Chapter 57: Chapter 57

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Translator: Vine

Chapter Title: Mist

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"…Hey, Spira."

"Yes?"

"I'm so scared."

"…Me too."

Following Arte's command, Lyra and Spira had been watching the entire incident unfold from a distance, and they were flustered.

This was an Association investigator. What's more, one who handled superhuman crimes.

Superhuman crimes were dangerous. Even a small mistake could easily lead to a major catastrophe.

That's why investigators dealing with superhuman crimes were elites capable of handling combat, civilian protection, and investigations.

They had frontline experience as a given, and were competent individuals recognized even by the higher-ups.

To openly reveal one's identity and attempt to persuade such a person was reckless.

It would be one thing to kill them upon subduing them, but to set them free and then try to persuade them?

Could Arte get caught and they finally be free? For a brief moment, they indulged in a happy fantasy.

…As the word "fantasy" implies, she returned brazenly with the investigator.

"Please take good care of me. I'm a new recruit to Arachne, but I'll be working with all of you."

"Y-Yes, of course…"

It was awkward. No, beyond awkward—it was terrifying…

The fact that someone who chased villains every single day was standing right next to them made cold sweat trickle down their backs.

*…Why, why did they join us?!*

*Weren't they incredibly competent?!*

An investigator who needed force to solve cases and a sense of justice to endure grueling work was now, somehow, standing beside them.

*You incompetent Association bastards…!*

"…But your appearances, you two. Are you perhaps connected to the Übermensch?"

"H-H-Huh?! N-No, we're not Übermensch!"

"Th-That's right. Yeah. Uh, um… H-How do we prove it?!"

"Uh, well… Ah, long live Arachne! Death to villains! Long live Lady Arte! Long live the Master!"

"L-Long live! Yay! Death to Übermensch! Scum!"

Stumbling over their words, they blurted out whatever came to mind in response to the suddenly sharp question.

I had wolf ears and a tail. Spira's lower body was a snake.

Anyone could see they were Übermensch. There was no denying it.

*…In that case, let's emphasize that we've washed our hands of it as much as possible!*

Just as they resolved to do so, Arte began to help them.

"Don't worry too much, Investigator. They were people who deliberately infiltrated the organization."

"…Is that so?"

"Yes, absolutely."

Arte smiled sweetly, looking at them.

*Th-That's right…!*

*Is she trying to make it sound like we were spies from the beginning?!*

"We can't find out everything, can we? Someone has to infiltrate villain organizations through sacrifice, don't they?"

"I-Indeed…"

*…She's surprisingly skilled. This isn't the work of someone who's only come up with excuses once or twice.*

*Has she done this a lot?*

Then again, I was confident I could accept anything Arte claimed to have done.

"My apologies. I made a mistake…"

"Oh, no, it's fine."

"Yeah. We're okay."

They were embarrassed by how startled they still got even when the investigator bowed their head, but they couldn't help it.

*It's an investigator, an investigator!*

And according to Arte, a veteran who had been doing this for over ten years!

No matter how much of a veteran, a rookie investigator wasn't scary.

Because there were plenty of people who, despite overflowing with talent, still stumbled.

But someone who had been an investigator for over ten years wasn't just scary; they inspired awe.

*Just how competent were they to have endured clashing with villains for so long?*

*…No, how did she even persuade such a person in the first place?*

"Now that we have a new colleague, let's ride this momentum and clean up the villains…"

"That would be difficult."

"Why is that?"

"By now, there should be someone waiting at the location designated by the Association. I should hurry…"

"Oh, don't worry about that. That would be me."

"…Pardon?"

Arte smiled sweetly at the investigator, who looked puzzled as if they'd heard something strange.

"Investigator Hanyul, if you think about it for a moment, you'll understand. …Is it really a coincidence that Arachne and Übermensch are together near the location designated by the Association?"

"S-Surely not…"

"The order from the higher-ups not to pursue Arachne wasn't given for no reason, you know."

"…I see. I understand."

"Good. Since there are four of us, each of us can take one."

The investigator was the only one who calmly accepted the bombshell Arte had dropped.

Lyra and Spira, on the other hand, didn't want to understand what they had just heard.

*What? The higher-ups told them not to pursue Arachne?*

*And the person designated by the Association is Arte? Surely not…*

"Th-The Association is condoning a villain who goes around killing people…"

"Oh, careful with your words, please? …Not people, but *villains*?"

"H-H-Heh. Y-Yes, yes… V-Villains! Of course!"

Spira's speculative remark confirmed it.

*Th-The Association…*

*The reason Arte could rampage like this was because the Association was behind her.*

*The Association was working behind the scenes to eliminate troublesome villains!*

"…Oh, right. Lyra."

"Huh?! Wh-What?"

"Just a moment."

Arte, who approached me and stroked my neck, felt even more unfathomable.

I thought she was just a mad killer, but she was a human butcher, half-sanctioned by the Association to kill people.

"…There. Now, how does it feel? Comfortable?"

"Uh, huh…?"

"Your neck, your neck. Touch it. How does it feel?"

*My, my neck…?*

At Arte's words, I brought my hand to my neck, and realized the familiar soft sensation of the collar was gone.

*S-Surely she doesn't mean that now that she has a new colleague, she doesn't need a former villain like me anymore…?*

"It seems the time for betrayal has pretty much passed. There's no need to inconveniently keep the collar on, right?"

"Th-That's right…"

*Yeah.*

Arte was right. Now, I couldn't even dream of betrayal.

I first followed her because my life was threatened.

And I continued to follow her afterwards, also for my personal safety.

If an opportunity to escape had arisen, I would have fled immediately.

*…But not anymore. I can't escape.*

Because I realized that the person I felt inferior to was, in fact, such a formidable being.

Because I was now certain that no matter where I ran, she would eventually find me.

I no longer felt any inferiority. How could I?

Inferiority is a feeling that arises towards someone better than yourself. …But you don't feel inferior towards someone who is impossibly far above you.

Only awe.

"Conveniently, there are four executives. And there are four of us too."

"It would be a perfect fit, one executive per person."

"Exactly. You can do it, right?"

"Y-Yes, sir! J-Just leave it to us!"

"…"

I nodded towards Arte, who was looking at me.

Whether I could do it or not.

There was no need to think about that anymore.

She must have a plan; she was clearly seeing something I couldn't.

If it were impossible, she wouldn't have even asked in the first place.

On this day, Lyra, who had harbored an inferiority complex towards her classmate, submitted to her.

I suddenly remembered the pill Arte had given me before, which I carried in my pocket.

*As expected, Arte definitely has everything planned out.*

***

"…Hmph."

I exhaled a small puff of smoke from my mouth, gazing at the trash before me.

"Intr-Intruders! Sound the alarm, quickly…!"

-Beeeeeeep! Beeeeeeep!

"Wh-What?!"

"…It's begun."

The sight of the trash panicking entered my vision.

They seemed flustered that the alarm was ringing even though they hadn't triggered it themselves.

*…Since this is their last road to the underworld, I decided to tell them as a gift.*

"Do you think I'm the only intruder?"

"S-Surely not…!"

"Today, this place will become the villains' grave."

I gently closed my eyes and let out a wry chuckle.

To think I'd end up doing something like this. It's almost funny, being influenced by the very person I used to chase and committing the same acts.

If Claire and that guy, who had already died and fallen, saw this, they would undoubtedly be horrified and try to stop me.

But I couldn't stop anymore.

When I saw the villain who killed that guy harming someone else again.

At that moment, something inside me felt like it had broken.

Was it guilt, or a sense of duty?

Perhaps it wasn't broken, but rekindled.

Maybe my desire for revenge, which I had given up on back then, was finally igniting.

Well, it's probably too late to think about such things now.

The Association wants this too. So, as someone who receives a salary from the Association, there's no reason not to comply.

Trash belongs in the trash can.

It's just basic common sense.

*…It felt as if something was slicing through my body.*

"Wh-Why?! The attacks aren't working…!"

"I've experienced such surprise attacks many times already. What kind of investigator would fall for that?"

"An inv-investigator?! Why is someone like that here?!"

As the smoke from the cigarette in my mouth drifted, my body began to dissipate.

The sensation in my feet, which had been touching the ground, disappeared, then the sensation in my hands, as if my entire body had become cotton soaked in water.

*…No matter how many times I use this, I never get used to it.*

"I'm sorry, but this will hurt a little. I trust you won't have any complaints, since all of you have probably killed someone at least once."

It's a power that's almost like invincibility for a short time, but it can't be used for long because it becomes harder to maintain my sanity the longer I use it.

But just this once, just this once, I decided to use it to its limit.

Because after seeing that sight, I felt I couldn't bear it without venting my anger.

What would happen if I used it for so long that I couldn't maintain my sanity?

*…Would I just vanish like a heat haze?*

Before I knew it, everything below my neck had scattered like mist, and my neck was on the verge of turning into mist as well.

I made my final declaration to them.

"…I hope you enjoy the sensation of drowning on dry land."

It was amusing to watch them swing their weapons, trying to clear away the mist.

I had never tried to kill people with such malice before.

A power that I could only use for momentary evasion against monsters, yet it was this effective against humans.

*Is this why everyone becomes a villain?*

Suddenly, I remembered a time in my school days when Claire, that guy, and I, the three of us, used to chat.

*'Hey, why is your power so villain-like?'*

That guy's words, already buried in the ground, seemed to echo in my ears once more.

I looked at the mist, scattering before it could even form a sound, and thought.

*Yeah, I guess so.*

*…I really do seem like a villain.*

Back then, I'd gotten annoyed and told him not to talk nonsense.

The mist, enveloped the battlefield.