* * *

A brief silence fell. The situation unfolding beneath their feet was happening elsewhere, too.

"Tell us exactly what you saw. Are there hostages, too?" Sinu asked Nayun.

"Half the buildings I saw had hostages. I didn't see any in the other half. If there are dozens of enemies scattered through each building, that does explain why Hyeonyul thought there were too few of them here."

"We won't be able to call in the White Sparrows until the bombs are dealt with."

"... Damn it."

Sinu's face contorted. Hyeonyul was right. They couldn't call in the White Sparrows. Doing so might trigger the demolition of the buildings.

'How are we supposed to...?'

Sinu broke off his train of thought and rushed toward Jihwan, who was swaying on his feet. The spell seemed to have ended; Jihwan's eyes had gone unfocused, as though he were in a daze.

'Oh dear.'

Sinu carefully helped him sit down.

"May I say something?"

Hyeonyul glanced at Jihwan, then asked calmly. From the report of how few enemies were inside, he had expected this much.

"Of course. Say as much as you want."

Nayun nodded. They needed any suggestions they could get right now.

When Hyeonyul turned to Sinu, he gave an awkward smile and pointed at his own head.

"Honestly, my brain's frozen up a little. This has turned into something bigger than I expected."

"It looks complicated, but it's actually simple. In fact, we can make them feel even greater despair."

If they were going to erase the villains anyway, they ought to thoroughly toy with them first.

"Simple...?"

Sinu asked doubtfully. How could this possibly be simple?

"We remove the bombs and rescue the hostages. Fortunately, we don't have to do the hardest part: pick out the villains who have infiltrated the buildings."

Distinguishing civilians from villains was the most difficult task. With the villains announcing what they were so openly, what couldn't they do?

"Removing the bombs and rescuing the hostages. You're not saying you'll do all of that yourself, are you, Hyeonyul? You're not, right?"

Nayun asked, hoping it wasn't true. What else could it mean for Hyeonyul to bring this up now? He was offering to shoulder everything.

"First, I'll remove the bombs. I'll try to rescue the hostages if I can."

"Even that first part is dangerous, Hyeonyul."

"No. It isn't dangerous. It'll be quicker than you think."

Hyeonyul raised his head slightly. It was night, and today was also the last day before the weekend. Now that darkness had fallen, he could do more than usual.

"More importantly, we have to do it now."

The firmness in Hyeonyul's voice made Nayun pause. He wasn't wrong.

"The other villains may be waiting for a signal from here to destroy all the buildings simultaneously."

"... So you're saying they planned to blow up every building except this one the moment we approached, completely unaware?"

Sinu asked to make sure he had understood correctly.

"Yes. That's correct."

At Hyeonyul's answer, Sinu let out a long breath.

'... I've always done things this way. I never thought this role would hold me back.'

He couldn't see any villains beyond those directly beneath his feet, and the White Sparrows had provided no information about the other buildings. He hadn't even considered anything else. The tense expression on his face wouldn't ease.

"It's not strange that you didn't notice the bombs."

"But..."

"They'll blow up this building, too. That's what the bombs are for. They've split into groups above and below the fifth floor so either side can detonate them as they escape."

Hyeonyul continued his explanation. The plan was to sacrifice one side, above or below, and set off the bombs while the other escaped. He could see it.

"... Ha. I knew they weren't right in the head, but this is way beyond crossing the line. They're doing this even though they might die themselves? Are they completely insane?"

Nayun clenched the hem of her clothes in frustration. The fact that she hadn't properly understood the situation with her own eyes felt all the more suffocating.

"They are insane."

Hyeonyul answered matter-of-factly. If she asked why, he had nothing to say. Those were places that ordered you to take a colleague's life as soon as you joined. How was he supposed to explain that?

"Anyway, Hyeonyul. You're saying you'll take the most dangerous job?"

Nayun asked, her expression as tense as Sinu's.

"No. Don't we need to rescue the hostages? We also have to capture the villains scattered through those buildings. I said there weren't many, but there are still dozens."

Killing all of them wasn't impossible. He had done it several times already, but Hyeonyul didn't bother mentioning that.

"And what about the buildings over there? We don't even know how many hostages are mixed in with them. I'm simply preventing the worst."

As he said those final words, Hyeonyul looked at Sinu.

Honestly, if Jihwan's power could locate the villains, Sinu could kill them all at once, no matter how many there were. Sinu wouldn't kill them, but being able to restrain enemies regardless of their numbers was an enormous power in itself. It would be a shame not to use it.

'The biggest variable is the bombs.'

If Nayun could spot them with her naked eyes, there had to be a considerable number. Even if they called in reinforcements, the bombs would have to be dealt with first.

'Without disarming the bombs, this mission will only be half a success.'

He couldn't allow that. The way they were burning themselves out in one final blaze made it clear once again that this was the end of that villain faction. One of the bastards who had made him this way had founded it. They had to taste despair, one way or another.

"I'll handle what I can. I'll remove the bombs below, then head out."

"Wait, Hyeonyul."

Sinu reached toward him, and he instinctively stepped back.

"Yes. Please go ahead."

"Is this safe? Are you really sure it's safe?"

No matter how many times Sinu thought it over, Hyeonyul's part was dangerous. That bothered him.

"Isn't Mr. Ye Jihwan carrying the greatest burden, rather than me?"

There was a great deal that had to be done with magic. He might have to do even more on top of that.

"Ah, sis—Chu Nayun."

"Yes?"

"Can you see inside those buildings right now?"

"Except for the parts covered by blinds. I'll see better through my scope."

Nayun lowered the bag from her back.

"What if the lights come on?"

"Perfectly."

The corners of Nayun's mouth lifted.

Having heard her answer, Hyeonyul looked at Sinu.

"What do you need, big brother Baek Sinu?"

"Just their positions. My power needs more distance adjustment than you'd think. If it's somewhere I can see, I can roughly estimate it, but that's too far away, isn't it? And I can't borrow her eyes."

Listening to the two of them made Jihwan's presence feel even more essential. They needed to reduce his burden in case something unexpected happened. Hyeonyul approached him and gently shook his shoulder.

"Mr. Ye Jihwan. Please snap out of it."

"... Y-yes!"

Jihwan belatedly blinked.

"I understand that expanding the area of your spatial magic puts a strain on you. In that case, can you keep it confined to an area about the size of a bullet?"

Jihwan blinked for a moment at Hyeonyul's question.

"Are you asking if I can shrink my magic to about the size of a bullet?"

"Yes."

"I can."

"Would that reduce the strain?"

"By a lot."

"Then can you turn that power into something like an explosion spell?"

Jihwan's magic concerned space. Couldn't he also detonate something within that space?

Jihwan thought for a moment, then his eyes widened. He understood why Hyeonyul was asking.

"You want to make the bullet itself my space, right? Moving that space with magic adds to the strain, so you're saying I should use Sis's power to spread my magic there."

The more he spoke, the brighter Jihwan's eyes shone. He had never thought of this approach.

"Correct. But first, we'll need big brother Baek Sinu's power."

"Me...?"

Sinu pointed at himself, his eyes wide with surprise.

"We need to restrain as many of them as possible. Personally, I think killing them would be better. Fear should be put to good use."

It would be an outright surprise attack. All hell would break loose.

Watching Sinu hold his breath and shift his head slightly, Hyeonyul continued.

"But you won't do that, big brother Baek Sinu. So at the very least, we need to keep them rooted in place with fear."

"What... sort of fear?"

Sinu asked cautiously.

"The fear that the same thing could happen to them. They say anyone naturally feels fear when directly faced with danger."

"Oh, that kind of fear?"

"Yes. I'll share their positions with you, big brother Baek Sinu. I'll also open the windows so sis Chu Nayun's actions won't be noticed."

"I'd really appreciate that. Breaking glass is seriously loud."

Nayun assembled her gun as she spoke.

"And there's another kind of fear."

"What kind?"

Sinu looked at Hyeonyul again as he asked.

"Despite knowing they're under attack, they'll lose contact with one location after another. What could be more frightening than that?"

Hyeonyul smiled slightly as he finished. The fear that your turn was drawing closer was greater than the fear of facing danger directly.

"... I'm getting a whiff of an expert here."

Jihwan licked his lips as he spoke. Hyeonyul looked as though he'd done this far more than once or twice.

"First, I'll deal with the bombs below."

Hyeonyul melted into the darkness and descended.

Once he disappeared, the three looked at one another. They felt reassured, though they couldn't explain why.

"Learning something new feels really good, doesn't it?"

Jihwan was the first to speak. Hyeonyul had shown him a way to lessen his burden.

"I guess this is why you need to hire the right people."

Sinu brought up a map on his smartwatch. Since team members shared their locations, he prepared to check immediately.

"Let's get ready."

Holding her gun, Nayun adjusted the scope's position, then handed Jihwan a bullet.

"Yes!"

Jihwan answered emphatically, grasped the bullet, and immediately cast his magic.

* * *

Once inside, Hyeonyul descended without hesitation. As he reached the sixth floor, he encountered the people guarding it. They weren't in the corridor but inside the rooms, ready to rush out at any moment. Every aspect of their faces showed genuine resolve to meet their final deaths.

'Are they even getting paid for this?'

Rather than mockery, that was the thought circling his mind just then. If he were still a villain, he might have been in their place. Feeling how his circumstances had changed, he descended to the fifth floor.

Concealing himself in the walls, he searched for the hostages. Normally, several sentries would stand outside to guard them, but there were only two.

'Definitely bait.'

Whether the rescuers came down from the rooftop or up from the first floor, encountering villains would inevitably lead to a fight. They would be exhausted, so naturally their judgment would suffer. If they then saw a room that seemed to hold hostages, they would instinctively search it. What emotion did these villains want them to feel after defeating the guards and opening the door?

'Despair, of course.'

The villains wanted the Black Eagles to die in eternal suffering.

Hyeonyul passed through the wall into the room. Not only were the hostages' hands and feet bound, but their eyes and mouths were covered as well. Bombs on their bodies and the walls, and even a trap in front of the door, had all been meticulously prepared.

'The arrangement is decent.'

Opening the door to rescue the hostages would mean killing them all. It was perfect for plunging the Black Eagles into despair.

Hyeonyul extended a hand slightly. Hands reached out of the hostages' shadows, swallowed the bombs as though chewing through meat, and turned away. When Hyeonyul's gaze shifted to the wall, a black wave swept over it, leaving nothing in its wake.

Hyeonyul typed something on his phone, then removed the cloth covering the eyes of the woman closest to him.

「I'm with the Black Eagles.」

The Black Eagles. The instant she saw those words, tears filled the woman's eyes. She was saved. That feeling surged through her.

As an emotion he had rarely received in his life threatened to reach him, Hyeonyul drew his head back slightly for no particular reason and looked at his phone. His thumb moved hurriedly.

「I'll untie you, so please remain quiet.」

「Please nod if you understand.」

The woman nodded. Using darkness, Hyeonyul cut the ropes binding her hands and feet and the gag over her mouth, then approached someone else. Again, he lowered the blindfold and brought out his phone.

Even though he typed the same words, most of their reactions were similar. They were saved. Thank goodness. They could live. He could see countless emotions like those—emotions he could never have encountered as a villain.

Hyeonyul didn't fully accept their emotions. They only saw him that way because of this uniform. He simply went about what he had to do in silence.

「Please wait quietly for a moment.」

「Do not move.」

After freeing about half of them, Hyeonyul gave them those instructions. He figured they could untie the rest themselves.

「I'll be back.」

Leaving them with those words, Hyeonyul quietly disappeared and climbed upward through the wall.

"I've removed the bombs—"

As a gun barrel swung toward him, Hyeonyul raised both hands. Nayun quickly lowered her gun and asked urgently.

"A-are you okay?"

"You didn't fire."

She was so close that he wasn't sure he could have properly dodged if she had fired. Hyeonyul continued speaking.

"Anyway, to continue, I've removed the bombs. I removed the bindings on the hostages' hands and feet, their blindfolds, and their gags, then told them to wait. When I reach the building over there, I'll turn on the lights. Please take that as your signal."

"... That was incredibly fast."

Even with Hyeonyul delivering his report like a machine, Sinu was impressed. It really hadn't taken long at all.

"Thank you."

At Hyeonyul's thanks, Sinu gave a small smile.

"Bro. I'll open a path over there for you."

Jihwan pointed into the distance.

"Yes, please do."

Hyeonyul readily agreed. Jihwan might be faster than he was.

When a door formed in the floor, Hyeonyul opened it and spoke calmly.

"I'll be going."

Without hesitation, he stepped through.