Chapter 118
Chapter 118
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: Dark Hero
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...
...
"...".
Louise quietly watched the news.
The incident had been resolved before even more sacrifices could occur.
It was a difficult, dirty job that someone had to do.
Louise had been willing to take it on. So had the other heroes.
But at that moment, the Smiling Man had stepped in to stop them.
And he had declared that he would shoulder it all himself.
Even though he had no connection to it. Even though there was no reason for him to.
And so, at the Smiling Man's hand, the heroes lost their lives.
'Smiling Man...'
From their perspective, it was a fortunate outcome. There would be no further shame.
But for the Smiling Man? Nothing remained for him.
On the contrary, the very concerns Louise had harbored were now coming to light.
As she had foreseen, such words were starting to surface bit by bit.
They surely knew that kill orders had been issued from above.
Yet, because it was none other than the Smiling Man who had acted.
Because he was not a hero. Because he had once been a villain.
They questioned whether suppression might have been possible instead of killing.
'Everyone's being too harsh.'
What if it hadn't been the Smiling Man? What would have happened then?
The heroes' hands would have been drenched in the blood of their own comrades.
They would have been tormented by nightmares and wracked with guilt for life.
Those people didn't know. They babbled on without understanding anything.
They didn't know what lay behind that man's smile.
Right. I didn't know either. But now... I think I do.
"Louise."
Count Karrael gently patted Louise's shoulder.
He knew. He knew that the Smiling Man and Louise had met.
And he knew the reason why the man had taken on that role.
Ironically, it was a non-hero who had sacrificed for the heroes.
Whether it was the blood of villains or not, blood stained these hands all the same.
And he didn't mind adding yet more blood upon it.
"The Hero Bureau has issued its final report."
"...".
"This incident was unequivocally caused by monsters. The heroes fell victim to something that stripped them of reason. All of London's forces were mobilized to stop them..."
And in the end, the one who put them down was the Smiling Man.
Yes. It wasn't murder. He simply stepped forward in our place.
Even if... he would face criticism and condemnation from some.
"Haa..."
The count sat beside Louise and let out a heavy sigh.
In our place. In Britain's place. The one whose hands were stained with blood.
Those who condemned him knew it. Those who stayed silent knew it. Everyone knew.
That anyone else would have been tormented by guilt if it hadn't been the Smiling Man.
'The Smiling Man must have known this would happen to some extent. And yet...'
Why did that man choose to shoulder it all?
To overcome sorrow with condemnation. To find a sliver of freedom in avoidance.
Did he truly desire that and become a murderer of his own volition?
"Just what kind of man is he?"
She... Britain... knew so little about him.
Only rumors. Only what the media showed.
They thought him a villain. An unusual one, at best.
"Is he a villain, as they say? Just a misguided Awakener? Or is he someone even we can't comprehend... another hero?"
Rather than judge for himself, the count sought his daughter's opinion.
He hadn't been there. He couldn't speak rashly.
Just what kind of person was the Smiling Man?
"The Smiling Man..."
Back in Korea, she had been certain he was a clear-cut villain.
But after tangling with him several times, her thoughts began to shift little by little.
Still, doubts lingered. She couldn't understand.
Why start as a villain? Why not become a hero?
If he cared for the world, he could have worked within its framework.
Even though his path risked misleading people.
Why stubbornly follow his own way instead of the righteous path?
After a moment's thought at the count's question, Louise spoke.
"The Smiling Man isn't the kind of villain we imagine. Nor is he the hero we know."
That's why no one can casually understand him.
That's why some will rashly speak and judge him.
"He dwells in darkness yet upholds justice. He punishes those who slyly commit evil."
But he would bear it all.
Yes. Because that man was none other than the Smiling Man.
"...Dark Hero."
News of Britain dominated headlines worldwide.
Even if it was no longer the empire it once was.
It had once shone as the world's greatest power.
London was its capital and heart.
It had defended itself to the end even against monster outbreaks.
Yet in just two days, it had become a ruin.
Not the work of monsters. Not villains either.
Heroes who had lost their sense of self and reason for some reason.
Those who protected citizens now sought to harm them.
It was shocking. Heroes being controlled.
This massive unease was enough to strike the entire world.
What if the same happened to them?
What if even S-Rank Heroes were infected in the worst case?
Could their own nation stop them?
"...For now, let's send our condolences to Britain."
"That seems right."
Dozens of heroes dead and injured was no small matter.
Moreover, they had all met tragic ends.
Not fallen in battle protecting citizens.
They had to be killed to protect citizens.
Even from afar, the tragedy was everyone's.
Reality was that we might one day be in their place.
Waves of condolences poured into London from around the world.
Among them were Korea's heroes and Hero Academy cadets.
"...Well now. More people are paying attention than I expected."
I figured they'd spread rumors like monsters eating brains or ultrasonic control and chatter among themselves.
On his final night in Britain, standing at the tip of Big Ben.
Yushin quietly surveyed the silent London plunged into mourning.
A three-day national mourning period had been declared due to the incident.
Everyone would grieve together, ache together.
But soon, as if it had never happened, they'd overcome it.
They'd regain their vibrancy and smiles.
"Sorry, everyone. Still, I left no guilt or debt toward your comrades, so please accept that much."
He uncorked the bottle of whiskey he'd brought and sprinkled it into the air.
The libation for the dead scattered into the sky drop by drop.
I'll substitute these tears for you.
If we meet again someday, sure, you can curse me.
No guilt. What guilt now?
If there was to be any, it should have come when killing villains.
He'd embraced the romance, so he had to bear the corresponding price.
"Thanks to this, I've got one more thing to do this summer. Hahaha."
Besides Britain, fugitives had escaped from Union branches everywhere.
Conducting highly suspicious research in secret.
Or handling utterly filthy deeds on the sly.
Those involved had fled without looking back.
Like rats abandoning a sinking ship.
"These scared little rats are more exhausting to catch than mad dogs."
Semitransparent mana threads appeared and vanished.
The original plan was to train the protagonists during summer break.
Maybe play some go with bosses now and then to pass the time.
But now he'd have no rest and be stuck working.
Making this sleepyhead work overtime? Impressive work, everyone.
So look forward to it. And please, don't get caught.
"...If you fall into my grasp now, I can't guarantee what I'll do."