“…Hey, Spira.”

“Yes?”

“I’m so scared.”

“…Me too.”

Lyla, who was watching the situation unfold from afar on Arte’s orders, was flustered.

Arte was “talking” with an investigator from the Association. Moreover, he’s in charge of metahuman crimes.

It was a very important position. Even a small mistake can easily lead to a major disaster.

That’s why the department members are elites capable of performing all duties, such as combat, civilian protection, and investigation.

They have front-line experience as a basic requirement and are recognized as competent talents by the upper echelons.

To openly reveal her identity and attempt to coax such a person was reckless.

If she had killed him at the moment of subduing him, that would be one thing, but to set him free and try to persuade him?

Lyla briefly had a happy imagination of Arte getting caught and becoming a free person.

…As the word “imagination” implies, she returned with the investigator.

“Nice to meet you. I’m a newcomer to Arachne, but I’ll be working with you from now on.”

“Y-yes…”

It’s awkward. No, it’s beyond awkward, it’s terrifying…

The fact that someone who chases villains every day is right next to them made cold sweat trickle down.

…Why, why did he come over?!

Wasn’t he supposed to be super competent?!

An investigator who needs both power to solve cases and a sense of justice to handle the heavy workload is now standing as one of them.

‘These incompetent Association bastards…!’

“…By the way, judging from your appearance, could you be related to Übermensch?”

“Eek! N-no, we’re not with Übermensch!”

“Y-yeah. Right. Uh, um… H-how do we prove it?!”

“Uh, well… A-Arachne forever! Death to villains! Long live Arte-nim! Long live Master!”

“L-long live Arte! Yay! Death to Übermensch! D-death to Trash!”

They frantically scrambled, not even knowing what they were saying in response to the sharp question that came out of nowhere.

Lyla had wolf ears and a tail. Spira’s lower body is a snake.

Anyone can see they were part of the Übermensch. It’s impossible to deny.

‘…In that case, let’s appeal that we’ve washed our hands of them as much as possible!’

Just as they were resolving ourselves, Arte explained to the investigator.

“Don’t worry too much. They are Arachne members who deliberately infiltrated the organization.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes, that’s exactly it.”

Arte smiled at them.

“We can’t find out everything, right? Doesn’t someone have to make sacrifices and infiltrate the enemy?”

“I-indeed…”

…She seems skilled at this. It’s not the work of someone who’s only done it once or twice.

Has she done this a lot?

“I apologize. I made a mistake…”

“Oh, n-no.”

“Yeah. We’re fine.”

Even though they were startled by his bowing figure, they couldn’t help it.

He’s a member of the Association, the head of metahuman crimes!

Moreover, according to Arte, he’s a veteran who has been doing this for over a decade!

Rookies with overwhelming talent were scary.

But there are plenty of people who fail despite it.

But someone who has been a detective for over a decade is not only scary but also awe-inspiring.

Just how capable are they to last that long while dealing with villains?

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

“Well, now that we have a new colleague, let’s use this momentum to clean up the villains…”

“That will be difficult.”

“Why is that?”

“By now, someone from the Association should be waiting at the designated location. We need to hurry…”

“Ah, don’t worry about that. You’ve already met them.”

“…Pardon?”

In response to him expressing doubt as if he heard something strange, Arte smiled.

“Investigator Ha-Yul, if you think about it for a bit, you’ll understand… Is it really a coincidence that Arachne and Übermensch are together near the location designated by the Association?”

“N-no way…”

“It’s not for nothing that the higher-ups told you to stop tracking Arachne.”

“…I see. I understand.”

“Good. Since we are four here, we can each handle one.”

The only person who calmly accepted Arte’s bombshell statement was the investigator.

Spira and Lyla didn’t want to understand what they just heard.

The higher-ups told him to stop tracking Arachne?

Moreover, if the person designated by the Association is Arte, then…

“T-the Association is condoning a villain who goes around killing people…”

“Oh my. Watch your words, okay?… They’re not people; they’re villains, right?”

“Eek. Y-yes… O-of course! They’re villains!”

D-damn, the Association…

The reason Arte can act so freely is because the Association is backing her!

The Association has been working behind the scenes to kill off troublesome villains!

“…Ah, right. Lyla.”

“Huh?! Wh-what?”

“Just a moment.”

Arte approached her and stroked her neck.

Lyla thought she was just a crazy murderer, but she turned out to be a human butcher who had the Association’s permission to kill people.

“…There. So, how is it? Comfortable?”

“Uh, yeah…?”

“Your neck. Touch it. How does it feel?”

‘M-my neck…?’

At Arte’s words, she brought her hand to her neck, and the soft sensation of the collar she had grown accustomed to was no longer there.

‘D-don’t tell me, now that she has a new colleague, she doesn’t need me, a former villain…?’

“I think it’s past the time for betrayal. There’s no need to wear an uncomfortable collar anymore. Right?”

“R-right…”

Yeah.

Arte is right. Lyla can’t even dream of betraying her now.

She initially followed her because her life was threatened.

The reason she continued to follow her was for her own safety.

She would have run away immediately if there had been a chance to escape.

…But not anymore.

Because she realized that her opponent, who had exploited her inferiority complex, was such a powerful being.

Because she became convinced that no matter where she ran, she would eventually be found.

Lyla no longer felt an inferiority complex. There’s no way she could.

An inferiority complex is a feeling you get towards someone better than you… However, you don’t feel inferior to someone on another level of power.

Dominance.

“There happen to be four executives here, and there are four of us.”

“…So one per person?”

“Exactly. You can handle it, right?”

“Y-yes! L-leave it to us!”

“…”

Lyla nodded at Arte.

Whether she can do it or not,

She no longer needed to think about such things.

She must have a plan and see things that she can’t see.

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

On this day, Lyla, who had an inferiority complex towards her classmate, surrendered to her.

She suddenly remembered the pills Arte had given her before, which she had carried until now.

As expected, Arte must have thought everything through.

***

“…Phew.”

Exhaling the smoke from my mouth, he looked at the trash before me.

“Tch, an intruder! Quickly, sound the alarm…!”

-Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep!

“Wh-what?!”

“…It has begun.”

Ha-Yul saw the trash panicking.

They’re confused because the alarm went off even though they didn’t trigger it.

…Since it’s their final journey to the afterlife, he decided to let them know as a gift.

“Do you think I’m the only intruder?”

“N-no way…!”

“This place will become a graveyard for villains today.”

He gently closed his eyes and smirked.

To think he would end up doing something like this. It’s funny how he did the same thing as the person he chased.

‘If Claire and that guy who went ahead of us saw me, they would surely be shocked and try to stop me.’

But he couldn’t stop anymore.

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

At that moment, it felt like something inside him broke.

Was it guilt or a sense of duty?

Maybe it wasn’t broken but reignited.

Maybe his desire for revenge, which he had given up on back then, is finally burning.

Well, it’s too late to think about that now.

The Association also wants this. Then, as someone who receives a salary from them, he has no reason not to comply.

Trash belongs in the trash can.

It’s basic common sense.

…It felt like something was cutting through his body.

“Wh-why?! The attack isn’t working…!”

“I’ve experienced such sneak attacks many times. An investigator who would fall for something like this would’ve died long ago.”

“I-investigator?! Why is someone like that here?!”

As the smoke from the cigarette in his mouth scattered, his body also began to disperse.

The sensation of his feet standing on the ground disappeared, and the sensation of his hands vanished. It felt like his entire body had become cotton soaked in water.

‘… I’ll never get used to this no matter how often I use it.’

“Sorry, but it’s going to hurt a bit. You’ve all killed at least one person, so I believe you won’t have any complaints.”

It’s an ability that makes him nearly invincible for a short time, but the longer he uses it, the harder it becomes to maintain his sanity.

But this time–just this time–he decided to use it to the limit.

After seeing that sight, he felt he wouldn’t be able to bear it if he didn’t take out his frustration.

What would happen if he used it so long that he couldn’t maintain his sanity?

‘…Would I disappear like a mirage?’

Before he knew it, everything below his neck had dispersed into mist.

Ha-Yul made one last declaration to them.

“…I hope you thoroughly enjoy drowning on land.”

Seeing them trying to sweep away the mist and swing their weapons was amusing.

He had never tried to kill someone so maliciously before.

The ability he only used for instant evasion against monsters turned out to be this effective against humans.

Is this why people become villains?

Suddenly, he remembered chatting with Claire and that guy back in school.

‘Hey, why is your ability so villain-like?’

The words of that guy, who was already buried in the ground, seemed to echo in his ears again.

Looking at the mist that dispersed, he thought.

Indeed.

…It really is like a villain.

Back then, Ha-Yul got annoyed and told him to stop talking nonsense.

Now, a heavy mist fell across the battlefield.

_____________________________________

Author’s Notes

After writing the announcement, I went to bed.

When I woke up and checked my clock, 13 hours had passed.

Now I’m feeling fine, hehe.