Seoul Dragon - Chapter 59

When invited to the White House, I was a bit flustered at first. But when I thought about it carefully, I realized it was reasonable, you know? My mind settled down. No need to make a fuss. 

Someone at the presidential level wouldn't invite us without some purpose. They must have some objective in inviting us. Like the mutant problem, for instance. 

At this point, America's mutant problem is not easily solvable. To put it bluntly, it has already escaped government control. American citizens and mutants have had tremendous conflicts in less than a year. 

Especially with the San Diego invasion incident happening this time, the perception of mutants couldn't improve except for a select few. In this situation, even if the US federal government steps in to mediate between them, the old conflicts won't be easily resolved. 

It would only fuel their resentment. Despite countless opportunities to mediate until now, they're only trying to mediate now. 

Budgets will keep flowing while producing only stagnant policies with no benefit. But if we step forward, the situation might change even slightly. 

If we completely separate mutants from regular people, at least we can prevent some collisions. Well... one might oppose the idea of managing mutants in completely closed areas. After all, it would be creating a military group the size of a city. 

Perhaps concerns might arise that it could form a warlord force of a different dimension from Mexico. The US President must be fully aware of this. 

So what we need to convey to the President today is that we have no such intentions. And to allocate additional federal budget to California. 

That should be it. Well... I don't know how cooperative the President will be. He's notoriously sensitive about budget and money matters. 

Still, that's not my job. That's something Sia and the California Governor should handle.  

The White House looked exactly as it did in movies. I even felt an odd sense of familiarity. Is it because I've watched so many terrorist movies? 

Still, there was a strangely tense feeling. Maybe it's because I've lived as an ordinary citizen all my life. We were immediately guided to the West Wing, where the President and his staff work in the office. 

The California Governor firmly told us we wouldn't need to do much. At most, we'd just need to answer about how we plan to operate the city where mutants will live. 

Since we preferred it that way too, we silently nodded. I thought it'd be best if we didn't say anything strange. 

To ease my tension, I placed Sia on my lap and stroked her cheeks. ...It feels like touching a comfort plush toy. Sia seemed quite nervous, as I could feel her body trembling slightly. Normally, she would have said something grumpy, but she just silently let me stroke her without a word. 

And so, after waiting about 30 minutes in the West Wing. Finally, the President arrived.  

The US President, Henry Randolph. He greeted us with a smile. But I knew that smile wasn't genuine. Clear wariness. 

Having become a dragon, I've become even more sensitive to others' emotions. There's no way I couldn't read that level of wariness. ...I had already expected this much. Those were eyes gauging my military power, wondering how to utilize it. 

Initially, I felt a bit nervous, but the moment I saw those eyes, I felt the trembling stop. Rather than showing bizarre friendliness, I was more comfortable being looked at with such calculating eyes. 

Well, let's hear what he has to say. 

"So, I finally see the face of the hero who saved all of America." 

He started by slightly praising me. This is definitely testing me. Now, how should I approach this? 

First, I lowered my posture. The other party is at the pinnacle of power, literally ruling over the world. No need to act arrogant and offend him. 

When talking with someone whose relationship isn't yet established, it's better to gain their favor. Earning their hostility would make things tiresome in many ways. 

"That's too kind of you." "Too kind?" 

He looked at me with interest. Likely, Henry expected me to act impulsively. He would already know all my personal information. If I'm just a 24-year-old youngster, he'd think I'd run wild trusting my power. 

"I was just an ordinary college student before I mutated. If the mutation hadn't happened, I would never have experienced something like this." "It's not too kind. As I just said, you saved all of America. They were enemies who grew larger the more people they killed. You stopped them early. And with... overwhelming force at that. Even from a distant foreign land. If we don't call this heroic, who would be a hero? You're someone who deserves praise." 

"...Heroes should have noble beliefs. Unfortunately, I don't have such beliefs." "Beliefs? Hahaha! That depends on how you package it. You seem to have watched too many hero movies. Anyway, I didn't gather here to talk about heroes, so let's leave it at that." 

"Very well." 

With just that exchange, he seemed to roughly understand what kind of person I am. The wariness in his eyes seemed to soften a bit. Indeed, this can be considered a fairly good first meeting. 

Someone might ask me. Why not just push through my opinion like a bulldozer? Isn't even the US President just an ordinary human before me? Is there a need to lower myself this much? 

That could be an option. But I don't particularly want such choice. Having become a dragon and harboring lofty pride... I'm fundamentally someone who values the life of an ordinary citizen most. Though I've come too far for that, I wanted to maintain this basic stance. 

Actually, I don't particularly like these complicated situations. Testing people's intentions and such. I'm someone whose life purpose is to work as a civil servant while living without worries. 

Above all, it's bothersome. As long as the other party doesn't try to use me as they please, I planned to let things slide. Yes, to this extent. 

"If I were to act carelessly, my head might fly off." "As long as you don't try to use me as you wish, that won't happen." "I know that much. What foolish person would pick a fight with someone who holds the power of life and death over them?" 

"That's good to hear." "Haha! That was close. If I had tried to scheme something, what would you have done?" "I would have burned down the White House." 

I spoke plainly, and I felt Sia and the California Governor next to me become flustered. Of course, this was absolutely not a joke. 

"Of course. Even I wouldn't stay still if someone tried to manipulate me carelessly. After talking, I find you quite likeable. How about naturalizing to the US?" "Unfortunately, I'm already bound to the Korean government. And above all, there aren't many places as good to live as Korea." 

"That's too bad. Well, we've been chatting quite long, let's get to the real topic. I heard from the Governor that you need federal budget." "It would be better to hear from the High Elf here, Sia, about that." 

From there, it was Sia's turn. Sia and the California Governor explained to the President why they needed federal budget and what they planned to do by gathering mutants. 

The California Governor even carefully calculated and compiled a report on the social costs caused by mutants and the expenses for handling them. After hearing the story, the President looked somewhat contemplative. 

"The intention is certainly good. The intention is good." "Then..." 

"But it might be all good intentions. Wouldn't you say? When the mutant-related problems erupted this time, they formed warlords. A closed village where only mutants live... no, you can't even call it a village. If warlords form in a city of that size... it would be an incomparable threat to before?" "How about a trial operation then?" 

At that moment, Sia chimed in. 

"Trial operation?" "Yes. Since we already have secured a place for mutants to live through the World Tree, we can set a short timeframe and check the condition of mutants living there. Also, Your Excellency, you won't have to worry." 

"I won't have to worry?" "Because I'll step in then." 

The President nodded at my words about stepping in. Perhaps the fact that I flew all the way to America to save them gave them some level of trust. 

"How would the trial operation work?" "First, we operate with state government budget, and if mutants respond positively, we gradually increase the budget." 

"So the federal government's benefit from this would be... minimizing social costs caused by mutants, I suppose." "Yes. The mutants in America are already exhausted and want their own sanctuary. A place where they can live normally without rejection or discrimination. But creating such a place in America right now is nearly impossible... Your Excellency must know this." 

Sia's words were decisive. As Sia said, creating a comfortable living space for mutants is impossible in current America. 

Would discrimination not occur even if each state is told not to discriminate against mutants? So they create their own space and gain a brief reprieve. 

"You're thinking of gaining a reprieve." "Yes. While gradually improving the perception of mutants. Of course, mutants who act violently will be stopped by us." 

While saying this, Sia quickly explained to the President how they would improve mutant perception. The California Governor assisted from the side, of course. And so... 

"Alright, for now. I'll look at this positively for now. However, I can't give a definitive answer here. There will probably be lengthy procedures ahead." "That's enough for us." 

Having drawn some positive response from the President, we could finally breathe a sigh of relief.