Chapter 23: Transformation! That's Not How It's Done! (3)
There were several ways to highlight the protagonist.
There was no need to discuss those methods right now, but if we were to talk about ways to make a protagonist stand out in this world…
“Wow! Goblin’s new ultimate move!”
“He sends out a cross-shaped attack from where he stands, and it turns into a cross the moment it hits the enemy! Ah, could that be a motif from ‘that religion’…?! It’s an incredible blasphemy!”
“Using that much mana and still being unaffected. Is this what it means to be an S-class villain…!”
Everyone was amazed by the technique I just used.
Of course.
They were more impressed and excited by the incredible ability than by the death of a human being.
Either they didn’t consider the ability user who became a demon due to an emotional rampage as a human, or they were just more thrilled about the impressive technique they had just witnessed.
The humans in this world, especially the ability users, lacked empathy.
To put it nicely, they lacked humanity; to put it harshly, their thoughts were garbage. In the midst of all this.
[What have you done!]
This was the way to highlight the ‘heroes’ represented by the protagonist.
[Even if she’s a villain, how can you kill a person!]
A virtuous image.
In front of the blatant evil of the villain and the humanity-deprived public, a virtuous hero with humanity was bound to be emphasized.
In a pile of dirt, a diamond sparkles. Who could see it and say, ‘The diamond is dirty.’
[Those who sell their souls to demons are only destined to die. They have already given up on being human. Even if they are kept alive, they would only live as monsters killing people.] [But!]
[It would be better to use the nation’s taxes to treat the fallen and provide consolation money for the families of those killed by that demon rather than sustaining such an evil spirit.]
I wasn’t necessarily saying this because I believed it had to be so.
[A villain once is a villain forever. If being alive hurts someone, they should atone for their sins through death. Suicide would be the best way, but those types wouldn’t kill themselves, so I gave them death instead.]
Right now, I was only muttering a spell under my breath to escape from this place while I was talking.
[Many heroes may dream of peace in the world, but I hope they understand that pacifism is not always right.]
Sigh.
I lightly touched my belt and soon transformed back into my original form - a gentleman goblin in a black suit.
‘Phew. I almost committed social suicide.’
I was unnecessarily worried about what would happen if my transformation wore off and I was exposed, but luckily that didn’t happen.
[Do you want to protect even the villains? Then become stronger. Enough to stop me. I look forward to it, hero.]
[Wait!!]
Solar Platina reached out towards me, but I left the place with a slight kick on the ground.
[Goblin Step.]
How?
By teleportation.
“Ah, the goblin is escaping!”
“Don’t let him get away! Catch him!”
“If I catch the goblin, my reputation will jump up!!”
Attacks came at me from all directions as I spread a black fog around me, but they only flew through the innocent air.
My body was still in the same place-
It was, I swear.
But no attack landed on me, no ability user could detect me, and no one could recognize me. Another ability that came with the Goblin’s Bat.
‘Goblin Cloak.’
Even if this was a nationalist light novel world, I couldn’t really wear a real cloak, so I substituted it with a gentleman’s fedora. Still, I maintained the Goblin’s identity by changing it to a style that covered only the lower face under the hat.
If I had to make a comparison, should I call it a ‘gentleman in a suit with a tactical mask’?
‘I can’t be seen in this state either.’
I could not allow myself to be caught as a ghost under the Goblin Cloak. In other words, I could not allow myself to be caught leaving the battlefield in this spirit-like state.
Even though the mask covering my lower face extended up to the nose, my eyes and their shape were slightly exposed under the hat.
‘There are so many books I haven’t read in the library, I can’t be driven out due to my identity being exposed.’
It would be a nuisance to the leader if my identity as Goblin was exposed.
I couldn’t cause trouble to all those who had embedded me here, including the librarian.
“Find the Goblin! He couldn’t have gone far!”
“He teleported! He must have gone to his hideout!”
“There’s a limit to teleportation! He couldn’t have teleported from Sejong Island to Busan or Seoul!”
“He might if he’s a goblin!”
As expected.
No one thought I had transformed into a ‘ghost state’, an etheric body that could not be interfered with by using physical or mana-based means. I had not yet left the scene.
No one could ever imagine it.
Now then.
This was the reason why I maintained the ghost state and chose to stay behind.
“There, Golden Knight! Take off your mask and reveal your identity!”
I disappeared, but the other entity that appeared with me - Solar Platina, had not left yet.
“A hero name we’ve never heard before! A power not registered in Sejong Island! Everything is unidentified! The Heroes Association can’t let you be!”
“I understand you’re trying to suppress the ‘Villain Rampage’, but this could be a high-level deception! Take off your armor! Who are you?!”
“If you’re a hero, reveal your identity obediently! If you don’t reveal your identity, we’ll consider you a villain!!”
If it weren’t for me, they would’ve suppressed and arrested the villain by now, but because of me, that golden knight was now in a quandary.
“I’ll count to three! Three!”
Probably with a high probability, Yumir - no, the woman who might kneel to me - was just bowing her head, lost in thought.
“Two!!”
As each of the police heroes who arrived on the scene began to raise their mana, aiming their weapons at Solar Platina.
“One-”
[Oh, light.]
As Sola Platina lightly spread her arms as if asking for a hug, an enormous golden light burst from her body.
Squee———!
A blinding flash, as if a flashbang had gone off, exploded.
“Argh!!”
Being phased out dimensionally as a spirit, I had no problem, but everyone gathered was wincing and turning their heads in pain due to the tremendous flashbang.
‘She’s escaping.’
I quickly followed Solar Platina as she swiftly left the scene.
She didn’t just leave the scene. She seemed to be fumbling around near the restaurant’s ruins, seemingly gathering something, then began to run away.
‘What did she collect? Perhaps an object she took off before transforming?’
If there was one thing, it might be her Taeguk Watch.
The GPS and biometric information of the Taeguk Watch could reveal her to be Yumir if it was mishandled.
I was ‘special’, so it didn’t affect my transformation, but if it was Yumir, the story would be different.
Why do I keep wanting to know if it was Yumir?
There was a desire to verify whether she was Yumir or not and also to confirm other possibilities.
If that wasn’t Yumir.
Then where was Yumir now?
Did she get caught in the restaurant building while I hesitated to transform and died without even leaving a corpse?
With that face that said, ‘Wait here for a moment!’ had she disappeared not because of her secret powers but rather because of a misplaced sense of justice?
No.
I already lightly scanned the restaurant building with mana.
Yumir had evaporated.
So, I needed to confirm it even more.
If that Solar Platina was not Yumir, then Yumir had already-
Phooof.
There was a small gap between the dormitory wall and a fence.
The golden knight barely squeezed herself into a space fit for an air conditioner unit. The moment she landed on the ground, her body flashed.
‘Ah.’
The moment I saw her, I averted my eyes.
And then, I looked again to confirm what I had seen.
‘What to do?’
Surely not.
Could she be suffering from the same disease (?) as me?
‘Good grief.’
She was just like me.
‘Surely she didn’t transform to suppress the villain, knowing that penalty?’
It was indescribable.
The ‘Yumir’, who had become a naked wreck, stiffened the moment she grabbed what I presumed to be her room window.
“Ah, aah…!”
Panicking, she earnestly pressed the Taeguk Watch that she had left on the ground - she had probably taken it off before transforming and had just collected it when she escaped the scene - against the window, but-
“Why, why won’t it open…?”
It wouldn’t open.
Of course, it wouldn’t.
The Taeguk Watch had to be placed at the front door of the dormitory room to open the window.
But would that work?
Shouldn’t you go to the dormitory entrance first and then to the room door?
“Ah, dang….”
[Seems like you’re in a predicament.]
I stood in front of Yumir, wearing my Goblin mask.
“Gah….”
She tried to scream and squatted down, covering her face with one hand with her other hand covering her important parts.
‘Oh, man.’
Indeed, a Canadian.
No joke. I’ve seen many female bodies, but this one was too beautiful.
‘Get a grip. She’s on the verge of being socially murdered.’
Even the most powerful superhumans became helpless chicks in the face of shame.
[Take this.]
I removed my suit jacket and transformed it back to its original form.
Fwoosh.
The suit jacket became a black durumagi (traditional Korean overcoat), which was completely opaque.
[Here.]
“…Thank you….”
Yumir, blushing up to her ears, accepted the durumagi with trembling hands.
“How…how did you…?”
[I just followed you. I didn’t expect this, though.]
I straightened my black shirt under the suit and turned my body around.
[I am helping you now as you are in a difficult situation.]
I turned my head sideways and warned Yumir.
[If you obstruct me again, I’ll just crush you and continue with my work.]
Thooof.
As if teleporting or becoming a ghost, I climbed up the wall.
“……Hmph.”
Yumir, her face flaring up like a red persimmon, clutched the durumagi tightly and ran towards the dormitory entrance.
[Tsk.]
Watching her, I felt an unwarranted thrill.
[I, too, had such moments.]
Yumir.
She was a definite hero who could transform to protect someone, even after considering her penalty.
[Guess I should go back too.]
To where?
…Back to the scene.
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