Seoul Dragon - Chapter 45

"So, may I ask you for a small favor?"

"A favor...?"

"After the inauguration ceremony, could you meet my granddaughter? She wants to meet you. If it's too much trouble, please let me know."

Is this about the granddaughter who lost her legs to the Demon-type mutant?

"No, it's fine."

"...Thank you."

"Um, I heard earlier that she lost her legs..."

"To be precise, her lower body is paralyzed. Her lumbar spine was damaged when she was caught in the explosion. But her nerves are completely damaged, so they say she'll never walk again."

"Ah."

"Since that's no different from losing her legs, I expressed it as having lost her legs."

Indeed... having legs but being unable to use them is essentially the same as losing them.

"Is rehabilitation impossible?"

"That's what they say. So she's already given up."

The Director's expression was filled with sorrow.

"Um, your granddaughter's age is...?"

"Fourteen."

"Ah..."

Fourteen. A middle school student who lost her legs. How great must the frustration she felt have been?

I can't imagine how it must have felt for a child who was walking perfectly fine just a few months ago to learn that she would never walk again.

It's literally like having her freedom taken away.

A sigh escaped me involuntarily at the thought of this happening at an age full of infinite possibilities.

Of course, there are countless tragedies in the world, but since I'm also an individual, I feel pain in my heart when I hear such stories.

It seems good to visit such a child if she wants to see me.

"I understand. Let's discuss the details after the inauguration ceremony."

"Thank you again, I truly mean it."

The inauguration ceremony proceeded very smoothly.

For one thing, it helped tremendously that I didn't get nervous and said everything I needed to say.

What the Mutant Crime Management Bureau would do going forward, what we could respond to and to what extent.

I explained these things and expressed my determination to respond to threats caused by mutants by any means necessary.

Additionally, what I emphasized was the quickest initial response.

"...Therefore, to ensure that those who have experienced tragedy through mutants do not experience such tragedy again, I will exert all my efforts."

Applause and cheers erupted.

Honestly, they were probably clapping and cheering out of courtesy... but given what I've done so far, there seemed to be some who were genuinely applauding.

The Bureau is a newly launching agency, and we don't know what kind of incidents what kind of mutants might cause in the future, nor how to handle those incidents... so that level of response seems most appropriate.

For now, there's a feeling of wait-and-see.

"With this, we conclude the inauguration ceremony of the Mutant Crime Management Bureau. I am Bureau Chief Yoon Seohyun."

Finally, I spread my wings and flew above the platform.

I had to make sure none of the onlookers got hurt.

Fortunately, since the venue for the inauguration ceremony was quite spacious, I thought transforming wouldn't cause any problems.

"Ohhhh...!"

As I soared, people's eyes widened.

Normally, a flashy finale makes a stronger impression.

I could understand why the Director asked me to transform.

The somewhat tepid response of people changed instantly.

At the moment when all attention was focused on me, I reverted to my true form. Compared to when I was human, I felt overwhelming freedom, and I could feel pulsating power surging throughout my body.

It's not omniscience, but it feels like omnipotence.

"Ha, hahahahaha!"

"Woaahhh!"

"Huh..."

As I looked down while adorning the high sky, I could feel numerous people looking at me.

It felt like... I had truly become a deity.

Indeed, there must be a huge difference between seeing something on video and seeing it in person.

Moreover, since there's no memory of such a creature in human history, their reactions were all the more understandable.

Suddenly, an interesting thought occurred to me. After all, the purpose of launching the Bureau now is to warn mutants, isn't it?

To not do reckless things.

If so, there's a need for a stronger impact.

I gathered the power boiling inside me into one point and directed it toward the high sky through my mouth.

Wooong-!

I could feel overwhelming currents of power gathering.

If I were to release this, how far would it go?

Probably, a breath of incomparable power compared to the fire show last time would erupt.

With numerous dignitaries watching, I playfully looked at the sky and released the power gathered around my mouth.

Kwaaaaaa!

A storm of flames, incomparable to what I had fired in the park last time, shot toward the sky. It was like a pillar of fire, something you'd only see in superhero movies, had arrived in reality.

In many ways, it looked like a natural disaster sweeping in, but cheers and admiration could be heard from below.

The reason they could cheer like that was because I promised not to use it against them.

After releasing one burst of power, without undoing my transformation, I descended onto the vast inauguration venue.

Then, I spoke to the people.

Of course, since I couldn't move my mouth to speak in dragon form, I infused my will into the words.

[Going forward, I hope you will support the activities of the Mutant Crime Management Bureau.]

The dignitaries who heard my voice, resonating as if using a megaphone, responded with applause.

"It was truly magnificent. Seeing it in person... I'm convinced that no one would dare commit a crime in front of you."

"Well, that's hard to say. I will always maintain vigilance."

"A good attitude. Ah, by the way, my granddaughter... Hayoon, when might you be able to meet her?"

I gauged my schedule at the Director's words and set a specific date.

It's more convenient for both parties to be precise about these things.

"Since my other identity is that of a university student, I believe I'll have some time on Friday when I don't have classes."

"Oh. By the way, do you plan to continue attending university as before?"

"That's my intention. Among the values I mentioned at the press conference earlier, university was one of them."

"It seems there's a specific reason."

"It might be a bit grand to call it a reason... It's just that it's the result of the efforts I made when I was human, so I have the thought to see it through to the end."

"I see, so it's to follow your own footprints that you can no longer reclaim."

"That's right. That's why it's precious to me. Others might not understand."

"Haha, indeed. It's usually hard to understand. Still... to some extent, I'm not without empathy. Well then, let's meet on Friday. My granddaughter is looking forward to it very much."

The Director said this and smiled bitterly. I wonder what that smile contained.

I suddenly became curious about it.

"Yes. Ah, Director."

"What is it?"

"...Don't you hate mutants?"

"For this, I'll borrow what you said at the press conference."

"My words... you mean?"

"Not all mutants in the world are bad."

"Ah."

"At first, I hated all mutants. It wasn't just anyone, but a child I had cherished since birth who ended up in that state. So I strongly argued that issues caused by mutants shouldn't be left alone. That's where Jeongho's close relationship with mutants began."

"...I see."

"Haven't you found it strange?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about how unusually quick the government's response was after mutants appeared. Any adult would know how slowly the nation usually moves, dilly-dallying."

"Indeed... I did find it strange that all guidelines were established by the time I woke up."

"Well, it's cowardly of me to say this, but... our country tends to process things faster when something happens to the families of high-ranking officials. And I'm no exception. At first, I wasn't that enthusiastic about issues related to mutants either. People generally don't move until something happens to them personally."

"That's true."

"When my granddaughter ended up in that state, I finally realized. That such disasters can happen to anyone. And that I am in a position where I can prepare for such disasters to some extent. All work related to mutants began from there."

"Ah..."

"And gradually, my thinking changed. That no mutant changed because they wanted to. And that mutants who commit crimes are not that many. Digging deeper, I found that mutants weren't that different from us. After all, they were humans too. Just with different abilities. So I don't hate them. I should hate criminals, not innocent people."

I thought that mutants should probably express gratitude to the current Director of the National Intelligence Service.

He's a person who started moving to prevent tragedy from the moment he faced tragedy.

Although it was a deeply personal matter, I and other mutants benefited from the changes that began there.

"...Thank you."

"Hmm? What do you have to thank me for?"

"Because you didn't try to solve hatred with hatred. Thanks to that, I too could lead a normal life."

"...Haha. I'm embarrassed. Anyway, please welcome my granddaughter warmly when you see her. She might be a bit prickly due to her emotional wounds, but I hope you'll understand with your generosity."

"Of course."

And so, Friday arrived.

I visited the hospital room where the Director's granddaughter was admitted, together with the Director.

Due to various needs for care, she was still staying at the hospital.

"Hayoon! Grandpa is here!"

"...Hello, Grandfather."

I looked at the girl who spoke unemotionally.

This child, who had just become a middle school student, lacked the vibrancy typical of boys and girls her age.

For a moment, my eyes met with the girl, Hayoon.

And in the eyes I casually met, I could glimpse despair.

...This child's condition is more serious than I thought.