Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: An Unwelcome Visit
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“That’s blood!”
“What on earth were you doing?”
“Ah! Th-this is just a nosebleed, so please don't worry about it.”
Haon answered hesitantly, hiding her hands behind her back.
“Dr. Eun.”
“Yes?”
Startled by the voice from behind her, she whipped her head around to see Hunter standing there with her arms crossed.
*Ah, right! She said there were four Heroes.*
Haon mumbled to herself, unable to meet Hunter's gaze as she averted her eyes.
“We need to talk.”
“O-okay. I had something I wanted to talk about, too. Please, have a seat… here?”
“…?”
River couldn't hide her bewilderment at Haon's meek voice and restless gestures.
When they'd come to arrest Gowon, she had witnessed a change in Haon, just as the rumors said, but it hadn't been this messy and listless.
Hunter only glanced at the sofa, not daring to sit down.
Seeing no reaction from the Heroes, Haon grew anxious and hurriedly brought out drinks and snacks.
Her steps were frantic and her hands trembled so much that the tray tilted, threatening to spill everything.
“Oh! Be caref… ul…”
River snatched the tray just in time and caught Haon as well, then froze.
The other Heroes stared at River in surprise, but the most surprised person was Haon herself.
“Th-thank you.”
“…”
As if she were a malfunctioning machine, River stiffly placed the tray on the table and then looked down at her own hands.
It was something she'd done unconsciously, seeing in that moment how utterly defenseless Eun Haon seemed.
Like instinctively catching a child who was about to fall.
Hunter was the only one who sat across from Haon.
River stood behind Haon, while the other two Heroes stood behind Hunter. Their movements were so natural it was as if they had planned it beforehand.
Haon offered one of the four glasses of orange juice on the table to River behind her, then awkwardly withdrew her hand and asked.
“W-would you like something else? I have coffee and cola─”
“What is wrong with you? You're making it look like we're bullying you!”
“River.”
Unable to bear the awkwardness and embarrassment any longer, River finally snapped, earning a short reprimand from Hunter.
Seeing Haon shrink back even more from her outburst, River felt like she was going crazy and clamped her mouth shut.
Haon felt like she was dying, too.
*This is the first time I'm meeting Heroes without Juyeol…*
It was hard enough dealing with four strangers, but four Heroes at once? She hadn't even been this nervous when she first met her thesis advisor.
“…I'd like to have that conversation now.”
“Oh, yes!”
Haon looked up at Hunter's words.
“We already know you're the one who created the short-term Awakening Potion.”
“What?”
“I heard you said you wouldn't take any more manufacturing requests from Villains. Was it because you found an easier way to make money?”
“…What?”
“I get it. Dealing with those Villain bastards can be a real pain.”
Hunter said in a casual tone.
Flustered, Haon couldn't bring herself to speak. Technically, she hadn't created it, but it wasn't like they were in any mood to believe her.
“I-I'm not the one who distributed it.”
“So you have a partner? It seems the Villains are calling the potion deliverymen 'Phantoms'.”
“That's not it, I never intended to distribute such a dangerous drug in the first place! And I know who did!”
“You know who Phantom is?”
“Not exactly, but I know the person who's using those deliverymen.”
Hunter's eyes narrowed. She didn't seem to believe Haon, but she remained silent, as if to say, *go on*.
Haon swallowed nervously, leaned forward, and whispered in a tiny voice.
“It was Halo.”
“…”
“…By any chance, is there an Awakened who can detect lies?”
“I've often wished for an Awakened like that myself. But why do you think it's Halo?”
“Well.”
Haon hesitated, fumbling for words. Answering this would be admitting that she had created the potion.
No matter what she said, they would think she was the creator, but the feeling of admitting to something she hadn't done was truly unfair and miserable.
“…Halo invested in the Awakening Potion research. She knows the formula, so she's probably hired another scientist to keep refining it.”
Hunter fell silent as if lost in thought, then asked.
“How can we believe you've split with Halo?”
“Because I found a way to nullify the potion!”
“Clever.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Haon gave an awkward smile, and the Heroes standing behind Hunter exchanged strange looks.
Hunter also stared at Haon with a slightly confused expression before speaking.
“Selling the Awakening Potion to Villains, and then selling the means to nullify it to Hero Headquarters? Isn't that a rather classic scheme?”
“What? N-no, that's not it at all…!”
It was a suspicion she hadn't even considered.
Classic? Did things like that happen so frequently here?
Only then did Haon realize that "clever" had been meant sarcastically.
“How about this? I have a few prototypes. I'll just give them to you. Take them, try them on Villains who've used the potion, and let me know how it goes. You don't have to pay me!”
At that, Hunter showed her suspicion openly for the first time. It was a look of complete disbelief.
Growing desperate, Haon shot up from the sofa. She felt a wave of dizziness, but it was bearable.
“I-I understand you don't believe me. Then, please wait just a moment. I'll go get the prototypes.”
“Where do you think you're going!”
As she tried to step toward the elevator, River roughly grabbed her arm.
“I'm not trying to run away, I'm just going to get the p-prototypes I made.”
“Not alone. How can we let you go by yourself when you might run or bring back a dangerous weapon?”
“River's right, Dr. Eun. You have to understand. I'll go with you.”
As Hunter also stood up at those words, Haon's head spun.
The prototypes for the Awakening nullification patch were in the fifth-floor lab. The very same lab where research on the Dimension Gate was in full swing.
If they discovered the rows of Awakening Spheres, they would surely be confiscated.
“P-please, just rest here. I'll be right back.”
“Don't you know you're only making yourself more suspicious?”
“I know I look suspicious, but it's true…!”
The more she struggled in her panic, the more the Heroes' expressions hardened. A glance at their faces told her she must look incredibly suspicious to them now.
Just then, Blue spread its wings wide and chirped.
[Haon! A most welcome guest has arrived!]
“…!”
Feeling as if a rope had been lowered from the heavens, Haon whipped her head toward the entrance.
As Dr. Eun's expression suddenly brightened, the Heroes also turned to look in the same direction, their eyes full of suspicion.
Then, they saw someone sauntering in with a delinquent's gait and couldn't believe their eyes.
“…Ghost?”
“A most welcome guest?”
“Juyeol! Welcome!”
“Juyeol?”
The Heroes were stunned to hear Haon call Ghost's name so warmly and welcomingly.
The moment their eyes met, Haon felt the tension that had stiffened her shoulders melt away.
Seeing her friend's face after so long was all the more reassuring and welcome.
Smiling brightly, she tried to approach him, but River wouldn't let go of her arm.
“P-please let go.”
“Did you call him?”
“What?”
“Tell the truth, Dr. Eun. Why are you approaching Ghost?”
“W-we're friends?”
“Friends? You're not trying to lure Ghost into villainy or find out information about Hero Headquarters?”
Haon looked up at River with a wronged expression.
If she wanted to know something about Hero Headquarters, she could just hack their servers. Why would she go to all that trouble?
Listening to River's accusations, the back of her neck tingled and her head throbbed, causing her legs to feel weak.
Meanwhile, Juyeol strode over, only to be stopped by Hunter's outstretched arm.
He showed no surprise at seeing Heroes in the lab.
“What is this?”
He asked with a frown, and Hunter whispered lowly.
“I believe I warned you not to get tangled up in anything complicated.”
“Does this look complicated to you? Move before things get even more complicated.”
He pushed Hunter's arm aside and walked over to Haon.
“Hey. Can you fix something for me right now?”
He then unceremoniously shoved River's hand away and turned Haon to face him as he asked.
River's expression twisted, but he didn't even glance at her.
Haon nodded, her eyes wide with surprise.
In that moment, her vision suddenly spun.
“Huh, why am I…”
As she wondered why the world was spinning, her body tilted to the side.
The last thing she saw in her blurring vision was Juyeol's hardened face.