C68: Betrayal

What?

I knew the disaster was going to happen, so I smashed the bridge in advance.

She has a blank look on her face.

Yeah, I guess she didnt know Id admit it so easily.

I think if I just roughly put it around, she would try to pressure myself in a way that caught me off guard by finding a loophole in that excuse.

Not going to happen.

But, what do you want me to do? What are you going to do now that you know?

I asked rather so.

A draw for Ego. So what? Strategy.

No, wait.

She gripped her forehead as if she was having a slight headache at my calm confession.

Why? Didnt you expect this answer? You didnt expect it to come out like this, did you?

Professional villains are supposed to go wild.

.So, how did you know it was going to happen?

Oh, I have to tell you that.

I crossed my arms, looked her in the eye and spoke seriously.

Actually, I have the ability to predict the future. I knew that and smash the bridge in advance.

Really?

No, dont believe me

Seeing that you believe in this, I think youre still a long way from becoming a hero who can serve one person properly.

As I smirked and said, she frowned.

No?

Of course not. I dont know where to start Its just a triumph of modern science.

Take a short breath.

My colleagues and I hacked into a HanEun group, and we found out that they were cultivating an uncontrollable giant monster in the basement of their headquarters. So, with simulation long before analysis, we analyzed the scenario where the little guy escaped. So, we all set it in advance.

Smashing the bridge was just part of the one Im a lot of insurance for. I set the number of cases besides that. The bridge thing happened by accident.

What do you mean the number of other cases?!

Of course, since it was going to cross the bridge so we could only smash it down.

But you mean I put them up like this. If you dont want to be treated like a prophet.

Honestly, it does sound almost similar to seeing the future,

Anyway, it worked well with that excuse.

She has a slightly confused look on her face. Yeah, take it!

Talking about the hacking that Ive done so far. Kidnapping radio waves, transfering money to the whole nation with macro

To be honest, is it possible to get into big corporations security and turn the simulation on? Isnt it obvious that its possible?

After thinking about my answer for a moment, she asked with a still confused expression.

No, its weird.

Whats so weird about it?

Why do you care about that and stop other people from dying or not? Youre the one playing with other civilians and terrorizing them in the first place?

She glares incomprehensibly.

I can just answer her like this.

If that happens, the aggro will be taken away.

Aggro?

Attention, I mean. What are the characteristics of villains? This is all for attention. Is it called the greatest misfortune of the greatest number? Im trying to give more people despair through terrorism, but will people pay attention to me if it happens? I mean, would you be interested in people who are already family, friends, and lost on TV? So I just stopped it.

In my calm words, she looked frustrated.

Why? Its true though.

In fact, when a villain causes terrorism and becomes a hot topic, no villain will cause terrorism in the next few weeks.

Because the amount of attention youre going to get decreases.

In fact, there are statistics that the crime rate is decreasing because I have caused massive terrorism these days.

So you stopped it so your Agro wouldnt be taken away?

Yes, exactly.

..

What kind of answer did you expect? Did you think I suddenly realized my goodness and woke up as a hero who goes around to save people? The truth is more boring than what you think.

I just said that with a smirk.

.But the real truth is that it was done to save people and prevent this world from becoming a plague.

But what on earth would she see me as if I told this story? Shes going to figure out who I am with her unique super-sense.

In fact, every terrorist attack I do, everything that kills other villains, is to protect the world.

Actually, I dont have a hobby bothering people, Im only doing this for her.

All this is done only for the peace of the world, to prevent her misfortune.

Of course, I dont think shes going to deduce all this.

In the first place, I seem like an outlaw who plays on the law, a terrorist who bullies the weak.

Still, theres no harm in being careful in advance.

And just as I finished speaking, the shield at the door began to rise back to the ceiling.

Looking up at the time, three hours have already passed.

The door finally opened.

We finally escaped this awkward room! Escape!

She still has a vague expression on her face.

Sigh. I should say something. Its so frustrating.

And whatever I do, Im an outlaw and a terrorist who plays on the law in the first place. So Im a villain. Im adding that since you seem to have strange thoughts.

So dont doubt me.

Im definitely a villain! I feel like youve been trying to drive me into a black hero for a while, Im shocked. I dont think Ive heard Stardus believe in the good in human nature. Why do people keep trying to whitewash me?

Her expression when she heard me seemed more suspicious, so I gave up thinking.

Yeah, youll get it once you get hit.

But first of all, she stood up quietly without any particular objection to what I said.

Well, first of all, what Im saying is logical. Are you going to sit here and do more of the doubting?

But how did she suddenly become interrogated and I feel like Im making excuses? Im just here for a power-up event. Its not how its connected.

So we kept moving forward.

We didnt talk much after that. I just advanced by defeating each and every monster that pops out.

No, but I dont know whats going on.

Its like a hero and a villain are exploring the underground together. Thats what I suggested, but its a strange picture.

She doesnt attack me because she knows I can run away immediately. Im just watching as if Im trying to figure out what Im going to do.

I dont want to attack her in the first place, so I dont. Its normal in the world that villain attacks heroes stupidly, but Why the hell should I?

Thats why I continue staying awkward with her.

Especially, it seems to have become more awkward because of the talk in the room earlier.

Sometimes she stares at me, and Im scared. What the hell do you have in mind?

I walked behind her.

I never took the lead. Theres a good chance that I would be attacked from behind and be taken to the bottom of the association.

We attack each other or let each other go, so we are accompanied under the strange title of a temporary alliance.

We handled almost every monster that was visible to us on the way, and now it feels like were practically done.

I didnt see the teleporting monster. Has it already gotten out of here? Well, thatll be handled by other heroes.

I cant wait to take the Behemoth and run away.

No, its not.

Now before she realizes my essence with her unique hunch.

Maybe I should educate her about what a real villain is

In the first place, huh? Does it make sense that a hero has a villain next to him and hes not doing anything?

Are you out of your mind or not?

Anyway, thats how we got to the end.

A large space deep in the basement, a broken tank there.

Behemoth?

She murmured at the writing in front of the tank.

Yeah, she finally found out about the monsters name.

There was no one in this space full of green, sticky things that flowed out of the tank.

There are only a lot of broken computers and papers scattered around.

I guess all the people who were studying here ran away in advance. You did a good job running away, people.

Anyway, we also went to the room next to this place.

The ceiling was high, and it was smaller than the water tank earlier, but it was still spacious.

In the middle of this room, there was something like an incubator.

Little black tentacles in it.

Sigh. Finally found it.

Now I can just grab this and run. I can just take off

I glanced at Stardus.

She was looking through the data at a desk in the corner without caring about me.

I dont like this.

Why arent you paying attention to me?

I mean, this doesnt mean anything weird.

Is the hero supposed to be so defenseless with the villain next to her?

A true hero should always be wary of villains.

I dont know how she can trust me and let me act so freely.

Why are you so fearless?

.

I cant let her be like this.

I was supposed to run away with Behemoth when she lost her attention on me.

But I should teach her the bitterness of the world.

With that determination, I slowly approached the incubator.

Its showtime.

***

What is this?

Looking at the incubator in the middle of the spacious room, she muttered.

This room at the very end of this secret lab.

Inside, there was a seemingly suspicious incubator.

And the black tentacles in it.

Perhaps this is what the HanEun Group wanted to protect the most.

Looking sideways, Egostic was looking at the incubator with a very interesting look.

Dont touch it. Im sending that to the association first.

Yeah, yeah, of course.

He raised his hands up while smiling as if he wasnt going to do anything.

.

As she saw him like that, she remembered what happened in the room earlier.

Even though he lost all his strength and was helpless, he handed her the bandage and didnt even touch her.

He said he knew everything and smashed the bridge, but it wasnt really about saving people.

His words, which he added, Im a villain, so dont doubt it.

It all comes together.

She became more, more clueless about Egostic.

He is definitely a villain. Villain is an outlaw who plays on the law and causes terrorism against people.

But why?

Why does she feel like everything he says is to hide the truth of something?

Why is she not really wary of him when shes next to him?

Why do I keep thinking like this?

She shook her head and shook off her thoughts.

First, lets focus on whats in front of them.

She headed to the desk in the corner of the room.

Theres probably information about that here.

And she found out.

A report on that.

*

RKCB-001

[Name] Behemoth

*

When she was reading the explanation.

Exactly, when shes off guard.

From the side of Egostic, a low voice can suddenly be heard.

Wake up. Behemoth.

The crackling sound of something can also be heard.

Stardus looked back hurriedly at the sudden event.

The whole situation was already over.

The incubator is breaking before she knows it.

And something ominous in black, wrapped around Egostics arm.

In all that confusing scene.

Egostic, he was smiling quietly, looking towards Stardus.

Keeping that smile on his face, he said.

Ms. Stardus. You know what?

Betrayal is all about timing.