Chapter 81

EP 13 - International Hunter Perspective (8)

Noah Lumiere does not force benevolence on others.

To her, the path of relief is a mission she must bear alone. If she makes a hasty judgment and trusts the wrong person, many people will die.

That's why, though others may not know, she basically does not trust people. She has no expectation that others will be as good as she is.

Her distrust of people is almost like an obsession. Thanks to this, she is still alive.

"As you know, I am both an Awakened and a politician. So I understand. When politicians get involved in saving lives, it ultimately turns into a campaign. Political activities only advocate for the interests of specific groups and can never lead to universal benevolence."

The reason she listens particularly intently to Han Seung-moon's words is,

"I will introduce you to the Association. While it cooperates with the government, it is an independent organization. Most importantly, they are willing to roll up their sleeves and save lives. They have actually done so."

It's because he has never once mentioned the elixir.

* * *

To be honest, since she was not a bodhisattva, even if she was objectively good, she had choked up several times during her conversation with Han Seung-moon.

"You see the Awakening Agent as a tool for peace. Even if you take the Awakening Agent away, conflicts will not disappear."

Especially this conspiracy theory.

The EU, willing to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of lives to capture the PMC, will attack the PMC instead of using the Awakening Agent to save people. This despicable idea itself was a major negation of her life.

"Once the EU decides to take control of local areas, the Awakening Agent can only be used as a leash, not as support for the PMC. That's why I can't hand it over to them."

The more Noah Lumiere heard this conspiracy theory, the more indignant she became.

The more she felt herself wavering, the more her indignation grew.

She knew better than anyone how hard the acting authority in France was working for the country. She was not the type to ignore the efforts of policymakers.

Of course, not all European politicians were good, but she did not want to doubt the people she worked with just because of the sweet talk of a stranger she had just met.

Still, as she listened to Han Seung-moon, she found herself developing suspicions she never had before, which was really frustrating.

"The moment the EU joint army monopolizes the supply of the Awakening Agent, the power of the Hunters will grow, and instead of driving away the monsters, the EU's active involvement will only fuel the conflicts between the PMC."

She was clearly wavering. Trapped in the conspiracy theory, she did not know what was true, and was listening to Han Seung-moon's opinions to gather information.

And she was being slowly persuaded.

It was all according to Han Seung-moon's plan, and she was very annoyed that she had been cornered.

When a young pup is annoying, you scold it, but he keeps badmouthing other countries. It was a country that had been saved with countless lives, so her anger was not just for herself.

"That's the nature of politicians."

"…!"

However, every time she was about to retort, she suddenly realized something.

So she tightly closed her mouth.

"......"

Is this the attitude of someone with a terminal illness?

Clearly, what she had offered to Han Seung-moon was a bait to restore his lifespan. Her original persuasion strategy was also focused on this.

Whether it was receiving money, threatening, enticing, or giving a small part at a time.

It was not that she was being malicious, but there was indeed value in it.

Elixir.

Elixir.

The highest-grade potion that the European Union can currently produce.

A treatment that cannot be priced, refined from two and a half pieces of black marble and two Code A-class monsters.

Considering that the blood of those who died in the process of monster extermination was used, this elixir was truly priceless.

A person whose brain was half gone was regenerated, and a tycoon who traded his entire fortune for it was cured of cancer and had his lifespan doubled.

All by a single drop.

Whether this could really treat Han Seung-moon or not was unknown due to the lack of experimental results, but at least there was no better medicine for humans than this.

However,

Han Seung-moon never mentioned it.

He pushed her to talk about justice and morality but never about self-interest. At least, that's how it seemed to her.

"The political engineering of the EU is undoubtedly selfish. That's why I cannot trust them. The Awakening Agent should be distributed, but it should not pass through their hands."

"......"

"To save more lives, the international distribution of the Awakening Agent should be led by the Hunter Association. And I would like you to contribute to this, Executive Officer."

She was ashamed.

She had come with the intention of making a profit from the elixir, but here was a politician from another country more concerned about his country, even though he had less than ten years left to live and was willing to sacrifice his own life.

Noah Lumiere does not trust people. She does not expect them to be good.

But, because she believes that good people should be rewarded, she carefully opened the lid of the elixir. It was something that should have been tested a bit more.

She asked Han Seung-moon,

"......Do you mean that the political sphere should be completely excluded? The EU Council, or South Korea."

"The government should not be involved in the cooperation between Hunters."

"......"

"Political logic should not be involved in saving lives."

It was truly remarkable.

He, who had firmly refused to hand over the Awakening Agent, was now naturally discussing cooperation.

And,

"The cooperation between Hunters is a problem that needs to be resolved promptly for the common good of humanity, and I personally believe that the distribution of the Awakening Agent should be as smooth as possible, regardless of national interests."

A member of parliament was discussing public welfare, not national interests,

"The important thing is that the process of deciding who to use the Awakening Agent on should be fair, and therefore, political forces such as the government should not be overly involved."

A politician was saying that political forces should be excluded for the sake of justice.

"......Oh, my."

"Yes?"

"No, please continue."

Noah Anne-Marie Lumiere.

31 years old.

Formerly, an emergency medicine specialist at Médecins Sans Frontières (Operational Center Paris).

Currently, the Chief Executive Officer of the European Union Joint Army Special Operations Command Executive Committee and a hero.

"Are you not worried about technology leaks?"

"I am, but we must save those who can be saved first. And there are ways."

"Good. Ah, would you like to try this?"

She acknowledged one person.

"...Yes. It tastes like strawberries. What is it?"

"Elixir."

*

They agreed to discuss the details after the election, and Lumiere returned to her country. On the surface, it was similar to the process with General Lee Chung-bin, but there was a reason she could return with a smile.

She had heard Han Seung-moon's blueprint.

1. People selected by the Korean Awakened Association will be allowed to enter the country.

2. They will be awakened in Korea and then sent back to their home countries.

3. The entire process will be led by the Hunter Association, headed by Hong Sun-ah, and Noah Lumiere.

Of course, it was just a verbal agreement without a contract, and merely a commitment to do so in the future, but Noah Lumiere returned with a broad smile.

Along with the position of permanent advisor to the Korean Awakened Association, she was bringing a significant gift to Europe.

The method to close the gate.

More precisely, the original technology for the gate axis disruptor developed by a gambler. Of course, it was one of the items they planned to disclose to the world soon.

And Pi Chae-won asked,

"......Why are you doing this?"

She asked, knowing why Han Seung-moon did it. It was too unsettling to just let it go.

The conspiracy theory between the EU and the PMC.

The pressure and enticement on Lumiere.

The international distribution of the Awakening Agent led by the Association.

And the natural reduction of government influence.

All of this was to check Won Ok-bun.

"Did the European government really incite conflicts between the PMC...?"

"I don't know."

In the end, it was all baseless speculation.

It was a truly ambiguous and unsubstantiated speculation, but the results achieved through this speculation were very clear.

By using the EU as an excuse to reduce the influence of both governments in the Awakening Agent situation, he had effectively blocked any room for Won Ok-bun to intervene.

Considering that the production of the Awakening Agent was controlled by Tian Hua and the GS Group, and taking into account the intangible influence Han Seung-moon had on the Hunter Association,

Han Seung-moon had effectively taken control of the Awakening Agent situation.

And to achieve this, he had used the conspiracy theory to sow suspicion and distrust between Lumiere and the EU.

Only three people knew about this clear yet ambiguous scam.

Two, excluding Han Seung-moon himself.

And the informant, though a person of strong justice, remained silent due to his deep friendship and trust in Han Seung-moon, and a tiny bit of fear.

So,

"Is this really okay?"

The only person who could raise objections was Pi Chae-won.

"Is this really okay...?"

Of course, Pi Chae-won did not have the ability to propose a better alternative. She was always sad because she knew this better than anyone.

Pi Chae-won knew Han Seung-moon's thoughts inside out and could fully understand why he did it.

And because she could not propose a better alternative, she could only be a bystander. This was a lesson she learned from protecting Han Seung-moon since investigating Cha Jae-geun.

Han Seung-moon deduced several pieces of information from a short conversation.

The suspicious movements of the EU.

Signs of internal conflict.

And an unknown aggressiveness towards the outside and an obsession with the Awakening Agent.

Based on this, he speculated about potential dangers and extracted some facts to pressure Lumiere when necessary.

In this sense, Han Seung-moon's claims were all like Schrödinger's cat.

They could be true or false. Without spreading the National Intelligence Service across Europe, it was impossible to know.

So the information was paradoxical, existing simultaneously as truth and falsehood.

However,

If it was useful, it could be utilized, and if it was dangerous, it could be thoroughly prepared for, and if it was unsettling, it could be cleanly eliminated. That was politics.

In the world of politics, the facts were not important. What mattered was how they were perceived and utilized.

Only the results, which appeared in terms of life and death, proved the essence.

In the end, all philosophy became useless, and extreme pragmatism took center stage.

In this sense, Han Seung-moon believed he had taken the most effective action.

He did not lose sight of national interests, personal interests, or public welfare.

That's why he could be confident in front of Pi Chae-won.

Their relationship was always like this. To be confident in front of someone who can read your mind, you must live confidently.

Han Seung-moon maintained a confident silence.

However,

Only Pi Chae-won,

Harbored deep regret and occasionally thought,

'......This, this is a bit-'

*

"This is it!"

Yang Pan-seok, who rarely gave such colorful praise, seemed to be drunk.

"Wow...! Won Ok-bun must be burning with jealousy. You stripped everything from him while he was distracted."

He laughed and showed a photo from an electronic newspaper.

In the photo, Hong Sun-ah and Lumiere were shaking hands, with a banner in the background, a typical political concept shot.

In another photo, Hong Sun-ah was presenting an appointment letter to Lumiere, who was now the internationally recognized permanent advisor to the Korean Hunter Association.

Of course, whether the French military had a rule against holding multiple positions or not, who would tear apart a more prominent figure than the president over such a trivial matter?

Regardless of the process, Lumiere's political standing had undoubtedly risen significantly. It seemed she had personally secured the technology to close the gate.

"Great photo, isn't it?"

Yang Pan-seok was delighted as if it were his own achievement. I calmly picked the bones out of the potato soup and asked,

"Why are you so happy?"

"You've grown too big."

Yang Pan-seok laughed and mixed rice with turnip.

"Usually, the bigger you get, the harder it is to move around. When you're young, you do some odd jobs, work as a spokesperson, attend inaugurations, and almost get into trouble for a slip of the tongue in the standing committee. But as you gain more weight, you can't even be the best member of parliament."

"Ah... I see."

"There are experiences you can only get in certain positions. And what was a great achievement in those days becomes nothing when you're bigger. It's a concept similar to the value of your size..."

"I understand."

"Originally, re-elected members join the foreign affairs committee. The biggest advantage for big shots is overseas. It boosts their prestige and fattens their wallets. But you, without even being told, managed to secure foreign projects. What else could this be but a blue-chip rising above its peers?"

Yang Pan-seok grinned, his face flushed with alcohol, and poured more drinks. A red octopus appeared.

But I knew this guy was always drunk on the outside but sober on the inside, so I tried to maintain my composure and politely accepted the drink.

"Well, the best news isn't that."

Yang Pan-seok smiled genuinely.

"Congratulations. I'm the one who's going to get old and die first."

"......What are you congratulating me for?"

I subtly smiled and refilled his soju glass.

We smiled and raised our glasses.

"Ugh...!"

"Kyaah!"

I took the elixir.

The results were unclear, but

At least the rapid aging stopped.

"Even if the years I've already aged won't come back. Still, dying in my 70s is a huge happiness."

"Seventies? What seventies? I couldn't even live half as long as you. It's a good thing you won't have to see me suffer from old age. Live well after I'm gone."

"Hey, Representative Yang...!"

"Hahaha...!"

This old man is unusually cheerful today. I wonder what's up. The stack of bottles suggests he's really going all out.

"Are the aides preparing well for the election?"

"They're not beginners; they've been around Yeouido for a few years."

"Stop talking about your old age. Do you plan to run in this general election?"

"The campaign team is all set up. I'm just going to watch."

"Hey... You're the one they can't do without."

"Surely not!"

"These days, you can't do without an opposition member. I don't know much about running a party, but..."

Yang Pan-seok hesitated and trailed off.

"Anyway, you're not running, right?"

"Yes."

"This is a bit awkward... I thought you'd like it."

"Huh?"

"Um, no."

At the time, I didn't understand what he meant.

"Um, isn't the general election about stabbing each other in the back for fun?"

"...?"

"Anyway, let's both do our best."

*

Joint Election D - 26.

- This afternoon at 6, at the National Party's presidential candidate election camp, Acting Authority Won Ok-bun commented that Cha Jae-geun's military regime was a core collaborator.

The shots of Sarajevo were heard.

EP 13

International Hunter Perspective

END