# Chapter 11
“That’s why I’m in this state right now, isn’t it?”
I barely maintained my balance by gripping the armrest of the chair. Would he still say such things after seeing my current state? My head throbbed as if something was eating away at my mind.
The protective barrier wavered precariously, with no way of knowing when it would break. This thin membrane would shatter instantly if he applied even a little force.
If that happened, my body would be bound to him. And that wouldn’t be all. The wolf-human nature that I usually kept well-contained would emerge.
The wolf-human had strong instinctual tendencies that differed from my will. Because of that, it tended to rampage freely.
There was no way someone other than myself could control that ability. The mission would immediately fall apart.
To prevent that situation, I gathered all the strength in my body to barely hold back the wolf-human’s instincts.
As if my mind wasn’t already on the brink of madness, trying to suppress my ability on top of that caused my physical strength to drain at a frightening rate.
“What impressive mental fortitude.”
A curious voice pierced down toward me as I exhaled rough breaths.
Ben’s legs approached me. With my head lowered, his face wasn’t visible in my field of vision.
“Most people couldn’t resist without going completely insane.”
A feather-light voice squeezed through the gaps in the ringing in my ears.
My vision blurred then refocused, only to blur again.
“Or they’ve lived an extremely painful life.”
I wish he would just stop now. I didn’t want to submit to this unless it was for training.
And I wasn’t insane. This wasn’t something you could resist because you were crazy, nor could you resist it just because you’d suffered.
You simply had to train with bone-cutting effort. Mind control isn’t absolute to begin with. Just as you can escape gravity’s control if you have the strength to resist it, the same applied to mind control.
You just needed to create countless defensive barriers that even mind control abilities couldn’t dominate. If you built them solidly so that nothing could penetrate, then that ability wouldn’t have much effect.
To achieve that, you needed to build mental strength that would keep you calm even while walking through a pit of fire, but I had a reason why I had to do that.
To stay by Boss’s side, I had to become stronger. Otherwise, Boss would only drift further away. This level of effort was essential just to follow in his footsteps.
“I’ve lived… normally.”
I barely managed to speak to Ben who was watching me through my wavering vision. To think that I, who had been pondering about normalcy just this morning, would end up saying such a thing. That fact was quite amusing even in this situation.
“So please… release me quickly.”
I wanted to grab that neck and bite it until its shape was unrecognizable. The sensation of someone other than Boss infiltrating my mind was not just unpleasant—it made me want to kill them.
“Alright.”
Ben withdrew his ability after sensing my sharp tone. The strange light that had been glowing in his eyes gradually faded.
Simultaneously, the formless energy that had been rummaging through my mind started to disappear. The pressure throughout my body vanished, my body felt lighter, and fresh air entered my lungs.
“This is my first time encountering this situation, so it’s troublesome…”
It seems he usually did this sort of thing. Using his ability to delete records and erase memories—a technique only Ben could use.
That’s why he was so confident. After an awkward smile, he pondered briefly before seemingly finding direction and speaking.
“Um, would you like to make a deal with me?”
I was curious what would come out of that mouth, but his attitude was unexpectedly brazen.
Do they not teach manners at Peace? Normally, an apology would come first. It’s strange that someone called a hero doesn’t know this common sense that even I, raised in an organization, am aware of.
I don’t dislike people who only think of themselves, but I dislike those who harm others because of it. Especially if I’m the target.
Ignoring Ben’s words, I stood up. My legs wobbled momentarily before finding their balance. Moving my heavy feet, I took one step at a time.
“I only make deals with trustworthy people.”
“Isn’t being S-class enough to establish trust?”
“That trust became negative after what just happened.”
I had no desire to be tied to him in the name of a deal. Even if I were to overlook his rude behavior earlier, I had no room to deal with Ben. I didn’t want to deal with him either.
First Tade, and now this—why do things keep getting complicated instead of resolving? Infiltration really doesn’t suit me.
Simple assassination missions suit me better. Assassination requires no thinking, just moving your body.
“I’ll just pretend I don’t know. I’ll delete the footage too.”
What Ben wanted was the erasure of evidence. Something that could prove innocence even if the other party claimed injustice.
To avoid getting entangled with him, doing as Ben wanted would be the right move.
“Then instead of a deal, I’ll have to threaten you.”
But Ben had no intention of backing down despite my words. His words fell lightly behind me as I was about to grab the doorknob.
I thought he would back off cleanly if I gave him what he wanted. But not only did he ignore my words, he also resorted to threats. Isn’t that worse than a deal?
In the end, I couldn’t grab the doorknob. I turned toward Ben, who was smiling brightly. I could tell without looking. That a faint killing intent had settled in my expression.
If only this had been an assassination mission for Ben rather than infiltration. Then I could kill him right now.
I couldn’t regret more that my mission wasn’t assassination.
* * *
On a night with the night shift. The flashlight illuminated the barren interior. I was the only one patrolling the first basement floor.
“How long are you going to follow me?”
Actually, I should have been alone. I shined my flashlight behind me at the sound of footsteps. Ben’s face, previously buried in darkness, was clearly revealed.
His navy blue hair glowed lightly in the beam. The eyes beneath it narrowed into a smile, as if they knew nothing.
“Until I can trust you.”
Ben seemed to find this situation amusing, as the smile never left his face. I clearly said I wouldn’t tell anyone and even promised to delete it. So why wouldn’t he leave me alone?
With mixed anger and frustration, I roughly turned my body and quickened my pace.
“Didn’t you say you’d be fired if you told anyone?”
Didn’t he mention threatening me? I thought he would lose interest if I quietly complied. I hadn’t realized he had this kind of personality.
“That doesn’t seem like it would work on you.”
Ben raised the corner of his mouth playfully. He was right. Certainly, as long as I didn’t get fired during the mission, what happened afterward didn’t matter.
After all, this wasn’t even my life. But that didn’t mean I wanted to be found out.
How did he know? He didn’t seem to have mind-reading abilities. After considering briefly, I cautiously opened my mouth.
“…Let’s make a deal instead.”
At this point, a deal was better. I could just ask for money. Money was the basis of deals after all.
But Ben shook his head as if it was already too late. Despite his drooping lips, his eyes were sparkling with interest.
“Being rejected once and trying again isn’t fun.”
“…”
I was speechless at his absurd statement. At first, I thought it was because he didn’t trust me. But his reaction now wasn’t due to distrust.
Ben just found me interesting because I broke free from his mind control. I was the first person to break his ability.
I expected suspicion, but not this kind of approach. It was enough to make me sigh.
I wonder how such a person became a hero. No matter how I look at it, he seems more suited to be a villain.
“Don’t worry. I won’t just follow you around. I’ll help too.”
Ben took out a flashlight from inside his coat and pressed the button with a smile. The light twisted around following his hand.
Anyone could see his half-hearted attitude. There was no need for two people to patrol. Especially not with someone who seemed to lack motivation.
“In that case, you should just do it alone. I’ll be going home.”
I handed the flashlight to Ben, almost throwing it. Despite the sudden toss, Ben caught it smoothly.
I wouldn’t be fired for missing one night shift.
Perhaps because of the mind control earlier, my emotions were more intense than usual. It was difficult to think as I normally would.
It was obvious that with these emotions, I couldn’t even control myself. While it would be right to follow Hans’s daily routine exactly, I didn’t have the confidence to do so now.
“Then there’s no reason for me to be here at this hour!”
“That’s not my problem. You should go home too.”
I quickly moved my steps to escape, giving a casual answer to the voice coming from behind.
“I’m not a bad person.”
But Ben immediately chased after me. He roughly grabbed my wrist.
His voice was clear, as if without a hint of deception, but there was no way to trust those words. How many things had he done so far?
“I’m the one who judges that. Not you.”
I spat out the words harshly while roughly shaking off his hand.
Ben’s eyelashes trembled slightly. His downcast eyes looked pitiful.
“…Is it because of what happened earlier?”
Suddenly, his demeanor changed. Until just a moment ago, he had been so composed. Ben spoke timidly.
“That was because that person was speaking ill of me…”
Ben’s voice trembled slightly as he spoke as if he had been wronged. Judging by the way he spoke, it didn’t seem to be an act. I stared at him for a moment before speaking.
“I’m surprised there are people who speak ill of an S-class hero.”
No matter how I thought about it, his words were strange. Who would boldly speak ill of someone with S-class abilities to their face?
