I'm Not Your Dad, I'm a Villain - Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Ants

It had been nearly half a day since we wandered around the city.

At some point, the sky was filled with the hues of sunset, and the bustling downtown was becoming even more lively with people preparing for nighttime revelry.

“The day went by so quickly.”

“Yes, it really was a short day.”

As we walked home, the Boss firmly held my hand.

In her other hand was a stuffed rabbit, which I had won for her from a claw machine we passed by earlier.

At first, the Boss tried her hand at it, but it didn’t go as planned.

“This is frustrating. I intended to spend time for your sake today, but instead, I received a gift because of my inexperience…”

“Please don’t worry about it. I’m just grateful we got to spend the day together.”

Yes, today wasn’t just about winning the stuffed toy.

We went to a café and had drinks, visited the famous street food alley popular on social media, and watched a newly released movie at the cinema…

Thanks to the Boss, I got to experience all the things I missed out on during the busy past three years.

Even if I didn’t discover a new hobby, the initial goal of ‘cultural experience’ was thoroughly achieved.

“Look, that’s a wolf.”

Feeling satisfied during our walk along the riverside, the Boss pointed to something and spoke to me.

A wolf?

Why would there be a wolf by the riverside in the middle of a big city?

-Bark! Bark!

Oh, that’s what she meant.

“…It’s a puppy, not a wolf.”

Come here, good boy…

The puppy ran to its owners, who were clicking their tongues and calling it. Rolling around and showing affection, the scene was heartwarming to watch.

“So, it’s a creature different from a wolf.”

But it seemed the Boss didn’t find such cuteness endearing.

Instead, she squinted, observing the differences between the puppy and a wolf.

“Do you have an interest in pets?”

Noticing her prolonged interest, I asked the Boss.

She continued to watch the puppy intently.

Her mouth opened when her gaze shifted from the puppy to its owner.

“I’m interested in what’s around that child’s neck.”

“…What?”

Around its neck?

The collar?

“I think it’s best to use a leash to prevent situations like before…”

“…”

“It was a joke.”

“Oh, right. Haha…”

Oh, it was a joke.

I loosened my tie slightly, feeling a bit constricted, and continued walking.

Even as we walked, the Boss’s gaze remained fixed on the gathering of puppies.

“Still, they seem happy.”

The riverside was getting crowded with people walking their pets.

Seeing this, a faint smile began to form on the Boss’s lips.

“Those creatures must have received a lot of love.”

“Yes, that’s what pets are for.”

“But it’s strange. For humans, being bound by the neck is an agony in itself.”

“…”

“…No, thinking about it, humans aren’t so different from them.”

I turned to look at the Boss as she continued speaking.

She was now focused on the playful puppies, observing more than enjoying.

She was trying to understand why and how they developed their current behavior.

“Someone born in freedom would see freedom as everything, but those born in captivity would see the world inside as their everything. If the fence falls one day, they might feel the world collapsing.”

It wasn’t entirely wrong… No, it was quite accurate.

Even when slavery existed long ago, it was the slaves who opposed its abolition, wasn’t it?

For those raised in confinement, the idea of living on their own without orders or guarantees was terrifying.

“Perhaps what humans call happiness comes from ignorance. Believing that the world they know is the limit means they can avoid potential threats.”

“…Yes, that’s true.”

I was sincerely agreeing with the Boss.

Look at this street. They believe this place is safe, so they walk around with such happy faces, don’t they?

Hero Land, Miss Heroine Contest, and other places…

Despite large-scale terror events shaking public sentiment, they walk around believing their daily lives will last forever.

Unaware of how much information about their lives is controlled.

Unaware of what happens out of sight and how the repercussions will unfold.

…It’s so disgusting to those who know the truth.

“If you have anything to say, go ahead.”

Dwelling on that disgust, the Boss suddenly spoke to me.

“There are no prying eyes here.”

At some point, the sun had set, and only the streetlights illuminated the lakeside.

Looking around, I saw no sign of people.

“…Boss.”

Yes, here I could say anything without issue.

“Forgive my impertinence, but may I ask you one thing?”

“Go ahead.”

The Boss always showed me mercy.

Swallowing my dry throat, I asked her.

“Regarding humans…”

Today.

What I felt during the day she led. My doubts or perhaps anxieties, voiced with a trembling tone.

“You haven’t grown fond of humanity, have you?”

But I had to be clear.

“…Fondness.”

The Boss quietly propped her chin on her hand at my words.

Unlike me, she didn’t seem troubled at all.

Her demeanor was similar to when she watched the puppies playing… To her, my question was probably on that level.

She is the Apostle of Destruction. A cosmic being who descended to this land to destroy what humanity has achieved.

The idea of her growing fond of humanity is absurd, isn’t it?

“Bread, have you ever felt sympathy for an ant?”

A completely unexpected question.

“…What?”

“I asked if you’ve ever felt sympathy for a tiny being compared to you.”

“…”

Why did she ask that?

Unable to understand its significance, I stood stunned as the Boss gave a bitter smile and looked down at her hand.

“Bread, while you were gone, I attended school and experienced many things. Unlike just seeing with my eyes, I interacted directly with people, facing everything they did without distortion.”

Her small fingers twitched at her will.

It’s a very weak and small hand.

I could feel that clearly through the hand I held.

“During that time, I saw children lingering near an anthill in the playground.”

But now, that hand was a medium to recall her memories.

“They were ruthlessly tearing and killing ants in their tiny hands.”

“…”

“Yes, from the moment they recognized those beings, their existence was in the hands of humans.”

Children are very innocent, and thus, they commit cruel acts without hesitation.

They don’t realize what harms them or what responsibilities come with harming others.

If they can crush it, they will, at any chance.

That’s human nature.

“But what about you?”

It’s precisely human nature, unlearned and unrestrained.

“If an ant were in your hand, what would you do with it? Would you tear it apart like those children and tell me the story with a laugh?”

“That’s…”

“No, you wouldn’t. You know that even a tiny ant is a living creature like yourself, and that their life and social structure are similar to humans.”

Such knowledge and awareness might not lead to sympathy, but it would prevent you from enjoying it purely like a child.

As the Boss said, seeing human traits in them might make you feel a similar distaste for killing as in fratricide.

Humans feeling sympathy for ants…

It’s not entirely laughable.

“But what if such a sympathetic being tried to harm you?”

The Boss spoke about this indifferently.

“If they gnawed at your house’s pillars, swarmed your food, or secreted pheromones to attract more ants… That would be very unpleasant and even threatening to your environment.”

It reveals the limits of an adult’s tolerance.

The feeling of sympathy collapses before beings of a lower order.

“Yes, the affection one feels for a different being is only that shallow.”

Not killing is merely ‘kindness born of luxury.’

To a transcendent being, my concerns are trivial before their purpose.

“Bread, I understand your worries. Indeed, I am quite fascinated by humanity.”

I realized too late.

How insignificant my question was to her.

“Their history, imagination, culture, and their vision for the future… All of that offered a different perspective than looking down from the top of the organization. Indeed, I knew nothing about them, lived as a villain without knowing, and reigned as their enemy…”

She can feel affection.

She can feel sympathy for them.

“…But such realizations are merely a standard of judgment.”

Yet her perspective remains that of a transcendent being.

“Whether to annihilate the species itself, to only destroy their civilization, to erase their history, or to obliterate this planet and remove their existence from the universe… The ‘affection’ you mentioned merely determines the scale.”

Even if she can love humanity, her nature can never extend to infinite mercy.

Yes, she will never violate her purpose.

If there’s a reason, it’s beyond the bounds of human imagination.

“But even so…”

As I felt relief, I noticed something strange.

Her hand holding mine was trembling slightly.

“Right now, I am too weak to pursue such matters.”

“…”

Silently.

I looked back at her as we walked.

At that moment, she was out of the streetlight’s glow.

Her gaze had shifted from me, making it impossible to read her expression.

“Bread.”

But her voice reached me.

I felt the tremor in her fingertips.

“Is it truly fine for you to serve someone like me?”

So I could understand.

Even as a transcendent, she was trying to understand humans, and that effort extended to expressing herself to me.

Yes, to her, humans are like ants…

What would a human inside an ant’s body be to her?

Could anyone endure that with a sound mind?

“…We’re almost at Shells Town.”

The thought alone was overwhelming.

The realization made it hard to breathe, but the Boss walked with me towards our destination.

“Yes, let’s go home. We have much to prepare for tomorrow…”

As the trembling in her hand subsided and her steps grew confident.

But I couldn’t erase the memory.

The tremor I felt when I held her hand.

Knowing it stemmed from me.

End of Chapter