"Who did this!!"
The Great Sage clenched his teeth and roared in fury.
His face twisted with rage as he stared in horror at the newspaper in his hand. His entire body trembled slightly.
He had thought that what had been exposed would be nothing more than some trivial detail.
A small mistake, perhaps. Or a superficial scandal.
But he had never imagined that it would reveal his entire dark past.
At that moment, he desired only one thing: to capture the reporter who had written that report and tear them apart alive, turning every piece of their body into material for the cruelest human experiments.
"Damn it!"
He slammed his fist against the table.
"Quick! Send people immediately to collect and destroy all of these newspapers before more people read them!"
One of his subordinates hesitated before replying:
"…Great Sage… I think half the people in Sumeru already know the contents of this newspaper."
"W… what?"
The Great Sage's eyes widened.
He stared at the men in front of him with complete disbelief.
How could something like this have happened so quickly?
How could so many people already know?
The subordinate quickly explained.
A massive crack had appeared in the sky.
Shortly afterward, thousands of newspapers fell like snow, scattering across the entire city of Sumeru.
Now, practically every person in the city had at least one copy in their hands.
Moreover, the content of the newspaper was extremely explosive.
It was exactly the kind of news that awakened humanity's most basic instinct: curiosity for scandals.
At that moment, in the streets, in the alleys, and in almost every corner of the city, people were intensely discussing every line of that report.
The Great Sage's eyes trembled uncontrollably.
Originally, he had planned to resolve the situation quickly.
Before too many people read the newspaper, he could simply have everyone responsible killed—the vendors, the writers, the distributors…
Even anyone who had read the content.
But now…
Half the population of the kingdom already knew the story.
It was impossible to kill half of Sumeru.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
"In that case…"
His voice was filled with anger.
"We will publicly announce that the entire content of this article is false."
He tapped the newspaper with his finger.
"Find the person who wrote this and make them publish a clarification immediately!"
He refused to believe that a simple newspaper could bring him down.
No matter how many copies were distributed.
He was still the Great Sage.
The true ruler of this kingdom.
Even if that information were true…
If he said it was false, then it would be false!
"Sir… this… this may not be so easy to resolve."
"Hm?"
Azar narrowed his eyes.
"You're saying you can't even deal with a simple reporter?"
"N-No, that's not it…"
The confidant awkwardly pointed to a corner of the newspaper.
The Great Sage looked.
For a moment, he was completely stunned.
His already pale face turned even whiter.
In the corner of the newspaper was a very specific symbol.
A bird formed from mechanical gears.
It was the emblem of The Steambird.
And just below the title of the article was the reporter's name.
Charlotte.
A name that, in the world of journalism, was practically a legend.
He immediately understood.
Clearing his name now would be a hundred times more difficult.
The Steambird was a newspaper originating from the magical nation of Fontaine.
Although newspapers had existed for only a few years, they had spread across the world at astonishing speed.
Several other publications had appeared since then.
But none possessed the influence, reach, and credibility of the Steambird.
And Charlotte…
She was even more famous.
She was known for exposing the scandals of powerful nobles time and time again.
In the past, she had even discovered clues about the terrifying Cult of Diablos.
It was said that she had infiltrated one of their strongholds alone.
Using a magical device called a "photographic camera," she took hundreds of photographs as evidence.
She then wrote a shocking report that revealed to the world that the monstrous organization truly existed.
But that still wasn't the most impressive part.
There were also rumors that Charlotte had managed to infiltrate the organization known as Night Raid.
She had supposedly obtained several photographs as evidence.
At the time, Night Raid had been considered by many to be a terrorist organization—especially after the incidents in the so-called Holy Land.
However, after Charlotte published one of her reports…
The shameful activities of the Holy Land and the manipulation carried out by the Cult of Diablos were exposed.
As a result, Night Raid's reputation was practically "washed clean."
In short, the girl named Charlotte was considered one of the most respected reporters in the world.
When she published something…
People automatically assumed it was true.
Therefore, it would not be easy for him to use Sumeru's official authority to clear his name now.
The confidant asked cautiously:
"Great Sage… what should we do now? If this continues…"
The Great Sage's face was extremely dark.
At that moment, the office—which was supposed to be completely soundproof—began to be invaded by noises from the street.
He frowned and walked toward the window.
He opened it.
Then he clearly saw the scene below.
People throughout the entire city.
Each holding a newspaper in their hands.
All intensely discussing the content.
The Great Sage gripped the window railing tightly.
For a moment, he had the impulse to simply kill them all.
But he also knew that such a thing was impossible—and pointless.
He took a deep breath and turned around.
"Immediately announce to the public that these reports are false."
His voice was cold.
"For now, ignore the rebels. Send the guards and mercenaries to collect all the newspapers and destroy every copy. And forbid anyone from discussing this matter."
The confidant hesitated.
"Great Sage… that might be a bit…"
The Great Sage interrupted him coldly.
"Whenever you find someone discussing the contents of the newspaper… imprison them immediately."
Then he added with even greater coldness:
"Or execute a few of them publicly as a warning to the others."
"Y-Yes… understood."
The confidant was already sweating cold.
His back was completely soaked.
He knew very well that the man in front of him did not care in the slightest about the lives or thoughts of ordinary people.
In fact…
The Great Sage was furious.
But not exactly panicking.
The reason was simple.
Ordinary people in this world were weak.
Between those who possessed elemental power and those who did not, there existed a massive gap.
Even if the civilians went mad and attempted to rebel…
They would be easily suppressed.
Inequality between people had always existed.
And in this world, that inequality was even more obvious.
The Great Sage finally released a cold sigh.
"Forget it."
He once again held the Dendro Gnosis in his hand.
"No matter how much those civilians scream."
His gaze darkened.
"When I completely master the Heart of the God of Grass…"
"And connect to Irminsul…"
He slowly smiled.
"I will simply erase this event from reality itself."
The World Tree, which recorded all information in the universe…
Did not merely store knowledge.
It also possessed an even more terrifying power.
The power of alteration.
The ability to change the very history of the world.
A true rewriting of reality.
(End of Chapter)