“Well, first I’ll have to get rid of the filthy things clinging to Under Doom. Just until things are cleaned up, maybe?”“When you meet him, at least try to talk—but… please take his will into consideration as well.”“Are you defending him? Even if it’s not me, the other two will be flipping the world over to find him. What can I do, just stand by and watch? Not even a saint could manage that.”Noa spoke with his usual smile. Like grass swaying in the wind, his mood seemed to ripple gently with it.“But, hyung.”He suddenly called Uichan. His faint smile lingered as he tilted his head slightly.“I never said it was Under Doom. You already knew, huh? You must be really interested in me.”His tone was chilling, the kind that could bite at one’s nape at any moment. Uichan stayed unshaken and answered as usual.“It’s on the news everywhere—you can’t not know. And since all three Great Heroes are searching for Under Doom, everyone’s talking about it.”“Haha, you’re right. Everyone knows. Maybe that’s why he’s hiding so thoroughly. He must think we’ll capture and beat him to death. If I shouted everywhere that I just want to protect him, maybe he’d come out.”“…That, I wouldn’t know….”He had once imagined the possibility that the father of the babies inside him might be Noatis. But who was Noatis? The heir to Berta Corporation, a young hero with a bright, dazzling future.If it ever came out that the children in Uichan’s belly belonged to Noa, Noa’s parents would probably storm to the top floor of the Hero Association building, shouting curses loud enough to rattle the windows.Then Uichan would become a disgrace—a villain from In the Hell who got pregnant with a twenty-year-old’s children. How shameful could a rumor get?Of course, before that, his brothers in In the Hell would try to kill Noa without hesitation. A fatherless child wouldn’t be under the government’s care system, meaning Uichan could raise them freely. That was only assuming the children weren’t classified as high-risk Ability Users, though….Then—Knock, knock.Just as Uichan opened his mouth to speak, a knock sounded from outside the waiting room, announcing the start of the mock exam. Uichan quickly gathered the grading sheets.“My grading sheet….”At the opening ceremony, all examinees and supervisors stood together and took an oath. That meant Uichan, as a supervisor, had to be present. He hurriedly pinned his examiner badge on and saved Noa’s ability one more time. While Uichan busied himself preparing, Noa calmly picked up his exam slip and stepped close enough for his shadow to fall over him.Feeling the looming presence, Uichan instinctively looked up.“When your ability time runs out, look back at me once. I’ll come right away. Ah, and… wait a second.”A large hand reached toward him. Before Uichan could react, the back of Noa’s hand brushed against his lips and pressed lightly. The skin moved lazily against his soft mouth, then withdrew with a smile when Uichan looked at him in disbelief.“My wind ability rubbed off on you. I must’ve used it while helping earlier.”“Ah… I see.”Uichan rubbed at his lips, which had suddenly gone warm. He remembered hearing that Noa’s wind ability sometimes acted as if it had its own will, occasionally clinging to people like a child refusing to go home.Maybe it had transferred while Noa was guiding him earlier. Noa was about to say something more when a dull noise banged from the door—this time not a knock, but a sharp, impatient thud.Thud, thud![Please move quickly! You need to come out now!]“Yes, I’m coming right out.”Uichan darted past Noa and ran to the door. He grabbed the doorknob and twisted, but it wouldn’t open. The latch rattled violently, clinking against the lock. Anyone else would have turned back to ask Noa for help by now, but Uichan didn’t.Was it broken? His bad luck came often enough that he was used to this kind of thing. He glanced around for something to break the door with. Spotting a fire extinguisher in the corner, he picked it up without hesitation. He was just about to smash the doorknob when—Thud. A large hand caught the extinguisher mid-swing. Noa’s slightly winded breath came from just above Uichan’s head.“Ha… a second later and that would’ve been bad. I didn’t know you were such a tough one, Uichan-hyung. But breaking things like this could hurt you.”“It’s not opening. I’ll just break it. You can deduct the repair fee from my pay.”Uichan was nothing more than a poor office employee, but it was a well-known fact that repair bills were heroes’ constant companions. Of course, if Noa, his employer, covered the damages, that would be perfect.But Noa just laughed, set the extinguisher down, and took hold of the doorknob.“I locked it. I used wind to keep it shut—I don’t like being disturbed. I thought you’d at least ask me first, not try to break it down with a fire extinguisher.”Click.“There, see? Next time, just look at me.”Uichan, who had been clenching his small hand into a fist, slowly lowered it, awkwardly rubbing at his knuckles. Then, curious, he twisted the doorknob a few times, opening and closing it as if testing it.Noa laughed softly and held the door open for him.“Let’s go.”“Ah… yes, let’s.”Embarrassed, Uichan lowered his head and stepped into the hallway.***The hero mock exam was conducted in a 5,000-pyeong dedicated training facility—a joint field exercise.Seonghwa University held four mock exams a year, each season with a different theme and format, to give students varied experience.This time’s theme was “Urban Warfare,” a disaster-rescue scenario. The main task was to locate survivors in a half-destroyed city, distinguish villains from allies, and neutralize the threats.[Wow, as always, we’ve got plenty of rookies today! Look at the audience! From chirping chicks to full-grown hens, it’s packed! The examinees must be feeling the pressure already!]The announcer shouted enthusiastically into the microphone, and the training field was broadcast on the monitors for the spectators. While waiting for the principal’s opening speech, Uichan carefully reviewed the examinees he’d been assigned. Two short-haired boys and one long-haired girl.His assigned group were high school hero students. He was about to double-check their information when he realized his pocket was empty.‘I definitely put it here….’He searched every pocket, but the examinee info sheet was gone. Standing in line, Uichan scanned the field. He’d probably have to go back and fetch it.He hurriedly stepped out of the formation and made for his waiting room, stretching his neck to scan the floor in case he’d dropped it on the way.Because of that, he didn’t notice someone approaching—and bumped straight into their chest with a thud.“Ah, I’m sorry. I’m looking for something right now.”He rubbed his forehead and apologized first, but no reply came. Straightening up, he looked ahead—and froze.A tall man stood there, about a hand’s length taller than Uichan, built like a post. His eyes were deep-set, his face plain, unmemorable at first glance—someone you’d forget the moment you passed by. But the instant Uichan saw the faint gourd-shaped mole near the man’s eye, he knew.He was one of Mother Ship’s “dolls.”“Mother Ship?”Uichan glanced around just in case, lowering his voice. The man who had been staring down at him suddenly smiled, took Uichan by the shoulder, and pulled him into an empty waiting room away from others’ eyes.“W-wait! If someone sees—”[Youngest.]As soon as the door shut, the man’s mouth became a channel for a messenger’s voice. From his lips came a refined, elegant woman’s tone—but this time, urgency tinged it.[I found it. Finally found it. I forgot you were going to Seonghwa today—of all days… why today.]“Mother Ship…? Did something happen?”[Ah, what am I doing! No time for this! Youngest, get out of there immediately. Remember how Aengak said he was looking for something? I checked—it seems he lent that item to one of the villains under his command for a while.]Uichan did remember hearing that Aengak was searching for an item. But hadn’t it been stolen?“Didn’t they say it was stolen?”[Not stolen—seized. By a hero.]At the word seized, a chill ran down his spine. That meant if Aengak learned who had taken it, he’d stop at nothing to reclaim it.And here, there was only one hero capable of something like that.[That hero—the one who—]Then it happened. A heavy rumble—an earthquake sank the floor. The blast didn’t stop at one. Uichan lifted his head toward the direction of the noise. It came from the training ground. The ground trembled violently, throwing his body off balance. The doll shielded him, wrapping around his head and shoulders, taking the brunt of the impact.When the shaking subsided, the doll burst out furiously.[I knew it! I told him to lure it out, but that useless brute of a man couldn’t manage it! Anyway, Youngest, get out of there before you get hurt.]“Who’s the hero?”Uichan grabbed the doll and asked. There was silence for a moment before a sigh slipped from its mouth.[They say it’s Noatis. The hero who took that item was Noatis.]

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