Two Hero corpses. The heroes used as research material—perhaps they had some connection with Iris.
The thought that she herself might end up lying next to them, yet still searching for a comrade’s corpse—that was a hero brimming with excessive righteousness.
Abellus laughed at Iris, completely unaware that she had the ability to steal skills. Of course, on the surface, he wore a hypocritical smile.
Iris, staring intently at the Handphone Abellus offered, took a step back hesitantly.
“Ah, your phone number is…”
“Is that a problem? Then I’ll give you my Business Card. Please accept this.”
“Ah, yes.”
When Abellus handed her the Business Card, Iris awkwardly smiled and reached out. She examined the black card, reflecting his personality, before slipping it into her pocket.
She was still reluctant to exchange contact information, but accepting a Business Card gave her the option to decide later whether to reach out or not, so it felt acceptable.
While awkwardly fidgeting with her hands, a calm voice dropped from above her head.
“If you want to visit the Laboratory anytime, just contact me. I have to get back there now, so…”
“Ah, hey! …He’s gone.”
Abellus turned away decisively as if he had no regrets, striding off even as Iris called after him.
In truth, he had a lot of lingering feelings. To turn back just before catching his prey… But acting recklessly inside the Church was far too dangerous.
His only option was to reassure Iris and make her walk into the Laboratory of her own will.
His plan worked perfectly. Watching his broad back recede, a question formed in Iris’s eyes.
‘Did he not realize who I am? If he had known my true identity, he wouldn’t have left so coldly.’
Wasn’t that right? When villain and hero confronted each other, Abellus had wanted her.
The voice yelling “Catch her!” at the moment of her escape was still vivid in her mind.
Whether his desire to capture her was for perverse gratification or because he saw her as valuable research material was unclear.
‘He acted like a pervert… If that was his intention, it’s actually good for me—I can steal his skills. But that crazy bastard might not have meant that. He might have gotten excited imagining dissecting me…’
Considering how he handled corpses, it was entirely possible. Imagining Abellus dissecting her while growing aroused drained the color from Iris’s face.
Trying to erase the horrific image from her mind, she slowly exited the chapel.
As she looked back at the Church, an existence she had momentarily forgotten sprang to mind. Lucael Priest, who hadn’t appeared in today’s service.
She had worried whether she could calmly watch him be shocked upon realizing he had lost his Skill, but fortunately or unfortunately, he wasn’t present at today’s service.
Had he already noticed his Skill was gone? If so, it was even more fortunate that she hadn’t faced Lucael today. She wasn’t sure she could remain unfazed after seeing his shocked face.
‘He really is a bad guy. Using his Skill to make the congregation donate more money. But feeling uneasy, like I was used… I guess that’s inevitable.’
Apparently, she wasn’t the kind of person who could be entirely heartless. Stealing a villain’s Skill made her feel this bitter after all.
Still, it was the right thing to do. Thanks to stealing Lucael’s Skill, she could protect the precious money of her grandmother and friends.
Her feelings oscillated between bitterness and pride, her mind tangled in confusion.
She glanced around nervously as she descended the chapel steps, worried Lucael Priest might appear.
Even if he hadn’t attended the service, he could still come out of the Church.
“Ah! Sorry!”
Focused on looking around, Iris hadn’t seen the solid figure she bumped into and was startled. She quickly apologized and turned her gaze—her eyes narrowed sharply.
‘Johannes!’
There was something familiar yet different about him. As her honey-colored eyes gauged the figure before her, they suddenly widened.
It was Johannes, whom she had completely forgotten. The reason she hadn’t recognized him immediately was his outfit.
He usually wore a black hoodie and jeans, so she assumed that was all he had at home.
But today, his attire was so strikingly different that he could have passed for someone else: a blue suit, pomaded hair, and even sunglasses. Did he really only have hoodies at home?
Iris stared at him in shock from head to toe. Johannes, as usual, avoided eye contact with her and hung his head low. No, he seemed even more unsettled than usual.
He was worried about how he appeared to Iris. Constantly conscious of Laika, he had asked James to help style him to look similar to Laika.
James had driven him to the Temple and praised him enthusiastically, saying that dressing up made him look like a nobleman.
At one point, he even said Johannes was “just as good as Laika,” but when he saw the dangerous glint in Johannes’s eyes, he clammed up and instead mumbled, “Way cooler than Laika.”
The sole reason Johannes had come to the Temple today was Iris. He had no other schedule at all.
He had been waiting in the Temple parking lot and, as the service ended, was anxiously lingering at the bottom of the chapel stairs.
As Iris descended, he quietly stood there to meet her naturally, but she didn’t stop and accidentally bumped into him.
He had promised himself repeatedly to greet her as stylishly as Laika, but the moment he faced Iris, his mind went blank.
He was afraid she would find his different clothes strange. Johannes endured the urge to run away and waited for Iris to greet him first.
He had run countless simulations in his mind, but he just couldn’t muster the confidence to greet her boldly like Laika.
After a brief wait, the clear, cheerful voice that always made his heart flutter came to his ears.
“Johannes!”
“Ah! I-Iris. What brings you here today…”
Johannes stopped mid-sentence.
Like an idiot, he almost asked why she had come, even though he knew she was there for the service and he had been waiting until it ended.
Why was he always so dumb in front of Iris?
As Johannes scolded himself, Iris tilted her head and spoke.
“Huh? I told you I go to Church.”
“Oh, y-yeah.”
Avoiding her gaze, Johannes suddenly straightened his head. Thinking about it, he was wearing sunglasses, so it should be fine to look at her.
It might still be better not to make eye contact just in case, but it was much easier to look at her than usual.
A blush spread across Johannes’s cheeks as he observed Iris’s face.
Through the sunglasses, she looked incredibly beautiful.
Always busy bowing her head, this was the first time he’d seen her face so clearly and up close.
‘I’m glad I’m wearing these sunglasses.’
He always avoided her gaze, and every time he did, wild imaginations invaded his mind—imagining she was annoyed or bothered by him.
But now Johannes realized those thoughts were wrong. Iris didn’t frown or stiffen her face at him.
She smiled, meeting his gaze warmly.
Of course, this was a recent change. Until not long ago, Iris actually looked annoyed or expressionless when she saw him.
Johannes often noticed she was irritated with him.
But the moment he saw her smile, all the gloomy memories evaporated from his mind.
Johannes chose to believe Iris had always smiled at him, and he was happy with that interpretation.
‘Iris… has always been smiling.’
An awkward smile appeared on Johannes’s lips.
He had worn sunglasses trying to imitate Laika’s fashion, and because of that, he could comfortably look at Iris and feel happiness from her smile.
He scratched his reddened cheek and pushed the sunglasses up.
With such excellent eyesight, he had never worn glasses or sunglasses before.
Wearing them for the first time on the way to the Temple felt uncomfortable, so he had pushed them up.
But now, he didn’t feel uncomfortable at all.
If possible, he wanted to wear sunglasses every time he saw Iris.
Iris, glancing over Johannes’s outfit again, was surprised once more that he wasn’t avoiding her gaze.
He usually seemed so timid, but now he held his head high and looked confident in his dressed-up appearance.
The sunglasses hiding his eyes also helped, concealing any anxious expression.
Johannes was about the same height as Laika and equally well-built, so the suit suited him very well.
Not just well—it was genuinely impressive.
‘Maybe I’m a little bit excited… No, wait. He’s a Villain. Get a grip.’