The Impersonator (5)
“Aigoo, sorry about that. Our rookies didn’t realize and ended up troubling a student during their patrol.”
“It’s fine.”
Seong Hyun-jin had been dragged to the police station, but the detective in charge released him after confirming with the dean’s testimony that he wasn’t the culprit.
“I can see why it was a mix-up.”
“You lot, apologize properly.”
“S-sorry…”
“We didn’t know you were an academy student and were rude…”
The rookie cops knelt beside them, bowing their heads in apology. Seong Hyun-jin waved it off casually and turned to the police.
“More importantly, I have a few questions about the case. Mind if I ask?”
“Anything you’re curious about…?”
“We’ll answer what we can, but important details related to the investigation…”
“Ah, I should go tell the dean everything that happened today.”
“Pardon? S-Seong Hyun-jin! Please don’t…!”
The detective hurriedly tried to stop him.
“W-what do you want to know?”
“I’d like to know the assailant’s range of activity.”
“You’re not planning to catch him yourself again, are you?”
The detective knew all about it. He was aware that the student before him was the one who had taken down Instructor Willis Graham. When it came out that Willis, who had no issues upon entry or hiring, was actually an imperial spy, the station had been in an uproar. Seong Hyun-jin, who had sniffed it out and dealt with it in advance, had become quite the celebrity among the police. So, suspecting he might be planning to nab the perp himself again, the detective asked—and Seong Hyun-jin confirmed it right away.
“Yeah.”
“This is police business!… is what I’d like to say, but honestly, if it’s you, we’d welcome the help.”
“?”
Seong Hyun-jin blinked in surprise at the unexpectedly cooperative attitude. The detective let out a small sigh and spoke quietly to him.
“We’ve been investigating for days, but we’re hitting a wall. More like, we haven’t grasped a single lead.”
“The police are more incompetent than I thought.”
“…I’ve got nothing to say to that, but it’s not just for that reason. You’ll understand once you hear the details.”
Before diving in, Seong Hyun-jin beckoned to Yeonhui, who had been waiting for him.
“Yeonhui sunbae, come here and listen together.”
“Ah, sure.”
Yeonhui sat down beside him, and only then did the detective continue.
“Truth is, we had no choice but to hit a snag. As you know, Seong Hyun-jin, every incident has a purpose, right?”
“Not every one, but generally, yeah.”
“Not every one? Anyway, the first issue is that this case seems to have no purpose at all.”
“The victims are limited to a specific group—second-years at the academy—but you can’t find any motive?”
Seong Hyun-jin asked, puzzled, and the detective nodded.
“Exactly. They’re all second-years suffering attacks, but there’s no common thread among the victims. No shared group they hung out with, no common actions… nothing like that. Zilch.”
“Just that they’re all second-year students?”
“That’s right.”
“What about within a single incident? Some had multiple victims, right?”
“Those do have commonalities, but the problem is, since this is a serial case, we need links across incidents. And there are none, so we can’t figure out the perp’s motive.”
The detective explained that without knowing the motive, solving the case would be tough.
“Knowing the perp’s goal is key to cracking these things.”
“Because you can predict their patterns?”
“Exactly. You get it.”
As he listened, a question popped into Seong Hyun-jin’s mind.
“But why tell me all this?”
“Because you’re capable, Seong Hyun-jin. You saw through Instructor Willis Graham’s true identity when no one else did. Your name’s already buzzing quietly among us cops.”
“Oh…”
Seong Hyun-jin grinned, genuinely pleased. If he was famous among the police, it wouldn’t be long before the public knew his name too. And when everyone recognized him, if he declared himself Karin’s disciple? …Heh heh heh.
“…What’s with this kid?”
“He gets like this sometimes, hee hee.”
Yeonhui just giggled, amused by him. Assuming it was par for the course, the detective brushed it off.
“Ahem… Anyway, if you’re interested in helping solve this, we’d appreciate your insight on the perp’s motive.”
“Then could you share all the crime scene locations?”
“You want to check them out yourself, huh? Got it. The beat cops are still patrolling, so they might mistake you— I’ll put in a word ahead of time.”
“Can’t go inside, I suppose?”
“Probably not—scene preservation requires approval higher up than me. But the outside should suffice. The perp didn’t bother cleaning up, so the traces from the attacks are still crystal clear.”
Seong Hyun-jin nodded. The detective handed him a small portable communicator.
“Call if anything comes up. Just infuse it with mana and it’ll work.”
“Got it.”
Seong Hyun-jin pocketed the communicator and a sheet summarizing the scenes, then left the station with Yeonhui.
After they were gone, one of the rookies who had mistaken him asked the detective.
“Senior, you sure it’s okay handing the case to a student?”
“What’s with the late realization?”
“Huh?”
“Ah, you’re new, so you wouldn’t know. Academy students aren’t your average kids. Sometimes when we’re short-staffed and stumped, we get their help. Especially us—we’re always under-manned.”
“Uh…”
“So don’t grab innocent folks next time. Catch the real bad guy. Got it?”
“Sorry about that part for real, but… he looked way too similar, humanly speaking…”
The detective nodded slightly, empathizing.
“…Yeah, I was shocked too. He really did look just like him.”
“Like someone’s deliberately mimicking him.”
Leaving the station, Seong Hyun-jin and Yeonhui headed to the scenes based on the detective’s data.
“Doesn’t differ much from what you investigated, Yeonhui sunbae.”
“I only checked inside Academy City, so that full list is way better.”
“Still, it means your intel was spot-on.”
Yeonhui smiled lightly at the praise for her info-gathering.
“I’m glad you think so, junior.”
“Working with the police like this… feels like I’m a real detective. Does this happen often?”
Yeonhui nodded as they walked.
“It’s pretty common for Academy City police to team up with academy students. Some of them outclass the cops entirely. When it’s beyond police capabilities, they ask for cooperation.”
“Ah, gotcha.”
Seong Hyun-jin glanced around, and before he knew it, they were near the first scene.
“Let’s see, around here?”
“Yes, nearby.”
The moment Yeonhui said that, something caught Seong Hyun-jin’s eye. He had already analyzed the perp’s build and weapon from the sword marks left at the first scene. It wasn’t easy from marks alone, but his deep understanding of swords made it possible. In a split second, across the street in an alley, he spotted a man whose physique matched almost perfectly. Hood up, so no hair color, but definitely a sword at his waist—a tachi, from the scabbard alone. The same type Seong Hyun-jin wielded.
“…Sunbae.”
“Yes?”
Seong Hyun-jin folded the papers into his pocket and drew his sword.
“Think we found him.”
“Pardon? You found him?”
“That guy over there—matches the build I pictured from the sword marks. Same as mine.”
“But if it’s just from imagination, it’s not certain…”
“We’ll know if we grab him. Plus, his weapon looks like a tachi, same as mine.”
“Ah…!”
Yeonhui trusted Seong Hyun-jin’s instincts.
“Let’s chase him!”
“I’ll go ahead. Hurry and follow.”
“Got it!”
Seong Hyun-jin bolted after the suspicious man, hoping Yeonhui would catch up fast. The man, looking like the culprit, slipped away from the crowded main street into a quiet alley.
“Another alley?”
Remembering his near-miss with Willis, Seong Hyun-jin turned the corner cautiously. But unlike his worry, the perp didn’t ambush at the bend. Instead…
“…A dead end?”
Right after the turn, a wall. And there stood the hooded man, waiting for his pursuer as if he’d planned it.
Realizing no retreat, Seong Hyun-jin asked, a bit flustered.
“You… were you waiting for me?”
“…Terastial Academy Combat Department, first-year Seong Hyun-jin.”
Shing. The sword slid out. Hard to see under the hood, but the blade reflected cyan hair—just like Seong Hyun-jin’s.
“Eliminating you here in advance.”
“What’s with that speech pattern?”
Startled by the robotic tone, Seong Hyun-jin barely had time to react as the man charged without another word, drawing and lunging in one fluid motion. The sword swung fiercely.
Whoosh—!!
Seong Hyun-jin stepped back to dodge, but it was a sharp strike.
“…You know your way around a blade, huh?”
As Seong Hyun-jin evaded, the perp retreated slightly, measuring distance expertly, refusing an easy counter.
Good at gauging range too…
He was skilled, no doubt. Seong Hyun-jin wanted to see the face hidden under that hood. Yeonhui arrived right then.
“Junior Hyun-jin, you okay!?”
“Yeah, fine.”
He pointed to the man wielding the matching tachi.
“He attacked out of nowhere.”
“What? …You, what are you doing? Why pull stunts like this?”
Yeonhui’s tone sharpened unusually, but the perp ignored her, droning mechanically.
“…Celestial Academy Theology Department, third-year Yeonhui. You are not a target for elimination.”
He spoke as if only Seong Hyun-jin mattered.
“I advise you to step aside.”
“…Elimination? That’s some nasty word choice.”
Yeonhui frowned coldly.
“Who do you think you are, deciding who to eliminate? On what authority?”
“Sunbae?”
“…Junior Hyun-jin, take him down.”
With that, Yeonhui grabbed Seong Hyun-jin’s right hand. The sudden soft touch startled him, but a mystical, holy energy flowed through.
Sun God's Blessing
A warm vitality swirled around Seong Hyun-jin’s body, power surging suddenly.
“This is…”
Feeling the overflowing energy, he smiled faintly. Looking at his lookalike with pity, he said,
“Not sure why, but Yeonhui sunbae’s pissed now.”
Clang. His sword came free.
“You’re not getting away easy.”