Ch.197197. Repayment

A friend’s testimony. But he was on the enemy’s side. I expected this from Hannah, but not from Gicheol.

We were in the same boarding group, and even though we grew distant because of Deokmin, we never hated each other.

Yet there Gicheol was, testifying against me right before my eyes.

“He always seemed strange. He stood out among the lower-class members. And while telling us to run away, he would always disappear on his own. He fought badly with Yoo Deokmin and Min Gangsu.”

“I see. Why didn’t they get along?”

The prosecutor smiled maliciously.

“It was about grades. The three of them were top students and fiercely competitive. In the second semester, Yoo Deokmin started pulling ahead. They fought pretty intensely. Their feelings toward each other were definitely not good.”

The next witness, Jung Hannah, twirled her curly hair.

“His relationship with Seo Jinwon strangely deteriorated. Now we know it was because his identity was discovered… He must have held a grudge.”

Anyone listening would think I really wanted to kill them.

Now the prosecutor begins questioning me.

“Defendant. You had emotional grudges against these three people. Of course, it wasn’t your fault. Common anger over grades and rivalry, right?”

I hesitate to answer easily here. I could exercise my right to remain silent, but as we know, doing so throughout the trial would significantly harm the verdict.

“Friends fight and make up and become close again.”

“But you killed them, didn’t you?”

“They attacked me.”

“With your powerful abilities, couldn’t you have just subdued them? Killing them suggests you couldn’t control your true nature, doesn’t it?”

The prosecutor’s questions cut sharply. Their goal is simple.

They want to establish that I’m an uncontrollable and violent being.

They’re trying to frame me not as human but as a monster.

So I’m unnecessary in human society, or rather, I’m viewed as a villain.

“Prosecutor, if I couldn’t control my nature, I would have been causing havoc everywhere. Why would I transform just to deal with monsters and save people?”

“You were restraining yourself. Officer Heo Minwoo was initially free from brainwashing. But he died mysteriously. Wasn’t that because of the secret you were hiding?”

“Shouldn’t speculation have at least minimal evidence? As I understand, it was confirmed that Officer Heo’s family was brainwashed after his death. Probably intimidation.”

“But with your power, you could have subdued them, right? That’s what I keep saying. You had the power and could have subdued them. But you killed them instead. Self-defense is rarely recognized in murder cases. This suggests you killed because of your uncontrollable nature.”

The prosecutor confidently drew his own conclusion.

“In other words, the defendant is hiding an uncontrollable monstrous nature. Once revealed, he would harm countless people—friends, colleagues, or ordinary citizens. Our society cannot tolerate such a dangerous existence. Above all, we cannot know his true intentions. We cannot trust him.”

At this point, my lawyer stood up.

“The defendant has faced monsters and saved humanity dozens of times. Without him, there would have been numerous national disasters.”

The lawyer presented prepared materials.

The airplane bombing, the Busan incident, and the incident with Geum Dohyun. All major incidents I had prevented.

“If those situations had progressed unchecked, we would still be consoling countless victims and working on recovery. He is a talent necessary for humanity.”

“He is an extremely emotional being! It wouldn’t be the first time a human monster pretended to help humanity. Seo Woojin of the White Dragon Guild, revealed as a human monster, has numerous extermination cases. It’s the same! This person approached with plans to cause great harm to humanity.”

The prosecutor’s voice resonates like an orator’s. He speaks well. But the prosecutor has a point.

Human monsters often save lives while hiding their identities.

It’s hard to provide certainty.

“Wooooo!”

The courtroom becomes noisy again. It’s jeering from opponents stimulated by the prosecutor’s eloquence.

This is really awful.

At this moment, Gicheol and I make eye contact.

“…”

Gicheol avoids my gaze. Then, during our lawyer’s questioning, he shouted:

“Most people who opposed Jonghyun died. Deokmin, Gangsu… and Cheongi too.”

Hearing Cheongi’s name reminded me of the knot in my heart.

He died saving me after we fought due to a misunderstanding. But it was clearly Yoo Deokmin who killed him.

The lawyer dug into this point.

“But according to the Magician Guild, he died trying to protect Do Jonghyun from Yoo Deokmin’s attack. Isn’t he free from responsibility?”

“But he let him die. Besides, their relationship was terrible at the end.”

At that moment, I felt my reason snap.

I jumped to my feet.

“Don’t be ridiculous! Cheongi and I made up! We were trying to escape together!”

“Why didn’t you transform to protect him! If you had transformed earlier, he would have lived!”

“You can say that after seeing what’s happening to me? Even though I keep helping people, I’m still called a monster? And I didn’t have time to transform to block his attack!”

“You should have transformed earlier! You killed Cheongi!”

For a moment, I was about to explode with anger, but my lawyer stopped me.

“Wait. You need to stay calm here.”

When I finally calmed down, I realized the courtroom had become so chaotic that the judge was banging his gavel.

And the prosecutor pointed at me triumphantly and shouted.

“Look at this! Isn’t this evidence that he can’t control himself? His nature is violent.”

“Getting excited over a friend’s death is natural!”

My lawyer also stepped forward, and the heat in the courtroom continued unabated.

But I’ve felt from the beginning that there are more enemies here.

Even until this moment when the judge is trying to quiet everyone.

“Die, monster!”

“Quiet! Be quiet!”

Several people were even removed by the judge’s order.

I need to provide proof of my innocence, or rather, earn trust.

But the courtroom couldn’t provide that. Heightened emotions… emotions were rising.

Instinctively, I couldn’t help but think of that fox-eared girl.

But this place is thoroughly becoming the prosecutor’s stage.

And then it was time for our lawyer to question Gicheol and Hannah.

“Don’t be ridiculous! You idiot.”

A sharp voice that I’d heard somewhere before echoed through the room.

Always that prickly voice with an angry attitude. Ariel? Is that Ariel right now?

Surprised, I looked to see Ariel shouting from the gallery.

“You call yourself Jonghyun’s friend? I was there at the scene! Who are you shifting responsibility to! You were friends, right? How can you frame him like this?”

I never expected Ariel to come. The judge once again banged his gavel and had Ariel removed.

“And you’re all mistaken—if Jonghyun wanted to kill, you’d all be dead. Don’t you find that strange?”

Ariel didn’t back down at all, even against the angry crowd.

“You crazy bastard. Are you defending him because you’re his girlfriend? Get a grip!”

“You’re the crazy one for seeing things that aren’t there! This is pathetic.”

Even as she was leaving, Ariel had the last word. And many others were expelled from the courtroom.

Anyway, the courtroom finally regained a quiet calm without background noise.

But it was quite a shock to me. To think that Ariel was here in person.

During our lawyer’s turn to question the witnesses, they remained silent.

Next, the lawyer questioned me as the defendant, focusing on the cases I had resolved.

“The defendant clearly had no obligation to save anyone, yet prevented great damage by stopping monsters. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes. As an academy student, I had no reason to fight anywhere except around my surroundings.”

“But you did anyway. Why?”

“What peace is there in defeating monsters after people have died? My wish is to deal with monsters and save people. To end this situation too.”

“Is it true that your ability came through the summoning system?”

“Yes. I don’t transform like the monster-humans. I borrow their power. In other words, my consciousness remains the same, but my body becomes a medium that calls upon the power of monsters.”

I smiled as the lawyer and I went back and forth.

“Of course, I understand the prosecutor’s concerns. But it’s rare to see someone so proactive in catching monsters or preventing incidents. Human monsters simply perform their assigned roles like puppets. They hunt monsters when told to do so, nothing more. They never act beyond their duty. But the defendant goes around trying to prevent incidents without anyone telling him to. Isn’t that remarkable?”

The lawyer smiled at me.

“Your Honor, I have submitted a witness application to the court according to procedure. I would like to question these ‘witnesses’ here and now.”

“You mean all these people?”

The judge asks in surprise. But what witnesses? Did I have anyone to testify for me?

While I was wondering what kind of testimony they would give, the lawyer said to me:

“I’ve heard about all the ‘good deeds’ you’ve done so far. And I quickly gathered them. Your Honor, all these people are witnesses.”

Under the lawyer’s confirmation, more witnesses were finally entering.

I turned my head in curiosity. Who could they be?

The first ones I saw were a small child and a handsome young man beside her.

Who is that person?

I recalled them.

Ra Seongyun, the leader of the Neptune Guild. And the little girl beside him…

A girl who awakened her magical power at the age of 7, the very girl who was insulted for defending me.

“Could it be?”

Behind them, I saw familiar faces. Well over dozens of people.

They came in pairs as witnesses.

What were they testifying about?

“If it weren’t for this young man, we would have died in mid-air. He threw himself to save us. What does it matter if he’s a monster? He saved people!”

It was repayment for my actions.

They came forward as witnesses for me, who had strived to save people and eliminate threats.

To say that I’m not dangerous.

“If it weren’t for this kid, we would have been finished in the test!”

Seo Seonghan. Even the curly-haired senior I met back then. Everyone connected to me was coming here.

All of them for me.

The result of my actions. Not just preventing destruction, but earning this kind of trust.

I’m happy.

I was smiling more than at any other time.