Ch.10Chapter 10 – Hero of Justice, Verdandi Astraia (3)

When Verdandi first saw Bing-yeon, a translucent window appeared before her eyes with these words:

– [The person before you is an ‘Extreme Villain’.]

Not just a villain, but an extreme villain. Verdandi’s mind raced as she encountered this type for the first time.

There were many strange things that didn’t fit with him being a murderer. A man and woman in unusual attire rarely seen in this village, and a woman who looked like a mage.

Anyone could tell they were outsiders.

She thought they might be criminals who committed murder elsewhere, or traitors who sided with the Demon King against humanity.

Or perhaps someone who sold out their country, or exploited people as slaves.

She believed the designation from her <Eyes that Know Truth> was absolute, no matter who appeared before her. There had to be a reason they were labeled ‘Extreme Villain.’

‘…The atmosphere feels dangerous! They must be incredibly powerful villains!’

All she needed to do was deal with these people, then kill everyone in the village.

She had already immobilized her mother, Aila, whom she believed to be a villain.

At this rate, her mother would suffocate. As this thought crossed her mind, Verdandi’s breathing trembled, and an uneasy feeling rose in her chest.

“……”

Was her mother truly a villain?

Even though she had tried to strangle her as a child and lied about loving her, she was still the mother who raised her.

‘Don’t get distracted, Verdandi. Lord Solareon himself has confirmed it.’

Verdandi shook her head as she watched Aila growing colder. She couldn’t consider the possibility that her ability had been wrong from the beginning.

‘I will punish the villains of this world!’

Gripping the kitchen knife tightly, Verdandi took a fighting stance. Her mind was filled with the thought that it didn’t matter who the man before her really was.

– [The person before you is a ‘Good Person’.]

Because she was a warrior of justice.

No matter what anyone said, she was perfectly righteous.

She was a fairy tale hero who executed justice and punished evil.

Verdandi smiled inwardly as she looked at her reflection in the kitchen knife.

“You said you came to take me as your disciple? You must be out of your mind!”

“Yes, I came to guide you on the right path. If you come with me, you won’t have to suffer anymore. You could live a normal life without being consumed by your role as a hero…”

– [What the person before you is saying is ‘Truth’.]

Verdandi couldn’t hide her shock at the text appearing on her retina.

‘…Truth? Really?’

This extreme villain was speaking the truth. Someone was standing right in front of her, saying she could live a normal life without obsessing over being a hero.

The hope of not being hated by people, of being loved by her parents, of living as a normal child.

But,

“Ha, hahaha! You’re far too late!”

Verdandi thought everything was already ruined beyond repair. After all, she had stabbed her mother with a kitchen knife, making her bleed.

“Even beasts cherish their young, but I was almost killed by my mother when I was just a baby!”

To be honest, she felt wronged.

Why couldn’t she have been born normal?

Why did she have these abilities that made her unable to trust people?

“Taking such an extreme villain as my master? I’d rather die!”

Verdandi shouted as she confronted Bi-wol who was closing in on her. She thought it was too late to turn back now.

Even if her mother Aila were healed now, she would surely hate and despise her daughter for trying to kill her.

Verdandi hated that cold gaze. She was terrified of those piercing eyes that seemed to dig into her heart.

“Where do you think you’re going? I’m your opponent.”

At that moment, one of Bing-yeon’s eyes gleamed golden. It showed firm determination without any hatred or disgust.

KWAKAGAGAGAK—! A thunderous sound echoed as an ice wall formed between her and Aila.

“…An ice wall? Are you mages?”

Verdandi was dumbfounded. With this level of power, they could simply kill her and save her mother, ending everything quickly.

“Master, I’ve secured the injured person’s safety.”

The black-haired girl moved with incredible speed, while the blonde mage instantly healed the severely injured woman.

“Go outside with the Gold Tower Master and stop the bleeding from her neck wound. I’ll handle things here.”

The most threatening figure was the white-haired man who claimed he had come to save her.

“But Master…! Your body is unwell! The opponent is strong enough to react to my techniques!”

He was bleeding from his eyes, nose, mouth, and even ears, yet remained vigilant of her movements.

‘…One mistake and I’m dead.’

Verdandi felt a chill throughout her body, realizing something was wrong.

Why wouldn’t this man kill her immediately when he clearly could? Why was he saying he wanted to save her?

“A master being stronger than their disciple is a fact known to everyone in this world.”

– [What the person before you is saying is ‘Truth’.]

The translucent window before her eyes continued to show her truth and falsehood. So far, not once had it shown a lie.

“I may not be, as you said, the best in the evil sects. Of course, I’m not the best of all time either. And certainly not the best in the world.”

It can’t be. It shouldn’t be.

“But I am a master with many disciples. I’m an ordinary person loved by many, rather than a powerful figure in name only.”

Verdandi shook her head at the windows appearing before her eyes. She couldn’t believe such a person could be an extreme villain.

“Therefore, I must act in a way that makes my disciples proud. So that one day, you can step out of my shadow and achieve greatness.”

– [What the person before you is saying is ‘Truth’.]

What if this white-haired man really had come to save her and had healed her mother?

What if he truly was a good person who could understand her?

If so,

Then everything she had done until now, everything she had believed…

…what would it all mean?

“You’re all talk! Even so, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re an extreme villain!”

Verdandi shouted at Bing-yeon. The thought that everything had been a misunderstanding, that her mother actually loved her, was slowly creeping up on her.

“Why do you think I’m an extreme villain in the first place?”

“Because I’m a hero, of course…”

“…What if you’re not actually a hero? Have you ever considered the possibility that you’re just an ordinary person?”

After all, her mother Aila, while dying from her daughter’s knife, had only repeated, “Mom is sorry.”

“What are you trying to say?!”

“The abilities you possess are <Eyes that Know Truth> and <The Scales of Justice>. Each has two flaws.”

Having completely subdued Verdandi, Bing-yeon was looking directly into her eyes.

“The flaw of <Eyes that Know Truth> is that if the speaker doesn’t know they’re lying, it registers as truth.”

“…?!”

His gaze was gentle and warm, the kind she imagined a father would have.

“The flaw of <The Scales of Justice> is that if there’s an enormous difference between good and evil deeds, the result can change at any time.”

Verdandi hated that look. It felt like he was pitying her, as if denying the difficult life she had lived.

So she tried to escape, but…

“Look carefully once more with those eyes of yours. Is the person before you truly an extreme villain?”

With just one stomp of Bing-yeon’s foot, her lower body and legs froze, making it impossible for her to move.

– [Because the karma value of the target using <The Scales of Justice> has changed, recalculating…]

“…This can’t be.”

– [The person before you is a ‘Good Person’.]

Verdandi couldn’t believe her eyes. Wasn’t this person just labeled as the worst kind of villain, an extreme villain?

“Yes, now will you stop trusting your ability and start trusting this master?”

“……”

Had her ability really been wrong? Did it truly have flaws that led her to make judgments based solely on her own interpretation?

“I came here because I was ordered to save you. By an entity that is like a god to me.”

Despite the blood at the corners of his mouth, the man called Bing-yeon smiled at her. That kind smile made her heart feel like it was malfunctioning.

– [What the person before you is saying is ‘Truth’.]

“It’s the truth… How can this be…”

From a gentle thump to a loud bang.

Feeling her heartbeat accelerate, Verdandi realized she was experiencing a strange emotion.

“From me, you will learn the emotion of love-hate, and understand the contradictory feelings where sadness and joy coexist. Just as your mother did.”

“My mother… you say?”

Is this what love-hate feels like? Verdandi nodded at Bing-yeon’s words as if she understood.

“Yes, your mother became pregnant unwillingly after being attacked by a robber. What she did, trying to strangle you, is absolutely unforgivable.”

“……”

This was something she hadn’t known. Because of her ability, truth and lies had become mixed with all sorts of information, obscuring the real truth.

“But her love for her child was stronger. She was too ashamed and humiliated to say it, which is why your ability registered it as a lie.”

– [What the person before you is saying is ‘Truth’.]

Verdandi now realized that everything Bing-yeon said was correct. If he had wanted to kill her, he would have done so already, and he wouldn’t have tried to save her mother.

After all, the two women who had come with him had fled from Verdandi.

“Are you… an apostle of the Lord?”

Feeling completely exposed, Verdandi tearfully asked Bing-yeon. Given that he knew all these facts, it wouldn’t be strange to call him an apostle of the Lord.

“No, I’m just an ordinary human. Like you, I’m a common person who fears dozens of times a day that others won’t understand my true intentions.”

This was something Verdandi had always felt. No matter how hard she tried, the villagers had always looked at her with contempt.

“Don’t worry about how the villagers treated you. Those people are like snakes coiled together, entangled in each other’s evil deeds.”

Bing-yeon seemed to be telling her, “It’s not your fault. It’s those people who are wrong.”

“Is that… really true? Are you saying I’m… a good child?”

Verdandi couldn’t help but open her heart to him.

“Yes, you are a good child. Although I failed to find you earlier and you made mistakes due to your inexperience, we can still set things right.”

Though the man’s embrace was incredibly cold, strangely, she felt warm.

“Hic… hueeeeng…”

A hot sensation rose in her eyes. She didn’t want to cry, but the tears kept flowing.

“I was so lonely. My mother appeared as a villain, and even when she said she loved me, it showed as a lie…”

She didn’t understand why she was confessing these worries to someone she had just met.

Perhaps because she had unquestioningly believed in the Lord’s oracle, Verdandi felt a sense of familiarity with Bing-yeon.

“Yes, yes.”

“Knowing that she tried to strangle me as a baby, I was afraid to even sleep beside my mother… Every day felt like I was suffocating to death.”

She wanted comfort from anyone.

“That must have been hard.”

She wanted someone, anyone, to listen to her voice.

“The villagers hated me, secretly put bugs in my food, and spread rumors that I enjoyed a promiscuous lifestyle like my mother…”

Right now, she just wanted someone to tell her she wasn’t bad.

“My disciples and I will solve everything. So don’t worry too much. From now on, no one under this sky will speak ill of you.”

And so Verdandi cried in Bing-yeon’s arms for a long time, only stopping after about two hours had passed.

* * *

“…I have a bad feeling.”

At that moment, Bi-wol muttered to herself as she looked at the house she had escaped from.

“Huh? This person’s treatment is all done! She’ll regain consciousness soon!”

Wolfram tilted her head in confusion, looking at Bi-wol strangely.

Although the woman had been stabbed with a kitchen knife and suffered some internal injuries, all treatments were complete. At this rate, she would live without even a scar.

“What exactly gives you a bad feeling?”

Wolfram couldn’t understand why Bi-wol was saying such things.

“A jackal seems to be flirting with Master. And taking advantage of my absence…”

Bi-wol bit her lower lip, thinking of Verdandi’s face as she spoke quietly.

“Master belongs only to me.”

Blood flowed from her lips where she had bitten down hard,

– Isn’t that right? I told you that once you get a sister disciple, you’ll eventually become unnecessary.

A voice like a snake’s tongue was knocking at her heart.