Being a Villain is My True Calling

Shortly after sending Maker into the venue, Heart gazed wistfully at the spot where he had departed, her heart fluttering.

‘The truth is, I recognized that you differed from the other attendees here.’
‘What do you…’

At first, she had been completely deceived by his words…

‘You are, in fact, an official representative here, are you not? Specifically, a guide assigned by Black Night’s Queen to assist me, a newcomer.’

Fortunately, his contrived misunderstanding spared her from embarrassment.

‘Heart, might you inquire with the organizers whether I could secure a private audience once the Information Exchange concludes?’
‘…Pardon?’
‘There are certain matters I wish to discuss.’

Moreover, he wished to convey something directly to her (the Queen)!
Of course, Maker viewed Heart and the Queen as separate individuals, so his intentions were undoubtedly not nefarious.

“Aying, I don’t know~”

Nevertheless, the girlish part of her couldn’t help but feel a flutter of anticipation.

“……”
“……”
“…What a silly girl.”
“Mouthy brat.”

Bwaak!!
Promptly retaliating against the disrespectful glare, Heart primly crossed her legs upon an elegant chair.

The staff quarters on the third floor.
Seated there, Heart briefly watched Maker converse with the other villains below before turning her gaze towards Clock Rabbit.

“Kkyaing..! How old are you, Your Majesty?!”
“Hmm? In both body and spirit, I am eternally seventeen.”

Clutching her head in exasperation, Clock Rabbit grumbled indignantly.
Beaming at her amusedly, Heart poked her own cheek teasingly.

“Admittedly, the exterior appears that way…”
“Not just the exterior! My internal biological functions are all calibrated to that of a seventeen-year-old as well!”

Clock Rabbit eyed Heart skeptically.
Pouting petulantly, Heart’s entire demeanor radiated childlike defiance.

Unquestionably, her outward appearance betrayed no hints of maturity beyond her late teens or early twenties.
No, that wasn’t mere appearance – her physical age truly corresponded to that youthful range.

“Sounds downright fraudulent…”
“Well, it was an accident from my youth, I suppose. A twist of fate, if you will?”

When Heart was actually seventeen years old, a series of coincidences and mishaps culminated in her absorbing a Vestige of Mystery.

Ordinarily, if a Vestige sustained significant damage beyond a certain threshold, the intrinsic power it contained would simply dissipate.
Peculiarly, however, the Vestige Heart consumed did not lose its potency, instead transferring that power to her.

“Thanks to that, I get to maintain this appearance until my demise!”

The power Heart gained from the Vestige was Preservation.
Originally a mundane ability to influence objects, perpetually sustaining them in prime condition.

Yet, when that power became part of Heart’s physiology, it prevented her from aging further while retaining perfect health.

Immortality, of a sort.
Not merely appearing youthful, but an eternal stasis of her physical age and vitality.

Of course, it did not grant true immortality, so she would eventually perish.
But having already lived for decades without visibly aging, she found that prospect thoroughly satisfactory.

“More importantly, it serves as proof of my fertility – I can still bear children, you see!”

With her physical age perpetually fixed in her prime years, Heart could conceive and give birth well into her forties, fifties, and beyond without issue.

“Oh.”

For some reason, Clock Rabbit responded with a mocking round of applause.

“Somehow, that gives me frozen egg vibes, though.”
“Preposterous. Completely natural.”

Amidst their playful banter, Heart harbored mild hopes regarding the message Maker intended to convey.

”The Worst Hero’ will reappear. And he intends to scorch Korea in his wake.’

At least, until she overheard his ominous murmurs.

‘So this is the third floor…’

Indeed, just as described, the third floor seemed reserved for staff quarters.
Unlike the first floor’s pristine order, this area exuded a lived-in ambiance and casual disarray.

Following Clock Rabbit while surveying the surroundings, we eventually arrived at a particular door.

“Over here.”

Clock Rabbit paused, glancing back at me briefly.

Knock knock.
She then rapped on the door.

“Your Majesty. I have brought the guest, as requested.”

-Thank you.

A composed, somewhat distorted voice emanated from within.
Recognizing it as the same individual I had encountered mere hours prior required little deduction.

“Please, enter, Maker.”

With a solemn expression, Clock Rabbit opened the door and stepped inside. I followed suit.

‘So this is how she prepared…’

Within the spacious room, a large curtain partition obscured the far section.
Fleeting shadows hinted at a figure’s presence beyond that veil.

“…Welcome.”
“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Your Majesty. I am Maker, an executive of Eclipse.”

I offered a courteous greeting befitting our purported first encounter.

“……”

For a moment, the silhouette rippled faintly.
It seemed she was reciprocating my greeting motion.

“I trust you found your time at our Black Night event enjoyable?”
“Thanks to the attendant you assigned, I was able to thoroughly appreciate the festivities without particular inconvenience.”
“I see…”
“The staff’s overzealous attentions were a tad overbearing at times, but nothing unmanageable. Haha.”

Jolt.
My words prompted simultaneous flinches from both Clock Rabbit and the Queen.

“…Ahem, I shall provide supplementary training to address that issue. My apologies.”

A tinge of embarrassment colored her tone.

“No need to reprimand them too harshly. Their efforts only enriched my experience, after all.”
“…Understood.”

Glancing towards Clock Rabbit revealed her poorly suppressed relief, lips twitching upwards impishly.

‘The atmosphere seems rather amicable, all things considered.’

I had envisioned intense interrogation, perhaps even outright hostilities.
Yet the mood remained relatively cordial, limited to casual small talk for now.
Perhaps she merely viewed me as a bystander or informant, nothing more.

At any rate, we continued exchanging pleasantries for a time.

“So, what was the reason for summoning me, Your Majesty?”

Opting to steer us towards the main subject, I posed the question directly.

“……”

After a contemplative pause, she addressed me, her tone more solemn compared to earlier.

“…Where did you obtain that information about an attempt to liberate the former hero Alpha?”

Her voice carried a weightier gravitas now, suggesting a newfound seriousness despite the lighter phrasing.

“No comment.”
“But…!”
“Even if you are the Queen, I cannot readily disclose another’s trade secrets.”

Surely she understood that such inquiries bordered on impropriety.
Akin to demanding a restaurant’s secret recipes or a company’s proprietary product formulas – interrogating an informant about their sources was a professional discourtesy, their livelihood at stake.

Ah, but was I not an informant by trade?
For this occasion, I had embraced that role.

‘In all honesty, setting aside questions of propriety, the primary reason was my inability to provide a truthful source.’

What basis could I offer for that revelation about Alpha’s intended liberation, other than my own role as the orchestrator?
I could not disclose it, for I was the one intending to facilitate his escape.

“Does the source of my information truly hold such significance?”

Averting my gaze momentarily, I met the Queen’s eyes with a firm stare.

“Is not the veracity of the information itself the paramount concern?”

The source? Its credibility?
Such considerations became moot the instant the validated it as critical intelligence.

“…I suppose so.”

With the soaring probability of its authenticity, she should focus on the content rather than the provenance.

“I’m willing to negotiate a deal with you as well.”
“You wish to acquire more detailed information regarding my revelation?”
“Yes.”

The wavering silhouette stilled abruptly, as if fixing me with an intent stare.

“Are you not already privy to the extent of what I disclosed down below? I can only assume Your Majesty was apprised accordingly.”
“There are undoubtedly aspects you have omitted or concealed. Those of your ilk tend to withhold a secret or two, do they not?”

“You are well-informed.”

Her incisive insight, spoken with such certainty, elicited a brief sense of admiration from me.

“I welcome any information you can provide.”
“Such as…”
“The identity of this individual attempting his liberation. Their motives, the timing of their plans, and so forth…”

Her voice resonated with barely restrained fury.
The Queen’s form quivered visibly beyond the curtain.

“I must know what sort of maniac would perpetrate such an act.”

Thump!
Striking the armrest of her chair emphatically, her subsequent words carried an ominous chill.

‘So she has been courteous towards me, it would seem.’

As one already familiar with the Queen’s history, I had vaguely anticipated as much.

For the entire saga surrounding the hero Alpha was intrinsically intertwined with her own tragic past.