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Japan will not acknowledge any wrongdoing, no matter what happens.

Even if they realize their mistakes or if all circumstances point at them.

Things that smell should be covered.

For a long time, Japan has turned a blind eye and deaf ear to everything unfavorable, and they will continue to do so in the future.

Thus, the best Korea can do is find such solid evidence that Japan can’t keep playing blind. And rather than confronting them directly, it could attack Japan by shouting loudly and filling the moat with evidence, or alternatively, leverage the evidence as a bargaining chip.

For that reason, the best scenario would be if the incident involved a divine object.

“They will surely try their hardest to recover it since it’s related to the Japanese colonial period….”

“They won’t be keen on it being known either. Most people probably wouldn’t even know what they did during the imperial era, thanks to the policy of indoctrination.”

“It’s ridiculous. A diplomat from their country doesn’t even know their own history? I heard he graduated from the Department of History, but it seems they don’t teach proper history there….”

“Well, with people like that, negotiations might actually become easier, right?”

“That’s true. How embarrassing would it be for them if foreigners, especially those Europeans they adore so much, started talking about different content than what they teach?”

Since the policy of 탈아입구 (脱亜入欧) was proclaimed, Japan has yearned for Europe while looking down on Asia.

This trend intensified with the rise of 정한론 (征韓論), the occupation of Joseon, colonization, and the policy of 내선일체 (内鮮一体), leading to a policy of genocide.

And after fighting and winning against China, this attitude peaked; by the time they defeated Russia and formed an alliance with Germany, they believed themselves to be a great empire no less than the European powers.

Now, decades have passed since that time, yet this mentality still lingers. Although they classify themselves as Asian, they think of themselves as closer to Europe and often make disparaging remarks about other Asian countries.

A prime example is how they refer to Korea and China, countries that don’t particularly like them, as “those Asian countries.” It’s a statement that reflects their reluctance to even acknowledge being Asian themselves.

Such attitudes from Japan were certainly enough to provoke anger from other nations…

But now, it could become a blade threatening their own necks.

For the most fearful thing for those displaying such attitudes is being seen with disdain by the very object of their admiration.

“But if this is the third case, it’s good, but will it really go as we wish?”

“Exactly. If the divine object is discovered and the evidence piles up, that would be good… but there’s a high likelihood that no evidence will remain.”

“Right, if we were to assume whatever was used as a sacrifice was tossed to us… what sacrifice could there be?”

“Hold on. They wouldn’t just use a sacrifice as is, right? There must have been materials and whatnot involved.”

“Even if it’s materials….”

However, claiming they will spread the word to Europe or America about what Japan has done is merely talk.

To actually make it happen, ‘evidence’ was needed.

But hope and reality are always at odds.

There was a possibility that the evidence wouldn’t come out as they wished, in which case they would have to consider other methods to pressure Japan.

“Hmm… materials.”

And another type of ‘evidence’ thought up by the high-ranking officials was exactly that—materials.

Materials that would have been used to create the monsters.

If it was born from magic, there surely were sacrifices and rituals, couldn’t they find some trace of Japan there?

However, they couldn’t think beyond that point.

They were not well-versed in magic, nor could they use it.

They weren’t experts.

The high-ranking officials’ knowledge of magic was limited to “It’s easy to start, but the cost is far greater than imagined,” “An ability that exerts power through offerings and costs,” and “Useful in many ways, but hard to find someone who specializes in it.”

Thus, no matter how many doubts they raised or how many questions they posed, they were stuck in place.

“Talking about materials, it just came to mind, but aren’t these monsters spreading all over the country?”

“Exactly.”

“Then wouldn’t it be possible to find connections by looking carefully at how these divine objects moved?”

Even if someone wondered how the monsters spread nationwide,

“Well, since they are magical, they must have used some method, wouldn’t they?”

“They are called yokai… they might have enchanted people to place their divine object there….”

“They could have moved along the river, or perhaps clung onto something like a vehicle.”

“Do divine objects have feet or something?”

“Well, looking at shamans from other countries, they can make evil spirits or evil ghosts create divine objects and even animate dolls, so why wouldn’t it be possible?”

This all boiled down to the conclusion of “It’s magic, so it probably worked somehow.”

Thus, the only option they had left was singular.

“Park Jinseong the Shaman, despite being young, seems to possess abundant knowledge. All the speculations he made sound reasonable.”

“Well, his life experience may lack, but gaining skill in special abilities doesn’t come just through age. He might be at a level much higher than his experience would suggest.”

“When it comes to magic, what’s visible is not all there is.”

“Right. Let’s trust him and assign the task.”

It was merely a matter of placing trust in Park Jinseong.

It wasn’t their only option.

But for them, this was the best choice.

Though he was young, he appeared to have a substantial grasp of magic, and unlike the ‘non-experts’ who had helped with magical-related incidents before, he was an actual ‘shaman’ and was vouched for by the trustworthy Lee Yang-hoon.

Plus, thinking about it, being young was not a significant drawback.

With his youthful and handsome appearance, he would likely attract people’s attention, and since he would have less experience and wouldn’t have dealt with many people, it would be easier to manipulate him to their liking.

They had many weapons at their disposal.

Patriotism.

Money.

Power.

Honor.

Precious magical materials.

Information.

…

…

…

The high-ranking officials were convinced.

They might not know what kind of person Park Jinseong was or what he lived for.

But with the boiling blood of youth, he would undoubtedly feel a sense of affinity for the government.

And tethered by that affinity, they believed he would move the way they desired.

* * *

The government misjudged Park Jinseong.

They assumed he acted for himself.

For his own benefit.

And this assumption of the government was not entirely incorrect.

“Rise. How is it going?”

However, he simply desired something different from what they thought.

Jinseong was on a video call in the dimly lit top floor, and behind him was a woman dressed in shamaness attire.

The woman gazed at Jinseong with sparkling eyes, and above her head, fox ears wiggled. In the background, a large brush-like object moved, presumably a tail displayed by Rise.

Rise was welcoming Park Jinseong, the shaman of Japan.

[ As the deity said, the atmosphere is boiling. ]

Rise replied to Jinseong’s question with a smile.

[ The people who were acting violently see this as an opportunity and are using their connections to flood the media with all kinds of articles. ]

Saying this, Rise held up her tablet to show the screen.

『 Korea, finally faces divine punishment. 』

『 The curse of Amaterasu has fallen upon Korea. 』

『 An anonymous Korean: “This incident is a calamity caused by the immorality of Koreans… The Korean government must apologize for their mistakes.” 』

『 Professor Suzuki: “This incident occurred due to Korea’s excessive urban development policies. Such actions are inconceivable in Japan, where we treasure nature.” 』

On the tablet she showed were various articles.

All those articles focused on Korea, lamenting about the calamity that had befallen them, while the comments attached to the articles claimed that Koreans had acted arrogantly and deserved the wrath of the deity.

That wasn’t all.

There were articles stating that calamities would continue to occur in Korea, that the Korean land was already cursed, and that if Korea were to fall, the top 1% of talents should be the only ones allowed to immigrate, while the rest should never be allowed to enter Japan.

There were even articles stating that while Japan would contribute to world peace, they had no intention of accepting fallen Koreans as refugees….

It was truly a festival.

A festival of hatred.

“A calamity that doesn’t descend upon one’s own house is always delightful. Especially when calamity befalls the house they’ve viewed as a thorn in their side, how could they not rejoice?”

[ Yes. Perhaps that’s why other lawmakers also seem to be in a frenzied atmosphere right now. ]

Rise said, putting away the tablet and looking at Jinseong.

Jinseong smiled at Rise’s words.

“Good. It’s going well.”

 

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