Dear Heroes, I really am a Villain
Chapter 86: Strauss Visit

Chapter 86: Strauss Visit

Maximilian didn’t answer. He chose to ignore her and continued recording data on all the paths and routes visible from the rooftop. He wasn’t here to cause trouble, only to scout the area.

Fwip!

A kunai flew toward him. Maximilian caught it effortlessly, but suddenly, the end of the shaft began to glow red.

Pssssh!

A burst of blue gas leaked from a small ring at the base of the kunai’s handle. Onyx Blade smirked beneath her mask, her charming lips visible in the slight curve.

But... as the smoke faded, Maximilian was still standing there, seemingly unaffected by the gas. Onyx Blade was stunned, and then realization hit her.

"You... that mask protects you from the gas!?" she said, eyes narrowing sharply.

Underneath his armor, Maximilian was sweating. He hadn’t expected to fall for such a simple trick. No... more accurately, he hadn’t expected this woman to attack him the moment they met without any provocation. Wasn’t she a hero!?

"Attacking people out of the blue, is that something heroes do now, or has the trend changed without me noticing?" Maximilian asked sarcastically.

"Heh!" Onyx Blade scoffed. "Normal people don’t crouch in the dark, fully armored, brooding in teh dark, on top of high-rise buildings while watching the city."

[Hahahaha! She knows what you’re doing, Max! Brooding in the dark! (≧▽≦)]

Atherna’s laughter rang out through the mental link. She then mimicked a dramatic voice, deepening her tone.

[I AM THE NIGHT! I AM VENGEANCE! Ahhh—hahahaha! I... I can’t take it anymore; this is going to kill me! (≧▽≦)]

Atherna laughed like there was no tomorrow.

Maximilian: ...

Don’t you dare manifest, Athel, or I swear I’ll calculate this and spank your butt red the moment you do, Maximilian thought grimly.

He stood up and tossed the kunai aside, eyes silently analyzing Onyx Blade.

She immediately raised her guard, hand moving to the sword grip behind her waist. She was ready to fight.

"Who are you? Answer me!" Onyx Blade demanded, bracing for combat. She had seen how the man in black armor moved when he stood up—this was no amateur. He was definitely someone trained and highly skilled in battle.

The kind she didn’t want to face.

Most of the villains she’d dealt with so far were untrained thugs who just happened to awaken strong EFs, wannabe superpowered mafiosos causing chaos. They were easy to take down.

But the trained ones... the experienced fighters? They were a pain... without heavy preparation and resource use.

If given enough time and data on her target, could she take down a trained opponent?

Of course, she could. But even then... it would still be a major hassle.

"Hmph!" Maximilian snorted, then jumped off the building. His job for the night was done. He had no desire to quarrel with a hero.

"Hey! Don’t run!" the female hero shouted, but with the Umbra Sovereign, he quickly vanished into the shadows beneath the skyscraper, leaving Onyx Blade fuming at his departure.

[Are You going back already? (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ ] Atherna teased, her voice full of mischief.

"Sigh~ Don’t start, Athel. I’m exhausted and done for the night. I don’t want to fight a hero," Maximilian said with a sigh, sensing that Atherna was ready to start teasing him again.

[Start what~? What do you think I’d start? You big softie. I know you still don’t like hitting women if you can avoid it. That’s why you backed off. If she were a man, you would’ve already made him wish he were dead! (ﾉ≧∀≦)ﾉ ]

"Ugh... I hate how you always know what I’m thinking, Athel. But... whatever. I just want to go back and sleep."

[Yeah... me too. Good night! (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ ]

"Yeah. Good night," Maximilian said as he flew across the city, heading straight for his house on the outskirts.

— A Few Days Later - Morning —

A few days later, on the first floor of Maximilian’s house, Ricardo and a group of muscular men in Hawaiian shirts were helping to arrange the newly bought tables and chairs. Some of them decorate the space with various cozy touches, pictures of coffee, coffee beans, and warm-toned accents to give the area a welcoming café vibe.

Among them, Switch was busy setting up all the coffee machines: the espresso machine, grinder, drip coffee maker, and milk frother. She was the one handling the setup and installation.

Maximilian needed the help; he was not well-versed in cyberpunk tech or hardware connections. The knowledge he’d got from two villains after he won teh trial was highly specialized. Other than what they are specialized in. Most of the other tech knowledge was at a layman’s level.

When it came to setting up coffee machines and understanding energy ports, he felt like a monkey trying to figure out a calculator.

So... Switch helping him out with this is a godsend.

Ring~ Ring~

At that moment, the wind chime above the door jingled as new guests entered the house.

It was Strauss and Old Cowboy. While Strauss maintained his unreadable poker face, Old Cowboy looked confused and then apologetic when he realized Maximilian and Ricardo’s group were busy setting up the café.

"Excuse our intrusion," Strauss said blandly. Despite the polite words, his face remained emotionless.

’Then get the hell back where you came from, grumpy face.’

That’s what Maximilian wanted to say, if he wasn’t currently playing the role of the more mild-mannered and polite "Max," Maximilian’s fictional twin brother.

"Oh, please come in and have a seat," Maximilian said with a polite smile, gesturing toward the available chairs.

"Oi! Officer, don’t you see we’re busy? For god’s sake, can’t you guys wait until the café actually opens!?" Ricardo protested as Strauss walked past him, still carrying two chairs over his head.

Good job, Ricardo! Tell ’em.

Maximilian silently agreed in his mind.

"Yeah! Pick a better time and place! We’re busy right now! Max is just being polite, but you’re a total nuisance!" Switch chimed in.

As for Ricardo’s men, who couldn’t afford to verbally offend an officer like Strauss, their expressions said it all: "We’re f*cking busy. Read the room and get the f*ck out!"

Strauss, of course, caught the signal, but he didn’t give a damn.

"The café’s not officially open, so the only options are latte and espresso. Which do you prefer?" Maximilian asked politely, though in his head he was cursing Strauss so viciously that even Strauss’s ancestors might’ve rolled over in their graves.

"Espresso will do," Strauss replied.

"I’ll take an Americano," Old Cowboy added, raising his hand.

"Old man, didn’t you hear? There’s only latte and espresso!" Switch snapped at him, clearly annoyed.

"It’s okay, Ms. Switch. An Americano is just espresso diluted with tap water," Maximilian said with a smile.

"That’s rude, son, very rude." Old Cowboy protested with his usual southern drawl but a carefree smirk on his face.

Maximilian came out of the kitchen a few minutes later holding two cups, an Americano and an espresso, as requested.

"Mr. Graham, could I have a moment to talk?" Strauss asked after taking a sip of the espresso.

"Hey! Officer! Is this another interrogation?" Switch asked sharply. She clearly wasn’t fond of Strauss.

She walked toward the table, her metal hand resting on it as her eyes narrowed, glaring sharply at Strauss’s poker face.

"Excuse me. Am I talking to you? Oh—no? Then get out of my face and let Mr. Graham speak for himself," Strauss shot back.

"You son of a..." Switch growled, ready to swing her fist at Strauss, but Maximilian held her back with a wry smile.

Honestly... if he weren’t playing the role of "Max," he would’ve happily let her smash that poker face while he munched popcorn and enjoyed the show.

"Do you know him?" Maximilian asked, keeping up the act of someone who had just met Strauss.

"Yes. He came to me a few days ago while I was at the Fringe. I was heading out to the Fang Trader Enclave to inform the Honiahaka family about their member’s death. This guy tagged along and interrogated me the entire way! non-stop questions about the expedition." Switch explained, then leaned in closer to whisper in Maximilian’s ear.

"I didn’t tell him about your... kung fu secret though, so you don’t have to worry."

"Secret? Oh! You mean the time I took down that Behemoth? You don’t have to keep that hidden. It’s not a secret!" Maximilian said with a bright, sunny smile.

"You!" Switch was stunned. She hadn’t expected him to be so open about it. If she had known it wasn’t a big deal, she wouldn’t have bothered hiding it and would’ve told this grumpy officer just to get him out of her hair!

"So... that means you admit you were the one who killed that Behemoth?" Strauss asked, his tone still calm and emotionless.

"Yes, I killed it," Maximilian admitted.

"Why? Was it because we humans don’t already have enough problems? So you decided to kill the Behemoth, the sacred symbol of the Iron Tusk High Priestess? Along with her and her entire entourage?" Strauss asked, clearly showing his disapproval of Maximilian’s actions.

"Hey! Max didn’t even know what that meant! Besides, that thing wanted to kill us! Would you rather it turned us into meat patties?" Switch protested, stepping in to defend Maximilian.

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