The Man with Hypnotic Powers Doesn’t Hold Back the Second Time Around

The 45th President of the United States, Kendrick Morrison, was having a difficult time these days.
The reason? The mana fuel rod support he had provided to Korea.

"Are you out of your mind, Mr. President? Do you even realize how much taxpayer money you’ve wasted?"
"Please calm down. While it was indeed a significant amount of support, it was necessary to prevent a threat to all of humanity…"
"Four billion damn dollars! To Korea, a country with a higher average level of Awakened than us, just to clear a single Gate!"

The mana fuel rods sent to Korea totaled 20 units.
In dollar terms, four billion.
In Korean won, nearly five trillion.
Even for the United States, it was a hefty sum.

As soon as news of the support broke, the opposition party rose in outrage.
Not a single shrewd congressman would let this opportunity slip by.

"As I’ve explained, without our support, Korea—and by extension, humanity’s safety—would have been at risk…"
"And you’re claiming that some Awakened named Sibylla foresaw this apocalyptic future? Using her abilities?"
"That is correct."

Of course, Morrison wasn’t just sitting back and taking the hits.
He had revealed the existence of Sibylla, an S-Class Awakened kept secret by the United States,
and simultaneously released all data related to the EX-class Gate.

This evidence should have been enough to prove that Morrison had made the best possible choice.
Unfortunately, in politics, the truth often matters little.

"The sources of this information were limited to you and two others: Sibylla and Seo Yujin.
What proof do we have that these records weren’t fabricated?"
"Look at the date. The very day we approved the research on the Saintess, who shares the same traits as the creatures from the EX-class Gate…"
"Unconvincing. It’s all circumstantial evidence. Whether Sibylla truly foresaw the apocalypse, only she knows."

Despite his detailed explanations, the voices condemning Morrison’s actions remained loud.
Part of the reason was his political adversaries, who had seized this opportunity to inflict damage.

"The abilities of Awakened are inherently unverifiable. How can we…"
"In fact, I find this hypothesis more believable: that you were hypnotized by Seo Yujin and funneled America’s funds to Korea."
"……What?"
"If this document is accurate, it states you had a private meeting with that young man. Plenty of time to be brainwashed, wouldn’t you say?"

The biggest problem was Seo Yujin.
The fact that the leader of a nation had a private meeting with a hypnotist raised serious issues.
All it would take was one suggestion that Morrison had been hypnotized, and his claims would be discredited.

"Are you suggesting that I acted against America’s interests, on behalf of Korea?"
"Precisely. That you were hypnotized and funneled four billion dollars’ worth of strategic resources to Korea, free of charge."
"There’s been a misunderstanding. It wasn’t free. Every support effort comes with a price."
"…What?"
"Four billion dollars. Or something of equivalent value. So, please be patient."

In the end, Morrison couldn’t withstand the pressure and had to raise a white flag.
Though he had never intended to demand repayment,
he decided to change his approach and request "sufficient" compensation from Korea instead.

This was why Morrison sent an invoice to Korea.

[To Seol Hayeon, Chairwoman of the Korean Awakened Association. Regarding compensation for prior support….]