Chapter 14

EP.14 Became a Likable Villain

I really liked Stardust.

Stardust, the protagonist of the manga [Stardust!].

Why did I like Stardust?

First of all, obviously, she was beautiful.

Not as much as in real life, but she was drawn very prettily in the manga.

Anyway, it's the sad fate of men to instinctively feel attracted to beautiful women.

Also, I liked the gap between her hero activities and her everyday life.

In her daily life, she's just a plain, slightly grumpy girl, but when she's a hero, she says things like "Hey, you! What are you doing?!" in her unique awkward tone, which is quite amusing.

I'm not sure if she does this to separate her daily life from her hero life, or to hide her usual way of speaking. Honestly, I think she just does it because it looks cool.

Among all of that, what I liked the most was her unique sense of justice.

After her parents were killed in an incident caused by a villain when she was young, she has harbored a deep desire for revenge and hatred towards villains ever since.

She dreamed of becoming a hero.

However, since she had no superpowers or abilities,

all she could do was pray to the stars.

Please give me the power to awaken.

So that I can take revenge on those villains myself.

Did the stars answer her prayers?

She miraculously gained superpowers.

As she awakened her superpowers, her hair also began to turn a star-like blonde.

Thus, the name she gave herself: Stardust, the dust of the stars.

The association shortened it to Stardus, thinking that a five-character hero name was too long.

Anyway, her hero life, which started with a desire for revenge, led her to realize through various events that a hero is not just someone who beats up villains, but someone who protects citizens.

In this way, she became a true hero.

As a child, I was captivated by her story.

Actually, there were many heroes with more impressive storytelling and a stronger sense of justice, but I think she became my favorite character because she was Korean. I could relate to her story.

...Why am I rambling like this?

My favorite character suddenly appeared in front of me.

"Stygian!"

"Stardus?"

Oh my.

What's going on here?

In this crowded place.

After achieving my goal of removing the teleporter, I was about to go home.

I was trying to leave quietly, but I ended up drawing too much attention, which was a bit of a problem.

Suddenly, Stardus appeared.

What, how long have I been here that she already showed up?

I watched her, who couldn't even land due to the crowd, floating in the air.

She was sweating profusely, looking like she had flown here in a hurry. She must have flown here as soon as she heard I was here. Still, she managed to put on her usual red latex suit.

"Stygian, you!"

"Yes, yes. I'm listening."

[Bro, what are you doing! Come quickly!]

Eun-a, wait a moment.

My favorite character flew here just to see me, so I should at least hear what she has to say.

If I suddenly disappear in front of all these people, how embarrassing would that be? What if they mock us!

"What are you doing right now?"

Stardus looked at the fallen teleporter at my feet and glared at me.

The citizens were already watching us with excitement, as if a fight was about to break out. Hey, everyone, what if you get hurt? Oh, now they're even taking out their phones to record videos. Have they been recording this whole time? That's even more serious...

In front of these safety-blind citizens, I decided to play along with Stardus a bit more.

"What did I do? I just removed some parasitic villains from society. I did what heroes should do, what you should do. You don't have to thank me. I didn't do it for thanks. Ha ha!"

"You..."

The veins on Stardus's forehead were visible even from here. Her face was red with genuine anger. Uh, why is she so mad? Did I say something terrible?

She was trembling, looking like she might throw away her cool persona at any moment. Hey, hey, calm down! You're overreacting to a little teasing, aren't you?

Before she could lash out in anger, I quickly spoke up.

"Of course! I admit that I took the law into my own hands! But I think I deserve some leniency. The teleporter, that cruel guy, was designated as an A-rank villain due to the power of his ability and the risk of escape, right? If it's A-rank, isn't it within the hero's discretion to execute on the spot?"

As soon as I finished speaking, she opened her mouth as if she had been waiting for it.

"True, it is. But, are you a hero?"

She looked like she wanted to punch me right away. But she couldn't, fearing I might escape or that nearby citizens might get involved. Hmm. I don't think staying here any longer will help. It's time to make a run for it.

"Of course, I understand what you're saying, Miss Stardus. Even if someone deserves to die, a hero should be the one to do it, not a villain like me. That's a truly principled stance, Miss Stardus."

I tried to defend Stardus.

First step in my plan to make Stardus a popular hero: praise her!

Just like when Chul-soo says, "I'm good at studying," it doesn't sound convincing, but when his rival Young-hee says, "That guy may be a jerk, but he's good at studying," people start to think, "Oh, Chul-soo really is good at studying." There's nothing more effective than praise from a rival!

But the citizens seemed to think differently.

"What, are villains only supposed to catch heroes?"

"What's his problem... What a nuisance."

Suddenly, murmurs started around me.

I can hear everything.

Since I came to this world, I've noticed something.

The people here are a bit off.

They have no sense of safety, and now they're even defending the villain in a hero-villain standoff.

...Are they really crazy?

"It's ridiculous that you show up after everything is done and act like you're the hero."

"Frankly, what did Stygian do wrong?"

I almost fainted.

Is this really a real conversation?

As the murmurs grew louder, the expressions on both Stardus's and my face hardened.

The criticism was directed not at me, but at Stardus, who was being blamed for no reason.

Why? Did they go crazy when they saw blood?

This was not the situation I wanted. I wanted to be the one getting criticized and Stardus getting praised, not this.

Why are the citizens taking the side of the villain? What's going on?

Stardus's expression also hardened as she realized the public opinion was turning against her. I felt the need to quickly salvage the situation. I hastily spoke up.

"I didn't say I did anything right. I just said that's what it is! I'll continue to do such... evil deeds! I hope Miss Stardus will try to stop me! Well, I'll be going now!"

I spat out the words rapidly, turned my cloak, and teleported. Something's wrong. I need to run.

After teleporting, my vision spun, and my stomach churned. I couldn't even stand and eventually collapsed. I had been pushing myself to catch the teleporter, and the long-distance teleportation was too much for my body.

"Huff... huff..."

While I was lying there, barely breathing, the door burst open, and someone came in.

"Brother!"

It was Eun-a. She started to struggle to lift me up.

"Ah, why are you so heavy! Brother, come to your senses! I can't do this, sister! Help me!"

"Hey! I'm coming!"

A moment later, Su-bin came running in. I had only guessed it was Su-bin, as I was too weak to open my eyes. I really thought I might die.

"One, two! Let's carry him together!"

They started to carry me, struggling. Actually, Eun-a wasn't much help, and Su-bin was doing most of the work, but I didn't say anything. I couldn't.

I felt a bit embarrassed and ashamed as the two girls dragged me, but I couldn't move a finger.

"Phew, next time, please teleport right in front of the fatigue recovery machine, brother."

Eun-a, panting, finally managed to put me in the fatigue recovery capsule. Yeah, I should do that next time. I was too distracted earlier.

"...Thank... you..."

"Got it, now rest. You're almost dead."

Eun-a grumbled as she took care of me and left.

Su-bin, who was standing nearby, clenched her fist and cheered, "Get well soon!" before leaving. She's so cute.

There I was, lying down.

I needed to sleep and rest, but my mind was too worried to fall asleep easily.

Because of the murmurs about Stardus—those voices.

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