Redo Zero

"A year or two ago…there was a devastating earthquake that hit Aurea Islands, but more importantly the city, Bortabelle. It was destroyed, devastated. Monster rates increased to unknowable lengeths," Jonah begins. He doesn't sound like someone reading this off an infographic, no.

Sounds like he was there. Experienced it.

"Chancellor Sultan at the time, initially refused to send any aid or financial help. People were dying there. Couldn't fend off against the monsters, and didn't properly send any strong mages to help. It was cruel, and it was like that for half a year."

There's silence, not a dramatic pause, but one Jonah needed to take. As if he knew he would get slightly emotional about this.

He takes a long deep breath.

"I…I lost my parents to that. I…I also lost my sister—too, to the devastating earthquake, the monster rampage, everything. We couldn't find them for days…and when we did—"

Jonah winces, remembering too much. I look away, not meeting his eyes. Now's not the best time to probe him about it. Doesn't look like he would forget it at all. Then…that makes complete sense as to why he aided with the terrorists, then.

Had I not been there, and took up Sultan's offer for protection.

Jonah would've killed him. Right then and there. No reason why he wouldn't. Even if the bounty or the contract didn't state it outright, he probably would've went out of his way to do it.

And maybe…had I known all of this.

I wouldn't have stopped him.

He didn't speak, just looking down at the table. Must've been in a trace remembering all of those. I don't know how old Jonah is…but scaling him off of Koga's age, he would have to be in the young 20's as well, late teens maybe.

If that happened 1-2 years ago…then the Bortabelle I saw today recovered greatly from it all. Despite everything that held it back.

"Is that why you do everything you do, Jonah?" I ask. He looks up to me.

"The Underworld Syndicate. The bounties and the contracts." Continuing, but he shakes his head.

"No, I was already doing it far before." He says.

"I was already this person. The quake just took away the parts that might've stopped me."

I slowly nod.

He got himself into it, and after seeing how Sultan treated Bortabelle…it only strengthened his beliefs.

Then…

"Is that why you despise Koga? Because he's siding with Sultan?" I ask again.

He's surprised to hear the name, but doesn't say anything outright. Just breathes, heavy and silent. Looked like he was contemplating which answer to give me. But, with another heavy sigh, he spoke again.

"Yes. I thought that after everything, Kogarasu would've thought otherwise. But he's too swept up into it. He's no better than Sultan."

I furrow a brow, "And you're better than the both of them?"

"It's not about being the best, it's about being the less damned. All three of them have put blood on their hands and cleaned it with soap to act like they've never done such a thing. I've chosen my way, but yet the way they lie, and manipulate the masses."

"It sounds like they need to be exposed."

"Yeah? How so? If you're doing all of this to expose this and hope I might help you, Jonah, you're out of luck."

It's clear. As neutral as I am, Jonah wants me to take a side.

He doesn't sigh, this time, no, he just crosses his arm, and smiles.

"Fine, we'll play it your way,"

"Ryuuzen."

I'm taken aback, Jonah only smiles. How does he know my name? I never directly told him. Magic? No, no magic surrounding him either. There's nothing I can't sense.

"The nation is pretty big, but Royalia has some pretty mouths that gossip. I don't want to know how your life was growing up with the same name as a Dragon tyrant, but that's exactly what I want from you. To not be a hero."

"Sultan shut down the transportation runes in Bortabelle the night before the quake hit. As per maintenance, and when Bortabelle finally recovered from the effects of the natural disaster, he removed the runes and forwarded all who needed them to high-tax cities like Komarine or Ja'nan."

"Sultan never dirtied his hands in the Underworld. That's what proxies are for. Such as blackmailing fellow board and senate members, which then led to him having advantage over the senate."

I shake my head. "That makes no sense. Lucen's whole point was that Sultan wants to combine the power of the Chancellor and the Senate."

Jonah scoffs, "And who's to say he hasn't done it already?"

I…for once, don't say anything. Let the silence remain.

"Because Sultan knows if he wins this election, then he can figuratively make it work despite every law in the nation saying it's illegal. He doesn't need a law to merge the Chancellor and Senate. He just needs people to stop looking while he acts like it's already done."

"But somehow…just somehow, he dances and parades as if someone who's already won."

"Yeah, and let's also add on he could see the future too, because that makes a lot of sense, right?"

Jonah goes quiet.

No, no, no, no. No.

Sultan can't see the future. But then again…all of these things can't just be lucky coincidences. All of his moves…come off as…already planned. He just happened to plug off the rune before the quake. He just happened to ask for my aide before the attack.

His words come off as smooth, this one might just be paranoia or a reach, but could you certainly teach great charisma through speech on a level of Sultan's?

I don't think you could.

"There's a reason why he always quotes the Dragon Sovereigns of Calamity and War. He's not just interested in them, he's infatuated with them."

"I…I don't know how true this is. But word got around in the Underworld. Multiple accounts saying that possibly…"

"Sultan might've come into contact with the Dragon Sovereign of Victory and War."

Oh.

So, now this starts to make sense.

Sultan isn't just chasing the election. If he's…actually met a Sovereign. Then this man isn't just a chancellor.

He might be chasing godhood.