The Time-Limited Leader Makes the Raid a Success - Chapter 446



Only Noblemtl

Episode 446

#446. As we continue talking, it becomes clearer.

In addition to his title of Grand Duke, Italy’s S-Rank Hunter, Edoardo Asburgoeste also had other nicknames such as Guardian of Italy and Patron Saint of Venice.

Other positions he held include being the former Gloria Guild Master and current advisor to the EHA (European Hunters Association), while also being the Grand Master of the Italian Knights Hospitaller.

“I didn’t usually pay attention to it since the vice-captain holds the real power and it’s an honorary position, but the one supporting the Flying Seahorse to the Knights is the Gloria Guild, and since the support is in my name as the captain, it means I can use it as I see fit. Isn’t that right, Vittorio Gilma?”

Vito was perplexed on two counts.

The first is that Edoardo didn’t shorten his name when he called him earlier.

Vito was a nickname given to him by those close to him.

Edoardo’s use of his name rather than his nickname was a way of expressing a firm decision.

‘That’s something that happens occasionally, so even so, why did you take out the Knights Templar card? Isn’t this the first time something like this has happened?’

As Edoardo himself said, the position of Commander of the Knights was an honorary position.

Of course, it was an honorary position, but the influence of an S-rank hunter could not be completely absent.

‘That’s why the Archduke himself was worried that it would give the impression that he was controlling the Knights Templar, so he was trying to keep his distance as much as possible. But now that he’s suddenly going to use his authority as the Knight Commander, it means that he’s willing to deal with the aftermath… … .’

The Italian Knights Hospitallers, unlike the historical knights who were active in Malta during the Crusades, abandoned their Catholic religious overtones and became a modern non-profit organization that focused on relief and service, transforming into a monster-catching armed group.

Despite being a hunter group, it was a place with great influence to the point that it was treated as a nation even in the UN, and on the surface, it was under the protection of the Vatican and was led by Edoardo as the commander of the knights.

This also meant that Edoardo was holding two divine swords in his hands: the large guild called Gloria Guild and an independent group with powerful military forces.

Italian politics took this as a warning sign, but it was difficult to find anyone criticizing Edoardo, as they could not recklessly attack a hero whose national popularity was skyrocketing.

Also, Edoardo was aware of these views and restrained himself. He distanced himself by changing the position of Knight Commander to an honorary position and leaving everything to the Vice Commander.

But now Edoardo had declared that he would break the principles he had created.

‘The Grand Duke is willing to take on an invisible restraint that is much more difficult than catching a monster. Is it because Korea’s proposal is that great, or is it a trick by that guy named Kang Moo-hyuk?

Vito felt more than just curiosity towards Kang Mu-hyeok, whom he had never met before, but even a little jealousy.

What on earth is it about Kang Mu-hyeok that makes him actively help Johanna, who went on a long vacation that could lead to disciplinary action from the guild, and influence Edoardo, who could be said to be the starting point and everything for Gloria?

‘Maybe I should have met him before anyone else.’

At this point, Vito could no longer afford to dwell on calculations. He decided to take a step back.

“I will contact the Korea-China-Japan trilateral negotiation team early in the morning. Let’s meet later in the afternoon and try to arrange a negotiating meeting.”

* * *

The Japanese negotiating team expressed their delight at the news of the negotiations, which arrived before they had even eaten breakfast.

But soon, his expression darkened when he heard that the meeting was led by Korea and that the three Northeast Asian countries would all come together to coordinate the conditions.

Of course, Tatsuya, the head of the negotiation team, appeared to be welcoming on the outside.

“Thank you for the good news. Tell Vittorio Gasman Gilma to meet me at the Gloria Guild headquarters at 4 p.m.”

After sending the messenger back, he quickly turned around and returned to Humint.

First, he called his old friend Paolo from Gloria. When Tatsuya told him what he had heard, Paolo muttered in surprise.

-The fact that Gilma did that means that the Grand Duke has moved. If the Grand Duke hadn’t stepped forward from the beginning, it would be different, but it would be difficult for Gilma to handle a matter that he had already directly expressed his intention to reject.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

-Well, no matter how much influence I have in the management, I still feel burdened by revealing things related to the Grand Duke…

“I will definitely repay this favor.”

– A debt to the spokesperson of Ikkwang, the best guild in Japan… . It seems like a good deal. Alright. Let’s look into it. But don’t expect too much. As I said, the Archduke’s work is a sanctuary in Gloria.

Tatsuya didn’t just rely on Paolo, he mobilized his connections.

At the same time, I was so busy preparing for the negotiations that I couldn’t come to my senses all morning. I had a late lunch after noon, and the only thing I ate was a sandwich from room service.

Just as the time was approaching to come to the negotiating table, I received a call from Paolo.

-I don’t know all the details, but there was one name that was commonly mentioned in the stories coming out from our negotiation team. It seems like he negotiated directly with the Archduke.

“Could that name be… Kang Mu-hyuk?”

-That’s right. How do you know? Do you know him too?

“Just the name. We’ve never met in person.”

-While we’re on the subject, let me ask you one thing. Who on earth is Kang Mu-hyeok? Who is he that was able to change the Grand Duke’s mind?

Rather, Paolo, who brought the answer, was raising a new problem.

There was a note of genuine curiosity in his voice.

“The only S-rank hunter in South Korea, Joo Se-ah, is the master of Iron Will. She is a normal person, not a hunter. She has many achievements. That’s all I know.”

-I also looked into that achievement. He was credited with unifying the Tier Guild Hunters in the defense of the northeastern part of the Korean peninsula. But for some reason, the events that occurred in the Demon Realm after that are kept under wraps. I found out about this through an American source, but it was the same.

“Is that why you contacted me so late?”

– I was late in contacting you to make sure. The problem is about the achievements of that hidden blank space. After knocking on the door here and there, what I found out was that at the same time, a Russian tyrant was involved, and that the Chinese S-rank hunter Simyue died. And that Dragon Gorynych appeared. All of this was related to Korea, and at that time, the center of the hunter community’s topic was the integrated attack force, right? And Kang Moo-hyuk led it.

Paolo spoke excitedly, a tone that was completely at odds with his usual image as a polite gentleman and cool negotiator.

Tatsuya said to him, calming him down.

“Let’s look at the situation calmly. Do you think all of this has something to do with Kang Moo-hyuk? That seems a bit of a leap of faith.”

-Yes, it could be that you are writing a novel. But isn’t it certainly suspicious that you are involved in an unusual incident at such a coincidental time? And the location is a demonic realm. It’s a place where anything could happen.

“If you look at it that way, there are many suspicious hunters, starting with Seong Seon-je, who was called the best hunter in Korea before Joo Se-ah.”

– An S-rank hunter isn’t someone who would be defeated by a lower rank hunter.

“Kang Mu-hyuk is not a hunter.”

-That’s the blind spot. That’s why it’s even more suspicious.

“This industry is not so easy that it can be run by someone who is not a hunter.”

-I’m saying this because it’s not easy.

Paolo took a deep breath. Only then did he regain his composure and spoke calmly, unlike before.

-You don’t know the Grand Duke, so you’re saying that. The Grand Duke is not someone who can be persuaded by anyone. Even the President of the United States couldn’t do anything to the Grand Duke. The fact that he was persuaded is already extraordinary. Plus, he’s also entangled with the Mirage incident. Korea is the first country in a long time where Mirage couldn’t even set foot on the ground and was destroyed. Rumor has it that the illusion has gone astray.

“That is Joo Se Ah’s achievement.”

– No matter how much an S-rank flies and crawls, it can’t do everything. If it did, Europe, North America, or China wouldn’t have suffered so much damage from the Mirage terror.

“Why do you seem to be defending Kang Mu-hyeok? Is it because you believe he was involved in all the incidents, or are you trying to force a theory to make it seem convincing?

-Tatsuya, it seems like you’re the one who doesn’t want to acknowledge that.

“… … .”

Tatsuya felt a pang in his stomach.

His master, Kishin, was wary of the Korean hunter world. However, if Korea had grown due to the activities of ordinary people rather than the hunters he had been marking, it would have been an incident that would have mercilessly shattered Kishin’s pride.

No, even Tatsuya, who was a hunter but had no talent and had to drink the bitter cup of defeat, could not admit it.

Paolo spoke amidst Tatsuya’s silence.

-It’s becoming clearer as we continue talking. I need to find out more about this guy named Kang Mu-hyeok. What did he do that made the Grand Duke mention the Knights’ power?

“Wait a minute. Did you just say the Knights Templar? Are you talking about the Knights Templar I know?”

-That’s right. The Grand Duke is considering sending the Knights to Korea, China, and Japan. They will probably be dispatched as instructors for the Flying Seahorse and underwater combat.

* * *

On the way to the Gloria Guild headquarters.

In the backseat of Hyun Jeong-geon, who was driving, Kang Moo-hyeok was explaining to the group the most important part of this phenomenon.

“The part that I think is most important in these negotiations is training.”

“Training?”

Mr. Joe asked back.

“Yes. Unlike land vehicles based on horseback riding, the Flying Seahorse requires a lot of knowledge. Not only is it difficult to control the Flying Seahorse, but Northeast Asian hunters who have little experience with sea monsters also need to get used to fighting underwater, so of course they need an instructor to teach them.”

“I guess we should include the dispatch of hunters who will provide that training as a condition?”

“I plan to use that as an excuse to bring Johanna Hunter back to Korea.”

When Kang Moo-hyuk mentioned Johanna, Thomas, who had been with her in LA, chimed in.

“You still haven’t given up on your plan to recruit Johanna Hunter? It’s been quite a while.”

“It was a long-term project from the beginning. If you want to take a promising hunter from the top guild in Europe, the Gloria Guild, you need perseverance, patience, and determination. These are the three things.”

When Kang Mu-hyeok emphasized by holding up three fingers, Mr. Cho responded that he was tired of it.

“If you put all three together, won’t it be too sticky?”

“What is our guild’s name? The Will of Steel. This is my will.”

“Stalking requires all three of those things. Director Kang, and then you get caught by Gloria.”

Kang Moo-hyuk ignored Mr. Cho’s concerns and returned to the main topic.

“Anyway, the basic principle established for this negotiation was to avoid causing resentment from China and Japan as much as possible, while at the same time building up the power of all Northeast Asian countries to be able to suppress Nagas at once, and even sending a corps of instructors to achieve results in a short period of time.”

“The captain speaks so easily. Usually, it’s called Mission Impossible. In fact, isn’t win-win an illusion in this business? If there’s a winner, there’s also a loser. That’s the reality. Whether it’s big or small, there’s bound to be a loser.”

Kang Mu-hyeok nodded at Hyun Jeong-geon’s words.

“That’s right. I think Win-Win is a scam.”

“Huh? It’s like some kind of self-denial.”

“When do you think Mr. Joe was scammed?”

“When you suffer damage? When you suffer loss?”

“No, that’s just the result. You have to think about the cause first.”

“cause?”

“When you trust someone, the result of your trust being betrayed is loss. That’s when you feel like you’ve been cheated.”

“Now that I hear it, it seems like that, but it doesn’t seem like that. Why do I feel like I’m being scammed right now, worrying about this?”

“I guess our Jo family trusts the captain a lot.”

“Huh? Me? No! That’s not true! What about Mr. Hyun?”

“I’m usually the one who cheats.”

“Well done, Shasha.”

After bickering with Hyun Jeong-geon, Mr. Cho asked Kang Mu-hyeok.

“So, let’s continue listening to that con theory, Captain.”

“If you don’t trust them in the first place, you won’t even realize that you’ve been scammed. You just lost the game. Do you think China and Japan will trust us? Win-win starts when you gain something from a situation where neither side trusts you.”

“Hey, I’m confused.”

“To put it simply, it makes you think, ‘Huh? This guy is giving me this? I never expected this, what the heck?’”

“aha?!”

Only then did Mr. Joe seem to understand and he hit his forehead.

Kang Moo-hyuk continued speaking, choosing his words as if concluding.

“This world is inherently untrustworthy, so my method works. In other words, the reason people think I pursue a win-win is because they themselves do not trust others.”