Chapter 24 – There’s Nothing Bad In The World

The next day.

Like any other day, I was giving blood to Han Yoowol.

“Isn’t that enough?”

“Ahh… Just a little more…”

Since we didn’t want to show this sight to the other villains, this act of bloodsucking was taking place every day in a corner where no one came.

How did I end up as Yoowol’s blood bag?

It’s obviously because of the person who commissioned my death.

I did have a small inkling on who they were.

The place who sees Yoo Hayeon’s childhood friend as a thorn by her side. The Hero Association.

There was no one else that was out to kill me except for them.

Hypocrites.

Claiming they act for the good of the world, every single one of them didn’t operate under normal logic.

There were only a few episodes with them, but in order to get the ideal ending in V. AGE, the Hero Association had to be fixed.

Not everyone in the Hero Association were hypocrites. There were people who were genuinely trying their best to bring peace to the world, by arresting villains and helping the lower-class.

As with all things, the two sides to everything naturally applied to the Hero Association as well.

When I get out of here, I’ll have to be the most on guard against the Hero Association.

Since they failed once, they will go after my life again.

As I thought about that, I pulled Yoowol off me who had her fangs sunk into my neck.

“Haah… That’s too bad…”

“Don’t go too far. You never know I could kick the bucket.

Even though the bed and basic facilities were good, I had a fairly poor sleep last night.

Being in an unfamiliar place did play a part in it, but the main reason was my stamina.

With my stat stuck at 2, my recovery rate was slower than others, and I had a weak immune system as well.

In that condition, the cells in my system also had to move to recover my missing blood cells as well.

My body couldn’t hold up in such a situation.

I have to take the supplements too…

The nutritional supplements that would be rendered ineffective if I skipped out on taking them for even a day.

Holding small expectations, I asked her, “By any chance, could you do me one favor?”

A smile spread across Yoowol’s face when she heard me ask for a favor.

It was like she had been waiting for this moment.

“A favor, you say… What kind of favor?”

“I need some medicine. The medicine that Jenny made for me and stamina recovery medication.”

“Ahh… That…”

The day I first met Han Yoowol.

The nutritional supplements I obtained from Jenny’s pharmacy at the back alley.

Yoowol seemed to remember that day.

“It’s like you said, mixing the ingredients made my brother recover his strength. Thanks.”

Jenny had treated her younger brother with the ingredients that I told her. She told me that she had left her life in the back alley and settled down somewhere in Seoul.

Yoowol had been acquainted with Jenny. She also was the most favorable to me, so I posed the request to her with some hope.

She looked like she followed my train of thought and opened her mouth.

“Hmm… Isn’t that too big of a favor? To ask such a request when you’re kidnapped. On top of that, nutritional supplements are extremely personal to you. As for recovering your stamina, I can hear you out there…”

In Yoowol’s shoes, nutritional supplements were my personal problem. Since drinking my fresh blood was enough for her, she was saying that she wouldn’t listen to my request for the supplements.

I’m an idiot for believing in you.

Do I have no choice but to let the supplements go?

What I’ve accumulated up until now…

Such a waste.

Feeling disappointed, the moment when I was about to give up on the supplements, Yoowol gave me good news.

“There’s nothing that’s not possible, you know? If I give you something, I should get something in return as well.”

“I already gave you blood…”

“That’s a different matter. There’s nothing I can’t give you if you grant me a reward that satisfies me.”

“……”

A reward.

She was asking for a reasonable reward in return for bringing me my nutritional supplements.

What could I possibly give to Yoowol, and what reward would she be satisfied with?

“What do you want?”

No matter how much I thought about it, blood was the only thing that I could give her.

Yoowol knew that fact so that wasn’t the reward she was looking for. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be smiling at me like that.

Her expression showed that she got what she wanted.

“If you insist… I don’t really have anything I want. Come to my room before you go to sleep tonight. I’ll settle for just that.”

“…Are you being serious?”

“I don’t lie to someone I like.”

Before bedtime, stop by her room.

It seemed like she was up to something with that reward.

Not having a choice, I bobbed my head.

Then Yoowol clapped her hands together, stood up, and headed toward her room.

She was getting ready to leave.

She turned back as she said to me, “Make sure to keep your promise.”

After saying that, she walked along the long corridor toward her room.

As she vanished from my view, I felt a sense of relief and fear at the same time.

“It went as she wanted, but…”

Why does the time ticking by feel terrifying?

I had said I would never enter her room.

Forced to accept her invite, I was afraid of what was to come.

 ***

In the student meeting room at the Hero Academy, there was a red-haired woman sitting on a chair waiting for a student.

Shin Sihwa.

Because the incident arose at the Hero Academy, she, being a former hero, was helping out in the investigation.

How could something like this happen at the Hero Academy…

Although there were no casualties, one student was missing.

Sihwa had found out about the raid late. When she saw the collapsed students, it felt like her heart stopped beating.

 A-Are the kids…okay?

All the fallen students were breathing, they had only lost consciousness.

This was a place where they nurtured students to become heroes. For it to come under an attack by the villains, this was a matter which tarnished the institution’s reputation.

However, there was a student who had unusually not lost consciousness.

Her name was Yoo Hayeon. She was the childhood friend of the abducted student, Han Sijoon.bShe was also like family to the boy who did not have much time left.

Poor thing…  He doesn’t have much time left as it is. How did this happen…

Sijoon had to spend his time happily with his childhood friend so that their remaining time together would not be wasted.

But what did this abduction mean? How is it that he was abducted?

No one knew the reason for his kidnapping, so Shin Sihwa set aside this time to ask Yoo Hayeon questions, the one who was closest to him.

Although it was cruel interrogating someone who was still traumatized under the guise of “questioning,” it was the best course of action she could take for the sake of Sijoon’s future.

Knock. Knock.

“Come on in.”

“Please excuse me…”

The door to the meeting room opened.

It was Yoo Hayeon, the student Sihwa had been waiting on.

She was an outgoing girl who was rumored to be the most talented student in the Hero Academy. 

She was the childhood friend of the abducted Han Sijoon.

Her gaze has changed.

Unlike prior to the incident, Hayeon’s gaze was calmly looking down while her cat-like eyes gave off a haughty impression.

“You said you had something you wanted to ask me…”

She had never trained before, but it appeared that the rumors about her training like crazy were true.

Hearing the exhaustion in Hayeon’s voice, Sihwa began to ask the questions.

“I know you’re not feeling well yet and this may put you in an uncomfortable spot, but I ask for your cooperation. Is there perhaps anyone who held a grudge against Han Sijoon?”

“No. Sijoon doesn’t have great rumors about him, but he’s not someone who would do something to bring resentment upon himself.”

Hayeon answered the question right away.

She had spent more time with Sijoon than anyone else, so her words were practically true. 

Shin Sihwa erased the hypothesis about a grudge being the reason for the crime from her mind.

“It’s not a grudge… I understand. On the day of the incident, the other students had passed out, but how were you able to retain your consciousness, Hayeon?”

“That’s…”

She was slurring her words.

There was hesitation evident in her response.

Shin Sihwa was a former A-Rank hero. Her investigation method was catching minor changes about the subject and asking questions about it.

That caused Hayeon to stall a bit before continuing speaking again.

“Unlike the other students, I think I managed to keep my consciousness because I was in close range to Sijoon… I’m not sure about that part either.”

“I see you’re uncertain. I understand. By any chance, have you spoken with the villains?”

“…No. We did not exchange any words.”

Hayeon’s eyebrows were slightly twitching as she replied.

It seemed that Student Yoo Hayeon did exchange words with the villains.

But why was she hiding that fact?

Was there something they talked about that shouldn’t be revealed?

Sihwa wanted to ask about the lie and the details of the hidden conversation they exchanged, but judging from the firm look in Hayeon’s eyes, she could tell the student would never reveal it.

“In that case, can you tell me what situation…”

Sihwa asked several more questions afterwards, but there were no more clues coming out of Hayeon.

She was also close to a victim in this case.

The teacher decided not to take up any more of her time.

“I know it’s hard on you, but stay strong, Yoo Hayeon.”

“…Yes, thank you, Teacher.”

Once the questioning was over, Hayeon calmly replied and took her leave.

Left by herself, Sihwa briefly sat down and organized her thoughts.

About Hayeon’s lies.

She had a conversation with the villain, that’s for certain. But why? Why did she lie?

She couldn’t understand that part.

If Hayeon had interacted with the villain, that would be one lead and evidence to get Sijoon back.

She couldn’t make out why the student, who was waiting in agony for him, was telling lies.

There was one thing that came to Sihwa’s mind.

She’s hiding something.

But she didn’t know what.

It would be a different story had the CCTV monitoring the students been intact, but

they had crushed everything to smithereens, turning it into dust.

“Hah… Is she hiding the reason…to protect him? If not…”

She let out a sigh and laid back on her chair.

Yoo Hayeon’s desperation to hide the contact between Han Sijoon and the villain.

Sihwa could see a lead there, but did not pursue it.

***

After Han Yoowol left, the Black Dawn’s base was peaceful with nothing happening.

The other characters were mostly uninterested in me, and it didn’t look like they wanted to go through the trouble to find me and give me a hard time.

Yoowol aside, the villains seemed to view me as a “key” without a magic core.

That kind of treatment was pretty good for me.

If it wasn’t for this pink scrap that was covering the TV in front of me.

“Can’t you move a little? I can’t see it.”

“Don’t wanna! I don’t listen to dogs!”

Ban Hana.

She seemed to be greatly lacking in the mental age department. She blocked the TV and the news I was watching while whining to me to play with her, 

Pet! You! Play with me! Granpa Haeil told me to play with you!

She came here out of nowhere and said that to me.

I was dumbfounded by the fact that the villain Shin Haeil sent Hana my way so that I could play with her. 

I wonder if he passed her over to me because he couldn’t be bothered playing with her.

Hana was waving both her arms wildly as she covered the TV.

The only thing I could say was, “Alright, I’ll play with you.”

“That’s right! A pet should obviously listen to its owner! Aren’t you a good boy?”

Pat. Pat.

She stood on tiptoes as she stroked my head.

Did she even know what the word pet mean in the first place?

For starters, what I needed to do was grasp her level of education.

Hana is the most likely to be influenced among the seven members.

The other six members were already of age, and were all villains with a huge criminal track record.

The older people get, their brains become fixed, making them unable to accept new things.

Similarly with Shin Haeil, he would always live the life of a villain, and the others have already walked the path of a villain for a long time.

But what about Ban Hana?

She didn’t have a criminal streak yet. She was about the same age as me, and she was young.

Her head was a blank canvas.

Simply put, her head was completely empty.

It meant I still had a chance to indoctrinate her.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“It’s nothing. You’re just so pretty.”

“E-Even if you compliment me… T-There’s no treats…!!”

An abnormal Black Dawn member.

I’ll slightly indoctrinate the less abnormal one among their bunch.

For starters, let’s stick anything in her head.

Indoctrination before education.

First things first, I had to raise her level of knowledge to the standard of a human being.

“Then, what should we play?”

Smile.

From now on, she’s the object of my indoctrination.

What that means is…

She’s my prey.