Chapter 237 – 237. Ada’s I’m Still Alive (6)
– One –
“So, the bottom line is that we’ve underestimated Regal’s influence too much?”
“Yes, Sister Demosh. Regal responded to our revelations more effectively than we expected.”
Margarita answers Demosi’s question.
Her expression was very dark.
“Every time Ada gave a speech, I always looked across the empire. There were always things I thought were strange, but today I’m convinced.”
“What is that, Margarita?”
Even Ada, having heard it for the first time, looked back at her with a strained look on her face.
“In conclusion, we have no way to beat Regal by public opinion, absolutely.”
“Why, Margarita? Brothers Jack and Daniel are also on our side. Not only them, but all the surviving representatives of the old press are our allies. Are you being pushed?”
“Yes, Democy, we’ve been completely beaten in the polls.”
Margarita’s answer was definitive.
She seemed to have good reason for that.
“What is the reason?”
“Because even when we work hand in hand with the imperial faction and expose the truth to the public through daily newspapers, most of them turn a blind eye.”
“… After all, no matter how much we talk, do the inmates turn away?”
“It’s a little different, but…”
Margarita chose her words for a moment.
It seemed to her that it was quite embarrassing for her to keep talking about her impossibility.
“From what I’ve observed, if someone accepts our message and tries to antagonize Regal, the very neighbor next to them stops them. More than restraining, it leads them to dismiss Regal as a rumor created by jealous political opponents. After that, completely change it to something that never happened.”
“If…?”
At Demosi’s question, Margarita nods her head.
“Yes. Among the hounds of the Regal, he seems to be a special agent.”
“… Are they numerous enough to cover the entire empire?”
Octopoda asks in a low voice.
There was a deep fear in his question.
“Yes. In any town, in any region, in any neighborhood where people live throughout the empire, it seems that there are at least a dozen or as many as hundreds of low-level Special Operations Agents.”
“Are you sure they’re really Regal’s limbs. Margarita?”
Margarita shook her head.
“I can’t be sure.”
“Then why did you make such a guess?”
“Every time Ada gave a speech, mostly the same people muffled the message and attacked the messenger.”
“Ah…”
Democi sighs.
But it never happens that Margarita’s observations are questioned.
The fact that her ability to memorize her moments was transcendent, because she was a fact known to everyone here.
“At first, I thought they were simply Regal fanatics, but the way they behaved throughout the empire was perfectly consistent, as if they had been conspired in advance. It gave me goosebumps to watch. Exactly the same moment, exactly the same thing. Responses, tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of people across the Empire, do the same. Unless you observe the entire Empire at the same time as I do, no one will know that it’s happening all over the Empire at the same time. That said.”
“Why did you say that they were mostly the same people?”
“Perhaps, the vast majority of people who systematically engage in such actions are obviously operatives of the Regal. But there are also people who are deceived or brainwashed by them. Those people do not always try to incite their neighbors. Of course, among those who do so, there are those who are not the Regal Hounds, but are those who follow such fanaticism so common?”
Everyone is immersed in sorrow.
They seemed to be seriously concerned about the power Regal had nurtured.
Quickly recognizing everyone’s concerns, Margarita spoke first, even though no one asked.
“However, he seemed to be a low-level agent who was sent out to the field after completing only in terms of loyalty. He did not use physical force or coercion against ordinary people, but only tried to persuade and brainwash the same words over and over again.”
“Ah…”
“Whew…”
Her colleagues breathe a sigh of relief.
“Wow… Come to think of it, the fuckin’ bastard is so damn good.”
“Hmm? What do you mean, brother?”
“No, bro. Even though the neighborhood I was in wasn’t physically rugged, the media started a really bloody war to form public opinion. Of course, all those wars were wars that occurred through messages made of text and video. Why is that? Do you know if there was a war?”
“Well. I’m ignorant about my sister’s world, so it’s hard to even imagine the reason.”
Chuck.
Monohorn spreads three fingers.
“First, the media was very developed in my town. Even the affair of the head of state with his young secretary, leaving his wife alone, became a story and spread all over the world. When other media outlets hostile to the regime explode, they are soon translated into the language of each country and spread around the world.”
“Keuk… Isn’t that a terrible thing? Doesn’t the head of state have a private life?”
“Besides, if you damage someone’s image, you can create a very advantageous situation for that static. This is also connected to the second reason.”
Octopoda urges him to continue with a nod of his head.
“Second, public opinion and public support are directly related to the possibility of coming to power. Not all countries are like that, but in most countries, each citizen has one vote, and they elect a representative to lead the country directly on behalf of the people. So the approval rating itself becomes the power.”
“Ah…”
Octopoda immediately understood.
“It’s not determined by birth status, but it’s like becoming a noble or a royal family with the support of the people. Of course, if your parents are already politicians who are equivalent to nobles, it’s easy for their children to dip their toes into it as well. But any politician, “If you lose public support, your life as a politician will come to an end. Therefore, it is basic to undercut opponents through public opinion wars. At the same time, you tame the media in order to avoid or hide things that are unfavorable to you.”
“I see. The media’s physiology there is not very different from here, isn’t it?”
“Except for a little more freedom, I think it’s mostly the same. Aren’t all places where people live the same?”
“Yes…”
Democy also nodded gloomily.
It must have been quite repulsive to the behavior of the vested class, which is no different anywhere, even beyond the dimension.
“Third, in doing something, the justification is more important than here. When implementing policies here, if the justification is ambiguous, even if they are pushed a little forcefully, it is difficult for the public to resist because of the solid caste system. But my neighborhood is practically Although there may be a distinction of status, nominally, everyone is of equal status. So, if the justification is poor, the people may voluntarily initiate large-scale demonstrations or riots.”
“Po, what if there’s a riot? Do you bring down all the politicians?”
“Yes. Did you just oust them? They were beaten to death by angry crowds, and the heads of the royal family were decapitated by a giant execution tool called a guillotine. There are only a few cases where people have been expelled and put in prison.
“Is that so…”
Jump.
Klopp.
Mono Horn nodded and took a sip of water.
Perhaps he was hungry for an ice-cold drink, he licked his lips.
“As within countries, justification and public opinion were very important in international relations as well. Justification and public opinion are the beginning and end of diplomatic relations between countries, regardless of whether they are one country, another country, or a third country. No matter how powerful a country may be, , If you ignore diplomatic conventions, justifications, and public opinion, you will get hurt.”
“Why is that, Monohorn? If it’s not your own country, then one way to resolve the dispute is by war, right? If there are irreconcilable disagreements and it’s a matter of honor, war as a way of extreme diplomacy. Couldn’t you choose?”
“Well, it’s a bit complicated to explain…”
Monohorn thinks for a moment.
It was because he left Earth after receiving only a high school student’s education, and he lacked that level of knowledge about the international diplomatic situation.
“As far as I know, transportation has developed to the point where you can go anywhere in the world in three days. Communication has developed to the point where you can connect with each other in seconds. It’s a situation where there is no bar. Even cross-border trade takes place between most countries in the world. If it’s goods, human resources, raw materials, knowledge, food, or money, most of them are traded. So, how many interests are intertwined between countries? Will there be?”
“Ah…”
“For that reason, if one country starts a war and lacks a cause, it is easy for another country to intervene. When a war breaks out, you can never hide it. In a matter of minutes, all countries in the world will know. When you win the war and try to reap the benefits in the occupied territories, the neighboring countries that have been watching all of a sudden come forward and send their troops there. .”
“What are you nitpicking about?”
“Aren’t you guys doing too much? Because you trampled on our allies, there was a disruption in trade. How come? Why are you killing civilians? Are you ignoring human rights and leaving? Citizens and soldiers of defeated countries are all people. War Even though we were defeated and surrendered, why are we massacring the prisoners? Didn’t we make an international agreement to do that? We ignore this and go to war? No way! We can’t just watch as allies! Get out right away! Couldn’t you let go?”
“Wow… Did that actually happen?”
Monohorn shook his head.
“I don’t know if that actually happened, but it’s quite possible in my neighborhood. If you ignore the justification and go out, neighboring countries could rebel like that. Because that value was widespread there.”
“But you said that there is such a thing as a superpower. If a superpower decides and tries to suppress it, isn’t it useless only after neighboring countries raise objections?”
“Ah, that’s it. Um…”
I was a little worried that Monohorn might have strayed too far from the topic, but I decided to just go along with the conversation.
It was because she seemed difficult to carry on a conversation without resolving the Octopoda couple’s curiosity.
Others were also watching with interest, so he wasn’t too uncomfortable.
“In my neighborhood, there have been only two world wars in history. They were wars in which dozens of countries fought and millions of people died. If you start a war all at once, over 6 billion people could be destroyed in an instant.”
“Yes?!”
Everyone looked at Monohorn with their eyes wide open.
It was because it was the first time they had heard of the weapons of war in the other world from Monohorn.
“Humanity is not the problem, maybe the planet itself could die? That’s it.”
“That’s a terrible thing…”
“That’s why we keep making uncomfortable and cumbersome procedures while pursuing justification. If we just hit and fight like in the era of barbarism, the result of mutual destruction is obvious. It’s a tick-tap-tap-tap fight. Rather than actually using such a terrible weapon, it seemed like it was more like intimidation. Historically, it was actually used only twice, and it’s a lesson that all mankind learned then.”
“…”
Colleagues perfectly understood why a war of opinion developed in Monohon’s neighborhood.
He is not an expert, so his opinion may not be completely true, but he is a native who has lived there for nearly 20 years.
Assuming that his personal opinion is also a valid opinion, it is safe to say that he is the best authority on public opinion among his colleagues here.
“Let’s go back to the original topic, sister.”
“Ah, yes, brother.”
“So, is Regal’s way of controlling public opinion and controlling the press very similar to the way she did in the place where you were? Just like in a place where transportation, communication, media, diplomacy, and culture are so developed.”
“Yes. Exactly, brother.”
Mono Horn nodded his head happily.
Ignore or bore his own story,
Big ugh, pyuuuuu…
Hmmm, hmmmm…
Squeak, squeak.
There were two people and one who did it, but the others listened with interest.
It boosted his self-esteem, brought him emotional stability, and gave him confidence.
Thanks to him, he was growing every moment.
Deep and wide.
“There, like Regal, they didn’t solve people directly. Of course, they ran directly to agitate the elderly who couldn’t keep up with the times, or through state broadcasting, they only injected and brainwashed them with a very favorable position. But the generation below that, That is, for those accustomed to personal communication terminals, they created tens, maybe hundreds of thousands, of virtual people and manipulated them into pretending to be real public opinion.”
“Uh, Monohorn. Are those virtual people taking advantage of the blind spots of non-face-to-face communication? Is it a method of pouring out countless amounts of written information, deceiving that this is the mainstream and trending opinion?”
Mono Horn nodded her head.
Demosi seemed to remember the Internet and social networking services Mono Horn had talked about before.
“Yes. Here, the portable communication magic tools that individuals bring are not universal, so a person would have to run, but there were dogs and cows holding them. Since it is pouring in, no one knows how many people wrote it. But when so many articles are pouring in in an instant, everyone notices the trend. Then public opinion naturally tilts to one place.”
“Isn’t there a lot of similarities with the behavior of the media today?”
“Yes. Thanks to Ajae Jack and Ajae Daniel, an anonymous article was created, right? If you look closely at it, there are many similarities with the place where I lived. And broadcasting, Ada-sama is giving speeches throughout the empire. There are a lot of similarities with that.”
Swoop, Swoop.
Octopoda crosses her arms halfway, scratching her chin with his left hand.
“According to Monohon, we have Ada giving speeches several times a day based on the form of broadcasting. Did it really happen? Do you think Monohorn knows why?”
“It’s a matter of trust and fatigue.”
“Trust and fatigue… Can you explain in detail, sister?”
“Yes.”
Monohorn turned to Margarita.
“Sister.
“Huh.”
“They must have said this to their neighbors at some point, every time Ada gave a speech. Are you saying the same thing again? Tired of it. Same.”
Margarita’s eyes widen.
“Uh, uh…? Monohorn, how did you do that…?”
Everyone looks at Monohorn in amazement.
“It’s the easiest way to devalue a message. When you have no way to refute a repeated claim, attack the repetition itself and complain of fatigue. A very sophisticated technique, isn’t it?”
“Ah…”
Colleagues couldn’t deny his words.
“Well, then, what happened to trust? The Goddess guarantees the truth, but why on earth do the subjects of the Empire accept it with disdain?”
Octopoda asks Monohorn in a trembling voice.
Mono Horn nods her head.
Then he looks at Margarita again.
“Margarita-sister. Don’t the majority of the crowd think that Ada-sister’s video is fake?”
“… That’s right.”
“The vast majority of the subjects of the Empire believe in the goddess, so they probably won’t deny the authority of the goddess. But a video isn’t a goddess.”
“However, over the past few weeks, Ada-sama has lit up the light of the Goddess several times. A pillar of light that is huge enough to be seen throughout the empire has poured down to the ground, but you can’t believe it even when you see it with your own eyes?”
“How many of those bastards can clearly tell the light of her goddess?”
“…”
Margarita was silent.
“Vona Mana Regal bastards must have flowed to all parts of the Empire decades ago, right?”
“It seemed like that. The presumed hounds, they all seemed friendly with the neighbors around them.”
“Now, then, when looking at this phenomenon, I will call the trust brought about by the comments made by neighbors about it as the first factor. I’ll call you. In the first and second elements, which one is more reliable for the cubs in the absolute majority? Which is less heterogeneous? “
“…”
Margarita fell silent once more, but everyone seemed to hear the answer.
“If the Church had come forward and endorsed it, the story would have been different. Okay. Shall we call the Church’s assurance the third factor? But the Church called Ada’s speech deceit, fraud, and fabrication. Then, the third factor is Let’s give the first element a weight. Now, if we do this, will the second element be lighter or heavier?”
“It seems to feel infinitely light.”
“That’s right, big brother. The group of experts with the greatest authority has completely destroyed the trust of the second factor. So, no matter how loudly Sister Ada appeals for the truth, will that voice reach the ears of stupid pigs and pigs?”
“It was like that…”
Jose’s face also turned dark.
It wasn’t just Jose.
The faces of all my comrades became grim.
Not because the future was bleak, but because the weeks of hard work seemed completely in vain.
The person who was especially motivated by this speech was none other than Ada.
However, from a certain moment on, the party was noticing that the speech was no longer effective.
Even so, Ada insisted on the speech until the end, in order to reduce the amount of blood that would flow in the future.
That it was a complete failure, Monohorn stepped forward and nailed it down.
“So, Ada-sister.”
“Yes, monohorn.”
“I think you’d better stop now.”
“…”
“If you do more, it might create a sense of resistance among the pigs and dogs. If that happens, it might create a justification for dispatching more follow-up troops. I think it might flow, I.”
“… Is that so…”
“Yes.”
Zap, zap.
Squeak.
Mono Horn approached her, facing her face and she hugged her around the waist.
“You worked hard, Ada-sama.”
“Huh… Yes…”
Ada finally burst into tears.
She buried her face in the chest of her Mono Horn.
The meeting had to be interrupted for a while until she stopped her crying.
