Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Arrest
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"Hmm. Arte Isis. Arte Isis, huh..."
"What do you think?"
"What's there to say? She's highly suspicious."
"...As expected?"
"Anyone who looks at this and doesn't find it suspicious should quit the Association on the spot. There couldn't possibly be anyone that incompetent."
He stared at the documents detailing the investigation results for this incident.
The overview wasn't hard to grasp.
It all stemmed from that major incident that had made headlines in the news.
A villain had brazenly infiltrated the Academy, only to be captured by students from the Exploration Club. They claimed the bounty and headed out for some extracurricular activities.
And the mountain lodge they chose for those activities just happened to be on the mountain hiding the villain organization Übermensch's secret base. They got ambushed.
That was the gist of it, more or less.
It was suspicious as hell. Suspicious how?
"...There are just too many coincidences."
"Students who happened to catch a villain end up going to that mountain, which happens to be the hideout of the organization the villain belonged to, which happens to get massacred by someone right at that timing. ...Kinda weird, right?"
"That's not all. Take a look at this."
Basic student profiles provided by the Academy.
He pointed to the section listing their abilities.
"Yoo Siu, Intuition. Amelia Lindberg, Acceleration. Dorothy Springfield, Lightweight. These students check out fine... but this girl here."
"Arte Isis, Thread Manipulation. ...It's like she's straight-up declaring herself the culprit."
"Exactly. Suspicious no matter who looks at it. Her ability alone screams it."
Threads presumed to be the cause of death for the massacred organization's bodies. And an ability user who controls threads.
And finally, the blatant spider drawing left behind. More than enough to raise suspicions.
"So why aren't you going to arrest her?"
Tch.
He clicked his tongue softly and lit a cigarette.
She really looked like the culprit to anyone. That's why it was suspicious.
"She's too much like the culprit."
"Pardon?"
"What kind of idiot pulls off a job like this? Doesn't it strike you as off?"
Even a ten-year-old kid could see Arte Isis was the culprit.
And that incongruity was what bothered him.
"A villain who paints a picture on the wall declaring themselves the culprit—would they really be dumb enough to scatter evidence everywhere screaming 'it's me'?"
"...So you think someone's framing her."
"Not sure about that far, but it's weird. Villains who crave the spotlight usually love throwing investigations into chaos and reveling in it."
The culprit had even playfully referred to themselves as Arachne.
No way a villain like that would handle things this sloppily. That's what he thought. Based on experience, this type was usually sharp as hell.
"It's not like there aren't other abilities that could slice people up like that. Hell, even I could manage that much without any powers. Maybe not two hundred... too time-consuming."
"Someone disguised themselves as a thread ability user to make everyone think Arte Isis is the culprit. ...Is that what you're saying?"
"Probably. Nothing's certain. They could set it up like this and still have Arte Isis be the real deal."
"Ugh, what a headache."
"Tell me about it."
He exhaled a plume of white smoke, trying to soothe his tangled thoughts.
This damn world was a complicated mess. Way back, like five hundred years ago, there was no mana, or so the stories went.
>
In a world without abilities, tracking criminals would've been a breeze. He envied detectives from that era.
Ever since mana flooded in, you couldn't act on even the strongest suspicions recklessly.
You personally witness a murder scene and arrest the perp, only to find out it was a body-manipulation ability user. That kind of thing happened all too often.
Electrokinesis users fry all electronics like CCTV doesn't exist, then leisurely rob the place.
They think their alibi's solid, but turns out they're a cloning ability user.
You spot someone fleeing the murder scene, report it, and catch them—only it's a shapeshifter disguised as a stranger.
Too many variables.
Sure, the Association registered abilities in a database, but you never knew the full extent.
An ability to control a cup of water suddenly manipulates an entire pond. That happened constantly.
Stealth, invisibility, shapeshifting, shrinking, ability copying, and more.
With all these perfect framing abilities floating around, jumping to conclusions meant eating a reversal nine times out of ten.
Regular crimes were one thing, but this was a superhuman crime escalated to the Association. You always had to keep possibilities open.
"Still, she's our top suspect. We need to keep eyes on her."
"Shall I assign someone?"
"No."
He stubbed out the nearly burned cigarette in the ashtray and rose from his chair.
"I'll go myself."
He knew a guy at the school anyway.
Just pack some gifts, and it'd be fine.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "No way the Academy database had nothing on her..."
[Heh, hehehe. Slipped my mind...]
Normally, he'd be furious right about now.
How could a student with zero info get admitted? Suspicious as hell. He'd chew her out for that.
...But maybe she's still hung up on that incident. The thought crossed his mind unbidden.
So he couldn't bring himself to scold Writer-nim harshly.
[But I added it now, so it should be fine, right?]
"Yeah, sure. Probably."
Besides, his own backstory didn't matter. Not the point.
"Anyway, what are you planning for the next month?"
[Hmm, not sure. What incident should I kick off...?]
A way bigger problem had cropped up. Time until finals was wide open.
After finals came summer break event, second semester start, and so on—no breathing room there.
But how to fill this dead air of nearly a month?
Writer-nim skipping it outright felt awkward.
Needed an incident, but nothing major felt right to burn yet.
As he brainstormed future plot with Writer-nim, Claire's voice called out.
"Ah, there you are. Arte, you free right now?"
"...Yeah, but what's up so suddenly?"
"An old friend of mine wants to see you. Said he has something to say."
"Old friend?"
"...Might feel a bit sketchy, but don't worry. It'll be fine."
[Ooh, incident incoming...!]
Writer-nim's delighted voice echoed in his ears.
...Old friend? Of Claire's?
Unease washed over him. Claire was a retired famous hero, per the setting.
Her old friend? Smelled like trouble brewing.
Should be thrilled if an incident popped up. But he couldn't just blindly celebrate.
...Wish nothing happened.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Nice to meet you, miss. Name's Lee Ha-yul, from the Association's superhuman crime division."
"Arte Isis."
"Good. ...We can drop the formalities, right?"
"Sure. Whatever you're comfortable with."
"Straight to the point, then. ...What went down at that lodge?"
Of course.
Figured it'd feel off somehow.
Superhuman crime this, that—been expecting it since the topic came up.
Here it comes.
"If I say I know nothing, would you believe me?"
"Haha. Funny joke. Think I'd buy it?"
"No."
"Right. Then you know what I'll say next."
Like he didn't.
Hell, felt a bit late, honestly.
Threads he hadn't grabbed while fleeing the hideout in a rush.
One of the Exploration Club members who went up to the lodge.
Spider drawing in Übermensch's hideout matching his ability.
With clues like that, he'd have doubted the world's law enforcement if they hadn't shown up.
...Personally hoped they'd be a tad incompetent.
"Lee Ha-yul. Are you threatening my student? You said it'd just be a talk."
"Just talking, see? Not threatening. Your overprotectiveness hasn't changed, Claire."
"Arte's my student. Watch yourself."
"Yes, yes."
Claire hurriedly jumped into the conversation.
Hmm. Grateful for the concern, but this guy's probably here about the hideout Cube Steak incident.
My actions kinda made him feel bad now.
"So, Arte. The Association sees you as a suspect."
"...Why tell me that?"
"Warning. Don't do anything stupid, or it'll get dangerous. That's why I'm here today."
"Lee Ha-yul!"
"Got it, got it. I'm leaving now."
He flashed her a soft smile as Claire all but shoved her out.
"Thanks for the concern, but it won't help much."
"...Is that so?"
"Yeah. I'm not the culprit."
"Ah, Arte... Right! My student's no culprit! Out you go! Hurry!"
She trudged out with a sour look, pushed by Claire, and he watched her leave the room and the school.
Yeah. I'm not the culprit. She'll know why tonight.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 📰 Breaking News Next up: Recently, hundreds of villains met a gruesome end at a villain organization's hideout. The suspect in that case has been apprehended. The suspect is... "What the fuck."
Lee Ha-yul stared blankly at the TV.
...Caught?
The culprit?
Suddenly, the smirking expression of the student he'd met today flashed in his mind.
The perp on TV was a man in his late thirties, looking nothing like her.