episode_0023

After hearing that my survival rate had dropped, the first thing I thought of was attracting attention again.

My survival rate tends to fluctuate wildly, but the fact that it has decreased this much clearly means that an incident is happening somewhere I don’t know about.

Unfortunately, I don’t have clairvoyance or know all the developments of the original work, so I just show up and do a show of force when people are about to forget about me.

How fortunate. There’s a friend playing the villain role up front, properly fighting.

So, after plotting with Eclipse, I was wondering what kind of heinous act to commit, and we decided to rob a jewelry store and raided it…

Snow is looking at me with a bewildered expression right in front of my eyes.

Honestly, shouldn’t I be the one making that expression? I’m just as bewildered.

No. Rather, I should be more embarrassed.

But I can’t exactly say, “Why did you come here?”

It’s also a bit awkward to say, “Kuhuhu, you came to help me after all.”

If I say she came to help, Snow will completely turn to the villain side.

Then she will die…

Okay, I get it. I won’t kill her.

Answering the emotionless voice whispering in my ear, I continue thinking.

Then there’s only one answer.

I quickly wink at Eclipse, and fortunately, Eclipse understands my signal and mutters in a hurried voice.

“Damn it, Snow! You ambushed us, aiming for when we were fighting?”

“Uh, uh…?”

“There’s no choice. Hey, Bad Face!”

Eclipse calls me, and I also move towards Eclipse as if we had promised.

“There’s no choice. Temporary alliance for this one time!”

“I’m not here to help you, so don’t get in my way!”

How can they deliver their lines so well, as if we had promised?

As Eclipse and I take our stances, Snow, who was bewildered, takes a stance for a moment.

“…”

The problem is, I’m just a regular person pretending to be an ability user by borrowing Eclipse’s ability.

What should I do in this situation?

“Hey, Eclipse.”

“What.”

“Honestly, isn’t it too difficult for you to fight Snow while producing even my abilities?”

“…Honestly, it is difficult.”

She answers quietly to my muttering.

“I understand.”

“Why, are you going to run away?”

“Let’s fight first.”

“What?”

Eclipse looks at me as if asking what I’m talking about.

It’s okay. You will find out from now on.

Along with the emotionless voice, items appear above Eclipse’s head.

At first, I wondered what was up with these weird stats that weren’t strength, agility, or luck, but thinking about it again, it seemed like I could use this too.

And the stat I will invest in is…

Immediately raising Decisiveness by two levels, I look at Eclipse.

Firebringer is pretending to be knocked out anyway, so she’s lying down over there.

It won’t take long for her to get up.

Until then, I just need to somehow endure or escape.

“First, use your abilities completely and fight.”

“What about you.”

-Clang!

Icicles pour down on Eclipse, and she unfolds darkness to block the icicles, looking at me.

“You just need to match the timing.”

“Timing?”

“You’ll probably know it well.”

“So what?”

“…”

I glanced at Snow, who was looking at us from afar, and then looked at Eclipse again.

“Everything. Whether it’s the timing to throw your strong skills, or the timing to run away.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I…”

I trail off and look at Snow.

“I’ll charge.”

“What?”

“It’s frustrating to watch, Eclipse! Cover me!”

I shout like that and run forward.

“Hey, you crazy…!”

And Eclipse was shouting in a bewildered voice from behind, but for a moment, darkness enveloped my side and began to block attacks.

-Swish!

And the sound of attacks coming from behind.

Behind?

I turn my head and look behind me, and Snow is shooting ice at Eclipse only.

Eclipse is blocking Snow’s attacks with a flustered expression.

“Da, mn…!”

She spits out curses and blocks Snow’s attacks, and I quickly run and reach Snow’s front.

At the same time, the darkness disappears,

“Where are you looking!”

“I won’t-”

I quickly throw my body and throw a punch at Snow.

My fist is planted in Snow’s abdomen as it is,

Huh? It landed?

My fist is stretched forward, and Snow’s body bends at a right angle to match it.

Everything in the world seemed to be in slow motion.

Snow flying away, and even the crowds screaming.

But my already extended fist is flying forward without knowing the end,

The darkness that Eclipse wrapped around me is visible on my fist.

Enhancement?

No, you idiot. Why are you enhancing it now?

I raised your Decisiveness, and you gained the Decisiveness to hit Snow’s solar plexus.

A soft touch is felt in my hand for a moment,

“Keheuk!”

Snow flies backward as it is and is slammed into the floor.

-Thud!

The floor rumbles with a huge sound as she is slammed into the floor.

I didn’t intend to hit her this hard.

I look at Snow with a bewildered gaze and then look at the crowd.

Screams pour out from the crowd.

“Kkyaaaa! Snow!”

“Th, this garbage villain…!”

People’s accusations and resentment pour down on me.

No, I didn’t intend to hit her this hard either-

While I was thinking that, an emotionless voice whispers in my ear.

No, it’s okay to hit her a little.

But what’s more important than that is that my survival rate has increased.

“Shut up!”

When I frown and shout loudly, the people close their mouths as they are.

Then there’s nothing to regret.

Even though I’m frowning, I’m smiling very happily in my heart.

No, is it really okay?

I only needed to buy Snow’s favor to some extent, but I wonder if I earned her hatred by unnecessarily punching her in the gut?

Could my survival rate have gone up to 2%?

“Tsk…”

When I smack my lips and look at Snow, people scream again.

“Kheu…”

As if she felt my gaze, Snow was glaring at me while holding her stomach.

She was forcing herself to breathe and looking at me.

“Bad, Face…! Why…!”

What why. You’re a hero and I’m a villain, so a villain hits a hero’s gut, would a hero hit it?

“…”

So, without saying anything, I turned my body and looked at Eclipse.

I send a signal to run away immediately, and she nods,

“Captain!”

Firebringer appears from afar with flames.

“Captain! Are you hurt-”

“No.”

Firebringer, who is standing next to me, looks at Snow and smiles pleasantly.

“As expected of the Captain. Shall we kill her as is?”

“Do so.”

As expected of our rookie who learned acting well, she knows exactly what lines she needs to say.

I nod with a satisfied smile, and my eyes meet Eclipse’s.

If Eclipse blocks it here-

“…”

Why isn’t there an answer.

Kill her?

I raise my head and look in the direction where Eclipse is.

-Thud!

Eclipse is blocking a huge rock thrown at herself.

Rock?

“A hero has come!”

And, before I could say anything, people shout,

-Thud!

A huge rock falls in front of my eyes.

“Hero Snow!”

The cheers of the people, and the sound rings out, and the sound of something running is also heard from afar.

This

It’s better this way.

Let’s run away.

“Firebringer. Fly.”

“Yes?”

“I said fly.”

“…”

Firebringer looks at me with wide eyes after hearing my words.

That’s right.

Firebringer can fly.

To be exact, I’m learning the method these days.

The method is very simple, just make the tips of your feet like rockets and shoot fire out of them.

There was a hero who flew through the air in that way in the previous world, so when I told Firebringer that method, she surprisingly followed along well.

The only problem is that she still thinks she can’t use it well.

“Re, re, really?”

“Do it quickly. Eclipse is busy right now.”

When I whisper to Firebringer, who is stuttering, she turns her head this way and that way to assess the situation, then closes her eyes tightly and hugs me tightly.

“Don’t blame me even if we fall and die…!”

“I’ll curse you forever in the afterlife, so fly properly.”

“Ait…!”

-Kwaaaaa…!

Fire spews out from the tips of her feet,

“Kkyaaaaa-”

“Uwaaaa!”

We flew into the sky as it is.

*

“…”

Snow was lying down, holding her solar plexus.

She didn’t die.

From the beginning, she had no intention of killing her.

If Bad Face had made up his mind there just now, she would have died at least twice.

“Wh, y…”

“Hero Snow!”

The heroes who came to save her surround her, and Snow looks at those heroes and turns her gaze to where the man was.

A spot that now only has black scorch marks left.

“…Why.”

“Are you okay, Hero Snow?”

“…”

Why didn’t he kill me.

Could it be that Bad Face is really a good villain?

In her head, only the question of why was spinning around.