The Evil Scientist is Too Competent

After taking on the role of Riore’s mentor, Galrm went as far as to set up a home near the dojo. One of the greatest perks of his status was being able to buy buildings that most people wouldn’t be able to afford in a lifetime—without a second thought.

...Not that the woman he had his eyes on seemed to care about such things in the slightest.

"Like this—?"

"Yeah, like that. You shouldn't clench your fist too tightly."

"Mm... it's hard, though."

Riore was still mixing informal and formal speech. By now, Galrm knew she was doing it on purpose, but he didn’t particularly mind. After all, he himself spoke informally even to his elders as a habit.

The only reason he told her to stop using informal speech was because an AI had advised him to assert his seniority. It wasn’t because he was some rigid traditionalist.

"It’s supposed to be difficult. Really... how can you not grasp something this simple, yet move like that?"

"I’ve been doing it since I was little. The Master taught me well, too."

"Right."

At those words, Galrm cast a glance inside the dojo. The Master was likely holed up in his office, buried in tedious paperwork by now.

When Galrm first met him, the man had seemed completely unfitting for martial arts—using techniques that didn’t suit him, appearing weak and fragile, as if he were wearing clothes that didn’t fit.

Of course, he thought the man was trash. Both his martial arts and his skill.

But he had been wrong.

While the Master’s skill was indeed trash, his martial art was not.

He must be out of his mind. To create a martial art this perfectly tailored?

Martial arts, at their core, required breaking oneself down, refining, and training to become stronger. The same applied to any physical discipline—just like how people diet to fit into clothes that don’t suit them, one had to adjust their body, muscles, and nerves to match the martial art.

But the martial art Riore had learned was different. She didn’t need to undergo a process of training to master it. It was simply an extension of what she had been naturally capable of since birth, merely refined to be even more powerful.

In other words, the moment she learned this martial art, she had already reached the pinnacle of natural movement—what some called the state of ultimate flow.

For that to be possible, one would have to memorize every detail of a person—their mental state, muscle development, bone structure, ligament flexibility—as if they were their own.

No matter how close a parent and child were, that kind of work wasn’t something a sane person would undertake.

And now, I get to change it however I see fit.

That realization sent a shiver of exhilaration down Galrm’s spine. The thought of forcing Riore, who wore this martial art like a perfectly tailored outfit, to lie beneath him—ripping, tearing, and reshaping that outfit entirely to his liking.

It felt like overpowering a resisting female, forcing submission onto her.

The sheer pleasure of reaffirming his position as a male, as a dominant force.

"—You were spoiled, weren’t you? By your father."

"Ugh..."

"Don’t worry. I’ll train you so thoroughly that you’ll never say such things again."

This girl was an unpolished gem.

Whether she used her full potential to surpass him and emerge as a true warrior—or whether she ultimately failed, crushed beneath him, left sobbing in defeat.

Either outcome was fine. That’s what made it so perfect.

Galrm grinned as he looked at Riore.

"Because you’re a fighter I acknowledge."

****

Time passed.

Riore followed Galrm to an unknown research facility.

"This place is..."

"A facility run by my... acquaintances. Come in."

The interior was an empty, cavernous space. Stark white walls and a grid-patterned floor stood out, making it unclear why the area was designed to be so vast.

Upon entering, Galrm made a call to someone. Moments later, the far wall slid open, and one by one, jet-black robots began stepping out.

She recognized them instantly—Evilusloids.

"This is a weapons testing facility for a defense contractor. Even if you went all out, you wouldn't be able to scratch the exterior walls—"

"Hnngh—!"

She couldn't just let that provocation slide.

Riore immediately launched a full-force punch at the wall.

As expected, just as Galrm had said, the wall remained unscathed—not even the faintest mark. Meanwhile, her knuckles had split open, and blood was now trickling down her hand.

"...It's real, huh."

"Idiot. Did you really have to test it yourself?"

"There are things you can't know without trying."

Ending the conversation there, Riore shifted her attention to the Evilusloids that had now lined up in front of her in neat rows. Military androids.

Even household androids, which could do little more than basic chores, cost thousands of dollars.

And military-grade androids? The moment military was attached to the name, the price skyrocketed exponentially.

There were rumors that a single unit could easily exceed several million dollars due to the sheer difference in functionality.

Though, there was also a time when these expensive androids were sold for as little as a hundred dollars. Even now, some of those old models were still in use in cash-strapped cities.

Those are clearly the latest models... Just how much do all of those cost?

Riore stole a glance at Galrm, who stood beside her with his arms crossed.

Just what was this man's job that he could use such androids at will?

No amount of internet searching turned up anything. Even asking her father had yielded no answers.

All she knew was that his spending habits were far from ordinary.

Just look at the clothes he wore. The way he casually bought a multimillion-dollar house just to act as her mentor. He was definitely not a regular person.

The real issue was that he wasn't even a widely known rich man.

"They called him the Beast King or something... Is he the ruler of some city? Do kings even exist anymore?"

As Riore pondered, absently staring at Galrm, he shrugged and met her gaze.

"What are you waiting for? Fight."

"Huh? Against those? ...They’ll break me."

"You'll be fine. I’m not asking you to pay for them. Besides—it's not like they’ll break so easily."

Seeing Galrm’s smirk, Riore felt a spark of defiance rise within her.

She’d make sure to prove him wrong this time.

The moment she took a step forward, one of the military androids stepped forward in sync with her.

It even bowed slightly into a combat stance.

Watching it, she found it hard to believe it was a killing machine made of metal. It felt more like a human wearing a suit of armor.

Riore returned the bow, then—just as she had against Galrm—immediately launched her signature first-strike killer move.

An unseen, imperceptible blow that shot forth outside the opponent’s conscious awareness—!

"Idiot."

Galrm’s scoffing voice rang out just as the Evilusloid blocked her attack.

This robot... it knows my martial arts!

The [N O V E L I G H T] realization struck her instantly. So that’s why Galrm had said this wouldn’t be easy.

Her initial strike had failed, leaving a brief opening.

The Evilusloid, in true machine-like efficiency, wasted no time exploiting it.

Its mechanical arm struck her squarely, sending her stumbling backward.

Riore gritted her teeth and shouted at Galrm,

"You sold out our martial arts data, didn't you?!"

"I got permission from the Master. Even if I hadn’t—do you really think other martial artists would ask for your consent before analyzing you? There’s no such thing in real combat."

Adapt quickly.

That was the number one rule of martial artists.

Riore spat out a glob of blood, fixing her eyes on the Evilusloid.

Galrm was right.

Would an opponent ever ask before studying her movements? Absolutely not.

The same applied to real fights. Fighters analyzed their opponents in advance, and even during battle, they observed patterns in real-time. Consent was never part of the equation.

The one who gets outmaneuvered first loses.

Fail to learn fast enough, and you fall behind.

That was the nature of battle.

"—You did say I could break them."

Riore’s eyes sharpened in an instant. She launched herself forward.

But this time, it wasn’t Fiore le Riore that dictated her movements.

Instead, she relied on the fundamental martial arts Galrm had drilled into her.

A perfected basic strike—a decisive blow aimed to kill in a single hit.

Her punch shattered through the android’s guard.

The following kick struck a point it knew was coming yet still couldn't block.

It was an unpredictable motion layered atop a solid foundation—exactly the kind of technique Galrm had emphasized.

"Hhhgh...!"

For the first time in real combat, she succeeded.

A strange sensation coursed through her entire body, making her shudder in ecstasy.

She had completely forgotten that Galrm was watching from behind her.

"So this... this is what it means to grow stronger..."

Now she understood.

Why Galrm had such disdain for her father.

Why he was so obsessed with her.

—This feeling... it’s only natural to want to share it with others.

"Alright, next. Unit 2."

"...That was fast."

"With each victory, the number increases. Eventually, you’ll have to defeat them all."

"That won’t be enough."

"Don’t worry."

Galrm grinned and clapped his hands.

Another section of the wall slid open, revealing a fresh Evilusloid.

Seeing this, Riore realized something.

These "toys" were being endlessly replenished.

Well, maybe not literally endless—but at least until she managed to smash through every last one of them, just as Galrm had said.

"—I’ll crush them all. And then I’ll crush you."

With that, Riore charged straight at the two Evilusloids.

BOOM—!

The sound of robots being mercilessly torn apart filled the testing facility.

****

"Galrm."

"What is it?"

"Here—this is the usage fee for the testing facility, along with the rental cost for the Evilusloids."

Eight called out to Galrm and handed him a receipt.

The moment Galrm saw the sheer number of zeros printed on it, his pupils trembled violently. He turned to look at Eight, his expression frozen in disbelief.

"...What the hell is this?"

"The cost of the robots you destroyed."

"Can't this be expensed...?"

"Do you really think it can?"

Galrm stared at the receipt, eyes brimming with unshed tears.

Even if he pooled together every single penny he had saved up throughout his military career, it still wouldn't be enough to cover the total amount scribbled on that paper.