## Chapter 159 – Backstabbed by a Trusted Ally (2)
***
In-yeong slowly read through the stack of documents Chae-ri handed her, one by one.
“Ugh… it all says the same thing anyway.
My performance isn’t up to par, so I need to work harder to catch them!”
“That’s probably it. The higher-ups don’t really care about the process or the reasons.”
Ultimately, it meant that In-yeong’s performance was unsatisfactory,
and they were giving her another chance to make sure she exterminated the ‘Hero Hunter’ next time.
They stretched out what could be summarized in just two lines into a lengthy document.
“And… why do I have to sign every single one of these?! Ugh….”
“It can’t be helped. Otherwise, it can’t be uploaded to the system,
and the higher-ups’ view of Iron Maiden-nim won’t be favorable.”
The raison d’être of a hero is to defeat villains,
but ultimately, it’s to protect citizens from those who disrupt society.
The heroes who were fighting the Hero Hunter before she arrived were currently being treated,
and thanks to evacuating the citizens in advance, there were almost no casualties.
But the higher-ups wanted visible results no matter what,
so heroes had no choice but to focus on catching villains rather than ensuring citizen safety.
The number of citizens they’ve protected so far was countless,
but the number of villains they’ve captured and locked up was a simple, countable figure.
“Ah, and someone from the management department will be here shortly.
They said they’ll introduce a few heroes to pair up with Iron Maiden-nim.”
“Ehh? I don’t need a partner! I’m more comfortable alone.”
New heroes sometimes team up with A-class heroes for field experience,
or multiple heroes are dispatched together for cases that are difficult to handle alone.
But In-yeong had been working almost exclusively solo since becoming an S-class hero.
In her opinion, having a hero to work with wouldn’t be helpful,
and she thought of them as nothing more than baggage that might hold her back.
“This is also an order from above. I don’t think it’ll be helpful either…,
but you’ll have to meet them at least formally.”
“Ugh!!! All those formalities and rules, they just decide everything as they please!”
The communication system with the higher-ups was always one-sided and vertical.
Any hero or employee who had even a little contact with the higher-ups felt frustrated.
But there was nothing they could do.
They were the ones who held all the power in the association.
From the higher-ups’ perspective, whether it was A-class or S-class, they were just weaker or stronger tools,
and they were the only ones who could move those tools as they pleased.
“It’s 9:40 now… they’ll be here soon.
Have you read and signed all these documents?”
“Yeah. My hand is killing me from signing for 30 minutes straight.”
Chae-ri gently stroked In-yeong’s hand, which was sore from signing for over 30 minutes,
then picked up the stack of signed documents and placed them on the desk.
“Iron Maiden-nim, would you like a cup of coffee? I need to make some for the person who’s coming later too.”
She organized the stack of documents and put them in a thick file,
then fiddled with the coffee machine in the pantry area next to the office bookshelf.
“Ah! Could you make mine with milk instead of just an Americano?”
Despite her impressive position as an S-class hero and her cool, chic appearance,
In-yeong had a very elementary school-like palate, contrary to her image.
She hated eating bitter foods, so she only drank low-alcohol, mild sparkling wine,
and she only drank weak lattes with milk in her coffee.
Because of that, Chae-ri always stocked the office refrigerator with sweet chocolate ice cream,
and milk to put in her coffee, things that In-yeong liked.
‘Hehe…♥ I’m glad I brought it in advance…♥’
In-yeong ordered coffee with milk.
Hearing that order, Chae-ri wore a somewhat sinister smile,
then mixed the drink in the tumbler she had put in the refrigerator with the coffee she had made.
Then, she added half a cube of sugar, stirred it gently with a teaspoon, and placed it on the table.
“Thank you! I’ll enjoy it.”
In-yeong couldn’t wait, even though the guest hadn’t knocked on the office door yet,
and she picked up the coffee cup and tasted it.
“Mmm….”
In-yeong savored the taste of the coffee leisurely with a rather serious expression.
‘What… was coffee originally such a delicious drink?
It’s so sweet and savory… the milk has such a deep flavor…!’
She usually drank coffee every time she came to the office,
but today the taste of the coffee was so wonderful that it was beyond words.
The savory and rich aroma of the coffee mixed with the deep and sweet milk,
creating a luxurious taste that even a hotel barista couldn’t make.
“The coffee tastes better than usual today!
Did you put in different ingredients or something?”
In-yeong had already emptied her cup and put it down.
She was curious about what Chae-ri had put in the coffee.
“Ah… I put in very luxurious and nutritious ingredients.
It’s a very rare ingredient that you can’t get anywhere else.”
“Really! So what is it?”
“Hehe…♥ You’ll find out soon.”
Chae-ri’s eyes and words were suspicious and questionable,
but In-yeong was just too engrossed in the flavor of the coffee and milk left in her mouth.
The identity of the milk-like ingredient in the tumbler was Dowa’s breast milk.
Thanks to her breast milk modification ability, she could squeeze out several liters every day,
and it was a favorite drink of Si-yoon and the slaves because of its excellent taste and nutrition.
In addition, it had the effect of raising the degree of encroachment of the engraving, as well as a strong aphrodisiac effect,
making it a very good item for targeting females.
‘Drinking that coffee… makes my body feel warm….’
The amount put in the coffee was very small, so the effect wasn’t that obvious,
but In-yeong felt that her body was getting a little warmer.
“I’ll make some more like this….”
Chae-ri made more coffee with the same recipe to serve to the guest,
and placed it in front of the seat where the guest would sit.
– Knock knockㅡ
“It seems like they’re here. Come in!”
Chae-ri opened the office door with a light step,
and a handsome man with a gentle impression walked in with a smile in a neat suit.
“Hello! Nice to meet you. I’m Ha Jae-yoon, team leader of management department 4.”
The one who came into the office was Ha Jae-yoon, the team leader of management department 4.
To be exact, it was Si-yoon acting as him in a neat suit.
“Ah…♥ Ju… I mean, Team Leader Jae-yoon! Please, sit here.”
Chae-ri almost called Si-yoon ‘Master’ without realizing it,
but she corrected herself, reminding herself that this was a plan to seduce In-yeong.
“I… really like coffee. Thank you for the treat.”
Si-yoon picked up the cup containing the same coffee that In-yeong had drunk and smelled it,
then nodded as if he knew what was in it and drank the coffee.
“So… what’s this about a hero to be my partner?”
A completely different cold and rude attitude compared to when she was dealing with Chae-ri.
In-yeong asked Si-yoon with a very high-handed and picky attitude and tone.
“A hero to be your partner means,
simply put, we’re assigning a hero to help Iron Maiden-nim from the side.”
Si-yoon took out a tablet from the bag he had brought with him,
manipulated the screen here and there, and placed it in front of Iron Maiden.
“Would you please take a look at this document?”
The tablet screen contained information on about ten A-class heroes.
There was a hero who could provide support fire through excellent marksmanship,
or a hero with the ability to boost strength or eyesight when nearby.
“Hmm….”
They were veteran A-class heroes with at least 5 years of experience,
so they were great people who couldn’t be compared to ordinary heroes.
But to In-yeong, who had the power of an ability that far surpassed them,
they were just insignificant small fries who would only be a hindrance.
“There doesn’t seem to be anyone who looks good.”
In-yeong put the tablet down in front of Si-yoon almost as if throwing it.
‘She’s… more of a bitch than I thought.
No, is it pride as an S-class hero?’
Si-yoon didn’t like the fact that a mere female was showing him such an attitude,
but he could understand her arrogant attitude because it was clear that she was strong.
Besides, once that arrogant female was in his hands,
he could easily trample on such high pride.
“Then… how about this?”
Si-yoon, thinking that he had stalled enough, smiled meaningfully
and took out a document envelope from the bag that contained the tablet.
“I hope you’ll read it.”
Then, he deliberately put it directly into Iron Maiden’s hand,
so that her hand could touch his.
‘What is this person…? At this point, he’s more like a salesperson selling things than a management department team leader.’
Si-yoon’s unusually proactive attitude was suspicious,
but she didn’t pay much attention to it because she didn’t intend to grant the purpose of assigning a partner hero anyway.
[ Status: Engraving Stage 1 (Encroachment 0%) ]
‘I guess the choice to target the people around her first was the right one.’
Of course, the problem was that what In-yeong was thinking wasn’t Si-yoon’s real purpose.
