I caught my breath and looked down at my body. A subtle silver light flowed all over it.

With just this, there shouldn’t be any problem.

I went to the mansion and stood in front of it. Piery was already out to greet me.

"That’s a relief. It seems nothing happened."

Up to this point, it was according to plan. As planned, Piery approached me with a cold expression.

First, I confirmed that she was acting as usual. Her thick lips parted.

"Hero, have you arrived?"

"Have you been well?"

"I was scared. I thought I was going to get scolded." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Surely you didn’t wet yourself out of fear, did you?"

She was a beauty with a bed-wetting attribute. At my cheeky question, Piery’s expression went beyond coldness and turned murderous.

"Be quiet. I knew that would happen, so I emptied it beforehand."

A light chuckle escaped me. So she did empty it beforehand, after all.

While being absurdly funny, she seemed like an interesting woman. I didn’t know how she ended up here, but my desire to protect her grew even stronger.

"What about the Lord?"

"He’s inside right now. Haa, just looking at his face makes me sick to death."

"You dislike him now?"

"Huh?"

"Before, you were afraid. Actually, that’s right. It’s a good phenomenon."

Changing fear into hatred. It seems easy, but it’s actually difficult.

The reason why someone who was bullied throughout their early days lives timidly when they go out into society is the same.

It’s because they can’t overcome fear. At least Piery was someone who knew how to turn that into anger or hatred.

"I don’t know either. Well, since a famous masseuse was coming, he was beaming, you know?"

I summoned Dinora through the ring. When Dinora suddenly appeared before her eyes, Piery was startled.

"Oh!"

Although I had already told her, it must still be surprising.

Dinora was also startled when Piery stood right in front of her.

"Oh my! Lucian, is it now?"

"Yes. Piery, I’ll entrust Dinora to you. Dinora will give a massage to make that cult leader let his guard down, and Piery, you protect Dinora."

"Yes, I understand. Masseuse, please follow me."

"Hehe, just call me Dinora comfortably."

The two women, exuding a good atmosphere, entered the mansion together.

Up to this point, it was fine. It was according to plan.

The problem was what came next.

"It’s about time to seize the moment."

After Dinora approached the cult leader, when she made him let his guard down.

If Piery gave the signal then, I would rush in and kill him.

As if to heighten the atmosphere, a quest even appeared.

**Emergency Quest - Smashing the Cult**

-Objective: Defeat Lao Brayant.

-Reward: Affection/Favorability +♥ for all possessed heroines, All Stats +5, Random Item x2

-On Failure: Loss of Dawn Guardian, Rupture of both testicles!

"Oh, Hero!"

While I was looking at the quest, the patrolling guards greeted me.

"What are you doing here?"

The guard asked with a smile. Hmm, it would be troublesome to leave these people here.

Because if something happened, the cult leader might use them as a shield.

"There’s trouble. Look over there! Don’t you see that?"

I pointed somewhere and made a fuss. The guards turned their heads and asked.

"Huh? What?"

Thump! Bam!

I hit the guards on the back of their heads and knocked them out. I quickly moved them to a suitable place.

Thinking there might be witnesses, I looked around. Fortunately, there seemed to be none. Just as I was about to breathe a sigh of relief—

Crash!

"Kyaaak!"

The signal came. It wasn’t the signal I wanted.

Now’s the time.

I kicked open the door and ran straight to the cult leader’s room.

As a result of running at a crazy speed, I was able to arrive in an instant. Because I was faster than a horse right now.

I tried to open the door, but it was locked.

"Fuck!"

Thump! Screeech, Crunch!

I kicked it open and went inside. I saw the cult leader, who was about to pounce on Dinora, turn his head.

"What? Hero Lucian Vane?"

"Hey, Lord Weaverpool. No, wait, you’re not even the Lord, so should I just call you Lao?"

"How did you...?"

"This is why you can’t fix people and reuse them. Even if you’re a fake Lord, you’re still supposed to act like one, but you quickly show your true colors, don’t you? Moron."

That cult leader quickly backed away to the side and eyed me warily.

"You bastard, what are you?"

"What else? I’m the Debauched Hero who came to smash you!"

Drawing my sword, I took a breath.

Activating the coat’s ability, Electric Aura, I closed the distance in an instant. The cult leader, Lao, hurriedly backed away and shouted while putting on a coat.

"It doesn’t matter what you are. You and these bitches are all my slaves!"

He put on a silver necklace shaped like a bird and immediately pointed at me.

"Even you are helpless! You are mine! Hahaha!"

The necklace began to glow. Something like energy from the necklace spread out like perfume and immediately reached me.

"That’s it. The item that lends the cult leader brainwashing power."

I stood still. Lao laughed and swayed his body from side to side.

"I have no interest in a dick like you. Self-harm, Lucian."

I drew my sword. As it was about to reach my neck, Dinora and Piery cried out desperately.

"No, Lucian! Don’t do it!"

"Hero, don’t do that! Aaah!"

"Ah, yes."

I answered immediately and lunged at the cult leader. When I swung my sword, his eyes widened as if they would pop out.

"Why...?"

Whoosh!

Lao, who barely dodged by bending his upper body, shook his head.

"What? Why isn’t it working?!"

"Don’t you see the silver light on my body? That doesn’t work on me, you imbecile ugly ass bastard!"

Lao began to scrutinize me. Having that guy scrutinize me felt like shit.

"How in the world?"

"I received a blessing from a nun at the cathedral. I don’t remember the god’s name well, but anyway, I’m invincible."

Actually, it was limited to one hour. But within this time, I could sufficiently finish the fight.

"Lao, for murdering the Lord of Weaverpool and desecrating his corpse, for becoming a fake Lord and deceiving everything in the territory, for acting hypocritically on the surface while doing all sorts of dirty deeds behind the scenes—you deserve to die, you son of a bitch."

"Ha, why do you get to judge that?"

"Moron, should I go to a judge then? Should I go to an expensive lawyer, pay them some money, and get it certified? They’re on the side of the perpetrators, so no. So, according to the way things are here, die by my hand."

Punishment of heinous perpetrators on site.

"Don’t make me laugh, you mere Hero!"

"It’s not funny? Because I am a Hero. I’m fully qualified."

I approached. Lao lost his place to look, and his pupils trembled.

Suddenly bending his upper body, he burst into laughter.

"Uh-huhahaha, you, a mere nobody, punishing me? Hahaha! I possess Hawkdia?!"

"Hawkdia...?"

What is that?

As if he had already won, Lao chattered excitedly.

"Yes, Hawkdia! The marvelous artifacts that Lord Grant left behind in the world! I have one of them!"

"...Surely not?"

"And now, you’ve lost to me. Guards, kill that bastard!"

Thump, thump! Whoosh!

Before I knew it, I saw guards with hazy eyes behind me. The guards simultaneously swung their spears.

I quickly retreated backward and instructed the women.

"Both of you, hide in a safe place!"

I returned my sword to its sheath and lunged at Lao. Because of the Electric Aura, my actual speed was faster than usual.

"If you’re a man, fight me one-on-one, you fucking bastard."

"What? Keok...!"

I tackled Lao. Holding onto his waist, I charged towards the window.

Booong, Crash!

We floated up together, breaking the window and falling down. First, I separated from Lao, and with the coat’s effect, I barely managed to float.

I saw Lao also exercise some power while falling and barely land.

Damn it, that must be a truly amazing artifact.

Facing him, I drew my sword.

"Lucian, you damned bastard."

"I won’t be ruined. I’ll continue to prosper. Give up now."

"Bullshit, how much time have I dedicated to gain this one place!"

"Why do you live like that?"

"Huh?"

"From what I see, you’ve used your brain like crazy. Try using that for good things, you moron."

I don’t understand villains like this. Their brains are incredibly good, so why do they only use them for bad things? Well, that’s why they’re villains, I guess.

After hearing my words, Lao scoffed loudly.

"Moron, if you’re smart? If you’re capable, does society hire you? I also wanted to be a public official at first. Like an inspector!"

Even though it’s an empire, in the case of public officials, everyone should be able to become one regardless of social status, right?

Unless you’re a commoner born as the child of a merchant guild master from the start, the types of people from lower classes who could turn their lives around were awakened ones like Heroes, or public officials loyal to the imperial palace.

Lao probably also aimed for this in the past.

"How naive, naive like a moron. I also believed that. But it wasn’t like that."

That guy, narrowing his eyes, continued speaking as if chewing on his words.

"It was different from the interview. I talked about my abilities and determination. But the guys who came with me? They practically memorized their family trees, talking about who their mother was, their father, their uncle, and so on."

"Huh...."

"Who do you think passed? Yes, the guy who memorized his family tree got in. And I failed! Saying I lacked fucking enthusiasm!"

Lao gripped his necklace. He was trembling as if the anger from that day still remained.

"I accidentally discovered this. I was so desperate I thought about committing suicide, but this gave me a new life! You can call me a villain. I’m sorry, but I have to live like this. Because of this shitty society, I can’t be sacrificed, can I?"

Finishing his words, Lao grinned.

In the end, it seemed to be the same everywhere. Somewhere, they said someone won an award by sucking up to the management.

In the end, this place too was a place where people lived. And in a twisted way.

"Lao, I understand your circumstances well."

"What...?"

"But just because your circumstances are like that, harming many people, especially doing such things to Piery, crossed the line. And murdering the Lord is naturally a grave crime."

"This brat, she’s a girl with nowhere to go, isn’t she? Tell a maid to act like a maid and just serve."

"Yes, with that answer just now, you’re no different from those interviewers you hate."

I delivered a scathing retort. But I didn’t feel entirely comfortable inside.

In the end, humans collapse.

In a situation like Lao’s, do you have the confidence not to collapse? No way.

Humans are all the same. If something is different there, it’s either a born sociopath or a hero. It’s just one of the two.

"I... I’m the same as those bastards...?"

Lao, trembling. The sound of him grinding his teeth could be heard even here.

Staring at me with bloodshot eyes, Lao cried out as if pleading.

"What do you, a mere nobody, know to blabber about? Just dieeeeeeeeeee!"

His mana began to gather in the necklace. Then it was shot out like a beam.

Shihiiing!

I threw my body to the side and dodged. I immediately changed direction and ran.

I got to Lao’s side and delivered a front kick. But, I thought it was an opening, but it wasn’t.

Shihiiing!

Lao, as if by magic, was holding the necklace up. My sword was blocked by the necklace, and mana gathered through it.

As if the beam was activated at its maximum, it expanded even more than before.

"Insane...!"

Reflexively, I tried to split it with my sword and neutralize it. But it was insufficient.

As the beam was fired, I, who couldn’t properly block it, was thrown backward.

And while floating, I heard Lao’s voice declaring victory.

"Hahaha, I finally got the hang of it. Lucian, I can read your thoughts!"

Like that, my vision seemed to be dyed pure white.

Soon, my consciousness faded.