Chapter 6

[Villain ‘Maker’s Another Terror!]

[The terror scene that shattered the peace on New Year’s Day.]

[The second department store terror? Zero casualties!]

[A certain villain psychology professor said, “The response of the heroes in B District was wrong.”]

Maker’s second terror was plastered all over the news.

Even in a world where villains commit terror as often as they eat, it was extremely rare for the same villain to commit terror so soon after the last one.

And above all, the result was shockingly impressive.

Zero casualties.

That’s the number when combining the first and second terror attacks.

Even if a C-class villain just causes a ruckus, there are casualties, but in his terror, not a single person was hurt.

What could be the reason?

Is it because Maker is weaker than a C-class villain?

Or because the heroes responded appropriately?

– It’s like Maker just let it slide, lol.

At least, the citizens thought differently.

– Seriously, the heroes just messed up. This time, it seems like if you just give him what he wants, he safely releases the hostages.

– Unlike other villains, he doesn’t even take hostages, lol.

– Doesn’t he seem too pure? Cute!

– ?

– After all, he didn’t kill any heroes. He definitely let it slide.

There were people who simply wanted to criticize the heroes and used Maker as an example, but at the same time, public opinion that didn’t entirely see him as bad emerged.

– Are you guys crazy?

Of course, not all public opinion was favorable towards Maker.

– Damn, our country is really messed up.

– Still, he’s a villain who terrorized a department store. Does it make sense to praise him?

– If he didn’t take hostages in the first place, it would have been fine.

– ㅠㅠ But maybe there’s a story behind it..?

– Shut up.

– lol, seems like a high-level anti.

– Idiots, lol. If Maker points a gun at your head, you’d probably thank him, lol.

– Judging by your words, it seems like you’ve already been shot, lol.

The general view of villains.

And no matter what, it was an obvious opinion that detaining citizens and destroying a department store was a clear criminal act.

– lol, so did he kill anyone?

For a villain committing terror, his actions were quite unusual, and public opinion gradually split.

– Ter?ror? (Zero casualties, zero injuries)

– There was one injury, lol. Some idiot who didn’t know better got knocked out, lol.

– Seriously, that guy was acting up like a B-class? Didn’t he see Ice Queen get taken down last week?

– Newbies have to follow the Hero Association’s orders first due to hero laws, right?

– He said he’d release them if they came quietly, lol. And he actually did.

– Isn’t blowing up a building a villain’s act? Would it be okay if someone blew up your house for no reason?

– Fact) This building was blown up because the heroes didn’t play along.

– Tell them to play with him, lol.

– ???: He said he’d release them if they came! Why are you causing trouble!!

– Maker didn’t lie, lol.

– Bad heroesㅠㅠ Poor villainㅠㅠㅠ

– Even so, taking people hostage isn’t justified.

– Anyway, everyone was safe, right? Let’s have a drink~

– Crazy bastards;

– This time, it was just luck. It could have easily been a situation where people died; everyone, get a grip;;

– ?Luck? (A pic of Maker releasing citizens when E District heroes arrived.)

– Everyone, Maker is an attempted murderer! He dared to shoot at our Queen!! (A pic of Maker shooting at Ice Queen’s head.)

– Anyway, he spared her, lol. (A pic of Maker turning his back on a kneeling Ice Queen.)

Thus, in large communities, a handful of people defending him, many who just found the situation amusing, and regular community users began to tear into each other.

***

[Guys, have you seen this?]

===

(A pic of Maker smiling brightly.)

(A pic of Maker sitting on a chair, legs crossed, drinking tea.)

(A pic of Maker bowing politely.)

(A pic of Maker looking down.)

(A pic of Maker smiling while pointing a gun.)

I know he’s a bad guy and a villain, but why does he make my heart flutter..

===

Meanwhile, in some communities, a completely different type of Maker supporter was emerging.

– OMG! What’s this? Totally romance novel material.

– He’s wearing a mask, but why is he so handsomeㅠㅠㅠㅠ Any more pics?

– Look at that smile, so freaking cute!

– Even so, liking a criminal is a bit;;

– A love that can never beㅠ

– Him in uniform pointing a gun is so sexyㅠ

– He’s a villain, not a hero, right?ㅠㅠ Why does someone with that look do bad thingsㅠㅠㅠ

– That’s why it’s even better!

– Are you defending a criminal?

– Zero casualties, so what’s wrong with defending him a bit?

– Seriously..just looking at his jawline, he’s so handsome, but why can’t I remember his face..

– Maybe there’s a villain with the ability to hinder facial recognition? Probably used it before the terror…

– Ah ㅠㅠㅠ

People who started liking him purely because of his outstanding looks.

– Doesn’t he have a fan club?

For now, these comments were clearly just the beginning.

***

“Ah, Senior!”

Inside a university hospital.

A middle-aged man brought a small bouquet of flowers for a man sitting on a hospital bed.

“Have you been well..”

“Wow, Ice Queen is here too!”

“……”

The middle-aged man tried to greet him with a cheerful laugh, but the man cut him off and brightly greeted Ice Queen, who had just entered.

“You damn bastard!!”

*Whack!!*

The middle-aged man, his face scrunched up, strongly punched the man’s head.

“Ouch! I’m a patient, a patient!!”

“Patient my ass! You got bomb powder on you while messing with mannequins and ended up in the hospital!!”

“Ugh! Who do you think put me here just in case?!”

“What the hell, you brat?!”

“…It’s good to see you looking healthy.”

Ice Queen, who had been blankly watching the two bicker, let out a sigh of relief.

“Ah, oh my. We’ve shown our A-class hero such an embarrassing sight..haha.”

The middle-aged man, scratching the back of his head, laughed awkwardly.

“..No, it’s nice to see.”

Ice Queen denied his words and smiled awkwardly.

“……”

The man, who had been watching her, bowed his head towards her.

“…I’m sorry. It’s because of me.”

A moment of silence.

“…Minseung-ah, it’s not your fault. You were just worried about the citizens.”

“..But didn’t I get caught because I messed with the mannequins?”

“That’s not it, Minseung. You were caught by the villain long before that.”

After the terror ended, Ice Queen could see the situation broadcasted on the news.

“Analyzing the scene, there was a machine broadcasting live footage hidden among the mannequins. And when Maker released the footage, the conversation was heard before even entering the room with the mannequins.”

There might have been a slight delay, but the point was that it was live.

So, in the end, it had nothing to do with the man touching the mannequins.

Maker already knew he was using Ice Queen as a decoy for a diversion.

“So don’t blame yourself too much, Minseung. And even if you made a mistake, it was to save the citizens.”

“Ice Queen is right, Minseung-ah! We heroes aren’t that petty~ that’s what I’m saying!”

The middle-aged man, sitting on Minseung’s bed, patted his back to comfort him.

“Ah! Ah! It hurts!”

“Stop exaggerating, brat..”

Feeling a bit better, Minseung chuckled and exaggerated his pain.

“By the way, what’s the news on that?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Maker. I heard he committed terror again this time?”

“Ah, that? Zero casualties again this time. Almost no injuries either.”

“Oh. That’s a relief.”

Minseung nodded, then suddenly started giggling.

“The Association must have taken a hit. They tried so hard to cover up their incompetence, but they got fooled again.”

They let the same villain slip again.

And this time, he appeared so quickly that they couldn’t even prepare properly for the terror.

“If it was the first time, maybe, but blaming the heroes after that is really disgraceful.”

Newbie heroes with poor judgment are required by ability laws to follow the Association’s orders.

And Minseung himself and the hero who attacked Maker during the E District terror were still newbies with barely dry ink on their hero licenses.

In other words. Even if they tried to hide it, those who knew already knew the Association gave the wrong orders.

Will they try to shift the blame to me again this time? Minseung wondered.

“Brat. Do you hate the Association that much?”

“I admit I made a mistake, but it’s annoying that they won’t admit their own mistakes and just shift all the blame to me.”

Ice Queen somewhat agreed with Minseung’s words.

‘Certainly, this statement is enough to make people lose respect.’

Although they might not know it, rumors have already spread among the heroes.

That the Association tried to shift the blame to newbies who knew nothing this time.

“And this damn Association! They even took my phone, saying I should reflect!”

I’m not some elementary school kid!

Ice Queen, who had been watching Minseung grumble, turned to leave quietly.

“Ah. Are you leaving, Ice Queen?”

The middle-aged man, noticing her intention, called out to her.

“..Yes. As the leader of the last terror, I’ve checked on the team’s health, so it’s time for me to go.”

“Thank you for visiting, Ice Queen!”

“Alright, go ahead, Ice Queen. I’ll take good care of this guy.”

“Then.”

*Click.*

With that, Ice Queen opened the door and left.

‘Now that my personal schedule is over..time to get back to missions.’

Geez. It’s only been a little while since the new year, and they’re already giving missions..

Frowning slightly, Ice Queen grumbled for a moment, then walked down the corridor, her light blue hair swaying.

The next mission is probably..

***

“So, the mission is to raid the research lab.”

“Yes. That’s right, Maker.”

After the last terror ended, Astra called me while I was resting.

After skimming through the mission details, I smiled and said,

“I’ll decline this mission.”

No benefit for me, so why bother? Too lazy.

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