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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Cathedral
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Cathedral.
A villain meeting where S-class villains, the strongest among them operating on a global scale, gathered.
Having returned from there, I was back in familiar Korea, sprawled on the sofa in my beloved home.
"Ughhh..."
Yeah. This is it.
Home is truly the best, the absolute best.
"Dain, here you go."
"Ah, thank you, Soobin."
Drinking the warm chamomile herbal tea Soobin made for me, I let out a sigh of contentment.
Yes, this is life. Maybe happiness isn't so far away after all? After all that struggle outside, one truly yearns for home.
"Big brother. So what happened?"
"What about?"
"About meeting the other villains this time. Nothing out of the ordinary happened?"
At Seo-eun's question from beside me, I pondered.
Nothing out of the ordinary happened, you ask? No, nothing out of the ordinary. Besides that red-clad villain, who's going to die in three months, picking a fight and me putting him in his place, nothing much happened.
"Hmm..."
...It's really nothing, right?
Anyway, I didn't want to needlessly worry them by telling this story, so I vaguely replied that nothing out of the ordinary had happened. In reality, it was nothing compared to what I was going to do in the future.
Only after reassuring Seo-eun and the rest of our Ego Stream members, I could comfortably savor my tea again.
"..."
Warm sunlight streamed in through the large living room window.
Basking languidly in the sunlight beneath it, I took sips of tea, then fell into thought again, reviewing the meeting once more.
The villain meeting, Cathedral, was led by the world's top-tier villain, Celeste.
As it was the first day, not much discussion took place.
'...They're definitely all strong.'
Well, their abilities... I knew them all from the original work, so there was nothing new there, but there's a difference between knowing something conceptually and actually meeting them and feeling it firsthand.
The extraordinary aura was palpable just by looking at them.
Having only been in South Korea until now, I hadn't fully realized it, but just seeing this meeting venue, I could easily surmise how chaotic things must be abroad.
Of course, where there are many S-class villains, there are also a corresponding number of heroes, so a balance of power is somehow maintained.
South Korea, which still has not a single S-class hero, compared to the United States, which boasts dozens of S-class heroes. Just comparing the two makes it clear that the standards are entirely different.
Especially Celeste. Just as mentioned in the original work, she felt like she was on an entirely different level. Her appearance, adorned in a white saintess's robe and a veil faintly obscuring her eyes, looked so holy and sacred it was beyond words. With her long, flowing white hair, she could easily be mistaken for a hero. In reality, she's the villain the association considers the most dangerous.
Of course, while other villains were somewhat less imposing than her, their auras were equally formidable. Do powerful individuals just naturally exude such energy? Come to think of it, even Uncle Atlas was quite intimidating at first.
...Well, that's not really the important part.
What's important is how I conduct myself at Cathedral, where only the most representative S-class villains gather.
"....Hmm."
I took another sip of tea and fell into thought.
The truth is, I have to admit it.
I'm the weakest among them.
I wasn't even invited in the first place; I barely managed to get in by leveraging Atlas.
'...Most likely, no one will pay me any mind.'
They'll just feel a slight curiosity about my closeness with Atlas.
Beyond that, they'll probably quickly lose interest, thinking there's nothing special about me. Celeste, in particular... even though she invited me at Atlas's recommendation, she might still be displeased. Thinking, 'Why is such a weakling here?' After all, she didn't even give me a formal invitation, claiming I wasn't strong enough, which is why I came with Atlas.
"In other words, no one is paying me any mind yet."
I muttered to myself.
Yes, that's the truth. Other villains, who have probably met all sorts of super-powered individuals, wouldn't have much interest in me, merely an A-class.
And I'll use this to my advantage.
Their lack of interest means they won't be particularly wary of me, nor will they have any information about me. In the hero-villain society, Korea is somewhat detached from the mainstream criminal organizations, so there wouldn't be any information on me in the first place.
In other words, my goal is clear.
It's to slowly, bit by bit, consume the villain meeting, Cathedral.
What I possess, despite being inferior to them in every way, is information and knowledge of the future.
And these are the best tools to make me, who is seemingly nothing, appear more dangerous than anyone else.
The only way to manipulate those formidable S-class villains with just a few words.
And that begins with Hitchkhan of Germany meeting a sudden, violent end.
In truth, he's just a guy who would've died anyway, even without my involvement, but how would they know that? There will definitely be those who suspect I played some part.
And I will leverage that suspicion to secure benefits for myself. My A-class status can even work as a greater strength. The fact that Celeste invited an A-class to this gathering would imply he possesses some extraordinary ability. Well, they don't know I got in through Atlas's backing.
...Anyway, none of this will happen overnight.
Slowly, like clothes soaked by a persistent drizzle, they'll come to realize that something is amiss.
"....."
So I sat cross-legged on the sofa for a while, planning what to do next at Cathedral.
Since Atlas is present, building a faction around him wouldn't be a bad idea. It would also be wise to draw in the Chinese and Japanese villains if possible. Celeste won't pay me any mind for a while, so I don't need to worry about her... Although the Director-General of the International Hero Association will obtain the list of villains participating in this Cathedral, it won't be a major issue, according to the original work...
Lost in various thoughts for a long time, I noticed my cup was empty and paused.
Has it gotten so late already?
...Actually, it wasn't something to worry about right now. After all, there were still four whole months until the next meeting.
Returning to reality from my thoughts, I suddenly looked forward and met Seo Ja-young's eyes, who was lounging below.
"...?"
"Are you finished?"
She asked me that with a blank stare.
As I wondered what she meant, Seo Ja-young let out a chuckle and said.
"No... I was just watching you mutter to yourself. It was amusing. Are you finished with your thoughts now?"
"...Hmm. I suppose so."
Seo Ja-young, hearing my answer given with a cough, smiled even more broadly.
No. I hadn't realized anyone was watching that.
Seo Ja-young is always practically blended with the living room floor, so sometimes, even when I'm with her, I forget her presence.
"Hmph..."
Her purple hair sparkled in the sunlight.
With eyes as mysterious as when I first saw them, impossible to tell what she was thinking, she asked me.
"So... what exactly were you thinking about?"
"Oh, just work, what else? Things like what I should do next at the villain meeting..."
"Right..."
Seo Ja-young, hearing my words, soon seemed to lose interest, leaning her head back on the floor and rolling lazily.
It felt like she was about to say something more but hesitated at the last moment, but that's probably just my imagination, right?
Anyway, after tidying up the cup, I fell into thought for a moment.
Hmm. What should I do next?
I've done a terror attack quite recently, so that's irrelevant... If I prepare for the PMC... maybe nothing much will happen for a while?
Having concluded that, I decided to go down to the basement where Seo-eun was.
She was emphasizing that she could really beat Stardust this time and was pouring her heart and soul into creating something, I wonder if it's going well.
I know Eun-wol and Se-hee are helping too. I should show my face down there.
With such leisurely thoughts, I went downstairs.
Yes, let's take a break this time. Play with the kids too. They were practically begging to go to an amusement park last time, maybe I should take them to a theme park. Choi Se-hee and Soobin also seemed subtly expectant.
...Stardust is a bit of a concern, but other than that, there shouldn't be any major issues.
Nothing much will happen for a while. Yeah.
***
The International Hero Association Headquarters, located in the United States.
Inside the Director-General's office, the woman seated there slowly gazed at the document in her hand.
"..."
The villain meeting, reportedly held under the leadership of Celeste, the International Association's primary adversary.
She had managed to obtain the list of participants for that meeting.
...And sure enough, all the individuals she had expected were on the list.
"...Just as I thought."
The Director-General murmured quietly.
It was exactly as revealed previously. No significant changes were apparent.
What should she do about this?
Dark circles lined her eyes from overwork. Pressing them gently, the Director-General quietly considered. It was an expected turn of events anyway, and stirring it up would only cause more trouble, so she decided to let it pass for now. There was nothing she could do immediately, and only famous villains who had been predicted beforehand were gathered, so there was nothing particularly special. The real issue was what they planned to do... Dealing with that after the fact would be the best course of action.
As the Director-General sighed and read the document, she suddenly paused at one particular name.
"Wait... Egostic?"
Who was this one again?
Quickly recalling her memory, she remembered he was an A-class villain active in Korea. The Korean villain who had formed an agreement with Atlas last time.
"....An A-class is involved in *this*?"
She tilted her head in confusion.
And it was understandable, as everyone except Egostic was an S-class villain leader creating havoc on a global scale, but he was suddenly an A-class villain who only operated in Korea.
Feeling that something was amiss, she took a moment to carefully read the information about Egostic accumulated in the association's database.
After some time, as if having made a decision, she picked up the receiver and made a call.
"...Uh, Director-General. Send one S-class hero who has some free time up here right now."
Because it seems I'll need to send them on a little business trip this time.