Chapter 366: Partners

The country that handled the inflation phenomenon where the power of all superhumans was running wild the best was Korea.

And the reason, of course, was that I had forewarned them that it would happen.

“Da-in, you’re up front now.”

“…What do you mean?”

One day before the inflation Lee Seola had told me that.

“No, honestly, I think it’s better that you don’t just sit behind me like this…Why don’t you come up front as Da-in, and I’ll give you a title.”

Seola, who’s lying on the couch in a half-unbuttoned suit, looking at the papers, looks up at me, smiles, and says so.

I, who was standing on the side of the couch and reviewing the papers, looked at her in disbelief and said,

“…Me? Why?”

“Aye. Still, instead of making all your decisions through me, why don’t you open up a new route for yourself?”

Lee Seola’s words were like this.

The policies I’ve been discussing with her, such as the expansion of the Association’s underground bunker base and the care of the Yuseong Squad, should be done openly instead of secretly.

As for the title, she said she would give me the title of Team Leader of the Hero Association Special Audit and Cooperation TF Team.

The reasoning was that it would be too much trouble for me to do it through her, and she might not have time.

“And honestly, after all you’ve done so far, you deserve it.”

In other words, the idea was to give me the opportunity to hire lower-ranking people at will and exploit them. In particular, there are things that can only be done in sunny areas…

“…But more than that, it’s because it helps me.”

After explaining this, Lee Seola coughed and blushed slightly, confessing her sincerity.

In fact, now that Lee Seola has officially revealed herself as the real head of state of the Republic of Korea, she often attends international meetings…She wished I could be there.

The problem is that she needs to make immediate decisions there, and she needs to consult me about important things. If she makes decisions on her own, we can get into trouble.

…I felt a little bit like a non-paying taxpayer, but I was kind of negative anyway.

Because.

“No…What if the association finds out?”

That was it.

Even if the title is not known to civilians in the first place, what if I get involved with the association and they find out I’m Egostic…!

And when she heard my concern, she said,

“What…?”

She looked at me with a puzzled expression, as if she was surprised.

“Da-in, is there anyone out of the three A-class heroes who isn’t on the side of Egostic? I’m on your side, Shadow Walker’s on your side, and now even Haru is on your side. You’re even dating.”

“…”

“Besides, you’ve already cooperated with the head of the Association as Egostic, and didn’t you say that everyone in the first Yuseong Squad knows you’re Egostic? Honestly, I think everyone in the Association knows you’re on our side now.”

“Hmm…”

…Is that so?

My mind was instantly confused by her words.

I thought I’d managed to keep it under wraps, which was embarrassing.

“Okay, this is what I’ll do.”

Anyway, that’s how my entry into public power was decided.

…I don’t know if this is right, but whatever.

“Woohoo…I guess I can legally hang out with Da-in now.”

Lee Seola muttered to herself as she lay quietly on the couch, flipping through her pad.

As if she was writing something down and suddenly remembered, she looked up and asked me.

“By the way, Da-in. What’s your last name?”

“Last name? I don’t have a last name.”

“…What?”

I scratched my cheeks at her surprised reaction.

Years ago, when I first fell into this world, I decided to abandon my last name.

I cried, “What use is my last name now that I’m in this world without parents and ties?” Being determined to survive in this world from scratch, and anger at the gods who had brought me to this point.

…It’s funny to think about now, but at the time, I was a bit picky.

That changed when I met Stardus and Seo-Eun along with the other people I care about…it was actually a little dangerous back then, even for me.

Of course, now that I’m better, I don’t think much differently.

“Let’s just call it Da-in. It doesn’t matter anyway, right?”

“Uh… Yeah. Okay.”

With that, she nodded silently and started to write something on her pad.

As I watched her, a question popped into my mind, and I asked her.

“So, is that okay, since I’m a stateless person who doesn’t even have a resident registration in the first place?”

“Oh, that’s okay. Who am I?”

To my question, she smirked, as if she didn’t care.

“It’s a problem that can be easily resolved if I just touch it a little. Who can say anything when I tell them to do it?”

“…That’s true.”

I nodded, looking at Lee Seola who was so confident.

In the original, and even now, her control over the Republic of Korea was so deep that it was the Republic of Lee Seola.

Even though she put so much power into the Republic of Korea, she never crossed the line and tried to save the dying country until the end.

No matter what anyone says, she’s still a hero at heart.

“…Now, that’s it! Da-in is a member of the government-affiliated Hero Association Cooperation TF team, and I’ve set you up as one of my direct staff.”

“I see. Good.”

She replied with a smirk as she put the papers down.

Seola stretched out on the couch, her light blue hair hanging down.

“Huh?”

She put the pad back on the desk, smiled mischievously, and then suddenly grabbed me by the arm and pulled me onto the couch.

I was barely able to center myself on top of her, lying on the couch, and ended up facing her in a half-flat position.

With our eyes locked so closely together Lee Seola smiled brightly, looked at me with her deep sky-blue eyes, and then leaned her forehead against mine and said.

“You see, Da-in is now perfectly in the same boat as me, a soul partner.”

“…Anything to get off?”

“Of course not. You’re the only person I can be with now.”

With that, she smiled mischievously once again, then she turned her head toward my ear and whispered.

“Together, we’re going to lead this country, okay?”

Feeling her cool breath tickle my ear, I smiled bitterly.

Despite her playful tone, I could feel her sincerity.

…that she would never allow me to leave.

***

“Oh, and don’t worry about Stardus. I’ll try to convince her.”

“…What do you mean?”

That was the end of my brief encounter with her.

Since the start of Phase 4, I’ve been planning a terror that will mark the beginning of the final Phase in earnest.

In the original, and now, the centerpiece of Phase 4 is the Cathedral-centric villain counterattack.

All of the named villains will be aligned with Cathedral, bringing together all of the villains that have been scattered and separated from each other.

As such, the terrorism from this point on is characterized by large-scale combat.

Of course, Cathedral doesn’t just unite the world’s top villains, they support each other. That’s the scary part.

Especially scary is Celeste’s “Army of Heaven” and these guys are standing right in front of me.

“Do as I say. Do you understand?

“———–understood———”

They’re like egg ghosts, with plain white faces, white robes and armor.

These are the clone soldiers that Celeste supports, and they’re a great help to the villains in their tactics.

Whatever the mechanics of their creation, they have the added bonus of providing an endless supply of staff that can be summoned by simply requesting them from above.

They’re comparable to B to C class heroes, and while they’re not weak, they have the advantage of being numerous.

This means that using them, aka the Heavenly Soldiers, is the core of Cathedral’s terror.

They summon a lot of mobs to fight and are the reason I needed so many heroes.

…and I was planning to use this to make a go-stop game for me and Stardus, just the two of us.

[Yes, Da-in. I’ll do as you say.]

“Okay. Thank you, number one…No, Se-gum.”

And with that, I agreed with my faithful students, the Ego Squad… the current heroes of the Association.

Soon after, I pulled on my mask and floated in the sky, fully dressed once again, to announce my splendid return.

“Here we go. Let’s start our first terrorist attack in a long time.”

The purpose of this attack was twofold.

One, to announce that I am back in action as a member of the Cathedral.

The other, to meet Stardus legally…

With that, I set up all the dozens of cameras floating around me.

I smirked and as I turned on the broadcast, I opened my mouth.

“Hello, everyone, this is Egostic!”

I returned.