Ch.66. Making an SSS-Rank Villain Girl My Second-in-Command

“Hey, hey! What’s with that guy!”

“It’s that bastard from before! Why is he barging in again!”

“Give me my money back! The match is ruined!”

Shouts erupted from the audience.

Annoying pests, not even worth a mosquito.

I picked up the microphone.

“GET OUT, ALL YOU TRASH!!”

The venue fell silent.

“Are you deaf? Should I come up there and do this to all of you? Crawl out on all fours, you worthless scum.”

I lifted the villain’s head from the floor. Only then did the audience seem to grasp the situation, as they began fleeing the arena one by one.

“Haa… Haa…”

I looked down at Lee Lu-a.

A small body, undernourished for her age. Long, jet-black, unkempt hair that fell past her waist. Her pretty, somewhat youthful face was covered in grime.

Her breathing was labored. Her expression confused.

“…Are you going to kill me too?”

That’s what Lu-a asked.

“Do you want to die?”

“No. I can’t die yet.”

“Then why did you stand in their way? It was like throwing your life away.”

I pointed to the children crying in the corner.

“…I don’t know.”

“I just extended your life. Do you understand?”

Lu-a nodded.

“Then work for me from now on.”

“Work…?”

“I’ve just taken over this villain organization. You’ll need to handle some responsibilities here.”

“Taken over… I don’t want to do that.”

“Why not?”

“You’ll just make me do menial tasks, right? At best, I’ll be used for the villains’ sexual gratification. I don’t have time to waste on that.”

She was a smart woman with quick situational awareness.

“Do you have a goal to accomplish?”

“Revenge.”

“Hooh.”

A word with a resonance I liked.

I used “Dragon’s Eye” on her.

Simply put, it’s an appraisal ability.

[‘Unset’ / Lee Lu-a]

[Occupation: Unaffiliated]

[Rank: None]

[Ability: [Awakening] Lv.0]

[ [Unawakened] ]

[Affiliation: None]

[Alignment: Chaotic-Good]

[Talent: Light Villain (SSS)]

[ ??? (??) ]

[ ??? (??) ]

[Revenge is her powerful driving force]

[She harbors a dangerous secret in her heart while being filled with thoughts of death]

This one is exactly the talent I’ve been looking for.

“Good. You’ll be the leader of all the villains. My direct subordinate, the so-called second-in-command position.”

“What? Do you take me for a fool? You’re mistaken if you think I’ll fall for such sweet talk.”

“Why do you think it’s sweet talk?”

“I’m a person with no power or abilities. You’re incredibly strong, right? You killed Big Jaws with one blow, and I’m guessing you weren’t joking about taking over this place. Why would someone like you need someone like me, who’s just an ordinary woman?”

She doesn’t know about her own talent.

This kind of genius is all the more frightening.

“My ability to see people’s character is garbage.”

“…What?”

“But no one can match my ability to see talent. Believe in yourself. If you can’t, abandon your intellect and believe in me.”

I whispered words too sweet for her to refuse.

“Then your revenge will be fulfilled.”

The choice is Lu-a’s now.

Will she take my hand or not?

After staring at my Dragon’s Eye for a long time, whatever she found in those pupils…

In the end, Lu-a nodded.

“…Alright.”

“Good. Come up to the office.”

◈ ◈ ◈

First, getting things in order.

I made sure the villains clearly understood that I was now the leader of this organization.

There were some who resisted, but they quieted down after I turned them into hamburger steak ingredients.

Control through force alone is impossible.

I distributed quite a bit of money to them as bonuses from what the previous boss had stashed away. A little extra for the one who had been quick on his feet earlier.

The underground arena seemed to be an important source of income for the organization, so I decided to keep it running. However, since fewer villains would mean less profit, I adjusted things so they wouldn’t die.

I eliminated the pointless executions of ordinary people. All those kidnapped because of debt were released.

After everything was done, only Lu-a and I remained in the office.

“What will I do?”

“From tomorrow, you’ll train with me.”

“Training?”

“As you think, you’re currently useless. We’ll start with awakening your ability, then basic usage methods, and combat training too.”

“Do I really have such talent? More than the other villains in this arena?”

Lu-a seemed uncertain. That’s understandable. Until now, she had lived life as a victim.

“If you can’t believe it, you can quit and leave right now.”

“…I don’t want to do that. I have nowhere to go.”

Lu-a clenched her fist.

“What happened to the children?”

“I sent them to an orphanage. A trustworthy place. I also delivered ample donations, so there won’t be any problems.”

“Why did you do that? While killing people so easily…”

I couldn’t help but laugh at such a ridiculous question.

“Do you use a rag that’s worn out from cleaning the toilet a thousand times to wipe your dishes?”

“No… I wouldn’t.”

“Then what about a newly bought cloth that just has some dust on it?”

“I’d wash it and use it.”

“Right. It’s like that.”

Lu-a still seemed not to understand.

I deactivated my transformation. Feeling tired, I lay down on the sofa to rest.

“Go in and sleep. There seem to be personal rooms for the villains. Find one for yourself.”

“Are you going to sleep here?”

“Mind your own business.”

Ignoring my words, Lu-a approached me as I lay there.

“…Those are tremendous scars. What kind of life have you lived?”

“None of your business.”

“What’s your purpose?”

“Same as yours.”

“Revenge? Did someone as strong as you get betrayed?”

“Yes.”

With my eyes closed, I couldn’t see Lu-a’s expression. I could only hear her small, sniffling breaths.

“Can I see your face?”

“No.”

When I answered firmly, Lu-a didn’t bother me further.

Ji Se-hwa, Shin Yukyong, Kang Yerin, Choi Minseo, the Association Chairman.

…Morgan.

I drifted off to sleep while recalling various faces.

◈ ◈ ◈

Lu-a was confused in the silence.

Too much information had come at her in a short time. She thought death was right in front of her, but then a dragon-like monster saved her life.

Even so, she couldn’t feel safe in this city. A week, a day, perhaps just 5 minutes—that might be all the extra life she had gained.

Since birth, she had never felt anything even remotely resembling happiness. Kindness always came with thorns. Favors always had to be repaid tenfold or a hundredfold.

But this man’s actions somehow felt a little different. It was just a baseless intuition, but still.

Lu-a was confident in her ability to judge people who approached her—whether they intended to use her, harm her, or were simply indifferent.

That’s why she wanted to see his face. She couldn’t read his true intentions because his expression was hidden behind a mask, even after he returned to human form.

She reached for the mask but stopped. Someone like him would notice immediately.

She recalled his words.

He said she had talent. She remembered the sensation she felt in the arena. She focused and concentrated.

“…Ah.”

Before long, she was able to create something black in her palm. Looking like frozen electricity or materialized gravity, it moved according to her will.

With this, she felt she could remove the man’s mask without being detected.

Carefully, so as not to wake him. Stealthily.

Finally, Lu-a lifted the blood-red mask.

“…Gasp!”

When she saw that face, she involuntarily drew in her breath.

Because there was the face of a dead man.

Startled, Lu-a lost control of the black substance, which touched the man’s forehead. Through it, some of the man’s memories and emotions flowed into Lu-a.

“Aah, aaaaaaah. Nooooooo!!”

As soon as they invaded her brain, Lu-a screamed.

The pain from that choice.

The secret he had silently kept alone for the sake of the world, not telling even his comrades.

The despair and anger that came at the end.

It was far beyond the level of emotion a human could endure.

BOOM!

The man woke up and pinned Lu-a against the wall in an instant.

“Aaaah, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

The man was now choking Lu-a.

“Unnecessary action.”

Lu-a realized she had done something she shouldn’t have, but it was already too late.

But that wasn’t what concerned her now. Even though Lu-a had received only a small portion of the man’s emotions, she felt enough despair to want to end her life.

“I’m sorry. We, humans, the world, to you. Aaaah. We shouldn’t have done that!”

Lu-a was sobbing uncontrollably, overcome with sadness and pain. Her tears flowed down the man’s hand that was choking her.

“Why did you fight alone to this extent? Why didn’t anyone help you? How can you still hold back your tears and endure…?”

The man slowly released his grip on her neck.

“Dragons don’t shed tears.”

The man answered expressionlessly.

“They only take revenge.”

Lu-a realized.

Compared to this man, her revenge was nothing.

She had no right to use the same word in front of him.

Gradually regaining her composure, Lu-a put strength in her calves. She looked straight at the face of the man before her, who was once Red Dragon.

“…Tell me.”

In his eyes dwelled an unfathomable black spiral.

“What should I do?”

◈ ◈ ◈

“For your pure self and your tomorrow. New Essence Snow Mountain Flower.”

“Wow~ Choi Minseo kills it on camera? Where have you been hiding that innocent expression? You sly fox!”

In the Association VIP lounge, Ji Se-hwa slapped Choi Minseo’s back after watching a cosmetics commercial on TV.

“Oh, stop it. You’re embarrassing me, Senior Se-hwa.”

“You were always singing about wanting to film commercials, and now your wish came true? The response must be good, right? How many offers did you get?”

Choi Minseo shyly held up her palm.

“Five? You’re practically a celebrity now.”

“Green Nature specializes in healing abilities, so she’s always been positioned in the rear during Sentai activities. She just hasn’t had the spotlight until now. Congratulations, Minseo.”

Shin Yukyong sipped her coffee as she congratulated her.

“Hehe. Thank you. I’m going to a celebrity party this weekend! They say many entertainers will be there too!”

“See? Without Jung Ui-seok, Minseo is rising. That guy was the problem all along. He was hogging all the public attention and money up front.”

“Se-hwa, has your financial management improved?”

“It’s amazing, amazing. Since Kang Yerin didn’t take her share, we split the 500 billion from the Dark Arthur and Dark Kingdom subjugation three ways, right? I immediately set up a fund with that money, and the company value has already inflated tenfold!”

“Hmm. Everyone seems to be excellently achieving self-realization. I invested that money in Switch development research. While my Five Lights and Excalibur are powerful, theoretically I could develop Switches with even greater power. I just needed the funding.”

“Still a Switch enthusiast, I see. Have you used Excalibur yet?”

“I’d need a reason to use it. There are no villains of the appropriate level.”

“Hahaha! That’s true.”

Shin Yukyong took out the Excalibur Switch from her bosom. It was an ominous switch with elaborate medieval decorations.

“By the way, what’s Kang Yerin doing? According to the rules, she should be at the Association, but I haven’t seen her at all.”

“She seems to be holed up in her room or the training hall.”

“Hmm. I wonder what she’s thinking.”

“Hmph. Is she reminiscing about the good times with Jung Ui-seok? Getting all sentimental. That’s all in the past anyway. Who doesn’t have good memories with that guy? The problem is that he turned into trash.”

“I agree. What’s past is past. …Hmm? It’s the emergency line. What’s going on? …What did you say?”

Shin Yukyong’s expression turned serious as she received a call on her terminal. At the same time, breaking news began to air on TV.

“An unidentified villain organization is believed to have hijacked a cruise ship 30 minutes ago! The cruise ship was hosting a vacation party for 20 hero crew members of the Dragon King Sentai ‘Silver Mirrored’…”

“Hey, Shin Yukyong. Look at that.”

“Yu-Yukyong, senior.”

Shin Yukyong stood up from her seat.

“The villain organization has taken 20 heroes hostage and is demanding that Silver Mirrored appear at the scene alone! They have declared that if this demand is not met, all 20 will be executed immediately…”