Ep.159 The Round Table

Under the huge chandelier, the most powerful villains from around the world were sitting around a large table.

And in between them, there was me, who had gathered strong individuals but lacked abilities compared to them. Each one of them could destroy a country on their own with their powers. Perhaps I was the weakest in terms of personal strength.

Of course, my ability is not solely based on strength.

The biggest difference between them and me is that I know the future.

That’s it. I know everything about the weaknesses, personalities, and secrets of all the heroes and villains I could never know. I know everything like the creator of this world.

And this one difference makes me equal to or even stronger than them, who are weak in all other aspects except for that.

Thinking this way, I glanced at the villains around me.

Atlas, who is sitting right next to me. And some villains sitting next to him, including an old man wearing glasses, a green-haired scientist with an oxygen tank behind him, and other famous villains I know well.

And on my left and across from me, they are all characters that I have seen in the original comic as illustrations, from a thug-like guy with a red mohawk to a woman with a Japanese-style yakuza outfit and a black bob with a knife. In addition, there are many powerful villains scattered around.

I can’t help but think that it was a good idea to come here. If these villains gather and decide to invade Korea together because they are bored, it would be a disaster. Of course, I can stop them somehow, but it will cause significant damage.

Therefore, I have to sit here like a totem pole to prevent that from happening.

This is something that only I, a villain, can do that heroes like Stardus cannot.

Of course, to do that, I have to secure some influence.

…But for now, let’s take a look at them.

With that thought, I observed the yakuza and the Chinese man I had seen closely earlier.

“….”

The man with a bob hairstyle and a prominent forehead.

The person in the red robe is Li Xiaofeng, the best villain on the continent who even the Chinese government is afraid of.

As I looked at him, emitting a powerful aura and fierce eyebrows, I remembered him again.

As the leader of the Fire Dragon, the top crime organization in China, he has an incredible ability to summon dragons. There is a saying that if a long-bearded, fiery dragon appears, everyone trembles. Of course, I don’t know if that’s a real dragon or not…”

As two countries adjacent to Korea have the highest popularity of villains, I also need to be somewhat mindful of them. Of course, not touching them now, but later. Anyway, there is plenty of time.

While I was thinking about that.

Thump-

The light of the chandelier turns on.

“…Is it starting.”

Atlas sitting next to me, muttered quietly, and at the same time, a woman dressed like a white saint sitting in the middle of the other side opened her mouth.

“Hello, brothers and sisters.”

Her clear voice echoed in the roundtable. No, her voice was not just clear but almost divine. With such a heavenly voice, she continued to speak.

“I am Celest. Thank you all for responding to my invitation.”

She said that and slightly lowered her head while stretching her white hair.

At the same time, everyone’s attention was focused on her.

And, of course, I’m no exception.

Eyes that seemed to be aware of something, even though they couldn’t be seen clearly due to the veil of white saint’s clothing covering her face. And a mysterious and sacred atmosphere emanating from her body.

As expected, it was exactly the same as Celest’s appearance mentioned in the original.

In that way, in everyone’s gaze, Celest calmly opened her mouth.

“I invited you all here today to foster friendship and unity. Everyone.”

With those words, she waved her hand, and something made of magic was created in the middle of the roundtable.

A fantasy of a building that appeared to be the headquarters of the International Hero Association.

“Our enemy, the association’s attacks, are becoming more intense. In addition, the international situation is also in a very volatile state. Therefore, I have gathered all of you here, especially those who can control a city, a country, or a continent, to talk about the flow of the situation and share information. Isn’t it good for everyone to gather?”

As her words continued, the figures of the heroes, who were considered powerful and respected so far, but were enemies in the eyes of villains, appeared one by one on the roundtable. Fortunately, there was no Stardus. Well, it’s not good to stand out in this kind of place.

Anyway, as she finished speaking and waved her hand again, all the figures on the roundtable disappeared.

Soon after, Celest. She calmly asked us again.

“… So, what do you all think?”

“…Hm.”

“Um.”

“Cough.”

Well, there was no one opposing. No one would dare to step forward in front of Celest, who had rumors of being able to kill with just a gesture.

…However, even though I knew from the original work, I’m still having a hard time adapting to this calm and static atmosphere. When villains gather together, shouldn’t they quickly get into fights over trivial matters? But they are all so quiet, like well-behaved elementary school students.

Of course, I’m not going to step forward, so I just stayed quiet.

Well, maybe it’s because of my poor translation that Celest spoke so intimidatingly.

“Very well. Then let’s… begin.”

And with her words, the meeting finally started.

***

S-class villains.

The criteria for assigning grades to heroes and villains differ for the association, so there are many S-class villains, unlike the relatively small number of S-class heroes. For example, in our Ego Stream alone, there are two S-class villains.

As such, not all S-class villains are the same.

From those barely making the S-class villain cut to those above them with fundamentally different abilities, there are essential ranks within the same S-class. And these individuals are the most powerful among S-class villains.

In addition to having strong abilities, they are all leaders of their respective organizations, so it’s clear that they are also quite intelligent. In other words, they are the top priority for the association, the enemies of humanity itself.

…And now, these individuals are all gathered together, exchanging greetings. How terrifying and dreadful.

“My name is Katana. I operate the Sanhempa in Japan.”

After saying that much, she closed her mouth.

Well, that’s all there is to the introduction. Just a brief summary of her name and the country where she leads an organization.

It felt strange, not so much terrifying and dreadful, but rather familiar, but since it was the same in the original work, I decided to just move on.

Anyway, while I was thinking that, the greetings continued calmly.

“I am Heikein, the leader of the top gang in Germany, the Red Motors. You all seem weaker than me, but try to stay safe.”

…Of course, there are also idiots like that.

Someone looked at him and it was a man with a very intense red mohawk.

By the way, the reaction of the other villains to his provocation was just ignored.

Everyone had such unimpressive expressions that one might wonder where a dog was barking. Well, it was natural that the weaker villains acted that way. And while others may not know it, that guy dies in three months. It’s in the original.

After excluding the strange guy who occasionally pops out, everyone took turns speaking as they left.

“Haha! I am Atlas, the leader of the Latis Group and the ruler of the North Atlantic. Well, nice to meet you all!”

After Atlas’s hearty greeting, it was my turn.

Well, I didn’t have any intention of standing out from the first meeting, so I decided to just greet him normally. You have to take control little by little. If you try to take the lead from the beginning, it won’t work.

So I opened my mouth quietly.

“Nice to meet you all. I’m Egostic, who operates a villain alliance called Ego Stream in South Korea. Everyone…”

“Wait.”

As I smiled and spoke, someone interrupted me. What?

Someone looked in this direction, and there was a guy with a red mohawk who was laughing fiercely.

“I know you. Aren’t you that Egostic? The famous A-class villain in South Korea.”

Looking at him saying that while pulling up one corner of his mouth, I smiled and thought quietly.

… Are we going to fight?

… It seems that someone has to be singled out from the first day.