Hero Alliance Countermeasures Committee

The Hero Alliance Headquarters building. Inside the conference room of the countermeasures committee.

The interior of the conference room resembled a parliament, with dozens of seats arranged in a circular formation designed to draw every gaze toward the center. Each seat was equipped with a specialized communication device, allowing for precise and rapid exchange of opinions to keep the meeting running smoothly.

— Creak…

As the time for the countermeasures meeting drew near, numerous figures began filing into the conference room.

"Haha! It’s been a while. Half a year already?"

"Has it really been that long? We should meet more often and share a drink."

"Ha… Why do we even bother with pointless meetings like this?"

"We’ve got so much work to do… and here we are wasting time."

Some exchanged warm handshakes and greetings, while others openly displayed their displeasure at having to attend.

"I will now confirm the attendance of all members of the Hero Alliance Countermeasures Committee. Please take your assigned seats."

The attendees consisted of alliance executives of various ages dressed in crisp suits, alongside veteran heroes still active in the field. The committee chairman stepped forward to verify attendance.

"Attendance confirmation complete. Twenty-three out of thirty members are present. As more than two-thirds of the full committee is in attendance, I hereby convene the meeting."

The Hero Alliance Countermeasures Committee only convened for truly urgent matters. Recently, however, the rising number of hero-hunting incidents by an unknown organization had forced the alliance to call an executive meeting to formulate a response.

"The agenda is as follows."

The proposed agenda focused on identifying the causes behind the surge in hero-hunting cases and establishing countermeasures. In the past month alone, ten heroes had either died or gone missing, and more than thirty had suffered severe injuries that stripped them of their hero qualifications. This represented a threefold increase compared to the previous quarter, and the greatest problem was the difficulty in pinpointing the exact cause.

"The investigators currently handling the hero-hunting cases have proposed several possible causes."

The monitors in front of each member’s seat displayed the estimated causes, along with statistical data on the affected heroes and analyses of the times and locations where incidents had occurred.

"I’ve heard hero hunting has increased significantly, but isn’t this the kind of thing field investigators should handle?"

A middle-aged male executive, frowning deeply as he reviewed the data, raised his hand and voiced his dissatisfaction with the agenda.

"Because incidents keep occurring… our investigators are already short-staffed with on-site work. This issue is serious enough to require your direct involvement."

"For crying out loud… then just bring in more people. Why drag busy folks like us into a meeting like this?"

Heroes were the core workforce protecting cities from villains and the very foundation of the Hero Alliance’s existence. The fact that heroes were being hunted was an extremely grave problem, yet the executives in attendance merely grumbled with indifferent expressions.

"We’re already swamped with field deployments these days. We executives are incredibly busy. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Wouldn’t it be enough to just recruit more people who can work on-site?"

The man’s irresponsible suggestion that simply increasing field personnel would solve everything made the active heroes in the room scowl, though the alliance executives and administrative staff paid it no mind.

"Does that even make sense? This isn’t a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠problem that ends with adding more investigators. The investigation team has already provided causes ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and statistics."

As murmurs filled the room in response to the middle-aged executive’s careless remark, a veteran hero raised his hand and spoke to keep the meeting on track.

"Threats against heroes are no different from threats against the city and its citizens. Everyone, please listen carefully to the chairman and offer your opinions actively. To protect the city and its citizens… we must first support and safeguard our heroes."

The veteran hero, who had only just returned from the field minutes earlier, spoke with genuine conviction. The executives who had complained shook their heads and clicked their tongues, but the active heroes and a few executives nodded in agreement.

"As I mentioned, the causes have already been identified to a certain extent, and while the countermeasures aren’t fully detailed yet, we’ve outlined some preliminary measures."

Once the room quieted, the chairman took the microphone again and transmitted another set of information to the monitors.

"I believe items two and four are already underway… but easing the rank system between heroes?"

"According to our investigation, the strength and utility of abilities are the most important factors in determining hero ranks, which has led to dissatisfaction among heroes who weren’t born with superior abilities."

"Hmm… It doesn’t seem very realistic."

"I oppose it as well. This would only make heroes with strong abilities feel deprived and make it harder to secure and utilize our top-tier forces."

The proposed countermeasures were either already in progress or deemed unrealistic to implement.

"What about this? Assigning hero personnel to each city district."

"Or performing some kind of procedure to prevent heroes from betraying us…"

A few members offered new suggestions, but none were more practical than the measures already proposed by the investigators. Nearly an hour had passed since the meeting began, yet all that happened was complaints and objections to every new idea.

"It appears there are no further opinions on the agenda. As we are approaching the scheduled end time… I will conclude the meeting here."

"Haah… Why is everyone so full of complaints? They’re paid so well, too."

After the meeting ended, the chairman sighed as she walked out after tidying up the conference room. She couldn’t help but recall how the entire hour had been spent shooting down ideas instead of producing a single concrete plan.

"How much longer do I have to hold onto this job… I’d much rather be out in the field."

Countermeasures Committee Chairman Chaeri currently worked in the alliance’s administrative office, but only last year she had been an active hero saving citizens on the front lines. An unfortunate accident had left her with a severe leg injury that made field work impossible, so she now wore an assistive device and handled desk duties instead.

— Ring ring—

"Yes, this is Chaeri. How may I help you?"

"Ah, it’s me! How did the meeting go… any progress?"

"Ah! I didn’t recognize your voice because you called from a different number. I’m sorry."

"No worries! Of course you wouldn’t, since I’m calling from overseas with a different number. So, how did it go? Any good ideas come up?"

"No… everyone just kept shooting down each other’s suggestions. Nothing useful came out of it."

"Ha… I figured as much. Those guys never get anything done properly. What’s the point of having been out in the field before? They’re just a bunch of old-timers in the back room now."

"It’s because of my own shortcomings. I lacked the ability to lead the committee as chairman."

"Nonsense! You’re the secretary I personally chose. Saying that makes me feel bad."

"Hearing you say that… puts me a little more at ease."

"Haha! Don’t look so down. You’re not inferior to any of them. Anyway… it sounds like no proper countermeasures came out of the meeting. The other S-rank folks still haven’t made a move?"

"No. I haven’t received any contact from the other secretaries yet."

"Got it. I’ll be returning to Korea next week anyway… so we’ll have to start doing something for real from then on. You worked hard today! If I’d been there, I would’ve said something at least. But since you’re the countermeasures chairman, I couldn’t go with you."

"I think it was a good experience. There are so many stubborn, narrow-minded people… I need to learn how to deal with them too."

"Good! That attitude. I’ll call you again before I leave the country. Got it?"

"Yes. Understood. If there’s anything else to report, I’ll contact you at this number. Please rest well, Iron Maiden."