Do you know the surest way to tell that your opponent is crazy?
"...These bastards are insane."
It's simple. If they do something crazy, that's proof they're crazy. Of course, whether an act is crazy is up to each individual to judge, but if they do something that seems crazy to everyone, then they're definitely crazy.
A woman glaring at the documents had learned that fact for certain over forty-two long years of life, and thus she could be confident that her opponents were lunatics.
"This is practically a declaration of war against us. Where do these bastards keep popping up from, and why do we keep taking hits from these worthless punks? The organization is running great."
The contents of the documents were simple. A villain organization had raided an illegal support item factory under their control, and the papers detailed the damages incurred in the process.
Just seeing the damage was enough to annoy her, but reading the details made her blood boil even more. So she immediately slammed her fist on the desk and scattered the documents in every direction.
"How do you explain this?"
Then she shouted, glaring at those around her who stood with their heads bowed and hands neatly clasped.
But no answer came back. No matter what they had done wrong—or rather, even if it wasn't their fault at all—it was wisest to stay quiet and keep their mouths shut.
"Zero survivors. Meanwhile, the enemy had zero casualties. We took damage, and they didn't take any at all."
If an ordinary superior grilled them over right and wrong, they'd have to apologize and bow their heads. So what if that superior was an executive of a villain organization who had killed hundreds of people? At a time like this, shouldn't they keep their mouths shut and stay even quieter? Even if they weren't involved in the incident, and the only connection was that the ones who had failed their mission were her subordinates, they ought to remain silent.
"...We're sorry."
If they uttered even a single word of apology—
"Then do it right—!"
—she would just bark like this, stoking her anger,
"But we have nothing to do with those guys—"
and if they pleaded their innocence—
Kwaaaaaaang—!
"...Tch. Failed to control my strength again."
...they would simply end up dead, like their senior—the deputy branch chief of this branch—who had just opened his mouth.
"Argh, I was just going to kick his shin, and he died again! Aren't you all too weak?"
She had kicked him lightly with her foot, yet the man died easily. But instead, she got angry that people were too weak. No one there would flatter her by saying she was strong, nor get angry asking what she thought of her comrades.
They were villains. She was among the strong, even among villains.
Having no blood or tears, and even viewing comrades as tools—perhaps that was what made them truly villain-like. The others simply remained silent with their heads bowed, and she clicked her tongue at the sight before glancing at the man right beside her.
"You, how long has it been since you joined?"
"One year and twenty days, ma'am!"
"Too short. Who's been here the longest?"
At her words, the villains exchanged glances.
"...I am."
"Really? You're the deputy branch chief now. If I die, you become the branch chief, so consider it an honor. Haha!"
She spat those words at him with a sneer, then returned to her seat and plopped down into her chair. Those watching her ground their teeth, but they still kept their mouths shut and heads bowed.
To her, they were nothing but consumables. Even if she had just killed their spiritual pillar, nothing changed. They had no future but to be toyed with in her hands like playthings until they eventually died.
"Hmm... Well, I've taken care of the one who talked back. I suppose we should get to the rest of the work?"
She opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out new documents, then smiled, licking her lips—
"If this plan fails—consider all your lives forfeit, you incompetent bastards."
She passed a sentence no different from death on her personal toys.
Frozen faces. She looked around at the villains with a serious glare, and just as their stiffened forms began to shrink even further—
"...Pfft. Puhahahahaha!"
She waved her hand and laughed as if the building would fly away.
"Just kidding, just kidding. Like we'd fail in the first place? We're raiding an academy with nothing but brats, and while the new principal is supposedly some big shot—he's too free-spirited to even stick around the academy."
As long as she was there, there was no way the plan could fail. She spoke lightly in a playful tone, firmly believing that, but the villains still kept their mouths tightly shut.
"Those weird bastards couldn't possibly know about this plan, and they're villains too, so they wouldn't raid the academy anyway. Who cares!"
Because she only kept saying there was no way the plan would fail—
"Most importantly, I'm here! I'm strong enough to cover for you incompetents, you know!"
—she hadn't said she'd spare their lives if the plan did fail.
Well, for them, if this plan failed, their lives would go down the drain anyway. For them, going to prison was no different from dying. As members of the Legion of Evil, the moment they were caught, it would be a life sentence.
"So prepare well! Got it—?!"
"—Yes, ma'am!"
One week until the academy raid. If this plan—to utterly destroy the place, massacre the students, and eliminate the heroes—failed, their fates would be greatly shaken.
Thus the villains swore and inwardly prayed that nothing would go wrong, but—
"—We're raiding the academy."
"...Huh?"
They didn't know that their plan had already gone awry before it even began.
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Do you know the surest way to tell that you yourself are crazy?
"...Are you crazy?"
If someone you think is crazy asks you if you're crazy, then you're truly crazy.
Hyeonu, looking at the four people and one tablet seated around a round table of moderate size, thought exactly that as he was asked if he was crazy by the person he considered the craziest of all.
"You're the last person I want to hear that from."
"But it really is crazy, so."
Kim Eunji, a girl scrunching her face while drinking a beverage.
"What kind of villains raid an academy under state protection? And I heard the new principal this time is the former No. 1 Hero. Did you know? That guy still takes first place in popularity polls like it's a regular meal, even after retiring."
"The state recognizes his merits despite his retirement, so they turn a blind eye when he catches villains."
The man nodding along in agreement with her words, Han Sanghun.
"I think this is the first time you two have ever agreed on anything."
"That just shows how crazy the plan is."
Those two, who fought like lunatics over opposing opinions even when deciding what to eat—it was clear proof he had proposed a crazy idea just by having them agree. However—
"There will be no changes. The raid is in one week."
His intention to not back down remained unchanged.
"I'm using my vacation."
"Take it if you're going to."
When he nodded at her frowning words, her frown deepened even more,
"...I want to sit this one out too."
"Sit out if you're going to."
"I'm going crazy."
When Hyeonu nodded at the words of the man who raised his hand with a frown, the man buried his face in both hands.
Why was he reacting like this even though he'd been told he could back out?
"But—you know the answer, right?"
"If we don't go, you'll go alone. Damn it."
Of course, it was because they knew their leader was someone who would go even alone. Without its leader, the organization couldn't function. If it was an organization that had gathered in the first place looking at just one person, then that was even more true. So what could they do if their leader walked into the entrance of hell? If he had no intention of turning back, wouldn't their chances of making it back alive be higher if they entered hell together?
"...Hey, Yujin. Try to stop him. He listens to you."
Of course, it would be great if they could stop Hyeonu before he walked into hell,
"More importantly, we should first hear why he's raiding the academy."
"Wow. I'm going crazy. You fanatic."
Even the one girl who made this possible was looking at Hyeonu's face with gleaming eyes, so Sanghun felt like he was about to go mad and jump up and down in frustration.
What did the reason matter when they were charging straight into Korea's only academy? It was obvious she would agree no matter the reason. Maybe asking this person had been a mistake in the first place.
"No, forget the reason—someone needs to stop him first—"
This couldn't go on. With that thought, Sanghun let out a deep sigh and opened his mouth to voice his opposition, but—
"—The Legion of Evil will raid the academy that day."
The previously light atmosphere changed drastically in an instant, and he closed his mouth.
"Is that reason enough?"
No one opened their mouth at his question. Silence meant assent. To them, it was already reason enough, so any thought of voicing opposition naturally vanished.
"Then—who's coming with me?"
Hyeonu asked them with a smile,
"Ash. I'm in."
Kim Eunji, the villain Ash, raised her hand with a smile full of madness.
"Jewel. I'm in."
Han Sanghun, the villain Jewel, let out a sigh and nodded.
"I'm staying home to guard the house anyway, so I'll just cheer you on. Ah, and if you get hurt on purpose again, you're dead. Kim Eunji."
Lee Yujin. The villain Priest smiled brightly and agreed to their plan.
"What about those two?"
"I'm bringing Zero. And as for that guy—"
At Hyeonu's words, the boy who nodded was sure to follow him,
"...Make sure you handle information control."
"—I can't use brute force like you lot. Best of luck."
The low male voice coming from the tablet wished them luck.
"Then it's decided."
The executives had effectively reached a unanimous agreement,
"Repentance will raid Justice Academy in one week."
Hyeonu muttered, smiling as he pulled a mask from inside his clothes.