Chapter 55 - Cleared of the Charges?

—Stunt of the Century... Nation Stunned as Blue House Announces “Blue House Assault” Was Emergency Response Drill.

—People’s Peace Party Floor Leader: “Deceiving the Public Is Unacceptable, Whatever the Reason.”

—Why Did Infinite Monarch Lee Cheon-gi Speak for the Blue House?

Perhaps it was only to be expected. Every newspaper was plastered with the same story. Lee Cheon-gi’s press conference had made that much of an impact. The assault on the Blue House had already set the public abuzz; after the press conference, the uproar erupted like a dungeon gone out of control.

["It’s a conspiracy!"]

["What do you mean?"]

["Think about it! Does it make sense to blow the entire Blue House to pieces for one measly drill? It’s a stunt by the current administration to boost its approval ratings!"]

["No, I think that’s a stretch. If you look at the recent crime rates among high-level players..."]

Current-affairs programs debated everything from outlandish conspiracies to the reasons such an emergency drill had been necessary.

["For fuck’s sake. I sold all my stocks because I thought a civil war was about to break out. It’s not even April Fools’ Day, so what the hell was this nationwide hoax?"]

["Congrats★Sucker★"]

["You’re the idiot who fell for that crap."]

["You actually believed some old Sword Master, not even a Monarch, turned the Blue House upside down all by himself? LOL"]

["They looked awfully ready to kill each other for a play, though."]

["Sword Master XXX, Show-Off Master OOO."]

Online forums were already treating the whole thing as ancient history, laughing, chatting, and swearing about it.

["In an age when even the Blue House can fall! A special product for you at a spectacular discount!"]

["Yes. This item is an illusion-type item officially approved by Infinity Guild. It was even used in staging the recent Blue House incident..."]

Home-shopping channels, advertisers, and companies of every kind tried to find some way to make money off the incident.

Like ants swarming honey, people of every stripe latched onto Lee Cheon-gi’s press conference, praising it, exploiting it, or picking it apart. Their angles varied wildly; even on the same platform, the content, arguments, and tone could be polar opposites.

But there was one thing they all had in common, without exception.

“Not a single person believes you really committed treason, Sword Lord?”

Li Qingyu, the girl in an Eastern-style dress, murmured in wonder. Limon gave a short snort.

“Why would they? That dumb bastard warned them not to say anything they couldn’t take responsibility for.”

“That usually makes someone even more determined to speak up.”

“Depends on the situation.”

Limon put down the newspaper he had been reading and continued when Li Qingyu tilted her head.

“The ones who make noise at times like this are attention seekers. With everyone’s attention on that idiot, who’d want to talk about a has-been like me?”

He had hit the nail on the head. All the talk focused on the current government and Lee Cheon-gi. Nobody saw Limon as the center of the incident. Even those calling it a conspiracy or saying something was suspicious had set aside the possibility that Limon really had committed treason.

It was only natural. If Limon really was a traitor, then people would have to accept that the Blue House had fallen and the president had been taken hostage—all by a single ordinary man who hadn’t even contracted with a constellation, let alone become a high-level player. To people of this era, who saw Sword Masters as nothing but relics of the past, that was simply impossible.

“People believe what they want to believe in the end.”

“Common sense trumps logic.”

Sleep with a fan running and you’ll suffocate. Have your photograph taken and it’ll steal your soul. The sun revolves around the Earth.

Think about any of those claims, and they were so absurd they could only be called superstitions. Yet there had been times when nearly everyone believed them without question—not because people were foolish, but because those things were common sense.

In that respect, Lee Cheon-gi’s press conference had been perfectly timed. It gave people who were struggling to make the situation fit their understanding of the world a reason to believe it did, however ridiculous that reason might be.

“To have calculated all this before holding that press conference... The Infinite Monarch is more of a strategist than I thought.”

“Strategist, my ass.”

Typical of the Black Dragon Clan. Li Qingyu nodded, impressed by the supposed scheme, while Limon gave her an incredulous look and said with a sneer, “I guarantee the bastard just couldn’t be bothered to clean up each mess separately, so he flipped the whole table.”

“You mean he didn’t plan any of it?”

“Yep.”

Li Qingyu’s eyes widened. To hold a press conference that insane without thinking it through? For someone from the Black Dragon Clan, where scheming and intrigue were second nature, it was almost beyond imagination.

But Limon nodded without hesitation and gave his reason.

“I used to do the same thing.”

“... That’s remarkably convincing.”

Limon himself had once been an absolute being, so he knew: rather than go to the trouble of plotting, an absolute being simply crushed problems with power and authority. For most people, that would be foolish recklessness. When an absolute being did it, it became the perfect solution. That was what it meant to be an absolute being.

In fact, the only reason the claim that it had all been a “show” gained traction was that Lee Cheon-gi was the one who announced it. Had anyone else said it, things would not have blown over so easily.

“I should’ve known when he said he’d handle the aftermath... I’m an idiot for trusting that bastard.”

“But at least you’ve been cleared of the charges.”

“That’s why I’m calling him an idiot, not a sucker.”

“Uh, um. Is there that much difference between an idiot and a sucker?”

“As much as between finishing too soon and not being able to get it up at all.”

“That’s quite a difference...”

She sounded deeply impressed by how easy that comparison was to understand. Then Li Qingyu suddenly asked,

“But aren’t you disappointed?”

“Sure am. If I’d known this would happen, I’d have beaten Lee Cheon-gi a few more times.”

“Not about that. I mean you missed your chance to announce that you defeated the Infinite Monarch and regain your fame.”

“What fame? What’s there to boast about in beating up a guy like that errand boy?”

The press conference had wiped away the treason charge, but it had also buried the fact that Limon had defeated Lee Cheon-gi. Anyone else would have felt cheated enough to cry. Limon showed no regret. He merely went on, unimpressed.

“Besides, who’d believe me if I announced it? There are plenty who’d deny it even if they saw it with their own eyes—then gouge their eyes out.”

“That’s true.”

Li Qingyu readily agreed. The public’s reaction to the press conference showed just how firmly people clung to common sense. She herself had spent decades creating that very notion of common sense to bring Limon down.

“More importantly, when I think of the swarm of flies that’d come buzzing around if they found out, I’d rather pretend it never happened.”

Li Qingyu blinked once. Then, as if she finally understood what he meant, she smiled.

“You don’t want to be someone’s convenient hired sword.”

“Some people won’t know whether it’s shit or soybean paste until they’ve tasted it.”

Limon answered calmly.

If people believed he had defeated Lee Cheon-gi, he would certainly gain fame. But more people would try to use him, too. Even Lee Cheon-gi, an absolute being of this era, had had a parasite like Park Hyeon-gun clinging to him. Plenty would assume Limon was easier to exploit because he had no faction or affiliation.

Of course, such people could be useful if handled right. But Limon already had his hands full worrying about the constellations, and he hated using more force than necessary. Nothing could be more of a nuisance.

“Well, at least this means I can win my bet. I’ll settle for that.”

“A bet?”

“Yep. I made a bet with a certain dead-eyed girl about whether I could clear my name.”

He chuckled, remembering how Sia had looked as if the sky had fallen when she watched Lee Cheon-gi’s press conference. Then he sank back into the sofa and looked at Li Qingyu with interest.

“So, will this make it any easier to get the elders’ approval for our marriage?”

He asked about his own marriage as though it were someone else’s business. Ironic as that was, Li Qingyu was not the least bit flustered. She simply smiled and answered.

“I’ve already got it.”

“... You have? Already?”

“Yes, though there are a few conditions. They’re not difficult, so you can consider it practically unconditional approval.”

“If they were going to agree that readily, why oppose it in the first place?”

“Well, the elders know your strength, Sword Lord. After opposing the marriage, they must have decided they wanted you after all.”

Limon gave her a curious look at the casual answer. Being no youngster himself, he knew how impossible it was to budge stubborn old fossils. If the elders had given in this quickly, had someone backed them into a corner where they had no choice?

“Tsk. Then I got excited about clearing my name for nothing.”

“Don’t be disappointed. There is something we’ve gained from it.”

“You can use me as your hired sword out in the open?”

“No. We can hold our wedding openly, without shame.”

“Sad thing is, I can’t argue with that.”

Limon let out a little laugh. He could wipe this country out with a few strokes of his sword; Li Qingyu could collapse its economy with a handful of orders. To either of them, a treason charge was worth no more than that.

“Anyway, does that mean all we have left is the wedding?”

“Once we’ve gone through a few formalities.”

“Formalities?”

“I am a princess of the Seven Dragons Society, after all. From booking the venue to deciding whom to invite, there’s quite a lot to prepare.”

“Hmm. Fair enough...”

Limon nodded. Even an ordinary couple usually took months, sometimes years, to prepare for a wedding. They certainly could not throw together a wedding overnight for Li Qingyu, head of the Seven Dragons Society and owner of the Seven Dragon Group.

“Well, let me know if you need a hand with anything. I’ve got nothing but time.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’ll help with most things.”

Limon nodded matter-of-factly. Li Qingyu gazed at him with sparkling eyes.

“Then could you spare me some time tomorrow?”

“I don’t mind, but... why?”

“There’s something I need to take care of soon, and I absolutely need your help with it.”

“Someone you need killed?”

“No.”

“Something you need smashed, then?”

“Not that either.”

Li Qingyu chuckled at the thoroughly swordsman-like questions he came up with after briefly wondering what she could possibly need him for. Then she gave him a knowing smile.

“If anything, it’s quite the opposite.”