Although a Villain, My Wish is World Peace

Seeing the two people trying to enter the Awakener Crimes Department building, I jumped up from my seat. I couldn’t let those two go inside there.

“Damn it. Stay here. Don’t think about running away.”

I put the mask I had brought in advance on Cha Song-jin.

“W-why the mask…”

“Stay still.”

I wasted time because he struggled. I grabbed Cha Song-jin’s chin and turned it this way and that. Good, I put it on perfectly.

Cha Song-jin was startled at suddenly having a mask put on.

“D-did you just put a mask on my face? Wh-what are you trying to do?”

“This is near the Awakener Crimes Department’s base. The villains of the Top might be around too. So we need to hide your face.”

“Eek!”

There was a high possibility they would come here to rescue the villains here. So protecting Cha Song-jin comes first.

I tapped the mask Cha Song-jin was wearing to make a face appear. It should be fine since it’s a moderately ordinary face when seen from afar.

“Just stay here for now.”

“Stay still…”

After saying that, I quickly came down the slope while wearing my share of the mask.

I couldn’t let them meet Jeong Ho-san and the kids like that. Especially when they’re already having strange misunderstandings.

—It’s not really a misunderstanding, is it?

‘It is a misunderstanding.’

I drew up magic power and moved my steps following Do Chae-hee and Jeong Ho-san along the slope while hiding my body.

The two were trying to enter through the back of the Awakener Crimes Department.

I frowned looking at Jeong Ho-san and Do Chae-hee. Why did those two come here?

To enter the Awakener Crimes Department? Was there a reason it had to be today, at this time?

Really bad luck.

I took out the radio.

“How’s it going there?”

[It’s going well without any problems. How about there?]

“Well, there’s no problem at all here.”

Except that Jeong Ho-san and Do Chae-hee are about to approach the building you’re in.

—Wouldn’t it be better to just speak honestly?

‘If I do that, they’ll probably abandon everything and come to meet me.’

Han Seo-hyeon and Kim Jae-ho infiltrated the front side of the Awakener Crimes Department building. This was the completely opposite side, so if we do well, we might be able to hide that Jeong Ho-san and Do Chae-hee came here.

‘I’ll reveal it when the Xie Haozhu rescue operation is completely over.’

Nothing has happened yet anyway. Thinking that, I glanced back slightly.

“Damn it.”

Cha Song-jin had disappeared.

[What? What happened?]

“No, it’s nothing.”

[When Boss says that, something has definitely happened.]

This is why sharp kids are!

“I think we need to change the rendezvous point a bit.”

[What on earth happened?]

“You can tell where I am with the ring, right?”

[Boss.]

“See you later.”

I quickly cut off communication.

—From my perspective, it seems like you’re testing how to make Han Seo-hyeon angry.

“Then should I speak honestly? I lost Cha Song-jin while being distracted?”

I grumbled while coming down the slope.

—Didn’t he run away using his ability?

“No, he probably didn’t do that.”

Even if he ran away using his ability, the place he’d arrive is our base.

As if proving my words, Cha Song-jin’s traces remained intact on the hill.

The snow that fell recently became Cha Song-jin’s downfall.

“Where is there a person who runs away leaving footprints like this?”

I sighed at Cha Song-jin’s actions. Even if he hates us, still. Running away without any plan.

—What are you going to do?

“I have to go catch Cha Song-jin.”

Cha Song-jin has come to know too much. To begin with, I gave him too much information thinking I’d bring him to our side…

It’s a sorry thing to say to Cha Song-jin, but now he’s become someone who absolutely can’t be let go without proper measures.

—What about your friend?

“Hmm.”

I glanced back slightly.

“I’ll have to hope the kids finish their work as quickly as possible and come out.”

* * *

“Huff, huff.”

Cha Song-jin ran frantically while exhaling rough breaths.

He had to escape from here.

The Weltschmerz he saw was a bit different from the villains widely known to the world, but they were still guys who could kill people if things went wrong.

He didn’t know when they might get rid of him because they didn’t like him.

‘I can’t trust those people.’

This is the Awakener Crimes Department. No matter how much Weltschmerz they are, they can’t cause a commotion here. …Probably.

‘I don’t want to be dragged around by villains anymore.’

Life at the Weltschmerz base wasn’t that bad. That was the problem. Compared to staying at the Top before, that life was like heaven, and without realizing it, he thought ‘This might be okay’!

Maybe that’s a plot Weltschmerz devised.

Don’t they want to become the same side like this gradually? After making him get attached like that, they’ll make him do terrible things.

By that time, no one in this world will believe Cha Song-jin’s words.

You’re the same guy too! You lived well there, and now you say you’re different from those guys? Lies!

They would surely say such things.

Weltschmerz’s leader said he would let him go someday, but Cha Song-jin didn’t take those words literally.

It’s Weltschmerz, not anyone else.

‘Even teaching me English recently is suspicious. Are they trying to sell me to a foreign country?’

Plus, he had come to know too much. To the point where he thought they wouldn’t let him go willingly. Being sold as a foreign slave, or being brainwashed to become Weltschmerz, or disappearing without a trace at some point.

No matter how much he racked his brains, those three were the only futures that came to mind for himself, and Cha Song-jin didn’t like any of the three.

So he had to run away.

‘Let’s run away to a safe place for now.’

Since he changed his face too, the villains of the Top probably won’t recognize him.

How long had he run like that.

“Wait a moment!”

At the voice calling him from behind, Cha Song-jin turned around while panting.

* * *

It was just when he put his hand on the back door of the Awakener Crimes Department building. Jeong Ho-san frowned at the sound reaching his ears.

“Didn’t you just hear a strange sound?”

“A strange sound?”

Jeong Ho-san turned his head back. When he enhanced his hearing by raising his magic power, that sound was heard a bit more clearly. The sound of someone breathing anxiously and running away from something at full speed.

“You said there are absolutely no passersby near here, right?”

“Yes. The Awakener Crimes Department building itself prohibits civilians from entering.”

At those words, Jeong Ho-san narrowed his eyes.

It might be nothing, but he didn’t want to ignore the unsettling feeling.

But if not today, at this time, it might be difficult to meet Weltschmerz’s witness.

But if someone really needs help…

Jeong Ho-san stopped his momentary hesitation and lowered his hand that was on the doorknob.

“We should check it out first.”

Do Chae-hee nodded at Jeong Ho-san’s words. Jeong Ho-san led Do Chae-hee to where the sound was coming from. How long had they walked like that.

They could find one clearly imprinted footprint. The moment he discovered that footprint, Jeong Ho-san increased his speed.

“Hey, wait a moment.”

When Jeong Ho-san called out like that, the man was startled. It was an ordinary face that looked to be in his 30s.

“Where on earth are you going?”

At Jeong Ho-san’s question, the man’s lips trembled. As if he wanted to say something.

At that moment, Do Chae-hee who appeared from behind shouted in a sharp voice:

“That’s the fifth fake face Weltschmerz’s leader wore!”

The misfortune that befell Cha Song-jin was that the person he encountered there happened to be Inspector Do Chae-hee who once persistently chased Weltschmerz.

* * *

And I, who saw the meeting of those three in real time, closed my eyes tightly.

I just took my eyes off those three people for a moment, why are those three like that?

‘This world clearly hates me.’

—Well, your misfortune is truly amazing to the point where it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say you receive the hatred of the whole world.

‘Would it hurt to say it’s not like that?’

Do you have to say things that turn my insides even at times like this! It’s not helpful at all.

—You said it with your own mouth.

Ray who clicked his tongue asked:

—What are you going to do?

‘There’s no choice now that it’s come to this.’

I drew up magic power.

A huge ice wall rose up between Jeong Ho-san, Do Chae-hee, and Cha Song-jin.

* * *

Xie Haozhu rolled her eyes lying in the room. The three hours a day she was held by the man called Song Cheon-gil were unpleasant, but the rest of the time spent like this was truly boring.

‘When are they going to let me go.’

Weltschmerz must really be great villains, as the man was tormenting Xie Haozhu who wouldn’t cooperate at all every day. She was gradually getting tired of his attitude that seemed like he wouldn’t let her go for life until he got the answer he wanted.

‘I wish they would just deport me.’

He threatened to deport her if she didn’t cooperate, but when she actually kept her mouth shut, he confined her in this narrow room instead of deporting her. With no way to escape.

Xie Haozhu decided to endure for now.

She didn’t want to cause trouble in Korea she had just entered.

Papa taught her that she shouldn’t cause trouble just anywhere. She learned it’s better not to use abilities when there are many people watching.

If she really wanted to use her ability, she had to make sure to handle it so no witnesses remained.

‘Can I do that?’

Since stopping the deal with God, the power that overflowed from her body disappeared without a trace.

It became impossible to do things like erasing a building with a little swing of her fist, or crushing annoying things at once like before.

Is that why?

Sometimes, very rarely, she thought about dealing with God again.

But every time, what appeared before her eyes was that man smiling with his eyes curved like a fox. Worried she might forget even a little about that man, Xie Haozhu always shook her head at God’s questions.

But she can’t keep staying like this forever.

‘What should I do.’

What should she do.

Xie Haozhu rolled around on the bed at things not resolving easily as she thought.

Maybe just one day, just one day would be okay to hand over to God.

As she continued pondering like that, a note fell in front of her.

Xie Haozhu frowned at the beautifully folded note. A note flying in from somewhere suddenly? She carefully unfolded the note.

「It’s been a while.」

Seeing the writing in that note, Xie Haozhu opened her round eyes wide. Xie Haozhu who held the note jumped up from her spot.

There was no mark at all on the small note barely the size of a palm. But Xie Haozhu knew this handwriting. It was exactly the same as the handwriting of that sentence that came up clearly even with her eyes closed after reading it hundreds, thousands of times.

“Shen!”

Xie Haozhu shouted his name like a scream. Xie Haozhu who got up from her spot examined the ceiling where the note fell from. Black sand that flowed out through the gaps started to gather at her feet.

And a black wagtail popped out from between those sand clumps. Seeing the wagtail, Xie Haozhu opened her eyes wide.

[Shen, is it you?]

The bird flapped its wings towards her as if telling her to follow.