The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1126

The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1126

Chapter 1126
“Interesting.” The President of the United States let out a chuckle as he looked over the information brought to him by his Staff Secretary. “Hey.”
“Yes, Mr. President?”
“What do you make of this?” He held up a tablet displaying several Korean news articles.
Normally, no matter how closely one monitored global affairs, it was rare for the president of a major power to pay attention to local news from another country. However, the article shown before him was no ordinary local news.
“I believe it’s obvious, sir: this isn’t an intentional move by the Korean government. They’re not stupid enough to stir things up again, after getting shaken to the core once already.”
The South Korean administration had been heavily pro-Tionis with its legislation.
Many nations, including Korea, only managed to rebuild after the monster crisis thanks to their connection with Tionis.
“Even if a government takes a stance, the people aren’t always aligned. We have plenty of citizens right here in the United States who buy into conspiracy theories about Tionis and openly dislike them.”
It was impossible for everyone to think the same way. The incident before him was likely the result of personal feelings that had flared up, ultimately setting the whole house on fire.
“So, what are the Korean government’s movements?”
“They’ve already started deleting the related articles and have launched an investigation. However, the personal livestream captured some moments that raised eyebrows—the fact that the streamer was later found dead seems to have hit the public hard.”
“Are we certain she was the one who killed him?”
“Well, the stream cut off right after the two made contact. Naturally, she’s the prime suspect.”
Political manipulation and public sentiment were dangerous forces. Speculations alone were often more than enough to suddenly make false information into accepted truth.
“Looks like the Sacred Group is furious, too. Well, I guess it makes sense, since they’re practically tied at the hip with the Saint of Tionis.”
“What are your orders, Mr. President?”
“What else? Sink our teeth in like a damned dog, and never let go.”
Even when it’s with allies, one should never pass up an opportunity to seize an advantage.
“Let’s use this to move Sacred Group’s base of operations here in the United States. While we’re at it, let’s make our country the primary base for the Saint of Tionis’s activities as well.”
Another’s misfortune was his nation’s opportunity.
“I’m sure other countries are already making moves. Korea really is too short-sighted. They keep trying to be friendly, yet it’s brought them more loss than gain.
Tsk, tsk
.”
“The Korean government must be panicking over this one, sir.”
Whether they were or not, it didn’t change the fact that it presented a golden opportunity for the United States.
[Therefore, the government will conduct a thorough investigation into this matter and reiterates that it will not rush to judgment without concrete evidence...]
While the official stance of the Korean government played on a nearby screen, the secretary approached with a quiet . “Mr. President, there’s something you need to see.”
“What is it?”
“You’re aware that we’re entering another mana wave surge period, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Have you ever heard of a silence gate?”
* * *
The internet was aflame with heated discussions, and the public was essentially divided into two opposing sides.
[No matter how out of control things get, how does a person manage to just show up during a livestream and kill someone? Is this seriously a country ruled by law?]
[What are you even saying? She’s not even a citizen of this country, so why are you talking about our laws?]
[Come on, now. When in Rome, follow Roman law. Dumbfuck, if the U.S. President came to Korea and killed someone with zero justification, would you seriously just be staying still and quiet?]
Some people were appalled at the idea that Evangeline had killed someone, while others were quick to defend her.
[Wherry was infamous for being human garbage. Honestly, good riddance. I’m Team Saint of Tionis’s Daughter all the way. But seriously tho—how does a guy in his twenties have a daughter that old?]
[I thought the same thing LMAO. Straight-up fantasy, bro.]
[Fr, that guy made disgusting comments all the time. The bastard even left cruel comments during that celebrity suicide scandal.]
[That commenter above must be out of their goddamned mind. Even if he was trash, it doesn’t justify murdering someone WTF]
[Did anyone actually see the murder? The stream cut off. People are jumping to conclusions. Come on, there are things you don’t say to a kid.]
[They met up, and the dude died immediately after. You fucking stupid or something?]
[Probably LOLS. Yo, if it weren’t for the Saint of Tionis, our country wouldn’t even be here. Now people want to crucify his daughter based on assumptions? If I were him, I’d fuck this place up HARD. Holy shit.]
[So then what, it’s okay to go full medieval tyrant just because you’re mad?]
[All she did was yell and demand an apology. Where's the proof she killed him??? If you’re wrong, can you handle the consequences?]
[Y’all I’m staying neutral for now. With everyone biting down on her like this, if it turns out you’re all wrong, I feel like it’s gonna be real bad this time.]
[The Saint of Tionis has never once used his power to pressure Earth, despite how easy it would be for him. You know that, right? He held back to avoid making anyone uncomfortable, and now this? This country is full of cunning bastards. We don’t deserve nice things.]
It got to a point that people started digging into Wherry’s past. His behavior and history began spreading quickly, along with claims from former viewers about why he hated Tionis so much or what he had actually said to Evangeline.
People throwing insults at someone’s parents wasn’t new, but what shocked everyone was how utterly pathetic his reasoning for hating Tionis had been.
Super Ribbon frowned as she watched the video play on the tablet. Evangeline, seated next to her, stared silently at the floor, sighing.
She couldn’t believe how unlucky she was, to be wrapped up in something so extreme.
Having also been silently watching the video, Yeon-Hee called out, “Secretary Cho.”
“Y-Yes, Miss!” For some reason, Secretary Cho always acted unusually nervous around Shin Yeon-Hee.
“Track all of these people down. You can leave the people who are raising reasonable doubts alone, but the ones enjoying the chaos and spreading malice? Make sure they all pay the price,” she said with a sweet smile.
“Yes, Miss! I’ll take care of them thoroughly!”
As Secretary Cho rushed out, Yeon-Hee turned toward another figure. “
Whew.
And Hyun-Ah, stop smashing all the tablets.”
There was no longer any public doubt that Evangeline wasn’t the culprit. There wasn’t hard evidence, but all circumstantial indicators pointed to her guilt. In reality, Wherry’s death was connected to a unique phenomenon.
“The silence gate...”
There were no physical clues or traces, but they’d managed to get a lead when Hyun-Ah called Kouna in to help track Evangeline’s movements.
“What are the police saying?” Hyun-Ah asked.
“We’ve already proven that the er who posted the article alleging your involvement did it for clickbait, based on zero facts. The protection order will be lifted soon, and the group’s legal team is moving forward with a formal lawsuit.”
As soon as the world started to become a little more peaceful, a person who’d mistaken kindness for entitlement showed up.
“Reality truly is stranger than fiction. So, what about that er?”
“They’re using fair response or some bologna sandwich as an excuse to block direct contact with us.”
Not that it mattered. Potayto, potahto.
She was probably under massive pressure from the government already.
“Whether she stays there or comes to us, the results are the same.”
Of course they would be. From Korea’s perspective, if they ended up souring relations with Davey over something so ridiculous, it’d be a diplomatic disaster. The er likely still had no idea who she’d picked a fight with.
“I heard she’s still young.”
“Exactly. She must be too young to understand what she should fear.”
Yeon-Hee felt a bit bad for the er, but not enough to help her. She was going to teach the er just how dangerous it was to spread baseless claims as if they were facts. Both she and Hyun-Ah had no intention of helping the er to soften the blow.
“Of all times for this to happen, it just had to be right when Super Ribbon is trying to study for exams.”
“More importantly, if monsters really did come through the silence gate, that’s a whole different issue.”
“Under no circumstances can Hyun-Soo find out,” Yeon-Hee said firmly.
Hyun-Ah shuddered. “You're right... Knowing how Hyun-Soo is, if he finds out about this, he's going to raise hell.”
It went without saying that he’d immediately take Evangeline and Super Ribbon away from Earth, yet depending on how things unfolded, it wouldn’t be surprising if it triggered a major upheaval. In the worst case, Korea could end up being condemned by the entire world.
No, the signs were already there. As if they’d always been waiting for an opportunity, countries like the United States, China, Japan, Russia, and many others had started protesting and accusing Korea of acting on baseless grounds.
Their reasoning was simple, really. Even though Davey carried the nameplate of Tionis, the one who actually provided Earth with assistance and protection wasn’t Tionis as an organization, but Davey O’Rowane as an individual. As such, if he ever decided he didn’t want to do it anymore, there would be no place for them to make an appeal or try to mend the relationship.
“Japan in particular is baring its teeth. I guess it’s probably because of what happened last time.”
“Well, I get it this time, honestly.”
“Anyway, to officially prove Evangeline's innocence, we need clear evidence that the bastard died from a rift-related cause.”
There were no wounds, and the cause of death was undetermined. Pinning anyone as the perpetrator was virtually impossible.
Of course, Hyun-Ah already knew that Wherry’s cause of death was a silence gate rift. However, there was no way to prove its involvement.
The silence gate had always been a top-secret matter. It was the kind of thing that could seriously undermine public order if revealed to the general public.
“Vice President!” Just then, Secretary Cho came rushing in.
“Secretary Cho? What is it?”
“An official statement was just released!”
“Really? What are they saying?”
“They’re going public about the silence gate.”
There was no hard evidence, but the government had decided to hold a press conference to state that such a gate existed. They claimed that Wherry had died after being caught up in a mutated instance of it.
It would, of course, spark massive confusion in the public, but Hyun-Ah couldn’t care less by that point.
“Alright, so the government side is handled. Now, about those jerks online who’ve been slandering our Eva...”
“I already gave the order.”
“Huh? Yeon-Hee?” Hyun-Ah trembled slightly at the sight of Yeon-Hee smiling sweetly. “Already?”
“Yep. Plus, Hyun-Soo is a formal client of our Sacred Group’s legal team. We’ve got plenty of justification to intervene.”
“They’re all ridiculous! That octopus signed an extraterritoriality treaty to save Earth, yet the public’s still acting up? Unbelievable.”
“That’s how it goes. The more people you have, the more different opinions you get.”
In any case, there was no longer any reason for Evangeline to be under duress.
* * *
The information the government released about the silence gate sent shockwaves across the country. A mysterious rift that appeared and disappeared without warning, and had just claimed a life for the first time.
The Hunter Management Headquarters, the international hunter support company Sacred Group, and the government—which had officially announced the existence of the silence gate rifts—began issuing statements. They explained that a thorough investigation into the rift would be conducted, and urged the public to reconsider their actions of unfairly condemning innocent people.
It was rare for the government to publicly defend a single individual, yet no one found it strange in that case. After all, she wasn’t just an ordinary person. Rumors even began circulating that Korea's current president had lost clumps of hair over the incident.
There was a reason such matters were kept top secret. Once the government had chosen to declassify it to prevent things from escalating further, the fallout was bound to be significant.
That wasn’t enough to stop Hyun-Ah and Yeon-Hee on their warpath, however. Sensing the opportunity, they began targeting and taking down all those who had given Evangeline a hard time.
Of course, plenty of people still called the silence gate a stupid conspiracy theory. Still, Kouna, the only one capable of detecting the gate, publicly expressed support for Evangeline’s innocence through social media. After that came the backing of the apostles currently residing on Earth and working with Sacred Group.
Valkyrie Kain and Frelia, apostles of Neltarid, issued statements through their religious order confirming Evangeline’s innocence. The public opinion that had once painted her as the culprit vanished in an instant, as if it had never existed.
Unfortunately, not everything that was out of sight had truly disappeared.
[LOL, all those punks who were screaming that she was the killer are suddenly silent now,
huh?
]
[Glad I stayed neutral. The Saint of Tionis never even stepped in, but the Sacred Group looked like they were out for blood this time.]
[Still, why’s the Sacred Group going so hard on this? Why is the government letting it slide?]
[Of course they are. This is their shot to put a stop to things. If the Saint of Tionis had stepped in, it would’ve only escalated. Honestly, that was a pretty damn smart move. What, are you defending the keyboard warriors who were hurling slurs online?]
[No, I’m not saying that.]
[Exactly. And think about it, does it make any sense that someone who kept asking for an apology, even while furious, would actually go kill someone?]
As some of the people who had accused Evangeline were being taken down like rats, the person in question was quietly staring at the man in front of her.
“Even so much as looking at a computer screen makes me angry now,” she said.
Al Hajat, often called the Oil King, let out a hearty laugh. “I get it. That kind of thing would make anyone feel bitter. Do you not like people now, Eva?”
She didn’t know what to say. While she had always liked people, after everything that happened, she couldn’t help feeling a building resentment. Sure, hardly anyone was badmouthing her online anymore, but that didn’t erase the pain she had endured.
“I don’t know,” Evangeline replied.
Al Hajat smiled gently. He had rushed over after hearing his friend’s daughter had gone through something terrible. From his experience, he knew it wouldn’t be good to leave Evangeline alone in such a situation.
“There aren’t only bad people in the world, you know.”
“I know. I do, but...” Evangeline sighed.
“Then how about trying something new with me?”
“Something new?”
“Yeah. I heard you’re good at drawing.”
“I guess so,” she reluctantly confirmed.
“Try doing a live stream of you drawing.”
‘Well, that came out of nowhere.’
Evangeline looked puzzled, but Al Hajat smiled warmly at her. “Yeah. Do a livestream! I’ll be your manager.”
The idea of a world-class billionaire becoming her personal manager was so ridiculous that Evangeline let out a small chuckle. “Why? Just looking at the internet already makes me mad.”
“You’ve been hurt by those who insulted you, but I want you to also see that not everyone is like that.”
Sometimes, experiencing something first-hand spoke louder than a hundred words.
Perhaps it was too soon right now. But he figured that one day, seeing the world with a more open and balanced perspective would be better for her.
Al Hajat gave her a soft smile. “Why not give it a try? Then, you can just stop if you don’t like it.”
Evangeline contemplated his offer.
In fact, on a website where she had uploaded one of her drawings, there had been an encouraging comment.
[Wow! You’re incredibly talented! Your drawing style is really unique, too.]
The sincerity behind that one comment gently knocked on the door she had started to close.
Editorb’s Thoughts
Inb4 Davey and Al Hajat viewbot the hell out of her stream and get her banned on twitch.

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Chapter 1126