Being a Villain is My True Calling

In an antiquated room exuding an elegant ambiance, a middle-aged man with graying hair and a blue-haired woman stood facing each other.

“[Is this when you depart, Ice Queen?]”
“Yes, that’s correct. Mr. Victor.”

The Ice Queen regarded Victor before deeply bowing her head.

“Although it was a brief period of around half a year, I learned a great deal as a hero.”

“[…No need to bow your head like that. It’s not as if I imparted any profound wisdom.]”

He had simply partnered with her during the hero exchange program.
He hadn’t taught her anything particularly special.

“Even if they were commonplace words to you, they proved immensely helpful for me.”

“[If you gained some realization by my side, then the credit is entirely yours. This old man merely meddled.]”

“You, an old man?”

Victor attempted to dismiss it with a shrug, but the Ice Queen wouldn’t accept that.

Victor.
A Russian hero, and…

“Among all the heroes worldwide currently, no one would refer to Mr. Victor in such a manner.”

The indisputable number one hero.

“How could I speak that way about someone assessed as the greatest hero?”

“[The number one hero, huh…]”

In the Ice Queen’s distinct gaze, Victor seemed to reminisce, staring off vacantly for a moment.

“[…In any case, I’m no remarkably outstanding hero. I’ve simply meddled a bit, that’s all.]”

“Even so, it’s undeniable that I gained invaluable lessons during this hero exchange period.”

Despite her A-rank status, she had only recently shed her ‘rookie’ label as a hero.
Rapid growth aside, compared to other top-ranked heroes, she still lacked considerable combat experience.

For the Ice Queen, Victor’s insights had helped her conduct herself befitting a seasoned hero in this brief time.

“So before departing, I should express my gratitude to the one who guided me, should I not?”

“[You’re quite stubborn…]”

The Ice Queen bowed again, her resolute demeanor prompting an amused chuckle from Victor.

“[I too enjoyed working alongside a fine hero like yourself, albeit briefly.]”

After their brief exchange, the Ice Queen turned to leave through the door.

“And…”

Pausing before exiting, she glanced back at Victor.

“Thank you for stopping me that time.”

She referred to the incident where she had nearly killed a villain, enraged by his senseless ideologies.

‘It could have ended disastrously had I erred.’

Not a mere combat misstep, but a premeditated murder committed after fully restraining the target.
The repercussions could have been severe.

‘And I almost crossed that final line as a human being.’

She still wasn’t certain about the ethics of subduing villains.
But taking a life was a matter that warranted deeper contemplation.

“I’m unsure how to repay this debt…”

“[A debt? I merely prevented a fellow hero from making a rash decision as a hero myself.]”

She had nearly rushed into an ill-considered choice without proper reflection.
Victor had intervened, leaving the Ice Queen indebted to him.

“Still, if there’s anything you desire, please let me know.”

“[Heh, you expect this old man to ask for your hard-earned money?]”
“It doesn’t have to be that…come to think of it, ‘hard-earned money’…”

Victor scoffed dismissively with a wave of his hand.

“[I possess greater strength, wealth, and connections than you could fathom.]”
“Hnng…”

The Ice Queen fell silent, unable to refute Victor’s self-assured chuckles.
His words rang true.

“[What could a youth possibly offer an old man like me?]”

“…Still, if you ever require assistance, feel free to contact me at any time.”

In truth, her aid was unlikely to prove particularly helpful.
The Ice Queen was merely one among the thousands of A-rank heroes worldwide.

Whereas Victor was universally acclaimed as the unparalleled greatest hero – surpassing her in resources, power, and influence on every conceivable level.
It seemed improbable that she could offer any meaningful support.

“……”

And yet, if there was something Victor desired from her…

“[…Next time.]”
“Yes?”
“[Next time you encounter those in need of guidance, meddle a bit like I did.]”

Revealing his aged, stubborn fixations once more.
Victor smiled at the Ice Queen.

“[That’s all I ask.]”

In the room the Ice Queen had departed from, Victor gazed at the door she had exited through.

“[The greatest…]”

He muttered her earlier words before taking a sip of whiskey.

“[An undeserving title for a coward who has merely survived.]”

Staring off vacantly as if recalling the past, he eventually let out a wry chuckle.

“Welcome, everyone, to today’s game!”

“S,save me!! Please, save me!!”
“Huwaahh…!! I’m so sorry!! Uwaaahh!!!”
“Fuck! What did I even do wrong? Huh?!”

Shrill screams erupted in response to my greeting.

“It seems we have many enthusiastic participants for this game.”

I was engaging in another act of terrorism, like any other day.

“Pollia?”
“Yes.”

At my prompting, Pollia rotated the camera using her telekinesis, directing it towards me.
I smiled wryly as it focused on my position.

“Do you see the massive barred cage prison behind me, housing the captive convicts?”

“Why are we the convicts?!”
“An excellent question.”

Responding to the booming voice from within the cage, I gestured theatrically towards it, adopting a performative tone.

“None of you here are aware of the crimes that led to your imprisonment in this place. And that itself is a crime.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?!”

As if reciting predetermined lines, the dialogue unfolded predictably, layer by layer – an almost mundane sensation.

“The documents floating here should clarify matters, shouldn’t they?”

“Th,those are…!”
“None of you can feign ignorance upon seeing these writings, as you yourselves authored them directly.”

I turned to face the hostages, my back to the camera.

“The Maker Gallery, was it? Did you truly believe villains would simply tolerate being used as human shields by you lot?”

My wry smile prompted the hostages’ faces to pale drastically.

“B,but how did you obtain our identities!!”
“That’s right! We were assured there would be no issues with our identities…!!”

Did they really place blind faith in the admin’s assurances?
Their naivete elicited an involuntary scoff from me.

‘Then again, I suppose that’s precisely why they engaged in such vile comments – a lack of intelligence coupled with an aversion to personal accountability.’

“That admin directly provided me with the data. ‘Eliminate those who have corrupted this gallery from its original purpose into a mere stress outlet, under the delusion that they won’t face consequences’…or so they said.”

“This isn’t what we were told!”
“I was deceived! If I had known this would happen, I never would have written those things!!”
“That fuckin’ rat bastard! Was selling us out this enjoyable for you?!”

While they had willingly posted those comments initially, I pondered why they now blamed the admin…
Stray thoughts emerged, but I disregarded them and proceeded with my next lines.

“In any case, I believe this suffices as an introduction for the convicts.”

“Aaahh!!”
“Next, I shall explain the consequences of defeat in this game.”
“Defeat, you say…”
“Naturally, for when the player heroes fail.”

Ttak!

With a snap of my fingers, a metal slab materialized above the cage.
Notably, the section aligning with the cage was fitted with numerous protruding spikes.

“Should you lose the game, attempt to attack me midway, or secretly try to rescue the hostages, then immediately…”

Kung!

“…you understand, don’t you? Though I doubt the hero participants would make such foolish choices, given their extensive experience.”

My theatrical smile was met with frozen, agape expressions from the hostages.
As always, I had delivered my lines flawlessly.

“Now, let me elaborate on the game itself…”

And around this point in my explanations…

“That’s far enough, Maker!!”
“You’ve arrived as expected, Phantom Luna.”

Phantom Luna would make her entrance.
A pattern bordering on routine these days.

“Just what grievance drives you to commit these acts of terrorism?”
“I harbor no particular grievances. For me, this is simply my occupation.”
“You seem awfully diligent for it being ‘just a job’!”
“There are performance bonuses involved.”

I engage in terrorism, and she comes to stop me.
A routine we’ve maintained for the past few months.

“In the name of Phantom Luna, I will definitely apprehend you today!”
“You’re spirited as always, I see.”
“And as a bonus, I’ll capture Eclipse too, rendering you unemployed!”

It seemed even she had grown accustomed to treating this as mundane, her previously rigid demeanor now allowing her to joke with me so casually.

‘At this rate, we might even start having casual conversations.’

An inexplicable sense of dissonance struck me momentarily.
Was this truly befitting the relationship between a villain and a hero?

“In any case…please proceed, Phantom Luna. You can’t neglect rescuing the civilians, can you?”

At my words, Phantom Luna approached me.

“The game is simple. You, the hero, will face the three tiers of villains I’ve prepared.”

What followed was straightforward.
Due to my threats and the hostages, Phantom Luna had no choice but to participate in the game.

“Haaah!”
“Kwick!”
“Blast her away! Gale Force!”

I had coerced (kidnapped) villains into combat against her through dialogue (threats).
Phantom Luna put up a spirited display, as always.

“Hmm.”

And yet, it felt somewhat unsatisfying.

‘She does seem to be gradually growing stronger…’

While undoubtedly becoming more formidable, her rate of growth felt sluggish compared to my expectations.

“Kyaah!”

As anticipated, Phantom Luna was being gradually overwhelmed.

“At this rate, there’s no way you’ll be able to rescue the civilians.”

“Quiet…you!! Maker!!”

What was the issue…?

A form of burnout, perhaps?
Or maybe a dopamine deficiency?

In any case, my mind wandered briefly, seemingly jaded by this mundane routine.

‘…I suppose the relentless terrorism has taken its toll recently.’

I arrived at a realization.

A lack of tension.
Not just for the hero, but for me as well.

‘These acts of terror have become so commonplace, devoid of any sense of urgency.’

How could one derive excitement or growth from such routine occurrences?
This self-realization promptly dispelled the pervading sense of boredom.

‘Something unfamiliar is needed.’

Unfamiliarity, or novelty.
Failing that, I would need to artificially recreate a sense of crisis once more.
I did have a grand scheme in preparation… but the players were still insufficient to proceed with that narrative.

What to do?

“M,Maker sir!”

As I pondered, a voice called out to me.
It belonged to one of the villains I had abducted from the streets for this act of terror.

“I…I won!”
“Ah, so you have.”

The villain regarded me with an elated expression.

“C,can I go home now? I did as you asked, so…”

Phantom Luna had already collapsed to the ground, sprawled in defeat.
Through the butterfly-shaped eyeholes of her mask, her gaze was firmly fixed on me.

“……”

It seemed I had identified one reason for this loss of tension.

“You have been defeated in this game, Phantom Luna.”

I smiled wryly as I continued speaking.

“Pollia. Release your telekinesis at once. She has lost, so the penalty must be enforced, mustn’t it?”

“…!!”

So the tension has dissipated?
Then I shall reintroduce a sense of urgency.