Chapter 86

〈 Chapter 85 〉 Section 4. How to Conquer a Hero (5)

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"Let's go, Mr. Goblin."

Yumir climbed onto my back. She seemed to have been about to sleep, as she was in her pajamas, but she casually climbed onto my back and hugged me from behind.

[Hmm....]

A tremendous presence pressed against my back.

Although she seemed a bit awkward at holding her posture, as if she had never ridden a bike before, she must have seen it in a movie or something, because she wrapped her arms around my waist and pressed her upper body tightly against my back.

"Why?"

[I might get a scolding if I take you to some strange place.]

"Since you asked this cute girl for a night drive, you must have already decided on a place, right?"

[Of course.]

Although I hardly know any places on Sejong Island, I do know one good spot to enjoy the night view and have a conversation.

[But the title 'Mr. Goblin' sounds a bit strange.]

"Then can I just call you Goblin? Wouldn't that be disrespectful?"

[It's better than calling me 'villain Goblin' or 'Goblin bastard.' Call me Goblin.]

"Alright. Then I'll take the liberty."

Gwaah.

Yumir pulled me closer.

Previously, her hands were around my waist, but now they were close enough to interlock in front of my abdomen.

"Oh...."

[What's wrong?]

"I was just checking how much muscle you have, but why does it feel like...?"

Yumir was touching my abdomen.

I didn't stop her.

Is it meaningless to resist a girl of EX level?

Or am I showing off my abs?

Not at all.

If I were to show off anything, it would be my 'special ability.'

"It doesn't feel human, more like touching a balloon filled with air...?"

[I know you want to check my body by feeling my muscles, but unfortunately, you can't touch me right now.]

"Ugh.... That's disappointing. Is it going to burst in the middle of this? If I hold you too tightly?"

[You'll have to hold me that tightly. We're about to drive to the outskirts of Sejong Island. At full speed.]

I put a helmet on Yumir's head and immediately stepped on the pedal.

[Just as you recognized me, it would be troublesome if others did too. Of course, that includes you.]

"...A secret date just for the two of us? Ah, eek?!"

Vroom!

The bike raced over the fence with a rough engine sound.

"No, wait, eek?!"

Yumir immediately clung to my back due to the sudden speed and acceleration, and I drove to a quiet area where no patrols were happening.

"What if we get caught?"

[We won't. If I thought we would, I would have asked you to transform.]

"Really? Can I trust you?"

[I'll take off my mask if we get caught.]

"Ugh.... I believe you."

Yumir finally relaxed.

But just saying it like that made me think I should tease her a bit.

[Trusting a villain, how foolish.]

"Eh...?"

[Let's go.]

I immediately turned the bike and drove towards people walking on the street, even though it was late at night.

"Eek...?! There, there are people!!"

[I know.]

Perhaps worried that her identity might be revealed, Yumir pressed the helmet against my back.

Vroom!

"What?"

But no one noticed us.

They just thought it was a bit of a strong wind, and no one realized we were riding a bike.

"How is this possible...?"

[It's a very special skill. Want to know about it?]

I deliberately stopped the bike.

We were in the middle of a square where about three or four people were passing by, but no one noticed us.

"How can you...?"

[I can teach you if you ask.]

"...I do want to know, but you won't just tell me for free, right?"

[No.]

Yumir is no ordinary girl.

"The special ability of a Goblin... If I just knew what kind of ability it is and sold the information, I could make over a billion."

[Are you learning it to sell it?]

"No. I want to use it myself."

What is the most interesting thing to an ability user?

It's a very special ability that they can't do themselves, but others can.

"How you can escape the perception of S-rank heroes. How you can avoid people's attention. And how you managed to run around for half a year without revealing your identity."

[Is that all?]

"First, that's the main one, but there are many more things I want to ask...."

Like ultra-high-speed movement.

Ultra-high-speed combat.

And moving without being noticed by others.

"You won't just tell me for free, right? You want something in return, don't you?"

[You know well. Want to know what the price is?]

"Will you tell me if I pay the price?"

[If it's a fair and reasonable deal.]

"I want to know this side of things."

Yumir's hand slowly moved upwards.

"How much do I have to pay to know this...?"

Her slender fingers traced up my chest and lightly touched the chin part of my mask.

"Who is the Goblin? I'm really curious about what kind of man the Goblin is, not just his abilities."

[Maybe not a man.]

"Oh, not a man? But you have the Goblin's baton here?"

[You're talking about the shape and voice, but you're quite something to bring up the Goblin's baton.]

I didn't expect her to bring up the Goblin's baton here.

[Well, after you transform, you look like a woman anyway.]

"Hehe. Just a joke. Talking to you like this is... really interesting. ...to me."

Yumir whispered something to herself.

I'm not sure if she said it for me to hear, but the beginning of her words was muffled, so I couldn't hear them.

Vroom.

I started the bike again from the square.

[You're quite talkative, considering the speed.]

"...Huh? I guess so?"

Yumir talked to me without any resistance, even at a very high speed.

That's a talent too.

Usually, at such a speed, you'd bite your tongue just by opening your mouth.

[Anyway, it's fortunate if talking to me is interesting. I want to get along a bit more from now on.]

"With me? Why?"

[Of course, to make you one of us.]

Squeak.

I stopped the bike.

"Here is...."

[A no-entry zone for civilians. Thanks to that, it's a place with a great view of the natural scenery.]

Actually, this is where I brought the stake of the Huolbindang and escaped from the water last time.

It was quite difficult to bring the bike here, but despite the rough ride, the bike was completely unscathed.

[It's a great place for a quiet conversation between the two of us.]

I took out the Goblin's baton from the bike and lightly tapped the ground towards the direction of the sea.

Paang.

A bench made of mana appeared, and I sat at one end of it.

"Wow. What do you carry around with you? Is it stored in a capsule or something?"

[A temporary creation. I can make anything with mana, you know?]

"I didn't think you could make something like this."

[If it's convenient, that's all that matters.]

I pointed to the side of the bench for Yumir.

[Sit. We have plenty of time and a lot to talk about.]

"Alright. But...."

Yumir raised one hand high into the sky.

"Transform."

Paang.

Her body shimmered in a rainbow of colors, and she immediately took on the appearance of the magical girl Kinbudo.

"How do I look? My transformation."

[You seem to be very concerned about other people's gazes.]

"Well, I'm going to walk the path of a hero."

Rustle.

Then she immediately took off her hood and mask.

Wearing only the costume of the magical girl Kinbudo, she sat on the quite spacious bench—

"Excuse me."

[Excuse me.]

"But I said 'excuse me' first, didn't I?"

She sat down next to me, not at the end of the bench, leaving enough space for another person to sit next to her.

[Don't people usually sit at the sides of the bench separately?]

"Talking close up won't make our voices carry far, right?"

[Even if you shouted from the moment we got here, no one would come.]

"Oh, then...!"

[But you can't shout.]

I reached out my hand towards Yumir's mouth, and she flinched and pursed her lips.

[You have that look in your eyes. Just a feeling. There's someone who reacts like that around me.]

"Who is it?"

[You'll have to make a contract to know.]

Finally, the main topic.

[Want to join the guild?]

"Become a villain?"

[Even if you genuinely want to be a hero, I'm only suggesting the path of a villain.]

Making Yumir join the guild.

[You are strong. But you lack imagination. Your ability is outstanding, but your methods of using it are still lacking. That's why you came to Sejong Island, right?]

"......."

[You are aware that you have an incredible ability, but the moment it's revealed to the public, a lot of attention will be drawn to you. Your...]

"I'll give you a quiz. If you guess it right, I'll seriously consider your proposal."

Yumir leaned in close to me.

"What is my ability? Shall we play twenty questions? Hmm, if you guess it right at once, I'll give you a gift or something—"

[Seizure.]

I pointed to Yumir's abdomen.

[Your ability is to steal other people's abilities.]

"......."

Where?

Giving a quiz based on the story's setting to a reader who followed until the end.

It's a setting revealed in the later part of the original, but I already know everything.

[You didn't purify Ermina from a demon to a human. You didn't delete her ability. You stole Ermina's mana, her ability. Right?]

"......."

Yumir's hand rested on my thigh.

"You got it right."

Yumir leaned in again and whispered in my ear.

"My ability is to steal."

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