Chapter 309: Deepest Basement

Carqueas.

Created at the birth of the Society, it is a prison for the world’s few powerful people.

One of the reasons the Association has become so powerful in the first place is due to its proprietary technology and ownership of Carqueas.

It is the most secure prison on the planet, where those who can single-handedly shake up a nation are kept by any means necessary.

And in the deepest depths, a place where a being from ancient times, villain or monster, said to possess a cursed power, is sealed away.

Stardus was headed deep into the prison with Egostic to defeat that being.

“…Stardus, I’m guessing that area is heavily guarded. We should probably go around this way.”

Egostic muttered with his usual hat and sharp eyes.

Seeing him like that, Stardus couldn’t help but stare at his face.

‘…Egostic, you’ve got those long eyelashes…’

“…Stardus?”

“Huh? …Ah, yes. Let’s go this way.”

The questioning tone in his voice brought her back to her senses, and she nodded at his next words.

“Alright, then I’ll teleport and hide first, you go ahead.”

With those words, he disappeared before her eyes.

Only after he was completely gone did Stardus let out a small sigh.

‘…I hope he didn’t get spotted.’

With that thought, Stardus silently placed a hand on her chest.

Her heart was beating a little faster than usual.

Ever since last night, for some reason, whenever she looked at his face, her heart would beat faster than usual, and she blushed.

‘…Ugh, I’m embarrassed.’

What a disgrace she had been last night.

…She could still remember herself, drunkenly falling into the arms of Egostic, burying her face in his chest but she couldn’t quite remember what had happened just before she fell asleep.

She was so relaxed, so unbelievably so for a hero who was usually so stoic and strong.

…However, she is strange around Egostic. She felt herself relaxing in his presence, somehow relieved, and smiling unnecessarily.

She found herself enjoying every day of the past week with him around.

…always in battle-like situations, as heroes and villains. Terrorizers and terrorized… or facing off against an enemy in a dire situation.

This is the first time they’ve done normal things together…like eat breakfast, talk, go for a walk.

Sometimes, she almost forgot he was a villain.

…if he wasn’t a villain.

She wondered if they could have always been like this if he was a hero.

She’d tease him and he’d tease her.

She wondered if they could have been together like that, laughing and being companions.

“…This is not the time to be thinking about this.”

As she paced the corridors of the prison, lost in thought, she recalled her plan.

The goal of Egostic is to destroy the monster deep within this prison.

The monster he spoke of, the Wish Granter. She did a quick search on him through the Association database.

Unlike before, her S rank allowed her access to much more data, but…

*

[Wish Granter]

S-class ■■

Grants wishes in exchange for a fee.

Class 1 Confidential: [Redacted] [Redacted] [Redacted] [Redacted] Sealed in Carqueas, Korea, after the S-class hero [Redacted] [Redacted] [Redacted] in exchange for himself.

*The method of granting wishes is [Erase Memory], so do not touch it.

*Be careful not to make a large wish without providing a sufficient reward, as this will cause the wisher to be [Erased].

■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■

<The following contents, including [Erase Memory], are classified O and cannot be viewed at your current level>.

*

“…”

As always, most of the data was limited and still not useful. Especially since the organization had existed for so long, most of its records had been deleted.

It had always been a mystery to her how Egostic knew what was classified, even within the Association, but now she was beginning to understand. Now I’d be more surprised if he didn’t know.

“…”

And with that, she walked through the prison, looking for a place where she could move away with Egostic from the watchful eyes.

With a small sigh, she let herself think.

Yes. That’s how he always was, always acted like he knew everything, and whenever she got stuck, he’d sneak in, smile, offer a solution, and disappear.

He always took risks when she was in danger.

Maybe that’s why Stardus couldn’t help but think that she likes Egostic.

“There you are.”

“?!”

Just as she was thinking that she was startled out of her thoughts by the sudden sound of the Egostic voice from behind her.

“…Where did you come from, I mean, how did you know?”

“Haha. Of course I can tell where my hero is, just by instinct.”

As he smirked, as if stating the obvious, Stardus spoke bluntly on purpose to hide her slightly flushed cheeks.

“…Hmm. You’re a good talker. Anyway, we’ll just have to go straight down here, right?”

“Yep. Let’s go.”

“…Haha, a hero helping a villain escape, I’m indebted to you…”

“Haha. Still, it can’t be helped if you want to protect the world, can it? And when it’s me helping…”

“Ugh… Shut up and come quickly!”

With that, she whispered with a reddened face, and hurried forward.

…And so on, down into the depths of the prison.

She knew it.

Soon, the time would come when she would be separated from Egostic once more.

She would return to the days when she would have to wait months to see him again.

But….she felt that he, too, was beginning to become conscious of her.

He had always come to her first.

He’d started to avoid her when she approached him, but then, when it was inevitable, he’d slowly come to her again.

From now on, it will be different.

With that thought, she made her way to the depths of the prison.

She had no idea what she would find there.

***

~The depths of Carqueas~

After a long search, with Stardus cutting a path through the prison staff in the name of fieldwork, and me hiding in the meantime….

Stardus and I finally made it there.

“…..”

At first glance, unlike the upper floors, this place has an old and dilapidated feel.

The walls around us, once pristine, were now rusted and decayed, and there were even tree roots in some places but we walked until we finally reached the great black door to the depths.

“…I think I’ve seen this before?”

Seeing Stardus tilt her head slightly, as if in awe of the sight, I blurted out.

“Isn’t it just because giant doors like this are common?”

“I suppose…”

And with that, I let it go.

Before I opened the door, I turned to Stardus and gave her another serious warning.

“Stardus, I have a plan to deal with that guy in there, and I want you to trust me. It’s too dangerous, and you don’t want to mess with him.”

“…Okay, I’ll stay with you.”

“…Well, it could be dangerous for you to stay with me, so I’d like you to come in and wait by the door.”

“…”

Stardus’ face turned into an unhappy expression at those words, but my pleading eyes finally made her reluctantly agree.

“…Then, let’s go.”

“Okay.”

With that, Stardus and I opened the huge black doors.

And then

An ominous, cold wind blew out of it.

And with that, we stepped into the great darkness of the underground.

When the door closed and we were fully inside, we could see something at the far end.

“There…”

At the far end of a huge underground cavity something was faintly visible, among the large white tentacles attached to the walls.

It was a blurry figure, seemingly in the middle of it all.

Yep.

That must be him, one of the final bosses of Phase 3.

“…Egostic.”

“Yeah. Okay, I’ll be right there.”

Her words seemed to urge me on, and I turned on my heel and headed straight for him but before I could, she grabbed my wrist.

I turned around to see what she’s doing and her eyes were slightly shaky and worried.

“…Be careful. Okay?”

“…Okay.”

She said it so earnestly and desperately.

I couldn’t even bring myself to crack a joke: “The hero is worried about the villain?”

‘Yeah, I have to be careful.’

Just stick to the plan, stick to the plan.

‘…I’m not exactly sure that’s being careful.’

With that thought, I reached into my coat and pulled out one of the earphones that came with the recorder and put it in my ear.

Okay, we’re all set.

Let’s go.

With that thought, I stepped out into the darkness of the cavity.

Here we go. Let’s make a wish.

Something he won’t expect.