The Black Prince speaks.
“I don’t really feel like it, but it’s not like I have anywhere else to go.”
Step, step.
By now it was fully nighttime, and I was walking in front of the dark blue night sea.
“Master!!”
I hear a familiar voice from a distance.
It’s Eri.
She’s waving something stick-like in her hand.
“Let’s have fireworks! Everyone’s waiting for you, Master!”
As I get closer, I see she’s holding a stick firework called Sparkler.
It’s the cheapest firework sold in bundles at stationery stores during childhood and an essential item not to miss in Japanese anime firework scenes.
Naturally, in the original animation, there was a scene after the beach BBQ party where the heroine and the protagonist gathered together for a firework display.
Ah, so that’s why it didn’t show up.
“Master, don’t you like fireworks?”
Eri asks me.
I shake my head at her words.
I don’t particularly dislike firework displays.
I have fond memories of buying fireworks from a stationery store when I was young, and I remember having a firework show at the beach when we went on vacation.
Thinking back to the time I held hands with mom and dad and did fireworks by the seaside makes me nostalgic.
The sight of colorful sparks decorating the night sea was so beautiful.
A faint smile spreads across my lips.
“No. Let’s go.”
“Okay!”
I walk with Eri toward the night sea.
The beach where the BBQ party was held.
There, Olivia, Rin, Makoto, Hoshino Kasumi, Evangelin, and Beatrice were gathered in small groups enjoying the fireworks.
Patsutsutsu.
“Huh, humans’ firework displays are quite fascinating.”
Beatrice murmurs with a serious expression while watching the sparkling stick firework burn brightly.
“Hmph, fireworks are truly delightful. Oh, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung?”
Evangelin, who was nearby, hums a cheerful tune.
Her pink eyes meet mine.
Evangelin covers her mouth with her hand and calls out to me.
“Deok-Sung? You’re finally here? I’ve missed you.”
“Junior, everyone’s been waiting for you.”
“Come on, my lord.”
Starting with Evangelin, Rin, Hoshino Kasumi, and Makoto welcome me.
“Hmph, are you finally showing up?! Fool, idiot. How could you keep a lady waiting? Your manners really are terrible! Honestly…”
Lastly, Olivia enters her tsundere mode, puffing out her cheeks as she hands me a Sparkler.
“Here, take this. It’s your share of the fireworks.”
Just as I take the Sparkler she handed me.
Whoosh.
Along with a brilliant golden spark, the Sparkler ignites.
Olivia used her gift.
Patsutsutsu.
With loud noises and the smell of gunpowder, the firework burns away.
“Thanks, I appreciate it.”
I express my gratitude to Olivia.
Thank you for your gratitude.
“Hmph! Honestly, I don’t really feel that grateful to hear such obvious thanks?!”
She purses her lips, squatting with a flushed face, setting off some sparklers.
Still in her classic tsundere mode.
For some reason, it puts my mind at ease.
Squatting on the white sand, lighting fireworks.
Pata-pata.
Beyond the brightly burning fireworks, the heroine’s joyful expression…
No, I can see their faces.
Olivia, still puffing her cheeks.
Rin, now with a relaxed, grown-up look after the deserted island adventure.
Eri, quietly mouthing “Master.”
Makoto, caught off guard and blushing when our eyes meet.
Kasumi-senpai, waving at me with one hand while holding a firework in the other.
Beatrice grumbling, while Evangelin smiles at me as she cares for her.
Their peaceful daily lives are etched in my mind.
In stark contrast are the memories of Kasumi-senpai, Evangelin, and Seira, who foolishly sacrificed themselves to save me.
Like fools, risking their lives just to protect someone like me.
I bite my lip.
No matter how kind the light novel world is, I no longer want to see someone bleed and sacrifice for me.
This isn’t animation, nor a light novel—this is the harsh, crappy reality.
Even the girl in front of me is a living, breathing individual, not just a character.
For that reason,
‘I need to get stronger.’
That’s my only option.
Pata-pata.
The bright flames have reached the middle of the sparkler.
[Oh, partner. You’ve grown up, huh? It feels like just yesterday you were always demanding things. Seeing you mature brings a tear to my eye, even though I’m not the type to cry easily.]
The Black Prince’s nonsense echoes in my head.
Where did he even hear that?
Unbelievable.
Sigh.
I take a deep breath and finish lighting the firework.
Whoosh.
The cold sea breeze wraps around my body.
Summer vacation (Illustration included)
The 21st century.
An era of Cold War, where the ideological confrontation between the Free World and the Communist bloc has yet to end.
In modern Earth, where the Iron Curtain separates the First World from the Second World, the news of a current Soviet Spetsnaz Unit Commander infiltrating Japan and failing to threaten British and Japanese cadets before being captured shook the world beyond just Japan.
Victim nations like Japan, the UK, and Korea vigorously protested through diplomatic channels to the Soviet Union, and the leader of the First World, the United States, also pressured the Soviets heavily in light of this incident.
In any other era, war would have broken out, but the reason it didn’t is due to an implicit agreement—neither the US nor the Soviets wanted a Third World War.
But that’s not all.
The responsibility for the incident was clearly on the Soviet Union, making it impossible for them to evade diplomatic and political accountability in the international community.
Naturally, Vasily Kuzenetsov, the organizer and mastermind of this incident, faced fierce political attacks within the Soviet Communist Party.
Soviet Union. Moscow.
Kremlin Palace.
“Damn it.”
Bang.
Secretary Vasily Kuzenetsov slams his hand on the table.
Spin.
The globe on the table spins around.
“How could this… I thought it was a perfect operation…”
The operation failed in the worst possible way.
To make matters worse, his rivals were using this incident as an opportunity to convene a meeting of the Soviet Communist Party to oust and purge him.
Even the position of Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party was of no use in this situation.
Even the position of General Secretary of the Communist Party became utterly useless in the current situation.
There was nothing he could do.
He could only quietly await his downfall and purging.
“Ugh…”
Vasily bit his lip.
He had fought through countless silent battles to finally grasp the position of the highest power in the Soviet Union.
He couldn’t let it slip away so easily.
He couldn’t be purged and sent off to Siberia.
But how?
The path before him seemed bleak.
“There’s no way out…”
Vasily’s face contorted in frustration.
Just then, when he was pulling at his hair…
“…There is.”
A kind and soft voice whispered in his ear.
He lifted his head.
There stood a black-haired handsome man in a white suit, smiling gently.
“…League Master. What are you doing here?”
Vasily’s face twisted coldly.
The League Master.
Messiah.
The mad dog he had tried to control through the last operation was now right before him.
“Bypassing the Kremlin Palace’s security…”
Although he was like a kite with its string cut, Vasily’s position was still that of the General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party.
His office, as the supreme leader of the superpower Soviet Union and the head of the Second World, was protected by impenetrable security.
Even an EX-ranked American hero wouldn’t be able to breach it.
Yet, the man standing before him, the League Master, had somehow slipped through without a sound.
“Secretary, does that really matter right now?”
Messiah chuckled.
“What matters is that I have the power to save you.”
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
Vasily raised a brow in confusion.
“…How?”
“Is this really the time to be asking that? You need to grasp at straws.”
Grin.
Messiah’s smile grew more pronounced.
Vasily bit his lip.
He slowly nodded.
“That means… I see.”
Now was not the time to be picky.
To preserve his position and avoid being purged.
He had to use any means necessary.
Even if that meant grasping the hand of a man he once considered an enemy.
‘I can’t just sit here and let this happen. I might as well…’
Vasily bit his lip and looked at Messiah.
“What’s the price?”
Though he was cornered, he was a seasoned politician.
It was easy for Vasily to perceive that the “help” Messiah mentioned would surely come with a price.
Messiah smiled.
“Join the League.”
A suggestion to join the League.
It was clear enough to him that it practically meant becoming that man’s subordinate.
“That absurd, humiliating…”
“Or you could be purged and sent off to Siberia instead.”
Messiah added politely.
Vasily closed his eyes.
Cold sweat streamed down his forehead.
Though he was the supreme leader of the Soviet Union, he was not its one and only absolute dictator.
Rival factions were still tightening their grip around his neck every passing moment.
There wasn’t much time for deliberation.
“…Fine.”
He accepted Messiah’s proposal.
“Thank you, Secretary.”
Messiah smiled and bowed his head.
It was the moment the Soviet Union fell into the grasp of the New World League.
*
There was no downfall for General Secretary Vasily.
Quite coincidentally, all the political bureau members leading his downfall and purging met with suspiciously unnatural deaths.
Vasily identified America as the mastermind behind the mysterious deaths based on circumstantial evidence, and public opinion in the Soviet Union began to turn against America.
America was identified as the mastermind behind everything, and public opinion in the Soviet Union began to blame America.
“This is all a conspiracy by America to frame me!” Secretary Vasily claimed.
In this atmosphere, the Soviet Communist Party conference re-elected Secretary Vasily, allowing him to maintain his position of supreme power.
However, since they could not avoid diplomatic responsibilities, the Soviet Union had to concede significant monetary and non-monetary interests, including massive reparations to England, Japan, and South Korea, rendering them incapable of exerting real power on the international stage for the time being.
In the round conference room adorned with stained glass depicting the Savior, nine cloaked figures sat.
These were the remaining top executives of the New World League, the 13 Apostles.
“O only Savior!”
“O our Master!”
“Save the world!”
Hymns flowed from their lips.
Creeeak.
Beyond the conference room door, a handsome man with black hair and a pristine white suit, the Messiah, appeared.
Step, step.
The Messiah sat down with a faint smile.
“As I expected, the Secretary’s solo operation has failed, and we have now taken control of this country.”
The Messiah chuckled.
“Everything is going according to plan.”
Indeed.
The Messiah was already aware of Secretary Vasily’s intentions to put a leash on him and the League.
He knew the details of the solo operation that had been planned.
Yet, the Messiah did not intervene at all.
Why? Because he had already predicted that the mission would fail.
Thus, he devised a plan to leverage the failure of that operation and the ensuing political crisis for Vasily, ultimately taking control of the Soviet Union.
It was all thanks to meticulous preparations by the Messiah, including the planned suspicious deaths of Politburo members and the manipulation of circumstantial evidence pointing to an American conspiracy.
It was a long-awaited achievement.
A smile mixed with joy appeared on the Messiah’s lips.
“Congratulations! Master!”
“Master, your insight is truly remarkable!”
“Truly the one and only Savior!”
The 13 Apostles shouted with awe and admiration.
“With this, we have finally made up for the failures of our previous operations.”
The Messiah smiled.
Kim Deok-Sung.
How many missions had failed because of that variable?
Today, he had only just balanced the scales.
Ironically, Kim Deok-Sung was present yet again during this Soviet operation failure.
That coincidence was bothersome to the Messiah.
No, the very variable of Kim Deok-Sung was a thorn in his side.
“However, we cannot be satisfied with merely making up for losses. To open a new world where neither gods nor demons exist, only humanity… to save this world and humanity suffering under the oppression of otherworldly sects and heroes… we need to take a step further.”
The Messiah’s voice turned forceful.
“Therefore, we need to eliminate the obstacles that hinder the New World plan.”
At the Messiah’s words, the 13 Apostles shifted uneasily.
“What are those obstacles, Master?”
“Master! I will take care of everything!”
“Please, give us your orders!”
Hearing the Apostles, the Messiah smiled.
He raised a finger.
Tap.
His finger pointed to a corner of the world map spread out on the table.
“This is…”
“Isn’t this the Far East Peninsula?”
“Why would such a small country be…”
The 13 Apostles murmured.
The place the Messiah pointed to was the southern part of the Korean Peninsula.
South Korea.
