Chapter 115: The Battlefield Of Proof, Ulleung (1)
There was nothing as uncool as continuing to question the resolve of a hero who had already made up their mind.
Probing them whenever they wavered was one thing, but questioning them every day was just aggravating.
[I understand your resolve. You’ve defeated the demon. What will you do now?]
“What do you mean, what will I do? Of course, I’ll continue as a hero-”
[I’m asking how you’re going to spend tonight.]
“…What?”
I had already concluded discussions on our roles as hero and villain, but Yumir seemed unexpectedly surprised, her mouth hanging open.
“What did you just say?”
[I mentioned a villain has their own circumstances. I’m busy right now. It’s a bit much to divulge personal matters, but I’m on the verge of spending a night with an incredibly beautiful blonde.]
“…Are you insane? Saying that in front of the person involved!”
[What are you talking about?]
I shrugged lightly.
[I really don’t understand what you’re trying to say.]
“Hey!”
[Hey, indeed. I thought we had made our resolves, but it seems like the mood was ruined. Maybe tonight’s not the night?]
“That, that’s not what-”
Yumir seemed to lose the confidence she had a moment ago, fidgeting and checking my reaction.
“I mean, until we had tea, there was something, but after defeating the demon, the mood is…”
[You said you were ready as a woman, but are you going to disappoint the guy?]
“No…! Why keep doing this?”
[It’s disappointing, Solar Platina. You talk about stealing a man who’s already taken, but your actions are like a na?ve maiden-]
Swoosh!
A red whip grazed my head.
I dodged and quickly closed the distance between us.
[See? You’re clearly flustered. Are you single?]
“Sh, shut up!”
[You must be. You aren’t denying it.]
“How can someone with this ability have a relationship!”
Yumir screamed and reached out toward me.
“How much have I struggled…Huh?”
[What?]
“No, weren’t you dodging? Why were you caught…?”
[Just because.]
Seeing her trying to grab even a handful of my clothes, I allowed her to.
[You closed the distance, so this is possible.]
I moved closer to Yumir and brought my face near hers.
[The distance between you and me is just a mask away, Solar Platina. You have one major misconception.]
“What, what is it…?”
Yumir swallowed, scanning me up and down.
Her face slowly turned red. She leaned back slightly but didn’t completely retreat.
[Relationships aren’t only between non-ability users and aspiring heroes but can also occur between villains and heroes.]
“……!”
I reached out behind Yumir.
[There’s a classic and surefire way for a villain to corrupt a hero, especially when the villain and the hero are of different genders.]
“…….”
[What’s more precious to Solar Platina? The first time as the hero Solar Platina? Or the first time as a woman?]
“Wh, what’s the difference…?”
[It changes a lot depending on whether the man involved is a non-ability user or an ability user. For instance,]
I placed Yumir’s hand on my chest.
[Non-ability users only use stamina, but ability users can use magic.]
“What exactly are you trying to do?”
[You can experience it from now on. How about experiencing it yourself as a hero? About how the Goblin corrupts a female hero.]
“…….”
Yumir’s pupils began to shake violently.
Her indecision and agony deepened, fear slowly seeping into her eyes.
[It seems you’re not ready. It’s a characteristic of heroes. They bravely declare their resolve but hesitate to put it into action.]
“I’m not…”
[Do you want to test it right now?]
I pulled Yumir towards a bench and sat her down.
[Proof can be made anywhere. Even here, it’s possible.]
“He, here?!”
[You think it’s impossible?]
I placed one hand on Yumir’s shoulder, moving the other to my waist.
“Heek…!”
The trousers made of magic didn’t require any unbuckling, but just moving my hand to my waist was enough.
“Re, really here…?”
Yumir was a perceptive woman. She must have caught on to my intentions.
“Are you really doing it now?”
[Of course. Why do you think it wouldn’t work?]
“No, I… I was prepared but… never thought I would do it with a goblin…”
[It might actually be more comfortable.]
“… What if we get caught?”
[Villains don’t make moves considering getting caught.]
“….Just a moment.”
Yumir reached out and pushed me away, then immediately stretched her hand towards the sky.
Boom—
A golden circle centered around Yumir expanded and quickly concealed its appearance.
[A barrier?]
“Haah. Originally, I created this barrier to imprison goblins… Now, we won’t be seen by others here. At least not by those with less magic power than me.”
Only those with more magical power than Yumir, who had EX-class magic power, could see this.
In other words, nobody in the world can see what was occurring within this barrier.
“I… I never thought it would come to this…”
Yumir once again pulled her hood and mask tight, looking at me silently as Solar Platina.
“…If I get vaccinated by the Goblin, does that mean the Goblin becomes my vaccine? A vaccine that keeps other villains from approaching me?”
[An apt description.]
I adjusted the mask on my face.
[I am the one bringing you into our sworn group. However.]
Ssssss.
“…If there’s anyone daring to lay a hand on Solar Platina, whom I’ve acquired, naturally, I’d have to eliminate them before they even hand out their business cards.”
Maintaining the mask up to the bridge of my nose, revealing only my eyes, I looked at Yumir, who had donned her hood over her clothes.
“… Only the eyes are visible. The hood and bangs cover everything else. Why show the eyes?”
“It’s polite.”
If Yumir was showing her resolve, I couldn’t remain fully masked.
“So.”
I slowly reached out to Yumir.
“Prove it to the Goblin. Your resolve.”
“An S-class demon has appeared on Sejong Island, and an ability user of S-class who suppressed the demon in one fell swoop has emerged?”
[Exactly. It’s chaos here.]
Having finished her shower at her house in Busan, Baek Seol-hee sat down on the sofa, bewildered.
“What happened to the demon?”
[Total Erasure. It lost its abilities. It’s in the same state as Ermina Sternferdt.]
“…A power that nullifies other powers. Wasn’t it concluded in the last meeting that the Goblin did that?”
[Indeed. But think about it. Have you ever seen the Goblin just kill villains or demons instead of taking their abilities?]
“No.”
Baek Seol-hee, who had clashed with the Goblin more than anyone, knew this well.
The Goblin didn’t have the ability to steal others’ powers.
If he had been concealing it, he would have used it much earlier in the past six months.
“So, what’s your opinion?”
[I think it’s not the Goblin but another entity, this ‘Golden Priestess’, who might have the ability to steal powers. And…]
“And?”
[This is still in the realm of my speculation, but it seems like he’s partnered with the Goblin. The Golden Priestess extracts the power, and the Goblin destroys it. Remember how he crushed something in his hand in front of Ermina, who turned white-haired? That was probably a power.]
“That’s ridiculous…”
[The most meaningless phrase in the world is ‘That’s ridiculous’. How about thinking this way? ‘Of course, it makes sense!’.]
“……”
Baek Seol-hee covered her face with her hands.
[Why? I think there’s plenty of possibility. Maybe the Goblin and Golden Priestess are in ‘that’ kind of relationship, and they have a partnership of…]
“If you’re going to talk nonsense, I’m hanging up.”
[I’m not talking nonsense. I’m being serious! Before being heroes and villains, they could be a man and a woman.]
“We don’t even know if they’re heroes yet. All we know is that they caught a demon and nullified its powers, rendering it powerless. That’s all.”
[At least they didn’t kill anyone.]
“……”
Baek Seol-hee scowled heavily.
“A hero allying with a villain. That’s more of a…”
[It could be a hero living in disguise. Of course, the candidate would be a woman on Sejong Island who looks quite mature. If she is indeed in ‘that’ kind of relationship with the Goblin, it would obviously narrow down to adult women. How about that? My deduction.]
“Yes, yes. Understood. President, please continue your passionate deduction.”
[Are you angry because I linked the Goblin and the Golden Priestess-]
Click.
Baek Seol-hee covered the Taeguk Watch with her hand and hung up the call.
“…Why would I…”
Baek Seol-hee silently contemplated something in her head, covering her mouth with her hand.
“Haah, Ji-hwan…”
Soon.
She only wished to meet him soon at Ulleungdo.
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