“Akane... Do you think we can take down ten wyverns as we are now?”
“Of course we can... Or at least, I wish I could say so, but...”
“It would be impossible, wouldn’t it? Ten Rank A monsters are enough to destroy a country. If the Monster Stampede is unleashed, tens of thousands of monsters even more dangerous than these will swarm the earth, and yet, some people still don’t seem to understand the gravity of our situation. I’ll be honest with you...” I paused. “For a second, I started wondering if humanity was really worth saving. Should we really be fighting so hard to save humanity? Joker’s human as well, and he’s trying to destroy the world. Perhaps that’s what some people want. Maybe humanity just doesn’t deserve to be saved. Maybe Joker’s right...”
“Kazuhiko-sama!”
I came back to myself thanks to Akane’s sharp cry. The beautiful, raven-haired kunoichi was looking at me with a sad expression on her face. I took a deep breath and smiled at her.
“I’m sorry. I ended up showing you my weak side and venting to you. I’ll clear every dungeon and prevent the Monster Stampede. That’s my version of justice, and no matter what anyone else says, I’ll see it through.”
“I’ll comfort you when you waver. So please, don’t try to bear it all by yourself, all right?”
I brought my hand to Akane’s cheek and stroked her silky smooth hair. For the first time in a while, I felt like drinking a lot.
＊ ＊ ＊
In mid-June, the double election finally started. The unbalanced fight between the strong Conservative Party and the many weak opposition parties that had first started in 2012 continued. The situation had barely changed in eight years. The main reason for this lay with the largest opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party. Although the most crucial debates of this election were about the Anti-Dungeon policies and the revision of the constitution, the Constitutional Democratic Party kept bringing up a certain cherry blossom viewing party hosted by the Prime Minister more than a year ago that they considered problematic. Most of their speeches only ever attacked Urabe and his cabinet.
“After eight years, such depravity becomes apparent! We need to get rid of the Urabe Cabinet in order to cleanse our country’s politics!” the party leader screamed.
However, the voters didn’t react well. The crowd even started booing him.
“Stop fucking with us! We don’t need an opposition party that’s losing us votes! What are you planning to do about the dungeons?! What about Joker?!”
The party had initially been formed as a coalition meant to be the very antithesis of the Conservative Party, which had consistently managed to remain in power in the post-war years. However, it had easily crumbled after three years in power. It had been formed with the single goal of opposing the conservatives, but once faced with the need to govern the nation, the discrepancies in the goals and policies of each individual group became obvious. Afterward, the party had exploded into several subgroups, but the Constitutional Democratic Party still couldn’t let go of its position as the antithesis of the Conservative Party. This election only made it more obvious than ever.
“Of course we believe the dungeons ought to be taken seriously. However, we still cannot approve of the Urabe Administration’s plans to reform the constitution. Their proposal is full of holes, and it will not protect citizens’ rights!”
“How about you come up with a proposal of your own?! You keep opposing stuff but never propose anything! No one can support you if you keep this up!”
Party leader Edashima’s rebuttal only made the mob more critical. The future of his party after the election was looking bleak.
There was another party that claimed their opposition to Urabe and the Conservative Party but had still managed to garner some support—the Communist Party. They opposed capitalism and were in favor of getting rid of the JSDF altogether. They also called for the Emperor to step down and wanted to dismantle every large company while building a democratic union led by the proletariat.
“The Gamerican troops withdrew and the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty has fallen through. Now is the time for Japan to become politically independent. Let us join hands with the third world represented by Joker and strive for a truly equal world where nationality, race, and wealth won’t matter!”
After listening to these words, some people might have thought that they were spouting nonsense. However, they were fully serious. The communists had wished for a proletarian revolution since before World War II. Even facing the threat of the dungeons or the prospect of the world ending, their beliefs were unmovable. They were much more consistent when it came to sticking to their beliefs than the Constitutional Democratic Party could ever hope to be. Of course, their supporters were still extremely few.
“What is the biggest threat that we are facing? The dungeons. First, we need to put our resources into resolving this issue. Let me be clear. I also have heaps of complaints about the Urabe Cabinet. Their cherry blossom viewing party was a sham, the way they handle relations with Woori is awful, and I believe we should be investigating that casino business... But all of that can wait! What matters most right now is getting rid of the dungeons as soon as possible! The second most important objective is making preparations and strengthening our JSDF in the event the monsters break out of the dungeons. This should be our absolute priority!”
An ex-talent who had been very vocal about his opposition to tax increases and nuclear energy had completely changed his mind due to the Dungeon Outbreak Phenomenon. He now supported the Conservative Party. His main reason for that sudden change was that their priorities matched. A crowd cheered and clapped for him when he delivered an impactful speech right in the street, using a wide monitor.
“Using monsters to attack another country before threatening to pursue an offensive attack if they refuse to hand over their dungeons? Such acts shouldn’t go unpunished! Countries right next door are already intending to join hands with scoundrels like Joker. These monsters we saw appear to be called wyverns, and we do not know when they may come for us! We need to strengthen our land, sea, and air defense forces!”
Various conservative candidates also raised their voices. It was usually said that the result of an election could never be known until the results had been revealed, but in this case, the result was obvious from the start. All Japanese constituents were very much aware of this fact.