Chapter 53
Chapter 53
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: What on Earth is His Identity!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Seo Ha-eun checked the address in her map app and notebook alternately.
"This is the place..."
The heroes killed by the Smiling Man. She was investigating them.
Their bereaved families. Former colleagues who fought alongside them. Even people around them.
There were several unresolved questions and things she wanted to know.
And the first bereaved family she tracked down gave off an incredibly suspicious vibe.
"You here for compensation money again?! Get out!"
"Compensation? Wait a minute. I'm..."
"Who doesn't know you're trying to pin the blame on a dead man to squeeze out some payout?! My sibling would never do that! If you come back one more time yapping about how they died because of my sibling, I'll kill you!"
She'd only exchanged basic greetings. And asked only about the hero.
Yet the bereaved family flew into a rage at those words and chased Seo Ha-eun away.
Stuff about dying because of the hero. Compensation talk. Strange remarks piled on.
'What did they mean by that?'
As far as Seo Ha-eun knew, that hero had no notable issues.
They hadn't caused any civilian incidents during monster subjugations or villain fights.
But the families' words felt off somehow. Unsettling.
She visited other heroes' bereaved families afterward.
And they all had varied reactions, but the conclusion was similar.
Suspicious. They're all hiding something.
'It's too hard to dig deeper. Everyone's on high alert.'
Regrettable, but she decided to shelve the investigation into the families.
Instead, she would track down the deceased heroes' colleagues.
But another problem plagued Seo Ha-eun here.
"None of this matches the known info...?"
She'd go where they were supposed to be working, and they weren't there.
Go where they were said to be retired, and no one had seen them.
Are they hiding? Or is someone deliberately concealing them?
It's weird. Too weird. It even gave her a creepy feeling.
The Union pays less attention to retired heroes, sure.
But they still track residence info in case they're needed as reserves.
Yet going by that info, she couldn't find a single one!
'No choice but to track down people connected to them.'
Not just the colleagues who were on-site with them, but no other options.
She headed back to the Hero Academy, planning to visit them next weekend.
And the sight that greeted Seo Ha-eun upon arrival at the academy was...
"Cadet Kang Yuna!!"
"Yuna! Let's talk for a sec!"
"Why the hell did the Smiling Man save you?!"
"They say your sidekick work was amazing! Could it be..."
Starting with her classmates, then seniors, and even instructors.
They mobbed Kang Yuna, bombarding her with questions.
Some even moved to recruit her.
Saving a hero during sidekick duty was a huge deal.
She might even get hero certification before graduation.
Befriending or grouping with someone like that was pure gain.
"..."
Seo Ha-eun watched from a distance, quietly.
She'd expected this. The Kang Yuna she'd seen was a good person.
A hardworking cadet and an aspiring hero with dreams.
Unlike her, she didn't have revenge—a goal unfit for a hero.
She had a firm will to protect citizens and uphold justice.
So, of course. It was natural for others to treat her that way.
No reason to feel doubt or anything else about it.
Except... just one thing nagging at her...
'The Smiling Man.'
The only one who'd supported her unshareable thirst for revenge.
Even heroes would tilt their heads, yet a villain did this.
Honestly, she was starting to wonder if he was really a villain.
Do villains fight villains? Do villains save hero cadets?
Looking back now, the Smiling Man's actions were peculiar. Odd.
There had been that recent terrorist attack targeting civilians, sure.
"If I say it wasn't me... would you believe me, Miss Seo Ha-eun?"
A voice without a hint of deceit echoed in her ears.
"It wasn't me."
"Really. It wasn't me."
The Smiling Man wasn't some villain who popped up months ago.
He'd been active for years. No civilian casualties in all that time.
For him to suddenly start harming people now?
Doubts arose, so she even picked up profiling books.
Criminals who stick rigorously to their patterns keep to their ways till the end.
Unless something huge happens, most do, it said.
'Either the Smiling Man changed. Or someone's using the Smiling Man's name.'
And the Smiling Man's crimes. The multiple hero murders.
Investigating deeper only unearthed more suspicious bits.
But it was all surface-level. She couldn't dig further.
As if someone had sliced it off whole, deeming it too dangerous.
'Something's up.'
Her revenge burned as fierce as ever. Undimmed.
Her rage at villains still blazed.
They were still evil that needed to vanish. Criminals to punish.
But... the Smiling Man? She didn't know. He was strange.
Not villain-like despite being one. Her anger blurred before him.
The Smiling Man kept showing her that side. Only her.
As if pleading for her to understand.
You're the only one I can trust. I'll show you my true heart.
In the past, she'd have raged at herself for being swayed by a villain.
But now, she just wanted to know more about the Smiling Man.
What happens when a razor-sharp sword clashes with thread?
The answer is simple. The sword swings wide, and the thread snaps in two.
No one would argue that. It's obvious.
Chaeeng! Chaeng!-
But what was happening now directly contradicted that.
"What's your scheme this time?"
The Sword Saint's sword plunged down like lightning.
No ordinary person could even track it with their eyes.
Even heroes could barely defend against the strike.
"Scheme, you say?"
Those attacks that raised goosebumps even from afar.
"None at all. Nothing like that."
The Smiling Man blocked them all with a few hand gestures.
Each motion made the surrounding mana threads glow.
They seemed like single strands at first glance, but then dozens appeared.
Graceful, precise movements followed.
"I just happened to fish her out while passing by. Haha!"
His voice and laughter sounded awfully carefree, though.
"A villain saving a hero? That's a riot."
The Sword Saint pulled back, sighing in disbelief.
The Smiling Man wagged a finger in reply.
"No, no. More like saving a drowning kitten."
"Kitten? A hero's a kitten now?"
"Wasn't she adorable? Risking her life to save people."
"Ridiculous."
Conversation ended there. Terrifying exchanges resumed.
Flashes erupted. Sword gleamed. Mana threads draped down.
As the Sword Saint sped up, the Smiling Man matched pace.
'Hm.'
Mid-assault, the Sword Saint unwittingly bit his lip.
It wouldn't break through. He wasn't trying to kill, but he'd put real effort in.
Considering how few had ever withstood these techniques, this guy was monstrous.
No fatigue showed. Utterly serene.
He was even advancing slowly, pressuring him.
Chaechaechang!-
Each flick of his hand wove mana threads around them.
Like fluttering threads, but tougher and stronger than wire up close.
Blocking the sword. Deflecting paths. Even creating openings.
'This level is definite Catastrophe-Class villain. On par with the Seven Evils.'
If he unleashed hidden power, maybe beyond.
Such a monster saved his granddaughter. And other kids too.
Grateful, yet his motives were inscrutable. Unsettling.
Chaeng!-
'Oops.'
Too many stray thoughts facing a strong foe?
The sword swung harder than planned.
Redirecting it took an extra second.
The monster before him wouldn't miss that split-second.
Defeat in sparring? How long had it been since...
"Shall we call it here?"
"What?"
Instead, the Smiling Man stepped back a pace.
Letting the Sword Saint recover his sword in time.
"Any more and I might break a sweat. Haha!"
"..."
Like he'd seen a madman. Facing him and not even sweating?
Should he lament the lack of such foes in his youth or be relieved?
The Sword Saint truly didn't know as he sheathed his blade.
"What do you think of the Union's true nature?"
"If you're asking about the Union, they're working to curb its lone-wolf tendencies."
"As expected of the Sword Saint. Even the nation treads lightly around the Union!"
"My disciples aren't just in Korea."
Half the sword-wielding heroes worldwide had trained under the Sword Saint.
Different depths, but his influence was real.
"Lately, they've been seeking authority to command heroes from all nations in emergencies."
"Good lord."
"Opposition's strong now, but if big incidents pile up... who knows."
Those incidents might be inevitable.
The Sword Saint posed a question instead of his final remark.
"May I ask one thing?"
"Of course. Ah, but ask gently—no need to make it hurt too much!"
"..."
Someone so young shouldn't act like that already.
Tsking his tongue, the Sword Saint spoke.
"You. Any thoughts of surrendering now?"