Chapter 473: Chapter 473

[The ‘Goddess of Pleasure and Lust’ says that she understands.]

The Goddess of Pleasure and Lust gave up as if she was fed up with embarrassment caused by her household member.

Those who knew the goddess well would be very surprised to see her concede like this. Normally, the arrogant and demanding goddess never backed down no matter how disadvantageous the situation was.

Thus, it was hard to believe that she was withdrawing like this.

...It was clear that the disgraceful behavior of her household member was too much for her!

“Give me your desires!”

“...”

Not even Choi Yeonseung, who had seen everything in his lifetime, could bear to watch this. He shook his head in disapproval and thought to himself, ‘The nightmare demons are a strange race...’

Choi Yeonseung made that assessment even though he was the one who had taught orcs, out of all the Abyssal races, to farm. Therefore, the Manipulator of Dreams and Desires was dying of embarrassment.

To think that the nightmare demons were considered weirder than those orcs...!

[The ‘Goddess of Pleasure and Lust’ asks what you want.]

“I want you to sincerely support me in your name until the chaos in this land is completely resolved.”

Even though her face wasn’t visible, Choi Yeonseung could guess that Goddess of Pleasure and Lust looked surprised as though she had been caught off guard.

In fact, this had been Choi Yeonseung’s plan from the very beginning.

...The Goddess of Pleasure and Lust had never imagined that her household member would suddenly go on a rampage when coming here to negotiate.

The United States had a large land mass, so there were many places for the evil god constellations to run rampant. That was bound to happen in any large country.

In South Korea, if a dungeon exploded or the household members of an evil god constellation held a cult gathering, someone would immediately post it on social media, and the police would be called. Then, clans from all over the world would rush to the scene in thirty minutes.

In comparison, that would be impossible in a country as large as the United States. As such, several states had failed to respond immediately to the invasion of the evil god constellations and were suffering tremendous damage.

‘Thinking about the US presidential election, I can’t just do raids in Texas.’

In a way, doing raids was the most effective method of campaigning. No matter how uninspiring the candidate from the opposing party was, they were bound to receive a lot of support if they personally came forward and got rid of the monsters wreaking havoc.

The problem was that Choi Yeonseung’s forces were limited. He himself could keep fighting without getting tired, but even Illaphael, who overwhelmed human hunters, would get tired if a battle dragged on endlessly.

-Oh, that’s what you’ve been worried about.

The goddess of sloth was a bit surprised. She had hitherto suspected that Choi Yeonseung considered Illeya a walking shaved ice machine. Even if she really was a constellation, exerting so much power in a mortal body was bound to be rough...

-Of course, Illeya will be fine. She’s a constellation, but Illaphael is a mortal.

-Wha...?

The goddess of sloth was shocked to realize that Choi Yeonseung was still holding Illeya up to his standards. Just because he was tough as a constellation didn’t mean that everyone else was the same.

Mover, in the case of Illeya, she seemed more like a clone than the main body...?

‘The clans and hunters available right now can’t even protect the territories they’re in charge of. I need more power, especially when fighting against the household member of another constellation.’

A power that only the constellation’s household member could use was like a trump card. It was a powerful variable that could turn around a losing fight!

Thus, it was better to have the household members with him so that he could have those variables on his side. That was the reason Choi Yeonseung dragged Illeya and Illaphael around with him.

In addition, his overall power would be even greater if he could borrow the household members of the Goddess of Pleasure and Lust. And if that drove a wedge between the Goddess of Pleasure and Lust and the other evil god constellations, it would be a nice bonus.

-That’s definitely a good strategy. I just don’t know if she’ll agree to it.

-She will.

The Goddess of Pleasure and Lust pondered on Choi Yeonseung’s proposal. It was a troublesome proposal, but she couldn’t just refuse.

Such petty, ridiculous tricks...

Despite how incomprehensibly embarrassing Lamart had acted this time, she was nonetheless a powerful household member, the kind of which was hard to come by. If the goddess declined the offer, the enemies would kill Lamart or imprison her forever.

In addition, the proposal was quite beneficial for the Goddess of Pleasure and Lust. First of all, the conditions didn’t entail any damage to her realm.

The other evil god constellations would find it absurd and ridiculous, but it was none of their business. It was far better than having to surrender her realm, treasures, or household members.

Eventually, after careful consideration, the goddess gave her verdict.

[The ‘Goddess of Pleasure and Lust’ accepts after much deliberation.]

[She swears in her name that her household member, Lamart, will help you deal with your enemies!]

“...Wait.”

Choi Yeonseung was nodding with satisfaction when he paused.

Who was going to help?

‘She swore in her name that she would help, but how is that possible? Is there a loophole in the oath?’

Constellations were firmly bound by the oaths they swore in their names, so the goddess would have to help Choi Yeonseung unconditionally and sincerely.

-...It’s possible if the goddess has a high evaluation of this household member.

-What? Does that make sense?

Choi Yeonseung couldn’t believe this. The household member over there, who couldn’t control her own desires, was the best household member the Goddess of Pleasure and Lust could think of?

‘...Maybe the Goddess of Pleasure and Lust isn’t as big of a deal as I thought.’

[The ‘Goddess of Pleasure and Lust’ expresses displeasure at your skeptical gaze.]

***

-Governor Kenny saves Texas from the brink of collapse!

-The great performance of Hunter Choi Yeonseung...

-How did Hunter Choi Yeonseung save Texas?

-Several Texan clan leaders declared that Choi Yeonseung should be appointed as governor...

-Governor Kenny is on the rise in the presidential election...

The birth of the Number One candidate?

-The candidate for the Liberal Federal Party is Governor Kenny?

-Governor Kenny managed to bring in Hunter Choi Yeonseung thanks to his Korean descent... Apparently, Governor Kenny’s cousin is also of Korean descent...

Seeing those headlines, the general public only talked about the achievements of Choi Yeonseung and the other hunters, but the experienced politicians focused on something else.

“Dammit! That Kenny guy...! He’s one lucky son of a bitch!’

“He’s barely managed to put out the fire with the help of a foreign hunter, but he’s running for president?”

In any case, reclaiming Texas under such dire circumstances was quite a meaningful event, and the politicians from the Liberal Federalist Party who were aiming to become president were on edge.

A bigshot like Governor Kenny could take advantage of this incident to secure his candidacy.

“Hunter Choi Yeonseung isn’t even an American. Why did he help out? Surely he hasn’t been paid properly!”

“Ca-calm down. If anyone hears you...”

As politicians debated what to do, Huntsman met Alex Parker again.

Alex Parker didn’t show it, but he thought to himself, ‘This clown’s expiration date is coming soon. I’ll have to get the most out of him before I throw him away.’

It turned out that Governor Kenny would be the Liberal Federalist candidate for Alex Parker. He would’ve needed someone easier to manipulate, a puppet, so he was a bit disappointed that Kenny would be the candidate of that party.

However, he would make due with him. After all, Alex Parker had been consistently making donations, so his relationship with Kenny had to be at least decent.

‘I need to use this clown to improve the atmosphere in the party to my advantage...’

“Don’t worry!” Huntsman shouted as he banged his chest.

“?”

Alex was taken aback for a second by his reaction. Who was telling whom that there was nothing to worry about? Alex was supposed to be the one offering reassurance, not Huntsman, whose approval ratings were dropping...

“That Kenny is a petty bastard. He couldn’t solve the problem himself, so he groveled at the feet of those hunters. Sure, he used his wits to get a hunter from our country to help, but what does that matter at the end of the day?”

“...I will say it again, Huntsman. Hunter Choi Yeonseung is Korean, not American.”

“Whatever! Again with such trivial things...”

“...”

Alex Parker frowned, feeling the wrinkles on his forehead deepen. Incompetent allies were said to be scarier than competent enemies. Sometimes, Alex Parker couldn’t help wondering if it was really okay to get involved with Huntsman.

‘But since he’s so stupid, he can be manipulated.’

“If you want to be president, refrain from saying such nonsense as much as possible.”

“Don’t worry. If anyone takes issue with what I said, I’ll claim that my opponents are spreading fake news.”

“...The media will criticize you too. You think they can’t touch you?”

“Oh... I’ll just claim that the media are also spreading fake news.”

‘This ignorant bastard...’

Alex Parker had to hold back a sigh.

“Attend the event just like I told you and don’t do anything rash. Get in contact with the members of the party as much as possible. Just do as I say.”

“Oh-oh... They say that you keep worrying more and more as you get older. Relax. I can take care of everything.” Huntsman nodded as though he considered himself wise.

Parker’s eyes twitched as he listened to Huntsman’s nonsense, but he merely clicked his tongue and swallowed his words.

Even though Huntsman was an imbecile, he was definitely popular. And even though he kept forgetting that Choi Yeonseung wasn’t American, there were many people who cheered him for his radical speeches.

In fact, he received so much support that the other members of his party couldn’t let their guards down against him.

At a time when the parties were considering which candidate to support and the candidates themselves were struggling to raise their approval ratings, Huntsman was bound to be even more appealing.

‘It’ll be fine.’

Huntsman was dreaming of becoming the next president of the United States, but that wouldn’t happen unless the world came to an end...

***

-Mitt Huntsman tops the Liberal Federalist polls, defeats Governor Kenny...

-Mitt Huntsman says in a shocking interview, ‘A fool who has ruined his own state deserves to lose’... The members of the Liberal Federalist Party are outraged!

-Great shock within the Liberal Federalist Party... Is a political newcomer making a splash?

-Mitt Huntsman, who is he?

‘...Maybe America really is ruined.’

Choi Yeonseung was baffled by the articles. How had that lunatic managed to defeat all the prominent candidates with various backgrounds and rank first? Of course, the approval ratings could change during the electoral voting, but still...

“I-it’s not a big deal. His advantage won’t last!” Kenny said in a somewhat firm tone, but Choi Yeonseung could see that his hands were shaking.

He seemed quite shocked.

‘Can we proceed with the event? I think I need to lie down.’

Choi Yeonseung was currently at a party to celebrate the restoration of order in Texas.

It was a meaningful occasion attended not only by Texan clan leaders and business CEOs but also by some of the biggest names in politics.

Of course, Choi Yeonseung wouldn’t have participated in such an event, but the current circumstances were unique. If he was going to push Mike Hwang, he had to socialize with others. He needed to greet members of both parties, make their acquaintances, and somehow get along with them...

“It’s Mitt Huntsman!” someone whispered.

At that, everyone shifted their attention.

No matter how many people liked or disliked Huntsman, everyone had to admit that he was the center of attention. It was especially true now that he had the highest approval ratings within the party.

‘I thought he signed a contract with an evil god constellation, but it turns out that he’s not serving any constellation.’

Choi Yeonseung looked at Huntsman with his constellation eyes and was surprised by what he learned. In all honesty, he had suspected that this crazy politician had made a contract with an evil god constellation.

Huntsman slowly entered the hall and looked around proudly at all the people gazing at him. Then, his eyes widened when he spotted Choi Yeonseung.

“Oh, over there! There’s the hero of the century! Hunter Choi Yeonseung himself!”

“?”

Choi Yeonseung was puzzled by his attitude. Why was this guy acting so friendly toward him?

‘...Ah, is he trying to win me over so I would support him? Clever.’

“Can you sign this for me?”

“Sure.”

“Can you take a photo with me? My daughter is a fan of yours.”

“Certainly.”

“Can you write a line here for my daughter?”

“...I will.”

“This is an artifact that my daughter uses. Can you sign here too?”

“...”

Choi Yeonseung slowly started feeling weird.

...No matter how much he needed to get support for Mike, wasn’t this a bit too much?