Chapter 56
I’m translating the chapter directly into the required HTML format now, keeping names and terminology consistent and styling the system notices properly.CHAPTER_TITLE: Episode 56
“...A terrorist?”
I reacted before anyone else could to Yoon Yeon’s words.
“That’s right.”
She kept her voice low, as though she were afraid someone might overhear, and there was a weight to it, a seriousness that clung to every syllable.
More than anything, her face was grave. Yoon Yeon drew in a careful breath, then continued.
“...Yu Seongin. And beyond that, Yujeon Enterprise may be tied to the villains we’ve been calling terrorists.”
“...”
I had to force myself to hold back, clenching my fingers hard enough that my knuckles went white.
Why?
I couldn’t make sense of it. Why was Yoon Yeon telling me this?
What reason could she possibly have for leaking information on purpose?
I didn’t understand why she was telling me any of this.
“Yujeon Enterprise... and the terrorists?”
Jin Yeonhui reacted in my place.
“What are you talking about?”
“...Our side only just barely picked up on it. It seems Yujeon Enterprise is planning something.”
“By our side, you mean the Association. So you haven’t reported it to headquarters?”
“We only learned of it last night. Like I said, it hasn’t been reported yet.”
“...You said investigation and reporting.”
Jin Yeonhui narrowed her eyes at Yoon Yeon.
“You’re with the investigation squad, aren’t you?”
Investigation squad.
One of the departments under the nationwide Superhuman Association, an agency that searched out and investigated crimes involving rifts and superhumans.
If I couldn’t become a knight, it was one of the places I’d wanted to go.
But it was the kind of place only superhumans could enter, so I’d given up on it long ago.
“That’s right.”
Yoon Yeon nodded.
“I’m Seong Jiyeon of the Gwangju Investigation Squad. I’m a superhuman, rank B.”
“...The investigation squad...”
As if she had caught something, Jin Yeonhui spoke to Yoon Yeon.
“If the squad had already started working on this, that means there was something suspicious to begin with, right?”
“...Yes.”
“But you didn’t have proof, so you couldn’t make a move. And the reason you’re telling us this now is... because you don’t have enough grounds to act on it, is that it?”
She was incisive. She pulled information out of Yoon Yeon’s words, then pressed in from there.
...Impressive.
She really did seem like someone who’d been active as a superhuman long before I had.
“That’s correct.”
Yoon Yeon admitted it readily. Or maybe “admitted” wasn’t quite the word. For the moment, that was the feeling she gave off.
“We’ve been continuing the investigation. The rumors about Yujeon Enterprise... I imagine you’d know them better than I do, Jin Yeonhui superhuman—no, Knight Jin Yeonhui.”
“I don’t know nothing at all, but I’m not that interested either.”
“On the surface, Yujeon Enterprise seems to run an oil-related business using relics, but if you dig into what’s inside, it’s really a company that’s been running loan operations all over Gwangju by exploiting superhumans.”
Loan operations, huh.
In plain terms, that meant loan sharking.
“Somewhere along the way, it seems Yujeon Enterprise itself ran into trouble. More precisely...”
Yoon Yeon leaned forward a little, shortening the distance between us.
“There seems to be a problem with the relic they use internally.”
“...A relic?”
“Yes. I told you the oil business was just a front. Something that keeps that front going seems to have gone wrong. And in order to fix it, I think they joined hands with the terrorists.”
“If they joined hands with terrorists to deal with that problem...”
This time, I cut in.
“You’re saying the terrorists have a way to fix the relic’s problem.”
“That’s what we believe.”
“The terrorists can solve a relic malfunction?”
That made Jin Yeonhui react sharply.
“...That’s not the same as merely having an enchanter with them. Are you saying they’ve got a blacksmith-class reincarnator?”
Blacksmith-class.
Among superhumans, they were an extremely rare category of reincarnation.
There were plenty of enchanters among superhumans—alchemists, mages, and the like—but the number of reincarnators whose past lives involved forging weapons was very small.
For some reason, that was just how it was.
That’s why blacksmiths are worth absurd amounts of money.
They repaired relics, strengthened them, and beyond that...
They could even make them.
Even if their rank was low, anyone who could create relics was treated like royalty, courted by both the Association and the corporations alike. They were among the most highly valued superhumans of all.
Was she saying someone like that was on the terrorists’ side?
“...I can’t say for sure.”
Yoon Yeon’s answer made it clear she wasn’t certain. Her expression at least said as much.
“But we judged that this was why Yujeon Enterprise joined forces with the terrorists. We also confirmed the evidence last night.”
“Confirmed?”
“...We found Yujeon Enterprise’s Yu Seongin meeting with the terrorist side while we were investigating.”
“...!”
As she spoke, Yoon Yeon held out a photo. It showed Yu Seongin meeting masked figures in the dead of night.
“We confirmed this yesterday at an abandoned factory nearby.”
“...”
Jin Yeonhui took the photo and checked it. The masks and red cloth they wore matched the appearance of the people active in Korea.
“...Why are you showing this to us?”
Fine, the photo made sense. But why say all this? Yoon Yeon answered immediately.
“Because I’m asking for your help.”
“Help?”
“Yes... This meeting isn’t the end of it. We also learned that these two are preparing to meet again tonight, and that they’re setting something in motion. From what we’ve gathered, it seems to be related to a rift.”
Rift. At that word, Jin Yeonhui and I reacted the same way.
What, a rift?
Does that mean there’s another rift?
I didn’t know. At the very least, most of what Yoon Yeon was saying couldn’t be taken at face value. The other side was terrorists, after all.
“When those two meet, our investigation squad plans to ambush them and subdue them. At that time, we’d like to receive your support, Knights.”
“You mean support during the raid?”
“That’s right... As much as we are an investigation squad, our combat strength isn’t exactly impressive.”
“I don’t understand.”
Clink. Jin Yeonhui took a sip from the tea in front of her. After wetting her throat lightly, she added,
“If you knew the situation, you should have requested support from the Association. It’s not as though there aren’t any knights in Gwangju, so I don’t understand why you came to us.”
She had a point. Knights didn’t only exist at Association headquarters.
“...As for that.”
Yoon Yeon hesitated slightly before continuing.
“It’s because the incident will happen only a few hours from now, and because we’re worried there may be a spy inside the Gwangju branch.”
“...A spy?”
“Yes.”
She was saying there might be a spy because there might be a spy.
“Yujeon Enterprise is an entity no one in Gwangju can dare lay a hand on, and the fact that they’re plotting something like this with the terrorists suggests there may be people within the Association who have a filthy underside.”
“So you’re asking outsiders like us?”
“That’s right. Since you’re Knights, and...”
“You’re not considering the possibility that we might be the spies?”
Jin Yeonhui cut her off to point that out.
“That is possible. But seeing that you helped save Chairman Tae Yongjin, I simply believe you aren’t.”
“That’s a rather thin basis for trust.”
“...Please.”
Her tone was earnest. Just from her expression alone, the sincerity was obvious.
She genuinely wanted help, no matter what it took.
But.
The Hero's Super-sensory activated.
The Hero's Super-sensory activated.
The Hero's Super-sensory activated.
The Hero's Super-sensory activated.
That insane sense told me even those words were a lie.
Something about this felt unnaturally cold. Was it the existence of the terrorists that was the problem?
Within that chillingly sinking sensation, Jin Yeonhui nudged me.
“What are you going to do?”
She was asking for my opinion.
“...Hmm.”
I steadied my breathing. What should I do?
...This feels like a trap.
Anyone could see that. It was a trap. Since I’d overheard a secret discussion last time, I already knew that much.
Is this a trap aimed at me?
There was a good chance I was the target.
Then should I back off here?
“...”
Should I really retreat and leave the terrorists alone? If I was thinking only about safety, that would have been the right choice.
My hand, without permission, clenched the fabric of my pants. Unlike what my reason was telling me, my feelings seemed to want something else entirely.
Still.
...Hold it back.
I had to endure it. I forced my reason into place. Even if the other side had come this far, this was not something we could just let slide.
Using that hard-won reason as a foundation, I spoke to Jin Yeonhui.
“For now, this matter should be reported...”
We needed to report it. That was what I was about to say when—
[■ Quest activated.]
[■ Break through the enemy’s scheme.]
[■ Time limit: 3 hours.]
[■ 179 : 59]
“...Before that, let’s go along for now.”
It pushed me from behind.
“...Are you serious?”
Jin Yeonhui looked at me as though my choice made no sense at all. Her expression practically said, Is this guy out of his mind? Her glare was painfully sharp.
“...Yeah. I’m serious. They’re in a hurry too, and we can’t afford to let them slip right in front of us.”
“...Lee Jinwoo. You...”
“Please. Besides, if you want, you can go report it on your own. Want to do that?”
“...”
She could go ahead first. At that, Jin Yeonhui’s brow furrowed.
“...Haah. Fine.”
I’d been thinking this for a while now, but she really did listen to me more than I expected. Maybe she just had a kind heart? That could be it.
Gyeongbeom’s loud too, but even he...
He had a good nature at heart.
“Thank you so much...! With all of you helping, I think this will go smoothly...”
Just as Yoon Yeon, moved with emotion, reached for my hand—
Tap.
Jin Yeonhui took her hand instead and said,
“...Could you explain the operation first?”
Her voice sounded a little irritated for some reason.
* * *
About an hour later, we arrived at a location with Yoon Yeon.
It was different from the abandoned factory we’d visited before. The distance was farther, and there were a few more people this time.
“Good to meet you. I’m Gwak Yeoncheol, leader of the investigation squad.”
[■ Gwak Yeoncheol: Swordsman of Contra (B)]
He was a man who looked to be a little over 180 centimeters tall, a B-rank superhuman wearing clothes emblazoned with the Association’s emblem over his chest.
“I’m Lee Jinwoo.”
“...Jin Yeonhui.”
At Jin Yeonhui’s introduction, a murmur spread through the surroundings.
“...It really is the Lightning Empress.”
“So the rumors were true? Jin Yeonhui really became a Knight?”
“An S-rank superhuman... This is my first time seeing one in person.”
It was the kind of look people gave when they’d just seen a celebrity.
At that, Gwak Yeoncheol twisted his face and said,
“We’re in the middle of an operation. Conduct yourselves properly.”
The moment he spoke in that thick voice, the area fell silent at once.
“I’m told you’re here to help. On behalf of the squad, I thank you again for your support, Knights.”
“No need...”
“Since that young man will already have explained the operation, I’ll keep it short.”
He gave the impression that time was tight.
“In a little while, Yu Seongin of Yujeon Enterprise will meet with the terrorists. We’ll use that moment to launch a surprise attack.”
It wasn’t much different from what we’d already heard.
“Will only the investigation squad participate? Won’t the arrest team be moving as well?”
Jin Yeonhui asked. Gwak Yeoncheol shook his head.
“The arrest team will move too. They’ll be waiting on the other side.”
“So there are quite a few people involved.”
“Yes. Considering the opponent.”
It sounded like they’d made full preparations for facing terrorists.
“Let’s move.”
“Understood.”
Jin Yeonhui exhaled and started walking.
She still didn’t seem pleased about being dragged into an operation like this.
We moved toward our destination. There were roughly a dozen or so people from the investigation squad.
That was no small number.
“Where did Seong Jiyeon go?”
“Agent Seong Jiyeon will come with the arrest team. It’s her role to bring them here.”
“...”
I paused at that.
She was bringing the arrest team? When that thought sent a cold feeling through me—
Rumble...
“...What?”
“Ugh!?”
The ground shook.
And then—
[■ A rift has occurred.]