Chapter 82

〈 Chapter 81 〉 Section 4. How to Approach a Hero (1)

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It has been about a week since the treasure hunt incident.

Ermina Sternfels has started to receive legal representation from people in her home country.

She has become an ordinary person.

The bright future she had as an A-class ability user has vanished, and now she is left to live a life of utter incompetence, as she sees it.

The Korean language is truly full of nuances and differences.

Even a single character can change the nuance or feeling of a word significantly.

Ability user and non-ability user.

This is the perspective of someone who possesses an ability.

Ability user and ordinary person.

This is the perspective of someone who lacks an ability.

However, the 'ability superiority' advocates, who possess abilities themselves, refer to non-ability users or ordinary people as 'incapable.'

If those with physical disabilities are called disabled,

then to ability users, ordinary people are those lacking in 'ability.'

This is a viewpoint that is extremely unpleasant and repulsive from the perspective of ordinary people, but would those who think this way really change their minds if told that their thoughts are wrong?

Absolutely not.

They wouldn't change.

An ability is something one is born with, and losing an ability is an impossible occurrence.

Occasionally, there have been reports of such incidents in North America, but these were mere coincidences and people didn't pay much attention to them.

But now, the situation has changed.

Whether this is a misunderstanding or the truth, I cannot tell.

However, the circumstances suggest as much, and the person who can confirm this is unable to speak, and the one who might have such abilities has gone into hiding.

­Is it possible that the goblin can erase abilities?

People began to think.

And the same goes for the Immortal Order.

"I had a hard time getting out. It shouldn't have taken a week, but it was more difficult than expected. After all, there was movement of people between Germany and Sejong Island, and with an A-class ability user losing their ability, the entire Sejong Island went into emergency mode."

"We were also in an emergency. We had to believe the reports."

Gong Ji, who had heard the report directly, displayed a report on the screen.

"Ymir. Are you saying this woman purified the demonized Ermina Sternfels?"

"Yes. I suspect she might be the one behind the series of events in North America, 'Genros.'"

"Is the method to directly extract the demon's seed from the stomach of the demonized person?"

"Yes."

Although I couldn't show the video footage, I described the situation in detail.

"She inserted her hand, stained with gold, into Ermina's abdomen. The hand, made of mana, penetrated Ermina's abdomen without causing any bleeding. It didn't affect the human body, but instead, she extracted the demon's seed and placed it in a golden sphere."

"Jewel of the Sea."

The leader's words made the other officers pause.

It was surprising that the leader, who rarely speaks, had said something, and even more so that the word was related to the leader's ability, which left everyone flustered.

"There's no need to be surprised. The mechanism for sealing abilities in a sphere or sealing a demon in a sphere is the same."

"But that doesn't mean just anyone can do it, Leader."

"So, it seems that only you and this Ymir can use this technique worldwide."

Ymir used the leader's technique.

While extracting is the opposite of what the leader does, the act of removing something from an ability user is the same.

"How powerful was the mana you sensed?"

"From what I could tell, at least S-class."

"Well, with that huge mana reservoir, it would be strange if she wasn't S-class."

"......"

Regardless of the mana reservoir, Ymir just has a lot of mana.

"So, what's your plan, Section Chief Do? How do you plan to recruit her to the Order?"

"I will dedicate myself to making Ymir join our Order."

"Hmm...."

The leader let out a sigh, as if testing the waters.

"Section Chief Do, I have one question."

"Speak, Do-ol."

"Are you saying you plan to seduce Ymir so that she only looks at you and won't betray the Order?"

"Yes, that's correct."

It's a bombshell.

I feel like I'm on the executioner's block, about to be dismantled by these women.

"Is this the best plan you've come up with, Section Chief Do?"

"Isn't it the most reliable resource I have to persuade her? The Director said, 'For the purpose, do not hesitate to use any means.'"

"Still, I'm a bit against the idea of using your charm."

One of the directors immediately rejected my plan.

"Even if she's a capable woman, do we really need to go that far to recruit her? What about other methods?"

"What methods are you referring to?"

"Act like a villain. Take hostages, or propose her joining a large organization purely, or make an offer she can't refuse!"

"While those are all methods, unfortunately, according to the investigated data, Ymir has no weaknesses."

I displayed a small section of the report on Ymir's background, which Jumo had investigated, on the screen.

"She has no family. She grew up in a facility for orphans in Canada, and all the people in that facility were massacred in a villain's attack."

Although Ymir hasn't spoken about it directly, she has no family.

I felt like the author should be killed for not revealing more about the protagonist's background before she came to Korea.

"Ymir is someone who desires affection. She is being ostracized by her peers because she is an E-class ability user from a foreign country. Her appearance is not as good as those here, but if a seat on the board is added, she could be at the same level, which makes her a target of jealousy and envy."

Objectively, she could be compared to the leader, but saying that might make me the goblin, so I decided to tone it down.

"I will use this to my advantage. If the proposal is approved, I will do my utmost to persuade Ymir to join our Order."

"Section Chief Do, are you planning to form a harem?"

"How could I ever dream of such a thing? However, I will—"

I stood up and bowed deeply.

"I will dedicate my life to the Order, to help fulfill the leader's grand vision."

"Alright."

The leader's answer came.

"Subdue Ymir. Make her move for the Order. Use any means necessary, and employ all the resources at your disposal. However—"

The leader added a condition.

"Tell her you're married."

"......What?"

What did you just say?

"Tell her you're married. If she still tries to seduce you despite knowing that, then I'll acknowledge it."

"Leader?"

"Isn't it true? Whether a married man tries to seduce her or not, if she knows he's married and still pursues a relationship, it's considered 'adultery.'"

"......"

The leader.

"Great. Making her carry the lifelong burden of guilt for being an adulteress is the easiest way to turn her into a villain."

Something.

"Why not also tell her you have a child?"

"Leader, should I go there now?"

"No, no. I'm being serious. I'm not angry. I'm really being serious, so listen carefully."

Unpredictable.

At the same time.

"Make Ymir carry the lifelong mental burden of being an adulteress. That would be the true 'villainous corruption,' wouldn't it? The idea of dating a married man with a child."

The leader knows all too well how to exploit human weaknesses.

"Make her a person that no one in the world, except the Order, would accept."