I Became the Academy’s Kibitz Villain

At that time, in the small conference room of the Hero Association’s Busan branch.

“…So you’re saying men leak magic power when they become eunuchs, and women when their wombs rupture?”

“Exactly.”

A group of unidentified men were gathered, and the Vice-President of the Hero Association was giving a presentation with a grave expression.

“If this is the case, isn’t this highly classified information? How much do we know? Is there any way we can use it for ourselves?”

“Impossible. The Society deliberately leaked this information. If the Association tries to keep it secret, it might backfire on us.”

“Backfire? How?”

“They’d claim, ‘The Hero Association knew but kept silent. The Association monopolized information about the ultimate weakness of ability users.’”

It wasn’t an issue that applied to just one ability user.

And even if there was an experiment, who would step forward and say, “Yes, I’ll volunteer!” for an experiment where the options were becoming a eunuch or, even worse, turning into a Zenros.

“This isn’t just about Korean ability users. It likely applies to overseas ability users as well.”

“This is insane. How has it remained undiscovered until now?”

“Well, most young folks under 25 don’t typically end up with damaged reproductive organs….”

“That’s true. How many people become eunuchs before 25, anyway?”

Perhaps the Goblin’s discovery came at the earliest possible moment.

After all, ability users nurtured with utmost care by the state were unlikely to have their golden eggs cracked or triangular holes blasted into their abdomens.

“Oh, by the way, to avoid constantly bringing up reproductive organs, the Association has decided to formally name this weakness ‘The Cradle of Life,’ or just [The Cradle].”

The Vice-President’s comment drew faint laughter from the others.

“Not wrong. It is a vessel that holds life, after all.”

“Well, this country nitpicks every single term… Tsk tsk.”

“This is the era of ability users. We absolutely cannot let their mental stability waver. Ensuring they aren’t needlessly worried about their Cradles being shattered is paramount.”

The room was filled with heavy sighs.

“If word of this spreads, ability users will undoubtedly become exceedingly cautious about protecting their Cradles.”

“With women, that’s understandable. But what about men? Since the Cradle is external, they’ll even walk cautiously.”

“Imagine not even being able to play soccer freely anymore. Ha ha, will everyone start wearing protective gear like diapers?”

“Maybe we should have them wear steel underwear, huh? Heh heh.”

The men chuckled sinisterly.

Shadows obscured their faces, but the light from the screen revealed their wrists and necks, marked with fine wrinkles.

They were at least middle-aged, if not older.

“I always hated how these young guys strutted around, relying solely on their magic power. Now I can’t wait to see them walking around with their hands covering their groins.”

“Well, that’s one way to see it. But there’s another problem.”

The Vice-President clicked to the next slide.

“Will men still willingly engage in patriotic acts with women?”

“What’s that supposed to mean all of a sudden…?”

“If a woman dislikes a man, she might just attack that area and destroy it. Then, the ability user would no longer be an ability user.”

“Ah…”

Everyone in the room flinched at the mental image, shuddering as though they felt phantom pain.

“What? How could something like that…?”

“The possibility exists. Even outside patriotic acts, villains like the Goblin—Gender Breaker—might appear, targeting Cradles.”

“…That would make people even more determined to protect their Cradles. They might be so scared of being attacked during patriotic acts that they avoid them altogether.”

The implications of revealing the weakness of ability users were numerous.

They would grow cautious.

This would lead to fewer children born through ability user pairings.

Ultimately, the nation’s competitive edge would diminish.

“Such a future is unacceptable! It must be stopped!”

“Indeed. To address this, the President has made a proposal.”

“A proposal…?”

“Yes.”

The Vice-President clicked to the next slide with a tense expression.

“Before ability users’ bodies become infertile—whether due to becoming Jenros or genderless—a law will mandate that they have children as quickly as possible.”

“…A mandatory childbirth law before the age of 25?”

“Yes. Based on the legal adult age of 17 for ability users, the law requires them to have at least one child before reaching the current upper limit of 25.”

“Oh, oh…!!”

The atmosphere in the room began to heat up.

“If the law passes, even women holding out until 25 will be legally compelled to conceive…!”

“Exactly! Even if they delay until the last moment, they’ve already had the freedom of 8 years from 17 to 24! They can spare a year for the nation!”

“Or better yet, start at 17… heh heh.”

They smacked their lips, imagining scenarios.

Their thoughts were vile, but even without speaking, the room’s attendees exchanged plenty through their expressions.

“What if ability users oppose the law?”

“Label them traitors. Same as always.”

“But many defected overseas last time….”

“That won’t happen anymore. We’ve learned how to handle ability users through trial and error.”

The loudest voice in the room chuckled as he continued.

“After all, ability users are nothing but livestock. The hunting dogs can be trained, and the pigs fattened for slaughter. Heh heh, they’ll think they’re special, but they’re just pampered animals.”

On Screen.

“Born for humanity, live for humanity, and die for humanity. Producing more livestock, living, and dying for them. Isn’t that the highest honor for livestock?”

As they flipped through photos of countless ability users, those in the conference room chuckled.

“Before their bodies become incapable of reproduction, we must ensure they produce as many children as possible, as quickly as possible!!”

-“Ability users have a duty to produce more ability users! This is no time for ability users to care about feathers; they should be focused on making children! That is the very purpose of their existence!”

“What kind of confidence does it take to say such nonsense?”

Returning to my hotel room after a shift at the library, I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at the panelist’s comments on TV.

“There are still people who say such things so openly?”

Perhaps it was because it’s a late-night broadcast.

Or maybe it’s because this was a channel known for its strong anti-ability user stance.

In this world, there was a perspective—though only held by a minority—that saw ability users as beings born to serve humanity.

Among that extreme minority were old-fashioned individuals who wielded a surprising amount of power.

Publicly, they were scarce now.

They had learned not to speak out after a series of scandals caused by such rhetoric, which resulted in South Korea losing all its S-class ability users, who either died or left the country.

For example:

Forcing 20-year-olds, who had just become adults, to undergo a coming-of-age ceremony and conceive S-class children.

Blackmailing them with personal hobbies or embarrassing histories, threatening their public image if they didn’t comply.

Declaring childbirth an act of patriotism and branding those who refused as traitors.

Using drugs and recruiting ability users with hypnosis powers to manipulate others against their will.

Such incidents happened year after year, which was why no one openly demanded reproduction anymore.

Ability users, both men and women, were being forced to conceive and reproduce in this world.

And it’s the same everywhere, not just in this country.

“It’s not the ability users’ Cradles that should break; it’s those people’s.”

Ideally, their heads should shatter along with their Cradles, but such people always seemed to live longer, thriving in gluttonous comfort.

“Even after the Great Cataclysm changed the world, human behavior hasn’t.”

It’s a bitter truth, but no matter where you went, the ruling class oppressed and exploited the ones being ruled.

The irony of the situation was almost laughable—the oppressed in this case were ability users.

People in this world didn’t realize that excessive oppression and exploitation ultimately lead to disaster—like a meteor wiping everything out.

The younger generation, exploited as labor and resources, might someday bring about such an end.

As for me, I was part of the Society, working to stop that grim future by eliminating those who harbored twisted ideas and building a peaceful world.

“News of this will soon spread to students, too.”

It had already been four days since Yoon Hye-ra appeared at the hotel.

That meant it had been a while since the so-called weakness of ability users was made public.

“You’re trying to break my Cradle, aren’t you?! Like a Nuts Crusher!”

“Are you a Gender Breaker? Why are you aiming at a woman’s stomach? Not even her chest!”

Before they knew about it, things were fine. But now, everyone’s cautious.

I brought chaos to this world.

But I didn’t regret it.

“Since the weakness was revealed, there haven’t been any new Harubang incidents.”

Thanks to exposing this weakness, even villains had cut back on heinous acts, reducing the chances of them becoming outright devils.

“…Now even villains understand. If they act carelessly, it won’t just be their heads that explode; their Cradles will shatter, and they’ll end up as Zenros.”

Of course, the enemy might try to do the same to me, but I’ve already prepared for that.

In that sense, I was—

Ding-dong.

The doorbell rang.

[Teacher. It’s me.]

“…Yoon Iseon?”

When I opened the door, Yoon Iseon stood there with a serious expression.

“What’s going on at this late hour?”

“A warrant has been issued.”

“…A warrant? Arrest warrant?”

“No. If it were just an arrest warrant, that’d be better. This is… beyond absurd.”

Yoon Iseon handed me an envelope.

“It’s a pregnancy warrant.”

“…Holy.”