This World Needs a Hero - Chapter 208

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Chapter 208

Nyhill began to spend most of her time in the infirmary starting from the beginning of the semester.

It was because of the observation and protection of the children that the Hero had requested.

Although she had always faithfully carried out her duties… she couldn’t focus on her own tasks for the past few days.

It was because of the special mission Mother Ghost had given her recently.

“Starting from now, Number 3 will monitor the Hero’s every move and report to me separately.”

After examining the Hero’s actions and the traces of battles he had fought as he ascended, Mother Ghost issued such an order.

Unexpectedly, Nyhill questioned her.

“…What?”

Among Mother Ghost’s face, the wrinkles on the parts not covered by the mask were deeply creased.

“Monitor what he eats, wears, when he sleeps, who he meets, what he thinks, and report it in much more detail and thoroughly than now.”

Nyhill doubted her ears.

The level of surveillance Mother Ghost mentioned was only applicable to those classified as high-risk black in the Shadows.

These are evil people suspected of being the underworld’s kingpins, murderers, and collaborators.

“The Hero? Why….”

Before she could finish her sentence, a fierce aura was transmitted.

Mother Ghost’s gaze became endlessly cold.

Nyhill quickly lowered her head.

“Why indeed. It’s been a while since Number 3 asked such a question.”

“I’m sorry.”

…In fact, this wasn’t the first time Nyhill had asked Mother Ghost ‘why’.

It was a long time ago when she was still unfamiliar with the ways of the Shadows.

There had been several occasions when she had asked such questions.

After paying a heavy price, she had completely forgotten how to question.

…No, she thought she had forgotten.

Nyhill herself didn’t know why she was like this.

Mother Ghost was quietly angry.

“It seems the warning I gave you last time didn’t resonate well with you, Number 3.”

“I’m sorry.”

“When I set a goal, Number 3 should follow it accordingly. Isn’t that what tools do?”

“But….”

…However, once the question arose, it didn’t easily dissipate.

Why did Mother Ghost want to monitor the Hero?

Was it an order from above?

Or was it a unilateral decision?

If so, for what reason?

What is Mother Ghost suspicious of?

For the past semester, Nyhill had never left the Hero’s side.

She had always kept an eye on him, both physically and figuratively.

She was sure of it.

…The Hero was someone who devoted all his time and strength to others.

He was never someone who would harm others. ‘This is an unfair order.’

The first moment she made such a judgment.

Nyhill felt a strong dissatisfaction… and immediately concealed it.

However, she couldn’t deceive Mother Ghost’s eyes.

The white hand swiftly grabbed Nyhill’s neck without hesitation.

“How dare you….”

The rigorously refined murderous intent enveloped Nyhill.

“…Keukk.”

When Mother Ghost’s hand loosened, Nyhill’s face turned blue before it turned red.

Mother Ghost looked down at Nyhill sprawled on the floor as if she were worthless trash, then muttered softly.

“You’re making me regret it.”

…Nyhill knew too.

If it weren’t for her unique ability, her ‘origin,’ then Mother Ghost would have discarded her as a defective product.

Nyhill naturally thought of the agents who had been out of Mother Ghost’s sight.

Most of them were dead.

They either got involved in operations with a success probability approaching zero or failed to receive a “companion” within the deadline, or in any case, they all died like that.

Of course, even if Mother Ghost didn’t immediately rain such punishment on her, if she continued to perform poorly, she might attach some pretext to exclude herself from this mission.

‘…I hate it.’

Leaving the Hero’s side, she hated it.

Nyhill felt an intense emotion, so she decided to suppress it once again.

“…I’ll do as ordered.”

“You probably have approximate surveillance records for the past half year. First, hand them all over.”

“Yes. I’ll return and organize them to deliver.”

But Mother Ghost’s displeased gaze didn’t disappear.

“Let me say it again. Setting Number 3’s goals is my job, not yours or the Hero’s. Remember that.”

After the threat wrapped in polite words.

Mother Ghost left her behind.

…And those short five minutes.

From the way back to Rosenstark until now, Nyhill’s mind had been constantly circling.

‘Goal….’

…There was a story told by the old woman Barun she met in Harlem.

“Nyhill, have you ever thought about the goal of life?”

“The goal of life is a powerful force that controls many things about that person. If you want to truly know someone, just look at their goals.”

“If you haven’t had a chance yet, think about it. Someone who lives with a clearer goal than anyone else is right next to you. It’s a good time to set the right goal.”

What is her goal?

Nyhill realized that she hadn’t thought about it for a very long time.

Of course, it had been very clear when she was young..

​​Survival.

Stealing, snatching, and robbing.

She struggled to survive.

Even after being sold to the Shadows.

The terrible agent training process.

And the equally intense years of missions.

The thoughts that occupied Nyhill’s mind from the end of her childhood into her youth were simply that she had to survive, no matter what.

So, is her goal still ‘survival’?

Or is it as Mother Ghost said, something she decides for her?

‘No.’

Once again, Nyhill felt a terribly unpleasant sensation.

It was so uncomfortable, empty, and miserable that it was indescribable.

…The fact that the report was due tomorrow added another layer to that feeling.

So….

“Ah.”

This is a mistake.

The first mistake of Ghost Number 3, who had completed every mission flawlessly so far.

An absurd mistake.

“Sorry.”

Nyhill looked down at the infirmary floor with a pale face.

The boy who had just challenged her aggressively was now crying and rolling around, clutching his shoulder. It seemed his dislocated shoulder was quite painful.

‘This is bad….’

…Nyhill also wanted to cry.

* * *

– Lesson of the day: Don’t mess with extreme trainees.

ㄴ Heard you got your ass handed to you. Tough break.

ㄴ It wasn’t me directly, it was my friend. I was there watching.

ㄴ Can you give us a summary?

ㄴ Basically, I challenged the weakest-looking kid to a fight. People who frequent the infirmary would know. That petite girl.

ㄴ Who’s that?

ㄴ Yeah, who?

ㄴ There is. Anyway, she gave my friend a few taps, and he ended up cleaning the floor.

ㄴ There’s another tough one in the extreme?

– I was surprised too. We’re in the same class.

ㄴ What’s so surprising?

ㄴ She seemed really quiet and reserved. Didn’t say a word during class.

ㄴ So what’s her name?

ㄴ It was Nyhill.

– He’s in the ward now, getting treated next to the guy from the previous message. Seems like his eyes are more swollen than his shoulder.

ㄴ Did he cry?

ㄴ Did she really make a kid cry like that? Too much.

ㄴNyhill… I’ll remember that.

ㄴWhat are you going to do with the memory?

ㄴAvoid her.

To people who didn’t know her well, this incident didn’t seem like a big deal.

It was common for kids to get hurt during training.

Moreover, ‘Dorian,’ who Nyhill faced, would be fine in a few days with his shoulder injury.

…But as much as the Hero who knew her true identity couldn’t just let this go.

An agent of the Shadows who always completed her tasks perfectly had made such an unreasonable mistake.

It was natural to be curious about the reason.

“Nyhill.”

Nyhill’s head, standing in front of the desk in the lab, slightly tilted upward before… her eyes immediately dropped when they met.

I tried to tell her to sit on the sofa, but she stubbornly remained standing.

A girl who seemed to be punishing herself.

The Hero let out a short sigh.

‘She’s like a little kid being scolded by her parents.’

Disappointment and self-blame filled her tiny face.

Nyhill wasn’t one to easily show her emotions outwardly.

Thanks to that, the Hero could understand how much she was suffering right now.

…In that case, it was a situation that couldn’t help but worry in many ways.

“Do you have anything to say to me?”

“I’m sorry.”

“If something’s wrong, tell me.”

“…I’m sorry.”

She didn’t want to lie to the Hero.

But she couldn’t leak the mission either.

All Nyhill could choose was silence… and the Hero could read her dilemma right away.

“Mother Ghost, isn’t it?”

Flinch-

That was the answer.

“Ah, um….”

Nyhill was unusually flustered, and then she struggled to speak.

This time… it was something the Hero hadn’t expected.

“Uh, can I use my wish now?”

The Hero hesitated for a moment.

A wish.

It was the wish Nyhill had earned by winning first place in her team during dungeon raid training.

The only wish among the children that Nyhill hadn’t used.

“Do you mind if I don’t answer that question…?”

It was a refusal.

Not a lie.

Nothing more than a pitiful plea.

The Hero let out a deep sigh.

He had no intention of pressing further and making this awkward child even more uncomfortable.

“That wish wasn’t meant for situations like this.”

“…What?”

“I won’t ask again, so keep your wish.”

Nyhill’s lips pressed tightly together at those words.

“If you really want something, you can use it when the time comes.”

“…Thank you.”

“Alright then, let’s call it a day and go rest.”

Nyhill bowed her head continuously as she retreated.

As Pia entered the lab, taking Nyhill’s place, who had left, there was a space left for their private conversation.

“That was something.”

Pia shrugged her shoulders as she met eyes with the Hero.

“Nyhill causing trouble.”

“…Indeed, quite something.”

“Want me to find out what happened?”

The Hero shook her head.

“It’s alright. I already have a good idea.”

“…What?”

Pia was surprised at first, then muttered softly.

“You seem to know everything if you look closely.”

The Hero slowly nodded.

In recent times, he had left too many traces trying to handle various incidents.

If someone had been watching him closely, it would be natural for them to notice something ‘strange.’

He just gained confirmation from Nyhill’s reaction.

‘Mother Ghost is starting to doubt me….’

The solution to that problem would need to be discussed with Euphemia, not Pia.

…Or maybe he should resolve it before she comes back.

‘…It’s not urgent. Even if she pays attention to me right away, there won’t be anything she can find.’

With those thoughts in mind, the Hero changed the subject.

“Pia, while it’s good to pay attention to the students… I’m more concerned about your work.”

Pia laughed dishearteningly at that remark.

“Do you really worry about that?”

“Of course. It’s a given.”

“But you are introducing this curriculum starting from the new semester…?!”

Pia fluttered her hands, showing the curriculum plan.

The Hero chuckled.

“You and the kids have had plenty of fun until now.”

“Well, I haven’t had much fun….”

During the vacation, he had gone through a lot.

In the process, he realized one thing.

Preparing for the upcoming calamity wasn’t just a human affair.

The demons were also tirelessly working for the downfall of humanity.

Now that the Demonic Church is gone, they’ll come up with another trick.

…The most surefire way to confront such unknown threats was strength.

Overwhelming strength.

‘It’s time to fulfill my duty.’

Teaching and nurturing the children.

It was time to return to being a professor.

And the new semester lectures would be conducted in a manner unprecedented in the history of the Rosenstark Academy.

…Outside the school walls.

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