Fated to Be Loved by Villains

“…Um, Professor Astrid, right?”

It was Iliya who managed to break the silence in the booth.

Due to the strange sentence she had just heard, there was a light hint of anger in her voice.

Bitch? I hadn’t done anything to be called—

[Hero. The Astral Realm’s spy.]

As she said so, the giant’s optical lens rotated smoothly before focusing its gaze on Iliya’s sword.

[In general, the angels don’t do anything violent, but they’d plot a lot of things behind everyone’s backs. That Seraphim… She would only ever contact you when she wants to, correct?]

“…Pardon me?”

[She’s normally unresponsive to whatever you say, correct? The only time when she ‘responds’ is when she has something to say.]

T-That’s…true…

Leaving the speechless Iliya, the optical lens rotated again, turning to the other group of women nearby who were staring at the giant with wide eyes.

[Ah, the Devil’s Vessels. The cleaners in charge of the ‘end of the world’. While I feel sympathy for you guys since you guys get cussed out too much for your roles, even though you guys didn’t choose that fate, I still can’t bring myself to see you guys in a good light.]

Cynicism, ridicule, and contempt filled her voice.

The level of hostility she was exuding in that sentence, through her synthesized voice even, was something else.

“…What does that—-”

Someone said in a slightly suppressed voice in the suffocating atmosphere.

And what she got in return was…

A flood of completely incomprehensible information.

[I believe you guys aren’t at fault here. Apart from that damn ‘Gray’ who created this stopped-cogwheel like mechanism, I believe none of you guys became a host for such things because you wanted to.]

“Professor.”

[That’s why, please don’t get me wrong. I don’t hate ‘you guys’. What I hate is the things inside you guys. According to the results of the multi-dimensional analysis of cause and effect, all of you have killed Dowd at least once. That’s why, to me, you are all potential killers—]

“Professor!”

A thunder-like roar filled the space.

“Kyaaak?!”

“W-What the?!”

It wasn’t just an ordinary roar. His voice actually produced a turbulence that caused a ‘physical impact’ on the surroundings.

Light items were shattered into dust, people were pushed down and fell, the structures that were loosely built were crushed unceremoniously.

The noisy place instantly became quiet.

“…”

Iliya stared at the scene dumbfoundedly, her mouth slightly agape.

T-That…

H-He just shouted ‘slightly loudly’…and a small storm immediately occurred in the surroundings…?

She had often seen those super superhumans changing the whole scenery just by swinging their swords once, but this was her first time seeing the surroundings turned into a mess just because of a loud shout.

Meanwhile, Alpha-11, the one who caused such a situation, let out a sigh before continuing in a quiet voice.

“You’ve revealed too much, Professor. I believe you’ve spilled more than ten confidential secrets of the Magic Tower just now.”

[So what? I was the one who predicted all of that.]

“I understand that your love for your son runs extremely deep, but these people here haven’t done anything to him.”

[Yet. More specifically, they haven’t done anything serious yet.]

The steel giant snorted while crossing her arms.

[I believe these women have manipulated my son into doing something intimate with them at least once prior to this.]

“I kept telling you this, making wild speculations like that is a bad habit—”

Before Alpha-11 could finish his words, he noticed that none of the women around was holding their heads up. Seeing this, he promptly stopped and just cleared his throat instead.

Because their lack of retorts and their blushing faces gave him the clearest answer he could receive at that moment.

“…All of them are in the prime of their youths.”

As Alpha-11 awkwardly said so, Professor Astrid just let out another snort before continuing.

[Well, it’s true that there’s nothing to come out of them for the time being. Raise your heads, all of you. I’m not going to nag you anymore.]

As she said so, the steel giant’s gaze was fixed on Dowd, who had gone up the podium in the distance.

This was one of the School Festival’s main events. Presentations of ‘research results’ in front of everyone. Anyone inside the Academy could see it through a huge projector that was provided by the Academy.

“I don’t under—”

[You don’t need to. It’s going to ‘start’ soon anyway.]

Astrid said while waving her hand.

[While I’m at it, let me tell you one weird story… You’ve heard the words that they used to call that kid, no? ‘The Key of the World’? It isn’t just some nonsense. The fate of the entire world genuinely depends on that kid.]

“…”

I knew that…!

Iliya clenched her fist tightly while thinking so.

She had heard the Seraphim tell her that Dowd Campbell was the Key of the World a few times.

That he was a more important person than she thought.

What this weird woman was trying to say was definitely related to that.

[…The one who will put the world to an end…]

However, the next thing she said…

[In some cases, it may not be you guys but someone else…]

Was something that she had never expected.

[Starting from today, the continent would turn noisier than ever before.]

Such nonsensical remarks spread into the air coldly.

At that moment…

-What do you think is the best way to get rid of wars from the world?

Such words fell from a certain someone’s mouth.

●

Some people said, contrary to what the general masses thought, the most dangerous lunatics in the world didn’t look like lunatics at all.

‘A honey tongue, a heart of gall’, that was what those kinds of people called; people who hid their swords under their smiles.

And the man who was sitting on the chair on the podium right now, almost perfectly fit that description.

He didn’t look dangerous at all.

With his laid-back behavior, the gentle smile on his face, and a calm voice…

Selim Bronx thought that there was no one in this world that could be more harmless than this guy, Dowd Campbell. Perhaps most of the people who were looking at him right now shared the same thought as her.

His next words, uttered in a warm voice, were clear.

Even though the words itself weren’t warm, at all.

“Since the beginning of history, humans have been pointing guns and swords at each other for all sorts of reasons—a great cause, their own belief, or simply because they don’t like how the others looked.”

The latter’s case had a prominent example in Count Nicholas, whom he met not long ago.

Humanity was a race in which its members could antagonize others over a very trivial reason.

The so-called ‘politicians’ who were ready to spill blood over a ‘struggle of interests’ in the huge group of humans called the empire were also a prime example of this, except that their range of activities were on a much larger scale.

“I’ve always wondered why people act so ferociously against each other like that? There should be a way where we all could live a little more peacefully. A way for everybody to live without hurting anyone. I used to think about those things often…”

His voice made him sound like a laid-back gentle dreamer.

That was why…

“But a while ago, I had a conversation with a ‘human hunter’.”

When a ‘change of atmosphere’ in him occurred after he said that sentence, everyone could feel it clearly.

“He told me an effective way to hunt children, which is to use their parents as bait.”

After he said that, a suffocating silence spread.

His voice still sounded calm. He just conveyed a plain fact without exaggerating anything, but that only served to deliver his points more clearly.

“That experience taught me that humans could indeed act so viciously over a mere trivial reason.”

That was why it was easier to make a conclusion.

Since humans could act so viciously…

The ‘civil war’, of which the fuse had already been lit, would definitely happen. It was only a matter of time.

“Humans would willingly point their swords at someone to achieve what they want, for whatever reason—they would even make up one if they didn’t have any.”

That was why…

“So, I’ve been thinking about this; is there a way for ‘me’ to solve that?”

The audience’s expressions turned weird.

This particular topic, his flat declaration that came out of nowhere—none of them were things that were supposed to be conveyed in a presentation by a mere school club.

As people’s expressions started to be filled with confusion and they began to buzz with doubts, Dowd placed something on the podium.

A small box that he had brought with him.

“Let’s see. I believe I could explain it a little better if everyone were to take a look at this.”

Back in his previous world, all kinds of media on Earth reported that offending someone was the most vicious thing a human could do to each other.

It could also be seen as the era was so peaceful that even such a level of ‘threat’ could attract everyone’s attention.

Then, what caused it?

What was the precondition to maintain such a peace?

The answer was very simple.

“The conclusion I reached is…a ‘suppressing power’.”

Dowd said before opening the box.

And from inside of it…

“Something that could put the entire world together.”

The ‘entire world’s public enemy…

Was released.