“Are you saying you’ll allow the deaths of thousands of people just because one person got on your nerves?”
“Yeah. That’s right.”
“……”
“What was it, Mahanbiniya? The people of that city will die because that rat bastard got on my nerves.”
His tone was too light for a matter involving thousands of lives.
In front of the Center’s main gate was a protesting citizen group. The claim citizen who had called the secretariat in the front row looked at Evil with an anxious face. The citizen was in a very haggard state. Bloodshot eyes and peeling lips showed how much mental anguish he was suffering. The citizen shouted in a completely hoarse voice.
“Why are you here… Go save them right now!”
“I said I don’t want to.”
“What do you think human life is? Is your pride more precious than life? When you can save precious lives that can’t be exchanged for anything so simply, why…”
“Why should I help?”
“You’re a Multi User! It’s natural for powerful people to help powerless people!”
Natural. Evil raised his chin.
Indignation was contained in people’s gazes.
How could he not help when he had transcendent and great power, how could he not reach out his hand when people were dying before his eyes, how could he just watch when he could save them so simply?
In the center of the swirling emotions, Evil was an isolated island. He couldn’t empathize with any emotion. He didn’t want to empathize with any of it.
He raised his chin and only arrogantly lowered his eyes.
“All of you apologize. Kneel and beg for forgiveness. If human life is so precious and incomparable to anything else as you say, then you can throw away your pride and beg all you want.”
Evil spoke carelessly, and the protesters twisted their faces with anger and humiliation. However, they threw away all their pride and knelt. That scene was fully captured on camera. Sighs flowed from some people’s mouths.
It would have been good if it ended with the protesters kneeling to Evil Devil’s inhumanity, but Evil, looking down at those who had abandoned their pride with bored eyes, let out one deflated comment.
“It’s no fun if it’s too bland.”
He was pondering. Whether to stop the sandstorm or leave it alone. Even after crushing the protesters’ pride…
Even if Evil didn’t go, the dispatched Aura Users would provide some defense, but the city’s destruction couldn’t be avoided. However, whether Mahanbiniya was destroyed or not had nothing to do with Evil, and he didn’t care at all about the criticism that would come from it. To Evil, people’s criticism was like the sound of mosquito wings flying around his ears. Annoying and bothersome. Never more than that.
It’s annoying after all. I won’t go.
Just as he was about to reach that conclusion, the protesters called out the name of the person standing behind Evil.
“Che… Cheche.”
It was natural that Tar’s young hero, standing on the exact opposite side of Evil Devil, caught people’s eyes.
Tar’s young hero who had become the devil’s secretary looked at this scene with an expressionless face. Seeing the people calling out Cheche’s name, asking him to stop Evil, to say something, Evil smirked.
“The easy target is the refugee.”
He turned toward Cheche. Cheche was holding the food bag that Evil had generously packed for him. His small frame, not even 170cm, looked burdened even by the food bag.
“Why are you looking at me like that? If you have complaints, say it in words.”
The golden eyes held no criticism or disgust, but Evil spoke as if pricked anyway.
“Do you also think I should stop the sandstorm? Actually, you think I should have gone to save people quickly with the wildfire too, right? If you want to criticize me, take this opportunity.”
“I don’t want to criticize. How much would have changed if you’d gone earlier? The death toll would have been the same.”
Cheche spoke calmly. It was the same answer as at the joint funeral press conference.
Evil raised his eyebrows as if to say what kind of bullshit is that.
“Don’t make such unpleasant misunderstandings. Fuck, whether Alcitians or Tartarians, they’re all equally bug bastards to me.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
Cheche spoke calmly.
“Even if it were you, Director, you would have been powerless before a large-scale wildfire. It’s unfortunate that many people are mistaken. Even if you’d gone early, the number of victims wouldn’t have decreased.”
“Didn’t you see me block the wind and trap the fire? Didn’t you watch the broadcast?”
“That was thanks to the firefighters already containing the flames. Thanks to it being much weakened.”
“Wow… I’m at a loss for words…”
“People’s expectations of your abilities are too high, so it must be burdensome. The sandstorm will be the same. Even if you go, how could a mere human stop a natural disaster? In reality, you’ve never extinguished a large-scale wildfire in its early stages or stopped a sandstorm, yet many people overestimate you.”
“Ha…”
Evil was so dumbfounded he forgot what to say. He had a face like he’d been walking down the street and suddenly got hit by cymbals played by a penguin. The watching people were the same. Because Cheche spoke with such an expressionless face, they couldn’t distinguish whether it was a provocation toward Evil or pure sincerity.
“But if you did have such power, Director.”
Cheche continued.
“And if you saved lives, the people of that country would live their entire lives grateful to you. You would save their present and future… and they would cherish the second life they gained through someone’s selfless goodwill. They will never forget you.”
Evil, who had been dazed and just blinking, soon let out a deflated laugh.
“What’s that? In the end, you also think I should naturally help.”
“I don’t think that way. Because it’s never a natural thing.”
Cheche looked around at the people with indifferent eyes. That gaze stopped at the citizen who had been most actively opposing Evil. It was the person Cheche had received the claim call from.
“Is it natural for powerful people to help powerless people?”
“Of course. Why would you say such…”
“Then why didn’t you help us?”
“……”
“That country has tens of thousands, you said. Tar has millions of people. Even though you all treat them as if they don’t exist, millions are alive. Even now, there…”
Emotion was contained in that toneless voice. Emotions twisted with anguish and guilt were conveyed intact. Cheche’s emotions, flowing out as if he had rarely lost control, were darker than any emotion Evil had felt until now. It was a swamp with deep darkness descended upon it, a black night sky where stars didn’t rise. It was like a desert where not even the wind blew.
There were no emotions other than anguish and self-blame. No resentment, no anger… In a dark corridor where all the candlestick flames had gone out, the only thing burning faintly alone was guilt. Only guilt made Cheche move and speak.
That emotion was transmitted. To Aura Users and to Non-Users alike.
“What power do we have… How can we help… We have no power. You have more power than us…”
The citizen lowered his head. To Cheche, the citizens born and raised in prosperous Alcity were the ‘strong,’ but to the citizens, Cheche, who received support from the Endem family in Alcity and currently stood beside a person in power, was even stronger. Until now he’d been a pitiful refugee, but from the moment he stood on the side of the powerful, he became strong. However, no one could throw stones of condemnation at Cheche. They just couldn’t bring themselves to do it.
Before that flowing emotion of guilt.
“Soul Aura…?”
Someone’s murmur reached Evil’s ears.
It was natural to have doubts. Because there was only one cause for such a phenomenon of emotional synchronization to occur. Since this was the User Center where many Aura Users came and went, there were plenty of other users who could sense Soul Aura waves.
“Let’s go.”
Evil snatched the food bag from Cheche, who stood like a sinner who had killed millions, and grabbed his arm. Cheche followed weakly as Evil led him toward the Center. His wrist had two joints left over even when grasped in one hand.
The emotions still churned quietly. As if about to explode, as if about to disappear soon.
***
Evil departed for the western region of Mahanbiniya that afternoon and saved the city-state from the sandstorm. The incident was covered very extensively worldwide. It had been two years since Evil had stepped forward early to resolve such a large-scale natural disaster. It was the first time since he became an adult.
Silence hung in the private jet returning to Alcity. Evil, who always tapped on his phone with a bored face, was lost in thought gazing out the window, and the air surrounding him had settled heavily.
“I think it’s thanks to you giving him cold medicine, Director.”
James, having finished his call with the family, approached making an out-of-the-blue comment.
“What is.”
“Cheche-ssi publicly taking your side in front of people.”
“That was taking my side?”
“Yes, didn’t he rebuke the protesters and take your side? Saying he doesn’t think it’s natural for powerful people to help powerless people.”
“People say that? In articles too?”
