Ch.116Chapter 5. Battlefield of Proof, Ulleung (2)

Thump, thump.

My steps feel light.

Even though I’m carrying someone in my arms as I run through the streets, my steps feel remarkably light.

To begin with, the person I’m carrying isn’t particularly heavy.

Despite having an abundance of magical power that should make her heavy, she was surprisingly quite light.

“This is terrible.”

[Why? Are you in pain?]

“…Not right now.”

Ymir narrowed her eyes and glared at me.

“I understand why you said that. I’m feeling incredibly shaken and going crazy right now, but how would other people feel if this happened to them?”

[Well. You had some intermediate process with me, but if someone just experienced this outright, they’d probably feel disgusted and tempted to become a demon.]

That’s my guess.

[In fact, the world is full of people who became demons that way.]

“Have you done it?”

[Bullshit. I’m the one who smashes the heads of such people with my goblin club, and sends those who’ve become demons painlessly to the afterlife. I have no reason to do such things. I have a wife, and more than enough people I can meet with a single call.]

“Wow. You’re trash.”

That’s true.

“So where do I rank among your fingers?”

[Are you asking about the order, or my personal ranking?]

“Both.”

[You’re seventh in order.]

One hand is full of villains.

And the other hand has started filling up with “heroes” from the thumb to the index finger.

[Ranking people has no meaning, so let’s move on.]

“Look at you, conveniently skipping the unfavorable parts.”

[That’s what being a villain is about. Want to be one? No one calls you out when you’re hypocritical.]

“It’s not that no one calls you out, it’s just that there’s no point in doing so.”

[That’s exactly why being a villain is enjoyable.]

If heroes are hypocritical, they’re likely to be criticized with “How could they do such a thing, I never expected that from them,” but when villains do the same, people just click their tongues saying, “I knew they would do that.”

[The path of villainy is always open. Of course, I won’t allow you to go to other villains now. Since I’ve slightly revealed my identity, you’re now within my snare.]

“Is being a hero okay?”

[Heroes are fine. My goal is for the hero Platinum Sun to become a member of the Syndicate. Becoming a civil servant is fine, but joining another company is not.]

“What about entering as an industrial spy and then leaving?”

[If you enter as an industrial spy and rise to become the CEO, then a new world opens up. We’ve arrived.]

I arrived at home while carrying Ymir.

The balcony window was open, and I brought her to my home as if it were the most natural thing.

[As a senior who lives with a hidden identity, let me give you some advice. Always be careful about the Taeguk Watch’s movements. If the GPS of the Taeguk Watch suddenly appears kilometers away, your identity will be immediately exposed.]

“Isn’t my identity already exposed the moment I brought you here?”

[Then shall we both reveal ourselves clearly?]

“…No. I’ll pass on that. I want to see how far you’ll take this prank, and…”

Ymir stumbled before sitting down on the bed, putting on the Taeguk Watch with a sly smile.

“I’m also curious if it might be fun to uncover the Goblin’s identity as the human Ymir.”

[I don’t know what you’re plotting, but I’ll look forward to it.]

“Good. Then…ugh.”

Ymir tried to stand up but staggered slightly, and I immediately approached to support her.

“Wow, look how natural that was. Does this mean you can just touch me now?”

[Aren’t we close enough for that?]

“We are, but still, seeing your hand reach out so naturally like this…ugh, it feels unfair somehow.”

Ymir stared at me intently, then tilted her head slightly.

“By the way, aren’t you going to undo your transformation?”

[…….]

“Shouldn’t you release it now? We’re already inside your home, how long are you going to stay in that state? What if someone discovers your identity?”

[Hmm.]

If I undo the transformation and my identity is revealed -> No problem.

If I undo the transformation and become naked in front of Ymir -> Not particularly a problem…

-Yes! Saw the Goblin naked. Jackpot!

That doesn’t seem right.

[It doesn’t matter. I have more plans for today.]

“You’re lying.”

[How would you know if I’m lying or not?]

“From someone who abandoned their bike out of consideration for me.”

[…….]

To think that being considerate to a woman as a man would become such a problem.

Still, I have no regrets.

Whether I had her ride in front or behind me on the bike, it would be better to safely carry her in a princess hold all the way home than to transport someone who would be in pain from the bike’s vibrations.

[My plans don’t necessarily require me to undo my transformation. From now on, I need to search the internet to investigate what happened today.]

“Investigation? Why?”

[S-class demon… let’s see. Haftod, it says. I can find the evil organization by investigating where this demon disappeared to and how people are reacting.]

“Really? Let me-“

[Only members of the Syndicate can access the Syndicate’s network. Sorry, but go home.]

“…You’re just going to send a woman home?”

Ymir puffed her cheeks, showing her dissatisfaction.

[Are you planning to leave like that? Your image is all over the internet, and they’re even creating a wiki page about you.]

“Oh my, really?”

[Yes.]

It’s because we were briefly isolated from modern civilization, but while we were having our battle of resolve on the cliff, the internet was also in chaos with its own war of proof.

[Look at this. People are analyzing your body measurements pixel by pixel from the live footage.]

“……Wow, these perverted bastards….”

Though her language was a bit harsh, I understand.

When I first appeared as the Goblin in a suit, there was chaos on foreign wiki sites asking “How many inches is the Goblin’s club?” when the wind made my suit pants flutter.

-Definitely not Asian lol

-What? So is he black? Is he a Bro?

That’s how noisy it was initially.

-What’s this? I was trying to find out how many inches the Goblin’s club is, but why are all the photos deleted?

-Obviously because he became a “named” figure. You must have been digging up old bait. Everything’s gone now.

-Damn… I was planning to start a business based on the Goblin’s club. Tsk.

After becoming a direct subordinate of the chairman, such posts were all censored.

But for Ymir?

-Judging by her high heel size, is her foot size 240mm? Not sure.

-You know this debate is meaningless if she’s an ability user who can precisely control her body, right?

-Would she really go that far? More importantly, try to estimate her mana pouch size. It looks at least H.

-H…. for Hero, of course.

“No way.”

Ymir let out a hollow laugh as she saw the community’s reactions.

“These people, seriously….”

[If you join the Syndicate, we can manage all of this for you. What do you think?]

“…It’s kind of tempting, but, hmm, maybe I don’t really care?”

Ymir approached from behind and grabbed me tightly.

“After all, only the Goblin knows the reality.”

[That posture is dangerous. You don’t know how vicious these people are. They can identify a hero’s secret identity just by the position of a mole on their thigh. Don’t underestimate time-based ability users.]

“What do you mean by time-based ability users…?”

[I mean investigation ability users who can devote all their time to the internet.]

“Ah, I see. Well, I’m still fine with it.”

Ymir shrugged with a carefree smile.

“Now that my vague fears have disappeared, I feel like I can overcome anything that comes my way. And… I’ve got someone I can consult with if my mental state wavers.”

[Who?]

“I wonder? Who could it be? Hmm.”

Ymir reached down slightly, attempting to sexually harass me again.

“Oh my, you’re not avoiding it?”

[No reason to.]

“Hmph. That’s no fun.”

Ymir backed away from me and grabbed my head.

[Why? Going to break my neck?]

“No. Don’t look back. Just for a moment… I’m going to undo my transformation.”

[Hmm.]

As Ymir instructed, I kept looking forward, and I caught a glimpse of something golden fading behind me.

Rustle!

With lightning-fast movements, Ymir gathered something, then took the collected items and left the living room.

Click!

The sound of a door locking was clearly from the bathroom.

[Heh.]

I could hear her struggling with something inside, but it didn’t seem right to help with that.

‘This is when the difference between men and women really shows.’

After confirming by ear that Ymir was struggling inside, I immediately undid my transformation.

And as I always did, I quickly took clothes from the closet.

Click!

The door opened.

“Finally caught…!”

“Student Ymir?”

I pointed at Ymir up and down.

“Put your clothes on properly before coming out. Goodness, what are you thinking coming out in just a white T-shirt with nothing below? Are you planning to go home like that?”

“……Wait, how…?”

“What?”

I raised both arms and shrugged.

“What’s wrong with a man being shirtless in his own home?”

Wearing pants and shorts, I grinned at Ymir.

“Any complaints, Student Ymir?”

“……”

Ymir gritted her teeth at me and went back into the bathroom.

Slam!

The bathroom door closed roughly, and I leisurely picked up a shirt.

“That was close.”

Almost revealed that undoing the transformation makes clothes disappear.

‘She probably knew. Seeing that I wouldn’t undo my transformation.’

She must have thought it was the same for her.

…Well, she probably figured it out to some extent.

“Trying to peek at someone else’s naked body. What a sneaky college girl.”

At least.

Since my naked body wasn’t exposed, I’m safe, right?

Ah.

What about after Ymir undid her transformation?

The coat woven with magical power that the Goblin gave to post-transformation Ymir to cover herself?

That was seen by the Goblin, not by me, Do Ji-hwan.