Dear Heroes, I really am a Villain-Chapter 107: Manifesto’s Grudge
"Nothing... never mind," Kiyomi said, stopping herself from asking further.
The origin of this alien technology was not something she should inquire about. Regardless of where it came from, whether it was acquired legally or illegally, it didn’t matter.
She would rather remain ignorant. The less she knew, the better.
Alien tech was that sensitive.
"But to be honest, if I had this technology when I was still a student, I wouldn’t have needed to worry about homework and would’ve had so much more time to play games," Rebecca muttered, marveling at the idea.
Hearing this, Maximilian let out a small chuckle.
"Yes, but I don’t think you’d be able to play online games or anything that requires real-time communication between your console and the outside world. The time between the inside and outside doesn’t sync. The best you’d get is an experience like playing with thirty times the usual lag," Maximilian said lightheartedly.
Kiyomi looked at Rebecca as if she had just found a savior.
"Genius!" she exclaimed, then patted Rebecca’s shoulder and turned to Pierre.
"Uncle Pierre! Let’s head back and bring all the project files, budget projections, and research funding reports here. I think I have enough time to clear everything before the next shareholder meeting!" she said, her tone excited.
"Ahem! Young lady," Pierre faked a cough, regaining his butler composure. "I think you should first ask the landlord for permission," he added, glancing at Maximilian.
"Max! Please let me stay here for a month or two. I need to clear all those documents before the next shareholder meeting! I’ll pay rent!" Kiyomi pleaded, her face lit up like she’d found a lifeline amidst a storm.
"It’s okay. You don’t need to pay. After all, you’re helping me with the butler training," Maximilian replied casually.
"No, that won’t do. That was a separate deal. I agreed to train you in exchange for martial arts lessons. This is another matter entirely," Kiyomi said firmly.
Seeing this, Pierre spoke up. "Mr. Graham, please accept the young lady’s offer. She’s earnest regarding deals and trades; it’s her principle," the butler advised.
"If that’s the case... alright then. But instead of rent, I’ll just ask you for a favor in the future. Right now, I’m not lacking money. As for the favor, I haven’t thought of one yet," said Maximilian.
"Okay! It’s a deal then, Mr. Graham," Kiyomi agreed, then excused herself and left the café with her butler.
After that, Kiyomi left with her butler, and to avoid wasting the compressed time, Atherna decided to pause the time compression while waiting for Kiyomi to return.
In the evening, Kiyomi finally came back with her butler, carrying a large stack of documents and several bags, likely containing her entire wardrobe and perhaps some of her favorite snacks.
Thus began their life in secluded training, aside from teaching Kiyomi and Gu Yichen about martial arts and Qi principles, which only took an hour per day to explain, allowing Gu Yichen to train in the basement and Kiyomi to focus on comprehending Qi.
Maximilian dedicated the rest of his time to mastering the art of being a butler. This included adopting the proper mindset, learning etiquette, practical skills, cleaning techniques, and even time management, both for himself and for assisting a master.
Kiyomi stayed for what amounted to about three months in compressed time before excusing herself. Having completed all her paperwork, she needed to return to the Triune City-State for the upcoming shareholder meeting. She left her personal butler behind to continue Maximilian’s training.
During this time, there was a lot of commotion in the outside world regarding Manifesto’s arrival in Arkadia City-State. The atmosphere in the city was electric. Advertisements and media channels were buzzing with news about the arrival of the world’s number two ranked hero, Manifesto.
The hype was real. People couldn’t stop talking about it. Manifesto was the talk of the town.
But Maximilian, secluded in training, remained indifferent. Due to the time sync issue, both the internet and TV inside his house were effectively useless.
— Inside a Private Stealth Jet —
Within the opulent, sleek interior of a private jet, Kiyomi was watching the news coverage about Manifesto’s arrival in Arkadia City.
On the screen, Manifesto, dressed in his hero suit, was sitting in a broadcast studio.
The host was interviewing him about various light-hearted topics, his personal life, what it was like being the number two hero, whether he had a girlfriend, and the usual fluff questions.
Until the topic shifted to Nihilus.
"Mr. Manifesto," the host began, glancing briefly at the camera before continuing, "this is the question every good citizen of Arkadia City wants to know."
"Regarding the new villain, Nihilus, do you have confidence in bringing this criminal to justice?" Asks the host.
"Of course, I have full confidence that I can bring him to justice!" Manifesto said with conviction.
"Oh? How are you going to do it? Right now, even after an intensive investigation, the only thing we know is that he seems to have the ability to control darkness," the host asked.
"Since I’m here, I have my own ways to investigate. But to be honest... I don’t know if the local IHB will allow me to assist in the investigation," said Manifesto.
"Why is that, Mr. Manifesto?"
"Ahem... You see..." Manifesto cleared his throat before continuing. "A big shot in the IHB of Arkadia City-State has been relocated here from the Central office. I don’t know what he did back in Central to get himself transferred, but... I do wonder if there are questions about his competency... or his character."
Manifesto didn’t mention any names, but those in the know understood he was targeting Heinrich Strauss, the current director of the IHB local branch.
"But Mr. Manifesto, this villain is very dangerous. I don’t think anyone would try to hinder your investigation," the host said.
"I don’t know about that. But what I do know is that sometimes, people are too selfish to see the bigger picture—whether it’s because they’re trying to hide their own incompetence or cover up their crimes."
"By the way, I heard there was a famous hero from Triune City-State who came here to help with the investigation. I heard she couldn’t do anything against that villain either. But we must understand that being a hero without a strong enough EF means you won’t last long in this line of work—and may even become a burden instead," Manifesto said with a sneer.
"Tch!" Kiyomi clicked her tongue in annoyance.
She knew Manifesto’s character well. He was arrogant, a fame-seeker, and a money-grubber. But he was also cunning and skilled at currying favor with the higher-ups. That’s why, despite being a show-off, he managed to reach the number 2 rank.
But that was also thanks to Manifesto’s skill and experience. Unlike Photon Fury, he had the ability to back up his arrogance.
"I guess this guy came here to try to break through to the number 1 ranking," Kiyomi muttered, guessing the true goal of the flamboyant hero.
After watching the interview for a while, Kiyomi decided to turn off the TV. Seeing Manifesto’s smug face soured her mood. She still had to return and deal with those greedy board directors and shareholders.
It wouldn’t be good if watching this any longer worsened her mood to the point she ended up wanting to strangle someone in the boardroom. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
— IHB Local Branch - Strauss Office —
Amidst the hype sweeping through Arkadia City, there was one place where the excitement didn’t reach—Strauss’s office.
Naturally, Strauss had seen the interview... and to make matters worse, that prick Manifesto had barged into his office, interrupted his work, turned on the TV, and acted like he owned the place.
"Mr. Manifesto, if you’ve finished satisfying your vanity, please leave. I still have a lot of work to do," Strauss said, his tone as grating as ever.
Hearing Strauss’s biting words, Manifesto was irritated at first, but he quickly composed himself.
"Strauss... I wonder why you still can’t pinpoint the culprit—or at least narrow it down to fewer than ten suspects. Don’t you think you’re demanding too much evidence? I recall you arresting someone before with far less proof than this," Manifesto said with clear sarcasm.
"It’s because that time was a mistake. And to be honest... I’ve gained enough sensibility not to repeat it. That way, there won’t be any more petty heroes coming after me, nitpicking my every move," Strauss said as he stared at Manifesto.
"Heh... Strauss, you sure know how to talk—for a torturer like you. You’ll never understand how I felt back then... Strauss," said Manifesto.
Hearing this, Strauss paused what he was doing and let out a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.
"No, Mr. Manifesto. On the contrary, I know exactly how you felt. That’s why I cut off one of your testicular sacs," Strauss said, pausing as he watched Manifesto grit his teeth.
"And to be honest, I think the real mistake back then was that one of my key pieces of evidence miraculously vanished from the evidence archive. I still wonder to this day how that happened." Strauss narrowed his eyes.
