The Villains' Circumstances (1)
"W-we're just leaving? Really?"
Mad Hunt asked, looking back in bewilderment at the villain, Persona, who was still in the office.
She then carefully studied Plan's face as she walked beside her in silence.
Plan looked lost in thought, her complexion darker than usual. It was a look she only wore when she was truly annoyed or facing a grave situation.
Remembering the time Plan had recruited her, Mad Hunt shuddered.
...Lee Kangwoo.
Plan murmured to herself.
Literally, today had been riddled with mistakes and lacked any rationality.
But to be precise, she had failed to read the man named Lee Kangwoo.
After studying his photos, analyzing him so thoroughly, and yet...!
Plan closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm her racing emotions.
"This was my miscalculation."
"R-right. Yeah. But President, will the Catacomb really hand over the hostage so easily?"
"If they don't, we kill them. Ah, that phrasing was a bit harsh. Please understand, I am slightly agitated right now."
Plan smiled gently as she looked at Mad Hunt.
Mad Hunt felt a sudden chill run down her spine, her teeth chattering as if she had been plunged into ice water.
She couldn't help it. The look in Plan's silver eyes was dead serious.
"O-of course! Absolutely!"
Plan returned to her expressionless state and clasped her hands behind her back.
She had a lot to think about. What did Lee Kangwoo mean when he said she was wrong because she was too rational?
She couldn't understand. If it was rational, if it was for the greater good, then someone had to be sacrificed.
Just like she had sacrificed her entire life for the Association.
Justice, too, was built upon sacrifice.
"It is worth reconsidering. Keep a close eye on the villain Persona. He will likely remain in the Catacomb for the time being. As for Ar's disposal..."
Plan kept muttering to herself as she walked.
Her mind had rarely been this cluttered. To be precise, even when faced with complex situations, she had always reached a clear conclusion.
But this time was different. The answer was simple: Lee Kangwoo was an enemy, and she had to retrieve Ar.
...But is Lee Kangwoo really an enemy?
Confusion welled up in her silver eyes.
Just... what...
"What on earth... are you?"
"Phew... well, that's one job done."
I let out a long sigh and took off my white mask.
The sheer tension of talking to Plan had drained all the strength from my body.
She really is a tough one to handle.
After today, Plan wouldn't make the same mistake twice.
I had to prepare. Though right now, I had no clear idea how to counter her...
I leaned back in my chair, staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Man, this is exhausting... Being a villain is practically manual labor."
"Mister."
"Yeah?"
Startled by her unusually heavy tone, I looked down. Ar was hesitating, clutching my arm tightly.
She wasn't gripping me as hard as before, but I could feel her hands trembling.
"Is it because of Plan?"
"...Yeah. What... kind of relationship do you two have?"
Ar asked hesitantly, looking up at me with worried eyes.
...What kind of relationship, huh.
I could guess why she was asking.
To Ar, the dynamic between Plan and Lee Kangwoo must have looked like two people who had known each other for a very long time. It was only natural for her to be scared.
I let out a deep sigh and rubbed my face.
"Sigh, she's always been like that. It's just... how should I put it? She's another person with too many scars. I'm not defending her, mind you. I've just seen it too many times."
"...Scars."
Ar cast her eyes downward.
I didn't know what she was thinking, but judging by her pale face, it couldn't be anything good.
I watched her in silence for a moment before letting out a soft chuckle.
"Everyone has their reasons. I'm not telling you to understand her. If you think Plan is a bad person, then she's a bad person."
"A bad... person."
"...Yeah, a bad person."
When Ar bit her lip and spoke in a choked voice, as if overwhelmed by emotion, I nodded.
Personally, I didn't view Plan as an inherently evil person. A broken one, perhaps.
But to Ar, she was different.
She was simply the person who had subjected her to endless torment...
Yes.
A bad person.
No matter how much I explained Plan's side to Ar, how she processed it was entirely up to her.
So.
"Do you resent me? Because it sounds like I'm defending Plan?"
"No."
Ar answered softly and immediately shook her head.
If I were in her shoes, I might have felt a bit of resentment, so her instant denial put me at ease.
"...Ar. Thank you. Thanks to you holding back, everything ended well."
I gave her a small smile.
Ar stared at me blankly for a moment, then blushed and lowered her head.
"Y-yeah..."
It was right at that moment, as Ar mumbled in a shy, crawling voice.
Click.
The door swung open, accompanied by an annoyed voice.
"Why don't you two just shoot a romance movie while you're at it? Is that your type, kid? I had no idea."
"Ah, Merpin."
Merpin walked in with a cigar clamped between her teeth, sitting down and crossing her legs.
She exhaled a long trail of smoke and glared at me with cold eyes.
It felt like a silent reprimand.
"You never said Plan was going to show up."
"...I have no excuse."
"Sigh, whatever. Besides, that bitch Plan looked like she'd just chewed on a mouthful of cigarette ash. Seeing her face like that makes us even. Pfft."
Merpin let out a refreshing laugh, looking genuinely satisfied.
She blew out another puff of smoke, her amber eyes shifting to Ar with curiosity.
"Who is this kid that Plan herself would come all this way? Is she some kind of celebrity?"
"In terms of raw potential, she might actually be stronger than Plan."
Honestly, I had no idea, but I had to bluff to the Catacomb for now.
The higher Ar's perceived value, the more likely the Catacomb would treat us favorably.
Merpin narrowed her eyes, letting out an intrigued hum.
"You look like a real creep right now, Merpin."
"...Shut up."
Merpin scowled and glared at me.
I shrugged and continued.
"Anyway, the fact that Plan showed up is proof enough, isn't it? The only reason I went through the trouble of breaking her out of the Association is because Ar has that much value."
"Mmhmm!"
Confused by my blatant lie, Ar quickly caught on and nodded along.
She even crossed her arms, acting as if she agreed completely.
It was cute. Extremely cute, actually.
Merpin cackled.
"Sure, sure. She'd better be worth it. I'll let you use the training dome. But you owe me one for this, got it?"
"I love how straightforward you are, Merpin."
"Man, just thinking about Plan's crumpled face... I could drink to that for the rest of my life."
Merpin waved it off coolly.
"Come to think of it, isn't it dinner time? Want to grab a bite? There's a good place nearby."
"...There's a restaurant here?"
"What do you take the Catacomb for?"
Merpin snorted and gestured for us to follow.
Still skeptical, I took Ar's hand and followed her.
The Wasteland, where the Catacomb was located, was not a place where normal people could run a business.
There was no way a restaurant could exist...
Oh, it does.
Merpin led us to a shop with a shabby sign located just above the underground facility.
Inside, several villains were already hunched over bowls of hot soup.
Come to think of it, villains were human too.
They'd get sick of eating rations all the time.
The prices were steep, but watching the other villains eat with such gusto made my mouth water.
"Hey, three bowls of pork soup here."
"Coming right up."
The fierce-looking owner took the order with a surprisingly warm smile.
Ar looked utterly bewildered, unable to process the domestic scene.
I was just as dumbfounded.
Merpin plopped down onto a seat.
I expected the villains to freeze up at the boss's arrival, but they just kept eating as if they were used to it.
...It feels like an office.
Any illusions I had about the criminal underworld were rapidly shattering.
One of the villains approached Merpin as she waited for the food.
She looked up with a questioning grunt, and the man spoke.
"The news is going crazy right now."
"About what? It's not like the Catacomb making the news is anything new."
"N-no... not that. A legendary villain from the past has resurfaced. Articles about the villain Persona are popping up everywhere too."
Merpin frowned, not quite understanding.
The man pulled out his phone and showed her the screen.
"...What is this? Villain Persona... okay, I get that part."
"Just read this part here."
Merpin narrowed her eyes and slowly read the text.
"The villain who shook the world eight years ago..."
A villain from eight years ago? Was it during the Villain Alliance era?
I thought to myself as I stroked Ar's hair.
She let out a soft giggle, which only made me want to keep petting her.
But most of the Alliance members had migrated to the Catacomb and barely drew any attention these days...
What was this? Just clickbait?
I was thinking half-heartedly when—
My eyes widened.
"Wait a minute! A villain returning to activity?"
"The phantom thief villain, the Magician of a Thousand Fabrics, has sent a calling card to the Association... Huh?"
[RETURN OF THE LEGENDARY PHANTOM THIEF]
The Magician of a Thousand Fabrics Sends a Calling Card to the Hero Association
Merpin and I both froze, wearing identical dumbfounded expressions.
"Art, you crazy bastard!"
"Fuck! What kind of bullshit is this?!"