Ch.62The Corrupted Trio (1)

I overslept again today as usual. Despite that, I don’t feel refreshed at all. If anything, I feel even more tired.

I left my room, promising myself that I absolutely would not waste my lifespan next time.

Outside, I found Agath and Rebecca about to be subjected to food torture by Leo.

I quickly made a simple sandwich for breakfast. Then I deliberately stood in front of Agath and ate it.

“This is really delicious. Of course it would be, since I made it myself.”

“…Why are you doing this?”

“Because it’s fun.”

I continued to tease Agath while enjoying my sandwich.

“Aren’t you going to eat, Ms. Agath? Your food will get cold.”

“Please… stop it…”

“This is seriously so delicious. The vegetables are so fresh and crisp, and the ham is perfectly savory.”

“I told you to stop…”

“You should hurry up and eat, Ms. Agath. You need to get used to that, don’t you?”

Agath just stared at the horrifying something she had to eat with a look of utter despair. Revenge is always so sweet.

I think I’ve teased her enough. Maybe I should stop now.

“Oh right, I ended up with some extra sandwiches.”

“…How many extras?”

“About three servings.”

“Can I have those?”

“It would be a waste to throw them away. So yes, you can have them.”

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

I originally had no intention of making breakfast for them. I just instinctively made four servings while cooking.

It’s annoying that I’m letting this slide, but seeing them enjoy the food gives me a sense of fulfillment, so I’ll let it go.

And so another ordinary breakfast time began, but something felt off.

Yesterday, when I made tteokbokki for Ju-an, I felt incredibly fulfilled, but now I don’t feel the same way at all.

Clearly, the three of them are enjoying the food I made. They’re even devouring it like it’s much more delicious than what Ju-an ate yesterday.

But the sense of fulfillment is significantly less than yesterday. Yesterday, I felt full just watching someone eat my food…

Is it because I made simple sandwiches that didn’t require much effort? When I cooked for Ju-an, it took a lot more work, so maybe that’s why.

When I get home today, I’ll try making something more elaborate. Maybe then I’ll feel that same fulfillment again.

***

Today is Sunday. I was planning to stay home and rest all day. But thanks to three certain psychopaths, I’m being forced to go out.

“Can’t I just rest, seriously?”

“We can’t leave you alone here, Lite. Though the possibility is slim, an assassin might target you while we’re gone.”

“That’s absolutely not going to happen, so please just let me rest.”

“But you know there are many people targeting you.”

I want to deny that statement, but there are indeed quite a few people after my life. Just look at what happened during that demon extermination request.

There are people willing to go to such extremes just to kill me. So maybe they’re targeting me even now.

If I’m truly defenseless, I could end up dead.

“Fine, I’ll go…”

So I was forcibly dragged outside. For reference, these people are going to fight someone they met on the internet.

Is it really necessary to go this far over an internet argument? This is seriously excessive.

I grumbled as I prepared to go out.

***

After getting ready, I followed Leo as he led the way.

I wonder what terrible things await me today? I just hope my lifespan doesn’t get drained again.

As I walked with these thoughts, we arrived in front of an ominously suspicious-looking building. There’s definitely something beyond there.

“Don’t tell me that black mage is in there?”

“That’s right.”

Leo crumpled a piece of paper into a ball, threw it toward the building, and said:

“By the way, what is that?”

“A bomb.”

“Why did you throw—”

“Great Flames Kaboom!”

Suddenly, a massive explosion erupted from the paper. Seeing this, I calmly remarked:

“Your naming sense is still terrible today.”

“I didn’t come up with that name.”

“So how are you planning to clean up this mess?”

With an explosion that size, the building must have been blown away. People inside might have been caught in it too.

As the smoke cleared, the building appeared completely undamaged without a single burn mark.

Then a brown-haired, black-eyed woman in a maid outfit came out of the building and spoke calmly without any emotion:

“Thank you for coming all this way. Please come in.”

This is highly suspicious. Especially a maid who remains calm despite an explosion in front of her building.

“Is it really okay to go in there?”

“If they sent a challenge, it’s only proper to accept it.”

“Let’s quickly show this black mage the greatness of divine power!”

“The moment has finally come to pass judgment in the name of the Goddess.”

All three of them took battle stances. Going in there will definitely cause a big commotion. Well, if you can’t avoid it, enjoy it, as they say.

I plan to watch these three fight passionately. There’s nothing more entertaining than watching a good fight.

With that expectation, we entered the building and were greeted by a gray-haired girl with purple eyes wearing a purple dress and an eye patch over one eye.

“Finally, you’ve come! My eternal riv—”

“Excuse me.”

Seeing this, Leo fled outside the building without a moment’s hesitation.

“Don’t run away! My eternal rival!”

The girl chased after Leo, running out of the building as well.

Alright, we have a chuunibyou girl and a maid. I wonder who will appear next?

“Um… hello?”

A tanned blonde guy who looked like a delinquent awkwardly stood inside the building, doing something on his phone, and greeted us.

…Should I follow Leo and run away too? This looks too ominous.

“What lewd things are you planning to do to us? Don’t tell me you’re trying to NTR us?”

“Lite, run away first. That person seems suspicious.”

“Yes! I’ll run right away!”

Just as we were about to flee the building, the blonde tanned delinquent suddenly chuckled.

Then he approached us, walked right past us, and went to the maid beside us, saying:

“I’m leaving work.”

“It’s still too early to leave.”

“No, those people are seriously scary. Can’t you let me leave early today?”

“To leave, you need at least the young lady’s permission.”

“So I have to wait until the boss comes back?”

The blonde tanned delinquent trembled like a frightened puppy. Still, I shouldn’t let my guard down; this could all be an act.

As I was eyeing him suspiciously, our eyes suddenly met.

“…Could you please keep your distance from me?”

“I haven’t done anything yet.”

“I apologize if I’ve made you uncomfortable! I’ll be more careful from now on!”

The blonde tanned delinquent—no, the blonde boy—suddenly bowed deeply to apologize to me.

“…I really haven’t done anything.”

“So you’re sparing my life?”

“Why would I kill you in the first place…?”

“Thank you! I’ll be careful with my words and actions from now on!”

The boy walked back to his seat like a soldier and sat down with a rigid posture.

“…Is he really a bad person?”

“Isn’t this just an act? He’s trying to catch us off guard before attacking.”

“But he’s trembling too much for that.”

“It must be an act. You should never trust blonde tanned delinquents.”

I looked at the boy suspiciously again, but all I saw was a boy trembling like crazy. Who exactly is this person?

“Excuse me, who are you?”

“My name is Seo Tae-yang! I’m currently working as a hero, and my alias is Mind Controller!”

The boy answered formally like a soldier. But what’s an alias? Let me ask Agath.

“What’s an alias?”

“You know, like ‘Red Comet’ or ‘White Devil’—that kind of nickname.”

“And what’s the purpose of having one?”

“It basically tells people what kind of ability you have.”

“Why would you want to tell people that?”

“Because it’s more popular than working under your real name.”

I don’t understand at all. Why is popularity important for a hero?

As I continued to look at Agath with confusion, she explained further:

“For heroes, popularity is everything. That’s how they get merchandise, TV appearances, and so on.”

“…People actually buy that stuff?”

“Mostly kids. Honestly, didn’t you look up to heroes when you were young?”

“I get that, but can you really call that being a hero?”

Heroes are supposed to be righteous beings who protect people from villains. But according to Agath, heroes are just like entertainers.

“You can barely make a living just by defeating villains, so it can’t be helped.”

“Couldn’t they explore dungeons as a side job?”

“Heroes need to be on standby in case villains appear—where would they find time for side jobs?”

“So how did heroes become so corrupted?”

“Imagine if a hero’s fight against a villain was broadcast live—how would that make you feel?”

Honestly, it sounds entertaining. A hero defeating a villain on a live broadcast—just imagining it makes my mouth water.

Agath, seeming to understand this sentiment, continued with an excited voice:

“A righteous hero defeating a villain. This appeals to certain people, especially children. That’s why it’s bound to be popular.”

“I understand that. But why merchandise and all that?”

“Toys always follow what children like. That’s common sense.”

It’s like watching an internet broadcaster. But then, wouldn’t the same problems from my previous world exist here too?

“Doesn’t that mean a few heroes monopolize the market?”

“Exactly. That’s why connections are the most important. Sometimes people get lucky and become popular, but that’s rare.”

This is definitely similar to internet broadcasting. No matter how skilled or entertaining you are, it’s useless if no one watches you.

But in terms of ruthlessness, this is much worse. After all, villains don’t just conveniently appear out of nowhere.

Few opportunities and a desperate need for luck—it’s truly a difficult profession to survive in.

“How famous is he?”

“I’ve never seen him on broadcasts.”

“Maybe you just missed him?”

“I search for pretty much every hero out there, so there’s no way I missed him.”

“Ah, I don’t do broadcasts.”

The boy suddenly joined our conversation. Agath asked with confusion:

“Why not? You could become popular with a bit of luck.”

“Well… I’m scared…”

“…What?”

“I’m just scared of everything. Fighting is scary, people are scary, all of you are scary, and most of all, in two weeks I have to fight… no, please forget what I just said.”

The boy hastily cut off his words. But something about him seems familiar.

The mention of fighting in two weeks, the alias “Mind Controller,” and most of all, his name being similar to mine.

Suddenly, a hypothesis formed in my mind.

“Were you reincarnated?”

“…How did you know that?”

The boy’s face turned pale as if he’d seen a ghost.

I’ve now met the last reincarnated person here. But there’s one big problem.

The last reincarnated person is an extremely timid coward.