I Became the Academy’s Kibitz Villain

How far could a human cross the line?

We had already confirmed this through countless creations.

Even without creations, we could occasionally see the actions of demons disguised as humans through the news.

Whether it’s for money, power, or any other reason, humans would sometimes abandon ethics to achieve what they saw as ‘profit’.

Even if it meant abandoning familial bonds.

Even if it meant committing atrocities.

“Do you know about the Habsburg family in medieval Europe?”

Taejo carefully began to speak to Yumir, whose expression was hardened and who couldn’t speak properly.

“In medieval Europe, bloodlines were highly valued. And to keep that bloodline from leaking out, they practiced inbreeding repeatedly.”

“It means exactly what it sounds like. Siblings became spouses, aunts became wives, and sometimes sons became husbands. I’m not here to talk about the rise and fall of the Habsburg family, but history tends to repeat itself.”

Taejo fiddled with the golden sparkling figurines.

“Let’s think objectively. If the first twins were born, and both were S-class, what would the world expect from this couple? Wouldn’t they naturally have the obvious expectation?”

“…That the third would also be S-class?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“…….”

As Yumir made a face as if she was about to throw up, I placed my hand on her back and stroked it gently.

“You can’t react like this already. We’re about to discuss something even more serious.”

This story was poison for Yumir.

It could trigger her disillusionment and anger towards the world, potentially leading her to raise her ‘meteor counter’.

While I was jokingly using the term ‘meteor counter’, it essentially meant mental exhaustion.

Disillusionment, disgust, and distrust toward humans.

And the futility of knowing that she had been, and would continue to be, protecting such humans at all costs.

All these emotions would culminate, leading Yumir to choose the ‘mutual destruction’ ending.

There were two ways.

Either trap her in a cage where she couldn’t see the world’s filth, or slowly submerge her face into the swamp until eventually, her whole body sank.

The most ideal outcome was for her to see the bottom of the swamp and still spread her wings to fly towards the sky.

Yumir was now at the stage of dipping her feet in the swamp.

“The same situation occurred with my parents. They kept trying to have children, but it didn’t go well.”

“Wait, when you say it didn’t go well, you mean they just had trouble conceiving, right? It’s not what I’m thinking, is it?”

“What are you thinking?”

I asked while patting Yumir’s back.

“Tell me. No matter what you’re thinking, I won’t be disappointed.”

“……That if they weren’t S-class or ability users, they were not allowed to be born.”

“Platinum Sun.”

Taejo gave a bitter smile with a calm face.

“I’m sorry. Your thoughts are correct.”

“…Ugh.”

“They were ‘disposed of’ at birth. The Haegneul was behind my mother, and my father had a close relationship with Haegneul as well.”

“By ‘disposed of,’ do you mean they were killed? There’s no case where they were sent to an orphanage or adopted overseas?”

“Yes. They were all killed. Until the last one, until an S-class was born.”

“…….”

Yumir grabbed the table with her hands.

Her grip, imbued with mana, crushed the metal, leaving handprints.

“Calm down. It’s in the past. It’s something that happened before, and we can’t change it.”

“…Yes. Hoo. But, just hearing about it is so overwhelming. Knowing this, you….”

“I first learned about it when I was 11. It must have been. They had a child at least once a year, sometimes every two years, and then I accidentally overheard them arguing.”

A memory of a middle-aged couple came to mind.

They pointed fingers at each other, veins bulging on their necks, as they argued furiously.

“I can’t have any more. We’ve already failed every time. They fought like that. It was the first time I saw them, who were always bright in front of us, fighting like that.”

“…At least they wouldn’t show such arguments in front of their S-class babies.”

“Yes. By that time, it was forbidden by law.”

The golden figurine seemed to be viewed slightly from below, probably because it was Taejo’s memory—a scene seen by an 11-year-old child secretly peeking.

“But eventually, I saw it. Fortunately, I wasn’t caught. If I had been caught, this man wouldn’t have tried to do such a terrible thing.”

This man’s trauma from knowing the truth was now being reenacted by his ability.

“It was summer. That man chose another woman instead of his vanished wife to have an S-class child. Half of it was in the name of his wife.”

“Crazy….”

Like a miniature.

“Where did the S-class come from? It wasn’t from the woman, but from his blood. The woman must have had an affair, and my genes contained the potential to produce an S-class.”

“He’s out of his mind.”

“Yes, he was out of his mind.”

The more specific the memory, the more vivid the figurines on the table became.

“Summer night. The man finally tried to do it. He sneaked into the room where my sister was sleeping, and luckily, I arrived in time.”

On the bed.

A monster lunged at the sleeping girl.

And behind the monster, a small boy reached out his hand towards it.

Crack.

Something like a box, reminiscent of a delivery box, encased the monster with iron plates.

“The Iron Box of Steel actually has this function too. But it was never revealed to the world.”

Crunch, crackle.

The golden box started to shrink in size.

Sounds of something pounding could be heard from inside, but the box continued to compress, and compress some more, as if it would shrink until it reached its limit.

It shrunk to the size of a slightly larger than a travel suitcase.

The box did not shrink any further, and the boy fell to his knees.

“No one knows. No one. Except for what I saw and the SD card in the old smartphone inside the box.”

“……!!”

“If it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t have been able to discuss it with my grandfather. Eventually, my grandfather learned everything, and the man disappeared, thanks to the help of many people.”

Two people appeared next to the box.

“Those people, could they be….”

“Gwang Ik Gong. And the other one is… a deceased S-class hero.”

Both were faces I recognized, and they were discussing something serious before they eventually destroyed the box completely.

“And I sealed myself. Whether it was due to childishness, or because I was afraid of telling my sister the truth, or because I was afraid of being branded a patricidal murderer, I couldn’t bear it at that time. So, I divided myself.”

The boy split into two.

One was a rambunctious child who thought he was special.

And behind him, crouching in the shadows, was another boy who just watched the rambunctious child and laughed.

“Well, it’s a common story in the world of abilities, isn’t it? Haha….”

Taejo waved his hand forward, making all the figurines disappear.

“When my grandfather called me and deactivated the hypnosis, I woke up—”

“How could….”

Drip, drip, drip.

“I’m, I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say.”

Tears streamed down Yumir’s face.

She lowered her head, unable to look at Taejo, covering her mouth with her hands, and tears fell onto her clothes, soaking them.

“Oh, no. It’s fine. It’s all in the past….”

“It’s okay. Cry.”

I hugged Yumir and patted her, nodding once to Taejo.

The one who wanted to cry, who should cry, was not just Yumir.

“…They say a man cries three times in his life. I’ve already cried twice, so I only have one stack left.”

“Crying more than three times doesn’t affect your life at all.”

“…Have you ever cried?”

“Of course. Even sad movies make me tear up.”

I was not as sensitive as Yumir, but I was quite emotional.

“Crying or expressing emotions in any way is a good thing. For you, it must be that.”

“…….”

“I understand. I’m a man too. When you’re in someone’s arms, you can forget all your worries and concerns, even if just for a moment.”

To forget sadness, humans became obsessed with something.

Whether it’s work, people, or relationships.

Even if he divided his personality, there weren’t many ways to relieve the underlying resentment in the subconscious of this man.

His method was patriotism, that’s all.

This man.

“Yuliana Fayegreen. Do you remember the woman who stole your genes and ran away?”

“…Yes.”

“You could have contacted America and had her arrested at the airport, but you went all the way to Gangneung yourself. There must have been a reason for that, even if it wasn’t you, it was the other you outside.”

“…….”

Whether it was Armored Taejo or Black Taejo, both were ultimately Taejo.

He couldn’t stand gene theft, so he flew to Gangneung himself, exhausting most of his magic power.

To somehow stop Yuliana’s departure and meet her directly.

“Did you ask her?”

“I wanted to, but when I saw her face, that thought disappeared. This guy.”

Taejo laughed softly, touching his cheek with his index finger.

“I was disappointed, but I still touched her because I liked her.”

“…How about you?”

“I don’t really know.”

“You don’t know?”

“Yes.”

Taejo scratched his head.

“Those things, they were all done by another me.”

“…….”

“In the past two years, I’ve rarely been out-”

“I’ve decided.”

I continued to pat the now somewhat calmed Yumir and reached out my hand to Taejo.

“Live in the world of light. Don’t live in the shadows anymore. Leave the darkness to society, and live enjoying what you deserve. Patriotism, S-class, whatever. Don’t leave your life to Armored Taejo anymore.”

“…….”

“Carrying the darkness of the world.”

This might sound a bit cheesy.

“It’s the job of adults.”