Chapter 211

HELHEIM SCANS

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]

Chapter 211: Sword Demon (1)

Sword Demon took the phone.

"Seo Jinchul. It's Sword Demon."

—I know, coward. What do you want?

A stiff voice came from the receiver. It was as if he was staring at something repulsive.

"...I know. I was a bit of a mess when I was young. But isn't it a bit much to ignore my calls?"

—Hmph. Think about the things you've done. You gave false interviews, took only the advantageous parts of recordings, and incited public opinion.

Nakazawa's face reddened.

It was a long time ago.

When Sword Saint was active in Korea.

Japan was also greatly stimulated.

They needed a rival.

So they put the young swordsman, Nakazawa, forward. Nakazawa was indeed a great swordsman.

His misfortune was that he lived in the same era as Sword Saint.

The difference in their skills was clear, and Japan and Nakazawa, who couldn't stand being buried like this, joined hands and played all sorts of tricks. They gave false interviews, extracted phone recordings, and used various other means.

Through this, they created the image that Sword Demon was Sword Saint's rival, at least in Japan.

—And yet, you always avoided sparring, even though you were dying to. Are you even a swordsman? And if you have any shame, wouldn't it be normal to contact me?

Nakazawa's face flushed.

At least in front of Sword Saint, he had done such pathetic things that he couldn't even argue when called a coward.

So he had nothing to say in rebuttal.

He quickly changed the subject.

"...It's about Kim Minwoo. There will be a lot of problems in this situation."

—So?

"I can help him. No, I intend to help him with all my might. You can think of it as atonement, or an old man's whim."

—What do you want?

"Let's fight."

—...Fight? You, the coward?

A rather surprised voice came from the receiver.

"Yes. Before I get any older, before I completely lose my skills... I want to have a proper match with you, even if it's just once."

He was praised as Sword Demon.

He had built a strong image of himself as a swordsman who was not inferior to Korea's Sword Saint.

When he was young, he was satisfied with that.

Even if it was a false reputation, being compared to Sword Saint was definitely an advantage.Cheêck out latest novels at novelhall.com

But now...

—You've gotten old, Nakazawa.

"Yes, I have. So old that I want to be proud of myself, even if it's just once before I die..."

Nakazawa replied with a bitter smile. He wanted to be honest now.

No, he wanted to fight Sword Saint, even if it was just once before he died.

—Is that all you want?

"Yes, that's all. But whether you accept it or not, I will do my best to help this young man. Don't worry about that."

—Do as you wish. Then you will get what you want.

Nakazawa's face brightened rapidly. When he called, he was worried that Sword Saint would refuse the duel.

As expected...

The key point was to win over Kim Minwoo. The moment he said he would help him, Sword Saint's tone changed.

"...Okay, I understand. Ahem. Well, take care. Just in case, I'm telling you, don't die of old age. I'll be there soon."

—Anytime. Now put Minwoo on the phone.

"Okay."

Kim Minwoo, who was a little further away, took the call.

"Yes, sir. It's me."

—I saw your hunting video too. Sword Demon is right. The Japanese won't stay still.

"That's right. That's why I was a bit tempted."

—Yes. Don't refuse the help he offers. At least in Japan, Sword Demon's name will carry weight.

"Are you sure, sir? If you're doing this because of me..."

—No. I also wanted to teach that guy a lesson before I die. You have no idea how annoying he was. I don't know if you would know...

He knew.

He knew it very well.

It was impossible not to know the story of Sword Saint and Sword Demon.

It was a famous anecdote even within the game. However, in the original game story, Sword Saint and Sword Demon never fought, but now things were flowing differently. From the atmosphere, it seemed like they would have a showdown soon.

Anyway.

"Thank you, sir."

—Yes, you must be busy, so I'll hang up first.

The call ended.

He made eye contact with Nakazawa.

Sword Demon, who was looking at him with a satisfied and relieved expression, said,

"...Since this happened after Kim Minwoo came, it must be because of Kim Minwoo."

"Why? Are Kim Minwoo and Sword Demon close? I heard they didn't even know each other?"

"...That's right. But Kim Minwoo is closely connected to Sword Saint."

"...So?"

"On the other hand, our government has always ignored Sword Demon's requests. The sparring requests, that is."

"Are you crazy! You're saying that's why he's doing this?"

Prime Minister Masato asked in shock.

Recently, for whatever reason, Sword Demon had been making unofficial requests to the government, saying he wanted to fight Sword Saint.

Of course, they ignored him.

The reason was simple.

They might be called fated rivals, but it was obvious that the Sword Demon would lose.

It was a fact that the high-ranking officials of the government were all secretly aware of.

After all, it was the government that raised the Sword Demon as a rival to the Sword Saint.

Then, the whole of Japan, which had built its image as a rival, would be humiliated.

So they were trying to stop it as much as possible.

They even put subtle pressure on the Korean government to refuse the duel.

"...Maybe that's why. No matter how much he listened to our government's requests, it would be difficult to get what he wanted. He might be thinking that."

"So that's why he's messing things up now?"

"...If not, I can't think of anything else. And Sword Demon is not a traitor. He's an Awakened who has dedicated himself to our Japan. You must be careful what you say."

"...I know! Sigh. I was just angry for a moment, it was a slip of the tongue."

At the aide's advice, Prime Minister Masato sighed and nodded.

"...Okay. I understand. Then what do you think we should do? If this continues, my position will be in danger. We need to put out the fire."

"There's no other choice. We have to negotiate with Kim Minwoo..."

"...Damn it."

Just then.

The phone rang.

It was the Prime Minister's personal phone.

The caller was Sword Demon.

He stared at it for a while, then answered after about five rings.

"Is this Sword Demon?"

—Ah, hello? Is this the Prime Minister? This is Kim Minwoo.

"...Why are you..."

—As you know, the situation has become a bit complicated. The knots are meant to be untied.

"...What are you talking about untying? Everything is already tangled."

—Is that so? Then I'll hang up.

"No, wait! My friend. Why are you so impatient? Aren't we Japanese famous for beating around the bush?"

A chuckle was heard from the other end of the line.

Grit.

The Prime Minister bit his lip.

Still, he was the one who needed something, so there was nothing he could do.

"What do you want?"

—I heard from Sword Demon that you refused his duel request? He was very disappointed. As you know, Sword Demon is a great patriot. So he couldn't openly disobey the government's orders... He was very troubled.

"...So?"

—Sword Demon vs. Sword Saint. It's a hot topic, at least in Korea and Japan. If we can turn public opinion around with this, it might give the government some breathing room.

"...You want me to give you an official match? Like a national competition?"

—Exactly. If you do that, I'll put in a good word for the Japanese government.

"What kind of word?"

—Well... There was actually a request for support behind the scenes. They wanted to resolve the issue as soon as possible, but the top guilds dragged their feet. So, with tears in his eyes, the Prime Minister requested support from a Korean Awakened...

"Wait, what? Are you telling me to turn all the Awakened into enemies? Are you asking me to drink from a poisoned chalice?"

—Do you have any other way to solve the Prime Minister's crisis? If this continues, it'll be the story of a 'geommeoweo' coming in and solving everything in one go.

[TL/N: Geommeoweo is a korean slang]

The Prime Minister tapped his forehead.

He felt like his head was splitting.

—If that's difficult, there is another way.

"What is it?"

—We can blame it on the Katana guild master. We can say he made a wrong decision while in command, or that he stalled for time. There are plenty of good reasons like that.

"...Did you have a grudge against Kentaro or something?"

—He had a grumpy look on his face. I thought he would be annoying if we left him alone. So how about we make him a traitor?

"Hmm..."

The Prime Minister's ears perked up.

If it was the sole decision of the 'Katana guild master' who held command, rather than the entire top guild, wouldn't there be no need to turn all the Japanese Awakened into enemies?

And come to think of it.

It was definitely a fact that Kentaro had a grumpy look on his face.

"That's... attractive. I didn't like that guy either."

—Right? He looked like he'd be good at abusing his power. We can just make up a case.

At those words, a smile appeared on the Prime Minister's lips.

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