The First Terror Should Be Flashy! (2)
Right after Maker’s terror broadcast cut off, a chilly atmosphere swept through the operation analysis room.
“Crazy bastard.”
In the heavy silence, Ice Queen, who had been sitting quietly, frowned as she glared at the now-dark screen.
The excessive politeness from someone committing an act of terrorism, the bombs he had detonated inside the very building he occupied purely to threaten her, and the way he kept smiling and maintaining that relaxed attitude the entire time—every last detail.
He’s not in his right mind.
The man was insane. It wasn’t rage toward the world that drove him; from what she had seen on screen, he looked like a lunatic acting purely for his own amusement.
“Haah…”
She was already swamped with work… Ice Queen let out a sigh at the appearance of yet another new villain.
“…What should we do?”
At the question, Ice Queen turned her gaze to the people before her. She was one of the few A-class Heroes stationed in the Korean branch.
With most A-class and B-class Heroes currently away on international assignments or handling incidents in other districts, she was effectively the leader responsible for resolving this terror attack.
Seeing the rookie Heroes looking at her with anxious eyes, Ice Queen let out a deep sigh and spoke.
“For now, let’s move out. We can figure out the plan once we’re on site.”
At her command, the Heroes began deploying to the scene.
It didn’t take long for the Hero team to reach the vicinity of the District B Department Store.
“Um… will this really be okay?”
“What do you mean?”
Ice Queen turned her head at the voice of one of the Heroes. Anxious faces filled her vision.
“Everyone here except you, Ice Queen, is only C-class…”
Seeing their unease, Ice Queen answered curtly.
“We’ve exceeded the recommended rank and headcount, so it’s fine.”
“B-but that villain hasn’t even been ranked yet.”
Villain ranking. The old system based on Hero ranks had been scrapped and replaced with a new framework.
While Hero ranks were evaluated purely on ability and combat power, villain ranks factored in danger level—including ability, combat strength, and societal influence.
Even if an ability was weak, the greater the villain’s overall impact, the higher the rank they received.
“You all know the response manual based on the villain ranking chart, correct?”
“Y-yes, ma’am.”
“You can handle C-class villains one-on-one, and even B-class if there are enough of you. In my case, I can generally take on anything up to A-class.”
She turned her gaze forward again, requesting a situation report from the police officer ahead of her while loosening up her body.
If that guy is A+-class or higher, I won’t be able to beat him, but…
“As you all know, our objective this time isn’t to eliminate the villain—it’s to rescue the citizens. I’ll draw his attention, so there’s no need to worry too much.”
On the way to the District B Department Store, the Association members had discussed how to handle the situation. And the conclusion had been simple.
Rescue the citizens first.
Is this really okay?
There’s no guarantee the citizens will be safe even if we follow his demands, right?
So we’re ignoring the villain’s deadline. But what if he notices?
All we need is someone who can hold his attention until the citizens are rescued.
A Hero strong enough to face the villain one-on-one and prominent enough to represent the Hero community.
Ice Queen. As an A-class Hero, it was perfectly reasonable for her to be chosen as the representative. It would also make it easier to control the variables in the “game” the villain had set up.
While Ice Queen draws his attention, the C-class Heroes will quickly rescue the citizens. Understood?
Yes, ma’am!!
Rather than negotiate with an unpredictable villain, it was better to pretend to comply and then stab him in the back. This was clearly the correct approach. It was the correct approach… or so she kept telling herself.
Then why does it feel so dirty?
Ice Queen felt an inexplicable tightness in her chest, but she shook her head and pushed the thought away.
At the Association employee’s voice crackling through their comms, a stealth-specialist C-class Hero cast their ability over the dozen or so Heroes excluding Ice Queen. They slipped into the department store in secret.
“…Hoo.”
After taking a short, deep breath, Ice Queen raised the output of her ability at the voice coming through her comms.
CRAAAAAACK!!!
In an instant, an ice ramp rose from the ground and connected to the rooftop.
Snap.
When she flicked her fingers, the ramp transformed back into stairs.
“……”
Ignoring the eyes locked onto her, Ice Queen headed for the rooftop.
“They should be arriving any minute now~”
I shook my leg slowly, openly displaying my boredom.
There’s no way the Heroes wouldn’t show up after all the chaos on the news, right?
The worst-case scenario flashed through my mind for a second, but I quickly shook my head.
I caused this much commotion and even revealed that I’m an Eclipse executive. At the very least, I should have been rated B+.
In that case, even if it was just some B- or A-class Hero, with luck I might actually encounter them. …They are coming, right? I was about to start detonating bombs soon.
Maybe I should detonate fewer bombs and give them another chance? …Nah, that feels cheap.
A villain needed a proper rival. Only then would the whole thing look more stylish and powerful.
If no one stopped you while you committed terrorism, you’d just be a strong extra at best.
Sigh… I blocked all communications and internet access so I can’t even check what’s happening.
I’d ordered radio jamming the moment the broadcast ended in case the hostages tried to send out information. Now I was wondering if that had been a mistake.
While I was grumbling to myself, a sharp sound rang out.
“Are you Maker?”
Accompanied by a loud CRAAAAAACK!, she appeared. The moment I saw her, my eyes widened.
Sky-blue hair and eyes, a cold beauty with an icy expression.
A shirt that clung to her body, leather pants, and a fur-lined cape. The outfit didn’t exactly scream “standard Hero uniform.”
No mistake. It was definitely her.
As a former reader, I hid my racing heart and barely managed to maintain a relaxed smile as I answered.
“Well now, for an A-class Hero to come personally—I don’t know whether to feel honored or embarrassed.”
“…You know who I am?”
Of course I did. That hair color was unusual yet somehow a staple of this world.
“A-class Hero, Ice Queen.”
Real name Seo Yunhee. One of Korea’s few A-class Heroes.
And one of the heroines from the original story.
To meet her on my very first terror attack—I was lucky. I smiled brightly and gave the table a light tap.
“You must have gone through some trouble to get here. Why don’t you take a seat and have a cup of tea?”
When I snapped my fingers, one of the organization members who had been watching closely brought over a chair and an empty teacup.
“……”
She approached without a word, dropped heavily into the chair, crossed her arms, and crossed her legs. I looked at her with a bright smile and asked.
“Did you come alone? No one else with you?”
“…Most of the others are busy, so I came by myself.”
“Hmm~”
Her blunt attitude was almost cute. Even though her furrowed brows made it obvious how much she disliked this, she still answered honestly.
“There must be plenty of C-class Heroes available, no?”
“Heroes do not create meaningless sacrifices.”
In other words, they had been excluded from the fighting force because they couldn’t face me. Although she phrased it politely, it was a rather cold statement once you understood its true meaning.
It sounds like something she applies to herself as well.
“Besides, aren’t you an executive of Eclipse?”
Ice Queen stared at me with cold eyes. Her expression was frigid, in stark contrast to her sky-blue hair and eyes that reminded one of a clear winter sky.
“I’ve seen plenty of organization members and squad leaders before, but this is the first time I’ve encountered an executive-level villain carrying out a full-scale terror attack.”
Is that so?
Astra had given permission without much comment, so I had assumed it was normal. I briefly thought about the other executives besides Astra.
…Hmm.
“It’s true that they tend to favor emotion over reason.”
If they were just rampaging on their own it would be one thing, but they weren’t the type to plan and move with their heads like I did.
I shrugged and continued.
“As you can see, my personal combat ability is pathetic. That’s why I have no choice but to commit terrorism in this manner.”
I lifted the teacup and took a sip. Maybe because the woman in front of me was radiating cold air, it had essentially become iced tea by now. Still, it was surprisingly drinkable, so I finished it without complaint.
“That said, it’s a shame. It’s nice that you came alone as the representative, Ice Queen, but it would have been even better if several other Heroes had shown up with you.”
“……”
In truth, it didn’t matter. The situation had turned out better than I had hoped, so I was actually quite pleased.
I stood up and slowly walked past her.
“Hmm~ So what kind of game should we play, I wonder…”
“Wait.”
As I walked along pretending to ponder, Ice Queen looked at me with a stiff expression.
“Before that, you need to keep your promise. The one where you said you would release them if a Hero arrived. Have you forgotten?”
“Ah~ That’s right, I did make that promise.”
I kept walking without stopping.
“Promises are important. Of course they should be kept.”
Step.Step. To heighten the tension, I deliberately made my footsteps loud.
“However.”
I stopped abruptly.
“When you people broke the promise first, why should I keep mine?”
“…!”
Having put some distance between us, I stopped in place, turned around with a wide grin. By then my left hand was holding the detonator switch.
“Did you really think I wouldn’t know?”
“…Wait, wait a second. Just calm down.”
Ice Queen rose from her seat, eyes trembling, and stared at me. Without a word, I snapped my fingers.
—Click. Click.
—Is it this way?
“!!”
Sounds came from the direction of the department store’s large electronic display. The screen was probably showing footage as well.
—Found them!! Everyone, we’re over here!
—Click. Click.
—It’s all right now, everyone! Our Hero has arrived!…
A man’s bright voice and the faint clicking sounds. Sensing something was wrong, Ice Queen rushed toward the switch in my hand with a desperate expression, but—
—Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.
“Liars need a good beating.”
—…Hey, you idiot! That’s not a hostage!! It’s a mannequin!!!
“Game over.”
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!
In truth, I hadn’t prepared any of the “games” I had mentioned during the broadcast. I had known it would turn out like this.
I smiled brightly and used my ability to greet the rapidly approaching Ice Queen.