"...Hey, Spira."
"Yes?"
"I'm so scared."
"...Me too."
Following Arte’s orders, Lira and Spira had been watching the entire incident unfold from a distance. They were stunned.
He was an Association investigator. And not just any investigator—he was with the Superhuman Crime Division.
Superhuman crimes were dangerous. Even the smallest mistake could easily escalate into a major disaster.
That was why the investigators in the Superhuman Crime Division were elites capable of handling combat, civilian protection, and investigations all at once.
Frontline experience was a given, and they were talented individuals recognized even by upper management.
To openly reveal their true identities and attempt to recruit someone in front of such a person was sheer recklessness.
If they had subdued him, killing him would have been one thing—but to set him free and then try to recruit him?
For a brief moment, Lira and Spira indulged in the happy thought that maybe Arte would get caught and be set free.
...The fact that they used the word "thought" should make it clear—she had returned, boldly walking alongside the investigator.
"Nice to meet you. I’m a new member of Arachne, but I’ll be working with you from now on."
"Y-Yes, yes..."
This was awkward. No, it was beyond awkward—it was terrifying.
Just knowing that someone who chased down villains every day was now standing right next to them made cold sweat trickle down their backs.
...Why, why did he switch sides?!
Wasn’t he incredibly competent?!
An investigator who needed both combat skills to solve cases and a sense of justice to handle the workload was now standing beside them as if it were nothing.
You useless Association bastards...!
"...But, that appearance of yours. Are you perhaps connected to the Webmen?"
"H-Hiiik! N-No, we’re not Webmen!"
"Y-Yes, that’s right. U-Um... How do we prove it?!"
"Uh, that... L-Long live Arachne! Death to villains! Long live Arte-nim! Long live our Master!"
"L-Long live! Yahoo! Death to the Webmen! Trash scum!"
Caught off guard by the sharp question, they babbled nonsense without even knowing what they were saying.
I had wolf ears and a tail. Spira had the lower body of a snake.
Anyone could see we were Webmen. There was no way to deny it.
...So then, we had to appeal that we’d washed our hands of it!
Just as they resolved to do that, Arte stepped in to help.
"Don’t worry too much, Investigator. They were actually undercover within the organization."
"...Is that so?"
"Y-Yes, of course."
Arte glanced at us and smiled softly.
O-Oh, I see...!
So she was going with the story that we’d been spies all along?!
"You can’t uncover everything, after all. Someone has to make sacrifices to infiltrate a villain organization, don’t you think?"
"W-Well... I suppose so."
...She was weirdly good at this. It wasn’t the first time she’d spun a story like this.
Had she done this a lot before?
Well, I was confident I could accept anything Arte had done.
"I'm sorry. I made a mistake..."
"Ah, no, it's fine."
"Yeah. We're okay."
Even the way she bowed her head made us flinch in surprise, but we couldn’t help it.
An investigator—an *investigator*!
And according to Arte, she was a veteran who had been doing this for over ten years!
No matter how much of a veteran someone was, a rookie investigator wasn’t scary.
No matter how talented they were, there were plenty of people who still collapsed.
But someone who had been an investigator for over a decade wasn’t just scary—it was awe-inspiring.
Just how capable was she to survive this long rubbing shoulders with villains?
...Wait, no—how the hell did they even recruit someone like that?
"Well, now that we have a new member, let’s ride this momentum and take care of the villains..."
"That might be difficult."
"Why?"
"By now, there should be someone waiting at the location designated by the Association. We need to go..."
"Ah, don’t worry about that. That someone is me."
"...Huh?"
As if she’d heard something absurd, the investigator tilted her head in confusion. Arte simply smiled.
"If Investigator Hayul thinks about it for a moment, do you really think it’s a coincidence that an Arachne and a Weaver Man are both near the Association’s designated location?"
"S-Surely not..."
"The higher-ups didn’t tell us not to pursue the Arachne for no reason."
"...I see. Understood."
"Good. Since we have four people now, we can each take one."
The only one who calmly accepted Arte’s bombshell was the investigator.
Yu Siwoo and Spira didn’t want to understand what they’d just heard.
What? The higher-ups told us *not* to pursue the Arachne?
And the person the Association designated was Arte? That couldn’t mean...
"T-Then the Association is... turning a blind eye to a villain who goes around killing people..."
"Tsk. Watch your words. ...It’s not *people*, it’s *villains*, right?"
"Hiiik. Y-Yes, yes... V-Villains! Of course!"
Spira’s speculative outburst confirmed it.
I-It’s the Association...
Arte was only able to run wild like this because the Association had her back.
They were doing under-the-table work to eliminate troublesome villains!
"...Ah, right. Lyra."
"Huh?! W-What, what?"
"Just a moment."
Arte approached me and stroked my neck, making her seem even more terrifying.
I thought she was just a crazy murderer, but no—she was a human butcher given half-permission by the Association to kill.
"...There. How’s that? Comfortable?"
"Uh, y-yeah...?"
"My neck. Touch it. How does it feel?"
M-my neck…?
When I reached for my neck at Arte’s words, the familiar soft touch of the choker was gone.
D-don’t tell me… now that she’s gained a new comrade, she no longer needs me, a former villain…?
"It’s about time to stop pretending I might betray you. There’s no need to keep that uncomfortable choker on, right? Isn’t that true?"
"Y-yeah… that’s… right…"
Yeah.
Arte was right. I couldn’t even dream of betrayal anymore.
I’d first followed her because my life was on the line.
And I’d kept following her afterward for the same reason—my own safety.
If I’d ever had the chance to run, I would’ve taken it in a heartbeat.
…But not anymore. I couldn’t run.
Because I’d realized the person I’d once felt inferior to was actually this overwhelmingly powerful.
Because I was certain that no matter where I fled, she’d find me in the end.
I didn’t feel inferior anymore. There was no room for that.
Inferiority only arises toward someone better than you. …But you don’t feel inferior to someone so far above you.
You only feel awe.
"Conveniently, there are four executives. And there are four of us."
"One each. Perfect match, wouldn’t you say?"
"Exactly. Think you can handle it?"
"Y-yes! Of course! Just leave it to me!"
"…"
I nodded at Arte, who was watching me.
Could I do it? Could I not?
I didn’t need to think about that anymore.
She must have a plan. She must see things I couldn’t.
If it were impossible, she wouldn’t have asked in the first place.
That day, Laira, who had once felt inferior to her classmate, surrendered to Arte.
I suddenly thought of the pill Arte had given me before, the one I’d been carrying around.
As expected, Arte had thought of everything.
"…Huu."
Exhaling a small puff of smoke, I gazed at the trash before me.
"Sh-shit, intruders! Sound the—!"
-BEEEEEEEP! BEEEEEEEP!
"W-what the hell?!"
"…It’s begun."
I could see the trash panicking.
They were confused because the alarm was blaring even though they hadn’t triggered it.
…As a parting gift for their final journey to the afterlife, I decided to let them in on it.
"You think I’m the only intruder?"
"N-no way…!"
"This place will become the villains’ graveyard today."
Closing my eyes slightly, I let out a bitter laugh.
Never thought I’d end up doing this. Chasing after someone only to be influenced by them and pull the same stunt—how ironic.
If Claire and that already-dead bastard could see me now, they’d probably freak out and try to stop me.
But I couldn’t stop anymore.
When I saw that villain—the one who killed him—hurting someone else again.
That was when something inside me felt like it had broken.
Was it guilt? Or a sense of duty?
Maybe it wasn’t broken at all. Maybe the fire had just reignited.
Perhaps the vengeance I’d given up on back then was finally burning again.
Well, it was too late to think about that now.
The Association wanted this done. And since I was taking their paycheck, I had no reason to refuse.
Trash belongs in the trash can.
It’s just basic common sense.
…Something felt like it was slicing through my body.
"W-Why?! My attacks aren’t working…!"
"I’ve been through ambushes like this plenty of times. If an investigator falls for something so basic, they’re useless."
"I-Investigator?! Why the hell is one of *them* here?!"
The smoke from the cigarette in my mouth scattered, and my form began to waver.
The sensation in my feet vanished. Then my hands. It felt like my entire body had turned into a waterlogged sponge.
…I never get used to this, no matter how many times I use it.
"Sorry, but this is going to hurt. You’ve all killed at least one person before, so I doubt you’ll complain."
This ability made me nearly invincible for a short time, but the longer I used it, the harder it became to keep my mind intact. So I couldn’t sustain it for long.
But this time—just this once—I’d push it to the limit.
After seeing that scene, I didn’t think I could hold back my rage.
What would happen if I used it so long that I lost my mind?
…Would I vanish like a mirage?
Before I knew it, everything below my neck had dissolved into mist, and my neck was about to follow.
I made one final declaration to them.
"…Hope you enjoy the feeling of drowning on dry land."
It was almost funny watching them try to swing their weapons, as if they could cut through the mist.
I’d never been this malicious when killing someone before.
An ability I’d only ever used against monsters for brief evasion… I never expected it to be this effective against humans.
No wonder everyone turns to villainy.
Suddenly, a memory from school surfaced—Claire, me, and that guy, the three of us chatting.
*"Hey, why’s your ability so villain-like?"*
His voice, now buried in the earth, seemed to dig into my ears all over again.
I stared at the mist, my voice dissolving before it could form sound.
Yeah.
…It really *is* villain-like.
The mist swallowed the battlefield whole.