Hero’s Child C25

Chapter 25

“Uh… fine, I’ll wear them. Just don’t take my sausage next time.”

Uichan grabbed the glasses and hooked them behind his ears. He’d only taken them off for a moment while eating—was that really such a terrible crime? He could already guess who would pull something like this.

Hyde? No… maybe Phantom Thief Kill?

But were they really this idle? Hardly. None of them operated during the day—Hyde especially. Uichan could count on one hand the times he’d seen him in daylight.

“Hey, that’s enough with the sausage, okay?”

Of course, it had to be the kid’s sausage Rion had given him—one of the few things he could still stomach lately. Just as Uichan reached out to grab the sausage floating midair—

Pop!

It exploded right before his eyes.

“…Huh?”

If even a crumb had survived, he would’ve brushed it off and eaten it, but it had completely vanished. Not even a trace left behind. Squatting down, he stared blankly at the grains of sand where his sausage used to be—then lifted his gaze toward Song Ojun, who was happily humming as he cleaned the office windows.

“Wash the windows clean~ and the customers will come~.”

“……”

No, it couldn’t be him. Uichan quickly ruled him out as a suspect and looked behind him. Rion was long gone by now—he couldn’t even hear the man’s shouting anymore.

“…Ha, guess I’ll just tell him to meet me at home.”

Rion had visited often enough to know the building, but not the door code. So Uichan pulled out his phone, typed it out, and sent him a short message to come later.

Gathering up his lunchbox, Uichan finally gave up on his lost sausage and headed home. But when he reached his apartment door, he froze—double-checking the floor number and the unit sign several times.

Because—

“…Sausages?”

There, in front of his door, were boxes of children’s sausages stacked neatly all the way up to the ceiling. Uichan stared in disbelief, checked his unit number again, then glanced at the shipping label. Recipient: Ha Uichan. Sender: blank.

Naturally.

“Phantom Thief Kill… probably you, huh?”

He sighed, staring up at the ridiculous mountain of boxes.

“This is… a bit much.”

After stuffing himself with far too many sausages, Uichan sat on the couch, rubbing his full stomach with contentment. Then, as usual, he opened his Maternity Journal, carefully recording what he’d eaten that day, along with the times and duration of his stomach aches.

But as he wrote, a thought crept into his mind. Maybe… it was time to take a break from his Under Doom activities.

My belly’s starting to show anyway…

Perhaps it was time to take a long leave. But what excuse could he use that wouldn’t raise suspicion? He already knew if he mentioned needing rest, his brothers would relentlessly pry for details—and likely start dropping by every night, turning his house into a new meeting spot.

“Maybe I should tell Hyde first… when I get the chance.”

If he confided in Hyde quietly, then announced it to everyone together later, maybe that would be the most peaceful approach. Hyde would mediate, as he always did. Even if the others blew up in anger, they’d still be happy once they learned a baby—no, babies—were coming.

Jekyll Jack would probably celebrate by bringing out aged liquor for when the twins turned twenty. Mother Ship, who adored children, would shower them with gifts, thrilled that Podo would have siblings. Phantom Thief Kill would pretend to take it in stride—but would definitely start plotting a new magic trick show for them in secret.

Hyde, though… was harder to predict.

“Or maybe I should just hide it.”

Imagining his growing belly, Uichan nodded solemnly.

Yes, he’d wait until the twins were born—and after their first hundred days, when things had settled—then he’d tell the In the Hell brothers the truth. You’re all uncles now. They’d be furious at first, sure, but they’d come around.

And maybe, someday, the twins could meet their biological father—if he was still alive.

If he told them now, though, the others would hunt the man down without hesitation—torture him, and kill him in the most brutal way imaginable.

Not that they could, anyway.

“Noah’s surpassed the limit now… even Hyde might not be able to stop him.”

They’d once been evenly matched, but after crossing the limit, Noatis had become untouchable. Not that there was any reason to provoke a fight.

So, for now, the matter of Aengak would have to wait. Uichan steeled himself.

Another Seolhyang Village tragedy could strike at any time. As long as Aengak lived, there would be more victims. But people were strange—once you gained something precious, your priorities changed.

When he lifted his gaze to the sky, white clouds drifted lazily like a slow-moving river. He sat there quietly for a long time, until a sharp twinge in his lower abdomen made him wince. Grabbing a chocolate milk from the fridge, he took a few gulps to calm the ache.

He had no way of knowing that, despite all his vows to live quietly, chaos was already on its way.

As he waited for Rion to come home, a tapping sound drew his attention. Startled, Uichan quickly slipped the maternity journal away and turned to the balcony. A kestrel was pecking frantically at the glass with its beak.

It was one of Mother Ship’s familiars—the one Uichan fondly called Chaltteok.

Tap, tap—tap!

“Mother Ship? Wait, I’ll open it.”

He hurried over, opened the window, and let the bird inside. It flapped wildly, feathers scattering as it shrieked in distress.

[Little one, oh heavens, what do we do—what do we do! Our Podo—our Podo!]

“Mother Ship, calm down. What happened? What about Podo?”

Uichan cradled the falcon gently and set it on the table. Its glassy eyes, wet with tears, blinked up at him as it cried.

[I swear, he was asleep! I just turned my back for a second, and he vanished! I think… he went to Cheongsa! He kept saying he wanted to get that thing you’ve been interested in. He must’ve gone to bring it to you. Oh, what do we do!]

“Podo went to Cheongsa? What about your other familiars? Didn’t they stop him?”

[No use! He fought through every single one of them. You know how strong he is. I’m heading there now, but if Hyde finds out, he’ll never let Podo live through this! And then I— I…!]

Mother Ship’s trembling sobs echoed through the falcon’s beak. Hyde could be merciless when it came to In the Hell’s rules. That was how their group had stayed together for so long, through all their madness.

But Podo was still just a child—naïve and impulsive. Surely Hyde wouldn’t… no, he wouldn’t harm him. But Uichan couldn’t be sure. He’d known Hyde for years and still couldn’t always read him.

He had to move, and fast.

“I’ll go after him. Maybe he’ll listen to me. Mother Ship, don’t reveal yourself. Just have your familiars monitor the area around Cheongsa.”

[It’s not that simple, little one. Do you have any idea how many villain groups have gathered there already? Even heroes are swarming the place! La Mute is there too! If you and Podo get caught, I’d rather—]

“No. I’ll go. You know my ability—I can erase their memories if I have to. Just keep feeding me information.”

[Ugh… I’m so sorry, little one. I’m so, so sorry…]

“It’s fine. Let’s just focus on saving Podo first. We can deal with the rest later.”

Shoving down his panic, Uichan grabbed his glasses and slipped them on. He grabbed his facial-recognition jammer bracelet, gulped down some milk, and patted his restless stomach. Pulling his hood over his head, he laced his shoes and stepped out into the night.

In the distance, the city glowed—bright, restless, and alive.

Without a word, Uichan began to run.

It was 8 p.m. Night had fallen fast, swallowing the last traces of May’s twilight. Head to toe concealed, Uichan hid near the perimeter of the Cheongsa Building, where Mother Ship’s familiars were already stationed in secret.

Chirp—!

The falcon perched on his shoulder and pointed its beak toward a narrow side path. Uichan followed it silently.

According to Mother Ship’s intel, Aengak’s artifact was being kept inside Cheongsa—and villain organizations had planned an assault for tonight. The goblins might even show up themselves.

Whoosh—!

A sharp gust swept past his ear—and then came the explosion.

Boom!

A fiery blast erupted from the direction of the storage wing. Flames painted the night sky red. Screams and chaos broke loose across the grounds.

Too late.

Uichan leapt onto an exposed pipe, climbing quickly up the side of a building until he reached the rooftop. From there, he jumped across rooftops, moving higher until he could see everything below. Through the rising inferno, he spotted shadowy figures clashing—and among them, one small form unmistakably familiar.

“Chaltteok, find Podo’s location—quick!”

Chirp!

The falcon spread its wings and soared straight into the blaze. Below, the streets were already crawling with heroes in combat suits, exchanging fire with villains armed with machine guns and cannons.

Each blast echoed through the city—
Boom. Boom. Boom.
And Uichan’s heart pounded right along with it.