Chapter 177: Vacation Homework (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 177: Vacation Homework (2)
Ban Gi-san.
A veteran farmer who had overcome every hardship using only his own body and the vegetables he grew.
Ever since he received a letter a few days ago stating that the promised time had come and he would be visited, he had been waiting for this day.
To be honest, he had hesitated at first.
His counterpart was a villain of unknown identity, and it wasn’t even certain if he could overpower the man with brute force.
In the end, he hadn’t been able to firmly make up his mind even by the day of the appointment. He would have no excuse even if the man rebuked him, or perhaps the man might simply leave, saying he had given him enough time.
However, on the day they met again, he wanted to test the man’s sincerity if possible before reaching a conclusion.
And since he had reached the conclusion that he, too, had to show a side of himself devoid of any lies to discern the man’s sincerity, he decided to show his usual self.
It might put the citizens at risk, but for some reason, he felt certain that this man would not harm anyone without a cause.
While he was selling vegetables, the man appeared.
He was a man wearing a Pure White Demon Mask, exuding an even more ferocious, eerie aura than when they had last met.
The man approached him without appearing particularly flustered, even after seeing a sight that could be considered somewhat impolite.
Now then, what will his first words be?
Will he get angry? Will he move on calmly? Or will he ask for vegetables…?!
[Good vegetables. Without the grower’s devotion, they wouldn’t have such a luster.]
This guy really is a good guy.
* * *
When dealing with someone who has lost their mind, isn’t it beneficial to throw away one’s own sanity as well?
I felt like I might have thrown it a bit too far, but at least judging by his expression, I seemed to have gained his favor, so I suppose it was fine.
After wrapping up his business and saying goodbye to his customers, he changed into normal clothes.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
[Think nothing of it. We might become comrades soon; I can wait as long as necessary.]
“I like your boldness. Since I’ve already kept you waiting a long time, it would be rude to keep you waiting any longer. Shall we get straight to the point?”
[Sure. Seeing you say that, I take it you’ve decided on an answer?]
“I’ll be honest. As a hero, I’m a failure, but personally, I’m drawn to your proposal. If someone like you trusts and follows this person, they will surely realize my ideals as well.”
[However, the fact that you added ‘personally’ suggests there are parts of you that aren’t so personal.]
He let out a breath, looking as if I had hit the nail on the head.
“You caught me. Yes, that’s right. No matter how much I am personally drawn to you, as long as you call yourselves villains, you won’t be considering only peaceful methods.”
Fighting spirit erupted from his body.
To an ignorant observer, it would have looked like he was ready to start a fight right then and there, but thanks to the Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils Sun Wukong had made for me, it was plain to see that it was a bluff.
His momentum was intense, but there was no substance to it; he was merely trying to exert pressure.
“I want you to tell me. In what way will your acts of terror be carried out, and what will you destroy? What kind of sacrifices are you prepared to endure there?”
Thanks to that, I wasn’t particularly intimidated even in the face of his fierce momentum.
It’s actually pretty cool when a gag character gets serious.
[As I said before, we are the standard.]
“The standard of evil, you said?”
[Yes. Our goal is a world where neither hypocrisy nor false evil exists, and our objective is a perfect world where everyone lives under a single rule.]
“That doesn’t answer my question. I believe I asked in what way and what you would destroy?”
Hmm, I guess I can’t just gloss over it?
[Do I have to spell it out for you to understand? Fine. Then I shall tell you. What we will destroy is the framework. Everything that many believe to be an unchangeable absurdity because they have been brainwashed.]
“What?”
[It is poverty, famine, hunger, a life someone never wanted, and all kinds of discrimination.]
As usual, my mouth, moving faster than my brain, was relentless in spitting out words.
“How is that evil?”
[That is exactly what’s included in the answer I’m about to give. Didn’t you ask? No matter how evil the thing we destroy is, if our means are even more atrocious, then we too are villains.]
I put more strength into my acting as if to catch my breath for a moment.
[The means is power. With overwhelming power. It is doing things that some do not wish for. What else should we call those who snatch away familiarity from those who have already grown accustomed to the world as it is, and who high-handedly impose something new, if not villains?]
“Is that not also the ‘false evil’ you speak of?”
[No. Not at all. I can say with absolute certainty that it is not. Because we will not turn our eyes away from the sacrifice. We will not hang up some grand justification and say it couldn’t be helped. There was a way. There must be a better path.]
For no particular reason, I let shadows flicker in my hand before clenching it tight to disperse them.
[However, we do not choose such a path. Because it takes too long. We have chosen a path to solve it in a much more primal and fundamental way.]
In other words, it meant that those who would be sacrificed were the heroes standing in our way.
Well, I don’t actually plan on doing anything to decent heroes.
I do plan on cleaning up those bastards who are villains in all but name, though.
“I see, I understand now. You’re that kind of man. Troublesome and twisted. And yet, you’re a man who won’t break—like a pumpkin and its vine.”
…What kind of man is that, exactly?
[So, are you satisfied with the answer? My patience, which has been lenient since we might soon be comrades, is about to run out.]
“May I ask one more thing?”
[What is it?]
“If a day comes when I cannot forgive your actions by my standards, I will betray you. Is that acceptable?”
[You ask the obvious.]
“Right, as I thought…”
[Of course it’s fine. In fact, it would be meaningless otherwise.]
“What?”
[We are a group gathered for our respective goals. Aside from myself, there aren’t many who are filled with loyalty toward that person. Fanaticism or blind camaraderie only leads to ruin.]
“Do you even know what my standards are…?”
[Did I say I would just take it lying down? I recall saying it was fine to be hostile. Judge by your own will. Because I, and the others as well, will judge and move by our own will.]
After hesitating for a moment at my words, Ban Gi-san was now looking at me with eyes full of conviction.
“The name.”
[Hmm?]
“What is the name of the organization?”
[Do you remember me telling you not to listen unless you were prepared to become one of us?]
“Of course.”
It was practically a declaration that he would join as a comrade.
Considering his personality, I was almost certain he would accept, but I couldn’t help but feel relieved nonetheless.
Well, anyway, reflecting on my past mistakes, I had firmly decided on the organization’s name.
[It is the Seven Deadly Sins.]
Whether it’s the Twelve Zodiacs or other villain organizations, the aesthetic of this world leans this way, so this kind of thing works well.
Plus, there are six people I’ve thought of as candidate comrades, excluding myself.
“Seven Deadly Sins? A plainer name than I expected.”
…No, I came up with this thinking it was incredibly cringy, and you think it’s plain?
[I have no hobby of decorating myself with flashy names.]
“…I suppose that’s true.”
He nodded as if he had reached some sort of understanding on his own and turned his gaze back to me.
“Ah, but as I said before, I can continue farming, right?”
[As long as you don’t disobey the orders directly handed down by that person, you are free to do whatever you want in your daily life. You’ll hardly ever run into the other members anyway.]
“How will I receive orders?”
[It won’t be much different from now. There will be a meeting where everyone gathers soon, so I’ll relay the rest of the important details then.]
Good, I think I handled that better than expected.
Honestly, I was prepared for the worst-case scenario where he’d jump at me saying, ‘Prove it with your strength!’, so this wasn’t bad at all.
Now I just need to maintain a cool attitude, act like I’m the superior, and leave.
However, at the exact moment I started channeling mana into the teleportation bracelet—bad timing—he spoke again.
“Are you not going to show your face even though we’re comrades?”
[It’s not a face that would benefit you to see, so don’t worry about it.]
After the bracelet emitted light and the man vanished, Ban Gi-san, who had been staring blankly at the spot, muttered quietly.
“I hope the other comrades aren’t picky eaters like that guy.”
* * *
At the location I teleported to, my second appointment was already waiting.
Park A-ram.
The Academy’s Little Witch was waiting alone in the park.
[Oh, am I late? I didn’t intend to be.]
I wanted to rest for at least a day after successfully gaining my first comrade, but unfortunately, thanks to my tight schedule, I couldn’t afford to be too leisurely.
I wonder why there’s so much to do during summer vacation, which is supposed to be for resting.
“Aha, no. I just came out early. Oh, this conversation right now sounds exactly like something a couple would say, doesn’t it?”
[I’d prefer if you stopped. If anyone hears, I’ll be branded a criminal because of your appearance.]
“Haha, do you want to die? Who are you calling a brat? I’ll have you know I’m probably older than you.”
[I know. Who said you were young? Still, there are many in this world who are deluded by appearances rather than essence.]
“That’s true. Anyway, I was hoping your skills at coaxing someone out for a date had improved, but they’re still a mess, aren’t they? How can you just ask to see me so suddenly?”
[The Academy should be on vacation. Are you teaching a summer session or doing supplementary classes?]
“You really don’t know anything. It’s not like a professor rests just because it’s vacation. I was planning to roll around at home on the first day, but my busy schedule is a mess thanks to you.”
It might seem like a meaningless conversation, but the dialogue we were sharing was a kind of psychological tug-of-war.
I am this relaxed.
I’m not the one in a hurry in this negotiation.
It was a light skirmish to plant such an image in the opponent’s mind and gain the upper hand in the negotiation.
Well, I understood her intention, but there was absolutely no way our Little Witch was going to gain the upper hand over me in this negotiation.
The moment I took out what I had carefully stored in my pseudo-inventory and waved it in front of her eyes, the poker face she had been trying so hard to maintain crumbled, replaced by astonishment.
The Philosopher’s Stone.
Originally, it was a secret treasure of alchemy created using human lives.
However, the item I brought was a rare object that was created using one person’s life and madness instead of human lives, making it nearly impossible to obtain again.
Therefore, it was likely the closest thing to what she was looking for.
A perfect Philosopher’s Stone, containing neither resentment nor curses.
“…You got me. Honestly, I was half-doubting, but to think you actually brought this. No, putting aside the fact that you brought it, isn’t it cheating to show it while we’re still testing each other?”
[Why? Isn’t it the very thing you’ve desired so much? I thought the sooner I showed it, the happier you’d be.]
“Haha, seriously. Damn it, that’s true. I can’t even keep my head straight thanks to you. I thought I’d never be able to find it no matter how hard I looked. Now that it’s right in front of me, how should I put it? Ah, it doesn’t feel real.”
Of course, I didn’t hand it over to her immediately.
The promised down payment was merely to show her the possibility.
“If I join as a comrade, you’ll give that to me. That’s it, right?”
[You catch on quick. Of course, I have no intention of forming something like a subordinate contract with this. If you lend us your strength, that person will fulfill what you desire.]
Honestly, unlike Ban Gi-san, I thought she would nod in agreement immediately.
Because I knew well from the settings and the memories before the regression that the Philosopher’s Stone was a temptation she could never refuse.
However, surprisingly, she didn’t take the bait right away and threw a question at me instead.
“Haha, I heard your goal last time, and seeing how you tried to save as many cadets as possible during the awakening drug incident, I can tell you’re probably not a super, incredibly bad guy.”
[And?]
“But there’s one part I absolutely have to address. It’s not a certainty, just a suspicion, really.”
What is it? Why is she hesitating like that?
It’s making me nervous for no reason.
“What is your relationship with Kang So-hyun?”
Uh, huh? What did she just say? My relationship with whom?
Did she find out?
The moment that possibility crossed my mind, sweat began to break out, though it wouldn’t be visible because of the mask.
What? Where? When did she find out? Am I screwed?
“You seem flustered. Tell me honestly.”
She shouted with a very confident attitude, as if her guess had been correct.
“The demonic energy in Kang So-hyun. It’s related to you, isn’t it?!”
…Excuse me?
…What kind of out-of-left-field nonsense is this?
The professor, who had jumped to a strange and incorrect conclusion, was frowning as if she had gained confirmation from my reaction.
It was summer.