How long had the Iron-Blooded Lord been there? Had he heard the conversation about Verita?
No. I immediately rejected that thought. This matter concerned cooperation with the Dark Church, not anything else. Taon had gone to great lengths to hide it. If the Iron-Blooded Lord had overheard, he wouldn't be sitting down there so quietly.
I squinted at the Headquarters Chief beside me and recalled the moment his expression had subtly changed. Just before he began praising the Iron-Blooded Lord, his expression had taken on a faintly ridiculous look.
It was at that time. It seemed the Iron-Blooded Lord appeared right after the discussion about Verita ended and just as I brought up Black Rose. In other words, he was already standing behind me the moment I started insulting him.
Should I consider this a fortunate misfortune? No. Why do I keep running into the busiest man in the world?
A surge of resentment rose in me. I immediately realized this was neither coincidence nor bad luck but an inevitable outcome. After all, the Iron-Blooded Lord and I shared some similarities. The deeper I became entangled with demons and the Dark Church, the more often our paths were bound to cross.
Still, could someone truly erase their presence to this extent? Wasn't it almost a cheat?
It wasn't like I hadn't been vigilant. My battle of nerves with the Headquarters Chief had kept me alert, so my senses were sharp. Nevertheless, the Iron-Blooded Lord's presence was completely outside of their range.
Frustration welled up, and my pride took a hit. The timing made it worse. I had been quietly pleased with my own success after the recent improvement in my martial arts and yesterday's victory.
Thoughts piled up as the silence stretched on. The three of us said nothing, staring blankly at the table.
I decided silence was my best option, since I was literally at a loss for words. For some reason, the Iron-Blooded Lord also remained silent.
In the end, the burden fell on the office's owner. Taon sighed heavily and glared at the Iron-Blooded Lord. "Delac, I told you not to break into my office without saying a word."
"It isn't a break-in. It is a visit. I entered proudly through the front door," the Iron-Blooded Lord retorted flatly.
"What kind of visitor enters without knocking?" Taon looked exasperated. "A Blood Moon assassin makes more noise than you."
"You should be more careful then."
"Yes, I think I have heard this around twenty times already. I know." Taon nodded, then his tone changed. "Now, now. I'm a bit busy, so could you two Badnikers leave? There is a lot of work to do. Ugh , when am I ever going to finish all of this?"
He wants to send me and the Iron-Blooded Lord out together? I stared at Taon, who spouted nonsense despite the fact that his desk held no papers.
The sly gold dragon just ignored my gaze.
I really am fucked if I go outside like this. This was the greatest crisis in the history of the universe. I rolled my tongue around my mouth and desperately racked my brain.
Then I blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "Headquarters Chief, by the way, what is my rank?"
"Huh? Ahh, I didn't tell you that? You are A-class now. Your Hero Badge will be issued today," he answered.
I was stunned. "It's A-class? Not B-class?"
Taon nodded. "Yes. Why are you so surprised? You completely overwhelmed Heero, who is one of the strongest A-class heroes. Of course, it is rare to go straight to A-class from D-class—"
The Iron-Blooded Lord picked up his words, "It isn't without precedent."
Certainly, a living legend sat in this very room, someone who had become A-class as soon as he joined the organization.
"Many people witnessed your spar. Any complaints will be settled by those who watched it. Besides, Heero was demoted to B-class. This outcome is reasonable," Taon stated.
I understood his reasoning, but I shook my head. "Just make it B-class."
"Why?"
"I just need a B-class Hero Badge. I heard that A-class comes with many responsibilities in exchange for great authority..." I shook my head again. "That does not suit me. I want a certain degree of freedom, so B-class is more appropriate."
"Is that so?" Taon considered it briefly. "Then it can't be helped. I'll keep you as B-class, but I will grant you the Vigilante status."
"Vigilante..." It was a title I had heard before.
"Are those not the Vigilantes who protect the city? I don't think that position suits me," I replied with a restrained expression.
"You know one duty, but not the other. Protecting the city is just one part of a Vigilante's role. The true essence lies in the right to act independently," Taon explained.
"The right to act independently?" I echoed.
Taon continued, "Most heroes often work together. At times, they cooperate with other heroes, the imperial family, mercenaries, or the magic towers. But as you know, cooperation doesn't always produce good results, right? In particular, when too many forces intertwine, clashes of ego often create discord."
I understood his point. For example, if a few A-class mercenaries who had gained fame in different regions got together, they would probably start a fistfight over leadership. The form differed slightly, but the essence remained the same.
"I see."
"The Vigilante system exists for situations like that." Taon continued, "On joint missions or solo assignments, if you happen to encounter another hero, protocol normally requires you to follow the orders of the higher-ranked one. Vigilantes operate differently. You are exempt from a superior hero's authority, and when you cooperate with other organizations, you need only state that you are a Vigilante to receive a certain degree of operational freedom."
As I listened, I realized this was what I needed most right now. If something like my argument with Barter in the Otherworld happened again, matters would develop much more smoothly.
However, why would he grant such unconventional authority? Free things were rare in the world, so I narrowed my eyes at Taon.
At that moment, the Iron-Blooded Lord stepped in. "Isn't this too much authority for someone who has just become a hero? Even among the Hero Society's most outstanding heroes, only a few hold Vigilante status. Luan is still too young."
Taon shrugged, his tone almost boastful. "At this age, leaving home would not be unusual. Moreover, he is much stronger than your eldest son, Heero. In the first place, I created the Vigilante system in case someone with this level of talent appeared."
Then he turned to me and said, "The Vigilante motto is simple: do your own thing."
This guy... I was forced to stare at Taon once again. At last, I understood why he wanted to make me a Vigilante.
"Now, I've given you the legal right to rebel against your superiors," Taon said. "You can speak for yourself, right? Say it. Dad, I don't want to join Black Rose ."
"Shit. You are really too much," I grumbled.
"What? Shit ? Is that something a kid should be saying?" Taon reprimanded.
Maybe I had lost my mind, but I could vividly imagine having such a conversation with Taon. Either way, I refused to leave before settling the matter. Taon had become my insurance policy. If the Iron-Blooded Lord tried to kill me, Taon would at least pretend to step in and protect me.
After finishing my calculations, I declared, "Family head, I won't join Black Rose."
The Iron-Blooded Lord remained silent, yet the atmosphere around him seemed to darken.
He asked, "Didn't you say that your goal was to defeat a demon king?"
"That's right."
"The fastest way to achieve that goal is to move with me," he reasoned. "Wasn't it because of what I said that you joined the Hero Society in the first place?"
He meant the promise that, if I joined the Hero Society, we would take on a mission related to Spirit Mountain together. He showed more self-awareness than I expected.
I shook my head. "It is different. I never responded at the time. Everyone has a different way of achieving their goals. Your methods might not necessarily be the right ones."
"Do you hate me?"
The Iron-Blooded Lord's sudden question left me speechless. I wondered if he truly did not understand. Confusion flickered faintly in those indifferent purple eyes, and that alone stirred something inside me.
It wasn't from this life but from my past one. The memory of crawling through the gutter flashed through my head, and I spoke despite knowing I would regret it. "Is there any reason I should like you?"
"I don't think I've ever treated you unfairly. Or did you dislike the rewards I gave you?" he pressed.
"It isn't like that," I said. "Don't you realize it? Even now, you are speaking as the head of the family."
The Iron-Blooded Lord repeatedly opened his mouth, then closed it, again and again.
I stared at him in disbelief. I never imagined this man could be at a loss for words, especially in a conversation like this.
I told him, "You don't even know why I am saying this. I know. I am the one being one-sidedly rude. And yet..."
I wasn't angry with the Iron-Blooded Lord. I had never been emotionally attached to him. In the first place, I never had any expectations of him. The only thing I ever expected was for him to act as the head of the family. Yet now, for some reason, he was trying to act like a father. That attitude irritated me more than anything else.
I fixed my gaze on him. "Let me ask you one thing. If I had never shown any talent, how would you have regarded me?"
I recounted what happened in the past, one event at a time. "If I had never received any blessings, my siblings in the main house would have beaten me. The servants would have looked down on me. I would have lived in disgrace while clinging desperately to the Badniker name. Then, by the will of the higher-ups, a collector would have severed the tendons in my arms. Even after that, I would try to knock on the door of the main house. At that point, would you have felt any sympathy for me?
"That would be impossible. You wouldn't show me any mercy, support, advice, or even criticism if I became half-disabled and wandered the empire like an abandoned soul, unable to use anything I learned from the Badnikers."
At that moment, I realized something. Indifference could be far more cruel than insults or accusations. That indifference came from the person I admired and worshiped most. The memory of being disregarded by the person I had taken pride in, simply because we shared the same blood, was still vivid.
"You would have forgotten about me completely. You wouldn't have cared where I went or what I did, whether I worked as a mercenary, cleaned the sewers, survived on moldy bread, or served as a low-ranking soldier on the battlefield. Since I, your child, was judged to be incompetent, you would forget my mother as well."
The last sentence carried the greatest weight. I had already experienced it.
My mother, Lucia, had died in the end. During the years when I lived pathetically, my mother would regularly visit the Badniker main house, begging the Iron-Blooded Lord for leniency, only to be refused.
She was very stubborn, so she didn't give up easily. Soft on the surface and hard on the inside described her perfectly. However, her health had never been strong, and the repeated rejection only worsened her condition. In that sense, I was one of the people who had killed my mother in the past, and the Iron-Blooded Lord was the other.
He will never understand the fact that he and I are accomplices. He will carry that ignorance for the rest of his life.
"I know. I was pathetic. I had no sense, no talent, and no awareness. I understand why you once forgot about me. As the head of the family, that decision was not wrong. But then..." I shook my head. "If you had possessed even a shred of a father's awareness, shouldn't you have given me one more chance? At the very least, you could have come to speak with me before cutting my tendons. That is what I believe a father should have done."
I said everything I had held back for so long. The anger inside me finally began to fade, little by little. The outburst was impulsive, but the release brought relief.
Even if the Iron-Blooded Lord grew furious, punished me, or broke off our relationship completely, I was relieved enough to accept it without regret.
I had one last thing to say. "Don't expect anything from me, and I won't expect anything from you either. I will accept any punishment for my rudeness today."
***
A heavy silence settled over the office after Luan left.
Taon clicked his tongue, thinking, What am I going to do with this atmosphere?
He had run out of alcohol. He raised the flask to his mouth and licked the opening with desperate hope, only to be interrupted by the Iron-Blooded Lord. "Taon."
"Huh?"
"Am I not a good father?"
Taon spat out the flask he had been gnawing on and stared at him in disbelief. "Are you serious? Do you hear yourself? If everything he said is true, then you are a walking piece of trash. A black-hearted scumbag. If you are done talking, then go away. I have a mountain of work waiting for me. Jerome will kill me at this rate."
The words slipped out because Taon felt deeply uncomfortable being put in this position.
After a pause, the Iron-Blooded Lord spoke again. "I suddenly realized something. He rarely calls me Father ."
"Is that so?"
After that, the Iron-Blooded Lord remained seated, immersed in silence for a very long time.