And so, Regalia revealed the secret she had hidden for so many years—the murder of her parents, the creation of the organization to exact revenge, and the fact that she had only recently identified the true culprit.

Hearing that a child barely over ten years old had borne such a burden in her heart, the executives of Evilus fell silent, swallowing their words.

“…That’s what happened.”
“Young miss…”
“Boing-boing—Levi-tan will punish them!”

“…You all…”

Even after admitting that she had founded the organization for purely personal reasons, not a single one of them showed disappointment. Instead, they accepted it immediately.

Regalia felt an overwhelming wave of emotion rise within her. Was this what loyalty truly looked like?

While Regalia silently fought back tears, Aile tugged at Eight’s sleeve and whispered nervously.

“Umm, isn’t founding an organization for personal reasons illegal…?”
“Aile, we’re villains.”
“…Oh.”

Six shed tears, empathizing with the pain their boss had endured, while Arima expressed curiosity about the existence of such enemies.

As the executives pledged their united support for Regalia’s revenge, she discreetly wiped her tears and spoke again.

“—So, Eight. Have you found their base yet?”
“I’m investigating it now.”
“Do it as quickly as possible.”
“Yes. Don’t worry.”
“This time—use whatever methods are necessary.”

With Regalia’s approval, Eight smiled.

Not that it mattered whether she approved or not—the two captives were already being reconstructed in the lab.

When they woke up, they would no longer recognize themselves.

*****

“What the hell is this—?!”

A sharp voice—like that of a child—filled the lab with screams.

Waking up at the noise, I rubbed my eyes and wandered toward the source.

A red-haired boy, fresh out of the chamber and completely naked, was rolling on the floor. Judging by the unopened chamber next to him, the second one wasn’t finished yet.

Like a newborn fawn struggling to stand, the boy fell over repeatedly. Watching him, I grabbed an extra lab coat and draped it over his shoulders.

“You’re exposed.”
“Who cares?! What the hell is this?!”
“You said you wanted to die. That you gave up on living. So I bought your life.”

Powerful stared at me in disbelief, unable to comprehend my words. I pulled up a chair and sat down in front of him.

“Your body—your old one—had flaws. Shackled by genetics, bound to Absolute Authority. Manipulated like a puppet.”
“…And?”
“I removed all of that. You’re free now.”
“Free…?”

Powerful looked down at himself—stubby limbs, a chubby torso, and an uncooperative body.

“…And this is what freedom looks like?”

That’s right.

Powerful had been reborn.

To be precise, he had been reconstructed into the body of a child.

Meeting his resentful glare, I shrugged.

“It couldn’t be helped. Your old body was riddled with mechanisms.”

There was no other choice. I couldn’t remove all the control mechanisms without completely breaking down his original body. The leftover cells could only sustain a child’s frame.

Not that it would last forever.

He’d only have to endure this body for about ten years. Besides, his abilities were intact. Being younger was a blessing, not a curse.

“Anyway—you’re free now. No more obligations, no more traps, Powerful.”
“…Thanks, I guess.”
“So from now on—you belong to me. That was the deal.”
“What? What the hell—”

Realizing something was wrong, Powerful froze mid-sentence and glared at me. I met his gaze without flinching.

I had freed him from his old constraints—but that didn’t mean I had removed every safety lock.

His abilities still couldn’t touch the fourth dimension. And for every chain I broke, I added new ones.

“You only need to endure this for ten years. I’ll let you go once you’re an adult.”
“Damn it… I thought I escaped obligations…”
“Better than a permanent contract, right?”

Powerful was now incapable of disobeying me.

He also couldn’t harm me or anyone in the organization.

His abilities and life now belonged entirely to Evilus—at least for the next ten years.

Hiss—

At that moment, the other chamber hissed open, releasing a wave of cold air.

Out stepped a small girl with white hair, tumbling onto the floor.

My jaw dropped as I stared.

“…You were a girl?”
“…Who is she?”
“Mr. Rays… Wait, you didn’t know either?”

Coughing and groaning, Rays stood and looked around, quickly piecing things together. She then turned to Powerful and suddenly lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

With her lips near his ear, she whispered softly.

“…I won’t lose you again.”
“What? What are you—”
“Mm…”

Watching the sudden display of affection, I thought for a moment before quietly slipping out of the lab.

Even I knew it wasn’t polite to stick around during moments like this.

“Have a nice life…”

“Hey—HEY! Wait—!”

I scurried out of the lab with a powerful voice behind me. Praying that the love between the two men would be fulfilled......

Time passed.

Facing the two who still clung to me like cicadas, I began speaking.

“You two are my subordinates now. Work for me for ten years, and I’ll set you free. Okay?”
“…Okay.”
“…Fine.”

No lengthy persuasion was needed.

What could they do even if they refused? Refusing meant death. When I actually told them to die if they didn’t like it, they balked at the idea. It was hard to believe this was the same Powerful who had been whining to be killed just a short while ago.

“For starters—about that base you mentioned. It was empty.”
“We didn’t lie, though…”
“I know. They probably moved already.”

The information I squeezed out of them—the supposed headquarters of the guardians, their fake identities, and even their shell accounts—had all led nowhere.

The base was long abandoned, the identities erased, and the accounts emptied through untraceable methods.

Modern banking security had evolved, leveraging supernatural methods to bypass even my tracking systems. I couldn’t possibly trace something that had vanished into the ether.

Maybe illegal methods could work—but as bound by obligations as these two had been, I was still tethered to morality, ethics, and laws as a model citizen.

“So—do you know anything else?”
“Know anything? Not really… If you can’t find them, how could we?”
“Aren’t you their fellow guardians?”
“Just because we’re guardians doesn’t mean we’re good at gathering intel. We didn’t even have an intelligence network to begin with.”
“Pathetic.”

Despite my harsh words, I understood to some extent.

To them, humans were like ants. Ants they were tasked with protecting and controlling—but not ants they had to befriend or manipulate for information.

Anyone who tried to do so wouldn’t be human—they’d either see themselves as ants or be an ant fetishist.

Unfortunately, neither of these two were eccentric enough to qualify.

“…I can’t keep calling you by your old names. We need to change them.”
“Doesn’t matter to me.”
“Well, it matters to me. Seriously, who names someone ‘Powerful’? What a joke.”

Given the missions I had in mind, those names wouldn’t do.

Modern kids would eat them alive over names like that.

I mulled over their past names, abilities, and roles until fitting alternatives came to mind.

“Alright. From now on, you’re Ares and Athena.”
“Ares?”
“…Athena.”

Named after the Greek gods of war and conquest.

The two, now with new identities, repeated their names under their breaths and looked to me, waiting for instructions.

“Ares, Athena. Your first mission—head to elementary school.”
“…What?”
“…Excuse me?”
“There’s someone you need to protect.”

I’d thought it from the very beginning.

A power that always grew stronger than its opponent.

A power that always weakened its enemies.

Abilities tailored for protection.

*****

“…So, you want me to assign these two as my bodyguards?”
“Yes, Boss.”

Hearing the Scientist’s proposal, Regalia frowned as she glanced at the boy and girl standing beside him.

She already had more than enough guards—why take them to school, too?

Though it was summer break, and the new semester was about to start, making it the perfect time to introduce guards her age, it still felt excessive.

“…Fine. If you say so.”
“Thank you, Boss.”

“But more importantly, Scientist, I need some advice.”
“Of course. What is it?”
“Do you know much about diseases or poisons?”

Eight’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Are you unwell?”
“No, it’s not that—it’s just, well…”

Regalia faltered, clearly embarrassed, but then cautiously continued.

“…I’m bleeding.”
“…What?”
“I woke up this morning, and there was blood. What kind of disease is this…?”

For a moment, Eight stared blankly at her, at a loss for words.

Then, snapping back to reality, he quickly called for Regalia’s personal secretary.

Kitty, the secretary, rushed in only to face Eight’s sudden outburst—until she realized the reason.

A knowing smile spread across her face.

It was the Boss’s first magical day.