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There’s a simple reason we don’t see Butler that often. He’s not exactly the type who has the luxury of just meeting with us.

The executives at Heros Company often complained about having way too much on their plates.

They never specified exactly what tasks they were assigned or how high up they were.

They wanted to keep it a secret, knowing no one would let it slip, but still insisted on keeping it under wraps.

So, all we knew about Butler was that he was old, had a family, was swimming in money—like, the number one cash cow for the Liberators—and he despised the way the world was turning.

Oh, and just for reference, I was cash cow number two.

He might seem like a gentle old guy on the surface, but that dude had some dangerous ideas—ones you’d expect from a muscle-bound freak at the turn of the century.

No matter how much I usually don’t care about others, this was so shocking that I remembered it vividly.

Let the weak die naturally, allow the strong to survive, and sharpen humanity as a species through struggle…

Even I, with my twisted mindset, couldn’t help but think that was insane. How the heck is society supposed to survive if all the weak just keel over?

That old guy rose to his position thanks to society’s benefits, but it seemed he didn’t care much about that.

Other than that, I didn’t really know much about Butler.

If I had to force something out, it’d be that he aligned with Justitia around the same time as her?

But unlike Justitia, who took her in as a subordinate, it was more like he was a patron or something; that’s where the difference lay.

This mansion was also the building that Butler bought for us to use as a hideout. He funded several other places too.

But he never gave us enough money to be comfortable. That old man only handed over cash every time we proved our worth.

Admittedly, moving that kind of money under the watchful eye of Heros Company isn’t easy, but whenever the old man or we pulled off something big, he’d throw around a ridiculous amount of cash, so it seemed like an excuse.

My guess is he’s spreading out his investments because he’s scared of losing it all in one go.

When I once asked if there were other organizations besides us getting support, he just chuckled mysteriously and said, ‘Hmm, who knows.’

There are definitely other anti-Heros Company groups playing around with that old man.

Success will probably be ours alone, though.

“Isn’t it a waste for Justitia and Blanca to just take care of the students? A cat could handle that.”

The meeting was discussing training for the soldiers and their mental conditioning, territory expansion, and specific attack plans.

“Hanchō, don’t call her that. And remember the Sports Festival? You saw how strong the students were. Just the two of us might not cut it.”

“Justitia’s right. You were probably snoozing again, but they’re not a joke. At least two of us are needed to keep them in check.”

“Can’t we just kill them all?”

“No way, Jack. That wouldn’t give us a reason to act. We need to be a righteous revolution army, not a bunch of crazy terrorists.”

He said that while pressing down on Justitia’s shoulder as she was about to stand up.

Even a nutcase like Jack understood that much, replying with a grimace, as if he had no choice.

…Seriously, why the heck did that old man recruit someone like him? I couldn’t figure it out.

His abilities are definitely intimidating and a great help, but honestly? Losing him wouldn’t seem to change much.

“The kids can handle it, so how do we plan on striking Heros Company?”

“We gather people under the Liberators’ flag to split society in half. Then we smash Heros Company’s factories and airport to weaken them. Once the airport crumbles, we teleport supplies to isolated areas and seize public sentiment. Happy with that, Aileen?”

Aileen was fiddling with an eerie Cursed Doll, muttering her son’s name again.

“Of course, we’ll move quickly using the waypoints Wei’s marked everywhere. As soon as we attack the Academy, we’ll hit the factory, so keep that in mind.”

He said they seemed to have most of the Academy raid plan laid out and now wanted to discuss morale training for the soldiers.

“Now, regarding the soldiers’ morale training… What do you all think?”

“I think they’re fine as is. If someone was gonna backstab us, it’s better for them to do it now, right? If all the traitors leave, what we’re left with will just be loyal soldiers.”

“That’s a valid point from the cat… but how about we just impose a little control from here on? There’s no guarantee some fool won’t suddenly side with Heros Company.”

Hanchō suggested gaslighting them daily about Heros Company’s wrongdoings and that the only place they can go is the Liberators.

“That sounds decent. But… brainwashing the soldiers seems off, so I’ll think about it. Justitia?”

“I share similar thoughts with that thug. But we don’t need to worry about someone siding with Heros Company. Anyone who joins the Liberators is already someone who deeply hates the Company and society.”

Justitia said there’s no need to stress over traitors, claiming those who’d run away would be scared of dying or have too much to lose.

“So, Justitia’s idea is to make them people with nothing to lose?”

“No, it’s better to attract people like that. As for our current members, keep control over them.”

“I get it, just kidding. Jack or Aileen…?”

“I’m out, you know I’m not the brightest bulb.”

“Let’s use curses to keep them in check.”

Aileen at least spoke up, but the Boss shrugged off her suggestion, saying curses should be for enemies, not allies.

“And if we do that, they’ll think we don’t trust them, which might actually lower morale. Wei, what do you think?”

“How about we give them more snacks?”

Wei shrugged, providing an answer fitting for their age.

“That’s a brilliant idea. Nothing keeps people happy like good benefits. Lastly, what do you think, Butler?”

“What do you think I’m thinking, ha ha. Let the weaklings with no such will leave. If they’re that lacking, they’re just parasites consuming our resources.”

“You’re as ever. Honestly, it’s tough to find someone who measures up to even a cat at this point. So, this might be difficult. From what I gather, it’s pretty similar to what I was thinking.”

“Uh, what? You’ve had this all figured out and just asked us?”

“I thought maybe a brilliant idea could pop up. Remember that one time Jack…”

He said how even a stone on the roadside could sometimes be a treasure, subtly jabbing at Jack.

But Jack didn’t seem to mind since he knew how dumb he was.

“So, I guess we need to summarize your opinions and apply them. We want the Liberators to feel more of a sense of belonging, and we need to deftly cut off any betrayal at its roots. Next, the training process…”

After that, I couldn’t focus since it had nothing to do with me. I couldn’t take charge of training the liberators.

There’s no one with similar abilities, and I’m practically in a different realm altogether.

So, two hours later, the meeting wrapped up, and everyone went their separate ways.

“Blanca, work hard. I have high hopes for you.”

“Yes… Boss. See you next time.”

It was fun while I was at the mansion, but after the meeting wrapped up and I returned to my rented place, I let out a sigh.

Was there really anyone I could recruit?

…Maybe in Class D or E?

—

Was I really making the right choice? Would picking another path have been better?

I couldn’t stop thinking about that as I lived as the second Mr. Park in this ‘Evil Society’.

Heros Company was using my research to experiment on humans and extract abilities, but at least they didn’t handle humans to this extent.

At least to my knowledge, they didn’t. The days in Evil Society were a good opportunity to witness the shocking aspects of Heros Company.

Whether it’s Evil Society or Heros Company, both seem like dens of devils; I really wonder what I can do.

Where exactly should I seek justice?

The kids are so full of purpose, yet not a day passes without me being tormented by the fact that the Heros Company defining that justice is utterly rotten.

Even so, cooperating with Evil Society means losing my future.

Is fleeing to the United States really the only solution, or is there another option?”

As I lamented and pondered, I received a message from the boy who visited last time.

I remembered him. This boy was the first and only one who could use my research properly.

How could I forget?

The message he sent was clumsy but heartfelt encouragement. It felt like he had picked up on some of it, urging me not to buckle under pressure from Heros Company, but…

It’s been ages since we broke ties with Heros Company, so even upon receiving the message, I just chuckled.

 

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