Chapter 254
Chapter 254
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TL: ALT
Chapter 254 – Haruka’s Concern
Haruka Shinozaki was overwhelmed by the flood of information.
Even her elf-like beauty, often described as perfect and computer-generated, showed signs of distress.
The direct broadcast to minds by the explorer calling himself “Summoner” had a tremendous impact on the world.
However, the meaning of the “Summoner’s” message was not immediately understood after the “broadcast.”
Initially, the shock came from the fact that, at that moment, every human and humanoid in Japan was “gifted” with two powerful skills: Detailed Appraisal and Forced Release.
Appraisal is a well-known skill that requires 10,000 SP to acquire. Despite its usefulness, only a limited number of explorers have obtained it.
Some say that acquiring Appraisal alone is enough to ensure a comfortable livelihood.
However, Detailed Appraisal far surpasses Appraisal in performance.
Yet the “Summoner” freely granted this completely unknown Detailed Appraisal to everyone in Japan.
This alone proves that the “Summoner” is beyond common understanding.
For the “Summoner,” though, even that was merely a means to an end.
The first thing explorers with Detailed Appraisal often appraise is themselves.
Peeking at another person’s status without permission is considered a serious breach of etiquette.
To verify the authenticity of skills, comparing one’s status with the appraisal results was the quickest method.
Above all, the desire to verify this skill’s performance as soon as possible led to appraising oneself first.
Those who appraised themselves were astonished.
First, by the sheer volume of information.
Explorers screamed in horror at the overwhelming amount of information, incomparable to a normal appraisal.
It was literally too much information to comprehend.
However, the explorers became engrossed in the appraisal results, which contained a wealth of unknown information.
Soon, many explorers noticed an unfamiliar section.
“Strategy.”
Come to think of it, the “Summoner” also mentioned something about a “strategy.”
Recalling the broadcast, the explorers connected the Summoner’s words with the appraisal results.
The summoner said the strategy was imposed by Prime Minister Seiji Tozaki.
In fact, the Detailed Appraisal results had identified Tozaki as the culprit.
But could these appraisal results be trusted?
The “Summoner” is an explorer with immense, incomprehensible power. He can send direct visual images to the minds of every human and humanoid being in Japan and even grant them skills remotely.
If the Summoner were capable of such feats, could he have fabricated the Detailed Appraisal skill and disseminated false information that the Prime Minister was controlling citizens’ minds using a unique skill?
The Summoner’s power was beyond common sense, making it difficult to believe his claims.
Of course, some people jumped to conclusions, but those in positions of responsibility were cautious.
Is the information provided by Detailed Appraisal true?
Verification work was carried out through the night in dungeons across the country.
The results were clear.
No errors were found in the Detailed Appraisal information.
The information included a significant amount of previously unknown exploration data.
It would be unreasonable to assume that the Summoner fabricated all of this data from scratch.
This was the unanimous conclusion of the explorers who participated in the verification process.
At the same time, Forced Release, a skill granted by the Summoner along with the Detailed Appraisal, was verified.
Some impatient individuals immediately used Forced Release to nullify the “strategy” discovered through Detailed Analysis, but many cautious individuals suspected a trap.
They used the monsters in the dungeon for verification.
They imposed status abnormalities on the monsters and then nullified them with Forced Release.
Alternatively, they used Forced Release on buffs that the monsters had given themselves.
This method yielded results faster than Detailed Appraisal.
The results were clear.
Forced Release was confirmed to cancel all status changes.
While it doesn’t have the same impact as Detailed Appraisal, Forced Release is still a highly useful skill, as the verification concluded.
This makes the Summoner’s words seem more credible.
Most importantly, the “secondary effect” of the “strategy” revealed by the Detailed Appraisal aligns perfectly with current Japanese public opinion trends.
Those who believed the “Summoner” and used Forced Release on the “strategy” cast on themselves immediately realized that their perspective had narrowed and their emotions had become more negative.
The Summoner’s testimony cannot be taken at face value because it is anonymous. However, so far, it has passed all verification.
The evidence is piling up, and there is rapidly less room for counterarguments.
Under direct criticism from the media and the public, the prime minister’s office is on the verge of collapse.
As a special press secretary, Haruka is on the front lines, yet her state of mind is refreshing.
Haruka naturally believed the “Summoner”—or rather, Yuto—immediately.
She used Detailed Appraisal to identify the strategy and immediately used Forced Release.
It felt like the fog had cleared.
She hadn’t simply been doing what Tozaki told her to do.
Haruka had originally taken this job out of necessity to protect herself and her daughter.
There were many sleepless nights.
She felt conflicted about helping the state monopolize power to protect herself and her daughter.
Nevertheless, for her daughter’s sake, she felt that she had no choice and couldn’t worry about other people.
Haruka was disgusted with herself for trying to justify her actions.
However, the fact that she could take actions that would normally be morally objectionable without hesitation, that she had lost empathy for the physical and mental pain of others, and that she had developed a tendency to submit to those stronger than herself and oppress those weaker than herself were all secondary effects of the strategy imposed by Tozaki.
In her private room at the prime minister’s residence, Haruka muttered to herself.
“I can’t say it’s all the ‘strategy’s’ fault. Just as Yuto-san said, I didn’t completely lose myself. It’s just that the thoughts I had deep down were amplified. I feel so pathetic…”
As a result, she went along with Prime Minister Tozaki’s control of public opinion.
“If I obey the prime minister, he will guarantee my legal status and Honoka’s. If I refuse, he will only grant Japanese citizenship to Honoka and forcibly deport me to another world. I’ve made a deal with the devil.”
In the past, this country had strict screening procedures for accepting immigrants and refugees, but the situation is different now.
Rather than screening applicants to ensure they met the conditions, Haruka felt that the process was made as strict as possible to refuse entry at all costs.
Even so, Honoka, who was born in this country, hoped to be granted Japanese nationality based on her place of birth.
The problem was Haruka.
She was not born in this country, did not work here, and did not have a Japanese husband. Of course, she did not have a passport from any other country.
Furthermore, if the corridor to the other world opened, she could be sent back to her original world.
In other words, depending on the administration’s discretion, Haruka and Honoka could be separated.
In order for Haruka to live in this country, she would need a special residence permit issued by the Minister of Justice.
Since the prime minister appoints the minister of justice, Tozaki clearly has the actual discretion to guarantee Haruka’s status.
“Honoka is probably being protected by Yuto-san. That’s good for her. If she had stayed with me, she would have just become another hostage.”
Yuto probably took such drastic measures to protect Honoka.
While it was natural for him to feel that he couldn’t allow Tozaki to rule the country as he pleased, that alone wouldn’t have led him to resort to such extreme measures.
Yuto overcame unimaginable difficulties and dealt a blow to the government, which it would never recover from, all to create a proper place for Honoka.
“It’s not just Honoka. Yuto-san is surely trying to save me, too.”
I already owe him so much.
I don’t know how I can ever repay him.
“Is there anything I can do now?”
Although I have considerable authority as a special press secretary, it’s ultimately the power granted to me by the prime minister.
Even so,
“If I resign, Prime Minister Tozaki may accept the situation.”
The suspicion that Tozaki used his unique skill to control people’s minds and manipulate public opinion is more than enough to bring down the government.
At the same time, however, there are those who know about the “strategy” and still insist on following Tozaki’s lead.
It has long been noted that the country is losing vitality due to a declining birth rate and an aging population.
There is no doubt that immigration from another world and training advanced explorers could be a last-ditch measure.
Even if Tozaki did manipulate the people, some argue that he did not deceive them.
Some believe that, even if the “strategy” is exposed, one should use any means necessary to achieve one’s goals. Others lack empathy for others.
What is wrong with doing whatever it takes to develop the country?
Many within the prime minister’s office take such a defiant stance.
Some even say it would have been better if the “strategy” had not been exposed.
They say it was easy and comfortable to be in a state where any means were acceptable for the sake of the goal and where there was no need to empathize with others.
Some express anger, saying that the “summoner” who exposed Tozaki’s strategy damaged national interests.
However, most people are furious at having been “brainwashed” by Tozaki.
They are frustrated that the media is treating the anonymous “Summoner’s” testimony with caution. People from various backgrounds are raising their voices online and in real life, demanding Tozaki’s resignation.
Haruka is known as the “face” of people from another world.
If she were to speak clearly about the current situation, people would believe her rather than Tozaki.
If Haruka, a special press secretary in the government, were to claim that she acted against her will due to the prime minister’s threats, it would be the final blow to the Tozaki administration.
“No, that would be irresponsible.”
Haruka has tried her best to fulfill her duties, even though she was forced to do so.
She has done so to minimize the harm caused to the world.
She has tried to improve the treatment of people from another world, even if only slightly.
In her own way, she has done what she believes she can do from within the government.
Even though she was part of the “strategy,” many people cooperated with her out of goodwill.
She wanted to be a bridge between the people of this country and those of the other world. Under Prime Minister Tozaki, this may have been a pipe dream, but she fought for her ideals in her own way.
If she said she never wanted to do this, she would betray the expectations and trust of those who worked hard for her.
“We should make the prime minister admit his guilt and bring this to a close.”
The police and the public prosecutor’s office had already begun investigating the prime minister’s alleged mind control. I heard this from a police official stationed at the Prime Minister’s office.
However, there seems to be a big debate over what crime the Prime Minister would be committing under the law by using his unique skill to control people’s minds.
“That kind of Yuto-san spoke up. What am I supposed to do if I stay silent?”
Haruka shook her head and reached for the phone on her desk to schedule a meeting.
However, the phone kept ringing.
It wasn’t because someone was on the line; the call just kept ringing without connecting.
This number should always be answered by a secretary, so it was highly unusual for it to remain unconnected.
“What’s going on?”
Just as Haruka hung up, a violent shockwave struck the Prime Minister’s official residence.
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