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The opportunity was none other than the one that Korea created for itself.

Unbeknownst to itself, it had managed to create such an opportunity!

The council member cried out once again.

“Everyone! What did I say!”

He was brimming with confidence.

Perhaps it was due to his belief that he was right; his confidence was rippling as if it would break through all limits, and he appeared arrogant and dignified as though he had contained the entire world within his own thoughts.

“Korea is like a brat throwing a tantrum! And it is the duty of an adult to discipline such a child and help them understand the world! As adults, we Japanese must make Korea acutely aware of how immature and nonsensical its actions have been!”

He asserted once more.

Armed force.

Let’s project armed force!

“Of course, as adults, it would be embarrassing to treat a child seriously. So, I propose this: instead of using such ‘seriousness’ like war and whatnot, how about we use other methods!”

The council member floundered around the gathering like a fish in water.

Others in attendance gave him disapproving looks as he stirred about the meeting as if it were his own home, yet no one particularly restrained him.

There were various reasons for this.

Some agreed with the council member’s statements, while others were intrigued by his suggestion of using alternatives instead of war, and some maintained an indifferent attitude, merely observing the situation. There were also those who simply remained quietly watchful.

And the biggest reason was…

The ‘elder’ remained silent.

The most senior figure in the gathering, who had previously restrained the council member and made some assumptions, was now quietly keeping his mouth shut. Instead, he watched the council member, seemingly listening to his words.

*Cluck, cluck. Is my insight diminishing with age…?*

The reason the elder was so still was simple.

It was because what he had said at the last meeting was wrong.

In a small gathering that could be counted on one hand, it might not matter too much.

In a private meeting, it might not be an issue either.

In venues where connections were made, such concerns could be overlooked, and especially in gatherings where elders were present, it might not be a significant problem.

However, in this gathering, he was the person who could not afford to be wrong.

He needed to flaunt the wisdom and insights of an elder and maintain a position that earned the respect of others.

The decline of authority stems from failure.

*It’s still within the realm of mistakes, but…*

Of course, saying that what was said at the previous gathering was wrong doesn’t outright qualify it as a failure. The elder was merely speaking of possibilities that emerged from his experience, after all.

But if such mistakes continued to repeat, they would transform into failures.

And once those failures accumulate, the established authority would crumble like a sandcastle, and if that were to happen, he would morph from a ‘respected elder’ into an ‘elder whose brilliance has started to fade, possibly due to age.’

That must never, ever happen.

Thus, the elder chose a simple method.

To observe the situation.

By watching and waiting, if things went well, he could shower praises like “Despite his young age, his insight is remarkable, and the future is promising,” and it would suffice; if things didn’t pan out well, he could simply tidy things up.

In that case, he would incur no losses.

“What do you mean by other methods?”

And such silence from the elder empowered others.

Those who typically just monitored the elder’s reactions began to take the initiative and speak to the council member.

“Other methods… What could be so complicated?”

The council member, perhaps happy to receive attention, exclaimed with a smile.

Confidently.

“Let’s send a capable person to Korea!”

“A capable person…?”

Everyone listening to the council member fell silent simultaneously.

But this silence wasn’t born of shock or anything of the sort.

They paused not in disbelief but to reflect on the potential of such an idea.

“Well. The thought is good, but… What sort of capable person are you thinking of sending?”

Indeed.

Words are easy enough to say.

Let’s send a capable person.

Yet, contrary to those easy words, reality told a different story.

Korea was classified as a military power.

Even those who didn’t favor Korea admitted as much.

Throughout its history, Korea had poured money and effort into its military, first to prepare against North Korea during its existence, and then to fend off evil spirits and ghosts arising from above after its collapse. Particularly, the level of investment in the army had reached almost a frenzied state.

Moreover, this abnormal investment, combined with efforts to capture evil spirits and ghosts, and the small area of land, had transformed Korea into a fortress virtually impossible to infiltrate.

More accurately, while infiltration was possible, it would certainly be discovered.

The black boxes that vehicles must have.

The multitude of CCTVs densely placed on roadways and in cities.

Surveillance equipment and alarm systems near crucial facilities.

Military units, each with advanced monitoring devices tucked into their vulnerable spots.

The multi-purpose artificial satellites that Korea splurged on.

And surveillance satellites borrowed from America.

Infiltrating Korea without being caught was a profoundly tough task.

Moreover, in this cramped country, numerous powerful warriors and capable magicians existed, and in remote mountain areas, summoners often made villas for themselves.

The government had lured retiring capable individuals with extraordinary benefits to set up bases.

From the government’s perspective, having powerful capable individuals stationed at weak points and strategic locations was reassuring, and for retiring capable individuals, the benefits provided were immense, allowing them to enjoy a leisurely retirement life.

It was win-win.

Yet for them, this win-win scenario was a stomach-turning situation for someone else.

Especially if that someone harbored evil intent.

To boldly hide in the city after escaping such remote areas?

It’s possible.

But in Korea, there existed a magical number called ‘Resident Registration Number’ that no other country has.

Not having one would dramatically cloud one’s living situation in Korea, as if it were a magic number.

Moreover, the management of this magical number was exceedingly thorough.

The Korean government learned through espionage capture operations in the 1980s how efficient it was in finding spies, and since then, the government and the National Intelligence Service had meticulously kept management on it. So thoroughly, you couldn’t even dream of forging one.

Inject a capable person into such a Korea?

They would need the capability or equipment to avoid black boxes and CCTVs.

They would need the means to evade the detection of capable individuals and summon creatures in remote areas.

They would need the intelligence to evade surveillance equipment spread everywhere.

And they would have to either forge a Resident Registration Number, or alternatively, get the assistance of local Korean collaborators.

This was the bare minimum requirement for inserting a capable person.

Meeting those minimum conditions would allow for the safe completion of operations without easy detection.

Of course, meeting those conditions wasn’t impossible.

Black boxes and CCTVs?

While numerous, equipment capable of avoiding them had already been developed.

Capable individuals and summon creatures in remote areas?

It was daunting only because their locations weren’t known; if one could find out where they resided, merely avoiding those areas while moving would suffice.

Surveillance equipment?

Just don’t go near them, right?

Collaborators?

Korea still had plenty of pro-Japanese individuals and Japanese companies operating within its borders.

It would suffice to receive their help.

Yes.

Meeting those conditions was not a difficult task.

The problem was that the individuals at this gathering could not meet even those minimum conditions.

“We are neither a Self-Defense Force nor a Public Security Investigation Agency. It’s not easy for us.”

If the government took action, or if the Self-Defense Force engaged, they could easily meet those conditions.

Would they even just meet those conditions?

Certainly, there would be agents currently conducting ‘operations’ in Korea.

Yet the people in this room were merely aristocrats.

The former glorious influence they had over the military during the Imperial era was now just a distant memory; now they held only regional power, money, and connections in the political and economic spheres.

Were they capable of deploying an individual with military operational capacity?

They couldn’t even get close to that.

Neither America nor the Japanese government.

They absolutely did not want the aristocrats to have ‘armed force.’

Both the American government and the Self-Defense Forces expressed strong caution against the aristocracy exerting military influence to engage in foolishness like in the Imperial era, while the Japanese government was firmly on guard against the aristocracy obtaining armed forces and becoming warlords.

Thus, the aristocrats were simply unable to possess powerful armed forces.

They acknowledged personal capabilities to some extent.

They recognized a bit of personal ability for self-defense.

But to form a faction?

To create a significant group?

A stern warning would come from the government.

And if warnings weren’t heeded, agents would come forth to make ‘warning’ a reality, even by assassination.

Thus, they had no choice but to display dissatisfaction towards the council member’s proposal of deploying capable individuals.

Yet the council member spoke as if he had anticipated such responses.

“Everyone, would I not have considered such things?”

The council member laughed confidently.

“There is someone who will help us! If we receive assistance from that person, we won’t have to worry about being caught on video or in photographs as we move through Korea!”

 

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