Chapter 47

Swoosh…

The sky pouring down heavy rain.

“Haah…”

In the midst of it, she let out a small sigh and looked at her hand.

“Still not used to long-range transformation, huh?”

The mana consumption was high, and controlling each individual particle wasn’t easy.

“Good thing it’s raining, otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to catch even half of what I did now…”

Drip… drip…

As Ice Queen raised her head, the scene before her was a street completely frozen.

“[D-damn it!!]”

And within a massive ice crystal, a man, with only his lower body and arm trapped in ice, spat out curses.

“[If it weren’t for you!! Damn it!!!]”

With veins bulging on his neck, the man glared threateningly at Ice Queen.

After a moment of observing him, Ice Queen turned on her translator and spoke to him.

“What exactly are you so dissatisfied about?”

“[You ruined our terrorist attack!!]”

“Is it wrong for a hero to stop a villain?”

“[Don’t define yourselves as heroes, you disgusting freaks.]”

A twisted smile and a mocking voice.

Clearly, there was hostility directed at Ice Queen, no, at heroes in general.

“[How can someone who shoots fire from their hands and creates ice be human? You’re monsters.]”

More precisely, it was hostility towards ability users themselves.

‘…A group of anti-ability users.’

A rare group even in modern society where the ratio of non-ability users to ability users is 6:4.

They didn’t see ability users as fellow humans.

“It’s been decades since the Ability User Anti-Discrimination Act was passed, yet there are still people like this.”

“[That so-called anti-discrimination act? Even if such a law exists, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re monsters.]”

In their eyes, ability users were nothing but monsters.

Whether heroes or villains.

“[We hate seeing freaks like you pretending to be human.]”

The villain frowned as if disgust was rising.

He then smirked, tilting one corner of his mouth, mocking Ice Queen.

“[You’re just lucky to be born with a pretty ability and a pretty face.]”

What if you had an ability that made your pretty face hideous~? Would people still like you? I don’t think so.

The villain sneered, looking at Ice Queen.

“[I envy you, born lucky. Must be nice having no hardships in life.]”

“So, what exactly are you trying to say?”

“[…What?]”

But she, unfazed by his words, stared at him with an expressionless face.

Step… step…

And with leisurely steps, she approached the villain even closer.

“Stop babbling nonsense and tell me your motive.”

Crack.

In an instant, Ice Queen grabbed the villain’s neck.

She lowered her voice and asked.

“Is that your reason? Because you hate ability users?”

“[Kuh…!]”

“Then, why did you kill civilians? What crime did those powerless people commit?”

“[Guh…]”

The smell of burnt flesh and a stench that pierced the nose.

Various chunks of meat were scattered on the street.

Someone was holding a square device in one hand, melting away,

A small someone was with a person who seemed to be their mother.

And someone else was tightly embracing each other.

“……”

Ice Queen hadn’t prevented the terrorist attack.

At best, she had only avoided the worst-case scenario, but she was still too late.

“[Puh, puh… You wouldn’t understand us.]”

“Understand?”

“[Yeah… This is the sacrifice of the few for the many… Isn’t that obvious?]”

“Ha.”

An aura surged around Ice Queen.

“You killed people. And you want understanding? What kind of understanding?”

Crack…

Ice Queen tightened her grip on the villain’s neck.

“[Guh…!!]”

“What did those people do wrong? Did they harm you? They did nothing. Some weren’t even ability users.”

“[Huh… huh… guh!!]”

After giving him a moment to catch his breath, she soon blocked his airway again.

“Sacrifice of the few for the many? Killing innocent people is what you call sacrifice? Do you think I’ll just nod along to your nonsensical logic?”

Disgusting.

It was utterly disgusting.

The man in front of her, crying and trembling, was so pitiful and revolting that she couldn’t stand it.

Drip… drip…

A cold aura gradually seeped into the villain.

“Do you know how many people have died because of your rotten ideology?”

Beep-

The familiar tinnitus rang in Ice Queen’s ears.

But the voice that followed was a bit awkward.

‘Even in this situation, you’re not going to kill him?’

A kind voice, but it carried a hint of disgust towards her.

‘Not execution, but prison. What a joke.’

“……”

Prison.

Those who commit crimes go to prison.

There’s no death penalty. In a world where buildings collapse and people die easily, strong labor is needed.

“[Guh…!! Ugh…!! Kuh…!]”

“……”

And there was also the purpose of rehabilitation.

The mercy of hoping they repent and become better people.

But.

Can someone like this really change just by going to prison?

Drip… drip…

“[Guh… I, I was wrong… spare me…]”

In Ice Queen’s hand, an ice rapier had formed.

And just as the rapier was about to reach the villain’s neck.

Thud.

“[Enough.]”

A middle-aged hero with graying hair grabbed her wrist.

“[That’s enough, Ice Queen. You’ve been talking too much.]”

“…Victor… sir.”

He was the leader of this anti-terror operation.

So why was he stopping her? The question lingered for a moment.

“[Put away the weapon in your hand.]”

“…Ah.”

Her mind, which had gone blank, snapped back to reality.

‘What was I about to do just now?’

Ice Queen, startled by the rapier in her hand, quickly dismissed the weapon and bowed her head.

***

“I’m sorry.”

“[Don’t do that again, Ice Queen. It’s too early for that.]”

A while later, at the headquarters of the Russian Hero Association.

Ice Queen, now with her black hair down and her powers deactivated, Seo Yun-hee, was being lectured by Victor.

“[I understand your feelings, I’ve dealt with many who made me want to kill them too.]”

“……”

“[But in the end, it was my mind that wore out first.]”

Taking off his coat and ruffling his hair, Victor.

He looked at Seo Yun-hee, who was sweating bullets in front of him, and chuckled.

“[I’ve rambled on too long. Just an old man’s meddling.]”

“O-old man? Victor, sir, you’re…”

“[Anyway, it’s getting late. Go back and rest now.]”

Startled by his words, Seo Yun-hee waved her hands.

Victor, cutting off her attempt to argue, soon dismissed her.

***

“Haah…”

Back in her room, Seo Yun-hee.

As soon as she closed the door, she let out a deep sigh and flopped onto the bed.

“What was I about to do just now…”

She almost hurt someone in a moment of anger.

If Victor hadn’t stopped her then…

“That was close…”

Ice Queen blankly stared at her left hand.

‘Why was I so angry?’

And she questioned her own pathetic behavior.

He was just an ordinary villain.

All his beliefs were just a facade, and in reality, he only cared about harming people.

A typical villain you see everywhere.

Yet, she listened to his contradictory nonsense and genuinely got angry.

‘My name is Maker. I’m an executive of Eclipse.’

…Was it because he was different from that guy?

“…That’s a strange assumption. It’s a huge leap in logic.”

With her mind in turmoil, Seo Yun-hee swept her hair back.

Buzz-

Just as Seo Yun-hee was sprawled on the bed, her phone vibrated.

The name on the screen was somewhat familiar.

“Hello?”

– Hi, unnie! It’s not your husband! It’s your friend, Lily!

A bright, giggling voice full of mischief.

At her voice, Seo Yun-hee’s earlier emotions seemed to melt away as she smiled.

“Long time no see, Lily.”

– Yeah, long time!

She was one of Seo Yun-hee’s few acquaintances and an American hero, Lily Lewis.

“How’s the exchange on your side?”

– I didn’t go this time! Lots of heroes from other countries came!

“Since you came to Korea last time. A few from our side must have gone too, how are they doing?”

Hmm… Lily hesitated for a moment.

– It’s a bit frustrating! It wasn’t like this in my time!

“Pfft.”

Seo Yun-hee couldn’t help but laugh at Lily’s old-fashioned complaints.

– It was more fun when I was active with you, unnie!

“Fun? What’s there to be fun about?”

– Still! Like finding people without serial numbers!

‘Come to think of it, Lily came to the exchange around that time.’

Seo Yun-hee marveled at the passage of time.

– So how have you been, unnie? Doing well?

“Me? Well…”

As Seo Yun-hee was about to give a vague answer, Lily interrupted with an “Ah!”

– I saw you doing that thing!

“…?”

– You were waving those tentacles around…!

“Stop.”

– It looked fun…!

“I said stop.”

A voice full of mischief.

She hadn’t expected her unease to be justified.

‘Where on earth did she see that?!’

“Haah…”

With her mind in turmoil again, Seo Yun-hee let out a deep sigh.

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