Ch.171Chapter 7. This Is Convenient Again (1)

After the training ended, Monday, the start of a new week, began.

“Expressing our solemn condolences to the deceased students and civilians…”

The first day of the week started with everyone dressed in black suits, observing a moment of silence for the dead students.

The government conducted a joint funeral in Busan, while on Sejong Island, separate funeral services were held for each student group to comfort the souls of the survivors.

“Dueoksini is dead. No one will ‘forcibly’ turn ability users into demons anymore.”

Funerals are not only for comforting the souls of the dead but also for consoling those who remain alive.

Especially in a situation where so many ability users have died, there’s an even greater need to share in the grief of the ability users.

Family members died.

Friends died.

Classmates who had laughed and said, “Hey, I’m going to get a girlfriend during training,” died.

The demon didn’t discriminate by gender or age.

“Burying today’s pain in our hearts, we must move forward for the sake of those who died. Let us live on, everyone. Let us overcome this ordeal and advance toward a peaceful future.”

Ordeals.

They make humans grow.

Death is unfamiliar, but this too must be an ordeal.

After rain, the ground hardens; after natural disasters, people rebuild and continue living together.

But saying this was insufficient—a funeral alone wasn’t enough to resolve the social chaos and collapse.

“Let us all not be swept away by the inner demon…”

“So why are demons coming back to Sejong Island?! Is this a place of exile?!”

“Uh, ahem, well…”

A broadcasting accident occurred.

When an ability user shouted with magical power in their voice, the joint memorial service on Sejong Island was cut off, and people watching the footage felt conflicted.

Social chaos continued.

* * *

“Was Platinum Sun right to revert demons back to humans?”

As soon as I turned on the 24-hour news channel, this provocative question appeared, making me feel tired immediately.

“How can they debate this all week long?”

Is purifying demons truly the right thing to do?

After the training ended, various topics circulated, but the issue still on everyone’s lips was how to handle Zenros.

“Now let’s hear from citizens.”

“Once a demon, always a demon, right? In the past, these demons would have been killed immediately, but now that the situation has changed, if we spare them, what does that mean for all the demons killed before?”

“Rather than killing them indiscriminately, I think they should face legal judgment. The Supreme Court wouldn’t make strange rulings on such matters, would they?”

“I heard one of the Supreme Court justices has a relative who lost their ability? Even if you file for recusal, well, that’s how the law works in this country. I—”

“At least they’re alive, so we can’t just kill them, right? Even cancer cells are considered life. I think we should first determine whether the demon cells are alive or dead.”

Opinions vary widely.

This issue inevitably causes social discord and continues to throw people into confusion, with the country evenly divided between opposing sides.

‘This is an extension of the issue where people preferred the Goblin’s approach.’

Is it right to kill villains?

Is it right to immediately kill evildoers?

If we leave it to judicial judgment, can this country’s legal system truly deliver fair and objective verdicts based on law and principle?

No matter how much of a patriotic light novel this is, it’s still this country, and even in a world dominated by ability users, the mainstream positions in the legal world and other fields—occupied by “those over 30″—are all held by adults who view things from an ability user’s perspective.

If there’s a neutral position, it would be the agreement reached between the Goblin and Snow White:

“First detain everyone, then determine whether to impose the death penalty or imprisonment according to legal judgment.”

Both I and Baek Seol-hee ultimately wanted Zenros to be judged by legal standards, not personal ones.

I didn’t want to become the ruthless executioner this country’s citizens wanted.

Baek Seol-hee believed that people shouldn’t be killed.

Meanwhile, arrows of malice were aimed at Ymir—Platinum Sun.

“The Goblin was right.”

A photo of graffiti written in black marker on a public toilet began circulating online.

“If the Goblin had just beheaded all the demons, there wouldn’t be such social chaos.”

“Until now, the Goblin killed all demons and villains without mercy, but he wavered because of her. Where did he put down his club when Baek Seol-hee stopped him?”

“Platinum Sun is shaking the Goblin’s convictions. Platinum Sun is the root of all evil.”

“Nonsense.”

The internet is always like this, but the slander and defamation against Platinum Sun has now reached excessive levels.

To summarize what they’re trying to say in one line:

“Wouldn’t it have been cleaner and better if Platinum Sun had just killed all the demons instead of purifying them?”

I understand.

Everyone is confused because of the Goblin’s actions over the past six months, and the precedents set by heroes before him.

“Now that we think we can save them, won’t heroes hesitate to attack and get hurt? I saw in the video they hesitated.”

“Before, killing a demon was just killing a demon, but now heroes could be arrested for murder~~”

“Right, lol What are heroes supposed to do now? Will they become demons themselves after killing a demon and going ‘Sob, I killed a person!’?”

“Tsk.”

People call such individuals troublemakers or attention-seekers.

The government tries to regulate such behavior by law, but the root cause of these comments is the fundamental inferiority complex of those not born as ability users.

I wasn’t born an ability user.

That person was blessed just by being born with abilities?

My family has assets of 10 billion won, but that person’s family had less than 50 million won, and now because they were born with superpowers, their family assets have grown to 200 billion?

In an era where superpowers equate to capital, wealth disparities based on abilities inevitably arise.

I understand.

The real problem is when they force their malice onto those who simply want to be righteous, and when someone becomes a demon because of it, they say, “Why become a demon over such minor comments? Isn’t it just a weak mentality?”

“Seeing things like this makes me think Cheonrian is the answer.”

The nationwide surveillance system “Cheonrian,” which I use most cautiously for calls and texts, catches mostly these kinds of posts.

It ensures people have minimal freedom to post such trash while thoroughly monitoring and censoring to prevent ability users from seeing such garbage-infested trash while walking their path of flowers.

And if villain information happens to be caught in the process, heroes are dispatched.

“What a world.”

Therefore.

A world ruled by the chairman is right.

In a world ruled by the chairman, at least such things wouldn’t happen.

“Well, it’s about time…”

Whoosh!

A golden circle formed in my room, and Ymir, wearing an academy uniform, jumped out from inside.

“Teacherrr…”

With a tearful expression, the gloomy Ymir…

“…Huh?”

Looked me up and down, then dropped the luggage she was holding.

“Uh, uhh…? Teacher, is that you?”

“Surprise.”

I opened my arms toward Ymir, and she immediately ran to me and knelt down.

“Oh my goodness. What’s going on…? Ah, let me take a picture…”

“No pictures.”

“…Oh.”

Ymir made a sad face but soon held my face with both hands and stared at me intently.

“Then I’ll have to save it in my brain. How did you do this?”

“I tried it and it worked.”

“But how? What’s the principle? Summoning my younger self? Or shrinking? Compression?”

“You’re just like her.”

She’s following the exact same process I went through when transforming into this child’s body.

“We’ll talk about the transformation ability later.”

I reached out and gently stroked Ymir’s head.

“You’ve worked hard. Forget everything people are saying and rest well here.”

“…I can still hear it. I was prepared, but…”

Ymir buried her face in my shoulder.

“The things people say online are being repeated by students. The malice toward Platinum Sun. Why I saved them and made the world chaotic.”

“They’re just hating.”

“Yes. I know. I know they’re deliberately trying to criticize, no, condemn Platinum Sun. I know for some people it’s just a ‘game.’ But still…”

Ymir’s body began to tremble.

“I’m… not bad, right?”

“Of course not.”

I patted Ymir’s back.

“You’re not bad. What’s bad is this world.”

The author who made this world this way is the root of all evil.

“Teacher, then…”

Ymir hugged me tightly and threw herself backward onto the bed.

“Wait, is it okay to stay like this…?”

“Of course.”

I let Ymir hold me like a doll while I continued to pat and stroke her head.

“…….”

If becoming younger can help care for Ymir’s mental state…

“Sigh, haa, haaa…”

Well, it might be okay.