Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Villain, but Not a Villain
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This news spread like wildfire across every media outlet.
The Union Korea Branch was also briefed on the details.
Another horrific crime by the villain who murdered an S-Rank Hero.
The ruthless monster they had momentarily forgotten about after a period of silence.
The entire world poured out their rage toward the Smiling Man.
Within half a day, denunciations against villains exploded.
However, the atmosphere here was slightly different from elsewhere.
"You've arrived. What do you think?"
"According to the on-site forensics team, there's a 78.2 percent chance it wasn't the Smiling Man."
"As expected. I knew it."
As the headquarters for heroes who have battled villains for years, the Union knew their enemies all too well.
They couldn't possibly know nothing about their own foes.
"The Smiling Man's Ability is believed to be Mana Threads, which is extremely powerful. Opinions are still divided on the exact number, but it's certain he uses at least two strands."
"Yet at the scene, there were almost no traces of Mana Threads. Even the few traces present were uneven, blunt rather than sharp, and felt unskilled. He's not accustomed to applying Mana Threads."
"Above all, someone who was obsessed with killing heroes suddenly targets civilians? This has to be someone intentionally impersonating the Smiling Man."
It was obvious at a glance. This was bait using the Smiling Man.
It was bait to provoke heroes into attacking the 'Clan' he belonged to.
To dare pull off such an absurd stunt against the Union.
They absolutely could not fall for it. They wouldn't dance to their tune.
The relevant personnel immediately relayed these opinions to the top brass.
The Clan was trying to whittle away at the Union's and heroes' forces.
Rash revenge was unwise; a more thorough investigation was needed.
"This is strange. Is this really such a big deal?"
However, the top brass seemed to think differently.
"Whether it's the Smiling Man or not, what does it have to do with our Union? It wasn't heroes harming civilians, and so what if a villain did it?"
"This is actually an opportunity. It'll give us a perfect excuse to push through the villain regulation bill."
The content of the villain regulation bill mentioned by the top brass.
It was a mandatory Union registration system for all Ability awakeners.
Refusal would classify them as villains by default, imposing penalties.
Naturally, opposition was rife across society.
This was excessive control and surveillance, ripe for human rights violations.
For an organization that wasn't even a nation to dare impose such control.
Faced with this backlash, the Union had backed down, considering Korean public sentiment.
But they hadn't abandoned the idea, and now an opportunity had arisen.
"Not content with killing an S-Rank Hero, now civilian murders too. It's a golden chance to ignite public animosity toward villains. And at the same time, heighten vigilance and suspicion! Then we can push the bill again."
"Lately, heroes have been grumbling about villains being too quiet, making it hard to hunt them. They're all popularity addicts; if we don't toss them some prey soon, they'll cause trouble again."
Whether the Smiling Man did it or not wasn't important.
That a villain did it. That fact alone mattered to them.
The stronger the villain, the more heinous the crime, the better.
The worse it got, the more support heroes and the Union gained.
They had been shocked by the recent news of the Clan's internal split for that very reason.
If the villains' power waned, heroes would have less to do.
Monsters weren't enough. Villains were essential.
The world needed monsters. People needed plenty of enemies.
"Issue a major condemnation statement against the Smiling Man and villains immediately."
"Let me say it again! This incident doesn't appear to be the work of the villain Smiling Man, and there's a high possibility it's a provocation aimed at sparking conflict between the Union, heroes, and the Clan!"
"Who doesn't know that? Sometimes you have to turn a blind eye even if the whole world knows, and play along."
The Union was confident. Fisherman's gain? No such thing.
Whether marked targets or schemers, they'd crush them all.
Did an S-Rank Hero falling to a villain mean the Union was weak too?
Wrong. They were simply hiding their full strength for now.
Heroes were propaganda tools to soothe public opinion.
Behind the scenes, they had already trained numerous Ability awakeners on par with heroes.
They just couldn't reveal them yet due to groups keeping the Union in check.
But once the world fully supported the Union.
The time to deploy them would come soon enough.
Without hesitation, the Union made its stance known through the Korea Branch.
Villains were an absolute social evil that could never be forgiven.
Heroes and the Union were the shields protecting the world from those demons.
They emphasized this point over and over.
Conspiracy theories about the Union had existed for a long time.
It was inevitable when a single force grew too powerful.
They sought to place themselves above national governments.
Using heroes as vanguards to manipulate the world.
As with all conspiracies, there were quite a few believers.
These groups constantly challenged the Union's words.
But this time, even they had no choice but to stay silent.
The heightened sense of crisis from villains was real, after all.
And naturally, deliberation on the bill resumed.
"This doesn't feel right."
Of course, not everyone in the Union agreed with the top brass.
Some personnel couldn't shake their resentment toward this situation.
From deliberately ignoring the obvious ploy.
To staking heroes' and civilians' lives to bolster the Union's power.
"It wasn't the Smiling Man. All the evidence from the scene analysis says so."
"Not only that. According to our undercover agent on a covert mission, there's a high possibility the Smiling Man can be swayed, right?"
A concise yet confident single-page document.
Agent Purple. Report on Villain Smiling Man.
Possibility of recruitment exists. Proceed with cautious contact.
"…."
"…."
Kang Yuna and Seo Ha-eun both fell silent.
The Union's massive push for a villain purge. The boiling public opinion in response.
All of it stemmed from the Smiling Man's crime against civilians.
Official investigations confirmed multiple casualties from his attack.
Following the S-Rank Hero murder, he had caused an enormous incident.
The Smiling Man was a villain. That fact would never change.
He had killed over twenty heroes, making his crimes even graver.
Kang Yuna and Seo Ha-eun knew this all too well.
But the reason they couldn't easily dispel their inner doubts was probably.
'Did the Smiling Man really commit such a brutal act...?'
'It's weird. There hasn't been a single civilian crime. Not even one innocent victim during all those hero killings.'
If he were capable of something this horrific, why did he save us?
To toy with us? Or just a fleeting whim?
If it truly was the Smiling Man's doing, they could never forgive him.
But... what if. What if it wasn't him.
"So about this time.... Ah!"
Jin Seo-ah and Louise spotted the two as they entered the cafe.
"Cadet Kang Yuna. Even Cadet Seo Ha-eun! We meet again like this!"
Jin Seo-ah and Kang Yuna, who had unintentionally become sparring partners, exchanged greetings.
Louise and Seo Ha-eun, who had grown quite close after sharing opinions recently, nodded silently.
With the original two joined by the other pair, the table was now full.
True to form as cadets, their conversation centered on academy matters.
Talk of instructors. Talk of classes.
Naturally, the topic shifted to the current situation.
"You've heard the news this time, right? What the villain Smiling Man did."
Kang Yuna and Seo Ha-eun nodded at Jin Seo-ah's words.
"I thought he might have been injured after killing an S-Rank Hero and going quiet for a while, but to reappear like this. Korea seems as impressive in its villains as its heroes."
It wasn't sarcasm; it was genuine admiration.
Admiring a villain felt a bit odd, but...
"It wasn't the Smiling Man."
"Pardon?"
"Cadet Seo Ha-eun?"
Jin Seo-ah and Louise looked at Seo Ha-eun.
With expressions asking what she meant.
"The villain who committed this crime. It wasn't the Smiling Man. Absolutely not."
There was an odd certainty in Seo Ha-eun's voice.