“Now, please state your name and age.”

“Hiii?! S-Spare me! Please spare me!”

“Don’t worry. We won’t harm you. What did you do here? Did anyone nearby see you?”

“A-Arachne, I’ve done nothing?!”

“…Sigh.”

Ha-Yul, who let out a sigh, turned into a mist.

Not long after the mist entered the man’s body, his eyes rolled back.

“Did you kill him?”

“No. I knocked him out. Even I don’t kill recklessly, and this guy’s only a minor offender.”

“Oh, right…”

I thought he would have definitely killed him.

It seemed like I wasn’t the only one who thought that, as Spira and Lyla’s eyes were also filled with questions.

I’m not sure what his criteria is.

I thought he wanted to kill all criminals, but it seemed like he had his own standards.

…Well, that’s not what’s important right now.

“Arachne’s reputation is really bad here.”

“Of course. It’s understandable.”

“Those bastards who speak ill of Arte’s organization! They should all be killed…!”

Here we go again.

I lightly ignored Spira, who began to flatter me while watching my reaction.

It’s not the first or second time she’s done this.

Doing this every day, I can’t even look at her favorably.

…But she seemed unaware of that fact.

“Plunder, robbery, fraud, assault. They’ve committed all sorts of crimes? Except for murder. Maybe they thought it would be dangerous if they went that far.”

“You don’t seem to be in a good mood?”

“…Well, that’s right. I’m also a member here, after all. Even though I was forced to join…”

Lyla’s emotions seemed a bit complicated as she said that.

It seemed like she had long given up on returning to her original life…

Had she already gotten used to group life?

She seemed quite uncomfortable with the fact that people were impersonating Arachne.

“…What about you, Arte?”

“Me?”

“You’re the boss of the organization, right?”

Hmm, yes.

If you ask if I’m in a good or bad mood, I can definitely say it’s bad.

To the extent that I rushed over here upon hearing the news about them.

I thought I just had the mindset of teaching those annoying guys a lesson.

…But it seemed like I was wrong.

It’s much more unpleasant than I thought.

I felt it as I wandered around the areas where those guys were active.

The fact that there aren’t many favorable opinions towards the organization.

Of course, Arachne is a criminal organization. I knew that very well.

An organization that goes around killing people can’t be a normal one.

Even if they make deals with the association behind the scenes, they’re still a group of criminals. That fact is undeniable.

…But even if it’s a criminal organization, it’s one I created.

Even if I had no particular affection for it.

Even if it was an organization I created lightly without much thought, in the end, it’s made up of people I took in.

“They must pay the price, right?”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. The sin of daring to impersonate is great.”

***

“…Hmm, I see.”

“Yeah. They’re probably impersonators.”

“Okay. I’ll let my dad know.”

Siwoo relayed the news about Arte to Amelia.

Arte didn’t come to school today, saying she wasn’t feeling well, so the two talked comfortably.

Unlike usual, this semester’s midterm exams were scheduled in a unique way. Hence, no one paid attention even if students were absent.

Even in the classroom, students were sparsely missing.

They probably went to earn points.

So, it seemed like Arte also felt comfortable skipping school.

“By the way, you really…”

“What is it again.”

“No, it’s nothing.”

He thinks he knows what Amelia wants to say.

‘Why didn’t you do anything after bringing her into your house? Are you impotent?’

Something like that.

Amelia always talked that way.

He decided just to ignore it.

That’s how Amelia always comes to strange conclusions.

“The places Arte is likely to go…”

“What, are you going to go?”

“You’re not?”

“Even if you do, you’ll only be asked why you’re there, right? How are you going to explain that? Besides, most of the impersonators are minor offenders.”

“…Minor offender?”

Amelia began to explain to him.

Bringing up a story she heard from her father.

“Suppose there’s an extremely strong guy. This guy is either mentally damaged enough to commit crimes or is rebelling against society.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Do you think such a guy would hide under someone else’s shadow?”

Most villains don’t do that.

“They might hide their own crimes, but there are rare cases where they frame someone else.”

“…I see.”

“Yeah. They have neither pride nor strength. Only those without either would do that. For example…”

After confirming they weren’t interested in the conversation, Amelia suddenly looked around at the students, came close to me, and whispered softly.

“You know that criminal. The one you fought…”

“That wind ability user?”

“Shhh…! Be careful when you say that! Everyone has bad memories when it comes to wind. Some kids got hurt by the fact that they were knocked out with one attack.”

After hurriedly looking around and confirming that no one had heard the conversation, she hit his back.

“Anyway. The person you faced also attacked with some purpose in mind. You know this too.”

“Ah, you’re talking about that?”

Siwoo recalled the image of that grayish woman.

She instructed the woman next to her to head towards something.

At that time, he was just happy that he could stay standing.

Now that everything is over, he could understand.

‘Because I interfered. Because I prevented her from entering the academy.’

That’s why she achieved half success.

A missing executive and stolen artifact.

As soon as he heard that story, she came to mind.

Based on the amount of blood loss, the woman presumed to be the boss was dead.

But her follower didn’t die and survived. She survived with the artifact.

She achieved her goal, but she herself died.

That’s why it was a half-success.

“That person wanted to change society with the artifact in the secret room.”

“Change society?”

“Yeah. They gathered information from the blood stains on the floor and found the hideout… They discovered it. The memoirs of the academy’s founder.”

“What?!”

“I told you to be quiet…!”

He hurriedly shut his mouth, and as the gathered gazes dispersed, he let out a sigh of relief.

Siwoo tried to be quiet.

But how could he not be surprised?

The memoirs of the academy’s founder… that’s something from hundreds of years ago.

It was an item that would be found in a museum.

“S-So? What was written in it?”

“Well, that… I didn’t hear the exact details. They said it was too dangerous. But they said it was a dangerous object that could change the world…”

“A dangerous object that could change the world…?”

“Where have I heard that before?”

The reason Amelia met Siwoo.

Wasn’t it because she overheard something Arte was muttering?

At that time, Arte said something that could change the world was kept in the secret room.

“The story got a bit off track. Anyway, the big shots usually have such a purpose. In my opinion, that villain probably wanted to do something with it.”

“…Yeah, I think so too.”

“But look. If you impersonate someone else, you can’t pursue that goal, right?”

When you impersonate, you entrust your identity and goals as a villain to someone else.

That’s why there’s no need to go.

“That’s why those who impersonate are usually scum.”

“I understand.”

“…But why does it seem like you don’t? I’m telling you, you don’t have to go? You don’t even know where Arte went.”

“I don’t know. But I’m going to go.”

What Amelia said made sense.

Arte is probably acting as Arachne, and if so, he wouldn’t be of any help.

Rather than moving and receiving suspicion, waiting would be wiser.

Her words were a hundred times correct.

But he decided to head to where Arte was.

“That’s just a guess, isn’t it?”

“…Huh?”

“I also understood what you said, that most impersonators aren’t that powerful or important.”

He understood what Amelia said.

He didn’t know the details, but it’s probably right. Her father is a current top-tier hero.

It might have even come out in statistics.

But still, he decided to head to where Arte was.

“What if the impersonator this time isn’t a minor offender?…What if it’s an action taken to target Arachne?”

“There’s no way. Who would do such a crazy thing? They’re a group that massacred hundreds of villains gathered under such an oppressive organization.”

“I know that the probability of that is low, so there’s no reason for me to go.”

It’s not rational. Siwoo knew that very well.

But still.

Even if it’s an irrational and stupid choice.

Siwoo decided to follow Arte.

“You, that was a lie just now, wasn’t it?”

She’s quick.

Why was she really perceptive at times like this?

“Tell me honestly. Why do you want to go?”

“She’s a friend.”

He answered her question without a moment’s hesitation.

It was a question that didn’t even need hesitation.

“At first, I thought she was someone I had to stop, and I still think that way. But she’s a friend.”

“…”

“If Arte is walking down a bad path and seems to be taking such actions again…”

He hoped that Arte would no longer stain her hands with blood.

Because he saw her surprisingly fragile side in person.

Because he got a glimpse of her true feelings.

“I have to help my friend walk the right path.”