The Underlings of Evil Organizations Share the Same Sorrow
After the event where a black tentacle monster burst from the auditorium ceiling finally ended, Principal Baek So-ah handled the situation with impressive composure. The entrance ceremony wrapped up successfully. I lingered as the crowd began to thin out, waiting for the right moment to slip away, when Solar and Sunray came looking for me again shortly afterward.
"Mr. Maxwell!!"
"Hehehe! How was it this time?"
"I was genuinely shocked. I had no idea the illusion would feel that realistic."
To be honest, if they hadn't warned me beforehand, even I might have panicked. Still, the two women kept the promise they'd made earlier and soon headed off to greet the other heroes.
"Oh?! Solar! Sunray!! Is this the gentleman from Black Cell?"
"It's so nice to meet you!!"
"Let's get along well from now on!!"
"Hahaha, thank you all."
It was clear they truly were Special Prospects. Not only did they know a staggering number of heroes, but everyone greeted me warmly. I had to keep reminding myself, however, that I was still draped in the dark shadow of Black Cell's reputation. I moved with extreme caution, expanding my connections with the heroes exactly as planned, and eventually asked what they needed most.
"What we need, you say?"
"Please consider it a kind of field research. I'd be grateful."
"Ah... well, in that case..."
"It's probably that Rapid Treatment Agent Black Cell developed, right?"
Solar's near-invulnerability was the exception, not the rule. Heroes constantly dealt with life-threatening situations. Wanting a spare life or two wasn't unreasonable at all.
"I somehow end up with gunshot wounds no matter what I do."
"Sigh... Why did Korea have to turn out like this..."
"That part can't be helped. It's because of North Korea and China."
When North Korea collapsed, the area above the 38th parallel became a lawless zone for a time. During the chaos, China's heavy involvement flooded civilian areas with firearms. Now those guns had been smuggled all the way south. The heroes let out heavy sighs at how Korea—once one of the safest countries in the world when it came to firearms—had changed so drastically. I used the opportunity to score points by promising to report their struggles to my superiors.
"Is that really true?!"
"Ha, but I doubt they'll actually listen..."
"Please keep in mind that I attended the entrance ceremony today."
Just as I stood here, Black Cell was expanding its public activities. This proposal would benefit the director as well. If heroes could purchase Black Cell's treatment drugs at heavily discounted rates, the company would gain touching anecdotes and a shield against criticism that could bury all previous rumors. I, the one making the offer, would earn significant goodwill from the heroes here. Everyone won.
Thanks to Solar and Sunray's introductions, I successfully built strong relationships with many heroes. Part of me wanted to leak information to them immediately, but the bodyguards—essentially the director's eyes and ears—stood right behind me. As espers, they would notice the slightest suspicious behavior.
Judging from everyone's reactions, Black Cell is far more powerful than I anticipated.
Even if I somehow escaped, I wouldn't find protection. I'd likely suffer an "involuntary suicide" shortly afterward. These potential lifelines were nothing but pie in the sky. I could only sigh deeply in my heart.
That wasn't my only problem. Someone strange had been tailing us.
When I casually glanced sideways, I spotted a woman with sky-blue hair pretending to be occupied nearby.
For some reason, Frost had been stalking us ever since the ceremony began. She had probably received orders from her boss over the phone or was conducting reconnaissance. I'd noticed her immediately, and the bodyguards and heroes had caught on long ago as well.
Officially, however, Frost was a guest from another company. The bodyguards and heroes seemed to view her as a pitiful corporate employee desperately trying to land a deal with a major conglomerate. Solar and Sunray had even signaled their seniors.
Thump. Thump.Nod. Nod.
The heroes must have been on the same wavelength. They suddenly made odd excuses to leave and, true to their heroic nature, even rooted for Frost.
"Mr. Maxwell! Please excuse us—we have something to discuss among ourselves!"
"It looks like that person over there wants to meet you, doesn't it?"
"Do your best!"
Of course the person who was supposed to be secretly stalking became extremely flustered. But the water had already been spilled. In the end, only me, the bodyguards, and Frost remained.
Another painfully awkward silence stretched between us. Still, it felt wrong to waste the stage the heroes had set. I approached her first.
"You're definitely the person who was sitting beside me earlier, correct?"
"Y-yes! Hello!!"
"I'm pleased to finally exchange proper greetings."
Now that we'd introduced ourselves, we simply traded business cards.
Prometheus Co.
Junior Manager Kang Seol-ha
The company name on the card confirmed it was indeed the main villainous organization I remembered. Frost's title was Junior Manager? In most companies, regular employees through junior managers were considered Juniors. Managers were Middles, while senior managers and deputy directors were Seniors. It meant she hadn't been with the company long.
A strange sense of kinship washed over me. The moment she received my card, her face turned the same shade of blue as her hair. To ease the tension, I spoke up.
"Actually, I'm also a junior, so please don't be too nervous."
"R-really?"
"It's true. A Black Cell executive assigned me this dispatch mission under the guise of vacation so I could attend the entrance ceremony."
"Huh? What does vacation have to do with a dispatch mission?"
I simply smiled without answering. Frost immediately understood the meaning behind that smile and clapped a hand over her mouth, clearly familiar with Black Cell's particular brand of corporate nonsense. Her eyes took on a distant, wistful look—perhaps her own company was similar.
As the bodyguards around us grew equally glum, the underlings of evil organizations shared the same sorrow.
Not long after meeting Frost, we managed to part on relatively good terms. Solar and Sunray returned immediately afterward. They must have overheard our conversation.
"Even big corporations aren't all that different, huh."
"Who would've thought it was a black company that lived up to the name..."
"The financial therapy keeps us there. The benefits are actually pretty excellent too."
After smoothing things over, our group continued touring the academy. Birds sang, flowers bloomed—it truly seemed like a place overflowing with dreams and hope. But where there is strong light, there are equally strong shadows.
In the distance, I spotted a female student covered in injuries. She had red hair, cat ears, and a tail—a very distinctive appearance. Given the timing...
Is that Red Cat?
It looked like I'd found a top hero's past. Red Cat was a mutant who overcame everything through sheer effort and became a hero admired by countless people. Right now, however, she seemed to be receiving rather poor treatment.
Solar and Sunray, who knew her, let out sighs as well.
"Sorry for showing you something unpleasant."
"Ha, it's not school violence or anything, so please don't misunderstand."
"But why is she so badly hurt?"
"Well... Sera's a bit of a problem child."
Red Cat's real name was Lee Se-ra. She'd entered through the mutant special admissions track, but because she'd been admitted under different conditions, she was failing most of her exams. Her difficult past had apparently left her with a rather hostile personality.
In short, Lee Se-ra was antagonistic toward everyone and engaged in self-destructive training. If things went wrong, she could easily break or turn to the villain path. Solar and Sunray worried deeply for their junior. From my perspective, however, knowing the future, it was like discovering a brilliantly shining raw gem.
I gazed at Lee Se-ra in the distance and spoke.
"People say humans aren't meant to be fixed. But that doesn't mean the possibility of changing one's heart is zero. That's why I love hymns to humanity—and heroes even more."
The two heroes looked surprised by the unexpected statement. I smiled and continued.
"So let's keep believing in her. That's what adults do."
"Pfft, that's true."
"Mhm!! A genius really does see things differently!"
Lee Se-ra, resting on a bench, dragged her injured body up and headed back to training. Despite her poor circumstances, she was a true hero walking the path of glory.
After completing every schedule at the Seoul Hero Academy entrance ceremony, I boarded the vehicle while contemplating how best to sponsor Lee Se-ra. By the time additional school events had concluded and most guests had departed, Principal Baek So-ah slumped exhausted in her office the moment the ceremony ended safely.
Suddenly, the sound of a camera shutter made her turn. Her secretary was taking photos like some kind of obsessive fan.
"Hehehehe, the principal is just as adorable today as always."
"You know that's a crime, right?"
"It's fine since we're both women."
Baek So-ah clicked her tongue at her secretary's ridiculous excuse. Once she finished organizing the documents, her work for the day would finally be done. Of course, there was still one more task.
Knock knock!!
"Principal~!"
"It's us!!"
"Come in right now!!"
"Yes!"
The ones knocking on the office door were none other than Solar and Sunray. As coincidences were rare in this world, their encounter with Maxwell in the auditorium had been orchestrated by Principal Baek So-ah. She'd given them one simple order: spy on him.
"How did it go?"
"It really seemed like he came just to celebrate the entrance ceremony."
"Mr. Maxwell didn't do anything strange at all!"
She had assigned the task because Black Cell's recent movements seemed suspicious. Not only had nothing suspicious occurred, but when Baek So-ah heard what Maxwell said while watching Lee Se-ra, she found herself genuinely impressed.
"There should be far more adults like that..."
"I know, right?"
"By the way, Principal, what do you think of Mr. Maxwell?"
"Me?"
Baek So-ah chose her words carefully for a moment. Her assessment was characteristically straightforward.
"Outstanding people know far more than others. The truly difficult part is keeping all that knowledge inside."
"Now that you mention it, both last time and today, Mr. Maxwell never said anything unnecessary."
"Hmm... He does seem to have a talent for putting people at ease."
Despite attending as a guest from the powerful corporation Black Cell, Maxwell had shown endless humility. Solar, Sunray, the other heroes, and Principal Baek So-ah all regarded him with goodwill.
"Black Cell has acquired quite the talent this time."
"It's a shame our association couldn't recruit him."
"But sis, money talks."
"Y-yeah, that's true."
As they chatted in the office, a disaster alert suddenly appeared on their phones. They checked it together and couldn't hide their shock.
A shootout has occurred near the highway from Seoul to Pyongyang.
All citizens are advised to remain vigilant.
A shootout had broken out on the very road Maxwell was taking back.