Chapter 214: Episode 214

Episode 214

Once Hong Yul returned to the Association President’s seat, Korea quickly began to return to normal.

First, Im Namjin of the Global Disaster Response Division, who had been grinding through a brutal schedule overseas, returned along with the former Enforcement Bureau agents. A recall order was also issued to Hong Yeon at the Antarctic base.

The Global Disaster Response Division was abolished, and the pro-Hong Yul faction, led by Im Namjin, reclaimed power in the Enforcement Bureau. Naturally, all the bizarre morning rituals—singing the national anthem and chanting the Association’s ideology—vanished without a trace.

Across the hunter world, most of the policies Frost had rolled out were nullified. Hunters regained their freedom of dress, and all the regulations on appearance and attire, like hair and skirt length, were scrapped.

That didn’t mean Hong Yul threw every process Frost had established into the trash. She used what was useful. In particular, she took the hunter control measures that had enjoyed public support and implemented them with some modifications.

Under normal circumstances, there would have been fierce backlash over human rights violations and infringements on freedom, but Frost had already torn everything apart so thoroughly that there was barely any resistance. If anything, people were saying, “Well, it’s still better than Frost,” and largely letting it slide. Hong Yul shrewdly used the chaos to her advantage.

Among the best developments were the return of non-hunter sectors to their original policies, the establishment of the Magic Administration Department I had proposed in Hawaii, and the complete abolition of the “Outside the Power Grid” policy.

When things started going our way, they really went our way.

Because Frost had overturned everything, we were now able to roll out radical policies that would have been unthinkable before. In the end, Frost had essentially just paved the way for Hong Yul.

“Hey, are you really not going to do it?”

Her voice came through the smartphone speaker. I answered with a smile, but my tone was firm.

“That’s right. I’m not doing it.”

“You’re the one who proposed the Magic Administration Department! If you don’t take the job, who will?”

“If I accept that, I become a public official, and all my private business ventures get blocked.”

“Oh, please! You think politicians and civil servants don’t run businesses? They just put everything under their family’s or relatives’ names! You can do the same!”

“I prefer to manage my own affairs directly.”

To be honest, being the head of the Republic of Korea’s Magic Administration Department was a prestigious position. Even so, I had my reasons for turning down her offer. The final destination I had in mind was much higher than that.

“Tsk, fine. Then recommend someone suitable.”

“It’s a department for the welfare of mages, so does it really matter who runs it?”

“It’s still the Magic Administration Department. It would look much better to have at least one mage in the top seat!”

“…All right. I’ll look around.”

A new mission had landed in my lap. ’Someone to put in the Magic Administration Department… who could that be?’

’Well, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to place one of my own people there and build a connection.’

“Oh, that reminds me—what about Hong Yeon?”

“She says she’ll be back soon. Apparently she’s already settled in over there, so she’s going to finish her current assignment and then return.”

“…That’s very much like her.”

She had such a strong sense of duty and such a tenacious personality that it made sense. Once she started something, she had to see it through.

I wrapped up the call with the Association President and opened my laptop.

“Tower Master. Here is your drink for today.”

Ea appeared, carrying a tray with a beverage. I eyed her warily.

“This isn’t a perilla-leaf mojito, is it?”

“It is the deodeok root cocktail you ordered, Tower Master.”

“You’re the best.”

I quickly took the drink from the tray and took a sip. The sharp, medicinal flavor of the herbal root spread across my tongue. It was excellent.

“You have the taste buds of an old man,” Jin Bora commented as she walked by.

“I’m taking care of my health!”

She snickered as she went past. I drank my deodeok root cocktail and clicked into a live stream on my laptop.

Frost’s trial was about to begin.

* * *

Frost’s trial was held at the Supreme Court. Because it was a major military trial under the Hunter Special Act, it was a single-instance proceeding. In other words, everything would be decided in one verdict.

With people from every walk of life filling the courtroom, the defendant, Frost, was brought in. In a place that should have been solemn, several people couldn’t hold back their open expressions of anger.

The past few days had clearly taken their toll on Frost. The smart, gentlemanly figure who had delivered such an impressive speech from a podium watched by the entire nation was gone. His cheeks were sunken, and his eyes were hollow.

The prosecutor, the defense attorneys, and finally the judge took their seats, and the trial began.

The prosecutor rattled off Frost’s charges one after another: high treason, murder, bribery, media control, collusion with corporations, aggravated coercion, and violations of hiring laws, among others.

Frost either denied most of the charges or remained silent, especially when it came to issues involving Unix, such as collusion with corporations and guilds. His defense was handled by the best legal team in Korea, hired by the Unix Group.

Frost answered the prosecutor’s questions calmly, just as he had prepared.

’Good.’

He didn’t think the situation was that bad. The law was a fascinating thing. The presumption of innocence, the principle of trial by evidence, the right to remain silent, the principle of legality, the rule of strict interpretation—there was a reason people made a living off the law. If you exploited its blind spots well enough, a courtroom was a place where you could make existing crimes disappear.

Of course, in Dungeon crimes under the Hunter Special Act, the testimony of survivors carried great weight, so there was nothing he could do about the case involving Hong Yul. Even so, if he could drag things out, chip away at the charges for lack of evidence, and wait until the public calmed down, there was hope.

’Hong Yul…’

Just thinking of her sent a chill down his spine.

She was truly horrifying. No matter how much he cried, begged, tried to coax, or threatened, human words didn’t reach her. She was a beast that simply did whatever it wanted.

That night, he had been destined to be torn apart and killed by that beast.

—“You need to suffer for a lot longer.”

But the beast had thought differently.

—“Just like I was trapped in a Dungeon all that time. How do you think it will feel when that system you kept running your mouth about starts tightening around your neck? Go ahead and thrash around. See what good it does. Of course, I don’t care what you say in court. If things don’t go the way I want, I’ll just throw away the Association President job and come for you myself. The people screaming for your execution would probably prefer that kind of ending over some lukewarm legal outcome anyway. Don’t you think so?”

The fear had been carved into his bones.

If he had been granted a single wish, Frost would have wished to never see her face again. He would rather end his own life on the spot than go through that again. If he could spend a few years in prison and be protected from her, he would gladly do it.

So there was nothing he could do about the charges involving Hong Yul. He would shoulder the high treason for seizing power. However, this courtroom was about Unix, and about securing his own survival within it. If he stalled for time and waited for the public’s attention to drift away, an opportunity for a comeback would arrive.

There was no country in the world that would execute an officially certified rank 2 hunter.

While the prosecutor was speaking, Frost let his mind wander. The prosecutor shot him an irritated look.

“Defendant, do you also deny the charges that you threatened corporations and guilds?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Your Honor, the prosecution would like to call a witness regarding this matter.”

The judge granted permission.

’A witness? Most of the records have been erased. Who would dare shoulder the risk of defying Unix and come here?’

A murmur spread through the room. At the sound of people whispering, Frost turned around.

The blood drained from his face.

’J-Jeong Seojin…!’

His own younger brother was standing at the witness stand, taking the oath.

“I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and that if I lie, I will accept punishment for perjury.”

“You son of a—!” Frost shot to his feet in a rage. “Have you lost your damn mind? Your own family is on trial, and instead of helping, you stand over there? How much more shit do you have to smear on the family name before you come to your senses?”

Jeong Seojin smiled faintly.

“I was summoned here as a witness as well. ‘We must follow the system’—that was always your line, wasn’t it, sir? Regardless of family ties, if someone has committed a crime, they must pay for it. That is the system.”

“You…!”

The judge banged his gavel, ordering them both to be quiet.

“Witness. You may testify.”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

From the witness stand, Jeong Seojin dropped a thick stack of documents and several USB drives with a heavy thud. People gasped and whispered.

“Well then, where shall we start?”

“Seojin…!” Frost ground his teeth.

The first piece of evidence Jeong Seojin played was a recording involving himself.

[Let’s think positively, little brother. Just by being involved with you, Kim Yusin’s story is guaranteed to end badly. There’s only one way for you both to survive! Hand over the potion specialist and the recipes. Then, both of you will join Unix. I’ll let you live as our dogs. I’ll feed you regularly, take you for walks, and if I’m in a good mood, I’ll even give you a reward. Isn’t that the life everyone wants? Even now, people all over Korea are fighting a war of qualifications just to become one of our family’s dog…]

A wave of murmurs swept the court. The crowd’s openly outraged stares stabbed into Frost.

It was devastating. Before anyone even got into the technicalities of crimes and charges, this was a statement that ran headlong against public sentiment.

Frost’s mental composure shattered.

’This can’t be happening. How did this get out? Secretary An would have checked for recording devices before the meeting.’

“This is exactly how the defendant operates,” Jeong Seojin said, spreading out the mountain of materials.

Threats against Blackguard and NIX, threats against Garam Management, attempts to manipulate information with the Russians, and even documents and data on the Top 10 guilds.

“It is habitual and malicious. Thoroughly reprehensible.”

He turned his head toward the prosecutor, who nodded and addressed the judge.

“The prosecution submits all of these materials into evidence.”

“Bring them here.”

Frost’s attorney objected, arguing that the materials were unrelated to the main hearing, but the judge, his face flushed red, overruled him. Putting on his glasses, the judge personally reviewed the documents.

After a moment, he pushed his glasses up and spoke.

“Defendant. You previously testified that you had not committed any acts of coercion.”

“Th-that was…!”

“This is a serious aggravating factor, as you have made a mockery of this court.”

Frost clenched his jaw and lowered his head.

From the outset, Jeong Seojin had not prepared some dramatic twist to overturn the entire situation. He had thought that was Yusin’s role, and something only Yusin could do. Instead, he had gathered materials in preparation for the day Frost went to trial.

If Unix wished, it could replace the judge, the prosecutor, the defense attorneys, and even the spectators in this courtroom—and in fact, it had done so in the past. However, with the bribery scandal now tied to Frost and the entire nation demanding his punishment, the prosecution couldn’t accept Unix’s offer this time.

Jeong Seojin’s materials had already been handed over to the prosecutor. With Frost’s mental state in shambles, the prosecutor dismantled him with ease.

“I will now deliver the sentence.”

Aggravated punishment for specific crimes, depraved criminal intent, contempt for the court, no sign of remorse, the need for permanent isolation from society—one negative assessment after another poured out.

With each point, Frost’s expression grew more rigid, until at last the judge pronounced the sentence.

“The defendant is hereby sentenced to the maximum penalty under the law: death.”

The courtroom erupted.

The execution of a former Association President instantly became the biggest domestic issue of the year.

* * *

“They won’t actually execute him,” Jeong Seojin said when I met with him after the trial. “At most, he’ll get life imprisonment. There’s no country in the world that would execute a nationally certified rank 2 hunter. Unix won’t allow it, either.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

He spoke in a very matter-of-fact tone. Watching his face, I asked carefully, “Are you really okay?”

“Yes. I’m fine.”

“Are you sure you didn’t do something you’ll regret? He’s still your family.”

“Family…” he repeated the word under his breath and closed his eyes. “If people who strip their members of everything, control them, grind them down, and torment them can be called family just because they share blood, then I suppose so.”

He said it without the slightest tremor. I had no way of knowing how long he had been grinding his teeth and nursing that resentment.

“Why are your siblings so desperate to tear you apart, anyway? Just because you’re a rival within the group?”

“There are more reasons than I can count. I’m much younger than the others, and above all…” He let out a small sigh. “My mother died giving birth to me.”

“Ah…”

“The family told her to give up the child, but she refused. In the end, she gave birth to me, her health deteriorated, and she passed away. From that point on, I was probably branded an eyesore and a problem child in the family. Every year on the anniversary of my mother’s death, my sisters made my life hell.”

Listening to him, I found my throat tightening. I didn’t know what to say, and while I was at a loss for words, he spoke again.

“None of that matters anymore.” He was smiling now, looking genuinely unburdened. “My real family is here.”

* * *

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep