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Chapter 212: Sword Demon (2)
[Katana Guild Master's Abuse of Power Controversy!]
[Driver's Expose! Blackbox Footage Captures Slapping Incident...]
[The Reason for the Second Attack Team's Stagnation, Katana Guild Master?]
[Nine Guild Masters Testify! Katana Guild Master Intentionally Neglected to Inflate Achievements...]
A series of articles were published in Japan.
It started with the controversy over the abuse of power.
Kentaro, the guild master of Katana.
'He's a greedy and impatient guy.'
There were always problems with him.
But they didn't surface because he had strong ties with the Japanese upper rank.
But that was cut off overnight.
Prime Minister Masato chose to remove the Katana guild master to save himself.
All sorts of controversies erupted.
As if that wasn't enough, he was named as one of the main reasons for the failure of the second attack team, adding fuel to the fire of public opinion.
He looked at Nakazawa, the Sword Demon.
It was the Sword Demon who had actually actively advocated for burying Kentaro.
Kim Minwoo also knew his personality well, so he had contacted the Prime Minister.
"The articles are well written."
"Indeed. They're clean. That guy will never be able to recover. The Prime Minister and all nine major guilds have turned their backs on him. Well, I guess the other guild masters thought it was the right thing to do."
"He was a cocky bastard. I spoiled him, and he didn't know his place."
"Did he do that to you too, Sword Demon?"
"I've been retired for quite some time now. Would a washed-up old man like me even catch the eye of someone who doesn't know his place?"
"So you wanted to bury him."
"Well, it's not a bad thing for you either. Like I said before, this guy is narrow-minded. If he's going to be an enemy, you have to get rid of him first."
What would have happened if Nakazawa hadn't intervened?
'I would have probably fought him.'
He would have fought Kentaro, and on top of that, there was a high chance of conflict with the second attack team that followed.
But now it was different.
Not only was the situation resolved smoothly, but now I was very comfortably...
To be precise, he was in a famous ramen restaurant in Kyoto.
Merhen's bucket list.
One of them was to eat delicious ramen in Japan.
Cedric, whom he had also summoned, was enjoying the deep flavor of the broth.
—The broth is deep. Did you say it was made from pork bones?
—Delicious. Delicious.
Sword Demon's recommended restaurant, passed.
He saw a familiar number.
It was a call from Prime Minister Masato.
"Ah, I saw the articles. You handled it cleanly."
—It wasn't difficult since he was a ripe target. So, as you said before... I'd like you to help change public opinion. The Hokkaido disaster, you see.
"Are you in a hurry?"
—...What do you think the world's opinion will be?
"It won't be good. Probably."
—You're right. So, as you promised, tell them. The Katana guild was negligent. In the end, I asked for help, and you took action. I think that would be enough. Then public opinion about the government will ease up a bit.
"A promise is a promise. But, you know, don't you think the scales are a bit too one-sided?"
"You were in a situation where you had to hang someone to save yourself."
—...So, are you saying you can't do it? I took action right away.
"Ah, calm down. Didn't I say I'd keep my promise? Think back to what I said."
Silence followed on the other end of the line.
The Prime Minister's subdued voice was heard.
—...What more do you want?
"Nothing much. Really."
—Usually, when you say that, it means a lot.
"It's really nothing much. By the way, does Japan pursue a closed-door policy?"
—What does that mean?
"No, you have a lot of good products. But you hardly import anything. It's a shame."
Unlike the US, which actively trades,
And China, which has opened its doors to some extent, Japan's market was like a solid breakwater that couldn't be penetrated.
It was like that even when there was only the Ilsung Group, but it was even more so after Kim Minwoo became active.
It must have been from the very first time he broke the world record for an F-rank Gate. The more Kim Minwoo was active, the more exports to Japan drastically decreased.
"It's not like the government is banning anything, right? Our chairman is always frowning. He says Japan keeps setting unreasonable conditions."
"I'm not saying this for no reason, I'm just frustrated. Are our Ilsung products just ordinary products? Ilsung phones are sweeping the world, Ilsung equipment is as good as luxury brands, and runes are selling like hotcakes. Shouldn't Japanese Awakened also enjoy good things?"
It was a good opportunity.
A good opportunity to penetrate the closed Japanese market.
'The Prime Minister's power is strong.'
If he gives the OK sign, it's a free pass.
The timing was perfect.
Prime Minister Masato was a typical self-preservationist. This was evident from the fact that he immediately removed Kentaro. He was the type of person who would make a deal with the devil to maintain power.
And he could play an important role in maintaining Prime Minister Masato's power.
So he had to make a proposal at a time .
"I promised, so I'll make a statement on the broadcast for you. But my sincerity and enthusiasm will decrease a bit."
"Mr. Prime Minister. Let's become good friends."
—...Good friends? What does that mean?
"You know. The Chinese president, the US president. Haven't you heard anything about them?"
—You're saying you're good friends with those two?
"Of course. If it was just a business relationship, could we have been so closely intertwined?"
To be precise, he had the Chinese president on a leash, and he shared profits with the US president...
But there was no way the Japanese Prime Minister could know such complicated internal affairs.
To be blunt, the fact that he had threatened the Chinese president with a nuclear bomb was a top secret that even the US president didn't know.
[TL/N: I genuinely forgot when this happened]
—First, please resolve this matter.
Kim Minwoo readily nodded and turned on the broadcast.
Viewers began to flock.
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Prime Minister Masato, who had hung up the phone, waited for Kim Minwoo's broadcast.
The broadcast started soon after.
Kim Minwoo definitely kept his promise.
He criticized the "rotten water" like Kentaro, who was blinded by his own achievements, and even gave lip service, saying that the Prime Minister had asked for help.
—"The fact that I was able to safely enter Hokkaido was also due to the cooperation of the Japanese government, or to be precise, Prime Minister Masato. But why did I criticize him? The ones I criticized are the rotten water like Kentaro. It just so happened that the articles came out."
"Hmm. That's right. That's right."
This would put an end to the talk about the Japanese government's incompetence.
And at the right time, a scapegoat had appeared.
"By the way, cooperation..."
The Prime Minister's eyes sparkled.
Recently, diplomatic relations with Korea had entered a cooling-off period.
There was no special reason.
They say you're jealous even when your cousin buys land.
So how could they not be jealous when Korea, a country they implicitly treated as a younger brother, was doing well?
He could almost hear the sound of his approval rating dropping.
So he blocked information as much as possible.
He cooperated with numerous 'nationalists' NewTubers, deployed comment troops, and intentionally blocked information.
The members of Prime Minister Masato's government had been doing their best.
'But, it's an era of globalization.'
Masato also knew that he couldn't block it forever.
Korea's economic growth.
And its rise in status.
'If we can't stop it, shouldn't we reach out first...'
Even the president of the most powerful nation, the United States, had joined hands with Kim Minwoo.
And if they became 'good friends,' maybe some sweet honey would fall.
Kim Minwoo was not only a world ranker, but also a key figure in the famous Ilsung Group.
The Ilsung Group, which had risen from 20th to 9th in the world's business rankings in just six months.
The Prime Minister called the Chief Cabinet Secretary.
"Contact Korea. Let's have a friendly match with Sword Saint."
[Japanese Government Requests Friendly Match!]
[Sword Demon VS Sword Saint, 1st and 2nd place in the Hall of Fame! Will the match of the century happen?]
[Sword Saint Seo Jinchul readily accepts!]
[Sword Demon Nakazawa schedules his visit to Korea with Kim Minwoo...]
The friendly match between Sword Demon and Sword Saint.
The news that spread from Japan soon shook Korea as well.
The internet was on fire.
—Wow haha This is actually happening? Is this for real?
—What's going on? He always refused when Sword Demon asked lol
—Sword Demon said he wanted to fight once before he dies.
—Well, they're both grandpas over 80...
—But who do you think will win?
—Sword Saint. Just look at the betting sites. It's 8:2.
—Money doesn't lie haha
—Honestly, isn't Sword Demon overrated? Isn't he just famous in Japan?
—Is 2nd place in the Hall of Fame a joke to you? But it's a fact that he's inferior to Sword Saint.
—But is it true that it's a private duel?
—Considering they're both retired and their age, it makes sense.
—At least they're sharing the results haha I didn't even think this match would happen.
Sword Demon Nakazawa.
He was also watching the news. The majority, both in Japan and Korea, were betting on Sword Saint's victory.
'But, it's worth a try.'
His eyes gleamed sharply.
Because he was ashamed of his past actions.
Because he wanted to fight fair and square.
It was true that he had tried to make the duel happen for those reasons.
But basically, Nakazawa was a person who liked to move in situations where he had the advantage.
If it was obvious that he would lose miserably, he wouldn't have even thought of making the duel happen in the first place.
'I've changed a lot too.'
Instead of clinging to a useless reputation, he looked back on himself and spent time training and meditating.
Perhaps it was because he had let go of his greed and ego. His swordsmanship had improved even more during the period of training his mind than when he had fought countless battles.
'Lately, I feel like I can see something...'
‘It feels like I'm looking into a deeper realm, beyond the realm of simply swinging a sword with my body.’
Since he felt that sensation, no swordsman in Japan could withstand his sword for more than ten clashes.
'Maybe even Sword Saint...'
He might have the upper hand. That thought didn't change even after seeing Sword Saint's recent S-rank Gate record.
With a confident look in his eyes, he got into the car with Kim Minwoo and headed towards the Sword Sect.
Soon, a magnificent wooden building came into view.
In front of the gate.
A man with a very familiar face was standing there. He approached Kim Minwoo, who got out of the car with a bright smile.
"I'm always doing well. How about you, sir?"
"I've been well too. Just like you."
He patted Kim Minwoo on the shoulder and looked at Sword Demon, who was staring at him from behind.
"Long time no see, Sword Demon."
The two swordsmen looked at each other.
As is usual for swordsmen, a sharp aura emanated from Sword Demon's body. Sword Saint, however, was different. No aura could be felt from him.
If you didn't know any better, you would think he was just an ordinary old man out for a stroll.
Sensing this, Nakazawa's face hardened.
'He's completely hiding his aura?'
At least, that's how it was for swordsmen who lived by the sword. Even the most mediocre swordsman would have at least a tiny bit of aura.
So what about Sword Saint?
He could intentionally dampen his presence, but completely concealing it was nearly impossible.
Especially to the point where a swordsman of his caliber couldn't feel anything!
"I was wondering why you changed your mind... You've grown quite a bit."
Sword Demon's face crumpled at the sight of Sword Saint looking at him with pride, as if he were looking at a grown child.
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