‘This place is terribly sloppy. From what I can tell, if a few key ability users disappear, this whole place could collapse.’
Soon, the service ended, and the surrounding area grew noisy with worshippers heading outside.
Abellus sat quietly at the end of a long bench. Iris, who was about to stand up, glanced at him and then spoke.
Although anxious about possibly revealing her identity, her desire to make contact with him was stronger.
“Um, excuse me, is this the youth group service…?”
“Ah, hello. You’re the new worshipper who registered last week, right?”
“Huh? Ah, yes. I’m Iris.”
Before she could finish speaking, Abellus opened his mouth.
His tone was polite and considerate to a degree that made it hard to believe he was a psychopathic scientist, causing Iris’s pupils to tremble intensely.
She had braced herself to be ignored, so she was surprised by his pleasantly forthcoming response.
This was completely different from the image she had seen at the Laboratory.
Pulling off such an excellent disguise as an ordinary person — maybe he cared deeply about his public image.
Unaware that Abellus had already figured out her true identity, Iris misunderstood him entirely on her own.
Suppressing a laugh inwardly, Abellus stood from the bench and extended his hand to her.
Startled, Iris shook it, and he introduced himself with a businesslike expression.
“Yes. I’m Abellus. Nice to meet you.”
“Ah… How did you know I registered as a worshipper…?”
Without changing his expression, Abellus continued calmly. One of the Villains’ traits is the ability to deceive people with a shameless face, and he was well versed in this skill.
“I happened to catch a glimpse of the paperwork. I wanted to greet the new person, and the opportunity came quickly.”
“Is that so? Do you usually attend here?”
“Of course. I’ve been coming regularly, though not often due to work.”
He didn’t look like the type to believe in religion, so it was surprising. Hearing that, she couldn’t help but believe him.
Wait, could he have guessed my identity? Iris looked at Abellus suspiciously. When their eyes met, he smirked and shrugged.
It was so strange that she almost doubted if he was the same guy who had suddenly teleported and made perverted remarks while clutching his backside.
The Abellus before her was gentle, even though his eyes still carried that faintly twisted gleam—so he was definitely the same person, but how?
‘He doesn’t seem to recognize me. Well, of course he wouldn’t. The Transformation Suit has a built-in hallucination function. Then…’
If Abellus didn’t know who she really was, she had to take full advantage of this opportunity. Wondering how best to proceed, she decided to keep the conversation going.
“Ah, work… Speaking of which, are you the one who works at the J Corporation Research Lab?”
“How did you know that?”
“I think I saw it on the news.”
Abellus clicked his fingers in understanding.
“Ah, yes. I’ve given a few media interviews. I didn’t expect you’d have seen them.”
“Yes. I’m quite interested in that area.”
“Oh? What kind of interest?”
The conversation flowed smoothly. It was almost suspicious how well it went, but she couldn’t miss this chance.
If Abellus really didn’t recognize her, then she could get close and steal his skills. Iris thought for a moment and responded.
“I’m preparing to get a job. I guess you could say it’s my dream to work at a lab like that.”
“Is that so? Hmm, since it’s fate, how about coming for a tour? Our lab always welcomes visitors.”
“A tour?”
“Yes. If you’re job hunting, a tour can help with your experience, or even an internship. Normally, we have a strict hiring process, but we wouldn’t be harsh with someone of the same faith. Or you could participate in clinical trials for some extra pocket money…”
As Abellus smoothly mentioned clinical trials, Iris was caught off guard. She had seen suspicious clinical trial missions several times on the Hero App. Could those have been posted by Abellus’s lab? Startled, Iris flinched and asked.
“C-Clinical trials?”
“Oh, you don’t know? They’re very safe. The participants give great feedback.”
“I see. Are those open to the general public? Though clinical trials… that sounds a bit…”
She wanted to ask if the clinical trials were really open to civilians but stopped herself.
She almost admitted she’d seen them on the Hero App. Since he was recommending it even to a non-transformed Iris, it seemed the clinical trials were indeed open to civilians.
But she couldn’t trust a Villain’s word on safety. Given it was a lab under a major corporation, they probably wouldn’t commit outright crimes, but still.
Her hesitance was met with a nod from Abellus, who understood. Then, he continued smoothly.
“Well then, how about the tour? Everyone in Gyodam City is welcome if they want to visit.”
“I didn’t see anything about that on the lab’s website.”
After successfully completing the Potion Truck delivery mission, Iris had browsed Abellus’s lab website.
She remembered seeing a permanent recruitment notice for janitors but nothing about tours.
‘So I’ve already checked the website. Why would he say that? I want to know what’s going on inside that little head.’
Among heroes, there were always some who were reckless. They boldly vowed to exterminate unbeatable Villains and bring peace to the city.
Maybe Angel Girl was one of those. If so, things would go more smoothly. The fates of reckless heroes were predictable.
Abellus’s eyes widened. Of course, there was no public notice about tours. He had just made up the story to lure Iris into his lair.
It was difficult to catch her in such a public place. And judging by her skill when she tried to escape earlier, she wouldn’t be caught willingly.
So the best plan was to tempt her into coming to the tiger’s den herself.
Lying made him unconsciously lick his upper lip with his tongue. Quickly gathering his thoughts, Abellus spilled out more lies smoothly.
“Hmm, we haven’t posted a notice. We don’t actively promote tours, but the lab opens partially for those who request it. How about that?”
“Hmm…”
Biting her lip, Iris hesitated. The offer was risky to accept outright. Although he didn’t know her true identity, was it wise to be the first to step into his lair—the lab?
The image of him casually handling a Hero’s corpse flashed through her mind. This psycho could harm ordinary people, not just heroes.
‘But I can’t pass up this chance. I don’t have to force myself to go right now. I’ll accept the offer and decide carefully afterward.’
When Iris looked up, Abellus gave her a friendly smile. Sensing there might be ulterior motives, she sighed quietly.
Even if there was, she had to make contact with him. Contact…
Her thoughts suddenly halted. Why did she feel compelled to make contact?
If she could steal enough skills from weaker Villains than Abellus and get stronger, then just storm the lab.
Why was she risking herself by going there first? Could this be one of those essential plot developments in comics? The feeling was strong.
Along with that came a sudden hypothesis.
‘Could the fourth Relic be in that lab? Just like the ring at Laika’s house is probably part of the Ancient Accessory Set, maybe there’s a Relic calling to me in Abellus’s lab.’
She wouldn’t know until she went there. The strong urge to enter the dangerous Abellus’s lab might stem from that.
Wrapped in an unexplainable premonition, Iris spoke calmly.
“A tour… sounds good. I’ll come next week.”
“Excellent. Then…”
At her answer, Abellus’s lips curled upward. He nearly wore a malicious smile but softened his face as much as possible.
Then, observing Iris’s expression closely, he held out his phone to get her contact information.
Iris, the Angel Girl, why did she want to come to the lab? Was she really coming to purge him out of some naive sense of justice? The image of the frozen Hero’s corpse suddenly flashed in his mind.
‘Ah, maybe she’s coming to look for that.’