Chapter 39 - Bombs Are Not Art

* * *

"... You all worked hard. No one’s hurt, right?"

Haeryeon offered words of comfort to her returning teammates.

With the festival underway, she had expected something to happen, but the situation had been worse than she imagined. To think they had chosen that place to test their new weapons.

'Was I too complacent...?'

Whenever word spread that a major figure like the Poison King had been caught, crime in the area plummeted, even if only briefly. It had always been that way. Villains bowed to the strong and trampled the weak.

'... A new major player has appeared.'

A villain every bit as powerful as the Poison King.

'And Hyeonyul just happened to be there.'

How bewildering it must have been for him, going out for fun only to be swept up in an incident like that. She had called him catnip for villains, but she had never imagined he would get caught up in something like this.

Haeryeon tried to steady herself despite her throbbing head.

"No one was hurt. We’re just tired," Sinu answered.

Just as Sinu said, exhaustion was written all over Sinu’s face.

"Of course you are. You spent all day dealing with new weapons, villains, and even the crowds."

"Speaking of which, Team Leader, people took a lot of pictures of us today. Will that be all right?" Jihwan asked.

The Black Eagles rarely appeared before the public as openly as they had today. Given the festival’s scale, they had made themselves visible on this mission to keep the villains in check.

Despite their efforts to control it, plenty of people had pointed phones at them. Naturally, some had even used their powers to take pictures in secret. There had been so many that the team had been forced to block them with magic, adding to their exhaustion.

Jihwan understood that people found them fascinating, but did they really have to interfere like that? It made no sense.

"We’ve blocked the press, of course, and there won’t be any chatter about today on social media or personal streams. Also, the magic in your smartwatches needs changing, so you know to stop by the magical engineering lab, right?"

Magic that reduced recognition made them look different from their actual appearance. Even if someone had taken pictures, they only needed to change the appearance it projected.

"I know."

Haeryeon smiled at Jihwan’s answer.

"Don’t worry, Jihwan. People who refuse to delete the videos and photos we’ve asked them to remove because they want the views, people spreading all sorts of rumors... We’ll take legal action against all of them. Don’t forget, we’re protected by Imperial law."

"It’s just been so long since this happened that I was worried they’d start spewing nonsense again. It really pisses me off when our teammates get hurt."

Jihwan made no attempt to hide the scowl.

The Black Eagles attracted as much criticism as fame. Some Black Eagles had actually taken their own lives after enduring relentless slander. That was why a separate law had been created to protect them.

"Oh... Is that why you looked so miserable the whole way back? You should’ve said so earlier. Whatever else you might worry about, I’ve been cursed at plenty. I can handle it. Villains have threatened me in every way imaginable, you know."

Nayun gave Jihwan a warm look.

She had been specially recruited for having the highest rate of reporting villains. Most things didn’t even make her blink.

"Exactly. It’s not like we’ve only been insulted once or twice. A few insults won’t kill us. What’s there to worry about with such a reliable Team Leader behind us?"

Sinu gave Jihwan a light smack on the back.

Jihwan was the most vulnerable to this sort of thing. Jihwan truly loved the Black Eagles, and the more you loved something, the more it hurt.

"I can handle this much myself. I’m glad everyone’s all right, but, well... Something’s bothering me."

Jihwan looked around at the others.

"I think you probably all feel the same way."

The corners of Jihwan’s eyes slowly began to rise.

"... I do. Those fucking bastards. Look how they turned up as if they knew the second Hyeonyul went out to have fun. And I... made him work on his day off."

Sinu slumped in despair while speaking.

"Yes. That’s the problem."

Haeryeon let out a breath. Sinu had told her about Hyeonyul’s involvement. By the time she heard, he was already involved, so however incredulous she was, she had to respect the decisions made on the ground.

"I’m going to cancel Hyeonyul’s leave for today and count it as a workday. Everyone’s all right with that?"

Haeryeon looked at her teammates. She didn’t know how angry Hyeonyul might be by now, but she had to offer at least this much to appease him.

"Of course we are."

The answers that followed Nayun’s were the same. They had entrusted him with the most important task. If that wasn’t work, what was?

"Good. I’ll tell Hyeonyul myself. Sinu, stay behind. Everyone else can go home."

Haeryeon spoke with a bright smile.

"Team Leader," Nayun spoke up.

"Yes?"

"There’s something I saw that I think I should tell you about."

"What did you see?"

"The lights suddenly went out in one part of the festival grounds."

"The lights went out?"

"Yes. Strange, isn’t it? They came back on quickly, but the religious outreach stall was completely empty. No people, no goods, just the words ‘Free Gifts’ and a single person standing there."

It had been far too strange. What power had caused it? What had been there? So many questions came to mind.

"... Do you think that person did it? Who could it have been?"

Nayun’s expression was grave.

'It couldn’t be the villain Jihwan saw, could it?'

Haeryeon considered it carefully. From a villain’s perspective, they needed to summon the Black Eagles to keep a rival in check while also preventing that rival from achieving their goal.

"How many new weapons did Hyeonyul destroy at the festival?"

"Six in total," Sinu answered.

"All right. I’ll look into this."

Haeryeon spoke brightly. If questioning the captured villains revealed a discrepancy in the number of weapons, it would be clear that someone else had intervened.

"Let’s head home now."

Whatever else happened, the end of a workday ought to be cheerful.

* * *

'... Nothing.'

As soon as he woke up, Hyeonyul checked the news online. Nowhere could he find an article about any incident or accident at the festival.

'Are the Black Eagles blocking everything?'

Social media and other sites had nothing but comments about how pretty and enjoyable the festival had been. The Black Eagles had been running around out there, of all things, yet there wasn’t a single article.

'It must be because the Empire is backing them, right?'

Hyeonyul narrowed his eyes. He had already known that, but seeing it through an incident he had experienced himself drove home just how powerful the Empire was—and how delusional the villains dreaming of bringing it down were.

'... What is the Empire thinking?'

He was the first former villain to become a Black Eagle. Since the Empire hated villains more than anyone, he had expected it to try something against him, but it remained quiet. If it could suppress information from so many people as it had today, burying someone like him should be simple.

Hyeonyul stared at his phone.

'Did someone pull strings?'

Only a handful of people could wield that sort of influence: the Empire’s few nobles. Their titles were supposedly empty honors in a society without a class system, but even a five-year-old knew that those few nobles held the wealth.

'Either way, it wouldn’t hurt to stay on guard.'

The Empire couldn’t possibly be on his side. He was a stain on its record, a living trace of its failure to stop the villains. His past as a test subject offered plenty of ways to exploit him, even if only by making some third-rate documentary to appeal to people’s emotions or using him to make villains look like even worse scum.

Hyeonyul set those thoughts aside and got up. Starting today, his working hours had changed: seven in the evening to one in the morning.

'Let’s go look at some homes.'

He had told Haeryeon he wanted to find a new place, and received some good news in the process.

["I canceled your leave for the festival and marked it as a workday. Everyone on the team knows and agreed, so please don’t feel burdened by it."]

Destroying the new weapons hadn’t been particularly difficult, yet it counted as a workday. They even covered his housing and medical expenses. Where else could he find a job this good? He wasn’t sure he could ever find another.

'I need to make sure I never have to. That way...'

BZZZZ.

A call came in.

Team Leader Oh Haeryeon.

Hyeonyul looked around before answering.

"Yes, Team Leader."

<"Sorry to call before work. I know I’m meddling, but I wondered if you were planning to start house-hunting today.">

"Yes. I have time before work, so I thought I’d look around."

<"Then may I send someone over?">

"Someone?"

<"I know someone who can help. Finding a place can feel overwhelming, and there are so many fake listings to worry about. Since you’re looking anyway, I thought it would be nice to get somewhere clean and comfortable.">

"That’s... certainly true."

He had found this home before reaching adulthood. There had been some illegal activity involved, but only because the landlady had made various allowances for him when he had nowhere to go. A minor needed a guardian, after all.

All he could do was threaten Yujong, the Night Rat, into blocking information about him. Neither his landlady nor Jeongmin should suffer any fallout because of him.

<"What sort of place do you want? Even a rough idea is fine. That’ll make things easier for you too.">

"Something with two rooms..."

<"No, Hyeonyul. Be a little more ambitious.">

"As long as it’s bigger than where I am now."

<"Then we should go for the maximum allowance of eighteen pyeong, shouldn’t we? Plenty of sunlight, a supermarket and other shops nearby, good transport links, and not up a hill. I’ll put in a word for every good feature I can think of.">

In short, Haeryeon was saying she would find him a nice place.

"... Is that really all right?"

<"Why wouldn’t it be? I’ll pass that along.">

"Really...?"

<"Of course.">

Hyeonyul stared blankly ahead, phone still in hand.

'How is this happening...?'

He couldn’t understand it. Every villain who had recruited him had offered slick promises, but none had ever acted on them. Housing had been no different. They hadn’t even cared how he lived.

He was confused.

'Is she telling me I’m doing well? Or telling me to do better?'

Or was this a reward for meeting their expectations? Suspicion slowly crept in.

<"Oh, nothing happened yesterday, did it? Someone coming after you again like the Poison King did, for instance.">

"No."

Hadn’t he warned Yujong again precisely to prevent that? By now, Yujong would be looking into where the Red Witch and the Poison King had obtained information about him.

<"Then that’s good. See you later. If you think you’ll be tired, you could get some sleep before coming in.">

"Team Leader."

<"Yes?">

"I noticed there weren’t any news reports about the incidents at yesterday’s festival."

<"Ah, yes. I can see why you’d find that surprising. It’s nothing special. We simply followed the government’s directives to protect the Black Eagles. We’re civil servants too, after all, aren’t we?">

"Does that protection include me?"

<"Of course. You’re a Black Eagle too, aren’t you?">

'So they’ll protect me to the end as long as I wear the mask of a Black Eagle?'

Then what would happen if he took that mask off? That was what Hyeonyul wanted to know most, but he didn’t ask.

"Thank you for explaining."

<"Not at all. See you later.">

"Understood."

Hyeonyul lowered his phone and stared ahead, his expression rigid. If he weren’t a Black Eagle, what would they do with him, a successful test subject?

["... The Black Eagles won’t give you what you want. Contrary to what you think, they aren’t a righteous organization."]

The Poison King’s words suddenly echoed unpleasantly in his mind.

* * *

Finding a home was remarkably simple. He rode in the car of the person Haeryeon had sent, viewed a place, explored its rooms, then got back in the car to visit another. They repeated the process several times.

It never grew tedious. Every home felt like a step into a world he had thought forever beyond his reach, making the whole experience seem unreal.

Among them, he found one he liked. No matter where else he looked, he doubted he would find a place he liked more.

KNOCK, KNOCK.

Hyeonyul knocked on the door and waited a moment. The house was a little nicer than the one he lived in. As soon as the elderly woman opened the door, he bowed.

She was his landlady.

"Ma’am, I’ll be moving to another place soon. I thought things might be hectic then, so I came by in advance."

"I told you to stay as long as you wanted and leave whenever you pleased. You came all the way here just to tell me that?"

Her reply was brusque.

"Yes. It’s the proper thing to do."

Hyeonyul smiled faintly. She had given him a place to stay when he was at his lowest. He owed her a goodbye.

"Silly boy. Have you eaten?"

"I have to go to work soon."

She looked at him.

"You’ve grown so much."

"Thanks to you."

"Once you leave, don’t come back. You’re all grown up now, so I won’t take you in even if you come sniveling."

"I understand."

"Wait a moment."

She went inside. Hyeonyul intended to wait no matter how long she took. He had grown with the passing years, and her hair had turned a little whiter.

"Take this."

Her casually indifferent voice was just as it had been back then. Hyeonyul took the black plastic bag she held out.

"Please stay healthy, ma’am."

"All right."

She went straight back inside after answering, and Hyeonyul turned away with the bag in hand.

His relationship with his landlady was neither close nor insignificant. Since renting him the house, she had never come to see him or contacted him. Even when he fell behind on rent, she said nothing.

Hyeonyul looked inside the bag. It was filled with the same snacks that had been waiting in a corner of the room when he first moved in.

He let out a soft laugh. The world had been shitty to him, but would anyone believe that Jeongmin and these snacks were the reason he hadn’t gone astray?

Hyeonyul entered an alley and quietly vanished.

* * *

"... Shit, this damn level won’t clear."

The man controlling a game character on his phone scowled deeply.

TAP, TAP.

"Here, doggy."

Hyeonyul called to Yujong as casually as could be.

"... Y-yes!"

Yujong sprang up so hurriedly that he nearly dropped his phone. The moment he realized it was the Mad Dog, his nerves went taut. He even felt resentful that Hyeonyul had returned so soon.

"Have you found where Asan is?" Hyeonyul asked quietly.