Ch.9696. The Mysterious Pure White Hero Emerging from the Darkness

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of scratching at my door.

It seemed to be Boksil. Bright sunlight was already streaming through the curtains.

I felt a light weight on my body. The unfamiliar sensation startled me a bit, but I quickly realized it was Lu-a.

“Ah, good morning.”

Lu-a blushed and squirmed against me as she greeted me.

She looked so cute that I patted her head.

“Did you sleep well, Lu-a?”

“Mmhmm. I slept deeply… for about thirty minutes.”

The last part was mumbled so quietly I could barely hear it. I’m glad she slept well. Everyone deserves a good rest during this vacation after all their hard work.

But Lu-a’s behavior wasn’t normal. She was clinging to me tightly, constantly fidgeting and squirming.

“What’s wrong?”

“A-are you getting up?”

“We can start the day leisurely since it’s a special occasion. Is there something urgent?”

Lu-a gripped my collar with both hands and trembled.

“…Bathroom.”

“What? You can just go.”

“…Don’t want to be apart from you.”

What an amusing girl.

I picked Lu-a up and carried her to the bathroom. Then she chased me out of the room, telling me not to listen.

That was a quick change of attitude.

When I went outside, Boksil, who had been scratching at the door, rushed over and started licking my cheeks, being a nuisance.

They say dogs lick their owners when they look sick.

But that’s just how my face normally looks.

***

Breakfast at the table was quiet. Of course, Boksil was noisy, but since she preferred the floor, the “table” itself was quiet.

Lu-a and I kept glancing at Lena and Somi sitting across from us. I couldn’t tell where the food was going down.

Lena was having her usual menu. I’ve never seen her eat anything different for breakfast. Some kind of compulsion, perhaps?

Seeing Lu-a rapidly darting her eyes around, I wasn’t mistaken about the subtle tension flowing between Lena and Somi.

There was definitely something between those two.

Lena was the one who broke the silence.

“Hey Lu-a, I’d like to hear how it feels to graduate from being a virgin.”

Lu-a immediately spat out her water and started convulsing. Lena deliberately spoke just as Lu-a was drinking—she really does have a nasty personality.

“Cough, cough! We didn’t do anything! And don’t talk about that stuff in front of Somi!”

“What does it matter? It’s not like she’s in a position to care about such things anymore, right, Somi?”

What does that mean?

Somi stopped using her chopsticks at Lena’s words.

I explained to them what had happened with Lu-a to clarify the situation.

“That’s good. You’ve cleared greed, and you can keep filling lust at your own pace.”

“Y-you don’t need to tell me that. I’ll handle it myself.”

Lena chuckled gleefully and passed a strip of bacon from her plate to Somi’s rice bowl.

Somi looked at Lena quizzically, not understanding her intention.

“Hey, they say bacon tastes better in spring.”

Lena made this incomprehensible remark and then focused back on her meal. Silence resumed until Boksil finished her bowl and started making a fuss.

***

Around lunchtime, we went snorkeling as Lu-a suggested. Though I often fly through the sky and occasionally travel to space, I rarely go underwater.

Lu-a and Lena were underwater, tempting colorful tropical fish with sausages in the crystal-clear sea. Predictably, Boksil was eating the sausages, causing the tropical fish to scatter.

Standing on the beach, I spoke to Somi.

“Are you really okay?”

“Yes.”

Somi nodded as usual.

“Did something happen with Lena?”

“We had a difference of opinion. After all, we’re a hero and a villain.”

“I expected that much.”

Does this mean Somi still identifies herself as a hero?

That’s not particularly good news for me.

After all, she now has to work with me, a villain.

“I lost.”

“I see… Wait, what?”

Currently, they’re both at T6 rank, so they’re equal in that sense.

But Somi’s meaning seemed to go beyond simply losing in terms of power.

“So, I need to apologize to you, Ui-seok.”

“For what?”

“I haven’t been seeing you properly until now. Or perhaps I wasn’t ready to truly face anyone.”

Somi brushed aside her hair fluttering in the wind and looked into my eyes.

“It’s a shameless request, but I want to start over with you. I need to redefine myself. So please, I’m asking for your help.”

Somi bowed her head respectfully to me.

I could understand what she meant to some extent.

Somi said she “lost” to none other than Lena, a villain. That’s something that would never normally come from her mouth. Given her personality, she wouldn’t have given up until she won.

She must have realized something during her conversation with Lena.

Something major had occurred in her inner self that required her to redefine her identity.

Her transformation into a monster likely had the biggest impact at the core.

Or perhaps she only now realized the need for redefinition.

Somi probably hadn’t planned to return like this after bringing down the Galaxy Empire.

She likely hadn’t intended to reveal her identity to me either.

When one’s self changes, relationships must change too.

Just as Red Dragon chose Vengeance instead of Dragon King Sentai after becoming Gerogius.

I can’t intervene in her process of redefinition.

That wouldn’t be helping her as a lover, but arrogantly trying to mold her personality like a creator.

We won’t be the same as before afterward.

But she asked me.

To let her start over.

I think that’s enough for me.

Even if it might be a little sad if she can no longer love me.

“I’ll wait.”

“…Thank you.”

At my calm response, Somi smiled gracefully, as if she’d received salvation.

***

Though it was late at night when everyone was asleep, the city had always been full of sin, with plenty of people roaming the streets.

But the boy was hiding in the shadows, in places untouched by light despite the city’s brightness at night.

Under a railway underpass, he clutched a brown paper bag to his chest. A toy gun was tucked in his back pocket.

At eighteen, his large build had made him stand out since childhood.

He had never used violence, whether at school or on the streets, but living in the slums meant the mafia quickly recruited him.

Of course, recruitment just meant being an errand boy for a small-time organization.

Even small-scale mafias naturally deal in threats and violence.

Vengeance only protects tax-paying citizens; these back alleys are left to local police.

Naturally, the police maintain cordial relationships with the mafia and don’t go looking for trouble.

Even small organizations ultimately fall under Vengeance’s umbrella when you go up the chain. Every organization in the world eventually leads to Vengeance.

So to survive in the slums, following mafia orders was the right answer.

“Hey, are you the courier?”

The boy turned at the voice. Shadows emerged from the darkness.

“P-password.”

When the boy spoke with a nervous, cracking voice, the hooded men displayed a hologram on their tablet. When combined with the boy’s hologram, a coded message appeared.

After confirming each other’s identities, the boy handed over the envelope. The men gave him a chip in return.

The boy checked the amount.

“T-this isn’t enough…”

“Tell your boss. The last batch of drugs was garbage, so we’re deducting that much.”

“No! If I go back with this, I’m dead!”

Bang!

The hooded men pulled out guns, rushed at the boy, and pressed one against his forehead.

In the light, their faces became visible. Their pupils were unfocused, and dirty saliva dripped between their teeth.

The typical appearance of drug addicts.

“Want a hole in your head here, or will you shut up and leave?”

The boy’s teeth chattered. These guys were serious. The toy gun in his back pocket—given by his brother for emergencies—would be useless unless he was attempting suicide.

Just then.

“Finally found you bastards!”

“Give us the drugs, you sons of bitches!”

Bang, bang!!

The underpass lit up with gunfire. In an instant, the area turned into a battlefield.

Another gang of addicts had arrived and started shooting at the men the boy was dealing with.

Caught in the middle, the boy immediately covered his head and lay flat on the ground.

Thud!

Right in front of him, one of the men he’d been dealing with fell dead, shot through the eye. His blood splattered onto the boy’s face.

Fear consumed the boy’s body. The needle of death pricked his skin from all directions.

He thought he was prepared, but it was more terrifying than expected. He should have just studied hard quietly.

The boy tightly shut his eyes, thinking of his brother’s face one last time.

And then.

Swoosh, splat, crash!

After hearing the sounds of impacts and crashes, the boy realized he was unharmed and slowly opened his eyes, raising his head.

There stood a pure white figure.

The boy sighed with relief.

“I-I’m alive. A v-villain…”

Perhaps it was a villain on patrol. He had just saved the boy’s life.

The villain walked steadily toward him and spoke.

“How… how old are you? I almost forgot my voice modulator. I’m still not used to this.”

For a moment, the boy thought the voice sounded feminine, but dismissed it as his imagination and answered.

“E-eighteen, sir.”

“That’s still too young for drug deals.”

“I didn’t want to do it. The organization forced me…”

“The mafia in this area should be under Vengeance, right?”

The villain seemed lost in thought for a moment, then took the boy’s hand and helped him up.

Only then did the boy realize the villain was shorter than him.

“From now on, take this data and testify to Gerogius about the drug situation in this area.”

“Geo-who? Gerogius, the leader of Vengeance? What are you suddenly—”

“He’ll definitely listen.”

“But how—”

The boy was shocked by the sudden mention of such a high-profile name.

If this villain could refer to him by name, did that mean they were someone important in Vengeance?

The boy asked him:

“Excuse me, what’s your villain name?”

The figure smirked at the question.

“I’m not a villain.”

“What? Then…”

“I’m a hero.”

The boy was alarmed at the word “hero,” but the figure in pure white continued without consideration:

“If Gerogius asks, tell him. My name is…”