Chapter 41 : The one who moves now is the culprit (3)

“Little friend… Was his name Kang Janghoon?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Right, Janghoon. Then, how about we briefly make a plan together?”

“…What?”

At this rate, it was only a matter of time before my true identity was discovered.

So, just before I left the bathroom, the monster of weapons, who had recognized me as one of its kind, suggested the following clever plan.

“The point is that if there’s a clear proof that Janghoon isn’t a monster to the extent of being disqualified from the physical exam, that should be enough, right?”

“Well… I guess so. But where am I supposed to find something like that right now?”

“I already found it.”

“Really?”

“From this guy right here.”

“This guy…?”

With those words, the monster of weapons turned around behind me.

What was she trying to do? I wondered as I watched.

Swoosh.

“?!”

Did she put her hand into the ground?

No, the bathroom floor was still perfectly fine.

She put one arm into the shadow in front of me, where the light cast my own shadow.

It was an unbelievable sight.

That’s because shadows are usually intangible concepts.

But just like putting a hand into a lake, she stirred the inside of the shadow, moving her arm around.

“…! Got it!”

“Got it?”

No, this wasn’t a lakeside or anything.

Was there something to grab inside there?

By now, I was just as curious as her, so I watched along.

“Ah, it hurts! It hurts!”

What popped out was someone who had once been a great help to my lower body.

The missing monster who had disappeared without a trace after the mosquito monster incident, and was thought to be part of the official daughter material of the <Monster Frontline> world.

“Missing monster?”

“Janghoon, since the first time you saw her, she had been living in your shadow… You didn’t know that, did you?”

“Yes! I didn’t even know she was there!”

“Ugh, aaah… Horned Mask, I was actually going to tell you about this myself…”

“…If you’re not a companion, should I just kill you here?”

“Eek?!”

When did she get into my shadow?

Come to think of it, there was a skill in the game called ‘Invisibility’ under the missing abilities.

‘It was a completely useless skill, so I never used it… I never thought it would be something like this.’

Apparently, she used the invisibility skill to enter my shadow.

It was a good thing she was the missing one. If she had been another monster, she could have taken advantage of the moment I transformed into a human and put my life at risk.

Anyway, I decided to postpone my surprise for later.

“Weapon Monster! I know that person. Please don’t kill her!”

“Huh? Is that so?”

“Yes, yes! I’m Horned Mask’s loyal assistant!”

“Aha. So you’re their lackey?”

I had no memory of having such a lackey, though.

The missing monster answered naturally, as if she had come to serve me as her master.

“Well, that makes sense. After all, even our home’s little brat was sent home. It wouldn’t make sense to wander alone in embarrassment.”

“Uh, I don’t mind going alone, though…”

“?! Oh, no! Horned Mask! It’s better to go together if we’re going to do something important!”

The missing monster, freed from the weapon monster, clung to me like a dog about to be abandoned.

Maybe it was because she was practically the only flat-chested character in the story.

She crossed her arms between her chest, but I didn’t feel anything particular.

However, that was part of the charm of the missing one, I guess.

“Anyway, now everything fits together.”

“Fits together?”

“Yeah. Janghoon, this means that you now have all the means to get out of this situation safely.”

Meanwhile,

What did finding the missing one have to do with this situation?

As we both tilted our heads in confusion, the weapon monster grinned a devious smile.

“Makoto, please calm down.”

“What?! My kid almost caught tetanus, and you want me to calm down?”

“Of course… Regarding this matter, our Hero Association will make sure to provide compensation.”

“The researcher who failed to properly check the equipment has been immediately dismissed.”

“Also, the equipment we’ll be using this time has been properly inspected, so don’t worry.”

“…There won’t be a second time. You know what that means, right?”

“Of course.”

While Janghoon was in the bathroom,

The research building, which had been on the brink of collapse, had somewhat calmed down.

Thanks to the quick actions of the researchers, who lowered their heads without a word, Makoto was able to hold back their anger.

Meanwhile,

“Janghoon is taking a bit longer, huh?”

It had already been about 30 minutes since he entered the bathroom.

I couldn’t imagine someone raised so diligently by the Okami family suffering from constipation.

So why wasn’t he out yet?

Yun Ha-eun, who had already almost 100% deduced that Janghoon was the Horned Mask monster,

Couldn’t help but think of another possibility—’escape.’

She decided to enter the men’s bathroom herself.

But then…

Suddenly.

“What are you doing?”

“?!”

While the researchers were distracted, S-Class Rank 3, Makoto, had already leaped behind her.

When Makoto placed a hand on Yun Ha-eun’s shoulder, she couldn’t move her body at all, as though a mountain had been placed on top of her.

“He just entered, but why are you trying to go in there?”

“Well… he’s been in there too long!”

“That’s not a reason to carelessly enter the men’s bathroom. As a woman, it’s simply not ‘proper.’ “

“I know! But… But what if he escaped?”

“…What?”

Chill ran down her spine.

A boy like her son had gone into the bathroom, but he might have exited the building of the Hero Association.

Why? Because his true identity was a monster… Yun Ha-eun hesitated.

And then, she felt the terrifying presence of a predator.

“Yun Ha-eun.”

“…!”

“Can you take responsibility for that?”

“Responsibility?”

“Yeah. If you go in there and find nothing, Janghoon will live with the trauma of thinking a woman barged in on him while he was using the restroom.”

If the child was a monster, that would be the best outcome.

But if he wasn’t, what was she going to do with the aftermath?

Makoto’s advice made Yun Ha-eun stop her actions for the first time.

“I heard about the relationship between the Horned Mask monster and you. An S-Class Hero who couldn’t take down an enemy for the first time?”

“…Yes.”

She was probably still angry about it.

“…Yes.”

“Being defeated by a monster as a Hero has many meanings. But that’s a problem for you to deal with, not for you to take out your frustrations on a kid who hasn’t even been confirmed to be an S-Class yet.”

“I understand.”

It was a fact I already knew, but maybe because I heard it from someone else.

Yoon Ha-eun nodded silently.

The heat in her head, which had been burning, seemed to cool down a little.

“I’m sorry…”

No matter how frustrated one is, there are lines that must not be crossed.

Recalling the most basic mindset of a hero, she tried to move away from the men’s restroom.

But then.

…!!

“Huh?”

“A metallic sound?”

Did I mishear that?

A loud crashing noise, as if solid weapons were clashing against each other, echoed.

And it was coming from inside the men’s restroom.

At first, she thought it couldn’t be, and tried to calm herself down again.

Clang!

Kaang!

Tang!

She could hear it.

It was definitely audible.

The sharp metallic clashes, as if a fierce battle was taking place!

If the Hero Association’s research facility, built with solid earthquake-resistant design, was starting to shake, that meant an immense battle was unfolding inside.

And it was coming from none other than the men’s restroom!

“As expected… I was right! Jang-hoon was that horned-mask monster all along!”

“T-That can’t be… First, we need to check what’s happening inside…”

Yoon Ha-eun’s eyes turned red with certainty.

And as the saying goes, the more you trust, the greater the disappointment—Makoto Clan Leader’s eyes started to well up with unshed tears.

It felt like her heart was being torn apart.

She had firmly believed it wasn’t true, but now, was everything this junior hero said actually real?

Was Jang-hoon, her daughter’s only friend, really that notorious horned-mask monster?

At that very moment.

Boom!

“Kyaaah!”

“A m-monster!”

“The horned-mask! It’s the horned-mask monster!”

The monster, wearing the horned-mask, burst out of the men’s restroom itself.

Flesh-like cloak fluttering, and golden hair shining, the creature made its grand entrance.

Yoon Ha-eun clenched her fist tightly.

Meanwhile, Makoto Clan Leader, as if losing all will to fight, collapsed to the ground.

“Jang-hoon… was really a monster?”

“See! I told you! He must have realized his identity was about to be exposed and made the first move!”

“That can’t be…!”

Then, two monsters, armed with weapons and fists, emerged from the men’s restroom and started a deadly battle with twin blades.

Watching them, Makoto Clan Leader recalled her vow not to shed tears ever since her husband passed away.

But now—

“Hic… Hic…! J-Jang-hoon…!”

So this is what it feels like to lose a child?

A grief as painful as losing her husband, a storm of guilt, betrayal, and sorrow welled up in her.

Tears streamed endlessly down her cheeks.

“D-Clan Leader!”

“Huh?”

“…What?!”

They were flowing down.

But then—

As she looked at Jang-hoon, who had deceived them, she saw one last figure step out of the restroom.

She became utterly speechless upon seeing ‘human Jang-hoon.’

“J-Jang-hoon?”

“Huh? …Huh? Huhhh?!”

Wait, wasn’t Jang-hoon supposed to be that horned-mask monster over there?

Then who was this trembling child clinging to her for safety?

“T-That horned-mask monster… N-No! I was just using the restroom when it appeared! It was so scary!”

“J-Jang-hoon…! Hic! Jang-hoon!!”

She didn’t know what was going on, but one thing was certain—there was no way her son-like child was a monster!

As Jang-hoon—who had seemingly just returned—tried to explain, Makoto Clan Leader tightly embraced him, sobbing uncontrollably.

She had cried from sadness just moments ago, and now, she was crying from overwhelming relief.

And then—

“Jang-hoon… wasn’t the horned-mask monster?”

Another hero, completely deceived by the shape-shifting ability of ‘Missing-chan,’ stood there in shock.

Yoon Ha-eun, who had caused all this commotion believing that child was a monster, now realized—he wasn’t at all.

‘I’m screwed.’

How was she supposed to handle this now?

She had thought she was leading a revolution, but now, she had failed and become a traitor.

Looking back at her actions, cold sweat trickled down between her legs.