Receiving the speech from Madelyn, Roger took a brief look at it and immediately frowned.

There was no doubt that the speech Madelyn handed to Roger was all about Vought Corporation's latest strategy.

In the name of God, it told the public that it was only right for superheroes to be part of national defense.

The speech even listed the names of several flight attendants and two captains who died in the recent hijacking incident, telling everyone that if superheroes were in the Department of Defense, such situations could likely be avoided.

It was using every possible advantage to the fullest.

After reading the speech, Roger looked up at Madelyn and asked, "Do I really have to say this?"

"Of course, this is our fatal blow to those senators. After this, no one will stop us anymore. You will have more fans, more popularity, and you can do whatever you want in the future!"

Madelyn said to Roger in a very gentle tone.

Vought Corporation's plan had reached the most critical moment, and they needed Homelander to complete this crucial step. So now, as long as Roger agreed to Madelyn's request, Vought would agree to whatever Roger asked for in the future, as long as it didn't harm the interests of Vought.

Roger understood this from Madelyn's words, and he suddenly half-jokingly asked, "Including changing my hero costume?"

Madelyn took a deep breath and said, "As long as it's not too excessive, yes."

"Okay."

Roger nodded seriously to Madelyn, then put away the speech and said to her, "Is there anything else besides this?"

"One more thing, you need to see a psychologist."

"Hmm? Why?"

"It's just a regular psychological check-up. Don't worry, there's nothing to be concerned about."

Madelyn reassured him with a smile.

Roger squinted at her for a moment and finally smiled as well, saying, "Alright, I don't mind."

...

"This gesture means eating... and this one means... going out? Going out to eat?"

At the home of Maeve's ex-girlfriend Elena, Maeve was using the sign language she had been learning to communicate with Kimiko.

Now she knew the girl's name, which Kimiko had written down in English that she had recently learned.

Kimiko.

Just Kimiko.

Watching Kimiko's hand gestures, Maeve could roughly understand what she meant. She wanted to go out for a walk and get something to eat.

After understanding, Maeve said to Kimiko, "No, not for now. There are bad people outside looking for you, and we can't let them find you."

Hearing Maeve's words, Kimiko looked at her in confusion and then began to gesture again.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

But this time, her sign language was too complex for Maeve to understand.

Just as Maeve was about to ask, she suddenly heard Roger's voice in her ear:

"She wants to go home, to find her brother."

"!?"

Roger's sudden appearance startled Maeve. She quickly turned around and saw Roger, who had somehow arrived at Elena's home.

At this moment, Roger was not wearing Homelander's suit but was dressed in casual clothes with a baseball cap and glasses, looking like a harmless office worker.

Seeing him like this, Maeve calmed her nerves that had been startled by Roger and asked, "Can you understand what she's saying now?"

"I can understand some of it. I've been learning sign language a bit faster than you recently."

"So she said she wants to go home. Do you know where her home is?"

Maeve asked in confusion.

Kimiko's identity was a mystery to her. She had no idea who Kimiko was or where she had lived. So when Kimiko said she wanted to go home, Maeve didn't know what to do.

Looking at Kimiko's expectant eyes, Roger said softly, "I don't know where her home is either, but I know... where she came from."

"Where?"

"...Let's talk outside."

Roger asked Kimiko to stay put, then went to the rooftop with Maeve and said to her, "You've always wanted to know how Vought turned her into a superhuman, right?"

"Are you going to tell me now?"

Maeve asked back.

She had wanted to know these things before but never had the chance to ask, and Roger seemed unwilling to tell her. So she had kept the question to herself.

But now, it seemed Roger was willing to reveal the truth.

Nodding to Maeve, Roger took a deep breath and said, "You should be prepared for this, so it's no big deal telling you now. Vought Corporation can turn people into superhumans because they have a substance called 'Compound V.'"

"Compound V...?"

"That's right. They inject this compound into infants, causing them to awaken superpowers. You, me, and every superhuman in this world were not born with our powers."

Roger briefly explained what Vought had been doing.

Maeve stood there silently for a long time. Although she had mentally prepared herself, it still felt unbelievable when she heard it.

After giving Maeve some time to process the information, Roger continued, "There's one thing I lied to you about before."

"What?"

"The person who brought Kimiko to America wasn't Vought. It was me..."

Roger faced Maeve and said, "More accurately, it was Homelander. He wanted superheroes in the Department of Defense, to see Madelyn's plan succeed. So he secretly took some Compound V from Vought and distributed it to terrorists worldwide, turning them into supervillains. This way, Vought would have a reason to put superhumans in national defense.

"Kimiko used to be one of those terrorists. Homelander brought her here to cause chaos at a critical moment, and then he would play the hero. This way..."

"The Department of Defense would have no choice but to agree."

Queen Maeve finished Roger's sentence.

Roger nodded lightly.

Once the superhuman terrorists started causing large-scale destruction, the plan would become an open conspiracy.

Even if the Department of Defense suspected Vought's involvement, without evidence, and with the public's support, they would have to agree to Vought's terms.

At that point, Homelander would be the world's number one superhero, surpassing anyone else and becoming a god of the new era.

Hearing such shocking news, Maeve paced back and forth on the rooftop. She wished she didn't know any of this because she was no longer the little girl with dreams of being a hero.

But now, knowing all this, she couldn't stay out of it. Roger had told her everything, placing her on his side.

"Why are you telling me this now?"

Suppressing her shock, Maeve asked Roger.

Roger took a deep breath and said, "There's no choice. Vought has noticed something is wrong with me. Madelyn called me in today, saying I need to see a psychologist.

"But the psychologist is a cover. They want to test if I'm really Homelander. I know the company has psychological profilers. My behavior has been very different from Homelander's recently. The profiler must have noticed something. I don't know how much Vought knows or what they'll do to me, but I have to prepare for the worst. So..."

Roger said seriously to Maeve, "I need a teammate. Maeve, will you help me?"

"Help you with what?"

"Help me overthrow Vought."

"...Huh?"

Maeve was stunned by Roger's goal.

She suddenly felt that Roger might be insane.