This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 590

“Here, does the truth even matter? Will they believe me if I say I never intended such a thing?”

Honestly, I wasn’t so sure.

So rather than wasting time asserting my innocence, I decided to focus on what I could do right now—the things that must be done immediately.

“Is this really important right now?”

I said this while staring straight at the opponent sitting across the table—one that was devoid of even a common cup of coffee.

“Not particularly.”

That was the response I received.

The smug smile that seemed more like a smirk was just an added bonus.

Maybe it was just my bad luck that I had to see something like that.

I suddenly felt a surge of emotion.

It couldn’t be helped.

It was hard not to react that way when someone who knew about it just casually brought it up.

Did they think they could use this situation to shake our morale?

Even so, could someone who was once referred to as a hero act so petty?

But I couldn’t completely dismiss that possibility.

After all, I learned quickly upon arriving here how one’s position and power could twist a person.

Power was like a drug.

In fact, perhaps it was more serious than drugs.

There are cases of people overcoming drug addiction through treatment, but for those addicted to power, losing it often leads to death.

And the opponent before me was someone who had enjoyed that power for nearly decades.

If I were to compare them to a drug addict, I’d say the addiction had seeped into their very bones.

So, to protect that, they could do anything.

How do I know that?

Well… if Dogun hadn’t been beside me, I could have ended up just like that.

If I had gotten hooked on the sweet taste of being the Vice Association Chairman, I would have easily forgotten my heart and ideals from my hero days, becoming a monster obsessed with amassing more power under the name of the Association.

I was definitely convinced that would have been the case, which is why I was always grateful to Dogun.

Dogun often says he’s glad I’m his sister, but the truth is, it’s because he always stayed by my side that I was able to keep my true self, my original intentions, intact.

After all, who would want to show their ugly side to someone they care about?

In that sense, I felt a twinge of pity for the opponent sitting across from me.

Because I was one of the few who knew that lady wasn’t always like this.

If ‘that incident’ hadn’t happened to my sister, she wouldn’t have fallen this far…

That thought crossed my mind, but I didn’t bring it up.

It just wasn’t the right timing, and it was, so to speak, her Achilles’ heel.

Unless I planned to make a strategic retreat, this was not an appropriate topic to bring up when there was an overflow of discussion points.

So, I kept silent, and it was the opponent who broke the silence.

“So, what are we going to do now?”

What are we going to do now, huh?

Was she asking how I planned to deal with this situation?

It seemed like that, so I took a moment to gather my thoughts before responding.

After a brief pause, I finally spoke.

“Well, one thing’s for sure, it’s become difficult to back out now.”

“Exactly. Given the timing of the announcement at our prepared venue, most people will undoubtedly perceive that we agreed or contributed to their proposal.”

But what if we tried to draw a line and claim it was just Miss Almighty’s personal action and had nothing to do with us?

There’s no doubt people would have something to say about that.

For an Association that had been wobbling recently, this could be a pretty critical blow.

Having mentioned that much, it seemed my opponent couldn’t disagree with that sentiment.

“That’s right. The very purpose of the Association is to protect people from the Another Ones.”

After the threat posed by the awakened criminals (aka, villains) became as serious as that from the Another Ones, the goal expanded to include protecting people from those called villains, but it was clear that was how it started.

Yet now, when an opportunity to decisively eliminate the Another Ones presented itself, could we really afford to look over our shoulders?

What would people think upon seeing that play out?

Would they really trust an Association that couldn’t even protect its own purpose?

And if they lost that trust?

For the Association, there couldn’t be a worse situation.

Honestly, it’s hard to avoid that outcome, given that the awakened criminals had earned the somewhat excessive title of heroes mainly because of the fastidious trust the Association had built over decades.

“Actually, the reason heroes get to be called heroes is more about how well the Association crafted their image rather than their own merit, right?”

“Well…”

That was also a hard fact to dispute.

As evidence, among those currently referred to as heroes, there were a few whose conduct utterly clashed with their grand titles.

People often raised issues regarding their relationships with men or their abusive behavior.

Ironically, no one had been caught up in drug-related scandals during this time, despite all that!

Who knows if it was due to actual luck or if the Association pulled all strings to keep them under wraps, but one thing was clear—outwardly, that was the situation.

In any case, despite certain individuals making a mess of things, it was the trust people had in the Association and the heroes that allowed us to keep things afloat.

But what if that trust crumbled?

What if the true nature of these heroes, obscured by that towering facade, was revealed?

Looking at it long-term, this would lead to enormous losses.

At least from the Association’s perspective.

Honestly, given the situation, it couldn’t be any other way, as the reason why these youthful awakened individuals, the so-called candidates, focused solely on the qualification tests, was simple.

If we’re being blunt, as long as their talents could back them up, they could find plenty of other paths too.

In fact, there were surely easier routes out there than the qualification tests.

And could they still be so young that they might not realize this?

Just because someone is young doesn’t mean they’re foolish.

In many ways, youths can show an aptitude in certain aspects that adults can’t even dream of.

Yet, despite that, everyone looks solely towards the qualification tests for one clear reason.

Because that’s the only path that yields what can never be obtained on another route.

Money?

Sure, if we’re being honest, shifting to a private company would yield several times more income than becoming a hero affiliated with the Association.

Of course, to prevent such situations, the Association has tried to provide decent treatment, but it’s impossible to outmatch the capital power of private enterprises in a field that is close to a public sector entity.

If a private company truly engages in a chicken game, the Association would be left with no choice but to raise their white flags.

Even amidst this reality, the reason people still admire those referred to as heroes and dream of becoming like them is simple.

Joining a company may bring money, but becoming a hero means attaining both wealth and honor.

The unmatched honor of protecting people from humanity’s enemies.

Whether they realized it or not, recently, some companies seemed to mimic the Association’s long-standing practices—like showcasing their own awakened individuals on TV shows.

But in truth, that’s something that can’t just be overcome by making efforts like that.

As long as their affiliation remains ‘company,’ it will always be this way.

But what happens if the conditions that maintain that difference collapse?

They’ll end up losing all their already scarce power to private businesses.

To prevent that situation… we absolutely needed to handle this matter, no matter the cost.

In other words, by any means necessary.