“It was a miracle.”
The researcher nodded at the woman’s mechanical voice.
“Yes, a miracle.”
“Do you believe the entity Team Leader Jeong Daun witnessed was a monster?”
“I will have to seek further opinions from the Gardeners, but no. It probably was not a monster.”
The researcher shrugged.
“To qualify as a monster… an entity must, fundamentally, possess hatred toward humanity.”
They were not called monsters—beasts—without reason. Humans used the word with fear and contempt for other-dimensional beings that hated humanity without rhyme or reason.
“The circumstances in this case are far too different. We examined the Hunters who returned alive but could find nothing abnormal anywhere. If ‘Black Cloak’ had been a monster, he would not have let them leave alive in the first place. At the very least, he would have sent them back brainwashed.”
“Nevertheless, it would be best to announce publicly that the entity is a monster.”
“Correct. ‘Black Cloak’ displayed far too much interest in human society for us to call him a god. He may be an Evil God… but whether he truly is a god or something else entirely, now that he has demonstrated the power to influence humans directly, it would be wise to describe him as a monster to Hunters.”
“That will ensure they remain wary.”
Gods and monsters had both become fairly familiar beings in modern times, but the public perceived them very differently.
Some people would regard even a single glimpse of a god’s form as an honor, whereas they would remain fiercely vigilant and struggle to keep their distance from a monster.
“If it has the opposite effect, the very existence of a ‘Humanoid Monster friendly toward humans’ might appeal to the public’s romantic sensibilities. For that to happen, however… the entity would need a great many friendly encounters and considerable exposure. The chances of that…