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“At this point, I can’t help but wonder if I’m just cramming all my collapses into this year.”

It couldn’t be happening so frequently otherwise. Staring at the landscape that felt more like a dream or a replayed memory, I mused.

It wasn’t anything bizarre—just memories from a few days after being taken in by the Liberators.

-“Ah, damn! Boss, this crazy cat just bit me! Did this thing get its shots? It’s bleeding, ugh…! Why’d you make me do this… It doesn’t even like me!”

Innocent little me was holding on to Hanchō’s hand with fierce determination, while Hanchō looked at me as if I was the biggest nuisance, whining to that dude.

…Looking at it now, Hanchō had grown in size, but mentally, he hadn’t changed at all from back then.

The dude, who looked much younger, half-listened to Hanchō’s complaints, responding casually as if it was nothing.

-“But since it came from the lab, it’s got to be cleaner than regular ones, right? I’m sorry, but typically, experiment rats grow up in controlled environments.”

Hearing the term “experiment rat,” little me reacted sharply, insisting it was a cat, not a rodent, and not to treat it like a beast or an object.

Looking back, I was ridiculously picky. Yet, he accepted all my complaints and approached me with snacks.

-“I’m sorry, kiddo. I was rude to someone who might be a future ally. Let’s apologize. I want to give you something, is that okay?”

Little me was wary of him, starting to synthesize something indeterminate, but he plopped the snack down on the ground instead of handing it to me directly.

-“I’d rather hand it to you directly, but… I think you might dislike that, so I’ll leave it here. By the way, how long are you going to keep calling you ‘that kid’—sounds like you need a name…”

He stepped back, asking if I had a name.

This time, I didn’t answer.

Part of me didn’t want to reply, but the other part couldn’t remember my name at all.

In the lab, I was only called “experiment subject” or by a serial number, and no recollection of my previous name lingered in my mind.

If you ask if I remember now… I recall my last name, but my first name is still hazy.

Maybe as I live, one day it’ll come to me. I just don’t know if I’ll be alive to recall it.

-“So you don’t have one? Or don’t want to say? Either way, that’s sad. If you’re okay with it, I’d like to give you a name. How about it?”

Little me gave an ambiguous reaction, not agreeing or denying, and playfully said to try and come up with something.

At this point, I think half of me felt it was okay to trust him. It had barely been a while since I was rescued, but still, my humanity had hit its peak in suspicion, aside from this guy who seemed like an exception.

It might be hypnosis, but who knows? There was this strange air that made him sincere.

It wasn’t brainwashing. He wasn’t forcing or suppressing thoughts.

-“Gato… sounds awful even to me. Pero would be dog, and… Hmm… good name… how about Blanca?”

-“Immanuel, are you seriously naming it Blanca just because its hair is white?”

Yustitia, who had been quietly eavesdropping on our conversation, interjected, questioning him, but he just smiled knowingly without answering.

-“Pretty, right? Blanca. Regardless of its meaning. And it’s a temporary name. If you find something you like more later, you can change it.”

Even if he tried to cover it, it sounded too irresponsible. Thank goodness I actually liked the name Blanca; otherwise, what was his plan?

-“It’s not bad…”

As I previously mentioned, I really liked the name Blanca. I didn’t know the meaning, but the sound was appealing.

-“See? Blanca likes it too.”

-“Hmmm… well, if that’s the case…”

Yustitia looked unimpressed, but since I liked it, she conceded as she couldn’t force her opinion onto me.

This scene seemed to end that way. Only Hanchō was left with injuries, while everyone else had a good laugh.

I slowly began to blend in with the Liberators.

In reality, I was pretty cautious, thinking these guys might not be trustworthy, but a month later, I’d gotten so close to that dude that I’d ask him to turn off the lights whenever I went to sleep.

Until that point, I thought I’d never find anyone I could genuinely trust like the Liberators again, but heh.

Imagining what I’d say if I could see myself back then made me chuckle, yet it also made me feel bitter.

I’d finish my finals soon, and before long, I would also be done with the kids.

I always knew the end was coming, but whenever I really felt we’d gotten close, those whispers would echo again.

To stick with them now. Then everything would be fine, and I could live happily ever after.

…I guess that’s how it is.

Instead of taking that dangerous gamble to change the world by siding with him, just sticking with Minho would probably lead to a happy ending.

All heroines living happily, the world changing for the better, and Jinhyeon and Yeonhwa… Hmm… I’m not really sure about them.

It’s not that I dislike them, but knowing their actions made me feel awkward regardless.

Minho definitely wants to change society, while Jinhyeon is more concerned about the security gaps that arise when social chaos ensues.

If Jinhyeon becomes strong enough to fill that gap by himself, that’d be one thing, but he definitely isn’t there yet.

So, he’d cling to the Heros Company. I thought he was disconnected from people like me, but deep down, he was just fine, causing me to feel a bit betrayed.

So what should I do now?

Sitting there, floating in the black void, I decided to stop overthinking.

What am I even worrying about? At the very least, being human, there’s no way I could abandon that dude.

No matter how twisted I got, I at least had a shred of human decency left. It might’ve been different back then, but at least not anymore recently.

Spending time with the kids made me realize I’d grown fond of people’s hearts.

After sorting out my thoughts, I woke up. Feeling something strangely soft, I realized it was the makeshift tent I was in.

With the heroes attacking Arman and the Evil Society, it was obvious there wouldn’t be any damage nearby, but…

There shouldn’t be enough disturbance for a relief camp to be set up.

As I was jolted up, something felt off. I noticed I was still in those uncomfortable clothes I wore for disguise, so I got rid of them with slime.

And it would be much more helpful when I was trying to assist.

As I dashed out of the tent, I ran into an unexpected face—Maria.

“Ah, Blanca! You’re awake! Just a moment, are you okay? When did you change into your suit…?”

She greeted me excitedly but quickly turned serious, checking my condition with her glowing hands.

“Just changed, and I’m feeling great. More importantly, what the heck is going on here? Why are you here?”

As she questioned me, her face darkened as she gave a brief answer.

“…Let’s just say it’s a situation where even students like me have to show up on-site to help.”

What does that even mean? Looking around, I immediately figured out what had happened.

It looked like the place had been hit by a civil war; not a single spot remained intact. Buildings were all destroyed and twisted, making it seem like both an earthquake and a typhoon rolled through.

“What the…?”

This wasn’t supposed to happen. I was dumbfounded, reeling from the utterly unexpected damages when a familiar voice filled me in on what had occurred.

“The resistance was surprisingly much stronger than you and I anticipated.”

Villains, appearing from who knows where, just kept coming, and heroes were showing up to fend off those villains, so there was no time to think about the collateral damage…

Then, even Invictus and Altera jumped in, but Yustitia gritted her teeth in frustration, stating that the core figure—a giant—had slipped away.

“That guy’s ability… is dangerous. Just holding onto people’s faces turns them into zealots…”

It seemed like quite a few heroes had also been taken under his control.

From a strategic standpoint, it should have been a cause for celebration.

Despite being an unexpected turn of events, both the Evil Society and Arman had been fully exposed to the Heros Company, meaning the two would be going at it hammer and tongs from now on.

However, facing the direct results of my actions made it impossible to celebrate.

Everywhere I looked, there were people groaning in pain, and even those who weren’t injured were in utter despair about how they were going to survive from here on out.

If only I had stopped Minho, none of this would have happened.

“…What about the others?”

When I asked Yustitia, she readily informed me about the kids’ conditions.

Lapiz, thanks to her lineage, woke up quickly and was already aiding with recovery; at least Alice had just awakened and was helping with relief activities.

The rest hadn’t woken up yet.

“I see…”

At least… is that a good thing?

At least the kids wouldn’t have to witness this shock.

“Then I guess I’ll lend a helping hand, even if it’s just a small one.”

“Sounds good; every person counts right now.”

Let’s do what we can.

…At the very least, that’s how it felt I should act.

 

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