Iris looked remarkably similar to Angel Girl, not just in hair color, but also in her facial features.
She had concluded that the girl wasn’t a Hero, thinking she had fallen for a Mind-type Skill, but perhaps she hadn’t been affected at all.
Maybe it had all been an elaborate act.
Laika, breathing heavily, picked up the Ring.
His suspicions kept spiraling, growing ever larger, but he couldn’t be certain without evidence.
There was something he had to take care of first.
He needed to check if the Ring of the Goddess had truly lost its power; he would have to take it to that detestable Abellus for confirmation.
Even as an Awakening-Type Hero, he probably didn’t have an ability that could simply drain the power of a Relic.
‘No. Who’s to say he doesn’t have such an ability? He might possess that very Skill. What if that’s why he made a point to come to my house again….’
He clenched the Ring so tightly in his hand that his veins bulged.
If these doubts turned into certainty, he wouldn’t let Iris or Angel Girl get away.
If they had dared to come into a Villain’s house, toy with him, and leave, he’d make them pay for their crimes.
A cold shiver ran through his chest for a moment, but Laika ignored it, biting his lip as he walked toward the master bedroom.
Anger and sorrow ruled his mind.
***
Over the past few days, Iris had gotten her new place at Teresa’s Detached House into decent order.
Now, she was busily getting ready to go out. Today was the day to visit Abellus’s Laboratory.
She couldn’t believe she was willingly walking into the lair of a psychopath; even if he didn’t know her real identity, it made her uneasy.
From the way he handled corpses so casually, it was clear that even if he thought someone was a normal person, if he was in a bad mood, he could do anything.
But if she kept avoiding him, she’d only be wasting precious time.
‘Did I forget anything?’
She checked her Chastity Belt pouch and rummaged through her bag to make sure she hadn’t left anything out.
<The Feather of Favor>, the <Book of Escape>, and her trust in the Chastity Belt’s ability to deflect even bullets— she had no choice but to rely on those.
Overcoming her fear, she stepped outside the Detached House.
As she opened the door, she saw Teresa sweeping the yard, who spotted her and greeted her warmly.
“Iris! It’s been a while. I don’t think I’ve seen you since the day you moved in.”
“Theresa-sunbae! It’s been a while. I dropped by a few times, but you were never home….”
Iris returned the greeting and approached Teresa.
Teresa leaned her broom to one side and wiped the sweat from her brow.
“Ah, I’ve been busy lately, going on exorcism trips. By the way, Iris.”
“Yes?”
“You seem much stronger than when we first met. Far stronger.”
Teresa looked Iris up and down with gentle eyes.
Iris, her mouth slightly open in surprise, belatedly nodded.
She knew not to trust people lightly in Gyodam City, but she wanted to be honest with Teresa, who had helped her so much.
“Ah… Yes. I’ve gotten much stronger. But how did you know? You haven’t seen me fight this time….”
“My job is Exorcist, remember? I’m a bit more sensitive than others, so I pick up on changes quickly.”
“I see. I’ve worked hard on my missions, so I have gotten a lot stronger than before. Still have a long way to go, though.”
Iris made a fist and smiled brightly. Telling her senior Hero she had grown stronger filled her with pride.
Teresa, watching her with satisfaction, paused as her gaze fell to Iris’s hand. She pointed and asked,
“Ah, but what’s that Ring?”
“Oh, this….”
How should she explain? She couldn’t say it was a Ring stolen from a Villain.
While she hesitated, Teresa continued, her eyes, sharp for her age, scanning the Bracelet and Ring on Iris’s hand.
“They look like a set. The patterns are similar.”
“You noticed. Well… I’m an Awakening-Type Hero. Actually, the Bracelet and Chastity Belt are a set. And this Ring, which I got recently, too.”
Having received more help from Teresa than she could ever express, Iris decided not to hide it anymore.
Teresa paused for a moment at her words, then nodded calmly.
“I see.”
“You’re not surprised.”
“Mm. I’ve lived as a Hero in Gyodam City for a long time and experienced all sorts of things. If I got surprised by something like this, I wouldn’t have survived as a Hero.”
Iris nodded with a gentle smile. She had forgotten for a moment that Teresa was a Hero who had been through it all and retired safely.
How could she have thought something like this would surprise her?
As Teresa stared at the Ring on Iris’s finger, she continued,
“There’s an old legend in Gyodam City. People these days don’t know it well, but the elders who survived here tell it like a folktale. According to the legend, the Relics of the Goddess who founded this city are scattered around, and whoever gathers them all will gain tremendous power. If an evildoer gathers them, the city will be destroyed; if a good person gathers them, the city will be saved.”
Iris’s mouth dropped open. She had no idea there was such a legend in Gyodam City. It hadn’t appeared in the comic.
‘But, is this really a Relic of the Goddess? It’s called the Ancient Chastity Belt and Ancient Bracelet. And the Ring I just got is called the Ancient Ring….’
That’s what it said in the status window. But it didn’t have to specifically say “of the Goddess,” right?
Somehow, she felt an uncanny connection to the legend.
Was it really just a coincidence that she had possessed a character in this comic after dying and was now gathering Relics like in the legend?
Maybe the Goddess had summoned her into the comic to save Gyodam City.
Lost in thought for a moment, Iris gazed at Teresa’s serious face and asked, curious what she thought.
“Ah… Theresa-sunbae, do you mean you think I might be the Hero from that legend?”
“There’s no way to know. It could just be a coincidence. I just wanted you to know about the legend.”
Teresa gave her a gentle smile and began sweeping the yard again. Iris offered to help, but Teresa firmly declined.
Then, waving her hand, she urged Iris to hurry along on her business, gently pushing her away.
Though it felt a bit like being chased off, her touch was warm. In the end, Iris quickly said goodbye and headed for the garage.
It was time to take her old clunker to Abellus’s Laboratory.
Driving the rattling car, Iris encountered several gangs of bandits on the way and fired into the air to drive them off.
After shaking them off, a biker gang started chasing her.
Fortunately, her driving had improved a lot, and she managed to dodge them and, after many twists and turns, arrived at Abellus’s Laboratory.
Parking her car, she steeled her resolve and walked toward the Laboratory, trying to look nonchalant though her hands were trembling with nervousness.
She felt like she was walking into a tiger’s den.
‘Whew, honestly, I am scared.’
She remembered how Abellus had handled corpses so casually during the potion truck escort mission, and her head throbbed.
What had happened to those corpses?
Probably used as research materials. Just imagining how Abellus might react if he discovered she was a Hero made her shiver.
She tried to believe that Abellus didn’t know her identity and that the invitation to tour the lab was innocent, but maybe he also collected ordinary people.
To shake off her fear, Iris slapped her own cheeks with a loud smack and went through the building entrance, telling the receptionist she was there for a tour.
The receptionist looked puzzled at first, but when she showed Abellus’s business card, the receptionist let out a small exclamation.
After making a call somewhere, the receptionist led Iris to the elevator.
‘So I’ve finally entered the Villain’s lair. There’s more than a few suspicious spots here.’
Following the receptionist, Iris looked around warily.
Many secret doors required a security card to open throughout the Laboratory. Naturally, of course.
Outwardly, it pretended to be a normal lab under a big corporation, but it was actually doing evil deeds.
Thorough security would be needed to hide such hideous secrets.
As she walked down the corridor behind the receptionist, some ordinary-looking researchers passed her by.
That gave her a bit of comfort. Before coming here, she had researched Abellus’s Laboratory thoroughly.
There were lots of job postings, and she had even read posts full of typical office worker complaints.
Before being a Villain’s lair, it was a lab under a major corporation, so of course, plenty of regular people worked there.
‘As long as I don’t go anywhere too secluded, they probably won’t attack me openly. I’ll just have to keep my guard up.’
Just then, the receptionist stopped. Looking up, Iris saw a nameplate on the door: Director’s Office. The receptionist turned to Iris and spoke.
“You’re here for a tour with Director Abellus. The Director will guide you personally. You can go in now.”
“Ah, okay….”