Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: What on Earth Is His Identity!
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“You. Do you have any intention of surrendering even now?”
Even though it was almost impossible to determine, the Sword Saint asked the Smiling Man what he intended to do.
Judging from everything he'd shown so far, this man was completely different from any villain up to now.
He could be reasoned with. He wasn't indiscriminately destroying things or slaughtering people.
The problem was that his true intentions were utterly inscrutable, but that could be dealt with later.
If a man like this would just turn himself around, everyone would benefit.
That was why he was asking. To come over to the light even now.
“Do you know something, Sword Saint?”
The Smiling Man, who had been staring silently this way, finally spoke.
“To see the bright light of the stars... you have to be in the darkness.”
It was an answer that was hard to grasp right away. The Sword Saint tilted his head.
“What does that mean?”
“Exactly what I said.”
At least 'the darkness' seemed to refer to the villains' side.
But he had no idea what the 'bright light of the stars' meant.
“And besides!”
The Smiling Man said, a silly smile playing on his lips.
“In my current state, even if I surrendered meekly, I'd probably rot in prison for at least ten years! Hahaha!”
“...Hm. I can't deny that part.”
He was someone who already had a record of killing dozens of heroes.
Of course, the Sword Saint wasn't a fool. His eyes and ears were sharp.
Beyond what he'd heard from Valkyrie, he had learned facts through his disciples.
‘The fallen Holy Knight, and the other heroes killed by him... they all said something felt off.’
What bothered him most was that investigations always hit a dead end.
It felt as if someone had deliberately ensured no one could dig deeper.
That was when the Sword Saint sensed the Smiling Man was different from other villains.
He might not have killed them just for the sake of killing, like other villains.
There could be some unknown criterion, some reason known only to him.
That was probably why he'd spared his unrelated granddaughter and the others.
But the laws of the world never permitted private sanctions.
Even if the Smiling Man came over, he'd only face suspicion and wariness.
The man himself knew that, which was why he joked about prison.
Then... what reason did he have for killing those heroes?
Did he know something? Was there no other choice?
More questions arose, but the Sword Saint held his tongue.
“Oh! You're not asking more?”
“From the look on your face, it seems you'll dodge with another weird joke.”
“My word. As expected, I can't fool the Sword Saint's instincts!”
If he'd been the type to explain his reasons from the start, he wouldn't have become a villain.
He would have become a hero and formally raised the issue, seeking punishment through proper channels.
He wasn't completely rotten at heart, but he was no ordinary person either.
At least it was fortunate he hadn't twisted into a full monster.
“I must have been mistaken for a moment. Telling a villain to become a hero... Getting old has made me soft-hearted for no reason.”
“Ah-ha. Are you perhaps going through menopause?”
“...”
His actions might be unknowable, but his words were purely villainous.
Was he speaking with pure intent, or just trying to rile up his opponent?
His voice and expression both felt so smiling that it only made him angrier!
“Well. I've kept you company long enough, Sword Saint. Time for me to be off.”
“Next time you show up, I'll catch you and gift you to the Union.”
“Hahaha! Then I'll have to come dressed up pretty!”
To the very end. Truly to the very end, he didn't yield a single word.
He considered pursuing him but soon gave up on the idea.
Only someone on his level from the Jin household could even hope to track him.
And even then, there was no certainty that it would be possible.
“...”
Suddenly, the Sword Saint realized his hand was trembling faintly.
Quite some time had passed since his bout with the Smiling Man ended.
Yet his body was still gripped by tension and excitement.
That meant the heat of the battle the opponent had brought was that intense.
Letting it linger like this wouldn't be good for his swordsmanship.
It felt awkward to grab the departing man and demand one more round.
As he pondered what to do...
“Sword Saint!”
One of his disciples came running urgently from beyond the training grounds.
For reference, the Smiling Man had vanished in the blink of an eye.
“What is it?”
As if he'd been alone from the start, the Sword Saint asked calmly.
“We just got word that the Smiling Man has appeared nearby and is carrying out another terrorist attack!”
“...The Smiling Man?”
“Yes. The problem is, nearby heroes are away dealing with a monster, so the Union has requested assistance.”
The Sword Saint unwittingly glanced toward where the Smiling Man was hiding.
The man in question was right here, within arm's reach.
So what on earth was this Smiling Man who'd just appeared?
“Relay to the Union. The Jin household will handle it, so clear the area.”
“Understood! Then including me...”
“No.”
Tap tap—
The Sword Saint patted his disciple's shoulder and held up his sword.
“Tell them I'm going personally.”
“You, Master?!”
“No need for escorts or attendants. Guard this place in case of emergencies.”
“A-Ah, yes! Master!”
The shocked disciple hurriedly acknowledged and left the training grounds.
Watching him go, the Sword Saint spoke toward the still-empty space behind him.
“They seem awfully eager to pick a fight with you.”
“It means villains should act like villains, right?”
“Shall we go together? Let's go watch the fools trying to cash in on your name.”
“With the Sword Saint? It's an honor.”
My word. He never imagined he'd be accompanying a villain.
Doing something he never had before. Had menopause really hit?
Amazed at himself, the Sword Saint accepted the bizarre situation.
A villain was disguising himself as another villain to commit terrorism.
The Union was heightening anxiety by insisting it was that villain.
They were doing everything to turn the Smiling Man into an enemy.
If only they persuaded him to their side, he'd be a massive asset.
Even he himself had tried to recruit him as an ally.
It was truly a bizarre picture. With that thought, the Sword Saint set out from the Jin household.
“Uwaaaah! Damn it all!”
B-Rank Hero Heavy Shooter screamed as he fled.
A Fierce-Class monster had appeared nearby, drawing all the A-Ranks there.
Thanks to that, citizens had evacuated in advance, so no casualties from the villain's terror attack.
But because of it, he and his comrades were truly about to die!
Boom! Crash!—
“You bastard! Smiling Man!!”
Yeah, of course. Everyone was being fooled by him.
The Smiling Man was a villain. An undeniable fact.
Recent events suggested he might become an ally.
But as if denying it, he'd appeared again to wreak terror!
“When the hell is backup coming?!”
The Smiling Man had gone from Highest Danger Class to officially Catastrophe Class.
They couldn't win. Only an S-Rank Hero could match him.
For now, they could only dodge around until they got massacred!
“Eek!”
Heavy Shooter's body suddenly pitched forward as he ran.
He hadn't seen the debris from a collapsed building in his flight.
Not only did he trip, but he twisted his ankle too.
“Uwaaack!”
This sucks. That thought filled Heavy Shooter's mind.
This wasn't the future he'd dreamed of when becoming a hero.
Like everyone else, he'd wanted to be someone great.
To become an S-Rank Hero and bask in the adoration of the masses.
But reality was B-Rank Hero. A position where his body was ground down daily.
Praying desperately that nothing happened, never knowing when death might come.
If asked where his sense of duty as a hero had gone, he'd feel deeply wronged.
Heroes were human too. Humans naturally wanted to live...
Tsk tsk.
Suddenly, a tongue-click came from above.
Then something slammed into the top of his head with a conk!
“Ow!”
“Does it hurt? You feel the pain but not the shame?”
Rubbing his stinging scalp, he looked up.
An old man who'd struck him with a scabbard gazed down pitifully.
The thick aura of reproach made Heavy Shooter shrink involuntarily.
“Get going on your way.”
The old man shook his head and walked forward.
Staring blankly, Heavy Shooter scrambled up.
“Ah, no! Sir! You can't go that way!”
“I can.”
Kaboom!—
At that moment, the Smiling Man burst through a building.
Heavy Shooter fled in horror without looking back.
The old man's fate crossed his mind too late to save him.
It was unavoidable. No need to die saving some senile geezer!
“...Past or present, the irresponsible young fools are all the same.”
The Sword Saint shook his head at the fleeing hero.
He'd seen plenty like that in his youth. Most didn't end well.
One couldn't live only for sacrifice. But there had to be will.
Those chasing only the hero's glamour without it always fell behind.
“More importantly. The Smiling Man, huh.”
Now he could see it. They'd propped up someone somewhat similar.
The way he handled Mana Threads was similar, and his build matched roughly.
But that was it. The approaching villain wasn't the Smiling Man.
His technique was so crude it was almost insulting to compare.
The Smiling Man's Mana Threads had been like a thousand swords.
The Sword Saint himself had admired that exquisite control.
Shing—
With a chilling cry, the sword was drawn.
At the same time, the Sword Saint's true 'slash' unfolded upon the world.
Pew—!
A single flash streaked, drawing a line.
A strike that precisely bisected everything.
With that, the Sword Saint sheathed his drawn blade.
Click—
The clouds in the sky split sideways.
The Mana Threads wrecking buildings fell apart limply.
The approaching Smiling Man's body was halved and collapsed.
“What do you think? Do you know him?”
He approached the corpse called the Smiling Man.
Then someone appeared out of nowhere.
“Ah-ha. I wondered who it was— one of the Seven Evils' underlings.”
“Then he's Highest Danger Class villain material.”
A shame it wasn't one of the Seven Evils themselves.
Thinking that, the Sword Saint glanced at the real Smiling Man beside him.
‘Come to think of it...’
This was the first time he'd shown this technique directly.
A sword that felled even a Highest Danger Class villain without a scream.
Yet the Smiling Man showed no surprise or anything.
He wasn't hiding it. Nor enduring it.
He simply had no reaction at all.