Ch.4Chapter 1. Villain Executioner (4)

Class S heroes are celebrities.

Not just ordinary celebrities, but globally recognized figures known worldwide.

When a Class S hero travels abroad, the government provides a private jet and escorts to prevent foreign agents from approaching them with asylum offers.

Naturally, their freedom is restricted, their movements are hindered, and Class S heroes live even more exhausting lives than entertainers.

Therefore.

Even though she’s wearing a wig and disguise to hide her white hair—a physical change due to her ability—it’s not strange that I recognize this woman as “Snow White.”

“Shh…!”

Snow White placed her index finger on her lips in surprise.

“H-how did you know?”

“…….”

Because she’s one of the main heroines?

Or because she’s incredibly beautiful?

“I’m a fan. I’m one of the ‘Dwarfs.'”

“Ah.”

Snow White grabbed her sunglasses.

“I see….”

What are the Dwarfs?

They’re Snow White’s followers, what you’d call a “fan club.”

Of course, the global nature of this fan club must be stressful for her.

Here she is trying to borrow a motorcycle in a parking lot in Banpo, Seoul, only to find the bike’s owner is her fan?

How incredibly awkward.

“I’m really sorry, but could I borrow your bike right now?”

“Are you going there? To… stop it?”

“Yes. I’ll definitely compensate you. No, I’ll transfer the money right now.”

“No, you don’t need to pay me.”

Get paid by a hero?

Have my account traced and be exposed as a villain?

-Freeze this bastard’s account first!!

All my hard-earned money would be frozen by the government.

That absolutely cannot happen.

“Just take it. When a hero is trying to protect the country, of course I should lend it to you.”

“What? But still…”

“In return, please protect our home. I… I bought this less than three months ago…! Well, I’m counting on you!”

I gave Snow White a slight bow, handed her the keys, and quickly left the scene.

Even to my own eyes, I looked like a civilian fleeing urgently.

I could feel Snow White’s gaze from a distance, but I ran as fast as I could northward while pulling out my smartphone.

“Huff, huff, Chairman…!”

[What is it, Manager Do?]

“Deoldeoli, I mean Black Knight, was taken by Snow White…!”

[What?!]

I reported the facts exactly as they happened to the CEO.

[Why is that woman in Seoul?]

“I don’t know. She suddenly approached me from behind asking to borrow the bike…!”

[The bike?!]

“I lent it to her for now.”

[Argh, no! Go get it back! Why did you lend the bike I bought you to Snow White?!]

The chairman yelled in my ear.

[I!! Bought!! It for you!!]

“…I’m sorry. I was afraid my identity might be revealed and cause trouble for you.”

[That’s fine! …Sigh, no. What’s done is done. Ahem. Manager Do?]

His voice changed back to that of a cool beauty.

[You don’t need to retrieve the bike. I can buy you another one. You did well. As it happens… it’s started moving.]

“You mean the bike?”

[Yes. It has a tracking device.]

I already knew this, but hearing it again is still a bit scary.

The only vehicle I own is that motorcycle, and it has a tracking device—

“Chairman, perhaps?”

[Let’s track the signal and follow? I have a mission for you, Manager Do.]

The CEO’s voice carried a hint of mischief.

[Go with Red Scarf and completely destroy the bike.]

“Then….”

[We’ll put Snow White in our debt. As a Class S hero, she can certainly afford financial compensation, but a custom bike has value beyond its monetary worth.]

“Chairman. What are you planning?”

[I want to use this connection with Snow White to implement ‘that operation.’ I’ll tell you the details later, but for now, go destroy the bike. I’ll get you a nice new one.]

“Understood.”

In a deserted alley.

I took a deep breath and raised my hand to my face.

“…Transform.”

* * *

VROOOOOM!!

The motorcycle roared forward.

Snow White, commonly known as “Baek Seol-hee,” was momentarily stunned by the speed that quickly exceeded 200 km/h.

‘A civilian owns a bike with this kind of speed?’

It’s an impossible speed.

Could that man be a speed demon?

Maybe he borrowed the bike from a gangster or someone like that.

This is Seoul after all.

Even in Banpo, it’s no longer just a wealthy area but a land of earth-bound spirits who remain like those fondling their dead child’s testicles, unable to leave Seoul.

Compared to the relatively safe “eastern” areas, the “western” areas inevitably have worse security conditions.

It can’t be helped.

The “island” in the East Sea is both the safest place in the world and the world’s center.

If it had fallen in the Yellow Sea, east and west would have been reversed, and Busan might have suffered even more serious damage than Seoul does now.

Screech.

Lost in these thoughts, she suddenly arrived at her destination.

[Snow White! What’s your current location?!]

“This is Anseong, Anseong.”

[The target is heading north along Cheonan! Intercept if possible, and be sure to recover ‘that item’!]

“…Roger.”

Snow White dismounted from the motorcycle.

She carefully parked it on the shoulder to avoid damage, put down the side stand, and then used her ability, “Ice Magic,” to freeze the area around the wheels.

No one would steal it now.

“…Huff.”

Her mind was troubled despite the impending battle.

Not just about the bike, but the mission itself was stressful for her.

The reason she appeared in Seoul rather than being part of the pursuit team chasing Red Scarf from Busan was because she was “on vacation” in Seoul.

Heroes can’t even properly enjoy their vacations.

If any other hero had been in Seoul, it might have been different, but Snow White was the only hero in Seoul at the time.

365 days a year.

Reporters follow heroes the moment they leave their homes, and now, during the only “three days” when a hero could enjoy some freedom, she found herself having to fight an enemy.

[Snow White. The Defense Minister…!]

“…Put him through.”

Snow White felt a surge of irritation, but she couldn’t cut off the words of a “high-ranking official.”

[Ah. Ms. Baek Seol-hee? So you are-]

“I’m in the middle of an operation. Please use my code name.”

[Ahem! So, Snow White. You are-]

“I’m about to engage in combat.”

Click.

Snow White pressed the device on her ear, then extended her hand toward the intense red heat approaching from ahead.

“Ice Wall.”

Crack!

With a splitting sound, an ice barrier spread across the road.

It appeared to be over ten meters tall, a wall that seemed impenetrable to any enemy.

An ice wall created by a Class S ability user.

Most ability users couldn’t break through it, but if someone had ‘that’—

BOOM!!

A red trajectory collided with the ice wall.

Something that dyed the surroundings blood-red tried to pierce through the ice wall like an awl.

“…Hah!”

Snow White infused more magical power into her hand, and though the ice wall’s surface was scraped, it didn’t break.

“Tch!”

The red trajectory—the man inside it—clicked his tongue and retreated.

“Hey, government dog.”

“…What? Aren’t you embarrassed saying things like that?”

“Did I say anything wrong? What’s embarrassing about it?”

The young man with a red muffler-like aura fluttering around his neck from his magical manifestation, the villain “Red Scarf,” extended his hand forward with blood-red eyes gleaming.

“Move aside if you don’t want to die.”

“You? Kill me?”

“Hehehe, I guess you’ll have to experience it yourself to understand.”

Flutter.

Something like red wings spread behind Red Scarf.

The mana-formed mist resembled demonic wings, and Snow White quickly looked up at the sky.

“…Phew.”

No helicopter yet.

Satellites wouldn’t be able to pinpoint this location immediately, so she had about three minutes.

She needed to subdue him quickly within that time.

“You. Do you know how dangerous that item is?”

“Why? Afraid it will make the world tremble in fear?”

“We can’t communicate. You’re 19 years old, right?”

“Shut up!”

Red Scarf raised his fist to the sky.

Soon, pillars of fire spread around him, and Snow White hurriedly extended the ice spikes that had been secretly moving along the asphalt ground upward.

“Even Snow White can’t stop me! With this power, the power of ‘darkness’!”

Whoosh!

The pillar of fire that rose to the sky spread in all directions.

Snow White quickly deployed an ice barrier, but the flames engulfed the surroundings faster than she had anticipated.

“Ah…!”

The moment a fireball fell on the motorcycle, it exploded spectacularly.

“Such indiscriminate terror…!”

Snow White bit her lower lip and extended her hand forward.

“Did you awaken mana just to do this?! Use the blessing of mana for the world’s benefit!”

“What’s wrong with using it for myself?!”

Red Scarf floated up into the sky and flipped his middle finger at Snow White.

“I’m going to live my own life! Damn, rather than living in this hellish peninsula—”

Suddenly.

“To a place where I can live as a hero…”

Screech.

With the sound of something scraping the ground, a black figure began approaching from the distance.

“That’s….”

[Danger!! Class S ability user detected! Pattern… Goblin!!]

The villain executioner had appeared.

Trampling on the burning remains of the motorcycle, Goblin began staring at Red Scarf with a tilted head.

And then.

[Villains must die.]

With those words, Goblin charged toward Red Scarf.