“To protect the peace of Gyodam City, we must have powerful weapons capable of standing against monsters.”
“Ah….”
Iris’s lips twitched at the corners.
She forced an awkward smile and averted her gaze from Abellus.
How could a Villain say such brazen things without even the slightest change in expression?
Peace, huh. He was probably working to bring ruin to Gyodam City.
‘Being a Villain isn’t something just anyone can do. How can someone lie so shamelessly, as if it’s nothing?’
Iris pouted her lips.
She was pretending to know nothing as well, but her performance was nothing compared to Abellus’s shamelessness.
Just then, a dog barked with a loud “Woof,” followed by a Researcher’s voice.
“Hey! Helveros! No!”
“Ah!”
The monster that looked like a three-headed dog, Helveros, lunged at Iris without warning.
Startled, Iris’s eyes went wide.
She tried to retreat, but her back hit a hard wall.
At this rate, she’d be helpless before the monster.
Her mind spun furiously in that split second.
‘No. If my Skill activates here, Abellus will discover my identity. I have to hold it in.’
It was better to get hurt.
Don’t come out, Chastity Belt.
Even if she suffered a fatal injury from the monster, she could just buy a Narrow Escape Potion from the Secret Exchange and recover.
But if Abellus found out her identity?
Her plan to steal Abellus’s abilities and see if he possessed any Relic would be completely ruined.
In the worst case, she might not even make it out of here alive.
“Woof, woof woof!”
“…Ah.”
Bracing herself for excruciating pain, Iris squeezed her eyes shut—yet nothing happened.
All she heard was the monster’s rough barking.
At the same time, she felt a warm embrace carrying a refreshing and gentle scent.
‘What…?’
Cautiously opening her eyes, Iris froze.
Between the open folds of a lab coat, a broad chest wrapped in a dress shirt came into view.
With a creak, she lifted her head and saw Abellus, frowning as he held her.
Her eyes darted—then she gasped in horror.
Abellus’s arm was soaked in blood.
Abellus had gotten hurt shielding her from Helveros’s attack.
‘What is going on…?’
Did Abellus really throw himself to save her?
That couldn’t be.
Wouldn’t it be a bonus for him if she died and became research material?
Did he have other plans?
Or did even Villains have a sliver of kindness left in their hearts?
The face of the more human Johannes briefly came to mind.
Maybe even a Villain could be that kind.
‘No way. Abellus is definitely not like that. He’s not Johannes.’
As Iris struggled with her confusion, a Researcher ran up to Abellus, wringing his hands in distress.
Seeing the arm drenched in blood, the Researcher’s hands fluttered in the air.
“D-Director, are you alright? Helveros suddenly broke free and…”
“…I’m fine. Don’t worry about me—calm Helveros down.”
“But…”
“I said I’m fine. Focus on Helveros.”
At Abellus’s repeated order, the Researcher glanced nervously before taking Helveros away.
Helveros bared his teeth, as if wanting to bite Iris, who was in Abellus’s arms, but once the Researcher yanked the leash, the monster huffed and was dragged off.
Iris glanced at the Researcher, who was sweating bullets as he calmed Helveros, then turned her gaze to the sound of heavy breathing.
Abellus’s wound was growing worse—blood was now dripping steadily.
‘It’s suspicious, but since he got hurt protecting me, I should at least pretend to be worried.’
Reluctantly, she spoke.
Her tone was uneasy inside, but her face wore a look of concern.
“A-Abellus… Are you alright? There’s so much blood…”
“Huff, I’m fine. Miss Iris, we should return to the Lab Director’s Office. There’s a Healing Kit there.”
Abellus staggered, then leaned his head on Iris’s shoulder.
A Villain falling so easily to a monster was strange enough, but to be struggling from a wound like this?
For an ordinary person, it was only natural, but Abellus was gifted.
If he drank a Magic Potion, he would recover.
Iris’s face briefly twisted in a frown, then smoothed out.
Even knowing it was an act, she had no choice but to play along.
She was, after all, pretending to be an innocent intern who knew nothing.
“I think you should go to the hospital.”
“No. I can treat this with a Healing Kit. It’s not bad enough for a hospital.”
Iris had no choice but to nod.
The way he leaned on her shoulder made it clear he wanted her to help him walk.
It was obviously a ruse, but since she intended to play along herself, she quietly supported Abellus.
As they made their way to the Lab Director’s Office, several Researchers they passed in the hallway stared in shock or sighed as they walked by.
But they weren’t surprised because Abellus was injured.
The normally unflappable Director, who could handle monsters the size of a house with ease, was now being supported by a woman of smaller build.
That was what shocked them.
But Iris had no way of knowing the reason for their stares.
‘Geez, does he have to overact so much…’
Feeling Abellus lean heavily on her, Iris silently swallowed her curses and kept moving.
In truth, ever since awakening as a Hero, she’d become incredibly strong, so supporting Abellus was nothing.
She wasn’t swearing because of the weight—it was because Abellus’s shameless performance was astounding.
Meanwhile, Abellus found this whole charade, feigning pain and making Iris work, thoroughly amusing.
He couldn’t see her face because he was leaning on her, but the sharp breaths and occasional sighs told him she was irritated.
He deliberately leaned even more on Iris, swallowing a chuckle.
‘It’s a good thing I got bitten by Helveros.’
The moment Helveros lunged at Iris, Abellus had shielded her and took the bite himself.
There hadn’t been much time to think—it was an instinctive action, not a calculated one.
He simply didn’t want Helveros to leave even a scratch on Iris’s body.
He wanted to be the only one who could touch her—whether to break her or to save her.
He could have subdued Helveros, but he let himself get bitten just to see Iris’s flustered face.
There was no way a gifted person like himself would be gravely injured by Helveros.
Even if he did get hurt, he could recover with a Magic Potion.
And if he could tolerate a bit of pain?
He’d get to enjoy watching Iris in a tight spot.
That was why he let himself get bitten, and now he was enjoying making Iris struggle.
It was a psychopath’s bizarre train of thought.
After Iris finally managed to drag him to the Lab Director’s Office, she was sweating bullets from both supporting the ever-leaning Abellus and keeping up her performance.
‘Can’t he act a little less? It’s not like a Villain would die from something like this…’
Sitting Abellus down in a swivel chair, Iris wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and let out a sigh.
She grumbled inwardly, but didn’t let a hint show on her face.
“Huu…”
But then her honey-colored eyes wavered uneasily.
Abellus’s arm was covered completely in blood.
If he drank a Magic Potion, he’d recover instantly, yet he’d let it bleed this much.
Why go so far?
No, perhaps he didn’t even have a bigger purpose to begin with.
It was impossible to guess a psychopath’s thoughts.
She’d suspected since the day he judged corpses, but he really wasn’t normal.
Leaning back against the chair, Abellus turned his head and spoke.
“Ah, I think I’m feeling a bit dizzy.”
It was more than just feeling dizzy.
For an ordinary person, it was serious enough to call an ambulance.
The wound was worsening, and blood was now dripping from his arm.
At a loss, Iris stood with her mouth agape, then glanced around in search of the Healing Kit.
Seeing Abellus sprawled in the chair, it was clear he wanted her to treat him.
“…Where is the Healing Kit?”
“Ugh, over there. Yes, right there…”
Following Abellus’s directions, she found the Healing Kit stashed in the corner of a locker.
Sighing, Iris picked up the kit—but then suddenly froze.
<Perception> is activating.
‘What’s that? Could that possibly be…’
Beside the locker stood a statue of an armored knight.
For a moment, a white aura flickered around its neck.
As soon as Iris noticed, the aura disappeared.
She narrowed her eyes and looked closely—the statue wore a choker around its neck.
‘Is that a Relic? Could it be one of the accessories from the Ancient set? No way, surely not…’