‘This sucks...’

“...”

‘No idea what’s going to happen with my transfer to the Blue Guild either...’

I[1] couldn’t even get the video from the last prayer meeting, and that wasn’t all. The blind date I went on recently was a disaster, too. A friend introduced him as a decent adventurer, but it turned out to be “Kennen, the Playboy of Lindel.”

Everyone in this place knew who he was. Sure, he looked the part, good enough to match the nickname, but no matter how capable or good-looking he was, dating someone like that was just out of the question. On top of that...

‘Another night of overtime today...’

It felt like both my body and mind were being worn down. Honestly, I wanted to vent somewhere, complain about how hard things were, but even that wasn’t easy.

It was embarrassing to say it myself, but objectively, I had a good job and lived a life others would envy.

I was a section chief at a mid-sized guild just below Lindel’s top three. For someone in their twenties, that counted as pretty successful. A high salary, a small but owned villa thanks to successful investments, and I even made preparations for retirement.

Compared to adventurers struggling to get by, my life was far better. That was why whenever I met up with people from the tutorial days, I would keep my mouth shut. I knew exactly how they’d take it if I were to complain, but still...

“It’s not like I’m not struggling, too...”

I could feel how exhausted I was, inside and out. Another 11 p.m. shift, and as I trudged home with four cans of beer and a Big Boy hambier skewer, I often found myself wondering what I was even doing with my life.

“Alright, get home safe, Young-Hee. I threw in some extras for you, so cheer up,” Carlton said.

“Thanks, Calton-oppa... Really, thank you for today... Say hi to Mr. Big Boy for me,” I told him.

“Y-yeah... sure...”

‘If only I could take some time off... just for a little bit...’

If I could cross the border and see the Honorary Cardinal with my own eyes, perhaps I’d feel a bit better.

‘Maybe I should’ve become a reporter.’

Thinking about the photos Bae Yeon-Seo had sent from the border only made me feel worse. I wanted to run there right away, but that was impossible. Honestly, it made sense that my leave request was denied.

The entire continent was focused on the peace treaty between the Republic and the Democratic Country. The guild had to stay sharp just to survive in this rapidly changing situation.

‘Wait, why am I worrying about the guild?’

It wasn't like I had to work overtime because of this incident.

“...” 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

“...”

When I got home, I didn’t even bother washing up and just dropped into a chair. I cracked open a beer. The hiss coming from the can echoed in my ears, and as I took a long gulp, the tightness in my chest eased a little.

I pulled out my uncomfortable lenses, tossed my clothes aside, tied up my hair, and turned on the Goddess’s Mirror to start scrolling out of habit.

‘Wh-what’s this?’

[AGLSLover: Did you see the photos posted on the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival’s personal social media account?! They’re insane!]

“W-What the?!"

I shot up from my chair before I even realized it. Just a second ago, I was so exhausted that I could barely keep my eyes open, but now, I felt completely awake as if someone had flipped a switch in me.

A shot at one of the Republic’s Three Great Scenic Waterfalls, another warm photo with Archmage Jung Ha-Yan, and then that bright smile from the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival that looked like it could melt my heart. The stress from work just... vanished.

“T-This is insane. Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!”

I wasn’t even sure what I was saying anymore. Who could have thought that the Republic’s scenery and the Saint would look this perfect together? Watching him eat traditional Republic food, talk with people, and reach out to them, I couldn’t calm down at all. Calling these photos art didn’t even feel like enough.

‘And they’re not even edited...’

That flawless skin and those slightly flushed lips. I couldn’t believe I thought that playboy, Kennen, from my blind date looked decent. At the sight of him, guys like that Kenne wouldn’t even register with me anymore.

“W-why am I only seeing this now! Ah! Why now! Aaaah!” I screamed.

The photos had gone up eight hours ago, which meant everything had already happened back then. Sure, people would still be talking about it now, but that immediate, real-time excitement was already gone.

“Everyone saw it except me... Aaahhh!”

I didn’t even need to check Benigoa Net to know that it would be flooded with speculation and analysis posts.

‘I shouldn’t log in...’

I had work tomorrow. If I were to open Benigoa Net and dig through everything, I'd fall straight into a black hole and end up staying up all night. I was already eight hours behind. If I were to try to catch up, I’d be a complete mess, yet before I knew it, I was logging in anyway.

‘What... what is this...?’

I saw something I couldn’t believe.

[Author: Monarch of Plagues]

[Title: I can pretty much guess why he went all the way to the Republic just to post photos like that. It’s so obvious. Painfully obvious. (Comments: 123)]

‘What’s with this post?’

[Author: Black Tower Lord]

[Title: Gave handouts to the Federation, gave handouts to the Union of Kingdoms, and now you’re going to hand things out to the Republic, too? There are plenty of struggling people in the Democratic Country as well~ Reverse discrimination at its finest, as always~ At this point, calling him Benigoa’s son feels wrong, he’s more like Lauren and Varian’s son. (Comments: 1,422)]

‘W-What the? Does this even... make sense?’

[Author: Magic Tower’s Fallen Angel]

[Title: If you think the stuff the Saint is doing is getting more and more obnoxious, hit upvote... (Comments: 54)]

‘What am I reading right now?’

[Author: Peneloti Turned Evil]

[Title: Posting photos like that at a time like this... No matter how I look at it, it just feels like scripted media play... (Comments: 110)]

‘What the hell is this...’

I’d never seen anything like this before. It wasn't like there were zero trolls on this board, but this was the first time I’d seen things go this far. Of course, looking more closely, there seemed to be about four regular offenders posting this kind of toxic stuff, users like Monarch of Plagues, Black Tower Lord, Magic Tower’s Fallen Angel, and Peneloti Turned Evil.

Even then, it didn’t feel like just a few bad apples muddying the water anymore.

[UnknownUser: Wow, that makes me feel a whole lot better.]

[Parasonic1998: Just hitting like and moving on~ It’s not like I haven’t said anything until now, but it does feel like things have gone a bit too far. Feels like he’s gotten carried away with the whole concept.

Does he want support not just from the Democratic Country but the entire continent? I wish he’d realize which god he serves and which nation he belongs to. As someone from the Democratic Country, it’s honestly not a great look.]

[LLLEEE: At first glance... it does seem a bit... harsh... but I do agree... The recent actions of the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival... have been... a bit puzzling for people like us... It’s the same for... others my age, too... haha]

Pretending to be neutral, acting like they were just offering some hard truths, while subtly using negative wording to downplay and tear down the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival.

[Old Man Eel: Kinda embarrassing to say this, but... honestly, doesn’t he look a bit... indecent for someone called a saint? Anyone else thinking the same?]

‘I-Indecent?’

[Tentacle Master: Dropping the Saint’s tentacle pic! (NSFW)]

‘What the hell is wrong with this guy?!’

I had no choice but to screenshot the tentacle post immediately. Of course, not for personal reasons, but to report it to the Benigoa Order.

‘This is blasphemy. Straight-up blasphemy...’

My hands were trembling. There were comments so crude and shameless I could barely even read them, and now, they were even picking apart his appearance.

I couldn’t understand where all these people had suddenly come from, but it didn’t take long to realize that they hadn’t just appeared out of nowhere. They were all regular users of this board. They were people I had probably seen before, but they had just been hiding behind masks this whole time.

The users Monarch of Plagues, Black Tower Lord, Magic Tower’s Fallen Angel, and Peneloti Turned Evil... were just the trigger. The spark that dragged all of these people out of the gutter.

There was no way something like this would suddenly happen out of nowhere.

‘This is organized.’

Those four accounts popping up like this couldn’t be a coincidence. Someone had to be deliberately trying to manipulate public opinion.

‘What’s the goal?’

Fortunately, that wasn’t hard to figure out. Even with the board turning into a dumpster fire filled with nonsense and trolls running wild, a few keywords kept coming up again and again.

‘The Republic... and the peace treaty.’

Aside from the idiots just going along with the flow, everyone else was bringing up the Republic and the peace treaty while criticizing the ongoing situation. Some were even more blatant, talking about sacred democracy and pushing Democratic Country supremacy.

“Extremists... They’re extremists.”

I’d heard about people like this before, fanatics obsessed with the idea that the Democratic Country was superior to everyone else. I’d even seen their posts myself. Of course, what I’d seen before wasn’t this crude or openly extreme; they were more subtle posts that made one question things. However, there had definitely been moments when that kind of content stirred controversy.

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the peace treaty between the Republic and the Democratic Country had mobilized them.

Now they were rising all at once, trying to take over the entire platform. Arguments were breaking out everywhere, but instead of resolving anything, it was just feeding the chaos and making things bigger.

I was getting angry, too, typing out replies, but it didn’t take long for me to realize that it was pointless.

‘I need to take the top spot first.’

I had to get a post to the top with the most upvotes and comments, then secure the top comment as well. The first comment would often set the tone for the entire thread. Fighting those filthy trolls head-on wouldn’t help, or perhaps it would help a little, but plenty of others were already fired up.

“Y-yeah... I need to take the top first.”

[Author: For Goddess Benigoa]

[Title: The Saint of Sacrifice and Revival looks so happy, doesn't he?!!! (Draft)]

I didn’t know exactly what kind of post I should write, but one thing was obvious—uploading photos of the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival was the right move to make here.

The pictures didn’t even need editing, but I went over them again, anyway, tweaking them, adding filters, and doing everything I could.

I wasn’t sure it would work, but on Benigoa Net, photos of the Honorary Cardinal consistently received many likes and comments. Even though organized trolls flooded in and made the board look completely tainted at a glance, the Saint fandom was always strong and was still going strong.

[You’ve probably all seen this already, but I thought it’d be good to organize everything into one post...]

‘W-Wait, is this really enough? These photos were already posted eight hours ago... Will this even work?’

Just as I was hesitating, new photos I’d never seen before flooded in.

[BlackRabbit112 uploaded 57 photos to the “The Saint of Sacrifice and Revival Is Not Alone” room.]

[BlackRabbit112: Unreleased photos from the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival’s Republic trip. Editing allowed, sharing allowed.]

The whole chat instantly exploded, and my eyes widened just the same, but...

‘This is it!’

This time, it was different. There was no time to savor it. I downloaded the photos right away and stacked them into a post one by one. A bit of editing, some captions, and even a few trending memes from Benigoa Net, things like jokes about the Blue Guild Master.

Of course, the most important part was showing the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival interacting with people from the Republic. That was the whole point. Then, without hesitation, I uploaded them.

[Author: For Goddess Benigoa]

[Title: The Saint of Sacrifice and Revival looks so happy, doesn't he?!!! (Comments: 1)]

[Title: The Saint of Sacrifice and Revival looks so happy, doesn't he?!!! (Comments: 81)]

[Title: The Saint of Sacrifice and Revival looks so happy, doesn't he?!!! (Comments: 411)]

[Title: The Saint of Sacrifice and Revival looks so happy, doesn't he?!!! (Comments: 2,710)]

[Title: The Saint of Sacrifice and Revival looks so happy, doesn't he?!!! (Comments: 9,100)]

“Yes!!! It worked!”

[This is... this is amazing! I love it so much... Aaaah! I love it so much! I could die happy!!!]

[This is insane. The photos turned out so well... but wait, is the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival doing volunteer work even while in the Republic... ㅠ I wish he would just relax and enjoy the trip at least a little... This makes my heart hurt... I heard they’re war refugees... sigh... What even is the war all about...]

[Our Saint didn’t bring a bag today! Just like they said, it looks like another one’s going into his display case. Hehehehe. The Blue Guild Master must be feeling the pressure!!!! Maybe this is his way of protesting that he’s run out of bags to carry! So cute. Hehehe.]

[The moment I saw the unreleased photos, I screamed and got scolded by my sibling, but I don’t care!! I love it! I’m literally rolling around on my bed right now. Am I okay?]

[What are these photos with the Republic kids?! I can’t even tell who’s the kid! Our Honorary Cardinal’s smile is so childlike! My eyes... my eyes have been blinded!]

[I can’t leave this post... I... I...]

[My husband is so handsome~]

[Nope~ that’s blasphemy~]

[No~ he’s my husband~]

[I want to drown in that golden eye... ㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜ Our Saint’s eyes outshine even the Republic’s Three Scenic Views... If I could have that eye, I’d sell my soul to Belial... ㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜ]

[Hey, you’re Song Soo-Kyung, aren't you?]

[It’s been a while... Seeing such beautiful... pure... clean... photos of the Honorary Cardinal... makes my heart race... ^^ He’s... really... sly and cute... but his gaze is full of something seductive...]

[Ah, fuck! Hypnosis Guy, I’m reporting you.]

[That lunatic is back again. He shows up every time there are photos of the Saint. Whether it’s a concept or not, it’s seriously disgusting. Even if you block him, he just keeps making new accounts...]

[What do I doㅠㅠ I’m actually crying... this is crazyㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ I never thought I’d cry over photos, but I can’t stop... Maybe it’s because today was so exhausting... or maybe it’s because of the Honorary Cardinal... These photos are really comforting meㅠㅠㅠㅠ]

[He has such a sharp nose! AAAAAAAAH! I can’t help it! Even the Sunset Swordsman would fall for him!]

‘I-It worked.’

I burned myself out completely, but a rush of gratification washed over me. It was similar to pulling off a major project at work, and every time I saw a comment, a small chuckle would slip out of my lips, but it wasn’t over yet.

Out of countless posts, only one had made it; fights were still breaking out everywhere, and the board was far from cleaned up. The real battle was just starting, but the only problem was that I had to go to work in a few hours.

Just then, my hand mirror lit up...

[Guild Master’s Pet: Manager Kim, you don’t need to come in today. The Blue Guild...]

I couldn’t stop the smile from coming out.

“Let’s go, Kim Young-Heeee! Let’s go all in today!”

1. Kim Young-Hee’s POV ☜