Episode 207 Scandal
Richtley must have felt a sense of crisis in his perception of this expedition.
We gathered everyone together again and explained the significance and risks of the Dibro continent expedition. Perhaps I should say that the demon religion and ordinary companies have different expectations for this expedition.
Demonism is about destroying monsters and protecting people for the sake of its doctrine. Expanding to the continent of Dibro is one of them. On the other hand, companies are looking at the Dibro continent as a new market. Thanks to the stability of the continent of Surada, the population is increasing explosively, and companies want to enter the frontier as soon as possible. They are trying to strengthen their capital by moving the increasing number of people to the Dibro continent and generating new demand.
The Demon Religion has been trying to subdue the Dibro continent for hundreds of years.
Companies want the continent immediately.
There was this conflict of ideas.
"-That's why."
"Hey. That's what happened."
"The demon religion is right. Right now. It seems that Richtrei's people were doing their best to retreat from the pig demon orc village, so they are no match for their current strength."
"Maybe it's the 'King'?"
"There is a possibility. The same phenomenon will occur in the fairyland where I rule. It has been proven that the magical power of the King can strengthen his subordinates."
Pig demon orcs and the monsters belonging to them are famous as pests.
The reason is that they scavenge for food. If you plant a field, they will swarm in and devour you like locusts, trying to even invade the walled city. In any case, it is a monster that is greedy. It is also known that they will even eat their own kind if necessary, and the demon religion has prioritized subjugation in the past to avoid food shortages. Due to such circumstances, it is an almost extinct species on the Surada continent.
"If there is a 'king' of the Pig Demon type, it might be surprisingly close."
“What are you going to do?”
"I'm also interested in a fruit called Elyut. If it looks like it can be grown in Fairyland, it's a good idea to collect it. However, I've also recorded the coordinates here, so you can come here anytime by teleportation. You can come later. But first, let's go to Hades. We have to fulfill the real reason why we started it.”
The Hades Group was not established to collect information and money.
Furthermore, this expedition to the Dibro continent is merely being used to fulfill its original purpose. Charging into a monster village with a single horse and fighting against the ``king'' would only lead to trouble. After all, he had learned in the Faron Empire that a battle between "Kings" and "Kings" would lead to a catastrophe.
"It's about time Erebos defeated the troublesome Lumen. I wanted to show the Church a little more about the usefulness of the Sorcerer's Ring, but that's enough."
"It's a success if we make people realize that the cane is obsolete, right?"
"ah"
At this stage, no one would be aware of Hades's plan... or of the 'Hawk Eye'.
Humanity does not yet know that the first step to the continent of Dibro is the first step to the end.
◆◆◆
The development of information media began with written media.
It was originally a bulletin board that was published in each city by the demon religion's cathedral. In addition to information on local criminals, it also announced dangerous areas and roads where monsters appeared. However, as more and more information was being collected, it became difficult to organize and publish it only at each local cathedral. Therefore, the Demonic Religion made its intelligence department independent and turned it into a for-profit organization. Following this example, ordinary people started businesses that sell information.
This is the origin of modern media.
Nowadays, as time progresses, text media is replaced by radio broadcast radio and video broadcast television, and all kinds of information is instantly made public.
Even if it is covered in lies, if there is evidence of it, it will be reported as truth.
"Idiot! Is there such a stupid thing to say?"
An angry voice rang out in the Lumen company president's office.
The secretary's shoulders trembled, but he managed to keep his voice out.
“President… As you can see, even the evidence has been made public.”
"I don't remember ever going to a place like that! It's not just this kind of illegal gambling. I've never been to any kind of shady establishment!"
It started as a magazine that increased its profits by collecting scandals centered on celebrities.
``The president of Lumen, a long-established magic company, gambles! ? ”
A magazine with such a title sold quickly and became known to many citizens. This is a scandal involving a large company that has a long relationship with demon religion and sells many wands to educational institutions that train magicians. There's no way I can't eat it.
The president, Porneus, slammed his fist on the desk in anger.
At the same time, use your other hand to crush the magazine.
“That’s not all. It turns out that this gambling parlor was run by a subsidiary of Lumen! There are even photos of him secretly meeting with a wanted criminal organization leader! And on top of that, he also made a deal with that black cat. Is that proof?”
He raised his fist and slammed it on the desk again.
“Don’t be silly!”
To tell the truth, the deal with the black cat...in other words, the deal with the ``White Snake'' is true. That's how I got the magic stone. It's annoying, but I have to admit it.
However, not only did he have a subsidiary run a gambling business, but he also has no recollection of participating in it and meeting with people from the underworld. I couldn't believe it when I saw the pictures in magazines.
But if it gets reported like this, it's a loss.
There's no turning back.
Polneus knows this is a fabrication, but those who saw it wouldn't think so.
"I am well aware that the president did not do anything like this. We have convened our company's legal team and are currently beginning to prove his innocence, focusing on the timeline. Please calm down. please"
"That's natural! I'm innocent! I was framed! That's why I can win the trial! But what will happen to our company's reputation that will fall in the meantime? How will we recover? Even if it's just that Hades female president... You’re trying to get me carried away!”
“I-I’ll do something!”
“Go now!”
"Y-yes."
The secretary hurried out of the president's office. He must have been unable to bear the pressure of Porneus.
He sat down in a leather chair, angry at the secretary who left without courtesy.
"I... you betrayed me, 'White Snake'..."
A deal with the only true dark organization, Kuroneko. This alone is difficult to fool. This is because it bears the signature of Porneus. If the handwriting was examined, it would definitely be determined that it belonged to Porneus.
And since this is true, the matter of secret gambling is also considered to be true.
It was a serious matter.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
Nowadays, you can kill people just out of hatred.
He was radiating that much grudge.
Unable to control his anger, he slams his fist down on the desk over and over again. His power didn't destroy the sturdy desk, but every time he did so, small items on the desk shook or fell over.
But just then, the phone on the desk rang. Even the sound of that signal seemed bothersome to Porneus. If you look, the destination is the company's reception desk. I slammed the response button and yelled.
"What's the point? I'm busy right now! If you're a visitor, I'll see you next time-"
“Oh, boss! The Holy Knights were here! ”
"What..."
I can understand the business without being told.
Polneus collapsed on the spot.
◆◆◆
"Oh my...you've already fallen so far."
Erebos, the president of Hades Group, muttered with a smile on his face.
A small television was placed in front of her. An emergency special feature has been set up on the Lumen President scandal that was reported in a magazine released this morning. There's still a lot of speculation, but if it gets this much publicity, it's probably the end for Lumen.
"It's a really disgusting thing to do."
“Not that much.”
It was ``Hawk Eye'' who responded to Erebos' voice.
Instead of his usual suspicious appearance, he was dressed in a suit.
“Aside from the transaction data with the White Snake, the rest is all fabrication, right? I’m sure it will be revealed soon.”
"No problem. I have other evidence as well. I prepared that evidence so that it would be revealed when other media started investigating. Of course, I was the one who provided the information to the magazine in the first place."
“The aftercare is also perfect.”
"It's the basics of information manipulation."
"That information manipulation won't lead me to you, right?"
“Of course.”
In today's world where information is increasingly exchanged via radio waves, the teleportation that was once all the rage with the ``Hawk Eye'' is no longer so useful. If the situation is far away, teleportation is still more advantageous, but if the situation is domestic, the information power of the media is sufficient.
Therefore, ``Takame'' began to focus on how to handle information.
They came up with a method of manipulating information through the media of various countries and demon religions. The advantage of this method is that you can turn good people into criminals and criminals into good people. The fact that a large number of citizens have access to a large amount of information means that they can discuss that information. Unlike in the days when people accepted decisions made by the upper echelons of the state at face value, people have become wiser. It can be said that they are well-educated.
However, when citizens know information in this way, public opinion arises. At times, public opinion may even surpass the king's decision and become the national policy. In countries with strong dictatorial tendencies, it is possible to suppress public opinion by force, but in that case there will be a strong backlash.
The more civilized a country is, the stronger its public opinion will be.
This was also used in this case.
“More importantly, Erebos-san. Please proceed with the preparations to acquire Lumen.”
"Yes, I will make a proposal at the board meeting this evening. Since it is a company that is likely to decline in the future, there may be some opposition, but..."
"Please leave it to me. I also brought some documents regarding that."
"Oh, you're ready."
"That's it. I'm a hawk-eyed person."
A creepy read ahead.
That's the scary thing about the man named ``Takame.''
He takes out a binder from his bag and hands it to Erebos. When I opened it and checked the contents, I saw a calculation result if Hades Corporation absorbed the lumens. Several conditional branches produce multiple trial calculation results, most of which are said to be profitable. It also describes flows that could result in losses, and it is not difficult to avoid them if you look at them.
In other words, there was enough material to deny the Hades Group the acquisition of Lumen and all of its related companies.
“Will this plan proceed as well?”
"Yes. The will of our God will soon be fulfilled."
"That's my plan too..."
"The human species is happy with the superficial evolution and does not notice the degeneration hidden behind it. What a perfect plan. They will realize it in a hundred or two hundred years. They will regret that they have lost everything. While
“You didn’t listen, did you?”
The plan laid out by Hades and ``Hawk Eye'' is progressing steadily.
It will probably be far in the future before humanity realizes its mistake.
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