Crossing the Line
"...Tell me a bit more about that."
"First of all, it's clear the Plant Queen's side put up a fierce resistance. However, no mana traces or bloodstains from the attackers were found."
"Mana traces can be scrambled easily enough. Especially if the perpetrators were skilled enough not to spill a single drop of blood."
"That's just it... it was a large-scale battle. Not an assault by a handful of individuals."
"Hmm."
The Director sank into thought.
Whatever the fight, once a brawl broke out, traces were inevitable. Even a simple fistfight left broken teeth and bloody noses on the floor, and even in a one-sided curb-stomping, completely preventing damage was impossible. This had been a slaughter of mana beasts, no less. They would have charged in ready to kill during the resistance — and yet not a single mark remained. That was unmistakably strange.
They won't figure it out... right?
I'd already wiped the evidence clean before leaving. Torn cloth and cotton fluff had been scooped up wherever I saw them, and my mana had been concealed from the start by Pecia's special skill. Someone like Kang Jiye who already knew my identity might catch on, but a first-time observer wouldn't even be able to tell whether the culprit was human or ghost.
And yet the reason I was still trembling like this... was that old man.
Director Na Hwanil.
One of the main NPCs of Gate Apocalypse.
In the story, he had been one of the few people who properly thwarted Pecia's schemes. The protagonist usually listened to this Director's counsel when formulating operations. If the protagonist was the one rampaging on the front lines with raw power, Director Na Hwanil was the one controlling the macroscopic movements from the rear.
In other words, he was sharp.
Especially those glasses of his...
"Any other traces? Not bloodstains — torn clothing, for instance?"
"There were. Some cotton wads and scraps of cloth were jammed into every corner of the ship."
Huh.
Wait a second. Those little bastards?
I'd clearly told them to clean everything thoroughly, and I'd definitely heard that firm little "Ppyuik!" in reply. So what the hell happened?
"...Cotton and cloth. Nothing comes to mind immediately."
The Director stroked his beard, then lifted his head and surveyed the surroundings.
"How far along is the work, by the way?"
Catching the Director's desire to leave his post, the field supervisor answered.
"Thanks to Purple Bunny, there's nothing left to worry about. Most of the personnel who were supposed to be managing the infected have been reassigned to perimeter duty. Feel free to head to the ship, sir."
At that, the combat-uniformed man who had come to deliver the report turned to the field supervisor.
"Then... is Purple Bunny's assignment finished as well, Team Leader Gu?"
"Ah, yeah. The remaining work can be handled just fine by our hunters alone."
The man in combat gear nodded, then looked my way.
"Perfect timing, then. Purple Bunny?"
"Yes?"
"Please come with us. Deputy Director Kang is waiting."
"...!"
She figured it out.
"W-why me?"
"I wouldn't know. She was just standing there blowing on her fists."
One way or another, I ended up moving alongside the Director as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
I'd said I was fine, but he insisted on grabbing me and loading me into the aerial vehicle anyway.
I should have run.
I had no idea what kind of scolding I'd get from Kang Jiye once she saw the cotton fluff and flew into a rage. It had only been a short while since she'd laid down the law — consult her before doing anything, or risk having my identity exposed. There would almost certainly be additional penalties.
I was chewing my nails and scrambling for excuses when the Director, who had been gazing out the window, tossed a question my way as if it were nothing.
"Nervous, are you? About going ahead and clearing the ship on your own."
My eyes went wide. I swallowed hard.
"...Excuse me?"
The tone was so casual I nearly answered "That's right" without thinking.
How on earth had a question like that come out — one that treated "the culprit who attacked the ship is obviously Purple Bunny" as a given?
The Director let out a warm, good-natured laugh.
"Well, a contribution of that magnitude deserves a proper reward. No need to be so tense. You saved a great many lives."
"Ah... haha. Disabling a brainwashing skill wasn't that difficult, really."
Just in case I'd misheard the question, I steered the topic into clearer waters. Maybe he'd been talking to someone on a call. Maybe "ship" had somehow meant hunger. Anything.
But the Director erased those hopes in a single stroke. He rounded his lips into a soft "Oh," then nodded as if everything made sense.
"An S-class mana beast's brainwashing skill isn't difficult to undo, you say. Well. You'd need at least that much to take down a mafia organization, I suppose. So... did you use a psychic skill to scramble their minds and make them fight each other?"
...!
I realized in that instant that I'd dug my own trap — but I still managed a smile that said I had no idea what he was talking about.
"I'm not sure I follow, sir."
The Director burst into a hearty laugh and kept pressing.
"I'm simply curious. They say it was a large-scale battle, but looking at you, you're hardly of an age to command that kind of manpower. Or are you affiliated with some other group?"
"I genuinely have no idea what you're talking about. What exactly am I supposed to have done?"
A slightly snarky edge slipped into my voice without meaning to. The male attendant seated across from us bristled.
"Purple Bunny. When the Director asks a question, you simply answer it."
I frowned.
"I'm telling you I don't understand the question."
"He's asking about your affiliation. Is that so difficult?"
"Difficult or not, I—"
The Director raised his right hand, cutting both of us off.
"Now, now. Why the sudden hostility? We're all comrades on the same operation."
He looked at me.
"Settle down. I was only joking."
"A joke?"
"Yes. Amusing, isn't it?"
"Not even a little. Jokes need logic to be funny."
At that, the Director let out a thoughtful hum, tilted his chin slightly, and fixed his gaze on me with nothing but his eyes. He stroked his white beard and lifted one corner of his mouth.
"Logic, is it... First, a safety guardian who suddenly provides intelligence on an S-class mana beast."
"...?"
"And then, a mysterious force that attacks that very beast at the perfect moment. Curious that the two would appear at the same time, don't you think?"
...!
He was right.
In that moment, I realized just how impulsive my actions had been. Holding exclusive information on a mana beast nobody else knew about was already suspicious — and then I'd gone and handled it myself. Of course I'd draw scrutiny.
My throat bobbed involuntarily. The Director drew in a sharp breath through his teeth.
"...I simply found it rather fascinating. Where has a psychic of a caliber that surpasses most S-classes been hiding all this time, only to be discovered now? And how did they know about the mana beast?"
"..."
"Hmm? How do you suppose that works?"
I felt like a frog being eyed by a snake.
Even if it was only within the game's lore, Director Na Hwanil was the kind of man who hadn't panicked even when Pecia first appeared — who had calmly mounted counterattacks. A brain-type commander who, even at a disadvantage, had dismantled the amusement park's schemes one after another.
With this many clues, it might already be enough to pin me as the culprit.
I'd thought I'd be fine as long as the Party Bears didn't get spotted... but maybe that had been far too naive.
"Hahaha! Don't tense up so much. My joke went a bit far."
The Director gave my back a light pat.
Except the force of each pat increased in a pattern — one, three, five, seven — clearly a ploy to gauge my combat strength. I deliberately scrunched up my face.
"Ow."
"Oh dear. My apologies. Are you all right?"
No, I'm not all right, you crafty old coot.
"I really ought to be more conscious of the fact that my body is S-class. Even when I try to hold back, I make mistakes like this from time to time. Do forgive me."
"Ah... yes. Please be more careful going forward."
The Director's smile deepened.
"I will. And here I thought you were rather formidable, given that you tried to use mental interference on me."
"...!!"
He knew?
The moment I'd sensed his suspicion, I'd twisted his thoughts. He must have found the absence of any mana fluctuation strange. Any hunter would have reacted the same way, Director or not.
But given his level, the hypnosis hadn't taken perfectly. No critical success message had appeared, after all.
The Director tilted his head.
"Whatever command you issued, I keep getting this feeling that I've forgotten something. Looking at you makes it hover just out of reach — an itch at the back of my mind. Do you know the sensation?"
I glanced out the window. We had already arrived at Incheon Port. There should have been a perfectly serviceable landing space on the ship itself, and yet we were just circling overhead.
He loaded me into this vehicle specifically to interrogate me.
The Director had clearly known from the start that he'd been hit by some kind of skill. He fully intended to keep this up until he figured out exactly what I'd done.
This is bad. How do I get out of this?
Above me: the Director.
Below me: Kang Jiye.
I sighed at my own pitiful predicament. I was clearly living a decent life — so why wouldn't the world leave me alone?
The Director pressed for an answer.
"Hmm? What method did you use that even an S-class like myself failed to register something so important?"
"I-I don't know."
"What do you mean, you don't know. You're the one who did it."
What do I do?
How was I supposed to navigate this crisis? What method could redirect this brilliant old man's attention somewhere else?
What even was it?
What was the weakness of this perfect specimen — overflowing with mana, mental power, and brainpower alike?
...
"You should go to the hospital and get checked for a brain tumor."
The Director raised one eyebrow and replied with perfect composure.
"What's a brain tumor?"
"I don't know. Some kind of brain disease. Anyway, you're quite old, so senility might be interfering with your normal thought processes."
"...Are you saying I have dementia?"
I hesitated, then answered.
"That's right."
"Good lord, I've never seen the Director's face look that rotten."
"What happened? He's normally so mild-mannered."
"Did an S-class Gate open or something?"
Well. Apparently telling an old man he was old really did cut deep.
I'd succeeded in diverting his attention — but the side effect was that the Director had gone spectacularly sulky.
Even Kang Jiye seemed caught off guard by the sight of him. She paused mid-scolding, turned to me with a puzzled expression, and asked,
"Did something happen? You two came together, didn't you?"
...Hmm.
How was I supposed to explain this?
At any rate, he wasn't angry at me specifically. Making a logically sound deduction wasn't a crime, was it? And besides, him being old wasn't my fault either.
"I don't know. Maybe andropause."
But right then, the Director started stomping straight toward us.
"Purple Bunny."
"I'm sorry."
"...?"
I apologized on pure reflex.
I'd tried my best to rationalize it, but the fact remained that I'd said something harsh. And if the Director went and spilled everything to Kang Jiye right now...
The Director let out a hollow laugh.
"So you do know you should be sorry?"
Thwack—!
Quick on the uptake as always, Kang Jiye seized me by the scruff of the neck and looked at the Director.
"May I ask what this is about, Director?"
"Hmm... yes, let's start there. Listen here, Deputy Director Kang. Do you know what this brazen little friend said to me?"
In a flash of desperation, I blurted out a secret.
"Aaaah! Director! Those glasses! I know how to use them properly!"