Chapter 79

〈 Chapter 78 〉 Part 3. Where There's National Pride, There's a Goblin (4)

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Beep beep beep—

With the sound signaling an emergency, Yumir was given emergency treatment and transported in the ambulance.

Ah.

I miss it.

I want to see how the goblin is acting.

And I want to know why he helped me.

That day.

The day I was first exposed to the goblin.

The day I received his kindness.

Since then, I've been thinking that I should help the goblin in return for his favors.

But instead of helping, I received help again.

The goblin protected me from the duyesini and saved me from the power of fire it possessed.

If the duyesini had used its 'ultra-fast movement' ability to attack me, it might have hit Yumir with a high probability.

The attack was so fast that there was no way to avoid it, and if the mana that made up my clothes had broken, Yumir would have been truly injured.

The fact that the duyesini moved at a speed that Yumir couldn't respond to meant that there was a chance to successfully attack Yumir with any means.

But the duyesini dealt with the goblin.

To be precise, the goblin drew the duyesini's attention, and thanks to that, Yumir was able to protect Ermina from the demonization smoothly.

Will she be okay?

Her breathing might still be connected, but she probably won't return to her state before finding the treasure box.

Moreover, since Ermina attacked Yumir, an E-class superhuman, with the intention of killing her, her social reputation will be significantly damaged.

"Ugh..."

Yumir frowned and slightly twisted her body.

"Student Yumir! Are you conscious?!"

The people beside her shook Yumir to wake her up, and Yumir looked at the ceiling blankly as if she had just regained consciousness.

"Here—huh?!"

Bang!

Yumir immediately protected her face with her arms and curled up.

Yumir's arms were wrapped in bandages, and the expressions of the emergency personnel beyond her arms instantly turned serious.

"Don't worry, Student Yumir! We are on our way to the hospital!"

"...Huh?"

"We saved Student Yumir. Don't worry. No one will attack you anymore."

"Is that...really true...?"

"Yes, that's right."

Despite the security guard's words, Yumir didn't lower her guard, but she couldn't help but smile inwardly.

This injury.

I made it myself.

To her, who could use her superpower to make any scars disappear, this injury was truly 'nothing.'

There was no pain, no aching nerves, just the blood that had flowed and clotted from the cut made by the sharp magic.

The goblin said,

If you faint in the cave, I'll take care of everything.

Yumir, who roughly understood the meaning of his words, inflicted injuries on herself to help the goblin and to make it look like Ermina had attacked her.

The goblin probably thought she had fainted and fallen after being hit in the chest, but Yumir's self-inflicted injuries and acting were more effective than expected.

"Ermina Sternfert... How could she do such a terrible thing."

"Student Yumir. Ermina is not here. She is far away, and our staff will protect you. Please trust us and answer one question."

The staff's expressions hardened.

Yumir scanned the nurse and staff beside her with trembling eyes and soon became confident.

"Why did Ermina Sternfert attack Student Yumir?"

None of them are on Ermina's side.

"That, that's—"

Yumir opened her mouth cautiously with a trembling voice.

"I, I can't say... Sternfert, she...!"

"Please relax. You can tell us what you saw, and we will protect you."

"Everything depends on what you say. Don't you remember anything?"

"Is it...really okay...?"

"Of course."

Yumir smiled inwardly but showed a face that looked both scared and determined.

"...Ermina said she was going to the bathroom and disappeared into the cave. I went in to look for her because I was alone, and when I entered the cave—"

"When you entered?"

"...Ermina was sniffing something white."

"White...powder!"

The staff's expressions hardened, and Yumir inwardly rejoiced.

"I don't know what it was. Ermina... Ah!"

Yumir tapped her Taeguk watch.

Soon, mana flowed from the Taeguk watch, projecting an image on the ambulance ceiling. In the image, Ermina, who had her head buried in something white, suddenly turned and smiled.

[You saw, didn't you?]

And Yumir was attacked.

The 'recorded video' on the Taeguk watch ended there.

"Exactly what was that that made Ermina attack me?"

Yumir shed tears, looking confused.

"Student Yumir. I'll explain the details later. For now... let's focus on treating your injuries."

"Remember, Sejong Academy is on your side."

Yumir covered her face with her hand.

Now.

Ermina Sternfert is finished.

She's alive, but in a state that can't be called living.

"......"

She was someone who wouldn't have been strange to kill.

She's the heiress of the Sternfert family, so killing her would have been troublesome, but if she had annoyed me a little more, I would have killed her.

But.

"......"

I didn't want to show him the act of killing someone.

He seemed to want me to be a hero.

Does the goblin want me to be a hero?

If so.

For the next 'promise,' Yumir decided to wait.

She would ask him all her questions and doubts on that day.

The full moon is approaching, and there's not much time left.

* * *

'It's about time.'

By now, Yumir should have been safely transported to the rear.

As the standoff with the staff, including Snow White, who were pointing their weapons at me, continued, I extended my hand to the side.

"Be careful! The goblin is about to do something!"

One of the people who rushed to subdue the villain, the staff, issued a command.

He didn't seem strong enough to give orders, and I couldn't sense any mana from him, but his command made the superhumans point their abilities at me and pressure me.

"Goblin! Surrender peacefully!"

[There's no reason to surrender.]

"We have Snow White!"

[Even if you do, it's not related to my surrender.]

"Snow White! Are you going to 'again' turn a blind eye to the goblin!!"

One of the staff members made a slightly over-the-line comment.

I was slightly annoyed, but how must Snow White have felt, hearing it directly?

[It's ridiculous to blame Snow White and shift the blame while you can't even catch me. Are you blaming others for your incompetence?]

"What, what did you say?!"

[That's an incredibly unpleasant thing to say.]

I raised the goblin bat at the one who made the disgusting comment, but an ice wall immediately formed at the tip of the bat.

[Are you protecting such a person?]

"Goblin. Why did you appear here?"

[I just happened to see it while passing by.]

To be precise, I saw everything while chasing after, but I really saw the duyesini while passing by, so I decided to mix the situation appropriately.

[After all, a true strong person should know how to protect the weak. If someone uses their strength to take drugs and tries to kill the weak when caught, they're not a hero. They're just society's trash, using their superpowers for personal gain.]

"Hey, you! Are you talking about Student Ermina!"

[Not just Ermina.]

I aimed the bat at the staff member behind the ice wall again.

[Superpowers, physical strength, wealth, political power. Those who possess all these 'powers.' I don't expect them to sacrifice themselves for social justice, and I can tolerate them using their power for personal gain, but I won't forgive those who use their power to harm or kill others. That's my 'rule,' the goblin's rule.]

"Shut up! You, a villain!"

[You, a villain? Do you really have the right to say that? Just because it hasn't been revealed yet, does that mean you haven't done things that would make others call you a villain?]

"I haven't done such things!!"

The truth doesn't matter.

While I was saying this, I had gathered the remaining mana and calculated my position.

[Whatever... It doesn't matter. I just follow my beliefs.]

"A villain talking about beliefs...!!"

[I execute the wicked. Even if they are known as heroes in the world.]

I aimed the tip of the bat at Snow White, Baek Seol-hui.

[Princess Snow White. Listen well. The moment you commit evil, the moment you become a villain, I will come for you.]

"...So, you're saying I should commit evil to meet you?"

[That's not what I meant. But, it would be interesting.]

I swiped the bat over my head.

[I look forward to it. When that day comes, I'll dye the pure snowfield red with this bat.]

Spiritualization.

Goblin hood.

[The execution is over.]

I became a spirit and left the scene.

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