The Beron Problem (1)
Basak, king of the Airon Kingdom, finished the banquet and returned to his bedchamber.
"Huu, I'm tired."
He'd worn himself out with one hedonistic party after another and his stamina was nearly gone.
"I'm getting old. I used to be able to handle it ten times over, but now it feels like they've even drained my soul..."
"Don't worry. A man's vigor doesn't die until he does."
Startled by a woman's voice in the bedchamber guarded like a fortress, Basak sprang up.
"Wh—who..."
Seeing the pale, snake-like woman's face, he let out a sigh of relief.
"So it was you."
She was Shura, seventh-ranking member of the Council of Ten Elders.
Even after the Buddha's passing, she still searched for the world's secrets.
The reason she lingered in Airon was that Beron, head of the Council, had entrenched iron rule there.
'The Beron question.'
-Can humans truly change the future?
At the omega year mark of 999, decreed by the gods, this was the hottest question.
Basak collapsed back onto the bed.
"You scared me. What's the matter? You haven't shown up much lately."
"With a constitution like yours, how do you even go to those banquets? You're a strange man."
"Heh heh. If you don't like meeting women, then simply don't. What's worse is the unrest in the Temple lately."
People were being killed at random—roughly one per hour.
"Right. Where have you been?"
If Shura had been around when the nations were hunting Wuorin, things might have gone differently.
"...I met a friend."
'A friend.'
Basak's vacant expression shifted quickly as if gears had turned in his head.
'What is she plotting now?' He'd heard the Council of Ten Elders had fractured, but reliable information about who lived or died was scarce.
"Don't pry."
By the time Basak had steadied himself, Shura watched him with cold eyes.
"Who said otherwise? Of course I trust you."
"Heh heh, the god of lies?"
"I'm a worshipper of lies. Only when buried in falsehood does the truth shine."
Shura leaned against Basak.
"Then what truth is hidden in my lie?"
"That you could kill me." "But since you didn't, it means you still need me. Then we can be good friends. That's the truth I found."
"Excellent."
"Heh heh! In that sense, may I ask one favor? You've always made my dreams come true."
Shura was formidable.
Even if you expanded the field to the whole world, there were a few who might stand against her. Yet Basak trusted her because her nonviolent talents were exceptional.
'Also… she's a direct disciple of the Buddha.'
Shura spoke.
"Tell me. What do you want?"
"The world."
Though her touch hadn't stirred him before, his body flared with desire now.
"Gis is a capable politician. I'll give him credit. But I ran the board, didn't I?"
Basak turned his head and widened his eyes.
"The head of a World Leadership Nation. If it were you, could you give me that position?"
Shura's eyes narrowed.
'She really never stops.'
She could not be ignorant of the fact that Jaive was the leading candidate for a World Leadership Nation.
'If Jaive takes the world, Airon will be treated accordingly. Yet she isn't satisfied—she wants to climb higher.'
Basak spoke again.
"Give me the world. Then I'll give you what you truly desire."
A truth shining within a lie.
"...I'll do my best."
As if rewinding time, she stepped away from the bed and turned toward the door.
'Difficult. But…'
It wasn't impossible.
In the royal chamber of the Tormia sector, Shirone watched Pony moan.
'She's regained consciousness. Is it a sign of hostility, or… a last-ditch rally?'
When the doctor finished his examination and left, Shirone pressed a hand to Pony's forehead.
Pony blinked, recognized him, and smiled like they had in school days.
"Shirone."
"You okay? How do you feel?"
"Well, I don't know. How do I look?"
Pony was dying.
"Hold on a little longer. I'll do something. I'll definitely save you, so until then—"
At that moment Pony opened her eyes wide and spat blood.
The poison of emotion.
The grievance lodged in her heart refluxed endlessly through her metabolism.
Shirone cast Miracle Stream.
'Damn.'
Who could comfort her?
Who could console a woman who had been surrounded by vicious men and died in terrible pain?
'That alone would be infuriating. No words of comfort could stop the coughing up of blood. It had been amplified to the extreme through that hellish system—an unrivaled hatred.'
'The only way…'
was to reset the inner world's system and remove the magic lodged in Pony.
"Just hold on a bit more."
Pony smiled bitterly.
"You don't deserve it."
"Who deserves to live?"
"It's all because of my greed. If I hadn't tried to be king, none of this would have happened."
"You did it to survive. In a purge of the royal family, it was the only choice."
Pony shook her head.
"I hated my bloodline back in school. People said I had it easy, but the truth was different. A royal who couldn't be king. Like a mage who couldn't use magic."
"Why did you hate being royal? You gave many reasons, but now I think I know. You wanted that title more than anyone. The title of king."
"That's not wrong, is it?"
"Did you dream of being the prince in a fairy tale? Thought you'd be different, thought you could change things…"
Pony broke down and wailed.
"I really wanted to do well. But Shirone, I couldn't! I was so frustrated!"
Watching her cry and cough up blood, Shirone bit his lip.
'Contradiction.'
Everyone accepted it as natural, but the more he thought about it, the more chilling the truth became.
'This world is strange.'
Was it reasonable that the world was structured so people couldn't get what they wanted?
'It could have been made differently. A world where everyone is happy was perfectly possible.'
Is God some perverse sadist?
'No.'
Perhaps God created a perfect world, and only humans are under a vast misconception.
'Thus the heart is error.'
Right is emptiness.
Yet Jet wanted to send his error into the future even knowing this.
'The tachyon key. If that's the key to connecting to the outside world, then even if it's only me…'
I can fight God.
As he steeled himself, the door opened and Albino, Lupist, and Dante entered.
"You're here."
Albino smiled as he approached.
"I heard the call. I know Tormia's situation. You've made time in your busy schedule… I'll cooperate."
"I will."
Albino fell silent for a moment.
"I want to help make Tormia a World Leadership Nation. What should I do?"
'Hmm… this is better than I expected.'
Albino brushed back his beard.
Hostility flared up within Shirone, but he kept it hidden and looked back at Pony.
"How is she?"
She had lost consciousness—perhaps mercifully so.
"Sit down first."
Lupist moved to the table and asked, "What exactly do you mean by helping Tormia? Does that include war?"
"We will not defy Yahweh's will. But if war is advantageous, we won't shy away from it."
That was enough for now.
"I understand. But why the change of heart?"
"A focal point is needed. I want to rally humanity around Tormia. Above all… I cannot hand the position of world leader to someone like Gis."
Shirone seemed to have learned a lot from the recent protests.
Albino said, "Since mining Imir's Ultima is difficult, political capability is essential. But you know— even if we unite all of humanity, that's not true integration."
"Forget about Ultima."
The harsh words made everyone blink.
"Of course we won't give up on integration. But it's time to find a second-best option."
"So you've found one?"
He didn't mention the spear that circled the sun.
"I've made my position clear. Decide what you'll do."
Albino continued, "Hmm. Tormia's current candidate ranking is sixth. The probability of getting enough votes to become a World Leadership Nation is 16.4 percent." He turned to Dante. "I'm curious—if Shirone gives us full support, how does that change the odds?"
Dante, having finished his calculations, spoke.
"...Albino, you don't seem surprised."
"On the contrary—it dropped. Is aligning with Yahweh like embracing a bomb?"
"The initial variable was that Yahweh's name appeared in Arachne's scandal piece. If it had been settled, it would've been fine, but Gis fanned the flames and the matter escalated."
Dante weighed all the information.
"Originally, Yahweh was a symbolic image. But once a name enters politics, the numbers change. As the protests split, half of Jaive's citizens will dislike Yahweh."
"But the Temple only delegated voting rights to Gis. It shouldn't affect other countries' votes, right?"
"Of course. But…"
Dante's expression grew grave.
"The problem is the Pope's influence. If Yahweh is criticized at the Temple's venue, the Rami Church—the world's largest religion—will broadcast it worldwide. And even if the procedure is nominal, a World Leadership Nation is officially approved by the Pope. The variable Shirone could create is large, but politics is different. Winning votes will likely be difficult."
The probability could actually drop.
"I see."
Albino nodded.
"I agree with the head of intelligence. It's awkward to say this to you directly, but what should we do now? Reject Shirone's offer?"
"Of course—"
Dante said, "We must accept. We have to throw everything our country has into keeping Shirone on our side."
Albino lifted a corner of his mouth.
"Why?"
"Because it feels good."
Silence fell, then he explained.
"Having an ace doesn't guarantee you'll win a card game. You need the tabled cards to be made as well. But if you have the ace…"
"It feels good."
"Yes. Even if the tabled cards make a hard combination, if the opponent might not have a made hand yet, the momentum shifts."
"You won't know until you open the ballot box."
Dante nodded.
"Given the current state, the ace is a weak card. But if probability gaps can't be closed by other means, I think Tormia should take the gamble."
Lupist rubbed his chin and blinked. "Sorry. As an intelligence man, I'm talking about momentum. That's just my personal opinion…"
"No."
Albino laughed. "You're our best intel. You shifted that 16.4 percent. We'll take it. Let's do it."
With that decided, Shirone asked, "Then what should I do?"
"Unanimous decision. To overwhelm the Rami Church's global influence, all eleven countries must vote Tormia."
Lupist said, "By any means necessary—blackmail, bluff, whatever it takes—drain the king of his votes. Get them all."