84
Ch.84 It Smells Like
[It’s good that Meister is unharmed. Have her protected in W-City for the time being.]
“What are you planning to do now? Are you going to use this as another opportunity for political maneuvering?”
After Meister, still unconscious, was moved to the recovery room, Kage summoned Yoo Anna to brief her on the situation reported by the heroes of A-City.
Despite the shocking news, Kage’s voice sounded oddly pleased, prompting Yoo Anna to press him. With a shrug, Kage confirmed her suspicions.
[It wasn’t intentional, but I can’t let a good opportunity slip by. Not when we have such valuable material.]
The valuable material Kage referred to was footage of A-City soldiers aiming their guns at the heroes trying to save Meister.
Recorded through the hero cams of A-City’s heroes, it was obvious how the public would react to such a scene.
“Soldiers who only got in the way during Meister’s crisis—heroes are the ones who protect the world, huh? You’re going to spin it like that?”
[You’ve learned a bit about politics, Starlight.]
“You—!“
His mocking applause and praise made Yoo Anna sigh in exasperation.
“I won’t say your political games are bad—after all, I’ve benefited from them too. But can’t you at least tone it down a little?”
[Don’t dismiss politics, Starlight.]
“I’m not dismissing them. I know they’re necessary. What annoys me is how you never consult anyone—you just use us as you please.”
[Of course, you should help. It’s for the sake of superpower humans, and in the end, you’ve gained a lot from it too, haven’t you?]
“You—you’ve been using all the heroes like this, haven’t you? Meister, me, Electress… Couldn’t you at least talk to us before exploiting us?”
Heroes must be strong. The strongest heroes must bear everything.
Was it because he believed himself to be the greatest hero?
Kage had always had a tendency to try and handle everything alone.
[I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. I don’t plan and move based on everything—I just anticipate and act according to the situation.]
“That’s exactly why I’m telling you to at least ask for opinions before you act!”
[You want me to discuss, consult, and confirm everyone’s intentions before moving? That’s too slow… Your way is far too slow, Starlight.]
“And yours is too fast. You’ve just been lucky not to make any mistakes so far. But if you do—!”
[As long as I don’t make mistakes, it’s fine.]
“Do you really think that makes sense?”
[Superpower humans exist to make the impossible possible. I’ll take responsibility. Those under me just need to follow silently.]
“And how do you plan to take responsibility for the people you’ve used and sacrificed?”
[By repaying them with peace.]
His confident answer made Yoo Anna sigh again. Though they were heading in the same direction, it felt like they were running on completely parallel lines.
“In the end, you are doing this for everyone. That’s why, even if I get annoyed at you, I won't stop you. I know your methods are effective. But this… Isn’t this going too far?”
[What are you talking about?]
“Why are the A-City soldiers like that? They weren’t this bad before.”
[Incompetence? Ignorance? What exactly are you asking?]
“Why are they so hostile toward heroes?”
Beyond incompetence or ignorance, the soldiers of A-City acted as if superpower humans were their enemies.
Heroes assassinating Meister? That made no sense.
[Soldiers are just the government’s dogs—private soldiers for high-ranking officials. They were probably taught to distrust me.]
“You’re saying they think Kage is trying to assassinate Meister to seize power?”
[That’s idiotic. Killing Meister wouldn’t bring power—it would only incite public backlash.]
Even if she is a weak hero, she is still a hero.
The citizens of each city still supported Meister, even now that other heroes had taken her place.
And Kage, who prioritized heroes, would never kill Meister.
The heroes who had worked with Kage believed that without a doubt.
[Yet they suspect I would kill Meister because of the government’s propaganda.]
Because Kage was at the center of the news that still circulated—the news of Meister killing the parents and mentors of countless heroes.
Because Kage, backed by the support of citizens and heroes, threatened the positions of high-ranking government officials.
[To be swayed by such things… They can only be called inferior. That’s why I must lead.]
Superior heroes must protect the inferior.
That mindset was hard to criticize, but Yoo Anna’s frustration didn’t fade.
“Have you even tried talking to the soldiers?”
[Talking…?]
“The soldiers—they weren’t just hostile toward us. They were afraid. Does that make sense? Soldiers, police, firefighters—they’re supposed to work with heroes to protect citizens. So why would they fear heroes?”
[Isn’t it obvious? Their masters—the pigs in the government—see me as an enemy.]
“Then you should teach them. You should tell them you’re not their enemy.”
[A waste of time. Even if I convinced a few foot soldiers, the government would just replace them.]
“And in the meantime, the soldiers will keep seeing heroes as enemies… This time it was Meister, but next time, they might turn against heroes under the pretense of protecting citizens.”
[They’re just humans.]
No matter what weapons humans wielded, they posed no threat to high-ranking heroes.
Superpower humans were beyond human, transcendent beings, monsters.
What made them heroes was their resolve to protect humanity.
“Kage, soldiers are citizens too—people we should protect.”
[Yes, foolish ones who work hard to fatten up corrupt pigs.]
“So you’re just going to leave them as enemies? The other heroes seem to dislike the soldier,s too.”
[It’ll sort itself out once we deal with the head.]
“And the soldiers who’ll be sacrificed in the process? Just unavoidable casualties?”
Kage’s goal was to replace the corrupt high-ranking officials with capable heroes.
Even if some humans had to be sacrificed, cutting out the rot was necessary to save the rest, so he didn’t hesitate.
And in this era, Kage’s choice was the right one.
“…That kind of thinking is only going to create more people who fear heroes. We can’t be like that.”
[Naïve, Starlight… The time for dialogue has long passed. They’ve used Meister as a tool for too long—they’re drunk on their own power.]
Yoo Anna knew that the festering corruption in the government had to be purged for the sake of the people.
But they couldn’t forget what it meant to be heroes.
To Yoo Anna, Kage was becoming less and less like a hero.
Yet she couldn’t blame him—not in this insane age of monsters.
In a mad world, the sane were the mad ones.
And the mad one here was Yoo Anna.
“In this era… you’re the one who’s right. Your methods are more effective.”
[How gracious of you, Starlight, to acknowledge my ways.]
“That’s why I’ll keep pointing out the flaws in your methods.”
As Yoo Anna glared at Kage through the screen, he, who had been sipping coffee, narrowed his eyes sharply.
“You’re doing what someone has to do, so I won’t stop you. But I will find a better way.”
In this era, Yoo Anna’s way was far too slow.
But she wouldn’t compromise.
Because a hero never gave up—not if it meant saving even one more person.
[As expected…]
Kukuku. Kage chuckled, setting down his coffee.
[Fine. Hesitate and agonize all you want. You’re frustrating, but you’ve always been right. Annoyingly so…]
A strange sense of inferiority flickered in his eyes—the same look Yoo Anna remembered from when Kage had once regarded her with inexplicable hostility.
Meeting her gaze through the screen, Kage ended the call with a final remark.
[Keep searching for my flaws. Surpass reality as a hero greater than me.]
Do what only you can do.
Beep.
After the call ended, Yoo Anna left the comms room with a heavy heart.
Her destination was the operations room, where all the heroes had gathered.
Inside, the handcuffed soldiers of A-City were already in conversation with the heroes of W-City.
“So, you’re saying Meister’s ability went out of control, and you had to force a shutdown? It wasn’t an assassination or anything sketchy…”
“We can’t trust that. In the end, it’s just the heroes’ words. From the start, sending such a small escort for Meister was suspicious—this must be part of your secret operation…”
“Ah, for fuck’s sake—listen! If we wanted to do something to you or Meister, we would’ve killed you already! Two S-rank heroes and nearly ten A-rank—do you have any idea what we could do if we wanted? A single S-rank could kill you all, so what kind of assassination is this?”
“If there are no survivors, it would be an assassination.”
Knocked out by Electress’s ability, the soldiers had been brought not to a prison but to the operations room, where they were now being briefed on why the heroes had performed CPR on Meister.
“See? This is what we call ability coupling. A coupling with a guy—disgusting to think about, but when abilities harmonize instead of repel, they can fuse like this.”
“That’s why, if we tried to save Meister using abilities, her body would absorb that energy and keep overloading…”
“An electric shock from a machine and an electric shock from an ability are different. Got it?”
“But the heroes… Kage’s power… Meister was an obstacle…”
“Goddammit—argh! What do I have to say to make you drop this ‘Kage’s power, Meister assassination, secret operation’ bullshit?! Kage, that bastard! Kage, that fucking moron! Happy now?!”
“Hey, quiet down. The A-City heroes are listening.”
“More importantly, if we wanted to kill Meister, would we have put her in a treatment room? We could’ve just let her die in the car. Meister? She’s practically D-rank. Even I could kill her if I wanted—you think an S-rank hero couldn’t?”
The longer the conversation went on, the more the soldiers, who had initially bristled like cornered strays, began to show not hostility, but doubt.
They, too, were human.
Not inferior beings compared to heroes—just fellow humans.
“So… You really had no choice but to perform CPR?”
“W-we almost killed Meister with our own hands… If we’d been any slower…”
“We’re the ones who did something stupid…”
“But still, in the end, it’s just the hero's word…”
If you talk, you can understand.
***
I sat on the rooftop, chewing on jerky as I quietly observed District 0.
Seeing in person someone I’d only ever seen inside the box called a TV—even now, as a monster, it was a strange experience.
Meister—the hero of the era I’d watched on TV every day as a child.
The genius superhuman who laid the foundation for humanity’s survival in the age of monsters.
And a woman with many, many oddities.
The first time I saw Meister’s face next to Starlight’s, I was struck by how surreal it was to see a face from my memories right in front of me.
Then, there was this scent coming from her body.
Faint, as if buried under layers of thick blankets, but unmistakably familiar.
And the food pack Meister gave me.
The contents were completely different, but the packaging was something I’d seen before.
“A lab?”
She didn’t seem like a researcher, though.
I focused my senses on the faint scent drifting from District 0—the distinct odor of the chemicals they used.
A smell I could never forget.