Although a Villain, My Wish is World Peace

The bird flew towards the tightly closed door. Xie Haozhu was about to say it was locked, but as if by magic, the tightly closed door opened by itself.

Xie Haozhu carefully poked her head out the door following the wagtail. The surroundings were quiet.

As if in a dream world, there was no sign of life.

The wagtail flapped its wings towards her at the end of the corridor. As if telling her to come out of the room and follow it quickly.

[Well, fine.]

Xie Haozhu immediately kicked the door open and came out. She didn’t want to be confined here for long anyway. She had just been quiet because she didn’t want to cause trouble, but hadn’t she been thinking she needed to escape from here someday?

She was just curious.

[Did that person send you?]

The author of the note was definitely Shen.

It’s been a while, and what else?

[Is that all you have to say to me?]

As if in answer to that, before long a second note placed on the floor caught her eye.

Xie Haozhu quickly reached out and picked up the second note.

「Have you been well?」

The affectionate tone made her angry. Is he still trying to play with her? Your kindness to me was just a lie. It should be a lie.

She could just tear up this kind of note. But Xie Haozhu absolutely couldn’t do that.

Like the pebbles in the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel, a note appeared one by one in front of Xie Haozhu each time she walked.

Xie Haozhu picked up the white notes placed on top one by one while walking along the path made of black sand.

「I didn’t know you’d come all the way to Korea to find me.」

「But you got involved with bad people.」

「Something bad will happen if you stay here.」

His words in the notes still contained affectionate concern for her.

A person who had no right to be affectionate dared to be affectionate.

And the wagtail’s guidance was like that too. The CCTVs that would capture her image were covered, and all the locked doors were unlocked.

There was no one blocking her way either.

This building that had been like an iron fortress tormenting her for days had somehow become a miserable cage that even a child could easily escape from.

[So what, are you saying you came to rescue me? Then you should appear in front of me directly, not with these notes.]

As if in answer to that, the next note appeared.

「I’m sorry I can’t appear in person.」

「But you know.」

Will you be waiting for me at the end of this path? The thought she had when she first picked up the note was trampled by the next note.

「Because I can’t die by your hands yet.」

At that note, Xie Haozhu laughed as if dumbfounded.

[Looking at this, it really seems like you want to die by my hands. When you have no such intention, when you don’t have the courage to come meet me. With that attitude, why did you come to save me?]

Xie Haozhu who said that wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. This isn’t tears. It’s just water flowing because I’m angry, yeah. That’s right. There’s no way I’d cry because of someone like you.

At some point, far enough away that the prison-like building was no longer visible.

The wagtail sat on the last note and then disappeared.

As if this was the journey permitted to it.

Xie Haozhu sensed this was the last note Shen had sent.

「So until next time, stay healthy.」

A selfish person to the end.

[Is there a next time for us?]

Xie Haozhu clenched her teeth holding that note. She absolutely couldn’t forgive the man who had stirred up her heart like this once again.

When she finally managed to compose her emotions and got up, she felt a presence behind her. What appeared in front of Xie Haozhu who turned her head was a woman panting.

“N-nice to meet you!”

Nam Ju-hyeon shed tears while forcing a smile at the girl looking at her with a fierce expression.

“I’m N who will help you settle in Korea!”

Damn it, I shouldn’t have joined hands with those Weltschmerz bastards.

* * *

Han Seo-hyeon, who safely handed over Xie Haozhu to Nam Ju-hyeon, turned on the radio.

“Boss, we’re done now.”

But there was no answer from the voice over the radio.

“As expected…”

Han Seo-hyeon clenched his fist. Something definitely happened earlier! It’s not nothing!

“This guy really!”

“Still no contact?”

“Yeah! I really won’t let him off this time.”

At those words, Kim Jae-ho asked slyly:

“Should I punch him once?”

At those words, Han Seo-hyeon glanced at Kim Jae-ho’s fist. He wanted to ask him to hit just once, but Kim Jae-ho’s fist…

‘It’s not human.’

If he gets hit by something like that, Boss’s height will shrink by 5cm. Because his neck will dig into his body.

“Never mind, I’ll just scold him a bit.”

“It doesn’t seem like it’ll work with words.”

At Kim Jae-ho’s words, Han Seo-hyeon closed his eyes tightly. Though his thoughts were the same, he still couldn’t discipline him with beatings.

“No, should I really hit him just once?”

“Let’s hit him just once.”

“Haah… I’ll really kill him if he’s hurt again somewhere.”

I’ll kill him even if he’s not hurt. I’ll kill him anyway. Han Seo-hyeon who suppressed the murderous intent rising from inside drew up black magic power.

The location of the ring on Kang Yi-sin’s finger started to be clearly drawn in his mind.

“Let’s go catch him for now.”

“Okay.”

The two people’s figures disappeared in an instant.

* * *

‘Ugh!’

How did things end up like this.

I quickly ducked my head avoiding the incoming fist. There was a sound of the air being torn with a whoosh. If I had been hit properly, my ribs would have broken right there.

Jeong Ho-san was throwing punches at me without any hesitation.

I succeeded in intervening between Do Chae-hee and Jeong Ho-san and rescuing(?) Cha Song-jin, but the problem was that Jeong Ho-san started rushing at me.

“Weltschmerz!”

If this were the PoXmon world, Jeong Ho-san’s name would definitely be Weltschmertzmon. It’s certain seeing how he’s been repeating only the word Weltschmerz since earlier.

Do Chae-hee who’s fiddling with her gun as if ready to shoot at any moment is a problem, but more than that, Cha Song-jin trembling behind me unable to even think about running away is a bigger problem. If only he would go somewhere far away, I could at least distance myself and run away! He’s just frozen stiff and can’t do anything!

I panted after barely avoiding the fist flying at me. Ray cut in as if frustrated:

—What are you doing not using your ability?

‘What if he gets hurt if I do that!’

The only techniques I’ve learned are ones aimed at people’s lives. I only have serious full power punches! At this rate I’ll end up like a clumsy trainer who kills the PockeX by mistake while trying to catch PoXmon!

—What’s this PoXmon thing you’ve been using as an example?

I had no time to respond to Ray’s words as I had to roll on the ground. Jeong Ho-san’s fist pierced through the space where I had been just a moment ago.

Fortunately, thanks to the mask that Professor Geum had properly upgraded, Jeong Ho-san couldn’t recognize me even though we exchanged punches up close several times.

“Where is Kang Yi-sin?”

He’s not recognizing me too much!

“If you can’t answer, step aside, I’ll ask that person.”

The ‘that person’ Jeong Ho-san was referring to was Cha Song-jin who had frozen behind me.

The problem is, because he’s too nervous, his expression and gestures have stiffened so much that it’s become a pose saying ‘Hey hey, if you want to talk to me, defeat my subordinate and come’.

‘At this rate he’s completely become a provocation scarecrow!’

The already serious mode Jeong Ho-san seems to have gotten about 5% stronger.

Of all people to run into. I clicked my tongue.

I want to get out of here right away, but it was nearly impossible to distance myself while not hurting Jeong Ho-san and Do Chae-hee.

I have no choice but to buy time until Kim Jae-ho and Han Seo-hyeon come.

I clung to Jeong Ho-san’s clothes as he tried to push me aside. But that was only for a moment. His hand blade flew at my wrist.

“Kuh!”

Didn’t it have a knife-proof function! The impact wasn’t reduced at all. The wrist bone cracked from the collision just now.

I quickly drew up magic power. My wrist bone was regenerating, but Jeong Ho-san was still fiercely driving me back.

“I have no business with you. So let me go. I said I have something to talk about with that person.”

And a fierce hook came in. It was a hook in a state where he was stuck close to me, so there was no space to avoid. I raised my forearm to defend. Though I deflected the attack, there was an ominous sound from my forearm this time too.

“Ugh.”

My bones are breaking every time we collide. Is this human!

He’s become much more of a monster than at the academy. I tried to grab Jeong Ho-san’s ankles by moving the soil, but the mound of earth just collapsed with one stomp of Jeong Ho-san’s foot.

—My goodness, what strength…

‘Jeong Ho-san is still staying at 6th grade because of lack of experience.’

If he had accumulated a little more experience, Jeong Ho-san would have risen to 7-star grade. Though his potential is A-grade talent, Jeong Ho-san always drew out more than his potential through bone-grinding training.

It’s not for nothing he was counted among the top prospects even at Babel Academy.

Physical enhancement was one of the talents easily underestimated. I’ve seen many people sneer that it just makes the body a little stronger.

There are actually people who fit that evaluation.

But Jeong Ho-san was different.

Because Jeong Ho-san knew how to handle his body perfectly.

“Kut!”

The mask I had just received was almost turned to powder. I quickly ducked my head. While ducking, I stretched out my leg aiming for his lower body.

But as if he had predicted my movement, Jeong Ho-san kicked off the ground and rose into the air. And immediately after, a descending kick.

Jeong Ho-san’s foot was so fast that the air time was almost zero.

An ordinary person would have had their spine broken in two by him here, but I barely avoided him. I didn’t dodge by seeing the movement, but by predicting it.

It was a technique I often used at the academy too.

The problem is that my movements will be familiar to him too.

So I need to move as un-me-like as possible.

I desperately imitated Kim Jae-ho’s movements. Since I had learned his movements by clashing bodies with him several times recently, the imitation wasn’t difficult.

But imitation is just imitation. At this rate, my body will turn to powder faster.

I grabbed the dagger strapped to my thigh and threw it.

—Didn’t you say earlier you didn’t want to hurt him?

‘This is trust dagger throwing.’

—Don’t attach the name trust to strange things!

‘This is ‘I knew you would dodge it’ dagger throwing.’

—That’s the same thing!

As I expected, Jeong Ho-san caught the dagger without difficulty. And he threw it back at me.

No way.

—Is this trust dagger throwing too?

‘No!’

Damn it. I almost got a hole in my chest. The dagger that grazed my body stuck into the tree behind.

Now that I look at it, though he threw it towards me, the dagger was aimed precisely at Cha Song-jin behind.

Is Cha Song-jin okay?

—He’s not hurt! It just grazed him.

‘Grazed?’

Blood was flowing from Cha Song-jin’s shoulder. Cha Song-jin was placing his hand on his shoulder with a dazed face.

Oh no, Jeong Ho-san pounced on me as my attention was drawn to Cha Song-jin. We punched each other frantically. While rolling on the ground, I took several hits from Jeong Ho-san.

Each time, my breath was choked and groans leaked out. He’s just ridiculously strong. I almost lost my mind from the pain.

‘But he’s still controlling his strength.’

—This is controlling his strength?

If Jeong Ho-san had hit me seriously, I would be coughing up blood and rolling on the ground by now.

Jeong Ho-san who got on top of my body grabbed my collar. I raised my hands to try to remove his hands, but soon my wrists were grabbed and slammed to the ground.

“Kuk.”

As I barely exhaled while pinned under him, Jeong Ho-san stared intently at my face. What he’s seeing is probably a black mask with nothing drawn on it, but it was a persistent gaze as if looking directly at the face under the mask.

He placed his hand on my mask. No, not that. I tried to shake my body to shake him off, but it was futile.

Eventually the mask covering my face fell to the ground. My bare face was fully exposed.

“Y-Yi-sin?”

He let go of my collar with a shocked face after confirming my face. My body fell to the ground with a thud.

“Haa, haa…”

He was trembling his hands with a face full of shock.

“H-how are you, here…”

“Of course I should come when our boss is here.”

“You.”

At that moment, black sand engulfed Jeong Ho-san’s face.

“Uck!”

When Jeong Ho-san was flustered by the sand engulfing him, I pushed him away and stepped back.

“You really can’t take your eyes off him.”

It’s the appearance of the eagerly awaited savior.

“Wait, wait! Don’t run away! Please talk to me!”

Our eyes met through the sand. Jeong Ho-san was looking at me with a face as if he had been betrayed.

Run away, run away.

I realized from his words.

Perhaps our fates were decided like this from the moment we encountered each other in front of the illegal Gate.

“I’m not running away, I’m going back.”

That’s right.

I had a place to return to.

I turned my gaze towards Cha Song-jin. Han Seo-hyeon who noticed my gaze pulled Cha Song-jin with sand.

“The place I need to be is by those people’s side.”

While Jeong Ho-san’s attention was drawn to the sand, I created a huge stream of water dividing me and Jeong Ho-san.

“Ugh.”

My whole body ached just from momentarily diverting magic power to call forth the water stream. Sand supported me as I staggered.

After regaining my senses, I immediately changed the water stream to ice. A huge ice wall. Even Jeong Ho-san won’t be able to break it easily.

I asked Han Seo-hyeon while hiding behind the ice wall:

“Where’s Jae-ho?”

“Here.”

I grasped the hand sticking out of the shadow and nodded towards Cha Song-jin.

“What are you doing, let’s go home right now.”