Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
60. Party (12)
Because I thought I misunderstood the words of the Demon in the blue mask, I looked at Seong Gukeon.
As if Seong Gukeon also doubted his ears for a moment, he politely asked back.
“Could You please repeat?”
“We request that You destroy the Danu gods tribe’s treasure.”
The Demon in the blue mask spoke slower and with a clearer pronunciation than the first time he suggested it.
Though he expressed it differently, the meaning of the words was exactly the same.
It seemed that I understood the Demon’s words properly from the beginning.
The sense of disharmony, that I felt about the surrounding after coming here, started to take form.
‘Something was strange since the badges changed to blue.’
The ground that felt hard only after passing through the blue curtain.
Some sound I heard after stepping on the ground, that was buried by the sound of the superpower wave fireworks.
And most strange among all of it, the Demon’s words drawing a conclusion that Seong Gukeon didn’t have Celtic blood mixed in.
‘Seong Gukeon’s disguise is perfect. He made sure not to reveal his race, and didn’t do any eye-drawing actions since coming here.’
After Seong Gukeon got close to here, he suddenly became a winner, and received an alexandrite crown, drawing attention.
But that process was also somewhat strange.
‘Compared to the prize prepared, the winner selection process was somewhat empty.’
The party game’s main goal was to provide simple entertainment and create a party atmosphere.
Even if the goal was to distribute simple gifts, it would come with a minimal process.
Without even playing the game, you could throw darts, spin roulette, or at least crack a fortune cookie.
So Seong Gukeon being abruptly selected as a winner the moment he entered didn’t match with the goal of party games.
As result of combining somewhat suspicious circumstances one after another, I arrived at the conclusion.
‘No way, the treasure of Danu gods tribe they ask to destroy is…!’
I glanced at the curtain we passed through a moment ago.
To speak precisely, I looked at the ground that we stepped on.
“It appears that the accompanying Person has noticed, eh?”
I guess the Demon was watching us closely from behind the blue mask he wore.
As if Seong Gukeon also had a guess, he looked at the ground with the corner of his mouth raised.
I was almost certain, but I decided to ask to be fully certain.
“I guess You’re not in possession of just one treasure.”
“On what basis do You think so?”
The Demon in the blue mask spoke like this, deliberately pretending not to know.
It seemed that while he made a bold sound about asking to destroy the Danu gods tribe’s treasure, he didn’t want to reveal all his cards.
But he might be like that just because he wanted to test us.
“Majority of the People, who came here, came to see the treasure of Danu gods tribe. For a host, to ask to destroy the treasure before the auction started would be an action betraying the trust of the party Participants.”
It wasn’t known to the public, but the people invited to this party came here hearing the story about the Danu gods tribe’s treasure.
There was no word about Danu gods tribe’s treasure in the invitation, but Fomori Demons intentionally spread the secret story about key auction list to attract guests.
In the situation where Phantom Thief Neon sent a notice letter, there could be no words about destroying the treasure before the auction started.
Supposing, the treasure didn’t appear on the auction, and Phantom Thief Neon succeeded in stealing ‘Imoogi’s Rise To Heaven’, no one would accept an invitation for the party held by Fomori Demons next year.
But if there wasn’t only one treasure, the story was different.
“However, if the treasure to be placed on the auction and the treasure You want to destroy are separate existences, there wouldn’t be a problem.”
“Amazing. You’ve figured out so much from the short question and answer.”
The Demon in the blue mask spoke with a hyperbolic tone.
As the Demon’s mood didn’t seem very bad, I decided to question more to obtain more clues.
“You had no plans on destroying that treasure, if the ‘winner’ to take the crown didn’t appear?”
“Yes! It’s only meaningful if that treasure is destroyed by the person it selected.”
Once the word ‘selection’ came out, I became certain.
As if the Demon in the blue mask didn’t think of hiding it anymore, he proudly revealed the treasure’s identity.
“The thing buried here is ‘Lia Fáil’. The crowning stone of the so much loathed Danu gods tribe! The unlucky treasure stepped on by numerous people in this party venue today.”
In Celtic myths, there were several ceremonies one had to undergo when becoming a king.
One of them was to undergo the test of the treasure held by the Danu gods tribe in Falias.
Its identity was Lia Fáil, called the crowning stone, or the fateful stone, which proved the qualifications of the king.
As this treasure almost didn’t appear in Celtic myths, its material, shape and whereabouts were uncertain.
Some said that it was in a shape of a pillar stretching towards the sky.
Others claimed that it was buried deep in the hills.
Or they would describe it as a flat base in the sacred place.
‘That Lia Fáil is covered by the party venue floor, huh?’
Once touched by a person with character for a king, Lia Fáil was said to shout to announce wide the king’s existence.
It was rumored that when the great king served by Fianna Éireann’s Fionn mac Cumhaill stepped on it, the ground screamed as many times as the number of people who would rule it.
And Seong Gukeon becoming a winner was clearly related to Lia Fáil’s scream.
“That stone is a treasure that discerns the talents of a king. Because it was a very long time since it screamed, the moment it saw someone with a disposition for a king, it let out a scream, but perhaps while screaming, it realized that You aren’t the king of its country and shut its mouth.”
The feeling of incongruity I felt under my feet and the strange sound, when we passed through the blue curtain.
And Seong Gukeon’s existence and disposition.
The mischievously handed over crown.
The existence of Danu treasure.
As I went through them, I made some guesses, but the more I listened to the Demon, the more overjoyed I was in my heart.
“I thought that there would be at least one Person with qualifications for a king, who visits. You’re a material to become a king of a country.”
At the words that Seong Gukeon was a material to become a king, I held down a shout of joy that was about to burst out.
Once we entered the modern era, the existence of a king almost disappeared from most countries, and Korean Peninsula also didn’t choose monarchy.
Even so, the concept of the country’s representative or head remained.
So I was deeply touched by the words ‘material for a king’.
‘As my Playable Character was born with a talent to become a representative of a country, the Danu gods tribe’s treasure indeed has a myth-like ability to recognize a person.’
Seong Gukeon may become a being who represented the Korean Peninsula.
Though Seong Gukeon didn’t run for office yet, Seong Gukeon in the president election posters, Seong Gukeon holding a street conference, Seong Gukeon appearing in the debate programs, I’m participating in the voting, casting a vote for Seong Gukeon, the scene of Seong Gukeon’s election, etc. flashed in my head.
‘No, this is not possible ‘yet’.’
Of course, in the corner of my head, I coldly recognized the fact that Seong Gukeon couldn’t become a president ‘yet’.
According to the Section 67 of the constitution, the person eligible presidential election had to be eligible for assembly member election and be 40 years old on an election day.
It was impossible for Seong Gukeon, who was still in his 30s to participate in the presidential election.
Even if he met the criteria for running for office, the current public perception of Players wasn’t very good, and Seong Gukeon himself had many things he wanted to do as an assemblyman, so he probably wouldn’t participate in the presidential election.
‘Even so, if Seong Gukeon accumulates political experience, and the public perception of Players changes, one day…’
But even in the myths and legends there were countless heroes, who received a prophecy of becoming a king, but died without being able to achieve it.
Like Seong Gukeon, who was murdered in PMH before he could get the rights to be elected a president.
However, if I change that development, the day would come when Seong Gukeon would become a representative of Korean Peninsula.
‘For that, we have to first successfully carry out all things to do at this auction.’
I made an effort to suppress my still overwhelmed with pride heart and to think coldly.
Anyway, from what the Demon in the blue mask said, the Demons had no plans of putting Lia Fáil on the auction from the beginning.
‘They probably disguised the selection as a party game to find a person Lia Fáil would show reaction to. To ask the person with qualifications for a king to destroy Lia Fáil.’
The person with qualifications for a king breaking the coronation stone where numerous kings, acknowledged by Danu gods tribe, left their traces.
Thinking from Fomori Demons’ standpoint, it would be one of the best methods to spit in Danu gods tribe’s faces.
But I didn’t know if it was worthy of preparing the cumbersome party games and putting up with such risks.
“Danu gods tribe may interfere into this world as higher beings. I’m reluctant to incur wrath of higher beings.”
Seong Gukeon politely made a sound that wasn’t like Seong Gukeon.
If Seong Gukeon was a Player, who shrunk back because he was worried about wrath of higher beings, he wouldn’t get a nickname like ‘Nation Matchless’.
When there was something he truly wanted to do, Seong Gukeon didn’t worry about facing Jin people, descendants or higher beings.
‘To interpret Seong Gukeon’s words right now, it would be ‘I refuse, because it’s annoying’.’
Worthy of a politician, he put it in a mild and polite way.
As if the Demon in the blue mask expected this much, he spoke with a tone overflowing with confidence.
“We plan to pay an appropriate compensation for that.”
What compensation was worthy of submitting to the wrath of higher beings?
I tried to think of several things, but the Fomori Demons offered a payment that was indeed worthy of that.
“Fomori Demons will unconditionally support You in the rise to the throne. It doesn’t matter if it’s the position of head of state, not a throne. If the person who broke the Danu gods tribe’s coronation stone raises to the country’s highest position, we could only be happy.”
The Fomori Demons’ unconditional support.
Seong Gukeon’s eyes grew a bit bigger.
Rather than being charmed by the suggestion itself, he seemed to be thinking ‘You mean you would do all of this to break one stone?’.
“You can give us an answer at any time. Please think of it well. We don’t ask you to break it right now.”
As if happy he found someone Lia Fáil finally screamed for, even if regretful, the Demon in the blue mask stepped back at the words that Seong Gukeon will think about it.
The Demon handed a business card with a device code and obediently disappeared.
After that, while cautious so the sound doesn’t leak, I shared a conversation with Seong Gukeon.
“What are You going to do?”
“It’s appealing, but I don’t plan to borrow Jin people’s power in a run for election.”
After memorizing the device code, Seong Gukeon disposed of the business card.
Seong Gukeon didn’t give even a glance to the business card, which left his hand.
“I’ve made up my mind, but it doesn’t seem like a bad idea to pretend to hesitate, to sound out the other party.”
As if Seong Gukeon felt a gaze, he turned, and shut his mouth.
A party participant wearing a swan mask was looking in our direction.
When our eyes met, the party participant nonchalantly waved his hand.
‘Is it a person I know? No, if it was the Crow Demon King, he would certainly order his contractor to wear a crow mask.’
MITRON’s patissier was certainly somewhere here, but he wouldn’t be wearing a swan mask.
In the end, I couldn’t recognize who it was at all just from the mask and build, but something he wore caught my eye.
‘Are you the person, who won the cufflinks in the dice game a moment ago?’
The someone wearing a swan mask was wearing the cufflinks with a chess pattern, that were on the display under the red pumpkin lantern.
*~*~*
Translator’s note: *having a wild daydream of this story going for six full in-novel years* Seong Gukeon becoming a president…
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