Chapter 172 – Brainwashing (1)

The mental magic that Yerim referred to as “brainwashing” was a type of magic that also existed in Ea.

It was a forbidden magic known as “black magic,” and skilled priests were capable of dispelling it.

Long ago, a sorcerer who was called the Demon King primarily used this magic, and several nations fell under its influence, coming under his control.

At that time, a hero blessed with divine power by the gods defeated the sorcerer and saved the world, or so the story goes.

Therefore, it wasn’t strange that Yerim recognized the mental magic and could resolve it.

Fortunately, there was no need to explain it in detail to the people from Earth.

Having encountered various superhumans, they immediately accepted the idea that someone had been “brainwashed.”

People blocked the doors and placed their hands on their weapons.

“Ha, I made a mistake. I never thought things would escalate like this after coming in here.”

The minister quickly scanned his surroundings, but finding no way out, he shook his head.

“Do whatever you want. But know that there will be consequences.”

He glared at Yerim with a stern expression.

The authority he had accumulated over years in a high position was evident in his words and actions.

The aura of lethality and authority emanating from him was palpable, causing the general who had accompanied him to ask me with a troubled expression.

“Are you sure he’s been brainwashed?”

However, only his entourage looked worried.

The representative from Yang’s side, who called Yerim a saintess, firmly believed in her, and we also didn’t think Yerim was mistaken.

Moreover, Yerim, who had always been intimidated by people in high positions, was different now.

She approached the minister, who was glaring at her, and took his hand.

“You might feel a little pain in your head. Please bear with it.”

Her words were not those of someone addressing a superior or an enemy, but rather like comforting someone in pain.

Then, divine power flowed from her hand.

The light passed through the minister’s hand and seeped into his head.

“Ugh…”

The minister trembled and continued to groan.

After a short while, Yerim released his hand and stepped back.

The minister stared blankly into space.

Seeing his dazed expression, the general cautiously asked.

“Is… is he alright?”

“…Shouldn’t he be?”

In response to the general’s question, Yerim glanced at me and then hid behind me.

She had reverted to her usual self in an instant, shedding the saintly demeanor she had just displayed.

“What do you mean by that!”

The general frowned and shouted, but before he could finish, the dazed minister spoke.

“Please wait a moment. I need some time to gather my thoughts.”

The minister placed his hand on his forehead and furrowed his brows.

He seemed to be deep in thought.

We remained silent, waiting for him to finish.

The room fell quiet.

After a while, the minister spoke again.

“Fortunately, I still remember what happened after being ‘brainwashed.’ Good heavens, what have I been doing all this time…”

The minister clicked his tongue and looked at us.

After scanning us, he finally looked at Yerim and bowed his head.

“First, I must thank you. I had heard of you as a saintess, and it seems that was true. Thanks to you, I’ve regained my senses.”

Yerim waved her hands frantically in response.

“No, no. I’m not a saintess. I’m just a priestess who uses divine power, or rather, a superhuman.”

“Those who save people with powers granted by the gods are called saints or saintesses.”

“No… that’s not how you should put it.”

Yerim shook her head with an awkward expression, but people no longer listened to her.

The people from Busan, who had long revered her as a saintess, as well as the general, now looked at her with completely different eyes.

“Can the person who cast the brainwashing detect that it’s been undone?”

Yelena shook her head in response to my question.

“They wouldn’t be able to. It’s not a spell that’s maintained by continuously infusing mana. If it were, the mages would have detected it earlier.”

If the caster and the target were connected through mana, a mage, not a priest, would have been able to detect the “brainwashing.”

Therefore, the caster wouldn’t have noticed that the brainwashing had been undone, which gave us time to hear the minister’s story.

“Can you tell us what happened?”

At my question, the minister sighed.

“I was brainwashed shortly after the government moved to Jeju Island. The president, the ministers, and even the chief of staff were all affected in an instant.”

If it was right after moving to Jeju Island, it must have been around the time the Demon King crossed over to Earth, when the spiritual energy on the Korean Peninsula was dissipating.

It was around the time when Awakened beings began to appear on Earth. It seemed that one of those Awakened had brainwashed them.

“Although it’s called brainwashing, it wasn’t a complete overhaul of the mind. It felt more like a few absolute commands were added on top of the original intellect. It feels strange now, but back then, it didn’t seem odd at all.”

“That’s what brainwashing is.”

“…I see. Anyway, there weren’t many absolute commands. For the most part, it was about maintaining the existing system, carrying out orders, and reporting any unusual incidents—fairly ordinary commands.”

The minister continued with a hollow laugh.

“It wasn’t much different from before, so following orders wasn’t difficult. There were some conflicting orders, but that was the same as before.”

It must have felt no different from working in the government in the past.

The minister’s words, spoken as if it were natural, were absurd, but considering the state of the Korean government I had seen in my past life, I could understand what he meant.

“More importantly, who was the one who cast the brainwashing?”

At my question, the minister sighed.

“When he first brainwashed us, he probably had no personal ambitions. The government was in such a mess back then. The fact that the government has held on until now might be because of the brainwashing…”

“Are you defending the person who manipulated you?”

“Of course not. I’m just saying that there was a time like that before we saw his face.”

The minister shook his head and stood up.

He left his desk and headed for the door. As the people blocking the door stepped aside, he turned to look at Yerim.

“Can that brainwashing ability be used again?”

“If you stay with me, it should be fine.”

Divine power flowed from Yerim’s body. The warm sensation enveloping the surroundings made people look surprised.

Seeing their expressions, it seemed the title of “saintess” would gain momentum in Jeju Island, just as it had in Busan.

Following the minister, we all rushed out of the office.

People in the hallway looked at the minister and us with surprise, but neither the minister nor we paid them any mind and hurried on.

The minister, leading the way, asked the vice minister walking beside him.

“Didn’t you notice that I had changed? I thought you would have realized.”

“After fleeing to the island, everyone changed… I thought it was just everyone’s true nature coming out.”

“After years of public service and political experience… I guess I didn’t earn much trust.”

“I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need for you to apologize. It’s probably because I lacked virtue.”

With those words, the minister climbed the stairs with a stern expression, and we followed behind.

The people from Yang’s side and the general’s side had complex expressions, likely due to political calculations, but they didn’t look too displeased. Meanwhile, our party members from Ea looked clearly intrigued.

Yelena, Zahina, and Hoffman seemed fascinated by the politicians and power structures they were seeing for the first time.

In contrast, Irene, who had become Yerim and Yelena’s disciple, looked indifferent.

Having lived on Earth and seen the U.S. president, they no longer had any expectations of politicians.

We climbed the stairs and headed to the top floor of the Jeju Island government building.

Originally, the governor’s office was on the second floor, but the newly created presidential office and cabinet meeting room were on the top floor.

We heard it was for security reasons as we arrived on the fourth floor.

Soldiers were stationed by the stairs on the fourth floor.

A soldier and an officer with guns frowned at us, but upon hearing the minister’s words, they stepped aside.

“The president wants to see them.”

“Understood.”

It was an absurd security check, but we soon learned the reason for it from the minister’s explanation.

“It’s because of the brainwashing. There’s no reason to trust those who’ve been brainwashed. No need to waste time with unnecessary checks.”

It was a ridiculous reason, but it made sense.

In any case, thanks to that, we were able to reach the presidential office without any issues.

“Don’t tell me the president was the one who brainwashed everyone?”

At the general’s question, the foreign minister shook his head with a bitter smile.

“Then, perhaps the chief of staff?”

“No. See for yourself.”

Through the open door, the presidential office, unlike the minister’s office, was large and impressive.

Of course, it wasn’t as grand as the presidential offices seen on TV, but it still looked like a place fit for someone of high status.

Inside the room, there were three people.

Three people sitting on the sofa looked at us through the open door.

Two of them were people I recognized.

The elderly president and the chief of staff I had seen in abandoned newspapers.

The two of them looked at the door with angry expressions.

And then there was a third person. A young man looked at us with startled eyes.

A man with mana flowing through his body.

He glared at me and then released a burst of mana.

The mana instantly seeped into my head.

However, the mana couldn’t take hold and was dissipated by Yerim’s divine power.

I turned to Yerim and expressed my gratitude.

“Thank you.”

Yerim tilted her head at my thanks.

“Uh… even without me, you would have been fine, right?”

She was right.

The mana the young man had released wouldn’t have harmed me even without divine power.

Knights, by default, knew how to protect their minds with mana to resist mental magic.

Even without using such methods, I was immune to mental magic.

After overcoming the illusions of the ruined gate in the divine tree city, I could withstand any mental magic.

After thanking Yerim, I stepped forward and grabbed the young man by the throat.

“Gah!”

It was thanks to the minister’s earlier words.

If he hadn’t spoken, I would have cut him down the moment he attacked me. But because I had heard that he had no ill intentions, I merely subdued him.

“What are you doing!”

“How dare you!”

The president and the chief of staff shouted in alarm, but no one in the room was intimidated by their outburst.

I tightened my grip, and unlike the chief of staff, who continued to rage, the president pleaded with me.

“Let him go immediately. You’ll hurt him.”

It was an uncharacteristic plea for a president, but seeing the young man’s face, I understood why.

The young man bore a striking resemblance to the president.

And the minister confirmed it.

“The person who brainwashed me is the president’s son.”