This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 557

“Lecture…”

At that moment, hearing my words, Chae-rim mumbled in response, as though adding strength to my opinion, it was none other than the Secretary who chimed in.

“I think it sounds good! What about you, Dogun?”

“…Really?”

And with someone else praising me, or rather, my opinion, I didn’t feel too bad about it.

For a moment, I subtly twitched my lips, but just like that, Chae-rim quickly returned to her work-focused expression and tilted her head to ask.

In response, the Secretary nodded as if to say, “Exactly,” and continued.

“Yes, Miss Almighty is not only a hero belonging to the World Hero Association but also an honorary advisor to the National Research Council on Superpowers.”

“Well, that’s kind of expected given that position.”

I was about to say something along those lines.

As I trailed off, Chae-rim pondered slowly, nodding her head.

“I mean… It might be more useful to ask for something like that rather than something that holds no significance.”

“What do you mean by something that holds no significance…?”

“You know, like taking her to the market or something and having photos taken together.”

“…Ah.”

Considering Chae-rim’s position, it might actually be more beneficial for her to do that.

After all, with the title of the world’s strongest hero, just hanging out and taking pictures with someone like Miss Almighty would be enough to plant an image in people’s minds: “Ah, they must be friends since they’re both ranked the same.”

That image could significantly aid Chae-rim in achieving her goal of becoming the Association Chairman.

So, thinking solely from Chae-rim’s perspective, it seemed like the right move, but… it appeared she was not entirely keen on it.

“Well…”

My sister wasn’t the type to enjoy those things.

Naturally, I would find it hard to think negatively about whatever Chae-rim said, but I believed one of her greatest strengths was her honesty.

Thus, I knew well that what Chae-rim had just said was her genuine feelings, not something meant to be relayed to someone else.

“Hmm… Lecture…”

However, when it came time to decide on that, I couldn’t help but worry about what kind of lecture to request.

With a furrowed brow as she pondered as she usually did whenever she had something troubling her, Chae-rim turned her gaze back and forth between the Secretary and me.

“If we were to request a lecture from her, what topic would be good?”

Was that her dilemma?

Just as I was about to sink into my thoughts, the Secretary spoke up.

“Well, if we ask her for a lecture, she would probably decide on the content herself, wouldn’t she?”

Typically, that’s how it would go.

If it were indeed so, then Chae-rim wouldn’t have needed to worry about it.

After all, requesting a lecture is one thing, but adding specifics like asking, “Could you possibly lecture us on this and that?” could easily become a rude overstep depending on the content requested.

Chae-rim was undoubtedly aware of this, yet she still brought it up because of who she was asking—someone like Miss Almighty, who was utterly self-centered and unpredictable in her thoughts.

But just saying, “Please come give a lecture,” to such a person?

The moment that happened, they could very well end up spewing out something utterly nonsensical as the lecture topic.

Given the nature of the individual, it seemed Chae-rim didn’t want to waste what could be a golden opportunity for someone.

“It usually is, but… she’s quite a free-spirited person.”

Was that indeed what worried her?

The Secretary nodded, understanding the deeper meaning behind Chae-rim’s statement.

“How about just simply asking her for a few helpful pieces of advice for the juniors walking the same path as her?”

“Hmm, that might actually be better than beating around the bush from the start.”

Just as Chae-rim seemed to agree, she might have realized she was unnecessarily tensing her brow.

For a moment, she gently rubbed her brow with her thumb and then muttered in an offhanded way.

“Then the problem becomes who to include as the participants…”

Though they hadn’t even decided where the lecture would be held yet, it made sense they were worried about that, as this chance was definitely a rare one.

No doubt, the moment this information leaked out, requests would begin flooding in from all directions.

“Why complicate things?”

“That’s just because you haven’t been on the receiving end, Dogun. You have no idea how greedy old folks can be… tsk.”

“Exactly. If we finalize the number of participants early and widely promote the purpose of the lecture, they wouldn’t have a choice, would they?”

If there is any conscience or rational thought, no one would attempt to push out confirmed participants in favor of making space for their own requests.

Especially if most of the participants were heroes-in-training, that would be the last thing they would want to do.

After all, if they needed to create a new spot where all seats were already filled, someone would have to be kicked out, and if it’s a student, then what would happen?

The person making that request would undoubtedly face backlash from the public for abusing their power.

“So, we suggest filling the seats primarily with candidates?”

“Yes.”

“And the criteria?”

“How about based on their performance in mock battles? Oh, and it might be good to refer to their school grades as well.”

Honestly, I wanted to suggest considering their reputations, but I held back.

I knew that conducting such extensive research would require considerable manpower.

So, I came up with the idea of including school performance.

Of course, among those with good grades, there were certainly those with terrible personalities…

But if someone could maintain decent school grades while living the rigorous life of a hero trainee, it meant they at least had some determination.

“Huh? School grades as well?”

When Chae-rim asked me about that point, I explained it, and she nodded, seeming to agree.

“Well, considering how tough it is to balance hero training and schoolwork, it’s not an easy feat.”

“From the way you say it, it sounds like you, no, Vice Chairman, have similar experiences?”

“Of course.”

“Oh, right…”

Our sister’s mother was a teacher.

Since she was genuinely invested in her students, she surely kept a close watch on Chae-rim.

Of course, there’s a saying that a monk can’t cut his own hair, but that only holds when it comes to their own issues. Helping her daughter with her studies would be an entirely reasonable task for a mother.

As we continued chatting like this, I wondered if the Secretary felt that she was interrupting our conversation.

Glancing between Chae-rim and me for a moment, the Secretary excused herself, saying she would start scouting potential venues for the lecture, leaving the room.

Thanks to that, our conversation felt much more relaxed.

“So, by the way, how were your grades when you were in school, sister?”

“Why? Curious?”

“A bit, maybe?”

“You know, if you saw my report card back then, you’d probably be shocked.”

“Why?”

Could it be that her grades were atrocious?

“In that sense, you’re lucky, Dogun.”

“What? Me?”

“Yep.”

Why did this conversation take such a turn?

I was utterly lost in the flow of the dialogue, tilting my head in confusion when Chae-rim smirked at my expression, glanced towards the door, and continued speaking.

“Do you know what day our mom loved the most?”

“Your mother?”

The way I referred to her as “mother” didn’t seem so bad after all.

Chae-rim smiled softly and added, still wearing that expression.

“It was the day my report card came out.”

“She must have been a real studious one.”

“Not to that extent… but I was still among the top ten fingers.”

“In the whole school?”

“Yep.”

That’s quite impressive, but what does that have to do with me?

It was at that moment that the questioning popped into my mind.

As if she read my expression, Chae-rim said with a somewhat meaningful tone, “You’ll… soon come to that place as well.”

Whether it was a voice that only I could hear, I wasn’t sure, but it certainly sounded quite significant as I looked at her and smiled.