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Jinseong sensed an oddity in America’s actions that both Korea and Japan noted. It was widely known that America, a giant nation, often committed diplomatic blunders due to its lack of understanding of other countries. However, the current situation felt far worse.

It wasn’t just a lack of comprehension; their behavior was almost at a level of ignorance!

Korea and Japan began working their American agents hard, gathering shocking results.

“…Is doom upon us?”

Neocons, neocons, neocons…

Those maintaining and operating the colossal country of America were all neocons. Moderates and advocates for openness had either lost power or been sidelined, while the hardliners shouted their claims and seized authority. Naturally, those sensitive to the direction of power were aligning themselves with these neocons or making even more extreme claims.

The only way for an intruder to stand out among established figures was to make a presence known.

Thus, the American government had become more ignorant than ever and more aggressive and authoritative than ever.

And this shift in trend… would not bode well for Korea and Japan.

The individual who had been acting like the police was now openly transforming into a thug. How could that be a good thing?

The Presidents of Korea and Japan felt their minds go cold, as if water had been splashed on them when faced with this bizarre America.

“Ha, it’s driving me crazy.”

America had gone mad.

Were they on the verge of death or something? Strange folks were flooding in—a chaotic sight. They even sent their Seventh Fleet to patrol the vicinity of Korea and Japan unceasingly.

“America has lost it, and China and Russia are frothing at the mouth in response…”

With the American fleet roaming about, China and Russia were having fits, protesting loudly. They demanded the immediate removal of that damned fleet to erase military tension, or else they might see some “hot action.”

Naturally, America paid no heed.

They were the ones who believed themselves to be supreme, the strongest.

How dare China and Russia tell America what to do? It was absolutely intolerable for them.

Thus, East Asia gradually began to boil over.

The atmosphere among the three great powers grew perilous, and the nations caught in between suffered.

Yes.

Korea and Japan.

These two countries were the cause and the starting point of this tension. They were parties who could never simply watch the flames from across the river.

“Ugh…”

It is the destiny of the shrimp to avoid being harmed when whales fight.

Unbeknownst to them, Korea and Japan found themselves clinging to the backs of the whales, praying not to be crushed in the middle of their fight.

What a tragedy it was.

“…Reinsert the missiles.”

“…Let’s order a retreat, leaving just one behind.”

Faced with this horrific situation that could not have been imagined, Korea and Japan simultaneously ordered the withdrawal of their forces. Korea retracted the missiles aimed at Japan and redirected numerous self-propelled artillery back from the East Sea. And the countless soldiers amassed in the East Sea were sent back to base, leaving only minimal artillery and missiles for immediate response if needed, returning to normalcy.

Japan, too, sent its fleet back to Japan, fearing that a stir would not only spark external discontent but could also incite America’s wrath against itself. They left only an Atago-class ship behind to ensure they could respond immediately if anything happened.

And after restoring everything to ‘normal,’ they shared their thoughts through unofficial channels.

To escape this damned situation.

“Japan’s military conflict was a misunderstanding… We sent our fleet in to rescue the destroyer that ran aground at Takeshima. It was unavoidable due to the evil spirits that appeared there.”

“Japan, the appearance of evil spirits was a tragedy. We will thoroughly investigate in cooperation with Korea to clarify the truth.”

“Korea, those who fought against the evil spirits to defend Takeshima… They deserve appropriate honors for the deceased.”

“Takeshima, the warriors who were there. They were excellent soldiers and warriors.”

“Korea, we shall work with Japanese Onmyoji to expel the evil spirits.”

And so they ‘officially’ reconciled.

They dismissed the deaths at Takeshima as unrelated to the nations, claiming it resulted from the coincidental emergence of evil spirits. They positioned the deceased as victims of unfortunate natural disasters and paid tribute to them while producing all sorts of propagandistic videos depicting their brave fight against the evil spirits.

Of course, the portrayal was heavily seasoned with embellishments…

But hey, that wasn’t the issue.

What mattered was that it showed, at least on the surface, that the two nations had mended their relationship.

That was the only way to escape the fight between the whales.

“…Congratulations on the improved relationship between Korea and Japan.”

This state of mind of Korea and Japan was spot on.

As they showed the two nations ‘resolving’ their ‘misunderstanding’ and reconciling, the Seventh Fleet, which had been wandering through East Asia under the pretext of mediating between Korea and Japan, lost its justification and had no choice but to heed the protests of China and Russia.

Thanks to that, their reluctant expressions led to them having to withdraw from the seas of East Asia, and when America faded from view, China and Russia promptly sealed their lips again as if nothing had ever happened.

Perhaps they would take some time to understand why America had engaged in such provocation.

Thus, peace returned to East Asia.

Well, on the surface, that is.

Japan and Korea.

The two nations declared:

All of this was a misunderstanding.

The deceased were victims of an accident.

They had no intent to wage war in their actions.

But they knew.

They knew their words were lies.

They knew those statements were lies.

Everything was a lie.

The truth reeked of blood within.

People had died, and it could not just be brushed aside.

Yes.

It could not just end like that.

Since it had begun with blood, it had to conclude with blood as well.

* * *

Korea spoke.

“Did you know? Capable persons, unless they belong to the military, aren’t officially counted in military power. They are evaluated as individuals and don’t belong to the metrics. Yet they undoubtedly influence military and public safety. Right?”

“Yes. Especially in Japan’s case, it’s even more so. Since they can’t officially possess an army. The current evaluation of Japan’s combat power and public safety owes a great deal to the presence of capable persons.”

“Indeed. When the laws are weak, it’s natural for the big fists nearby to gain power. Japan is no different. They call them samurai, right? If the samurai stand as guardian spirits, peace is inherently stabilized, and those with impure thoughts are driven away. Though I’m not supposed to say this as the President of Korea, the warriors in Japan are truly of a remarkable caliber. With such individuals firmly planted, public safety can’t possibly collapse.”

Japan’s warriors were indeed quite powerful.

Historically, many of Japan’s warriors had emerged from real battles seasoned enough to be considered strong.

They would often acquire tremendous fame wielding renowned Japanese swords that occasionally sprang from among countless others.

And this tradition and legacy continued to this day.

Thanks to that, Japan had become a country filled with powerful warriors, comparable to China.

“Moreover, the military power is the same. Officially, Japan’s capable persons have no relation to the military, but… everyone knows. In the event of an actual war, they would voluntarily enlist to serve.”

“Certainly. They would undoubtedly do so. They could enter out of patriotism with no prior hint, or someone like the Emperor might emerge to give a speech that stirs them to enlist, or the Prime Minister and council members might conspire to create a law to forcibly send them into the battlefield. No doubt, Japan’s capable persons would be actively utilized in a war. So, therefore…”

The President smiled.

“…Japan’s capable persons are potential enemies and soldiers disguised as civilians. Wouldn’t that be a fair assessment?”

“I think so as well.”

“Now would be a good time to establish a hierarchy. To see which is more powerful, Korea’s warriors or Japan’s warriors.”

The President spoke with an unstable thrill in his voice.

“Fights should always be held on someone else’s land, right? Let’s send our warriors to Japan. So that they can engage in ‘practice combat as if it were real.’”

“Yes!”

“And if an ‘unfortunate accident’ happens during that process, well, there’s nothing we can do about it. Right? And if some buildings or landmarks happen to get damaged due to unfortunate luck, it can’t be helped.”

“Indeed. It’s unavoidable. What can we do when it’s a coincidence?”

“True. Then… oh, right. We should hasten the restoration of Takeshima. To show that the upcoming ‘incident’ has nothing to do with Korea.”

The President’s laughter was laced with sticky rage and intent to kill.

* * *

In Japan, they spoke.

“Korea is a nation that supports and nurtures capable persons on a national level. Given their weak traditions, they could implement such policies without constraints.”

The Prime Minister expressed his thoughts about Korea, using his familiar rhetoric.

He mentioned that since all traditions were destroyed and the nation was thus weak, they had no choice but to raise capable individuals directly through state action.

“But that small land has quite a number of talented individuals. Even within inefficient policies, the talents have thrived on their own, and now they have become pillars that protect Korea.”

However, even while evaluating positively, he did not underestimate Korea’s capable persons needlessly.

Though they might not have appeared through long history and tradition, their skills were not to be dismissed.

Many of those recognized by the high-minded warriors of China reached incredible levels, such as the Red Slashing Sword Demon (赤斬劍魔), and there were many powerful wizards who had ascended to notable levels. Moreover, they had generously become experimental subjects for the Nirvana summoning techniques developed by America but deemed unstable, thus securing a considerable number of summons.

It was hardly believable that this nation had been rebuilt just under a hundred years ago.

“And these pillars serve as indicators for Korea’s military power. Of course, since they conceal their strengths and downplay their numbers, the indicators might not be reliable… However, to go to such lengths to hide their power while having such high military capability is quite astonishing.”

Moreover, the cunning of the Korean government was remarkable.

Were they attempting to suggest that they still needed help?

With its powerful capable persons raised under government support, Korea held onto them like treasures, unwilling to reveal them to the public.

They concealed their identities as much as possible, and if it absolutely had to be revealed, they hid their strength and skills as much as possible.

Other nations did similar things to some extent, but Korea was particularly severe.

“Their intentions are clear. Being treated as a developing country is far more advantageous, and pretending to be militarily weak allows them to receive military aid from America more favorably.”

Yet, they were also threatening others, aiming for mutual destruction if necessary.

How ridiculous it was for them to boast about surrounding artillery and missiles while hiding their capable persons.

“Well, perhaps they are afraid of being swayed by other nations.”

It was possible that Korea’s strange behavior was a desperate act to prevent capable persons from fleeing abroad. Unlike weapons that could be strongly regulated by law, people could not be confined and managed according to their whims.

“All in all, that’s what matters. Korea has an awful lot of care and value for its capable persons.”

Well, why they displayed that attitude was not essential.

What matters is that it’s true Korea values ‘those capable persons connected to the government.’

“Japan has plenty of proud warriors too. Wouldn’t it be great if those individuals… went on a warrior’s journey to Korea? Sure, the atmosphere might be a bit tense, but… how could we possibly intervene with individual warriors?”

The Prime Minister chuckled as he suggested sending high-level warriors to Korea.

“Warriors, indeed. Wizards are just busy chatting or showing off inventions, and summoners interact with their summon creatures and share knowledge… But warriors communicate with swords and weapons. And along that process, unfortunate accidents might indeed occur… Hahaha.”

He stated,

It’s simply an unavoidable occurrence when warriors hold practice duels.

A semi-frequent but typical event.

And this, he noted, was a matter strictly between individuals, with nothing to do with the state.

The Prime Minister issued that order, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes.

Then, as if he suddenly remembered something, he added,

“Oh. And let’s aim to restore Takeshima as quickly as possible. How many capable persons remain on Takeshima at the moment?”

“Currently, there are no capable persons on Takeshima. Due to the observing eyes, all capable persons have returned to Japan with the fleet.”

“Hm, is that so…? Then… Let’s select some suitable individuals and send them back to Takeshima. To show we can rid the area of both Korea and the evil spirits, thus alleviating this tension. Oh, and it wouldn’t hurt to try out some new faces.”

“Yes! Understood!”

And with that, Japan began to move.

In a direction similar to Korea.

 

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