I'm Not Your Dad, I'm a Villain - Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Tough Outside, Soft Inside

***

“…So, you’re here too.”

But misunderstandings can wait.

What matters now is the information that can shorten the search time, considering how much time has already been wasted. The man in front of me likely understands this situation better than I do.

“Of course. There are many heroes from Spirit Entertainment here.”

“Where are the other team members?”

“They’re securing escape routes and engaging the traitors. Though most are C-Class, I personally trained them, so they won’t easily fall to those roiders. You can rest assured.”

“Well, that’s good to hear.”

I matched his words with half-hearted agreement.

The safety of the bodyguard team isn’t my concern. It’s just convenient if they help subdue the situation.

“By the way, I heard you’re Suzuki’s manager. Why didn’t you evacuate…? Oh, are you looking for Suzuki?”

Choi Gi-yeol asked, just in case.

Though I’m searching for someone else, I nodded at his words.

“Let’s say I am.”

It’s better to convince him to lower his guard.

Of course, it’s not that I don’t care about Kana. But my priority lies elsewhere.

I need to understand what Seolhwa’s involvement is in this situation, even if Anatomy isn’t.

“Do you know where Kana is?”

Hiding my true intentions, I asked out of courtesy. Choi Gi-yeol answered seriously.

“Suzuki is currently fighting Femme Fatale outside the castle.”

“…Femme Fatale?”

Femme Fatale? Is he talking about the Femme Fatale Familia I know?

“Seems like you know her.”

“…Who wouldn’t? That woman.”

Just stepping outside, you’ll see her face plastered on countless commercials. But my reason for not underestimating her is due to facing her directly during the Great War three years ago.

She single-handedly held off minions until Heavenly Demon joined the fray. Her presence allowed our unit’s operation to be thwarted, leading to Seolhwa and Heavenly Demon’s duel.

However, her abilities back then were merely for ‘stalling.’

While her binding abilities were exceptional, they wouldn’t hold against someone as strong as Spiritas.

“It’s hard to believe, but she’s the mastermind behind this incident.”

Indeed, if not for Hell Scout’s drugs.

To think it’s not Seolhwa, but the most senior hero on the hero side orchestrating this chaos.

“Why on earth…?”

“I don’t know. But from interrogating a few along the way, they said it was she who informed them about the drug.”

Damn, this is the worst.

Kana may be S-Class but she’s still inexperienced.

If a veteran hero with over 30 years of experience has reached a level equal to her, the outcome of that fight is uncertain.

“Wait, you’re not thinking of going to Suzuki, are you?”

As I turned to leave, Choi Gi-yeol called out to me.

I paused momentarily, then looked back at him.

“I have to. I’m her manager.”

“I understand the concern, but it’s pointless. As much as I hate to say it, Suzuki is a hero in a different league from us.”

Ah, right.

I thought the same initially.

She inherited the power of someone called Heavenly Demon.

She wouldn’t fall easily to any opponent. I believed we’d meet again with a smile regardless of who she faced.

“Rather than that, why not join me in evacuating the remaining people…”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

But this isn’t about power, it’s about mindset.

She may be strong, but unlike Femme Fatale, she’s still an immature hero.

“That kid… Spiritas is the weakest hero I’ve ever seen. I can’t leave her alone.”

“What…?”

I had no intention of explaining further.

Turning my back on Choi Gi-yeol, I crossed the bloodstained hall and began ascending the stairs to the higher parts of the castle.

As Choi Gi-yeol said, there’s probably nothing I can do.

‘Then show that fool what you think is fundamental, old man.’

But at least I need to see how the fight is unfolding.

I have that obligation.

‘What you think… a true hero is.’

She has a genuine desire to become a hero.

Even if by chance, I had already responded to that desire.

-Crash!

Upon reaching the terrace above, I saw dust rising fiercely in the distance.

Soil and trees were being torn apart from a powerful impact.

“What are you doing, you idiot? Do you think I played along with you to see this!?”

Seeing her body collapsing at the center of that scene, my teeth ground in frustration.

“You shouldn’t be falling here.”

That person shouldn’t be the one to defeat you.

So, get up.

Show me what you’re capable of.

-Boom!

Despite my desperate wishes.

With an explosion in the forest, her body was sent flying into the air.

***

“Cough.”

After crashing to the ground, Spiritas coughed heavily.

Rolling several times through the forest, her body was battered and bruised.

Her clothes were almost torn to shreds, and beneath the dirt covering her body were bruises.

-Boom!

In contrast, her opponent remained composed.

The trees around reacted to her Gift, extending their branches towards Spiritas like whips.

-Swish, thud!

Dodging attacks from all directions, Spiritas leaped between the trees, breaking through obstacles with her body while keeping her target in sight.

Lit by the moon in the night sky, she focused on the figure reigning at the center of the forest.

“It was smart to lure me out of the castle.”

Femme Fatale Familia.

Seated on a high root connected to her body, she taunted the fallen Spiritas.

“My abilities are specialized in range. If I had attacked civilians, I could’ve killed everyone in that castle in less than 10 minutes.”

“How can you say that…”

-Boom!

Sharp roots erupted from the ground, forcing Spiritas to dodge. Giant Venus flytraps began closing in on her.

-Snap!

The flytraps tried to dissolve her with acidic secretion, but Spiritas exploded her superpower, blowing them away.

However, the sight of the now even more twisted forest was overwhelming.

The sense of facing an environment turned hostile was incomparable to facing thousands of soldiers.

“It’s unfortunate. Outside the castle, the environment favors me.”

Her Gift, Gaia Bless, allows her to assimilate her body with the earth, increasing her range of influence. The more plants there are, the more potent her Gift becomes.

Her abilities were further enhanced by Hell Scout’s drug.

For a superhuman relying solely on physical might, a veteran who manipulates the environment is the worst opponent.

“…Whew.”

Nevertheless, Spiritas steadied herself, maintaining the standoff despite her battered state.

“Aren’t you curious?”

Seeing her pitiful state, Femme Fatale sighed, placing a hand on her chin.

“Curious about what?”

“Why I did this.”

“If you were going to say, you would’ve said it already.”

“True. I’ve told many people, but none of them understood.”

This newbie would be the same.

No, as a newbie, she would likely deny her words even more.

After all, everything she believed in was built on a foundation of lies.

“But I’m curious about you. Because you’re ‘his successor.'”

Femme Fatale’s narrowing eyes.

Her gaze held many emotions.

The eyes of an adult looking at a child.

A senior looking at a junior.

An elder viewing the remaining youth. And…

“Why do you fight so hard?”

The eyes of someone filled with pity, seeing another ruin themselves by taking on excessive responsibility.

-Boom!

In response to the question, a superpowered punch came flying.

But the punch was nullified by tangled vines, and razor-sharp petals spread towards Spiritas sprinting through the forest.

“As someone who has walked the same path before you, I advise… There’s something more important to a hero than power or a sense of justice.”

She pitied the woman who could only run miserably.

“That something is conviction.”

Even while trying to seize an opportunity to counterattack, Femme Fatale couldn’t help but pity her.

“Whether it’s eliminating evil, rescuing lives, seeking honor or fame, one must have a clear goal to exert their will.”

The woman before her, though strong, showed no leisure or passion.

The lack of something to grant her those qualities was evident through this fight.

“Whatever conviction you hold, it must be clear. Vague and ambiguous ideals like ‘pursuing justice’ will only leave you swayed by everything around you.”

Was it because she didn’t want to acknowledge this?

Despite her desperate effort, Spiritas couldn’t break Femme Fatale’s rooted barrier.

The deep-rooted, thick roots were like a wall.

Instead, she was thrown back by the recoil.

As Femme Fatale looked down at the fallen Spiritas, she waved her hand, and a nearby root lifted Spiritas high into the air.

“Even now, while fighting me, your focus is on that hall, isn’t it?”

As they reached eye-level, Femme Fatale glanced at the castle behind Spiritas.

The place where the heroes who agreed to cooperate with her remained.

They had promised to massacre those in the hall in exchange for linking them to the company supplying the drug.

“Do you think you can save them and deal with me? Such dreams are too grand for your capacity. Don’t you realize that saying you’ll do everything is arrogance?”

-Boom!

As Spiritas was thrown to the ground by the root.

Femme Fatale, about to deliver the final blow, paused, withdrawing her hand.

The branches retreated. Looking down at the battered hero, her gaze was even more pitying.

“So first, realize what you need to sacrifice. Build your conviction piece by piece…”

Yes, she too is a victim of society.

If she realizes this, she might become someone like herself.

“Gradually understand. How ridiculous society’s justice is, and how foolish it is to live up to public expectations.”

A whisper tinged with a modest hope.

Hearing it, Spiritas began to turn her empty gaze skyward.

The sky filled with stars seen through the trees.

A large moon at the center.

‘Are you the one to succeed me?’

Seeing the moon, a face began to emerge in her mind.

A man as grand as the moon and brighter than any star.

‘Nice to meet you, Kana. My name is Marjack. I’m the one who’ll make you a hero.’

That name was Marjack Colson.

A hero loved by the most people in Pangea’s history.

And now…

Now an idol of everyone, including herself, who could never be seen again.

End of Chapter