Surviving as a Brainwashing Villain in a Hero World

Chapter 20

Somewhere in the city, a cafe is open.

In a neighborhood where not many people pass by,

It’s a place where customers are drawn by the quiet atmosphere and the rich, aromatic coffee scent.

There is a woman grinding coffee beans while humming a soft tune.

– *Ding* –

“Welcome.”

A cafe owner with long black hair down to her waist and rabbit-like red eyes,

and a customer with long white hair and blue eyes faced each other.

“Iced Americano. Please put less ice.”

“Yes. Understood.”

The female owner, wearing a sleeveless shirt that accentuates her voluptuous figure and a black skirt,

starts humming again as she prepares the coffee.

“It’s quite quiet here, isn’t it?”

The customer with an exotic appearance and blue eyes smiled gently,

complimenting the tranquil atmosphere of the shop.

“Yes. Many people who appreciate the ambiance visit us.”

She places a few small ice cubes into a thick glass that’s slightly smaller than a beer mug,

then mixes in freshly extracted coffee and cold water.

“People like that… might prefer the smell of dust over coffee aroma.”

The woman, taking the glass with condensation on the outside, sipped smoothly and

added an odd remark to the owner’s comment.

“Dust smell…? What do you mean by that?”

The white-haired woman quietly sips her Americano with a leisurely smile.

“When you go to an old bookstore on the outskirts of the city…

there’s a serene feeling among the books that smell of dust.”

The owner seemed somewhat puzzled but

took it as a compliment about the shop’s atmosphere and thanked the customer.

“Do you feel that much warmth in our shop’s ambiance?”

“Yes. It’s really a place I like.”

The woman, maintaining a meaningful smile, turned to look around the shop.

Her eyes caught a painting hanging on the wall.

A painting of a white horse in black armor carrying a knight in dark armor, running,

It looked quite old.

The woman stared at the painting for a while, seemingly fond of it.

“It’s not particularly meaningful. I bought it during a trip to Europe.”

“Ah… it gives quite a dynamic feeling.”

As she admired the impressive painting, only a few ice cubes remained in the woman’s glass.

“I enjoyed it. Please charge this card.”

The card the woman handed to the owner had a peculiar design:

a symbol of a fist thrusting energetically over a red ‘H’, representing the Hero Union.

The card with the Hero Union’s symbol is provided to union members,

but it can also be considered merchandise sold to the general public.

After taking the card, the owner glanced at it for a moment,

then nonchalantly completed the payment and returned the card to the customer.

“3,500 won has been charged. Please visit again.”

“I hope it will be like that…”

The two exchanged light smiles.

“Then, goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

– *Ding* –

The blue-eyed woman opened the door and quietly stepped outside.

“Looks like this place won’t last long either.”

Once the customer left, a door in the kitchen opened,

and another woman entered the cafe’s kitchen.

A woman slightly shorter and less built than the owner or the recent customer.

Although clearly an adult from how she spoke to the mature-looking owner,

She had a youthful and diminutive appearance.

“I told you it’s better not to come out when the shop is open.”

The owner said with a sulky expression towards the woman.

“Do you know how stuffy it gets in there? It’s way smaller than where we used to stay.”

A small room beyond the kitchen.

Certainly, it would be comfortable enough for one or two people to live in.

Yet, the woman complained to the owner.

“You could just say I’m your sister Chaeling and stay beside me.”

“If it were that easy, would we be hiding like this?”

“That’s not wrong. But what can we do? The entire hideout burned down.”

The woman called Chaeling pointed towards the room door to the other woman.

“Go back inside. There are many eyes to avoid if we want to move to another hideout.”

However, the woman grumbled as if she was stuffy, but

she pouted at Chaeling’s words and opened the door.

“Close the shop early today. I want to go to a more comfortable place soon.”

“Ha ha… Understood, Kaiser Leader.”

***

At the headquarters of the Hero Union, in an office.

A middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed beard and slightly graying hair was talking with the woman who had visited the cafe a few minutes ago.

“So, do you have any leads on their hideout?”

“Yes. There are two confirmed in the center of S City, and about three on the outskirts.”

Unlike her earlier outfit of sports leggings and a tracksuit,

She was now in a sleek black uniform and cape that highlighted her figure, a military-like attire.

It was the kind of uniform worn by officers or higher ranks.

“I’ve recorded detailed information about the suspected illegal hideouts in the file I sent you.”

“Your reports always contain a wealth of information.”

The woman took out a small chip from a pocket on her chest and handed it over.

“And this contains information on the organization that was recently annihilated in a surprise operation.”

“Oh. Did you find the Dark Knights’ hideout even faster than the reconnaissance team?”

The middle-aged man, seemingly her superior, took the memory chip with a look of surprise,

and inserted it into a slot on the side of an electronic device the size of a mobile phone.

“It’s quite far from where the Dark Knights’ old hideout was located.”

The location marked on the man’s device screen was the place she had just visited.

The location of the cafe where she enjoyed the serene atmosphere with an iced Americano.

“Isn’t this a cafe? Are they using it as a temporary shelter while operating?”

“Yes. The first person I saw when I entered was identified as a leader of the Dark Knights.”

The woman with captivating long black hair down to her hips and red eyes.

She discussed the cafe owner, Chaeling, with an emotionless expression.

“The cafe owner is known as ‘Trickster’, an executive in the Dark Knights.

According to the information gathered during the last operation, she’s suspected to have the ability to create clones.”

“Clones… a troublesome ability for us to handle.

It seems there’s no information on other leaders or the head yet.”

“Yes. I will try harder.”

The woman took off her uniform cap and bowed her head to her superior.

She felt she hadn’t delivered a result that would greatly please or satisfy her superior.

However, her superior’s expression seemed rather bright, contrary to her thoughts.

“There’s no need to overdo it. Why else do we have a reconnaissance team?

I understand your dedication, but rushing might actually mess things up.”

The man stood up and patted the woman on the shoulder, encouraging her as she bowed.

Understanding the broad intent of her superior, the woman raised her head.

“It’s not easy to find a hero as versatile as you in various aspects.

Those with abilities often tend to be very free-spirited and self-centered.”

As the man said, those with ‘abilities’ tend to be free-spirited.

Among the world’s population, about 5% are born with abilities.

Subtracting those with such minor abilities that it’s hard to even tell if they have one,

the actual percentage of ability users is less than half of that.

Many ability users struggle to lead a normal life from a young age,

and numerous studies show they often develop unique or twisted traits and personalities.

Most of those who flow into the Hero Union for activities are like this,

and she was no exception. In fact, she could be said to have lived a particularly tumultuous life even among the heroes in the Union.

“This is all I have to report for now.”

“I see. Good work, Lumi.”

“You shouldn’t call me by my real name during work hours.

Even if you know my name is Seolumi.”

As a rule, heroes’ personal information should not be mentioned during work.

“Ha ha! That’s exactly what I like about you.

Alright, you can leave now. A-grade hero, Ice Queen.”

A-grade hero of the Hero Union, Ice Queen.

Seolumi bowed in salute to her superior before leaving his office.

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