Being a Villain is My True Calling

“Don’t run away, Maker!! Makerrr!!”

As if a villain would simply comply.
I prepared smoke bombs for our getaway.

‘Ah, one moment before we depart.’

Uwoong- Pit!

“Ugh! Can’t see through the smoke…!”
“Phantom Luna.”
“Kkyah!!”

With Pollia’s aid, I approached Phantom Luna.
Startled by my voice, she flinched apprehensively.

I slowly advanced and tugged her leash.

“Unfortunately, I’ll have to resume training my pet another time.”
“Y,you’re not letting this go?! I’m not some actual animal…!”

As I gently caressed her chin and cheek, her face flushed with indignation.
Amused by her endearing reactions, I let out a light chuckle.

“N,next time, I’ll definitely capture you for real, Maker!”
“Not capturing me now?”
“What’s the point when you’ll just flee immediately?”
“Hoho, you know me well.”

Nodding in response to her remark while glancing at Pollia gripping my sleeve, I replied with a smile.

“I look forward to your next attempt at apprehending me.”

…Ah,
Come to think of it, what will happen to my designated hero role now?

In principle, one hero is assigned per villain as their designated pursuer.
Of course, given the unpredictable nature of villains, the regulations aren’t strictly enforced.
Even so, the prospect of having multiple designated heroes remained ambiguous.

‘Hmm…before Phantom Luna arrived, the Ice Queen was my designated hero.’

It seemed prudent to clarify matters, just in case.
Implying my willingness to face her, be she my designated hero or not.

“Phantom Luna.”
“…What is it now? More to say?”
“I simply felt I should inform you of this before departing.”

I tugged her leash once more, the previous gentle atmosphere replaced by a more forceful demeanor.

“Now that you’ve become my pet, you belong to me.”

Lowering my tone while dripping with an unsettling undercurrent of possessiveness.
Phantom Luna’s eyes widened in startled trepidation at my words.

“I won’t tolerate you fawning over other villains. Understood?”
“Wh,wh,wh,whusseun…!!”

Concealing my intent behind a placid smile, I stroked her head reassuringly.
As if stunned, Phantom Luna stuttered excessively while trembling violently.

“Wh,what does that even mean?! Huh?!”

Should I elaborate?
Feigning ignorance, I rose from my seat.

‘Next is the Ice Queen’s turn.’

Uwoong- Pit!

She had resorted to a more direct approach.

“…Where did you go?! Dammit! Did he already flee?”
“Ice Queen.”
“Maker!”

Upon locating me, she frowned in displeasure.
Undeterred, I casually approached her vicinity.

“Since you’ve returned, I shall prepare an even more enjoyable game for our next encounter.”
“Next time or not, why don’t you simply surrender upon your return as a celebratory gesture?”
“I cannot oblige, unfortunately.”

My wry smile prompted the Ice Queen’s resigned exasperation, as if I had voiced a mere wishful thought.

“For our next game, how about revisiting your favored tentacles? Does that appeal to our fair queen?”
“…You bastard.”

Her frigid aura intensified palpably as her hand rose towards my face.
Just before impact, Pollia’s teleportation allowed me to narrowly evade.

“I will apprehend you with my own hands.”
“Then feel free to seek out my tentacles if you desire them so fervently.”
“……”

Surely that would drive her to obsessive lengths in pursuit?
From an obscured vantage point where only the Ice Queen’s silhouette remained visible, I waved farewell.

“Until next time, then.”

Uuwoong-

With that, Pollia and I leisurely withdrew from the scene.

“Phew, that was a close call, eh Gah-yeon?”
“…Big bro is.”
“Hmm?”
“A total playboy.”

Meeting Gah-yeon’s slightly chiding gaze, a pang of guilt was an inevitable accompaniment.

“In that case, I shall escort you both to the Association.”

After Maker’s departure from the terror scene, the Ice Queen and Phantom Luna entrusted the remaining tasks to others before following an Association employee to their headquarters.

Buuwoong-

“……”
“……”

‘Uh, this is awkward…!’

The car’s silence was excruciatingly awkward.
The source of discomfort was none other than the Ice Queen herself.

‘It’s not just our first meeting, but…’

Above all, her expression was excessively frigid.
Forgive my rudeness, but she even appeared slightly unhinged.

‘It’s vaguely reminiscent of my school days…!!’

Amidst the lively delinquents, a solitary figure aloof from their antics, engrossed with her phone –
Yet emanating an undeniably cool, alluring presence encompassing their very midst.

‘A complete Bak Gah-ryu! Textbook Bak Gah-ryu material, I tell you!’

Of course, as a hero and judging from others’ reactions prior to boarding, she clearly wasn’t an unlikable person.
Even so, I couldn’t help but instinctively stiffen around her aura.

“…Ahem.”

“Oh, hai!!”

Just as Phantom Luna was furtively glancing around in apprehension, the Ice Queen addressed her upon noticing her cautious gaze.

“…No need to be so tense.”

Somewhat taken aback by Phantom Luna’s overly rigid demeanor, the Ice Queen extended her hand in a handshake gesture.

“I’m the A-rank hero Ice Queen. And you are?”
“I’m the B+ rank hero Phantom Luna from Japan, nice to meet you!”

Phantom Luna firmly gripped the offered hand, her tense posture undiminished.

“From Japan, you say…”
“I was scouted during the exchange program and became a Korean hero!”

Offering membership transfers to visiting heroes during such programs was fairly common practice.
Of course, poaching heroes from other nations could potentially strain relations.

But many still extended such overtures, perhaps testing the waters.

‘I received such an offer myself during this recent program.’

I had declined, naturally.
Unless there were tangible benefits, such probing gestures weren’t worth seriously entertaining.

“You must possess considerable skill, then.”
“Erm…heheh, I suppose so?”

In other words, the mere fact that an offer was extended signified her status as a capable asset.
The Ice Queen’s gaze towards Phantom Luna shifted subtly.

“Judging from today’s events, you seem to be Maker’s new designated hero, correct?”

Phantom Luna.
She had been temporarily assigned as Maker’s designated hero during the Ice Queen’s absence for the exchange program.

“Um…yes.”

As if questioning the relevance, Phantom Luna tilted her head quizzically towards the Ice Queen.
After a momentary pause to collect herself, the Ice Queen regarded her resolutely.

“Let me be direct. Relinquish your role as Maker’s designated hero to me.”
“Pardon?”

Phantom Luna’s eyes widened at those words.

“So, in essence…”

Within Optimus’ office at the Hero Association headquarters…

“You wish to swap roles as Maker’s designated hero?”

Optimus regarded the two individuals before him with an incredulous chuckle.

“Why are you asking me? We’re fellow heroes, aren’t we, Ice Queen?”

“You can’t be unaware that you effectively control all hero support matters in Korea.”

“Hahah! I suppose that’s true.”

Optimus nodded in acknowledgment.
His considerable clout and connections within the upper echelons were already public knowledge.

“So what’s the precise reason? Did you two have a falling out or something?”

“…If you utter another inane remark, I’ll freeze your head.”

“Scary~ I was merely offering a reasonable deduction. Isn’t it odd for the ‘heroic Ice Queen’ to fixate so intently on a single villain?”

The Ice Queen was widely known as an aloof, no-nonsense hero.
She refrained from forming close bonds, her ire towards villains stemming solely from their misguided beliefs and terror acts.
She had never displayed such singular obsession before.

For her to now pursue Maker so tenaciously…
Was it merely a sense of duty for failing to apprehend him? Or did some unique circumstances underlie her motivations?

“…It’s a matter of efficiency as a hero.”
“Efficiency, you say.”
“While his precise activation conditions and limitations elude me, Maker’s ability is fundamentally one of ‘creation’ – unprecedented from what I’ve witnessed. He wields this power to manifest all manner of munitions and weaponry.”

“So you believe you can perfectly counter those armaments?”

“I was frequently deployed to explosive terror incidents, after all.”

The Ice Queen’s freezing capabilities proved exceptionally useful in such scenarios.
She could emanate enough chill to disable explosives, or safely contain any detonations by encasing them in ice.

In other words, her powers greatly aided in subduing the munitions-focused Maker.

“Admittedly, assigning you to handle Maker could minimize collateral damage, seeing as you were his original designated hero to begin with.”

After a contemplative pause, Optimus shifted his gaze towards Phantom Luna.

“And what does the current designated hero think? Are you willing to relinquish that role to the Ice Queen?”

Momentarily pensive, Phantom Luna remained silent in contemplation.
Inwardly, the Ice Queen firmly believed she would naturally acquiesce.

‘She has no particular reason to cling to Maker.’

Like herself, Phantom Luna had narrowly avoided a tentacle-related incident, fortunately resolved without major complications.
More importantly, this was merely reclaiming her original assigned role.

Additionally, the Ice Queen held both ranking and compatibility advantages.

‘She has no viable reason to refuse in this situation.’

Thus, the Ice Queen anticipated Phantom Luna would concede the role to her.

“No, I don’t wish to relinquish it.”

…Or so she had presumed, until Phantom Luna’s refusal.

“I want to capture Maker myself.”

With a slightly tense expression, Phantom Luna turned to face the Ice Queen directly.

“……”

The Ice Queen and Phantom Luna locked gazes unflinchingly.

“……”
“……”

Neither faltered nor averted their eyes first.