Just as the National Intelligence Service had settled on its position, Il-gyu also took a rest and sorted through the thoughts that had piled up in his head.
"The National Intelligence Service is trustworthy enough, and capable too."
Once from the image of the National Intelligence Service preserved in Dohyeok's memories.
Twice from the real-world reputation he had confirmed while sweeping away the trash and checking the industry from the inside.
Three times from the skill he had verified in direct contact at last.
And on top of that, the behavior shown by the girl who had supposedly been the director's daughter.
"My father used to say this. You mustn't trust people too easily, but once you've trusted someone, you mustn't doubt them."
From the very beginning, Il-gyu had no desire to become some dark hero who beat up bad guys.
If that were the case, why would he need the National Intelligence Service?
He could just keep doing things the way he always had.
What Il-gyu truly wanted was to overturn the board.
He acknowledged the existence and necessity of the supernatural world, but he intended to teach those rabid fools who ran wild for their own pleasure exactly whose hands kept their world and daily lives intact.
He wanted to show them that the people in the light had no reason to be disrespected just because they lacked special powers.
Especially the trash who treated human lives like insects.
He wanted to make them pay for their sins with certain death, and create a world where victims like his father were reduced even by a little.
"Is that asking for too much?"
Even so, he would do it.
Even if it cost him this entire life.
But this wish was not something he could accomplish by flailing around alone.
It required a collective.
More than that, it required structure and a system.
He had no intention of changing the world all at once, so for now he planned to start by cleaning up Korea step by step, and he had decided that the National Intelligence Service was sufficient as an ally for that task.
"But if you receive something, you should naturally give something in return."
He could roughly guess what the National Intelligence Service wanted from him.
Well, that was only information based on Dohyeok's memories, so it was just a rough estimate.
He was still learning more detailed information about how the supernatural society worked now that he had come to the National Intelligence Service, but after a few hours he was confident he had more or less grasped the shape of it, as befitted the top student of the law school.
"I expected as much, but the Devil King's position is higher than I imagined. Hmm, maybe it's connected to the long lifespans of sorcerers."
Modern democracy and the expansion of human rights had only taken root relatively recently.
For people who had lived before democracy, this era would feel strange, even unreal.
The era in which god-slayers began to reign as kings had been far older than that.
So it was hardly surprising that traces of monarchy and feudal rule still remained in the sorcerous world.
Especially for those who had lived through the Black Death or wars, when lives were cut down like grass, their perspective had to be different.
"Even so, it's just the residue of the past. Rotten roots."
If the world had changed and they had no intention of adapting to that changed world, then they should disappear.
The world, the law, had no reason to accommodate those bastards.
No, hadn't it already accommodated them long enough?
Maybe a stagnant old-timer like the National Intelligence Service could be tolerated, but anything rotten to the level of crude oil had to be ripped out.
No matter how valuable that crude oil might be.
"Good. I can see the rough outline now. I don't know how the National Intelligence Service will respond, but we should be able to have a useful conversation."
As if on cue, not long after, the National Intelligence Service informed him that they were ready to talk.
And so the meeting was arranged.
With Il-gyu seated in the place of highest honor, the director of the National Intelligence Service and all the executives and team leaders who could be assembled at the moment gathered in one place.
Il-gyu spoke first.
"First, I imagine you're most curious whether I'll accept the throne, so I'll tell you in advance. I will. That throne thing."
Of course, in practical terms, it meant the apex of Korea's supernatural world.
The head of the National Intelligence Service, which oversaw and managed it all.
"I hate clutter, so I have no intention of taking the director's post. Such a position wouldn't affect where I stand anyway. If I'm not the director, does that mean anyone can pretend they don't know I'm a Devil King?"
At Il-gyu's words, everyone in the conference room nodded.
Right.
Devil Kings were people who proved themselves by power, not by bloodline or qualifications.
"Naturally, I intend to fulfill the duties that a king should bear. Well, at most it means standing against the descent of a god, but if it's something only I can do, then I'll do it."
If Il-gyu did not act, a disaster that would sacrifice tens of thousands would occur.
Running from that was not his sense of justice.
Even if he had not been a king, he would have opposed a god's descent.
But—
"If you recognize me as your king, then you'll obey. No matter what it is."
He would allow opinions.
He would allow objections.
But he would not tolerate disobedience.
"I'm a man with a great many complaints about this world. I have no intention whatsoever of swallowing those complaints down, and anything that gets on my nerves will be torn apart and rebuilt from the ground up."
Anything that stood in his way would be excluded.
"The process will be extremely violent, highly coercive, and at times you may even think it unjust."
Il-gyu had no intention of waiting any longer.
This society.
The hidden side of this society where supernatural powers lurked.
He no longer expected it to change on its own.
No, even if he did expect it to, he would not ignore the countless people who would be harmed in the process.
So—
"I'm going to tear the whole thing down and rebuild it."
If you cannot accept a king like this, then speak now.
Because after this, there will be no chance.
Once you choose me as your king, that choice cannot be undone.
At Il-gyu's declaration, silence settled over the conference room for a moment.
"So a king really is a king."
"He says this is a place for discussion, and then gives us no room to discuss anything."
"A declaration and a proclamation. He's just telling us to decide whether to follow or not. As expected of a Devil King. The face of a tyrant is plain to see."
"For a Devil King, he's surprisingly polite. I was a little worried he'd get looked down on if he went anywhere like that... but I guess that was needless concern."
"No, this kind is even scarier. He may be mild-mannered most of the time, but once he stands up, he doesn't hold back."
Still, no one felt bad about it.
They could tell clearly that Il-gyu had the makings of a king.
Above all, they knew.
Just how far beyond the norm Il-gyu's genius was.
Even compared to other god-slayers, his talent was beyond comparison.
He was unquestionably someone destined to stand at the summit.
And so, one by one, those who had made up their minds rose from their seats, led by Director Choi Kang-pil.
Then, all at once, they knelt on one knee before Il-gyu and bowed their heads as they shouted, "We greet the new king of the Republic of Korea."
That day, the owner of the throne on the Korean Peninsula was decided.
Il-gyu, now the new head of the National Intelligence Service and the king of the peninsula, first set about solving the most immediate problems facing the agency.
"There's trash that can be burned with trash, and there's trash that needs to be sorted separately. Before we clean the inside, let's deal with what came in from outside first."
First, Japan.
To be honest, Il-gyu did not have a grudge against Japan as a country.
Japan, too, had all kinds of people and all kinds of human types.
There was nothing wrong with a government putting its own national interests first.
And Korea being thrown into turmoil by the birth of a Japanese king was Korea's problem, not Japan's responsibility or fault.
However, there were exceptions.
"Have you identified the bastards who crossed over from Japan and started making trouble in Korea?"
"Yes. They were openly strutting around without any intention of hiding, so there was no need for a separate investigation."
"Their purpose?"
"It would be expansion of influence."
"Japan's sorcerous world is currently controlled by the people known as the Four Great Houses."
"The balance of power among them is tighter than you'd think."
"Of course, the top priority would be to win over the Japanese king, but the current king is accompanied by an Italian young lady named Erica Blandelli, so direct contact isn't easy. It seems they chose a second-best option."
"It looks like they intend to exploit the power shift within Japan caused by the birth of a king, break the framework of the Four Great Houses, and determine the true ruler of Japan's sorcerous world."
The National Intelligence Service described it as foxes running wild because the tiger had no interest in its own territory.
The true ruler of Japan's sorcerous world?
They did not even regard their own country's king as a king.
Well, since he himself had kicked away that position, he had nothing to say about that.
But in any case, foxes had come all the way to our land and were saying things like:
"Stand with us."
"Or do you think we, the ones who became the rulers of Japan's sorcerous world and have a king at our backs, will just leave you alone?"
It was enough to make his temples ache.
And on top of that, they still had enough sense to know better.
They knew that if they picked a fight with the National Intelligence Service, word of it would reach their own king's ears too.
So the National Intelligence Service having to avoid them was comedy in its purest form.
"How should we handle them? Arrest them all?"
"There's no reason to arrest them. We didn't exactly block their entry, so coming to Korea is their freedom. And if those bastards have any brains at all, they'll have done no more than make suggestions, not blatant threats."
Correct.
There was no reason to threaten them.
Anyone in the business knew that with the birth of a king, Japan would swallow half of Korea, and even a three-year-old child could understand that.
In fact, Korea was full of people desperate to line up behind Japan.
"Tell them that Korea has also produced a Devil King, and that I want to see only those who still linger and watch their step despite that. Let's see what happens when I put one foot into that so-called power shift too."
At the very least, he would give foreigners from abroad one pass.
There was no benefit in indiscriminately excluding people from other countries.
And it wasn't as if he thought playing power games was a capital crime.
Higher positions, greater wealth, and so on.
Wanting more was not a sin.
On the contrary, that kind of desire was what drove human progress.
The issue was whether the process was right or wrong.
"A wise decision."
"They're quick on the uptake, so they'll back off on their own as you said."
"But you understand there won't be a second warning, right?"
"If it comes to that, we'll handle it our way."
If the king says it's not a capital offense, then they won't be killed.
They would be spared from being killed, at least.
But as the king is, so are his retainers.
They had plenty bottled up inside as well, so it was unavoidable that a little personal feeling would seep into the enforcement.
"Anything besides Japan?"
"We haven't announced your existence yet, Il-gyu-nim, so that's why. Once we do, many people will come to Korea for reasons different from Japan's."
"The Greenwich Wise Men's Council will also want to meet you, Il-gyu-nim. I think America and China will show tremendous interest as well."
"Beyond that, unofficial alliance requests will pour in too. There are only eight kings, but the world is this vast. And not even all eight are cooperative."
Once Il-gyu's personality became known, alliance requests would come flooding in.
How rare was a king who could actually talk?
Even the British Black Prince, Alexander Gascoigne, whom people cursed as a street thug, was still someone countless countries sought out because, despite his awful personality, conversation with him was possible.
In truth, a god's descent was only the worst possible disaster.
Below that, there were plenty of calamity-class threats, and countless places needed a king's help.
"That doesn't sound like the National Intelligence Service's jurisdiction..."
"It's in the realm of diplomacy, yes, but it's still directly tied to our industry."
"I imagine the government will make a request. There are quite a few people from our side active in official politics too."
"You can ignore them if you like. If you give the order, we'll handle it quietly."
Il-gyu told them to handle it appropriately, just as they said.
It was annoying, but if he ignored matters like this completely, they would only become noisier.
Trim them down appropriately, cut away what needed cutting, report what needed reporting.
And as for anything he felt he needed personally, Il-gyu said he would handle it himself.
"Then what about Greenwich—"
"Ah, that one's an exception. Ignore them completely."
"Really? The Greenwich Wise Men's Council is practically the center of the current supernatural world..."
"They want me to prove I'm a king? Do they think I'm some sucker? Did those bastards get certified by the first Devil King and the second Devil King too?"
"Of course not."
"Marquis Voban and Cult Leader Luo were ruling as Devil Kings long before Greenwich was even founded."
"They're exceptional even among Devil Kings."
Though the Greenwich Wise Men's Council was said to manage the Devil Kings, no one truly believed they actually performed that role.
Rather, their real function was to observe and record the powers of the Devil Kings.
It was obvious they were trying to figure out what Il-gyu's power was.
But unlike Japan's king, he had no intention of indulging that nonsense.
"I'm busy enough as it is, so who are they to tell me to come and go? Anyway, I've got the rough schedule now, so let's start in order. We'll clean up Japan first, then start cleaning house right away. Make sure you don't miss any vermin trying to catch wind of things and flee overseas."
"Yes, sir!"
At last, the true path of the king began in earnest.