< 99. A fight between a couple is like cutting someone's throat with a knife (6) >
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The reason I couldn’t answer right away when Telesia called my name was because I was preoccupied with other thoughts.
“Cain?”
Minjun turned his head after being called a second time. He was dispatched to Planet XB-610 with his wife, and he stopped by the ship for the first time in a while to attend a meeting. All the major agenda items were covered, and the only thing left were the obvious closing remarks, so he was caught trying to distract himself for a moment. Minjun paused for a moment from his serious thoughts about the 80th wedding anniversary gift.
“uh?”
“Let’s talk for a moment. Cain, the rest of you disperse.”
After the other prisoners left, Telesia got straight to the point, projecting a hologram into the air.
“I need you to take on a personal mission.”
“assassination?”
“Yeah, as always.”
Minjun is the best assassin and also has the ability to be called immortal. He even recovered from a heart puncture once. Such super regenerative powers are excellent for life-or-death missions, and Telesia relies heavily on Minjun. Thanks to this, he has achieved greater results than anyone else so far.
The leader of the prisoners explained the target. Minjun listened to her words and read the letters woven by the light. Then his eyes stopped at one part.
“A cult leader? Are those idiots now openly pretending to be religious?”
This time, the target to be killed is the leader of a certain group.
Minjun grumbled.
“I didn’t know those dictator memorials would grow this big. They should have rooted them out early on.”
When Minjun first heard about the existence of an organization that deified and idolized the former ruler of Ashtal, who was said to have died 300 years ago, his reaction was this. ‘They worship the culprit who ruined their lives? They forget and distort things so easily. They’re not in their right minds.’
It was hard to understand, considering the things the object of worship had done while alive.
When the dictator was on the verge of being purge after losing the war against the rebels, he self-destructed over 90% of the Republic’s energy, food, communications, and transportation infrastructure, and even tore apart the defense shield that had been blocking space bugs.
The residents of Ashtal, who were on the verge of civilization collapse, were saved from having to resort to beating animals with rocks and wooden clubs thanks to the intervention of the Committee.
However, as time went by, there were those who were uncomfortable with this intervention. Those who longed for the dictator and were hostile to the committee.
“In the meantime, it has grown in size by absorbing and integrating organizations with similar ideologies.”
“This is a level that can no longer be tolerated. Moreover… look here.”
As I turned the screen, Minjun’s expression became complicated.
“You’re saying that it’s a religious group that’s also turning into a terrorist organization? The identity change is too fast.”
“Their next target is the terminal connecting to the outer dimension. The most likely method is suicide bombing.”
“Is that still propaganda? Rejecting the invasion of alien capital?”
The committee is maintaining security within the dimension, starting with the prisoners, while also supplying various relief goods and industrial materials through the terminal to rebuild the ruins.
But Minjun knows that none of them are ‘free’.
The committee will record Ashtal’s debts corresponding to the aid in a book like a knife, and when the time comes, a ruthless settlement will begin.
Most people saw it as inevitable, but some saw it as a dangerous trap. All the people of this world would sit on a mountain of debt that could not be repaid no matter how many generations they worked.
They claim that they should no longer be subject to the intervention of the committee, and they have destroyed the facilities that they had installed without the consent of the entire dimensional population. They want to dismiss everything as an unfair act and return the debt to nothing.
But Minjun’s assessment of such attempts is skeptical.
‘It’s foolish. The committee will not back down in the face of such resistance. In the first place, the contract the committee signed with the rebel provisional government remains in effect even after the regime collapses. Even if they refuse to pay, it won’t last long.’
Cases of descendants who deny continuity with the old government and refuse to repay their debts are common, but none of them have overcome the committee’s lawsuits and collection efforts.
‘And terrorism only affects the people here.’
An act that simply ruins the lives of one’s own kind.
Its ideological basis was religious belief.
The believers envied the life of 300 years ago, which they had never experienced. Although he was a dictator who starved billions to death, some privileged people who were loyal to him enjoyed luxury, and memories and records of that time were embellished and passed down.
Those who were fascinated by such stories longed for the era of dictators, because real life was so harsh.
In a distorted past where everyone ate their fill and enjoyed happiness, the leader who led them was elevated to a god.
“What’s more serious is that there are continuous reports of cases where some of them have truly awakened divine powers.”
“Really?”
“Yes, this is information that Ashamin confirmed by comparing the remaining thoughts.”
“If you tell the Omara school, they’ll be foaming at the mouth and running around.”
The divine power will give them strength in their claim that it has nothing to do with the existence of God. Surely the old dictator of Ashtal has not attained true divinity and is now bestowing grace.
“If we continue to grow bigger like this, it will become an irreversible situation. We need to eliminate the center of gravity.”
The moment an idea takes on the color of religion, logic and reason lose their luster. And as it penetrates people’s hearts through their infinitely weakened resistance, its speed of propagation becomes incomparably faster than before. Because it warmly soaks their tired psychology, their desire to depend, and their desire to hope.
Telesia was wary of it.
“Okay. I’ll make a plan right away and report it to you.”
As we looked at each other with the question of whether this was the end of the story, Telesia suddenly changed the subject.
“What do you think? Their claims.”
I didn’t have to think long to come up with an answer.
“I’m not 100% in favor of what the committee is doing. But if you want to forgive the debt, you should sit down at the table with the committee and negotiate. You shouldn’t commit terrorism.”
Above all, he thought, if he did not want to receive any more investment, he had to prove that he could support the entire nation on his own.
“Their argument is essentially the same as saying that we should reduce the population in order to reduce the debt? And that too in a violent and drastic way.”
The population of Ashtal, which had been rapidly declining due to war, famine, and disaster, increased rapidly after the Council’s support began.
To maintain or increase the current population level, continuous aid is essential. If we suddenly withdraw our aid, the entire universe will be shocked and many people will starve to death.
Also, those who lose their lives first in the process will be the most vulnerable. This has always been the case in any world, at any time.
Nevertheless, the dictator’s followers insist that independence must be achieved even at the risk of such disaster.
“yes?”
Telesia nodded, adding in passing.
“I just found out that they made an interesting argument.”
“what?”
“They say that during the dictator’s lifetime, the committee proposed several exchanges with this world. Do you know their criteria for contacting such remote dimensions?”
“There must be an entity that can collect the opinions of the residents within the dimension on an appropriate scale.”
“Ashtal’s dictatorial government could control all planets and colonies with a single command. In terms of representation, it already met the criteria of the Council.”
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But during those times, Ashtal consistently refused to interact.
“So, of course, the committee didn’t like the dictator?”
Minjun realized what her words implied.
“Is this a conspiracy theory?”
“The congregation believes that the Council secretly supported the rebels, plotting to defeat the dictator and establish a new pro-Council government in Ashtal.”
“But if you look at the situation now, it’s basically a failure. We drove out the dictator, but the entire dimension is a mess.”
“Couldn’t the committee have predicted this? The dictator hid his extreme malice in every dimension, so that no one could have what he couldn’t have. That’s why he would bring the Republic to this state… I never thought he would be that crazy. I feel it every time, but he really is a terrible person.”
Minjun was silent for a moment, thinking about what he had just heard.
The more I think about it, the more I think the committee is likely to do something like that.
But there is no evidence.
and.
‘Even if there is evidence, what does that have to do with me?’
Telesia said.
“Don’t think too deeply about it. I added it because I thought it was an interesting story, but it turned out to be a waste of time.”
“Then I’ll leave now···.”
“Sorry, just one more thing.”
Telesia’s business didn’t seem to be over yet. She handed over the hologram. The screen changed.
-Recovery progress: 38%
The committee and the inmates were displaying the progress of the reconstruction work in Ashtal.
“I heard something while visiting the committee headquarters this time.”
Telesia also had access to high-level information that was not available to other prisoners. The story she was telling Minjun this time was of that kind.
“The committee is planning to reduce the size of the inmate unit dispatched here to 10% of its current size. The target date has been set for when the progress reaches 50%.”
Minjun’s eyebrows twitched. For a moment, tension flowed through the air. She realized that the atmosphere had changed in an instant, so she got to the point without hesitation.
“We have now decided that public order can be maintained without the large-scale inmate units. We will gradually reduce their numbers starting this year.”
Minjun’s expression hardened rapidly. Telesia nodded as if she had guessed.
“I know. You and Del are the only ones who want to stay in Ashtal as much as I do.”
The same applies if Minjun and Del do not remain in Ashtal, or if only one of them is reassigned.
Of course, the chances of them tearing apart are much higher than the chances of them staying stuck together.
And no one can guarantee when the two will be able to meet again.
The day that Minjun and Del had expected would come someday, but had hoped would never come, was finally taking shape.
Telesia speaks in a calm tone.
“Since Ashtal’s social infrastructure has been somewhat restored, the committee has actually increased the scale of aid. It will take nearly 300 years to reach the current level, but it will accelerate in the future. It may not take more than a few years to reach 50%. The committee officer I spoke with predicted three years.”
This means that within approximately three years, nine out of ten Ashtal prisoners will be reassigned and leave.
“Everyone will be disappointed. Isn’t this level rare? Since there are so many big issues, sudden missions come pouring in, so there’s no need to worry about survival.”
Since all prisoners belong to the same organization and are evaluated and rewarded both individually and collectively upon completion of their missions, there is no need for prisoners to check and sabotage each other as in other worlds.
Also, if you are capable, it is possible to save a decent amount of money beyond the cost of living.
So everyone wants to stay here.
The same was true for Telesia.
“So I asked the committee. What is the 10% selection criteria? Of course, they didn’t give me an answer. I tried to gauge their opinion by mentioning my accomplishments so far and wondering if I would be selected as a candidate for reappointment if I did this much…”
“What was the answer?”
“They just say that the more successful a prisoner is in one dimension, and the longer he or she stays there, the higher the chance of being reassigned to another dimension. Is that right in principle?”
That was true. Because it was something Minjun had seen and experienced all along.
“So I changed the question. What should I do to get into that 10%? Call me selfish, but I really wanted to stay here.”
Of course, Minjun had no intention of blaming her.
“But the committee answered that question.”
She smiles sadly and brings up the screen. Minjun reads.
“···Special application system for retention of dispatched personnel?”
“It’s a system that didn’t exist originally. They say they’re allowing it only this time for a special limited period.”
Minjun read the text quickly.
And I gritted my teeth.
“After all, if I show my talent, you’re guaranteeing me that I can stay here, right?”
You little shits.
Minjun finished reading the sentence with burning eyes. Telesia added from the side.
“There are some conditions. Even if you apply for a stay and later voluntarily cancel, the talents already paid will not be returned. Even if the inmate in question retires through a ‘special pardon’ or something, there will be no refund. Well, since I’ve never seen a prisoner released that way, it’s meaningless… Even if a prisoner who was originally selected to stay here applies without knowing that fact, the committee won’t tell you and won’t return the talents. The only good thing is that if you pay only the talents you need, you don’t have to compete with anyone else. This means that there is no limit on the number of people as long as you pay. And one last thing.”
Only then does he reveal the reason why he is telling this story to Minjun.
“If the applicant wishes to remain with other prisoners, the special gift tax is exempted in this case only.”
The talent it cost to keep one person here was 150,000.
An amount equivalent to the retirement pay of an ordinary inmate.
And the story is that for two people to remain together, 300,000 talents would be consumed without applying gift tax.
Minjun also noticed why the committee made this proposal to Telesia at this particular time.
“Hey, do you have any balance?”
“I can barely afford 150,000 talents. Even so, it’s only about a tenth of my retirement pay.”
Telesia reveals information that is rarely shared even among prisoners.
Then Minjun naturally looked at the screen that was visible only to his eyes.
-Your current account balance is 311,049 talents.
– Please note that the moment your talent in your account goes into negative (-), statutory interest will be charged and excessive late payment may result in immediate execution.
< 99. A fight between a couple is like cutting the neck with a knife (6) > End
