SSS-Knight in a Hero World

Bottling his emotions, Ferris smoothly parried Evening's advances.

"You also didn't tell me you were a villain. What were you doing inside the hero's mall?" he asked, turning the question back on her.

Evening chuckled low, then slid onto the stool beside him. She raised two fingers toward the bartender.

"Scotch, neat. One for my friend, too." Her voice dripped with casual confidence as she rested her cheek against the counter, grinning at Ferris like she knew something he didn't.

Ferris's brow furrowed. I thought it was one drink per day?

Evening caught his faint head tilt and smiled knowingly. "It's alright. Long as you ask real nice, the servants'll treat you."

Her grin sharpened, but her words softened. "Even if you can't hurt 'em, it doesn't cost nothin' to be kind."

Ferris was puzzled when Evening addressed the bartender as a servant rather than a villain. You can't hurt them?

Villains are always an unruly bunch, so it doesn't make sense that they simply can't hurt them to get them to do your bidding.

Especially when it's a bartender that can make any drinks imaginable. Any egotistical villains would swarm to secure someone like that.

Other than that, there was the fact that Evening was spouting lines a hero might say—out loud, for everyone in earshot.

Yet the villains nearby only spared them a glance. The moment they recognized Miss Evening, their eyes darted away, and their hostility was reduced to mere wariness.

Ferris's lips curled faintly as he met her gaze. "Are you avoiding my question?"

"I ain't! I was just exploring the mall for some goodies," Evening explained.

Whatever those goodies were, Ferris definitely remembered Evening shooting her own villain teammates.

So it meant that killing was allowed amongst each other.

Typical villains, Ferris thought, impressed that they haven't yet slaughtered each other.

Once the bartender finished making the liquid, he slid it towards Evening and she happily helped herself. "It's my first few days here, honestly, this bar is the only thing that's impressing me."

The bartender nodded, feeling happy after the compliment. "And you're the only drinker that has impressed me so far."

"I know, right—pour some more, don't be shy!" Evening slid her half-empty glass forward. Then she turned, catching sight of Ferris's untouched drink.

"Aren't ya… gonna drink?" she asked, tilting her head with a confused gaze.

Ferris drew in a slow breath. I was never an avid drinker. Not in this life, nor the previous.

He hesitated, then steadied himself. A single drink wouldn't be enough to topple a knight's bravery anyway.

"Just once," he murmured, pulling the glass closer toward his lips.

Evening's brows shot up. "You're dry? Well, hold on now—

To her horror, Ferris downed the entire thing in a single gulp, ignoring flavor, burn, and all the vile aftereffects.

It sucks! That's the only word Ferris could describe it.

The bartender shook his head in disappointment, even some of the villains who were only allowed one drink per day grieved at the waste.

But even then, Ferris controlled his expression, only releasing a bit of discomfort that Evening could somewhat detect.

"Are you alright, friend?" Evening was genuinely concerned.

"A little bit," Ferris honestly said, trying to ignore the sensations in his mouth.

Miss Evening flicked her fingers at the bartender. "Get 'em some sodas—his friend too please."

The bartender paused, weighing it over, but eventually chose to ease Ferris's burning taste buds.

Ferris accepted the glass, though Judas only half-smiled, disappointed that nothing could beat his stolen orange juice.

Evening, meanwhile, downed her drink faster, as though rushing to repent for her little mischief.

Watching her sip with that oddly guilty air left Ferris faintly amused, yet it also deepened his suspicion.

These weren't the characteristics of a villain. At least, not the kind he'd been expecting.

After Ferris somewhat cleared his taste buds from the aftertaste, he recalled what Evening said a few sentences before.

She said it's her first few days here, has this place been here for a long time?

It made sense since the cesspit he was in seemed more worn out than expected.

Ferris asked a question, it couldn't hurt to ask a risky one. "How long has this place existed for?"

He faced Evening who was currently raining her glass on her mouth.

To not disturb the lady from her drinking, the bartender took over with answering the question.

"Nobody truly knows the exact date, but I have been here for almost a year," the bartender informed Ferris as he stashed away their empty drinks.

Kidnapping? Ferris drew to that conclusion.

The bartender noticed the slight changes in Ferris's expression. "I've been kidnapped, just like the rest of the servants. Thankfully, due to Lilith's curse given to everyone here except us, the villains can't lay a finger on us."

Curse? Ferris wanted to know that kind of curse it was, and who Lilith was. One of the proctors?

The bartender cleared his throat. "Their psychology's been altered. Even thinking about hurting us triggers a burning pain... at least, that's what I know from hear say.

And, Lilith's the one with goat horns in case you were curious, she comes to this city often, it's like her playground. But since this is a special week, she'll be extending her visit.

And if I'm not mistaken, she came here with two foreigners"

Ferris twitched a little. "Is your blessing reading people's minds?" He obviously joked.

"I don't need a blessing for such a thing. After managing this bar and seeing the depths of human emotions that happen in this pool, I've gotten pretty good at reading people's inner thoughts."

The bartender made a claw gesture with one hand, and tapped it on the counter thrice. "You're a hero, correct?"

Before Ferris could even tense up, the bartender eased the situation. "I've rewritten the chemical structure of the drinks I made just now. They dull certain parts of the brain. No one in this bar can hear us, no matter how hard they try. So please speak freely"

Ferris sighed, but it was shaky. Locking eyes with the bartender was the only way Ferris could tell if the bartender was lying.

There was no sleight harbored in his gaze. He calmed himself down before speaking. "Tell me everything I need to know."

The bartender carefully thought about what to say while serving Evening another shot.

"They call themselves the Villain Clan. From what I've heard, it was created a few years ago.

I don't exactly know who the leaders are, but they were the ones who created this place.

They sometimes kidnap various kinds of people here and pick the ones who look strong."

Other than the name of the organization behind the broken sword emblem, Ferris had already long guessed the words said by the bartender.

But Ferris continued to listen carefully.

"Back then they only took in a few groups, such as gangs or even criminal rings plucked directly from prison.

Apparently, there's still some scattered groups here that have existed since the creation of this place.

Usually, the recruitment process is as easy as collecting fingers from kills, but since they started bringing in hero examinees, you only need to kill one to pass."

Ferris stopped the bartender to ask a question.

An organization ran by villains doesn't sound like something with great management, it would be a feat in itself if they could manage every individual stuck in this city.

"How will the Villain Clan confirm it, can't they just lie?"

"That brings us to the most important place." The bartender gave another round for Evening. "The museum."