Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: A Villain, Yet Not a Villain
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Seo Ha-eun remembered how flustered she had been when she first heard the Smiling Man's proposal.
To accompany him.
For an academy cadet dreaming of becoming a future hero.
He was suddenly offering to introduce her to villains.
Not just any villains, but members of the Seven Evils!
She thought it might be some cruel joke at first, but she soon realized otherwise.
This man before her eyes wasn't deceiving her in the slightest.
His smile whispered that this was an opportunity far from ordinary.
The Seven Evils.
Among villains, they were the most brutal and powerful.
Unlike the clan boss, whose official activities were extremely rare.
They appeared just when you'd forget about them, inflicting horrific damage.
Monsters among monsters that even S-Rank Heroes struggled against.
She would face them someday. Villains were heroes' enemies, after all.
So she accepted. She wanted to face them directly and feel it for herself.
To know just how tall the mountain she had to climb truly was.
"…."
And then she realized. The vast gap between them and herself.
Catastrophe-class villains. Walking natural disasters and weapons of mass destruction.
The moment she stood before them, her breath caught, and her muscles stiffened.
Only instinct remained, thrashing desperately to survive.
She couldn't even hide her presence as she should have.
Kwang!Boom!-
Every time Tattoos swung his greatsword, it felt like chunks of her soul were being sliced away.
Even without clashing, her insides churned violently.
Just thinking of facing such a being directly made her legs tremble.
Beyond Tattoos, there were two more monsters who could kill with presence alone.
She bone-deep realized the strength of villains she had only vaguely imagined before.
The villains she had seen and faced until now were mere low-level trash.
They were strong. Overwhelmingly so, just by looking at them. Just by standing before them.
S-Rank Heroes had been fighting these kinds of monsters.
The villains I knew can't even compare to these.
'Can I... really face those kinds of guys?'
Pathetic. She thought she was running as hard as she could. Thought she was working diligently.
She had vaguely pictured a future where she became a hero who judged villains.
But seeing the pinnacle of villains, such humiliating doubts crept in.
Kagagang!-
Those monsters were flailing helplessly, unable to pierce a single person.
The Smiling Man. The one who brought her here.
A mysterious figure who was a villain yet didn't seem like one at all.
"Hmm. Indeed, a name like Seven Evils is well-deserved. I apologize for calling you dogs."
Leisurely. Unlike her, not a trace of fear.
A privilege only the strong could enjoy.
Every action, every gesture. Quiet yet elegant.
It was pathetic to feel such emotions toward a villain when she wasn't even a hero.
The Smiling Man's skill went beyond impressive—it was transcendent.
"...Kuhahaha!"
Seo Ha-eun sensed the shift between the Smiling Man and the Seven Evils a moment later.
Tattoos, who had been fixated on the front, suddenly targeted the Smiling Man's flanks and rear.
An attack to create an opening? By aiming for the sides and back?
'...No.'
Tattoos wasn't targeting the Smiling Man.
She could feel it. The Seven Evils' aim was clearly directed at her.
A barrage of attacks poured toward her, standing behind the Smiling Man.
They must think this side is the weak point. But they're wrong.
To the Smiling Man, she held no value at all...
"They call you the Smiling Man, but you're truly amusing. A villain, protecting someone?"
Protecting? Protecting whom? A villain, me?
Beyond Seo Ha-eun's shocked eyes, she saw the Smiling Man enveloped in Mana Threads.
Even though he could have counterattacked, he retreated backward instead.
The Smiling Man's arm, which hadn't moved until now, barred her path.
A clear act of protection. A gesture to shield her from the enemies' assault.
'Smiling Man? Why? Why are you trying to protect me?'
When she first followed him, she actually thought she had no choice.
The moment she encountered the Smiling Man, escape was impossible.
She didn't know what he'd do if she refused the offer.
Maybe he needed her as a human shield.
It was shocking to Seo Ha-eun, who had harbored such thoughts.
"Indeed. You have a good nose for it, like dogs. I'll acknowledge that."
The Smiling Man withdrew his Mana Threads without hesitation and slightly turned his head.
Clearly looking at Seo Ha-eun, signaling her.
Meaning it was time to withdraw, so stick close behind.
"…."
The being she hated most in the world. A villain.
Gazing at that villain's back, an inexplicable emotion surged within her.
A feeling she first had for her parents, then for Holy Knight.
Warmth. The desire to rely on that broad back.
'No way.'
Seo Ha-eun hurriedly shook her head.
She even bit her lip hard to snap out of it.
"Smiling Man."
Once free from the Seven Evils, Seo Ha-eun grabbed the Smiling Man.
This makes no sense. Yeah, this really can't happen.
"What are you? Why did you bring me along?"
"…."
"Tell me."
"You're asking the obvious. In case things went south, I planned to use Miss Seo Ha-eun as a shield."
A lie. A shield is meant to be used as one.
Where in the world is a shield hidden and protected?
"But you got lucky, Miss Seo Ha-eun. I didn't need to use the shield."
"…."
It wasn't that he didn't need to—it was that he desperately avoided using it.
She felt it. The Smiling Man's movements tending to her behind his back.
With that realization, the reason came naturally to mind.
"Don't tell me. You wanted to show me?"
"…."
"To me, who hates villains. To me, who vows to take them down. What the pinnacle of those villains is like. How difficult and arduous the goal I've set is."
Seo Ha-eun had some inkling of how grueling the path of revenge would be.
It wouldn't be easy, but her will to achieve it was unwavering.
But facing the Seven Evils made her realize her expectations were wrong.
It would be far harder than she imagined.
Times of pure suffering incomparable to now.
She might not even achieve revenge but die a dog's death.
Could she still walk that path?
Was she prepared for such a futile end?
The Smiling Man seemed to be asking her exactly that.
"Miss Seo Ha-eun."
The Smiling Man stepped forward one pace.
This time, Seo Ha-eun faced him without retreating.
"The path of revenge you're walking will be harder than you think. No, 'hard' doesn't even begin to describe it. What you just saw is merely the tip of the iceberg. Even so, can you walk that path of revenge? If not, give it up now."
"…."
She didn't know anymore. She truly had no idea what this man wanted.
He urged her to seek revenge just before. Now he tells her to give up.
"Ah. Don't misunderstand. I'm not worried about you. If the person who boasted they'd do it suddenly collapses crying that they can't, it would betray my expectations!"
I absolutely did not protect you.
What I wanted to protect was only my expectations and interest.
For the sake of that beautiful, entertaining drama of revenge.
That's all. The reason for everything that happened today.
Seo Ha-eun quietly gazed at the Smiling Man speaking in a mocking tone.
"You're really... weird."
And I'm weird too, for coming this far with someone like you.
Even weirder, standing unfazed before a villain...
"Aha! Then I should go to the dentist. My tooth must be aching!"
"…."
"Hahaha!"
No. You're definitely the weirdest one.
"What took you so long?"
As she entered the house, Seo Ha-gyun poked his head out.
Seo Ha-eun brushed it off as nothing and reassured her brother.
Seo Ha-gyun burned with as much hostility toward villains as she did.
Telling him she'd been with a villain wouldn't be wise.
He wouldn't believe it anyway.
"Dinner?"
"Not hungry."
"Suit yourself."
Come to think of it, it had been ages since the siblings were home together.
After their parents passed, they'd been consumed by their own pursuits.
To become cadets. To make hero candidate.
They hardly came home, fixated only on revenge.
"I'm stepping out for a bit. Need anything?"
Normally, Seo Ha-eun would say 'No.'
But today was different. Without thinking, she said,
"...Strawberries."
"Strawberries? What? Suddenly."
Seo Ha-gyun was slightly surprised at first but quickly composed himself.
Then he said,
"You back to yourself?"
"What're you talking about?"
"You used to love strawberries back then."
"Me?"
Me, loving strawberries? When?
Seo Ha-eun looked baffled.
"You did. Dad would buy them every day in season. But after that happened, you wouldn't touch them."
I'm relieved you're coming back, even a little, dried up by revenge like that.
Though I was worried about you too.
Hearing that, Seo Ha-eun unconsciously toyed with her lips.
"Delicious, isn't it? Have some more!"
Why he kept transferring his share of strawberries to her cup.
As the Smiling Man's odd behaviors resurfaced one by one,
"...Ah."
Really. Truly... a weird man.