Chapter 57

Chapter 56

"Do you know what the most common nagging S-class heroes hear, even if it's not really nagging?"

In response to Baek Seulhee's question, I was unsure how much I should answer.

We had already exposed everything to each other, and we were soaking in the open-air bath together, but we weren't in a relationship, and there was a clear 'line' between us.

Moreover, she was an S-class hero, and it wouldn't do to cross that line carelessly.

If others found out, it would be a story that deserved death.

But then,

"It's about getting pregnant, right?"

"...Yes, that's right."

Baek Seulhee had already crossed that line, and she expected me to cross it too and speak sincerely.

"If an ability user and another ability user get married and have a child, do you know what the percentage is for the child to be an ability user?"

"At least over 50%."

Statistically, that's the case.

Among ability users who are 20 years old or older—meaning they are adults—there are those who have gotten pregnant and had children, and the number is quite significant.

As the saying goes, 'tigers give birth to tigers.' Of course, there are exceptions, but most of the time, tigers are born.

"If an ability user and a non-ability user get married and have a child, the probability of the child being an ability user is much higher than if two non-ability users get married. There are various factors, but the probability is highest when three conditions are met. Do you know what they are?"

I held up three fingers.

"One. When both parents are ability users."

"Right. That's what I just said. What about the others?"

"Two. When the ability user has a high magic level."

"Yes. While it's impossible to measure the exact amount of magic power in the body... the child of someone with a lot of mana is more likely to be born with abilities. And do you know what the last and most significant factor is?"

"...When the woman hasn't had a child before."

"Right."

Baek Seulhee looked up at the sky with a gloomy expression.

"Someone on the internet said that the child of an S-class ability user who is a virgin will be an ability user with 100% certainty. They say that no one has ever been wrong, just like in the past."

"......"

"Even if the talent of the newborn ability user varies, being born as an ability user is the same for everyone."

I don't know why this is possible.

Perhaps it's due to genetic influence, or the genes of a non-ability user mutate during the fertilization process to match those of an ability user.

If I knew that much, I wouldn't be a librarian or a section chief but a renowned professor of genetics.

"Now that ability users are just starting to enter society at the age when they can start their careers, in about five years, ability users will flood into society as 'adults.' While in the past, non-ability users had children, now they will start using ability users to have children."

That's true.

The most representative example is the 'Devil's Seed.'

While it's about turning someone into a demon rather than an ability user, the context is the same in that the seed of life from an ability user has a high probability of producing an ability user.

"In other words, the first child I have is very likely to be an ability user, regardless of whether my husband is a non-ability user or an ability user, because I am S-class and haven't had a child yet."

Baek Seulhee had a single reason for telling me all this.

"You're being pressured to have a child for the sake of the country, right?"

"Yes, that's right. Everywhere I go, I hear that having a child is a form of patriotism, and I should have one quickly for the sake of the country."

Baek Seulhee shrugged, genuinely annoyed.

"Thankfully, I'm at the S-class level, but for A-class or B-class ability users, the government has even tried to pair them up. Of course, some are doing well, but those who couldn't bear it have left the country."

"Are the people they pair them with mostly second-generation politicians or second or third-generation conglomerate heirs?"

"Yes. Some are satisfied with that, but many are not. Do you know about the 'Haegeun Morning Drama' incident?"

"Yes."

It's one of the events in this world.

A romance drama-like incident occurred in South Korea, where a love triangle formed between an A-class ability user woman, her childhood friend who was a mailman, and the third-generation heir of Haegeun.

"If it were a drama, the childhood friend and the ability user woman would have run away together in love. But in reality, it wasn't like that. People think it's a romance drama, but it's actually a suspense crime drama."

"The third-generation heir of Haegeun had threatened the childhood friend, not just his life but also his friends, family, and even his colleagues."

"Yes. If the third-generation heir wanted to, he could destroy an entire family. In the end, the man cruelly chased the woman away, and she became the daughter-in-law of Haegeun. She had a child last year, and it was an ability user. The third-generation heir thus had a child with half his blood as an ability user, and so did Haegeun."

"It's a complex and terrifying story."

"Yes, but the most terrifying part is... the woman, the sister, had no choice but to make that decision."

Baek Seulhee whispered softly, on the verge of tears.

"She still loved the childhood friend, but the pain and suffering he would have endured if she chose him were too great, so she had to give up. Even as an A-class ability user, she couldn't face the entire country, and it wouldn't have been easy to take her family and the family of the man she loved into exile, turning Haegeun into an enemy."

"Ultimately...?"

"She almost lost control but managed to regain her senses at the last moment. Haegeun used her parents to persuade her, and most importantly, if she died, the child in her womb would die too."

An ability user is delicate but also a human being.

While their delicate mental state can explode, there are times when they hold on to their will to live, even when their mental state is shaken by something else.

What about the exceptions?

They all died.

And their rampages ended in 'accidents.'

"It was a truly tragic ending."

"Yes, and that's the least extreme story that can be told publicly. What about the others?"

"......"

No matter how powerful ability users are, the oldest one is from the year 00.

They didn't even graduate from middle or high school but came straight out of Hero Academy, having received mental training to become excellent heroes for the country, and immediately became heroes. Could they really make proper judgments?

Absolutely not.

The fields from which they can obtain information are limited, the media they can access is limited, and if there are people who regularly inject hero ideology into them?

Even Baek Seulhee is being threatened with patriotism, so what about the others?

"Do you understand the gist of what I've been telling you so far?"

"Is some crazy guy telling Seulhee to get pregnant now?"

"The president."

"......"

The ultimate boss appeared from the start.

"The president has a son. He's unmarried. It's not just the president; there's the prime minister, ministers, and the successors of conglomerate groups."

"Is there no one in politics or business who can protect Seulhee?"

"The opposition leader is also trying to connect his grandson with me, and there's no one in the business world who can protect me."

"......"

When there's someone who can be a support, a pillar, and a source of mental stability, it's naturally the parents.

But Baek Seulhee has no parents.

To be precise, they are both dead.

Even if they were the parents of an S-class hero, they were non-ability users and would die if caught up in the rampages of villains.

Seulhee has no allies to protect her socially.

Then...

"Seulhee."

"Yes, Ji-hwan."

"I'm just a regular librarian, so I can't directly help Seulhee against the government."

First, I need to draw a clear line.

Baek Seulhee's expression sank, but ideals and reality are different.

"But I can be someone who can listen to Seulhee's inner thoughts, someone who can hear her worries. Even if the world scorns and criticizes Seulhee, even if those criticisms are actually created by the government to manipulate her, I will support Seulhee."

"......That's what I wanted to hear."

Baek Seulhee pressed her reddened cheeks with her hands.

"Talking to Ji-hwan was the right choice. There were various issues, but the most pressing one today was that."

Baek Seulhee straightened her voice and frowned.

"Hero Snow White will understand when she comes to Sejong Island, but don't you think more ability users are needed? Ability users who can maintain our security and protect the safety of citizens."

"Who said that?"

"Yes. So when I said I came to Sejong Academy to cultivate such ability users, they changed the subject."

"How?"

"They said that a woman can only be complete as a woman by having and raising a child."

"What a ridiculous old-fashioned thing to say."

"Yes. They're telling me to get married and have a child quickly. It would be better if it's with their child, relative, or the child