Ch.117Chapter 5. Battlefield of Proof, Ulleung (3)

“About the Goblin, do you think maybe when he cancels his transformation, he becomes completely naked or something like that?”

After changing clothes and showering.

“Why do you think that?”

“Because we’ve never seen him canceling his transformation in front of others.”

“What does that have to do with being naked?”

“He must be trying desperately not to cancel his transformation in front of others because he becomes naked. Don’t you think so, teacher?”

I chatted with Ymir over tea until nearly midnight.

“That could be possible. But if the Goblin knew someone had figured that out, do you think he’d let them live?”

“Like ‘keep your mouth shut if you want to live’?”

“Wouldn’t he force their mouth shut with his Goblin club?”

“Then couldn’t you just bite it off?”

“I don’t know how strong your teeth are, but the Goblin club must be extremely hard.”

“…Tch.”

Ymir frowned and flicked water droplets from her finger at me.

“Wow, look at that reaction. You’re not even hiding it anymore?”

“That’s something any ordinary person could do, though?”

“Is that really ordinary?”

“Of course. I’m not an ability user.”

“Ha.”

I casually dodged it, then showed Ymir all the material I had gathered from community forums through my Taegeuk Watch and smartphone.

“Want to take a look at this?”

“What am I supposed to… huh…?”

Ymir’s breath caught for a moment.

“There are a lot of crazy people in this world.”

The two photos I showed Ymir were:

A picture of Gold Talisman Magistrate and a photo of Ymir taken while studying at the academy, overlapped from similar angles.

“Fortunately, this level of similarity only makes people say ‘they do look alike?’ I tell you, people in this world can be so malicious. Creating misunderstandings by comparing photos of someone like you with a hero like this.”

“No way, they go this far…?”

“Of course. There are so many dangerous people out there.”

For Ymir, who knows about the existence of the dark web but doesn’t know specifically what content circulates there, this kind of worldly filth must come as a shock.

“You need to be careful about this. You never know when or where someone might spread rumors like this. Some people might claim that you and the S+ ability user, magical girl Gold Talisman Magistrate, are the same person just because you have similar body types.”

“…Now I understand why the Goblin tries so hard to hide his body shape.”

Ymir glared at me through narrowed eyes, grinding her teeth.

“If you had told me earlier, I might have walked around in armor form. You, Platinum Sun. Trying to embody Korean beauty and spirit with this appearance. Is this actually a trap set by the Goblin?”

“A trap?”

“To make you reveal your identity, then entice you to seek help from their Syndicate.”

“That’s probably right? The Goblin isn’t exactly a good person. He’s a villain after all.”

I have no intention of hiding it.

Wearing a hanbok costume based on Korean spirit and beauty to avoid criticism from Koreans?

From the moment I saw Ymir revealing her body shape, I thought someone would eventually discover her identity.

-Isn’t this voyeurism?

-Social justice is more important than that!

-I don’t think so. She’s a foreigner. A foreigner wouldn’t wear such a Korean-style costume. And there’s a more important issue.

-What is it?

-Gold Talisman Magistrate is taller lol

For now, it’s just a “suspicion.”

If more evidence accumulates and starts coming together, and someday becomes “undeniable,” it would be too late to deal with it then.

“You might suddenly get a smishing text on your number. Something like ‘Is this you?’ with a photo attached. Be careful if something like that comes. That person is essentially acting on the conviction that you’re Gold Talisman Magistrate. Though it’s a misunderstanding.”

“What should I do then?”

“Maybe ask the Goblin to deal with the smishing criminal?”

“Would the Goblin do something like that?”

“If it’s necessary for the Goblin, he’d probably roll up his sleeves and get involved. The public sees the Goblin as a villain executioner, but the Goblin’s purpose is ultimately ‘the benefit of the Syndicate.’ …All this is speculation by Librarian Do Ji-hwan. Just saying.”

“……”

Ymir nodded heavily.

Having seen with her own eyes how people analyze and compare her body shape with her hero identity through voyeuristic photos, her mental state must be shaken.

“I should be careful if there’s swimming practice at the academy….”

“All those things in the curriculum are for this kind of background investigation.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Did you think it was just about developing survival skills in water through swimming?”

The academy is more realistically petty and cruel than one might think.

Under the name of patriotism, they take the position that it’s fine to violate everything about an individual.

“It’s a paradox. A hero who reveals their identity can go to a swimming pool without any hesitation, but a hero who hides their identity might have their cover blown by a single photo taken at a pool.”

“…It’s a scary world.”

“Because the world changed after the Great Cataclysm.”

It’s an understatement to think that all entertainment paparazzi are now targeting ability users.

Investigating ability users who hide their identities is not just the role of paparazzi, but also intelligence agencies like the CIA or National Intelligence Service.

“S+ ability user. Confirmed ability to turn a human who became a demon back into a human without abilities. Don’t know where the ability goes, but at least confirmed they can remove a demon’s ability. Even just this much would attract worldwide attention, but what if they can extract abilities and turn them into a physical object or make them their own? Wow, I’d be interested in such a hero too.”

“An ability user who receives so much public attention that even the Goblin is prepared to reveal his identity….”

“Right. I’m sure he’s being careful in his own way. But you need to be more careful than that.”

I adjusted my posture and pulled up a photo of the Goblin.

“You said the Goblin might become naked when he cancels his transformation. So here’s a question: Would the Goblin be embarrassed to be naked in front of people?”

“……No.”

Ymir shook her head with a reddened face.

“The Goblin… was very confident about his body.”

“Right. He’s not someone who’d be embarrassed about being naked. What he’s really worried about is people trying to uncover his identity using photos of his body. At the very least, he’d cover his face in such a situation.”

“Instead of covering his face, they’d try to identify the Goblin by his body?”

“Exactly. This is just a joke, but…”

Not at all.

“If he could just cover his face properly, he’d probably stand proudly with his hands on his hips, don’t you think?”

It’s not that he’s embarrassed about being naked and cancels his transformation away from others’ eyes.

“What do you think, Ymir?”

“…….”

After fidgeting with her fingers for a moment and looking me up and down, Ymir…

“…I agree.”

She deeply acknowledged my words.

* * *

Late night.

It’s almost midnight, but there’s no curfew for academy college students.

“You don’t have to walk me back.”

“It wouldn’t be gentlemanly to let a female college student go home alone this late.”

“…Hmph. I’m an ability user, you know.”

“How dangerous is the world these days? Suddenly an S-class demon appears in the city while people are flirting, and then Gold Talisman Magistrate shows up to subdue it.”

“And there might also be a dangerous person watching from behind.”

As we talked, we approached the dormitory.

It was a student area where faculty members weren’t allowed to enter, and in front of us, other couples were reluctantly saying goodbye.

“Honey, are you really okay? Your injury?”

“I’m fine. I’ve recovered. I’m just glad you weren’t hurt, noona.”

In front of the dormitory, Fire Knuckle, an A-class ability user, was cuddling with someone who appeared to be his girlfriend.

Even though he had been in a major accident just hours ago, being alive meant they could exchange love so casually.

“Hey, Hyuk. Today… do you have to go in? Let’s go to my room in the staff quarters.”

“Noona?”

“I want to apologize to you about something…. Even if faculty can’t enter student dormitories….”

“Noona.”

Fire Knuckle grabbed his girlfriend’s hand with a grin.

“Let’s go. Right now.”

“Oh, really…!”

The two disappeared, spreading lovey-dovey vibes.

“Wow, patriotic angle. Patriotic angle. I wonder if the baby will be throwing fire punches from inside the mother’s womb.”

“What are you saying… No, let me ask you. If the Goblin had a child, what do you think the child would be like?”

“The Goblin’s child? Hmm…. Wouldn’t it depend on who gives birth to the child? Well, get in safely. It’s getting very late.”

“…….”

Ymir seemed reluctant to leave, as if something was still on her mind.

“Um, teacher. Thank you for teaching me various things today. I’ll come for another ‘special tutoring’ next time.”

Ah.

I see.

So that’s the setup.

“Of course. If Ymir is interested in being a librarian, I’m willing to give special tutoring anytime in the future.”

“A librarian?”

“Yes. The librarian of a library is the strongest, you know.”

“Li-brary. Hmm…. I understand. But.”

Ymir seemed to make up her mind and looked up at me, pointing at my Taegeuk Watch.

“Are you free next weekend?”

“Next weekend? That would be….”

“After I return from my regional training.”

Ymir took a deep breath and then-

“…I want to go sightseeing somewhere. For two days and one night.”

Looking straight at me, she proposed a trip together.

“To Ulleungdo.”