Episode 108. The Blonde is Too Much (3)

That evening.

The children from the orphanage, who had been running around excitedly all day, were tired and went to bed earlier than usual.

After all the children had fallen asleep.

“Sniff… Why, why am I…?”

A sobbing sound leaked from the orphanage bathroom.

Click.

Soon, the door opened, and Juliet, dressed in women’s clothing, walked out.

“Wow.”

“Amazing.”

Low exclamations of admiration escaped from me and Iris as we saw Juliet step out.

Even in photos, I thought she looked somewhat fitting, but seeing her in person, she looked so natural that at a glance, you wouldn’t think she was a man.

‘Well, he’s quite handsome to begin with.’

It’s no wonder the newly enrolled female candidates followed Juliet around like puppies.

‘Well… but if you look closely, you can still tell he’s a man.’

The thick neckline, broad shoulders, and the line from the waist to the pelvis clearly indicated ‘male.’

But.

‘In this dimly lit slum, distinguishing that wouldn’t be easy.’

Even if heroes have superhuman bodies compared to ordinary people, they can’t see in the dark as clearly as in broad daylight.

“It’s a good thing Camila’s clothes fit.”

“Well, Camila is quite tall for a woman.”

The clothes Juliet was wearing now were ones Priest Antonio had bought for Camila as a gift.

Camila had refused, saying she wouldn’t wear such a frilly skirt, so they remained in the orphanage, and Juliet ended up wearing them.

“Even if the height is fine, what about the chest?”

Camila made a complicated expression as she watched Juliet wearing the clothes she had once received as a gift.

She took out some leftover bread from the children’s meal and continued.

“Maybe if we stuff some bread in there…”

“Ah, no. The chest area isn’t much different from men’s clothes, so I don’t think that’s necessary.”

Juliet shook her head, touching the chest area that clung tightly without any gaps.

“…Ugh!”

Crunch.

The bread in Camila’s hand was crushed miserably.

“…Dale.”

Priest Antonio approached me with a worried expression.

“Thank you so much for stepping forward to help with this uncomfortable case. But…”

Priest Antonio trailed off.

“This case is too dangerous for a candidate to handle.”

Priest Antonio shook his head as he spoke.

“Of course, I know you have exceptional skills, as I saw during the Sealing Festival… but the culprit of this case is a powerful hero that even ‘Powerman’ couldn’t catch.”

It was natural for Priest Antonio to worry about me.

‘Powerman, Rascal Jo.’

A hero from the Republic, proudly ranked 86th in the Three Kingdoms Hero Rankings.

‘He’s even more famous than his ranking suggests.’

Though he might not be very famous now, in a few years, the name ‘Powerman’ Rascal Jo would become known throughout the continent.

‘He’s quite a unique hero.’

Despite having the skills of a ranker, he didn’t belong to any organization and roamed alone, hunting down and executing heinous criminals.

‘He calls himself a hero, not a superhero.’

Even though, in the dictionary, both words mean the same thing.

In reality, they carry entirely different meanings.

‘In fact, the word ‘hero’ has strayed far from its original meaning.’

For 500 years, those who received the Holy Mark from the seven gods were called ‘heroes.’

But in reality, not all of them were heroic figures who protected the weak and fought against evil.

Most were just ordinary humans, busy fulfilling their own selfish desires.

‘But Rascal is different.’

Rascal was a hero… no, a superhero, who roamed the streets at night, protecting the weak and fighting against evil without expecting any reward.

‘Though there are rumors that he’s a bit crazy.’

Of course, the ridiculously tacky name ‘Powerman’ wasn’t given to him by enthusiasts.

No matter how bad enthusiasts’ naming sense is, they wouldn’t attach such a ridiculous title to someone’s name.

‘He supposedly roams around in a full-body spandex suit, calling himself Powerman.’

Honestly, he’s someone I’d rather not meet.

Anyway.

“You don’t need to worry too much about that.”

I shrugged as I spoke.

“I’ve grown a lot since the Sealing Festival.”

I was strong enough to face the Archbishop head-on, so there was no reason to fear some insane sexual predator.

“But…”

Even with my reassurance, Priest Antonio couldn’t easily shake off his worried expression.

Well.

Even if he saw me slice through dozens of monsters in an instant, how could he expect a mere candidate without an official hero license to have the strength to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Archbishop?

“Dale will be fine.”

“…Saintess?”

“Dale is much stronger than you think, Priest.”

Iris’s eyes were filled with deep trust in me as she spoke.

“Hmm. If the Saintess says so… then I understand.”

Finally, Priest Antonio nodded and stepped back.

“Alright, shall we get going?”

I turned to Juliet and gave her a chin-up gesture.

“I’ll follow from behind, so if anything happens, give me a signal.”

“Sigh… Alright.”

Juliet sighed and nodded.

As she was about to leave the orphanage, she turned her head and asked.

“Dale, do you have any alcohol here?”

“Alcohol? Why suddenly?”

I tilted my head at Juliet’s sudden suggestion.

“I have a bottle of wine in my room.”

“Can I have that?”

Juliet took the bottle of wine from Priest Antonio.

“Gargle… Ptooey!”

Juliet gargled with the wine and spat it on the floor.

Not stopping there, she spread wine around her neck and wrists.

The strong smell of alcohol quickly spread.

“Phew.”

Juliet took a deep breath, messed up her hair, and undid a few buttons on her clothes.

In that state, she walked out of the orphanage and into the darkened slum streets.

“Haah…!”

Whether by accident or on purpose, she let out a moan mixed with a nasal sound and staggered as she walked.

“Haah, haah.”

Rough breathing.

Disheveled clothes and hair.

The strong smell of alcohol emanating from her body.

From the outside, she looked exactly like a woman drunk out of her mind.

And in this lawless area, a drunk beauty is an easy target for crime.

‘What the hell, this guy.’

I followed from a distance, muttering to myself.

‘Why is he so good at acting like a woman?’

His deep acting skills made me doubt for a moment that Juliet was actually a man.

Tap tap tap!

Perhaps his acting paid off.

After wandering the slum streets for about 30 minutes, footsteps echoed from a dark alley.

“Heh, hehehe!”

A voice filled with sticky desire.

A black-robed figure emerged from the alley, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Juliet.

“Uh, hehehe! Blonde… blonde woman…”

The figure drooled and let out a crazed laugh.

“Huh…? Kyaa, kyaaaah!”

Juliet, spotting the figure, ran towards where I was hiding.

“Sa, save me! Someone, help!”

Without even using a voice-changing spell, Juliet perfectly mimicked a woman’s scream.

“Hey, stop… pretty, you… hehehe!”

The black-robed figure shouted with a slurred voice and chased after Juliet.

“Run, run, run… desperately!”

Like a predator chasing its prey, the figure followed Juliet.

As expected of a hero with considerable strength, his footsteps were as fast as a beast’s.

“Got you, you bastard.”

I, hiding in the shadows of the alley, timed it right and pounced on the figure.

‘Berald Martial Arts.’

Mountain Splitting Fist.

Whoosh!

A fist imbued with Ash Fire aimed at the figure.

“Guh?!”

Thud!

The figure, hit by the fist from the side, was thrown violently and crashed into the wall.

“Who… are you…?”

“Who do you think, you bastard.”

I smirked and walked towards the figure.

“I’m here to catch a pervert.”

“……”

Under the deeply pulled hood, the figure’s mouth twisted.

“Try… try to catch me if you can!”

The figure kicked off and threw a punch at me.

Whoosh!

A storm of magic power swirled around.

The blue aura around his fist burned fiercely.

‘He’s definitely got some skills.’

The force behind the fiercely swung fist was strong enough to send a chill down my spine.

‘But.’

Even so.

He wasn’t at a level I couldn’t handle.

“Hup.”

I lightly dodged the punch, grabbed the figure’s wrist, and kneed him in the solar plexus.

“Guh!”

The figure let out a choked scream from the impact that shook his insides.

“Let’s see who this bastard is.”

As I reached for the hood of the figure, whose wrist I firmly held.

“Heh, hehehe… hehehehe!”

The figure let out a crazed laugh and twisted his wrist violently.

Crack!

His wrist twisted in a grotesque direction, freeing itself from my grip.

The figure, as if fleeing, distanced himself and kicked towards Juliet.

“Kyaaah!”

“Don’t move!”

The figure grabbed Juliet by the nape and smirked at me.

“Heh, hehehe! Take one step… and I’ll twist this bitch’s neck.”

As he spoke, he buried his nose in Juliet’s hair and took a deep breath.

“Sssss. Haah! Yes, this smell…!”

The figure trembled as he smelled Juliet’s hair.

“Blondes are the best… hehehe!”

“You like blondes that much?”

“Of course! Blonde hair is the only hair that should exist!”

“Is that so?”

I swallowed a chuckle and nodded.

“Even if it’s a man’s?”

“…What?”

“No, I was just wondering if you’d like a man’s blonde hair too.”

“Nonsense! Of course, it has to be a woman! I don’t care about men’s hair!”

The figure shouted firmly.

“Ah, is that so? That’s strange. From what I see, it seems like you’d be fine with a man’s too.”

“What are you talking about…?”

At that moment.

The figure, cutting off his words, looked at Juliet.

The figure, holding Juliet’s nape, hesitated and tilted his head, then slowly lowered his gaze.

“Huh?”

A voice filled with doubt escaped his lips.

“Why… is it there?”

The figure’s eyes began to tremble as he saw something that shouldn’t exist.