Chapter 20
Click!
I logged into Wizard Gallery as ‘Heavenly Demon’ without any trouble.
"I won."
The long, long ban had finally been lifted. At last, I'd won the war.
It seemed the head mod's declaration of surrender hadn't been a lie.
"Phew."
Only then did I carefully take both hands off the keyboard.
I'd burned through roughly twenty burner accounts to seize this glorious victory.
More than half the secret weapons I'd been making one by one whenever I had spare time were gone.
"It was a meaningful sacrifice."
Without their noble sacrifice, I wouldn't have been able to defend Wizard Gallery from the head mod's grasp.
However, the gallery they'd protected with such tearjerking sacrifices was now frantically hunting for the culprit.
[Title: Heavenly Demon <<< Upvote if this bastard should be banned]
[RoomboundArchmage]
Clearly the main culprit behind the spam flood. I say we ban this bastard.
[Comments]
WarriorBro: I agree.
ㄴ Loves Magic: 22222
ㄴ WizardSi: 33333
Allah's Magic Wand: At the very least, he definitely doesn't seem normal.
Hmm, public opinion was looking ominous.
Every post after that followed the same trend.
Punish the insane user 'Heavenly Demon' for launching the spam flood, and condemn the head mod for standing by as it happened.
This was bad. I'd get kicked out of my home base after finally reclaiming it.
I quickly sent the head mod a message.
-Hey, hey, hey.
-What is it? I lifted your ban, though…….
The head mod replied in a much more subdued tone.
Even through text, I could practically see their shoulders drooping. They'd probably just gotten a thorough chewing-out from someone at the Bureau.
Tsk, poor thing. That's what you get for daring to try and use me.
‘Not my problem.’
What mattered now was using this guy as a shield to quell the raging public opinion.
-Post an announcement quickly saying that 'Heavenly Demon' and the burner-account terrorist have nothing to do with each other. Then take responsibility, announce your resignation, and hand the head mod position to someone else.
When calming angry public sentiment, you need a scapegoat.
Just as Cao Cao had Wang Hou, the supply officer, executed during the Battle of Guandu to quell the soldiers' complaints, someone had to lose their head to calm the gallery down.
And obviously, that couldn't be me.
-Huh? No, that might be a bit…….
The head mod hesitated.
Did this guy have some kind of pride in the utterly useless unpaid mod job that got him cursed at whenever people were bored?
-If you want to keep moderating, just hand over the head mod role and step down to sub mod.
-…….
No reply came.
To think he'd show such inexplicable attachment to a stupid unpaid slave job even after things had gotten this far.
This was an unexpected variable.
If he dug in his heels and refused to give up the mod position, Wizard Gallery would fall apart, and then there'd have been no point wasting all those burner accounts.
‘I need this guy to sacrifice himself somehow.’
If I put my foot down, making him do what I wanted wouldn't be difficult.
If I threatened to emigrate to another country right away, he'd obviously be over the moon.
But if I wanted to keep using him however I pleased in the future, I'd need to offer a little carrot, too.
-I'll meet with you once, so hurry up and post the announcement.
-Huh?
An immediate reply.
It came so quickly, as though he'd been waiting for that answer alone. It was almost a little irritating how fast he was.
-Of course, I have no intention of joining the Bureau, and I'm not planning to emigrate either. I'll just meet you.
Even with just these conditions, wouldn't the head mod—or rather, the head mod's backer—be thrilled?
-Ah, yes, yes!
I'd hit the mark.
There was a peculiar energy in his reply.
-But bring some items when you come. If you don't, I'll just turn around and leave.
-Yes, yes! I'll bring whatever items you want!
-Then hurry up and post the announcement.
If I dragged it out any longer, it'd be easy for people to suspect some sort of connection between me and the head mod.
That would be disastrous. The angry users wouldn't be satisfied with just the head mod's head.
-Yes!
The head mod replied more energetically than ever.
[Title: An Announcement]
[Save the Wizard]
(A screenshot of the moderation log, more or less)
We have been unable to find any connection between the gallery user 'Heavenly Demon,' currently being discussed, and the recent spam flood.
However, it is true that I have been neglectful in managing the gallery, so I will now hand the head mod position over to someone else.
Thank you for everything.
[Comments]
WarriorBro: Don't go, Modbaoㅠㅠ
RoomboundArchmage: Well, thanks for all your hard work.
Nice and clean.
By openly showing the moderation log, he made a point of demonstrating his impartiality. Thanks to that, most users let his actions pass without making a big issue of them.
WizardSi: But are you sure you're really unrelated? You were going nuts chanting that "The Heavenly Demon has descended" stuff.
Of course, there were still some people who remained suspicious of the head mod.
ㄴ Loves Magic: "The Heavenly Demon has descended! All demons bow!" is a pretty common line in wuxia novels, so it's hard to link them.
Other users quickly rebutted them, and the topic didn't gain any more traction.
‘Glad I deliberately used an obvious phrase.’
The fact that I'd looked up Heavenly Demon-related lines in case I needed them someday had really paid off.
I should keep reading wuxia novels whenever I have time from now on.
[Title: I'm the New Head Mod]
[Allah's Magic Wand]
I'll leave the rules as they are for the time being.
Also, excessive callouts by username among users will be subject to penalties.
With the new head mod taking over, the gallery could no longer continue discussing the previous topic.
[Title: This Lord Has Arrived]
[Heavenly Demon]
How've you been?
[Comments]
Loves Magic: You're showing up like a ghost.
WizardSi: For real. I like him. I really do.
The suspicious looks directed at me hadn't disappeared completely, but they were only a minority opinion.
And with that, this little uproar came to a peaceful end.
***
The next day, I went out to keep my promise.
The meeting place was a sushi restaurant near my neighborhood.
Honestly, I thought it would take some time to coordinate schedules, but they insisted they would fit it around my schedule no matter what, so we decided to meet today.
‘Let's see.’
I casually peered into the sushi restaurant from outside.
It was still early for lunch, so there were very few customers, and even the handful who were there moved awkwardly.
Nine times out of ten, they were Bureau staff or reporters.
‘Well, I expected as much.’
If anything, I'd been hoping they'd set the stage for me openly.
I was getting a little tired of public opinion insisting I was Chinese.
Why turn a perfectly ordinary South Korean into a Chinese person, especially someone who'd faithfully fulfilled his military service?
So starting today, I'd put an end to that kind of nonsense.
‘Time to head in.’
I casually walked past the cafe, put on the Demon Emperor's Mask, then turned back.
Wearing the Demon Emperor's Mask was essential if I wanted to hide my identity.
My previous test had shown that when I wore it, people couldn't even recognize my age or physical build.
Ding-a-ling!
I opened the door and entered the sushi restaurant.
Everyone's gaze landed on me for a moment, then drifted away.
I naturally headed for the private room we'd agreed on.
When I opened the door, I saw a nervous-looking middle-aged man repeatedly gulping down bottled water.
"A-are you perhaps Lord Heavenly Demon?"
At the sound of the door opening, the man whipped his head around in surprise.
Then he looked at me, seemed confused for a moment, and cautiously asked me a question.
He was probably thrown off because the Demon Emperor's Mask kept him from properly recognizing my face.
Nod.
I gave a slight nod instead of answering.
The man's expression brightened at once.
"N-nice to meet you. I'm Lee Junho, Chief of the Awakened Management Bureau."
The man bowed politely and handed me his business card.
Chief of the Awakened Management Bureau? I'd had the same thought during our open chat, but was this man really that free?
Honestly, I hadn't expected him to come in person for a meeting like this.
Nod.
I nodded and accepted the business card.
Today's Heavenly Demon is a man of few words.
Since I hadn't confirmed whether the Demon Emperor's Mask could perfectly disguise my voice, it was best to say as little as possible.
"Um, is... is something wrong?"
Since I'd kept my mouth firmly shut ever since entering, he looked at me anxiously, wondering if he'd offended me somehow.
Shake.
Nothing's wrong.
"Ah, th-then let's order some food first."
Nod.
Those were the words I'd been waiting for.
It might not be the most luxurious omakase, but this was an upscale sushi restaurant that was normally so expensive I wouldn't dare even consider it.
I'd better take this opportunity to eat until I burst.
To start, I ordered one of everything.
Before long, beautifully arranged sushi was brought to the table.
I put a piece in my mouth, and it practically melted. So this was why people paid so much for it.
After that, I was in a daze. I emptied plates, ordered more, and emptied them again, over and over.
"L-Lord Heavenly Demon, may I ask why you suddenly changed your mind?"
How many plates had we piled up by then? Lee Junho cautiously opened his mouth.
Instead of answering, I handed him the paper I'd prepared in advance.
-
You said you'd support me, right? I'm here to collect the items.
My left-handed writing was crooked and uneven.
"Ah, r-right. Of course, we've prepared them."
Lee Junho nodded hurriedly. He even looked a little intimidated.
Time to toss in a carrot.
-
Also, publish an article saying the Heavenly Demon is Korean.
"Huh? Ah……"
Lee Junho took the paper and tilted his head as if he was having trouble understanding it.
Did that short sentence require interpretation?
"May I ask what you mean?"
I took out a pen on the spot and quickly scribbled something down.
-
I mean, make absolutely sure you publish an article saying the Heavenly Demon is Korean, and will keep being Korean.
Now that I'd spoon-fed him this much, he'd get it.
"Yes, yes! Understood!"
After reading the paper, Lee Junho nodded repeatedly, his face visibly brightening.
Even if I didn't join the Bureau, a huge headline like that would be an enormous benefit to the country.
Of course, I wasn't a philanthropist, and I had no intention of putting on a show like that without getting anything in return.
‘Now, what should I squeeze out of them?’
Let's see how much I can get out of one of South Korea's pillars today.