Ch.9Hero Agency (9)

After a little while, Leo came to the police station.

“Is Lite here?”

As soon as Leo arrived, a police officer desperately ran over and knelt down.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t know you were with the Hero…”

“It’s fine, you were just doing your job properly.”

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

Leo approached me, leaving behind the still-kneeling police officer.

“If we stay here any longer, we’ll just be causing trouble. Let’s go outside and continue our conversation.”

***

Only after we had moved some distance from the police station could I ask my question.

“Why was that police officer acting like that earlier?”

“You don’t know how terrifying Heroes are, do you?”

“Aren’t they just strong people?”

“That’s right. They can single-handedly defeat the Demon King who could destroy the world alone. Do you know what else that means?”

“Someone who saved the world?”

“Someone else who could single-handedly destroy the world.”

Now I understood why the police officer had made such a fuss. If they made even a small mistake and offended a Hero, in the worst case, the entire nation could face a crisis.

“But you don’t seem like a bad person, Leo. Why are they so afraid of you?”

“It’s the karma of the past.”

Despite his words, I don’t find Leo particularly scary. Is it because I can’t really grasp how strong he is?

“So what did you do today to get dragged to the police station?”

“I subdued a Villain by myself but used excessive force.”

“Weren’t Agath and Rebecca with you?”

“They told me to fight alone, saying they wanted to check my abilities.”

“…Sigh.”

Leo exhaled deeply before continuing.

“So who did you fight?”

“A B-rank Villain.”

“…They made someone with zero combat experience fight a B-rank Villain?”

“Yes, but I won.”

“…And you actually won?”

“Yes.”

Honestly, I didn’t expect to win either. I acted out of anger at the time, but I was unexpectedly strong.

“Tell me everything that happened.”

***

After I explained everything I’d done, Leo smiled kindly and said:

“Would you like to visit a mental hospital with me?”

“You could use your lie detection again if you want.”

“But how can I believe that you made a huge hole in a wall with just one bullet?”

“Well, should I fire another shot to prove it?”

Although it’s hard to believe, this is all true. I really did destroy a wall with a single bullet and put a hole in the Villain’s stomach.

“Then shoot at me like you did earlier.”

“…What if you get hurt?”

“I’m much stronger than you, so don’t worry.”

No matter how physically superior someone is, it should be impossible to take a bullet with your bare body. But if my superior wants it, I should comply.

So I summoned a pistol just like before and put 10% of my mana into it.

“…Are you sure it’s okay to shoot?”

“How strong could you possibly be?”

“I’m warning you for real.”

Though I was anxious, I decided to shoot. The Villain survived, so Leo probably wouldn’t get seriously injured either.

—BANG!

Once again, the gun barrel spat fire with a thunderous sound. But this time, nothing happened. Did it misfire?

“Looks like you weren’t lying about destroying the wall.”

Leo said, holding the bullet between two fingers.

“…You caught it?”

“Yes.”

“But… how can a human… that’s…”

“I told you. I’m much stronger than you.”

There are things in this world that defy common sense. For example, there’s the terrifying ability to destroy a wall with a single bullet, and then there are people who can casually catch such bullets.

And suddenly, a phrase flashed through my mind.

‘The Hero who defeated the Demon King single-handedly.’

I didn’t need to convince anyone else. From the beginning, I just needed to convince Leo alone.

“Would you be willing to help defeat the Demon King?”

“No.”

Let me try to stimulate his survival instinct again, like yesterday. If he can make rational judgments, I should be able to convince him.

“If the world ends, you’ll inevitably die too. Are you okay with that?”

“Yes. Actually, that might be fine.”

“…Why?”

“If I die and go to the afterlife, I can meet the people I want to see.”

Leo continued speaking without showing any emotion.

“I could meet historically renowned Archmages or the founders of magic. That actually sounds pretty good.”

…I’d be better off trying to convince Agath. At least she doesn’t view death positively.

Still, Leo seems reasonable enough, so I might be able to convince him with the right approach.

“Are you really okay with the world ending like this?”

“This world will never end anyway.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Just a feeling.”

Imagine staking the world’s fate on a mere feeling.

“Let’s say the world stays intact. What will you do about the Demon King?”

“Is there any guarantee the Demon King is evil? We live in an age where even Heroes can become Demon Kings.”

The Hero, who’s supposed to defeat the Demon King, is taking the Demon King’s side. This is driving me crazy.

“In this world, there’s no absolute good or absolute evil. It’s all just differences in ideology.”

“What if the Demon King is an evil being trying to destroy the world?”

“Then I’d have to fight somehow. But as long as the Demon King isn’t absolute evil, I’ll continue to stay out of it.”

People with strong beliefs are troublesome in many ways. They act according to their beliefs in everything they do.

In other words, convincing someone with strong beliefs means breaking those beliefs.

When the Demon King comes, Leo will fight according to his beliefs anyway. So there’s no need to convince him.

The Demon King must be absolute evil. It has to be. It must be.

“Wait a moment, I need to call Agath.”

Leo took out his phone and made a call.

“Where are you?”

The call ended just a few seconds later.

“They’re at the department store. Let’s go there.”

I could clearly see the veins bulging on Leo’s fist. Let’s pray for Agath’s well-being.

***

As soon as we returned to the department store lobby, Agath ran over to us.

“Lite! Where did you go?”

“To the police station.”

“Why did you go to the police station?”

“I was briefly misunderstood for using excessive force.”

“Isn’t it actually excessive force rather than a misunderstanding?”

While I was chatting with Agath, Leo suddenly walked up to her and said:

“Don’t you have something to say to me?”

“Oh right, Lite is super strong! See that destroyed wall over there? She did all that by herself!”

Agath proudly explained what I had done, like a parent bragging about their child.

“So why did you make someone with no fighting experience engage in combat?”

“Huh? It was just a B-rank Villain. Is there a problem?”

“She’s not like you, born as an A-rank who received consistent training. This is her first time using supernatural powers.”

“…”

“Any last words?”

“…But isn’t it fine since she won?”

Leo glared at Agath, then sighed deeply and said:

“I’ll let it slide this time because of what I did this morning.”

Then Leo delivered a fierce roundhouse kick aimed at Agath’s head.

THWACK!

Taking the kick squarely to the head, Agath grabbed her head, staggered, and collapsed to the floor.

From the floor, Agath looked up at us and said:

“…Why shorts?”

“What?”

“Why are you wearing shorts under your skirt instead of underwear?”

“…That’s pretty disgusting.”

“But this is a legal opportunity to see under a skirt. When else would I get to see?”

“I’m pretty sure that’s still illegal even in this situation.”

To think that in such a situation, all she cares about is peeking under my skirt. Is there really nothing in her head besides lust?

While I was looking at Agath with contempt, Leo spoke to me.

“Let’s find Rebecca and go get lunch.”

“You’re leaving me behind? What if someone kidnaps and trains me?”

“At least we’d have about a month of peace and quiet.”

“Don’t tell me you’re into NTR? That’s hard for me to respect.”

“…Let’s just go find Rebecca.”

Agath got up naturally as if she had never staggered and said:

“Rebecca went over there to buy sugar cubes.”

“…You’re surprisingly fine.”

“As a Holy Knight, I pride myself on my endurance.”

So we headed toward the shopping area.

***

Rebecca came over carrying three large boxes and said:

“I bought three boxes of sugar cubes.”

“…How many boxes of sugar cubes are in each of those boxes?”

“Fifty in each box.”

“And how many sugar cubes are in each sugar cube box?”

“About 150.”

“So how many sugar cubes did you buy in total?”

“22,500.”

As the conversation continued, Leo’s expression grew darker.

“Looks like we won’t need to buy sugar cubes for the next 20 years. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“…You did this on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Of course.”

Rebecca handed all the boxes to Leo with a sly smile.

“I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Do you remember spending hours explaining the principles of teleportation yesterday?”

“You started it first, saying magic is a discipline, not a miracle.”

Leo’s mood was becoming increasingly hostile. If left alone, I was certain a fight would break out soon.

“I’m sorry about yesterday. Please stop with the explanations.”

“Fine. Let’s go get lunch.”

Thankfully, Rebecca surrendered first, preventing the situation from escalating into a fight. But suddenly, I noticed a major contradiction in Rebecca’s appearance.

“Rebecca, may I ask you one question?”

“Sure. I don’t mind.”

“Why do you always wear a nun’s habit?”

It seems contradictory that an atheist who denies God’s existence would wear the clothes of a religious person who believes in God.

It’s like a Buddhist monk holding a cross and attending service in a church.

“My closet only has nun’s habits. And they’re surprisingly comfortable to wear.”

“That’s comfortable? It looks really cumbersome.”

“It’s designed not to hinder movement during combat, so it’s much more comfortable than you’d think. Would you like to try one on sometime?”

“I’ll pass.”

Even if it’s comfortable and provides good coverage, I’d prefer to avoid wearing it. That’s because I have a negative view of the Goddess.

How can I think positively about someone who takes everything and gives nothing in return?

She might have given me decent abilities, but she made my body too weak, so that doesn’t count.

“I’m going to drop these off at the office. You guys go ahead and have lunch. And please, don’t do anything weird again.”

As soon as Leo disappeared carrying boxes that towered over his upper body, Agath spoke up:

“Lite? Do you know how much the wall repair cost?”

“How much was it?”

“A whopping 70 million won! The reward for subduing the Villain is nowhere near enough to cover it.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. If you do me one favor, I’ll pretend it never happened.”

Suddenly, I remembered what Agath had said right after I defeated the Villain.

‘I’ll cover the wall repair costs for now. Just be ready to pay me back with your body later.’

Hoping the worst answer wouldn’t come, I reluctantly opened my mouth.

“What kind of favor?”

“I’ll choose all the clothes you buy today.”

“…Is that enough?”

She’s willing to cover 70 million won just to choose what clothes I wear? Isn’t that too generous?

“I share some blame for what happened. Plus, I have lots of outfits I want to see you in. None of them will be masculine, by the way.”

She’s using 70 million won to dress me in women’s clothes? Does she think I’m the kind of person who would give in to money?

“Okay…”

But it was too large an amount to refuse.

Unless I sell my organs, there’s no way I can come up with 70 million won, so I have no choice but to reluctantly accept.

“Great, let’s eat quickly and go shopping.”

Agath hummed happily as she led the way.

…I want to die.