The Second-in-Command

"H-hey! What the hell is that guy!"

"It's that bastard from before! Why is he barging in again!"

"Give us our money back! You're ruining the match!"

The audience was in an uproar. A bunch of noisy pests, no better than mosquitoes. I picked up the microphone.

The arena fell silent.

I lifted the head of the villain I’d been holding. Only then did the situation seem to sink in; the spectators began to scramble out of the arena as if fleeing for their lives.

"Haa... haa..."

I looked down at Irua. Her body was frail for her age, likely due to malnutrition. She had long, jet-black hair that reached past her waist, tangled and unkempt. Her face, still possessing a youthful, beautiful structure, was smeared with grime. Her breathing was ragged. She looked confused.

"...Are you going to kill me, too?" Irua asked.

"Do you want to die?"

"No. I can't die yet."

"Then why did you stand in front of them? It was a suicidal act." I pointed to the young children crying in the corner.

"...I don't know."

"I’ve extended your life for now. Do you understand?"

Irua nodded.

"Then, from now on, you work for me."

"Work...?"

"I just took over this villain organization. You’re going to handle things here."

"Take over... I don't want to do that."

"Why not?"

"You're just going to make me do menial chores, right? At best, I'd be a sex toy for the villains. I don't have time to waste on that."

She was a smart girl who grasped the situation quickly.

"Do you have a goal you need to achieve?"

"Revenge."

"Ho."

I liked the ring of that word. I used Dragon's Eye on her. To put it simply, it was an appraisal skill.

She was exactly the talent I was looking for.

"Good. You will take charge as the leader of all the villains here. You are my direct subordinate, my second-in-command."

"What? Who do you take me for? If you thought I’d fall for such sweet talk, you’re mistaken."

"Why do you think it's sweet talk?"

"I’m someone with no power, no ability. You’re incredibly strong, aren't you? You killed Big Jaws in one blow, and your claim about taking over this place isn't a joke. Why would someone like you need me, just an ordinary girl?"

She didn't know her own talent. Geniuses of this type are the most terrifying. "My ability to see a person's character is trash."

"...What?"

"But my ability to see talent is unrivaled. Trust yourself. If you can't do that, then abandon your intellect and trust me."

I whispered the sweet words she couldn't refuse. "Then your revenge will be fulfilled."

It was Irua's choice now. Whether to take my hand or not. She stared into my eyes for a long time, wondering what she might have found in them. Eventually, Irua nodded.

"...I understand."

"Good. Come up to the office."

First, some housekeeping. I made sure the villains knew I was the new leader. A few tried to resist, but they quieted down once I turned them into hamburger steak ingredients. Force alone isn't enough for control, so I distributed a fair amount of the previous boss's hidden funds as a bonus. The ones who had been quick to serve me got extra.

The underground arena seemed to be a major source of income, so I kept it running. However, since losing villains meant losing profit, I ordered them to adjust their brutality so as not to kill anyone. I abolished the ridiculous public executions of civilians and released everyone who had been kidnapped due to debt.

After the work was done, only Irua and I remained in the office.

"What kind of work will I do?"

"Starting tomorrow, you'll train with me."

"Train?"

"As you are now, you're as useless as you think you are. We'll start with blooming your ability, basic usage, and combat training."

"Do I really have that kind of talent? Even more than the other villains in this arena?" Irua looked unconvinced. That was natural. Up until now, she had lived her life as prey.

"If you don't believe me, you can quit and leave right now."

"...I don't want to. I have nowhere else to go." Irua clenched her fists. "What happened to the children?"

"I left them at an orphanage. It's a trustworthy place. I gave them enough donations, so there won't be any problems."

"Why would you do that? When you kill people so easily..."

It was such an absurd question that I couldn't help but laugh. "Do you wash a dish with a rag that's been used to scrub a toilet a thousand times until it's falling apart?"

"No... I suppose not."

"Then how do you use a dishcloth that you just bought and is only covered in a little dust?"

"You wash it and use it."

"Exactly. It's like that."

Irua still looked like she didn't quite get it. I deactivated my transformation. I was tired and wanted to rest, so I lay down ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on the sofa.

"Go find a place to sleep. It seems there are private rooms for the villains. Find one yourself."

"Are you going to sleep here?"

"Mind your own business."

Irua approached me as I lay there, ignoring my words. "...Those are some massive scars. What kind of life have you lived?"

"None of your concern."

"What is your goal?"

"The same as yours."

"Revenge? Did someone as strong as you get betrayed?"

"Yes."

My eyes were closed, so I couldn't see her expression. Only her small, soft breathing could be heard. "Can't you show me your face?"

"No."

When I said it firmly, she didn't bother me anymore. Ji Se-hwa, Shin Yu-kyung, Kang Ye-rin, Choi Min-seo, the Association President... and Morgan. I drifted off to sleep, thinking of their faces.

Irua was in turmoil amidst the silence. Too much information had flooded in over a short time. She had thought death was right in front of her, only for a dragon-like monster to save her life. Even then, she couldn't feel safe in this city. Her life might have been extended by a week, a day, or perhaps just five minutes.

She had never felt anything even remotely resembling happiness in her life. Kindness always had thorns. Favors had to be repaid ten, a hundred times over. But this man's actions were somehow different. It was just an unfounded intuition, but Irua felt she could judge the humans who approached her. Whether they intended to use her, harm her, or were simply indifferent.

That was why she wanted to see his face. Even when he returned to his human form, he wore a mask of solid scales, and she couldn't see his expression to read his true intentions. She reached out to touch the mask, then stopped. He would notice this immediately.

She recalled his words. He said she had talent. She remembered the sensation she felt in the arena. She focused, gathering her energy.

"...Ah."

Before long, she was able to manifest something black on her palm. It looked like frozen electricity or solidified gravity, moving according to her will. She felt a hunch that with this, she could remove the man's mask without him noticing. Carefully, so as not to wake him. Stealthily.

Finally, Irua removed the blood-red mask. "...Hah."

She gasped involuntarily upon seeing his face. Because there, she saw the face of a dead man. Irua, flustered, lost control, and the black substance touched the man's forehead. Through the black substance, a portion of the man's memories and emotions flowed into Irua.

"Ah, ahhhhhh. Nooooooo!!"

As those things invaded her brain, Irua screamed. The pain from that choice. The secret he had silently kept alone, unable to tell even his comrades for the sake of the world. The despair and rage that returned at the end of it. It was an emotion no human could ever endure.

Kwooooong!

The man woke up and shoved Irua against the wall in an instant.

"Ah, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

The man was already strangling her. "Useless fool."

Irua realized she had done something she shouldn't have, but it was already too late. But that wasn't what mattered. Even though she had only received a tiny fraction of his emotions, Irua felt like ending her own life out of despair.

"I'm sorry. We, humans, the world, did this to you. Ahhh. It shouldn't have been this way!"

Irua was sobbing, drenched in sorrow and pain. Her tears flowed down, tracing paths on the man's hands that were still wrapped around her throat.

"Why did you fight alone to this point? Why did no one help you? How are you still standing without crying...?"

The man slowly released his grip ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on her throat. "Dragons do not shed tears," he replied expressionlessly. "They only take revenge."

Irua realized. Compared to this man, her own revenge was nothing. She had no right to use the same word in his presence. Slowly regaining her senses, Irua steadied her legs. She looked straight at the man before her, the face of the former Red Dragon. "...Tell me."

In his eyes, a pitch-black spiral that could not be observed was dwelling. "What do I need to do?"

"Kyaa~ Choi Min-seo, you look great on camera! Where were you hiding such an innocent expression? You sly fox!"

In the Association's VIP lounge, Ji Se-hwa, having watched the cosmetics commercial on TV, patted Choi Min-seo on the back.

"Oh, stop it, Se-hwa unni, you're embarrassing me."

"You were always singing about wanting to film a commercial, and now you've fulfilled your wish! The reaction is going to be great, right? How many offers have you gotten?"

Choi Min-seo shyly held up her palm. "Five? You've become a real celebrity now, haven't you?"

"Green Nature specializes in healing abilities, so she was always in the back during team activities. She just never had a chance to be in the spotlight until now. Congratulations, Min-seo." Shin Yu-kyung sipped her coffee and congratulated her.

"Hehe. Thank you! I'm even going to a celebrity party this weekend! They said a lot of stars would be there!"

"See? Now that that bastard Jung Eui-seok is gone, Min-seo is finally shining. That guy was always the problem. He was hogging all the public attention and money."

"Se-hwa, has your fund management improved?"

"It's a huge success, huge! Since Kang Ye-rin didn't take her share, we split the 500 billion won bounty from the Dark Arthur and Darkness Kingdom subjugation three ways, right? I used that to start a fund, and just from the investments alone, the corporate value has already jumped tenfold!"

"Hmm. Everyone is achieving self-actualization brilliantly. I invested that money into switch development research. The Five Lights and Excalibur I possess are strong, but theoretically, I could develop a switch with even greater power. I just needed the capital."

"You're still a switch nerd, aren't you? Have you tried using Excalibur?"

"I'd need a reason to use it. There aren't any villains at the right level to face it."

"Kekeke! That's true."

Shin Yu-kyung pulled the Excalibur switch from her pocket. It was a menacing switch with intricate medieval-style decorations.

"But what is Kang Ye-rin doing? According ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to the rules, she should be at the Association, but I haven't seen hide nor hair of her."

"It seems she's holed up in her room or the training hall."

"Eh. What could she be thinking?"

"Hmph. Is she reminiscing about the good old days with Jung Eui-seok? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Getting all sentimental. It's all in the past anyway. Who here doesn't have good memories with that guy? The problem is that he turned into trash."

"Agreed. What's past is past. ...Hm? It's the emergency line. What's going on? ...What?"

Shin Yu-kyung's expression turned serious as she received a call on her terminal. At the same time, an emergency breaking news report began to play on the TV.

"Hey, Shin Yu-kyung. Look at that."

"Y-Yu-kyung unni."

Shin Yu-kyung stood up from her seat.