In a detention facility in Barbadon.
There, Lain, bound from head to toe in white restraints, looked a shadow of her former self, appearing frail and weakened.
Haunted eyes reflected her memories of a fight, fear evident in her gaze.
"Haa! Haa!"
Her breath began to quicken.
She felt powerless against the relentless onslaught of the Irregular's hammer. A vision of herself, rendered defenseless without even the slightest hint of resistance, flashed before her eyes.
Terrifying memories flooded Lain's mind.
Every time she recalled his face, her eyes widened in fear, trembling uncontrollably.
Monster.
That was the emotion she felt for the boy now.
"Remember this," came the boy's voice, saying words she couldn't recall.
"If I see Lain's face again, she will die."
His warning, uttered in a calm, chilling tone, was clear. As he slowly turned away, the depth of his threat was not lost on Lain.
She knew next time, she would undoubtedly die, defeated without even a chance to resist.
She began to tremble even more with fear.
A metallic squeak signaled the opening of the cell Barus, and a man entered.
A middle-aged man with a neat white beard and slicked-back hair. It was Andre Heut, the president of the American Hero Association.
He approached Lain, who was cornered and shivering uncontrollably.
"Lain," Andre began.
Lain slowly looked up, meeting his gaze. But the moment she recognized Andre's face, her eyes hardened, slowly filling with anger and resentment.
Yet, Andre only met her gaze silently.
After a moment's pause, he finally spoke, "Still bearing a grudge against me, I see."
"Andre..." Lain growled in a voice laced with anger, glaring at him fiercely.
Hearing her tone, Andre could only look back at her with weary, saddened eyes.
"Do you still intend to cling to that weapon?" he asked.
"Shut up," she snapped, her voice sharp as if biting down hard. A clear warning not to speak further.
But Andre pressed on, "It was an unavoidable situation."
"You came here just to make such a pathetic excuse?" she retorted.
"I'll come back later," he sighed, leaving the cell with a heavy heart.
Before leaving the detention area, Andre briefly glanced back at Lain. With a sorrowful look, he lowered his head and left. Even now, he felt the weight of Lain's resentful gaze upon him.
Sighing deeply, he muttered to himself, “Ah... I'm not worthy of looking at the face of the great hero.”
After news spread that the leader of Villain Alliance, Lain, was captured, eight members of the organization gathered on a remote cliff by the beach to discuss her rescue. Notably absent were Hyeolgyu, who had previously died, and Lain herself.
The reason for their unusual choice of location was a man who, for some reason, was leisurely fishing near the turbulent waves crashing against the cliffs. Because the man showed no intention of moving, the members had no choice but to gather near him.
It wasn’t just any man, though. His strength was clearly significant, matching that of Lain, who could command dragons.
"We need your strength, Baron," Millie said to the man.
At a glance, Baron's presence was extraordinary. His muscular frame was pale, and he had pitch-black eyes. However, in response to Millie, Baron continued fishing without saying a word.
Growing frustrated, Hakuse spoke up, "Hey, Baron. Now’s not the time to enjoy fishing."
"…Hakuse, Millie, Hal." Baron finally responded.
He named three members but left out Kim Jeonghan, Barthus, Terhan, and Elly.
"I’ve already told Barthus, Jeonghan, Terhan, and Elly," Baron continued.
"Already told them what?"
"That I intend to become Villante’s new leader."
Upon hearing this, the expressions of Hakuse, Millie, and Hal darkened. Threateningly, the three began to emit a powerful aura. Hakuse glared at Baron and asked, "Do you have a death wish, Baron?"
"Do you think you can kill me, Hakuse?" Baron replied dryly, showing no mockery.
Hakuse fell silent, and Baron continued, "You should know why I gave the leader’s position to Lain."
Indeed, the trio knew. They were aware of the reason Baron, possessing power rivaling Lain, chose to serve under her.
"I believed that the only person capable of killing me was Lain. But remember, Lain was defeated by a mere 17-year-old boy. Do I have a reason to serve under her anymore?"
His motivation to aim for the leader's position was simple. Lain's defeat by a young boy meant she no longer held the value to have Baron beneath her. After all, Baron had recognized and respected Lain's strength.
"If you want to save Lain, you three should do it. Or is it four of you?" With that, Baron's gaze shifted to Elly, a woman among the members.
Elly had jet-black short hair, lifeless obsidian eyes, and a teardrop tattoo below her left eye. The second youngest in Villante after the leader Lain, she simply yawned and replied with a nonchalant expression.
"Do what you want, Baron. I prefer Lain, so I'll go save her."
Upon hearing this, Baron gave a nod.
He then said, "Even if you leave, I won't stop you. Make your choice now."
Baron's eyes settled on the three who were still undecided.
Millie, Hakuse, and Hal.
Although their responses seemed predetermined, they only answered by silently glaring at him. Observing this, Baron chuckled and remarked, "Looks like a decision's been made."
"What's your next move?" Millie asked him.
With a calm demeanor, he responded, "I plan to find the boy who took down Lain."
"You're walking into your death," Millie warned, fixing her gaze sharply on Baron.
Unperturbed, Baron simply replied, "No one can kill me."
With those words, he slowly stood up. His muscular frame, towering at roughly 3 meters, loomed large.
He then turned to Kim Jeonghan, one of the three who had decided to join him, and asked, "Jeonghan, where's the Irregular?"
"I've sent a clone to Korea already. Given Terhan's eye, it should take about three days."
Hearing this, he nodded and instructed, "Inform me once everything's ready."
Three days later, Hajoon returned from Barbadon, having fully enjoyed his break.
He came back with Elaine, partly to introduce her to his home.
"Wow..."
Elaine's eyes widened in amazement at the sight of the house.
She looked around, continuously expressing her admiration. Hajoon looked at the house with a hint of wonder as well.
"Brother, you have so many employees."
"Why are there so many?"
He had indeed asked the puppeteer to place about five puppets to guard the house, but now there were ten in total. He observed ten puppets cleaning the yard and wiping the windows of the second floor.
'I guess I don't need to clean the house.'
The house already seemed spacious enough. Smiling, Hajoon entered the house with Elaine.
"Hey, you're back."
Inside, Irian was lying on the sofa, watching TV and munching on potato chips. Hajoon looked at her in disbelief.
Anyone would think Irian owned the place based on her behavior.
Elaine tilted her head, asking, "Who is this?"
"Who's she?"
Irian replied with a question of her own.
Hajoon calmly responded, "My younger sister."
Hearing that, Irian's mouth gaped open in surprise.
"Your real sister?"
"Yes."
"You don't look alike at all."
"I know."
Hajoon wanted to retort with 'so what?' Every time he introduced Elaine as his sister, people commented on their lack of resemblance. Growing tired of the repetitive conversation, he briskly replied and started heading to the second floor.
"I'm going to sleep."
"What? Brother! You slept enough on the plane! Show me around Korea!"
Hajoon made a face, clearly showing his annoyance.
Upon seeing his expression, Elaine couldn't help but marvel, thinking, 'When did my brother become such a grumpy person?'
"I don't want to."
"Come on! I need to go shopping!"
With that, Elaine grabbed Hajoon's arm and started dragging him out.
Watching them, Irian smirked.
Looks like a younger sister is still a younger sister, given how she can control the Irregular.
Returning to his previous position, Irian planned to watch TV leisurely, assuming the two would go out.
"Hey, why aren't you getting ready?"
"Huh?"
Hajoon then called out to Irian.
"Do I have to come too?"
"Come with us and help carry the shopping bags."
Irian looked at Hajoon in disbelief, "What about the house?"
"The puppets will guard it. I'll buy you food, so just come."
"Food?"
Irian's ears perked up at that. He quickly got up from the sofa to prepare to leave.
Meanwhile, Hajoon thought to himself, 'Can puppets even eat food?'
Irian's abilities were more useful than Hajoon had imagined.
Currently, under the pretext of protecting Irian, who is being targeted by the Villain Alliance, she has been cooperating with the Hero Association. This cooperation has increased the rate of preventing villain terror and attacks in Korea by 5%.
The method Irian used to assist the association was simple, but immensely effective. She scattered her dolls all over the country, hiding them among the citizens. When a crime scene was identified, the dolls would intervene, preventing the crime. At the same time, they would apprehend villains from the Villain Alliance whom Irian recognized. This significant impact on crime prevention was the reason Irian herself could accompany Hajoon.
"Wasn't that a doll?"
"It's the real me."
Irian said, munching on beef.
Hajoon should have realized it earlier, especially when she was eating potato chips on the sofa. He looked at Irian with a somewhat baffled expression. Irian continued,
"I can move freely when I'm with you."
"So, you're just keeping an eye on me?"
"No, I'm here to protect you."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Elaine then asked. Having come to taste Korean beef for the first time, Elaine, with a curious face, turned to Hajoon for clarification. Irian gently smiled and spoke up,
"It's nothing. Eat up."
"Wow! Thank you, sis."
Elaine skillfully picked up the meat with chopsticks. She chewed on the juicy beef with a warm smile. Hajoon wondered how someone who seemingly never used chopsticks before could be so adept at it.
After a satisfying meal, Hajoon, Elaine, and Irian were on their way home.
Ring-
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, a call came in. Hajoon, with a puzzled face, answered. The caller was Kim Jeongyong, the president of the Korean Hero Association.
"Hello?"
-Ah! Mr. Hajoon, how have you been?
"I'm good. What's up?"
-Well, there's something I felt I needed to inform you about.
"…What is it?"
There was a hint of anxiety in the voice. Hajoon scratched his cheek with a slightly annoyed expression, waiting for Kim Jeongyong to continue.
-It seems a few members of Villante have come to Korea.
"Villante?"
-Yes, you're the one who captured Lain in Barbadon, right?
How did he know that?
It wasn't a secret, so Hajoon confirmed, "Yes, I did."
-I suspect it might be a retaliation...
So they're here to retaliate against me for capturing Lain?
"Well, I'll be careful."
"Huh?"
Just then, Irian began to sweat profusely, looking panicked. She turned her trembling head toward Hajoon.
"What's wrong?"
"The dolls... they've been destroyed."
"…What?"
Hajoon's expression turned to disbelief. Irian, still shaking, continued,
"I think... our home has been invaded."
