I Became the Academy’s Kibitz Villain

Yun Hye-ra was still recovering.

“Not really? I’ve already recovered about 90%.”

As soon as we arrived in the room, Yun Hye-ra flaunted her mana pouch, emphasizing her resilience.

“Do I still look like I need recovery? Hmm?”

[No.]

After confirming that there were no strange devices in the room, I immediately deactivated my spiritual transformation and reverted to my usual state.

“Your magic power might be restored, but there are definitely plenty of people trying to mess with you. Be careful.”

“My mental fortitude is strong, so don’t worry about things like that. Honestly, the real issue lies with the young men and women all over the world who’ve got bigger problems. Hehe.”

Yun Hye-ra plopped herself down on the bed with ease.

“Exactly.”

To sound the alarm to the world, I shot Yun Hye-ra a knowing look.

There were two main takeaways from the fact that the Goblin targeted her.

One, it signalled that Yun Hye-ra was a target the Goblin deemed worthy of execution, thereby making it clear to the world that she wasn’t affiliated with the Secret Society.

Of course, those who knew, already know.

Anyone who wasn’t completely ignorant of the world’s affairs or naively innocent would understand this with just a little attention to how things work.

That the Company was a subsidiary of the Secret Society.

That Yun Hye-ra was Gunggi.

It was practically a charade, but even this act could fool about 30% of the population.

And one more thing…

“If the Association guys try to start anything or act strangely, contact me immediately. I’ll handle them discreetly.”

“The Goblin?”

“No one will know it was the Goblin who dealt with it.”

“Hoho, thanks for saying so.”

“I mean it. Like Chairman Fayegreen, you’re currently taking the brunt of public attention.”

The Secret Society was showing interest in Phoenix’s Feather.

Although exposing Yun Hye-ra directly to the public carried significant risk, this action had already been approved by the chairman.

“I almost wish an ability user would pick a fight with me. That would give us the perfect justification to intervene in Korea. Hehe.”

To create justification…

If someone, whether a Korean or a Korean organization, provoked Yun Hye-ra and caused trouble, the Company would immediately seize the opportunity to intervene in Korea.

In the process, they could acquire properties for business, gain commercial permits, or secure shares in Haegneul Group. All of that would be secondary, contingent on actual conflicts.

For now, the priority was preparing for two major issues causing a stir globally.

One was the Phoenix’s Feather, and the other was…

“Hey!”

Yun Hye-ra threw a punch at me.

The trajectory of her fist, swung directly from her seated position on the bed, aimed precisely at a vital spot.

“Would the Goblin also lose his ability if this gets damaged?”

“If this breaks, there’s no revival for you.”

“What about asking Baek Seol-hee to freeze it?”

“Do you think a seed of life frozen against the laws of nature with scientific help could yield significant effects in terms of ability? Not likely.”

I grabbed Yun Hye-ra’s wrist and twisted it gently.

“Ouch, ouch.”

“It’s been proven that the laws of the world favor outcomes that align with the natural instincts of human males and females. Especially something as fundamental as being reborn as a baby—we don’t need unnecessary variables.”

“Because it might die after thawing?”

“Better to go with something stable than something uncertain. Something fresh.”

“That’s true.”

Just like fresh meat was tastier than something frozen and thawed, letting reproductive cells undergo freezing and thawing only to destroy them would be tantamount to suppressing one’s future possibilities.

“By the way, Director Do, did you see Baek Seol-hee’s face? She looked like she was ready to devour me.”

“…….”

“That wasn’t the look of someone wary of a Secret Society executive. It was jealousy. As a woman, I can tell. Unless you think you know better than me?”

“I know her expression well enough. There’s no need to say more.”

Baek Seol-hee’s wariness of Yun Hye-ra was undoubtedly that of a woman’s jealousy.

Gunggi and the Goblin.

Considering how Baek Seol-hee and I fought together in Gangneung alongside Gunggi, it was only natural for her to feel uneasy about Yun Hye-ra.

“Won’t she say something later? Like you gathered all your flings on Jeju Island.”

“Isn’t it better because it’s Jeju Island?”

“Oh, that mindset? Haha, I can’t argue with that response. Just make sure I don’t get caught in the crossfire. I can handle reporters, the Association, and government agents leisurely, but…”

Yun Hye-ra placed a hand on her chest and gazed up at me.

“When it comes to women harboring similar feelings for the same man, I might end up getting a bit ‘serious.’”

“I’ll handle things to ensure that doesn’t happen. For both your sake and mine.”

I gently patted Yun Hye-ra’s head and carefully sat beside her to comfort her.

“Unlike others, you don’t even have to be here. You’re already staying at Desmond Fayegreen’s hotel. That’s public knowledge. There’s no need for you to continue staying here like Desmond.”

“So?”

“You can teleport to a villa, can’t you? I’ll come to you if necessary.”

“Hmph, there are already three executives at the villa, plus Yumir. Are you sure you can handle it?”

“Don’t act like I can’t.”

“That’s true.”

Yun Hye-ra leaned her head on me, letting her body relax.

“Baek Seol-hee aside, what about Yoon Iseon?”

“That’s up to Yoon Iseon. I know where the villa is. The only question is whether she comes to the villa herself or stays at the hotel.”

“The government will pressure her too. They might even tell her to have a child before someone destroys her ‘possibility pouch’ with a sniper shot, causing her to lose her ability.”

Currently, the government is in a state of panic.

By now, they were likely holding endless meetings, desperate to produce as many ability users as possible before their abilities are compromised.

“It’s ironic that the weak point of ability users is their reproductive organs. Everyone must be thinking the same. Sure, I’ve been scaring people through the Brewers, but still…”

Yun Hye-ra pointed downward with her finger.

“If reproduction becomes impossible, does that mean you can no longer live as an ability user?”

When reproductive organs were destroyed, ability users lost their magic power.

But what about those who didn’t reproduce, those who had the organs but don’t use them?

Could it be that magic power had a shelf life for ability users?

“Right now, the oldest is 25 years old, but in 10 or 20 years, new theories might emerge. Especially for women. Menopause might not just mark the end of motherhood—it could also mean the end of their abilities as ability users. Hehe.”

Yun Hye-ra chuckled softly.

“Wow, I’m dead, so I don’t have to worry. But for the living women, it must be exhausting. Some of the girls who went abroad even said they became foreign heroes to avoid having kids. But what happens if they grow old, stay single their whole lives, and lose their abilities anyway?”

“It’s still a possibility, but considering how the world works, that’s highly likely.”

“Right. If you don’t have children, you lose your magic power. …But what happens if you do have children? Hehe.”

“That, too, is unknown.”

Would magic power disappear entirely once someone could no longer have children?

Or, would someone who had given birth undergo some physiological change that allowed them to retain their magic power?

If it was the former, whether they had kids or not, they’d lose their abilities with age, so there was no need to rush into reproduction.

If it was the latter, then having children could be the key to extending an ability user’s life, a matter of survival itself.

“Thanks to someone’s conspiracy theories, the world is in chaos, claiming that if you don’t reproduce, you die as an ability user. Now it’s a race to have kids as soon as possible.”

“Whether it’s logical or not, they justify it under the pretense of national interest.”

If I were a government official, I’d say something like this:

-What if you wait too long and there’s an issue with your body? You’d better have kids now!

-Who knows?! Maybe after having a child, your body won’t lose magic power even if you can’t have more kids!

-Don’t know for sure? That’s exactly why we should prepare! We can’t predict the future, so let’s cover all bases!

It was absurd.

But they had spread enough ‘fear’ to make it plausible.

“If you don’t have children, you could die as an ability user. Have children quickly. If such an environment targets S-class ability users—especially if this country enforces it—well, that’s great for me.”

Yoon Iseon, and other S-class women too.

“That’s the gap the Secret Society will exploit.”

By offering what this country never could.

“Instead of being forced to conceive with a man assigned by the state, they’d have the freedom to love and conceive with the man they desire.”

Truly…

“A world that forces people to reproduce before they’re turned eunuchs is evil.”

The Secret Society would counter this country’s nationalism with pure love.

“Thus.”

To cleanse this country’s distortions, their plans must first be dismantled.

“Before the authorities can force ability users into pregnancy, the Secret Society will take the lead.”

It’s a flawless plan.