have to start writing in this seriously again. When I first started writing, I wondered how long I'd have to keep it up. Soon, I won't have to write in it anymore.
With that brief thought, I opened the book.
It was to re-check what I had written down in the early days after I first fell into this world.
"This is indeed around the right time."
I muttered. Celeste, rated as the strongest among S-rank villains. Her resurrection.
And the founding of the meeting of global villain leaders, unofficially known as 'Cathedral'.
Seeing 'Participate in Cathedral!' underlined in my journal, I closed my eyes for a moment and thought.
Cathedral... so it's Cathedral...
As expected, only South Korea flowed a little differently due to my intervention; international society was still progressing as per the original story. And if predictions were correct, the Cathedral, a gathering of global villain leaders, would soon be formed and hold its first meeting.
"Hmm..."
I tapped the desk with my fingers, lost in thought for a moment.
Cathedral. In the original story, it was an organization only mentioned in passing because no South Korean villain participated in it. However, while it wasn't important in Korea, it was quite a significant gathering on a global scale. After all, when S-rank villains, each with strong and independent personalities, and only the strongest among them, gather, it clearly looks dangerous and important.
Of course, in reality, it wasn't anything extraordinary. Everyone just gathered occasionally to exchange information, sometimes collaborate on terror attacks, and that was it. Though that would change once the very late stages of the original story began.
Anyway, the one who gathered these villains and formed the meeting was the villain Celeste, who was considered the strongest among all villains. She was the unofficial Rank 1 villain, and also led her own villainous alliance, Aetheria.
In other words, other S-rank villains gathered because she called them, curious if there was something significant; if anyone else had called, they wouldn't have bothered. That's how powerful her standing was.
Anyway, Cathedral, where villain leaders gathered periodically. It became very important in the latter half of the original story, and as it was an opportunity to get involved in global affairs, I absolutely had to participate.
The problem, however, was whether this globally infamous organization would even call me. Every single person there wielded immense international influence, whereas I had mostly operated within Korea, so my recognition wasn't significant outside the country.
In other words, it was a moment of crisis.
But of course, I had a plan.
What are human connections, really? Just as South Korea runs on blood ties, regional connections, and school networks, this world too can be navigated by leveraging one's network.
So, in short, I was going to pull some strings.
And as luck would have it, I had a very reliable backer.
Having made up my mind, I picked up my phone and went to my contacts. Let's see... where's Atlas's number?
Ah, here it is.
"Ahem, ahem."
After clearing my throat briefly, and preparing my English pronunciation.
I made the call.
"Oh, Boss! It's been a while, hasn't it? It's Egotistic. How have you been?"
The first strategy of a top-tier villain.
Use every card you can.
***
A colossal underwater city, built deep in the North Atlantic.
This was Atlas City, the stronghold of the Lattice Faction.
In the massive building at its center, a man sat on a throne, looking down at the figure below him.
"...Right. So, the famous Celeste has invited me, Atlas?"
"Indeed. My master wishes to cordially invite Lord Atlas, who commands the entire North Atlantic and marshals tens of thousands of troops."
As Celeste's envoy, clad in a white robe, spoke, the muscular man seated on the throne above, Atlas, stroked his beard and replied.
"Hmm, yes. A request from none other than Celeste herself... I suppose I shall make the arduous journey."
"Thank you, my..."
"However, I have a condition."
Just as the envoy, who had been bowing, paused with a look of bewilderment.
Atlas leaned back on his throne, a pleased smile on his face as if just the thought delighted him, and asked the envoy before him.
"Tell me. Do you happen to know of someone named Egotistic?"
"...Pardon?"