Chapter 29
A three-line summary of the Association President’s letter was as follows.
1. We will not ask for your identity.
2. We will guarantee your freedom.
3. We will offer you tribute(?).
[Something feels very different, doesn’t it?]
The Association President had sent me a message before.
But back then, it had a very resolute and grandiose feel to it, you know?
It was saying things like the nation needs you or whatever.
The official contact request I saw on the news was similar.
Of course, this letter was just as grandiose, but how should I put it?
If everything up until now felt like a trade proposal along the lines of “We’ll treat you this well, so please help us out,” now it was completely…
[True Ancestor-nim, we’ll do anything, so please just talk to us!]
It felt like that.
Uh… Isn’t this bowing and scraping a bit too much?
No matter how much of a massive prospect I am, is there a need to go this far?
[Hmm.]
I rolled around on my bed and thought for a bit about why the Association was being so submissive.
They said the A-rank Gate opening a while ago was a very unique case. So, did the nation suddenly become desperate for a strong Awakener?
Or.
[Is it because of the accident I caused in the Community yesterday?]
Are they so scared of me that the Association is walking on eggshells, courting me, and trembling in fear…?
[Nah. No way.]
Even so, they’re a national organization. They wouldn’t do that over a single Community comment.
Anyway, there was only one conclusion.
[If they’re willing to go this far, maybe it’s worth having a conversation at least?]
My original policy was to ignore all contact, but if the Association was coming out like this, there was no reason not to accept it.
Especially since I was needed to solve my identity and registration issues anyway.
However, if there was a problem, it was just one thing.
Would the Association really not dig into my identity?
I absolutely refused to let the fact that I was a scrub Vampire be exposed.
On top of that, it would be a problem if it were revealed that I was the true culprit behind the Black Cow Incident.
Of course, now that I had reliable Retainers, the nation probably wouldn’t be able to forcefully take me away.
Even so, I wanted to play it as safe as possible, you know?
Therefore, I had to converse strictly within the boundaries of not revealing my true self.
How?
It was simple.
I would engage in the conversation not as 'Yu-Jin', but with the persona of the Disaster-grade Awakener, “True Ancestor”.
I’d just put on a concept like a VTuber!
[Hmm. Then what should I do about the reply?]
I stared at the Message Window floating in the air and fell into thought again.
Since this was also a message written under the True Ancestor nickname, it would naturally be restricted by [Exalted Dignity].
But if I came out too aggressively as I did yesterday in the Community, it was obvious that the negotiation itself would be completely overturned.
I had to avoid that.
Still, the fortunate thing was.
[This is writing, not speaking.]
When speaking, my mouth would just move on its own and I wouldn’t be able to fix it, but with writing, I could sufficiently refine it in my head before sending it out.
Having lived like this for about three weeks now, I have roughly gotten the hang of one thing.
The 'nobility' that the System Judges has a much wider Range than I thought.
I just had to act and speak in a way that roughly fit the idea: “This is what a super strong Vampire True Ancestor would do.”
In reality, rolling around in bed, watching short-form videos, and sucking down congealed blood didn’t trigger [Exalted Dignity] at all.
Why?
[Because that’s the amusement of an Absolute Being.]
In anime, there’s that common cliché where a transcendent being like a demon king or a god comes to Earth, tears into some fried chicken, and goes, “Hmm, so this is the cuisine of humans?” or whatever, right?
It meant it could be interpreted in that way.
The essence was always about maintaining 'status'.
As long as I maintained an arrogant, high-handed attitude that looked down on the other Party, I could convey what I wanted to say perfectly fine.
Since it naturally came out on its own even if I didn’t intend it to anyway, playing the concept wasn’t difficult at all.
[Alright. Let’s give it a try.]
I placed my hands over the keyboard window.
And I began to type out a reply diligently.
A moment later.
A somewhat plausible message was completed.
[This shouldn’t be too threatening, right?]
I was quite satisfied with it myself, so I nodded.
Send.
And then I lay face down on the bed again and nom-nom-nommed on my congealed blood.
It was because I was incredibly hungry, perhaps from using up energy to write.
* * *
Association Head’s Office.
Kim Tae-Seong, who had sent a painstakingly written message utilizing his long-standing negotiation know-how, was deliberately handling other work.
If you started anxiously waiting for a response right after throwing out a big offer, your next move was bound to get messed up.
However, he couldn’t focus on the paperwork, and his thoughts kept drifting in that direction.
[…I wonder if she will actually respond.]
Honestly, it was an unknown.
Still, it would definitely be different from what other countries or organizations had sent.
While other countries would merely consider the True Ancestor as a transcendent Awakener, Kim Tae-Seong was keeping in mind the possibility that she was connected to a Vampire who was a powerhouse of S-rank or higher.
That gap in information was the basis that allowed him to choose this submissive diplomatic strategy.
But right then.
Ding!
A new notification popped up in his System Message Inbox.
[Sender: Jinjo (True Ancestor)]
Kim Tae-Seong’s hand, which had been flipping through documents, came to a dead halt.
[…!]
…It really came.
The strategy had worked!
He gulped down dry saliva, took a deep breath, and opened the message.
[Wasting my time on the noisy clamor of humans is not a very pleasant affair.]
[…]
His breath caught from the very first line.
[This is a warning.]
The True Ancestor was classifying the countless messages pouring in from all over the World, including the ones he had sent so far, as 'clamor'.
They hadn’t simply been ignored; in reality, they had been consistently grating on her nerves.
Kim Tae-Seong felt a faint chill run down his spine and moved his eyes to the next line.
[However, it is quite commendable that you have realized your past insolence and seek to show proper courtesy.]
[I shall specially grant you the qualification to converse with me.]
[Did you say tribute? Speak of what it is that you Mortals have prepared.]
[…Thank goodness. It’s positive.]
Kim Tae-Seong barely managed to feel relieved.
Her tone was still arrogant, but it ultimately meant she was willing to talk.
Adopting a submissive stance had indeed been the right answer.
He began to type out a reply.
One proceeds like a person walking on thin ice, carefully, letter by letter.
[I am deeply honored by your words, True Ancestor-nim.]
[However, Pardon My Presumption, but I would like to ask one thing first.]
[I am concerned that True Ancestor-nim might be troubled by the cumbersome procedures of society.]
[If trivial matters such as identity or the transfer of wealth have been inconveniencing True Ancestor-nim’s amusement, we have prepared tributes that can resolve them for you.]
[If it pleases you, may I present them to you one by one?]
It was a move that carefully Cast a fishing hook without speaking too openly.
It was also a probe to subtly test whether the other Party was a Non-human Being like a real Vampire, or simply a transcendent Awakener.
If it were the latter, she would be unenthusiastic about this proposal.
The response did not take long.
[Speak.]
[…She bit!]
The True Ancestor did not dismiss it.
She said she would listen.
This meant.
[…The possibility that she is not an ordinary human has risen even further.]
Adjusting the weight of his hypotheses in his head, he began to lay out the cards he had prepared in earnest.
[First of all, we can provide you with a top-secret clearance identity that we refer to as a “Special Management Target”.]
[All information regarding the holder of this identity will be permanently sealed as classified, and the affiliated account will also be a Completely Anonymous Account, exempted from any Tax Obligations.]
[Secondly, if you would only permit it, we can host True Ancestor-nim as an “Unofficial S-rank” of our Association.]
[Then, should True Ancestor-nim ever need anything from our side, we can assist you actively by mobilizing all of our available capabilities.]
[I dare say that we would be able to help you to the fullest extent, even if it is something that deviates from the laws of the World.]
[Of course, this is absolutely not compulsory, and you will have no obligations whatsoever.]
[Furthermore, none of these details will ever be announced externally, and they will be kept strictly confidential.]
Special Status, Secret Account, Tax Exemption.
They were tributes offered to the True Ancestor.
However,
[I’ve slipped in a hidden move.]
Unofficial Association Registration.
At first glance, this too was a proposal that completely benefited only the True Ancestor’s side.
Because it wouldn’t be made public, there was no coercive power, and there wasn’t a single obligation she would have to bear.
But in reality, this was the most important part.
Registration: The act of putting one’s name down.
This signified the beginning of a relationship.
No matter how loose the form, we are getting her inside the boundaries of the “Republic of Korea” for now.
That would become a tremendous potential asset for the Association in the future.
But as great as the return was, it was also a move with great risk.
If this proposal were to offend the True Ancestor’s mood, it could go beyond ruining the negotiation and cause an even bigger problem.
[Please…]
He held his breath and waited for an answer.
[Hmm. It is not a bad proposal.]
“…!”
Kim Tae-Seong clenched his fists tightly without realizing it.
She accepted, even surprisingly willingly.
[As expected, is her reaction more favorable than I thought because I catered to her tastes…?!]
At the thought that she might be unexpectedly favorable toward the Association, Kim Tae-Seong’s heart lightened for a very brief moment.
However - .
[But.]
“…”
[How can I trust you people?]
[If it involves putting me on your ledgers, surely you are not planning to pull some underhanded trick to attempt Tracking my whereabouts.]
A message filled with suspicion arrived immediately.
As expected, there was no way she would just let it slide.
Kim Tae-Seong replied instantly.
[True Ancestor-nim. How could we dare to plot such a thing?]
[I swear there will absolutely be no such thing.]
[Should this promise be broken by any chance, I will stake the name of Kim Tae-Seong and gladly accept any punishment.]
He staked everything as the Association President of the Republic of Korea.
He didn’t actually have any intention of doing so anyway.
Clumsily trying to deceive the True Ancestor and ending up hostile with her would be the worst-case Scenario.
[Accept any punishment, you say…]
[Very well. Let us do so.]
A reply returned carrying a bloodcurdling implication.
Kim Tae-Seong did not stop here and took one step further.
[Thank you for trusting us.]
[However, in order to properly offer these tributes, it is necessary to directly deliver physical items such as an ID card or bank cards.]
[I dare to ask how True Ancestor-nim wishes to receive them.]
This was the second move of today’s negotiation.
He absolutely did not request, “Please meet us in person.”
Instead, it was a calculated move to naturally induce contact in the form of a question: “Physical delivery is necessary, so how would you like to receive them?”
And the result was.
[I shall not journey to you people myself.]
[Instead, I shall send one of my servants, so that one will deliver them.]
[…!]
It was a massive success.
Of course, he hadn’t even expected the True Ancestor herself to come in person.
The important thing was that he had obtained a clue.
[…Servant.]
Namely, the clue that the True Ancestor was not a solo actor.
It meant she was someone belonging to a 'group' with one or more subordinates, and was a being in a significantly high position within that group, enough to refer to that Subordinate as a 'Servant'.
He carefully typed the next sentence.
[…Understood, True Ancestor-nim. Then I would like to set a date and location now.]
After a few exchanges, the conditions for the meeting were set.
Three days later, at midnight.
The outskirts of Seoul, an Association-affiliated Private Conference Room.
Attendees are limited to a minimum. All tributes are prepared as physical items.
“…”
The Message Window closed.
“Phew…”
Kim Tae-Seong let out a sigh of relief.
He was a veteran who had been through it all, but he couldn’t help being nervous this time.
[…But the real thing starts now.]
Now that he has won a massive negotiation.
He now had to prepare to welcome the Emissary whom the True Ancestor would send.
* * *
[…?]
I organized the things I had obtained after a short conversation of less than 10 minutes.
They’re giving me a Special Status.
Give me a Secret Account.
I don’t even have to pay taxes.
They’re not even just registering me, but slotting me straight in as an Unofficial S-rank?
Uh…
Um…
Well, I really like it, but
Is it really okay for them to just give away so much…?!
I couldn’t help but be a little worried about our country’s Association management.