I paused, lost in thought for a moment.
Yuha was in a bad mood? Why the sudden shift?
Had something transpired today? She had seemed perfectly fine when we last parted ways.
I would have to discreetly inquire about it later.
But first, the immediate task at hand demanded my attention.
“…It’s you again,”
A voice, thick with palpable annoyance, resonated from behind my mask.
Though I briefly wondered if it sounded a touch awkward, the modulated voice proved surprisingly effective.
It perfectly conveyed the image of a villain genuinely vexed by the disruption of their schemes.
Regardless, nothing would change. The plan was set to proceed as initially conceived.
Yuha had arrived at the most opportune moment.
Now, after engaging her just enough, all that remained was to make an ignominious retreat…
“You should say ‘you all,’ not merely ‘you,'”
“?”
Suddenly, an entirely unforeseen third presence materialized.
A languid resonance, one I vaguely recalled hearing before, drew my head instantly toward its source.
[Character Alert]
[Plant Lady]
[Cradle Special Education Institute for Superhuman Training, Hero Department, 1st Year]
[C-rank Hero]
[Real Name: Yoo Nahee]
In the heart of the city, a colossal plant had sprung up, towering over its surroundings.
Propping up its furthest reach was a woman, her frame astonishingly petite next to the monstrous flora.
“Ugh…so sleepy…it’s naptime, what is all this…”
Even while yawning languidly, she had deftly bound two minor villains, whom I had deployed as guards, rendering them utterly immobile.
Plant Lady, was it…the one who had been with Yuha in the classroom…!
“What? Did you think Flame Mist came alone?”
Then, another sharp, distinct voice chimed in.
[Character Alert]
[Cat’s Eye]
[Cradle Special Education Institute for Superhuman Training, Hero Department, 1st Year]
[C-rank Hero]
[Real Name: Ji Ahyeon]
Cat ears protruded from atop her hair, and a furry tail emerged from beyond her jet-black latex suit.
As anticipated, Cat’s Eye, another friend of Yuha’s, had encircled me from a blind spot, swiftly forming a perimeter.
“It’s you, isn’t it? The one who fled in the alley last time.”
Her vertically slit pupils, like a cat’s, gleamed menacingly as she murmured.
“I won’t let you escape today. I’ll see you thrown into prison, no matter what.”
‘Wait, Yuha wasn’t coming alone? Who are these others?’
‘…Or perhaps I had simply forgotten?’
Given that it was initially a trivial incident easily resolved, I likely just noted Yuha’s involvement and moved past it.
I quickly scanned my surroundings. At the heroes’ arrival, the faces of the citizens were illuminated with a fresh glimmer of hope.
Beyond Yuha, there were Plant Lady and Cat’s Eye. While not counted among the ‘Three Strongest,’ they were undeniably rising stars, possessing both skill and a respectable level of public recognition.
Objectively speaking, this was not an easy situation to escape. Generally, that is the case.
‘To break through those three, I would barely succeed even if I expended every single one of my brainwashed villains.’
‘Had this been a genuine villainous organization, it likely have been dismantled by day’s end.’
‘But then again, we weren’t a real organization, were we?’
Although I was momentarily flustered, this level of complication still fell within the bounds of my expectations.
‘As planned, I’ll use them as bait and make my escape. They’ll only truly come to their senses after a lengthy stay in prison anyway. And should they perish, it would hardly impede the world’s continued turning.’
“Be careful! There might be other members of their organization nearby!”
“Don’t worry! I’ve got my eyes on everything!”
And just as I was about to issue my command,
Cat’s Eye’s intensely vigilant posture suddenly sparked an idea within me.
‘Yes. If I was going to play the villain, wouldn’t it be far more effective to feign the existence of an actual organization rather than operating as a lone wolf?’
The Hero Management Bureau’s scrutiny of a lone villain compared to a collective forming a criminal organization was, quite frankly, like night and day.
Barring a handful of exceptional cases, the latter was overwhelmingly perceived as the greater threat.
‘Which meant? Thwarting an organization’s conspiracy would elevate Yuha’s reputation far more rapidly than merely stopping an individual villain.’
‘Excellent. I’ve made my decision.’
I immediately revised my plan on the spot, offering a silent, albeit slight, gesture of gratitude to Cat’s Eye.
“…Tsk, how dare you interfere with the grand designs of I, Marionette.”
The modulated voice reverberated once more. Damn it. My face felt unnecessarily flushed.
‘It was absolutely mortifying to refer to myself in the third person.’
Nevertheless, self-promotion was as crucial for villains as it was for heroes.
This held even more true for a villain like myself, who was just commencing their activities.
While I had been forced to withdraw due to circumstances last time, this time, I fully intended to firmly etch my name into the public consciousness.
After all, the more my infamy soared, the more Yuha’s reputation would ascend through her confrontations with me.
‘In any case, it was a task utterly impossible to undertake with a sane mind.’
“Do you not fear the repercussions? Our—”
‘Now that I thought about it, what should the organization’s name be?’
Faced with this unforeseen dilemma, I deliberately drew out my words, then, in a fleeting moment, frantically scanned my surroundings, my eyes darting about.
“Kyaaah…!”
“R-run…!”
Across the street, in the cinema building, citizens were hastily evacuating after the alarm sounded.
‘Well, I certainly felt a pang of regret for those who had been engrossed in their films.’
Behind me, the large signboard of the cinema was visible. It appeared to be the movie currently playing.
‘The title was…*Vengeance of the Wilderness*?’
“…Our Vengeance will not let you off lightly.”
I quickly added this, before the heroes could detect anything amiss. It certainly sounded like a name that half-crazed villains would gleefully adopt for their organization.
“Vengeance…?”
“I knew it. The bank…was it attacked for funding? No wonder they were so audacious…”
Plant Lady and Cat’s Eye exchanged grave expressions and murmured to each other. Judging by their reactions, it seemed my improvisation had landed well, hadn’t it? Perhaps it was because the name, despite being hastily conceived, fit the image rather perfectly.
“…They truly are a malicious bunch.”
A chilling voice then reached my ears. Yuha, too, seemed to believe my words implicitly. The only problem was, she believed them *too* well.
“How dare a villain…did you truly believe such crude threats would sway a hero? This is the end for you.”
“Well, who ever said I was going to perish here?”
I retorted to Yuha, raising a hand. My presence had already been sufficiently imprinted upon them.
Now, it was time for the curtain to fall.
I issued my command in a low, measured tone.
“Block them.”
“Wooooah!”
At my single command, the villains surged forward, directly assailing the trio. The bank transformed into a veritable inferno, filled with scattered screams and flying bullets. Of course, upon closer inspection, all the bullets were merely being discharged wildly into the air.
‘As if anyone amidst this pandemonium would realize that.’
“S-suddenly…!”
“Be careful!”
A palpable light of confusion was evident on the heroes’ faces.
‘They likely hadn’t anticipated my subordinates charging with such desperate fervor. Perhaps they had envisioned a scenario where my pawns would flounder and eventually surrender, given that the heroes had already established a perimeter, and human survival instincts are, after all, surprisingly potent.’
However, these wretches were mere puppets, programmed to unconditionally obey my commands. How could they possibly harbor such base desires?
Furthermore, unlike my side, their side was burdened with the protection of civilians. With the situation so entangled, their use of powers would inevitably be constrained.
“You wicked bastard…!”
Yuha, having struck away the jaw of a charging assailant, gnashed her teeth, her gaze fixed on me from across the chaos.
“Even as a villain, are you truly using all your subordinates as mere pawns, discarding them so callously?!”
“Who said they were subordinates? They are nothing more than bottom-feeding trash.”
I responded with an utterly unperturbed voice.
“Kill as many as you desire. From what I can tell, that’s precisely what you crave.”
“What kind of…!”
Leaving a stunned Yuha behind, I turned my body. Just as I seemed poised to make my escape, I abruptly halted my steps.
Then, with only a slight turn of my head, I uttered in a low, growling tone,
“Hero Flame Mist. I shall remember today’s humiliation. Next time, I will not be so easily thwarted.”
“Wait…stop right there…!”
And with that, I immediately fled. Exiting through the emergency exit, I would swiftly vanish into the labyrinthine alleys.
A quick glance back showed the heroes fully preoccupied with battling the desperately charging villains. Yuha was no different.
‘By the time they finished, I would likely have vanished without a trace.’
I smiled with satisfaction. Excellent. Once again, I had successfully handed Yuha a significant achievement. Having escalated the scale of the attack beyond my previous life and ensured the rescue of civilians without a single injury, she was bound to receive even greater spotlight.
At the very end, I had deliberately feigned heightened indignation, just in case anyone tried to fault her for letting me escape.
Such a performance would surely shift the focus more towards the thwarting of a wicked villain’s scheme.
Moreover, Yuha’s anger seemed to have become even more concentrated on me.
After all, my act of abandoning my subordinates like discarded rags and escaping alone had painted me as the epitome of a despicable villain.
‘Perhaps I wasn’t entirely devoid of acting talent, after all.’
“Hey, villain. Who said you could just run off?”
Suddenly, a shadow materialized before me. Cat’s Eye, her expression even more menacing, blocked my escape route and glared at me.
“I told you. I’d see you thrown into prison, no matter what.”
The fur on her tail, which protruded from her suit, bristled. It seemed her cat ears and tail weren’t part of a costume, but rather a mimetic ability.
‘Based on her appearance, are her traits similar to a cat’s? That might explain how she navigated that chaotic scene so deftly.’
Suddenly, Cat’s Eye sniffed, then adopted a peculiar expression.
“…Hey, have I seen you somewhere before? Your scent seems familiar. Am I mistaken…?”
A shiver ran down my spine. Of all the heroes’ words today, this was the most tangible and significant threat.
‘She could track scents like a cat, too?’
Fortunately, since we hadn’t crossed paths many times, I hadn’t left a strong impression. Regardless, prolonging this encounter seemed unwise.
I had to escape quickly. While I wished to delay revealing my abilities as much as possible, there was no other choice.
It was bound to become known eventually. And it was a hundred times better than being captured or having my identity exposed.
Without further hesitation, I snapped my fingers.
–*Click!*–
[Power: Hypnosis is used on the target…]
[Success!]
“Hmph, wh-what…! Why is my body suddenly…”
Cat’s Eye, seemingly realizing the anomaly, was startled. I let out a sigh of relief.
Though not without limitations, my power was inherently quite potent.
It was a manipulation-type ability, one of the most challenging to counter, and the very power of Marionette, the villain who had ascended to the position of supreme evil before my regression.
While it might not work on future S-rank heroes like Yuha or Han Sua, who was her equal, I believed it would still be effective against other heroes of lesser standing.
Still, it was a relief. If the hypnosis had failed, I would have been forced into another unwelcome hostage situation, just like last time.
“You, you…what did you do to me…!”
She, who had been loudly chattering, finally realized what had happened and mumbled.
“Could it be a manipulation-type ability…? But…*Mmph!*”
“You’re incredibly noisy. Why don’t you quiet down?”
I clamped a hand over Cat’s Eye’s mouth and pondered her fate.
Simply binding her in place would be enough for me to escape, but…it felt like a wasted opportunity.
A villain, by nature, should be malicious and wicked. Even while fleeing, if I left such a prime target untouched, wouldn’t it raise some suspicion?
Of course, I had no intention of killing her, not even a speck, but there should at least be some corresponding consequence.
“Those cat ears and tail suit you quite well.”
After deliberating, I finally advanced. I then grasped Cat’s Eye’s chin, gently lifting her face, as she stood utterly immobile.
“You’re truly no different from a real cat. Hmm? If only this weren’t such a situation, I might have indulged in a little petting.”
“Mmph, hmph…!”
“Hmm, but isn’t something amiss? The cats I know are four-legged creatures, I believe.”
“Hmph, mmph…!”
Her face flushed with shame as she whimpered, tears welling in her eyes.
Grinning, I disregarded her distress and snapped my fingers once more.
“Cat’s Eye. Crawl on all fours, just like a real cat.”
