Chapter 32: Teacher

The persona of the villain ‘Iran’ was created with one focus in mind.

To make Seoran truly feel a sense of crisis.

If a villain retreats and flails about, how could Seoran possibly awaken? When I perform this character, I must truly become the villain in that moment.

A villain who can harm civilians if necessary. A villain who will never ally with heroes.

To immerse myself in this character, I came up with one setting.

‘Extreme justice.’

This is the core belief behind villain Iran.

A cruel paradox.

However, even among the most renowned philosophers, opinions differ on what justice truly is.

It is a concept that is so ambiguous, and that’s exactly why I could use it.

From that point on, I was able to immerse myself in Iran’s character more easily than I ever expected.

“Help me?”

Magical Leaf nods cutely.

Magical Leaf. One of the heroes I had been watching recently.

And not in a good way. I was merely curious about the owner of the nonsensical rumor of being one of the top three candidates for Reminis.

To be honest, I had a rather unfavorable view of her…

‘But I must admit.’

Regardless of whether she takes the name of Reminis, she is a hero worthy of the title, coming to the front lines like this.

But her offer was like a poisoned apple to someone who strives to be a villain like me.

“Hmmm.”

I lowered my eyelids thoughtfully, and a mask appeared over the darkened world.

Without hesitation, I took the mask in hand.

“Why would I?”

When I opened my eyes again, I was villain Iran.

Facing Leaf, who sent a look of affection, I smiled brightly.

“…Huh?”

Leaf wore a questioning expression, wondering if she had heard correctly. The smile on her face was not the kind someone makes when rejecting something.

---

Her eyes were filled with confusion.

Did she hear me wrong? Or did I misspeak?

It was as if her face was marked with dialogue, and I could easily read her thoughts.

Like teaching a friend with a poor understanding, I made my intentions clear.

“I hate heroes.”

“…”

She stiffened, as if frozen in place.

Was it the first time she had heard such a direct rejection?

She didn’t seem the type to walk around provoking resentment, so it made sense.

‘I hate heroes.’

---

This was just a setting I had created to flesh out Iran’s character, but now, I had a real reason for it.

“It’s surprising that they couldn’t even protect the younger sibling of the hero they worship, and that hero became a fool because of that one thing.”

“Wait…!”

Leaf flinched, her shoulders trembling, and hurriedly reached out to cover my lips.

Following her gaze, I saw a man filming the whole scene. Judging by the name tag around his neck, I could guess what he was doing.

Royal Messages.
Senior Reporter.
Peter Henderson.

Even in this situation, he wouldn’t put the camera down—what a funny guy. It seemed that the younger reporter with him had noticed my gaze, as she was fidgeting nervously.

Rather than feeling annoyed, I felt more than a little pleased.

Slowly, I reached out and grasped the hand covering my mouth. I pulled it slightly, but the hand didn’t move.

“Creating baseless fear is not good!”

The reason for Reminis’ retirement had not been revealed to the public.

Well, it would be too pitiful to lose all their power just because their younger sibling died.

Though, anyone who knew would likely understand.

I tightened my grip even more.

“Ugh!”

The slender hand easily dropped away. Perhaps now realizing my strength, Leaf struggled to shake off my hand, her face a mix of shock and confusion.

However, my hand didn’t budge.

“My god…”

The reporter who had been watching gasped in astonishment.

Leaf was an elite, standing before the greatest of heroes. For a villain, this was the same as being on the verge of reaching double rank.

Considering her age, still under the age of twenty, it was an impressive achievement… but still…

‘She’s not better than Yureon.’

I coldly evaluated her in my mind before posing my question.

“Where are the other heroes?” “Ugh…!” “They all ran away, didn’t they?”

I had already confirmed this through Yu Hyesun. In this vast area, there were only four heroes.

The others had fled long ago.

“They used the civilians as bait, sacrificed the greatest hero, and shamefully turned their backs.” “…No!”

At last, Leaf shook off my hand and opened her eyes wide with fury.

She pretended to be strong, but if you looked closely, her pupils were shaking violently.

[She’s scared.]

She was afraid.

Not of me, but of the camera. Of the citizens who were watching everything unfold through the lens.

She was terrified that the ideals built up by the association would collapse. That the citizens would realize the true nature of heroes.

I could almost understand her feelings. The small seeds of doubt would soon grow into suspicion, eventually evolving into fear and anger, and society would fall into chaos.

Preventing that was also the role of a hero. If you were a hero, you had to be willing to overlook and conceal the dirty side of the association.

I understood that. I did, but…

“You really have no sense of justice.”

I was disappointed.

“…”

Perhaps realizing the true meaning behind my words, Leaf lowered her head deeply. I cast a final glance at the stunned reporters before leaping onto the rooftop of the building.

And then, I jumped from one building to the next.

Although I had suspected it, it was only after seeing Leaf’s reaction that I was finally convinced.

The heroes really had run away.

Their goal was undoubtedly Lysa’s execution.

To abandon the heroes, join forces with villains, and even discard the citizens.

‘To think it was this rotten.’

It felt like a lump in my stomach.

Heroes.

The reason I had visited the association every day, handing out snacks, wasn’t just because of Seoran.

Seoran was the greatest hero. She could have done just fine without my little gestures.

Yet, I always visited the headquarters partly because of my own selfishness.

I admired them, those who sought justice. I wanted the desserts and encouragement to give them a bit of strength and motivation.

But now, was this the result?

[…I’ve been curious about this for some time.]

Yu Hyesun cautiously spoke up.

‘Hmm?’ [Why are you so obsessed with your sister?]

“What?”

Her unexpected question made me stop in my tracks.

[You, in the past, weren’t you hated by her? I’ve always wondered how you could develop feelings of affection for her instead of hatred back then.]

This was the first time Yu Hyesun had brought up such a sensitive topic.

‘Why are you suddenly asking about that?’ [I’m just wondering if you’ve been mistaken about yourself. If it’s uncomfortable, don’t answer. I apologize for being rude.]

I quickly shook my head.

‘Don’t say it’s rude. We’re close, aren’t we?’

[…Heh, that’s right.] ‘Hmm, the reason…’

To explain that, I’d have to go back to my past life, but I wasn’t ready to share that with Yu Hyesun yet. There’s no benefit in her knowing that this world is just a novel.

If she understands, fine; if not, it would just be awkward.

So, I gave a vague answer.

‘She was amazing.’ [What part was amazing?] ‘Her unwavering pursuit of justice, no matter what.’

The way she wore a mask to hide the death of the first Gwangmyeong, and despite the pressure of being the best, she still marched forward steadfastly.

Her noble spirit, holding onto her sense of justice no matter the hardships that came her way.

That was the kind of person I always wanted to be—Seoran.

‘My father was a detective. He was a proud and admirable man, even for me, his child.’ [Hmm? Didn’t you say your father was a soldier?] ‘…Right, a soldier. I must have gotten confused.’

In my past life, my father was a detective. He handled serious crimes and was willing to give his life for justice.

‘I wanted to be a righteous person like my father. But it didn’t quite work out.’

Today, the hero school is peaceful. The reason I was attached to this novel was entirely because the protagonist was Seoran.

Despite having a similar environment, I felt immense vicarious satisfaction seeing how she held onto justice until the very end, unlike me.

It was because of this that I couldn’t accept Seoran’s broken state.

[Now I understand…] Yu Hyesun spoke with a tone that suggested she had solved all her questions.

The cat, which had been nodding along, suddenly tilted its head.

[But how did you see justice in the sister who used to torment you?] ‘…I always knew she would become just, someday.’ [Hmm. It seems you have a mysterious side to you.]

The cat in my mind narrowed its eyes. Feeling slightly awkward, I scratched my cheek.

Then, I began to leap from one building to the next.

After some time, Yu Hyesun casually spoke.

[You are righteous.]

The cat in my mind avoided my gaze.

[At least, from the perspective of this girl. Don’t belittle yourself.] ‘…Thank you.’

Yu Hyesun.

Now that I think about it, how did she end up here in Telon? What was the story behind her taking a human form?

She’s essentially my soul’s other half, yet I knew so little about her.

But now wasn’t the time. When I regain some peace, I’ll ask her about it leisurely.

[What are you planning to do next, Lord?]

Yu Hyesun, who had previously conveyed the idea that I should escape the city, now seemed to be more actively involved.

Thanks to that, I could answer easily.

‘It’s a great opportunity to present Villain Ran to the public.’

The previous hostage situation had sadly ended in a whimper. And unlike Owen, my face never appeared on camera.

Because of that, I couldn’t find the name “Villain Iran” anywhere on the internet or in the news.

That couldn’t be the case. Iran needed to be more threatening and powerful for Seoran’s awakening to come faster.

‘I need to break the game.’ [Oh? How so?]

The goals of the Villain Association and the Hero Association are clear.

To take down Empress Lysa.

So…

‘I have to save Lysa.’

Her biggest limitation right now is the safety of the citizens.

Therefore…

‘I’ll ensure the safety of the citizens.’

If I create the right conditions for her to unleash her full power, I can deliver a major blow to both associations.