Ch.68S-Rank Candidates (3)

Carmilla, who became the representative hero of City D following Ms. Lajerita.

I knew she was popular, but I never dreamed it would be to this extent.

“Everyone~! I’m going to become an S-rank hero starting next week~! So please don’t be too surprised and keep supporting me~!”

“Ohhh! Congratulations, Ms. Carmilla!”

“We’re always cheering for you!”

“Thank you for protecting City D!”

This was when I followed Carmilla with a sign for promotional activities.

The citizens must have been quite surprised by the sudden addition of 10 more S-rank heroes.

But when they heard Carmilla was one of them, everyone seemed to accept it naturally and even showed their support.

Perhaps because of that.

Since I was out doing promotional activities with her, people seemed to think I was part of her inner circle.

I can’t tell you how much I sweated when people kept telling me to take good care of her or encouraging me to work hard.

Well, it turned out to be a good thing in the end.

Besides, I had my own reward waiting, so I decided to help showcase Carmilla as an excellent S-rank hero to the public.

About three days had passed when…

“…Are you going out again today?”

“Ah, Miss…”

“Hmph!”

While Carmilla and the other soon-to-be S-rank heroes were filling up TV screens everywhere.

Of course, Miss Hoshino, who had already noticed me occasionally appearing beside Carmilla in the broadcasts.

Every time I left the Okami household, I couldn’t deny feeling her piercing gaze.

“Haha. Yes… Carmilla said she had no one else to ask for this kind of help…”

“Lies! All lies! As if she doesn’t have anyone else to help with promotions! I bet she’s plotting something indecent behind the scenes!”

Indecent plans…

Is that really something that should be said by someone who steals my belongings whenever she’s in heat and returns them later all wet?

Anyway, as I turned my back to leave, Miss Hoshino suddenly hugged me from behind.

“D-don’t go. Help me with my promotional activities instead, okay?”

“Your promotional activities, Miss…?”

“Yes! After all… I-I’m going to be an S-rank soon too, but I haven’t done any promotion or anything like that yet! So Janghoon should help me. Okay?”

Even if she asks for help…

To be frank, Miss Hoshino wasn’t in a position where she needed promotional activities.

Because she was the next head of the Okami family.

As the princess of a renowned swordsmanship family that had produced S-rank heroes for generations, unlike other A-rank heroes,

Miss Hoshino’s position as an S-rank hero was already half-confirmed, so no citizen would question her becoming an S-rank hero a bit earlier.

It simply means she was born different.

“Miss… Even if you say that, you don’t actually need such promotional activities.”

“…! N-no! I might need them!”

“No, you don’t… You’re even more popular with the public than Carmilla, so everyone would just accept it naturally if you became an S-rank hero.”

After all, she’s none other than Miss Hoshino.

Moreover, she was one of the A-rank heroes openly supported by Congressman Avanka, who had passed the bill to increase the number of S-rank heroes.

So continuing this conversation would just lead to more whining.

“I’ll be going now, Miss.”

“No, don’t go…!”

I tried to detach myself from Miss Hoshino and hurry to Carmilla.

Somehow it felt like I was one-sidedly brushing off Miss Hoshino like some heartless guy.

But this is all for the sake of the world.

As I firmly refused this time, they say after anger in the five stages of grief comes depression.

“Sniff… sob…”

Like a protagonist who’d just been rejected, she knelt on the floor, her eyes glistening with tears like a female fox who had failed her hunt.

I couldn’t just leave her like that.

“Sigh.”

So although I had originally planned to give her this gift during her upcoming heat cycle.

“Miss. How could I possibly walk away when you’re so sad?”

“Sniff… that’s true, but…”

“And no matter what anyone says, I am your loyal servant. As proof, I’ve prepared a ‘gift’ for you.”

“…A gift?”

I whispered softly.

“In the second drawer of my dresser, there’s a pair of underwear I wore for three days while working out without washing. Use that during your heat cycle.”

“…!!”

After receiving my surprise gift, Miss Hoshino.

“Don’t come home too late~ Understand~!”

“Yes, I understand.”

With her mood considerably lightened, Miss Hoshino finally let me go outside.

***

Carmilla, who had been City D’s representative hero even before becoming S-rank.

The news that she, who was originally ranked 9th among A-rank heroes, would now become S-rank created a festival-like atmosphere throughout City D.

Since Carmilla had been an exemplar of good deeds and justice in City D, most citizens congratulated her.

Yes, most citizens…

“This is so annoying.”

Among those citizens was one who belonged to the minority.

Always pushed to the sidelines because of Carmilla, she was the second most outstanding hero in City D but simultaneously lacked public popularity.

A-rank 38th.

With wild black hair befitting her alias “Mad Dog.”

A well-toned body like a carnivore and fierce eyes.

Dressed in training clothes and similar in age to Carmilla, the hero Blanche was furious about the news that Carmilla would become an S-rank hero.

“Damn it…! If they’re adding 10 more S-rank heroes, I should qualify too! Why am I being ignored!”

We’re both A-rank heroes!

What hurt most was that she lost the position to none other than her (self-proclaimed) rival Carmilla.

Of course, regardless of how Blanche felt, Carmilla still considered her merely as “a somewhat noisy colleague.”

“Kyaaah!”

“M-monster!”

That’s when it happened.

As always, a monster had appeared in her city today.

Responding to such threats was a hero’s duty.

And who knows?

If she showed that she was more active as an A-rank hero than S-rank Carmilla, the Association might recognize her merit and promote her to S-rank instead of Carmilla.

“A-rank hero 38th! The Mad Dog Blanche has arrived!”

“Ohhh…! It’s Blanche.”

“Blanche… Ah, isn’t she the one who often supports Carmilla from behind?”

“She came alone today without Carmilla?”

“I bet she’s responding because her colleague is busy with S-rank promotions.”

“Despite her fierce appearance, she really has a warm heart.”

That wasn’t the case at all.

In fact, she had responded hoping to outshine Carmilla and disrupt her S-rank promotion.

But in the citizens’ eyes, she appeared to be a true hero who came to defeat the monster in place of her busy friend.

Only Blanche herself was unaware of this fact.

“Everyone, step back! You could get seriously hurt!”

“Hu… man?”

“That one looks strong.”

“Yes, yes. Seems worth eating.”

“Then I’ll tear off the head first.”

Meanwhile, in the city intersection, strange life forms had emerged by breaking through the concrete ground.

Blanche instinctively frowned at the sight of these monster-like mutant cockroaches, which appeared to be separated into about five individual entities.

“What is this? They look human… but that appearance is clearly cockroach-like?”

“That’s correct, human.”

“Don’t lump us together with mere monsters.”

“Mere monsters? Are you saying you’re not monsters?”

“That’s right. We are the new humanity.”

“We are beings who will surpass you humans and those so-called monsters to rule this Earth as its new masters.”

“Ha! What ambitious dreams you have.”

So they were monster-like beings that claimed not to be monsters.

Heroes typically targeted monsters or criminals who disregarded public safety.

How should she deal with these mutants?

Self-proclaimed new humans who looked like monsters.

Looking at these muscular cockroach-humans, each standing about 3 meters tall, Blanche found herself in a predicament.

But well.

At least they weren’t the “Cockroach Monster” that was defeated by Yoon Ha-eun, who was one of the original S-rank heroes 12 years ago.

“This should be manageable enough.”

Above all, she was a woman destined to surpass Carmilla and become an S-rank hero someday.

She wasn’t about to fall to mere humanoid cockroaches.

Gradually, fangs began to grow between her teeth, and her entire body started to transform as fur spread across her skin, initiating her “therianthropic” transformation.

“Grrrr… GRAAAAH!”

“Her form… is changing?”

“Are you not human?”

“I am human. And at the same time, a ‘hero.'”

“You’re still just a human!”

“Right, we’ll just kill you and eat you anyway!”

As Blanche began her beast transformation, one of the new humans—

A cockroach suddenly leaped forward and slammed a fist powerful enough to shatter a skyscraper into her head.

KWANG!

The impact shook the entire intersection.

It was powerful enough to knock loose one of the fangs that had just emerged in the mouth of the A-rank hero who had become a lone wolf.

“Kyaaaah!”

“Ms. Blanche.”

Screams erupted from all directions.

Dark shadows began to fall across the citizens’ faces.

But then.

“Fuck off.”

“?!”

KWANG!

In a give-and-take exchange, Blanche’s fist now connected with the cockroach new human’s face.

And simultaneously.

BOOM!

“Huh?”

“…What?”

Despite supposedly having a body that transcended humanity due to radioactive mutation,

The cockroach’s head exploded instantly, killing it on the spot.

The other cockroaches all stared in bewilderment at their fallen comrade.

“Hey.”

“?!”

“Whatever. Next one, step up.”