SSS-Knight in a Hero World

Ferris couldn't believe that Miss Evening would be the one to lead him to the missing boy.

There's no way that's him, right? It could be a lookalike—yes, a lookalike!

"Let's wait a bit, you can watch if you want. This guy's really popular amongst the villains," she said, finally letting go of Ferris.

Normally, Ferris would've booked it the moment he had the chance, but since the person in front of him had a high chance of being the one he was looking for, he had no choice but to stare.

But then again, it was a pleasant sight, so it wasn't that bad at all.

The villains even formed a wide circle around the man, letting him do his artwork without disturbance, only coming close to receive their order or pay.

This went on for a while. He glanced at Evening, but even she was entranced by the performance as if it were a siren.

Hey, you're supposed to pay for my meal! he thought, hoping she would remember what they were there for.

Wait a minute… Ferris questioned his own strange thoughts. Why do I want that hotdog so much?

Before Ferris could process what he was seeing, a loud voice cut through the crowd.

It came from the far side of the street.

Pushing past the onlookers was a familiar face—the same veteran villain who had failed the test.

His expression twisted with rage as he stomped toward the food stand.

Using his massive body, he loomed over the man who was completely focused on the hotdog-making process.

"I'm having a bad day. I heard you sell good food.

Make.Me.A.Hotdog."

. . .

Despite such a growling voice, the man's eyes remained steady and unchanging. However, it wasn't as if he was completely ignoring the person in front of him. "Grill's full. Wait for your turn," he answered.

"Then give one to me, one of them can wait."

As the two continued to argue, Ferris noticed a slight change in the crowd's atmosphere. His ears began to hear many hisses and backtalk from different people.

"Can someone get that guy out, I can't see shit.""Should I blast him away?""No, that would ruin the hotdogs."

At first it was mere annoyance, but it slowly degraded into a mix of sneering and amusement.

"He's probably a new guy who doesn't know the passing requirements.""Yeah, he's done for.""I want that fucking axe, so don't try anything funny!"

Hearing those words, Ferris sensed that something was about to erupt any second now.

But deep down, he doubted the missing boy was in real danger.

If this man truly was Zaku, then surviving in a city full of villains for this long was already proof enough. It would be like throwing a baby into a harsh jungle, only for that same baby to grow up and return as the king of the jungle a decade later.

"What a shitty day..." the villain whispered under his breath and turned around to face the crowd that was watching him closely.

"What the fuck are you all doing! Watching some idiot grill hotdogs!" the man raged out loud, but no one was bothered by his tantrum. "Aren't we villains?! I thought coming here was my chance to shine, but this place can suck my—

"Some of us just want to eat, ain't that simple enough?" Evening cut him off sharply, smiling as usual.

Even the other villains agreed with her statement, with some booing and shouting at the man.

Hearing such a ridiculous response, the villain turned around again. To him, the hotdog stand was the source of the problem.

Slap!

The spatula was the first to go, as the villain slapped it from the man's hand.

Ferris saw the sight, but he was actually more surprised by how the man immediately changed his expression.

Previously it was focused and sharp, but now, his face became unusually blank and unfocused from the reality he was in. Almost as if he forgot why he was grilling hotdogs.

As soon as the spatula hit the ground, the villain reached for the battle axe secured on his back and grabbed it tightly.

And just as fast as he grabbed it, he swung it down like a thunderous landslide, downwards to the man's head.

Reacting instinctively, the man raised his forearms to block it, though it was a sloppy guard. There was no way he could block a sharp blade with skin.

Damnit... Ferris was about to release his restraints, planning to grab the guy then sprint away.

Even if he wasn't sure of the person's true identity, he couldn't risk him dying.

Maybe the villains won't be suspicious if I save him. Ferris thought of that since it was clear that the villains took a liking to the man.

Ferris only had a split second to react and choose a decision, and as a knight, his choice was obvious.

He released the restrictions on his legs. Alright, I'll save—

Slice!

"!!!" Before he could even fully undo his restrictions, there was a sudden shift in the atmosphere.

And more importantly, there was a sudden shift in the man's expression.

His blank face suddenly returned to being focused.

What happened was that the moment the axe's blade made contact with his forearms, the man's eyes returned to that sun-like state of focus.

Then he immediately began disarming the villain. Literally, he shifted his body and forcefully grabbed the axe away from the villain's grip before slicing off the man's dominant arm with sheer precision.

One swing for the right arm.

One swing for the left arm.

It happened so fast that the villain had no clue what had just taken place in that short time frame.

But for Ferris, he could see everything clearly.

He's handling that weapon like an expert... Ferris praised.

After disarming the villain, the legs were next.

One swing for the left leg.

One swing for the right leg.

And before the villain's torso could hit the floor, the man twisted his body to swing the axe in a wide arc.

This time, instead of using the sharp edge, he used the flat side of the war axe.

Splat!

Like swatting a fly, there was nothing left of the villain's head after it was turned into fine mist.

After the problem disappeared, the man slammed the axe to the ground, causing it to get stuck.

Releasing his grip on the handle, he returned to his blank state, only erupting once more when he picked up his spatula.

He ignored the wave of villains coming to rob the dead body of its contents, including the axe, and with all the unique blessings around, not a single trace was left behind.

Clap. clap. clap.

"That was fun! Did that cheer you up?" Evening turned to look at Ferris.

"It did... That guy was rather annoying," he said, looking at the man behind the grill. "How long does he keep working?"

"Late in the afternoon," she answered.

I see... So be it then.

Time flew by as Ferris and Evening stood side by side. Eventually, Evening finally had the opportunity to buy a pair of hotdogs for them to eat.

But even still, Ferris stood there motionless, not letting a single thing distract his focus.

A knight must be patient.

A swordsman must be as still as a calm lake.

Ferris followed those teachings with every muscle fiber he had.

Once it paid off, only three people were left. Him, Evening, and of course—

the man.

"Ouch... my leg's starting to cramp..." Evening groaned, sitting down on the pavement.

"You could've just left me, yet you stuck to me like a pet dog," Ferris answered her complaints.

Miss Evening covered her mouth when she heard his words, then she smiled with her eyes. "Oh my, you have such a way with words."

She's so weird...

"Well, if you're gonna talk to that guy, then have fun I guess." Evening stood back up and slapped the dust off her rear. "It was swell eating with you~, see ya tomorrow."

Finally, after so many long hours, Evening left him, waving a goodbye as she walked away and disappeared into the alleyways.

Now that she was gone, Ferris could safely conduct his sub-mission.

"Excuse me, you got a minute?" Ferris approached the man and asked.

However, there was no response coming from the hotdog man.

He ignored Ferris as he closed down his stand. Only after cleaning the last speck of oil did he acknowledge Ferris's presence.

"What do you want? Business's closed, buddy," he said with his blank expression.

Ferris went silent. He watched the man prepare to move his stand back home, but before he could walk away, Ferris asked the important question.

"May I ask what your name is?"

. . .

The man froze. "Why're you asking that? You're weird, dude."

"I'm serious," Ferris declared with a heavy tone.

The man's blank expression eventually became annoyed at Ferris's persistence. "Didn't you see me pack someone up? You wanna die or something?—

"Is your name perhaps... Zaku?"

. . .

There was a moment of silence between the two. The man in front of him suddenly looked a little surprised.

He eventually opened his mouth, and Ferris prepared his ears to listen closely.

"Yeah, I don't know who that is, man."

"I'm leaving." The man walked off, leaving Ferris behind.

Eh? What?