Chapter 47
Hero Preparatory School.
The sprawling promenade that encircled the campus. Vice Principal Park Cheolyeong and Investigation instructor Yun Jeongseop were strolling along the promenade.
“How are things?”
“Not bad.”
“Truly clear-cut. Well, I like that about you. People who talk too much are tiring, you know. But...”
“...?”
“You seem to be deep in thought lately. Do you have something you want to say to me?”
At that question, Yun Jeongseop carefully opened his mouth.
“Using the cadets... bothers me a little.”
“Using them, you say... I see. You might think that. But tell me... What does it matter whether you use a bow or a gun to hit the target?”
“What?”
“Or what does it matter whether you drink soda or coffee to quench your thirst?”
“...”
“If your concern is a matter of ethics and conscience, then we are sailing quite correctly. We haven't shed anyone's blood, nor have we stolen money. Am I wrong?”
“...No.”
“Tsk, you think too much. If you doubt where we're going, look at the signpost ahead. Then you'll remember what you'll gain once you reach your destination.”
What one gains after reaching the destination. Yun Jeongseop chewed on those words and fell silent. Park Cheolyeong looked back at the main building, which had drawn near, and said, “We walked leisurely, but we're already here. I'll go ahead then. You don't have to report tomorrow. It's my son's birthday.”
“...”
Park Cheolyeong left the promenade alone. Yun Jeongseop lingered blankly until his retreating figure disappeared. The words he had heard from a brazen cadet suddenly came to mind.
“A loyal tool...”
***
Saturday, a day after the incident in District 27.
I was sweating in the Hall of Endurance, a facility equipped for physical training.
“What's with the Phantom Thief in this day and age? He's going to get cut down by the Special Affairs Division.”
“There's no need to be so pessimistic. He's a Phantom Thief because he looks similar, but he's actually a hero who saved people.”
“Exactly! Plus, he instantly dealt with a Golem that even Lee Eunho couldn't handle. A Phantom Thief using a sword in this era of firearms, isn't that cool? I think it's cool. Well, that's just me.”
“I heard rumors that that amazing sword is Platium. That's why he dealt with the Poisonous Golem so easily.”
“Crazy! That sword is Platium?!”
“Yeah, a hyung I know is in Blackcastle. He said it looks like the same material as Guild Master Chang's sword.”
The cadets chattered about the rumors concerning the Phantom Thief yesterday. One of them curtly cut them off.
“Stop BS-ing and pick up a tool. You need to pick up at least one more to get into Blackcastle.”
“Why are you so displeased?”
“Displeased? I just don't believe it. Someone carrying metal that can't be traded with earthly goods and wearing a Phantom Thief's cloak just happened to pass through a shantytown and hunted a giant Golem? Hmph, it's clearly corporate marketing or a political ploy. I don't have time to play along with such things.”
Various opinions about the Phantom Thief. However, most reactions were explosive. He was not only in the media all day, but combat videos with the Poisonous Golem were shared millions of times on various social media platforms.
Moreover, this morning, Dispel's Commissioner General himself held a press conference, fearing a resurgence of Phantom Thief copycat crimes, and residents present at the scene passionately claimed to the media that it was indeed the real Phantom Thief.
Although the episode changed, the existence of the Phantom Thief had spread widely, as I intended.
“More than necessary, actually...”
I had intended it, but the development wasn't entirely favorable. Unlike the original story, I had saved Park Chaeshin.
Dispel, which had cleaned up the crime scene yesterday, announced that the Psychic Mafia Camellia had murdered Park Chaeshin.
Cha Yeri, who belatedly arrived at the scene, presented several opinions based on the lack of evidence, but they were vaguely rejected.
Even Hyeonseong Group's heir couldn't overcome the influence of the Special Affairs Division in an incident suspected to involve a Demonic Being. Conversely, the falsely accused Camellia would believe that the Phantom Thief had dealt with Park Chaeshin.
They would probably forget about the Hero Prep cadets who disrupted their plans and chase the unknown individual.
I obtained this information from a quite reliable source. As a probationary investigator in the Special Affairs Division, I was sharing information lines via my smartphone.
-22: Labyrinth Exploration Team scheduled to arrive next week.
-23: Outpost in Gapyeong attacked by monsters.
-24: U.S. Secretary of State wishes to observe the Spring Scholastic War.
...
Information that read like an condensed plot summary of a novel. If I were greedy, I'd want to just extract information without getting involved in Special Affairs Division matters, but due to the help I received yesterday, I might soon be called in for troublesome tasks. The Special Affairs Division was always short-staffed, after all.
However, how Baek Dojun would perceive the Phantom Thief was a question. He wouldn't just leave alone a criminal follower who had caused such a significant stir in the Awakened world... Could he suspect that I was the Phantom Thief? Or was he conducting an investigation so secretly that he wouldn't even clue in a probationary officer...?
It was best to refrain from unnecessary actions until a clear reaction occurred. Trying to comprehend Baek Dojun with a mediocre mind would only lead to a headache.
I stopped the stepmill machine I had been on for a long time. It was an apparatus that allowed one to run stairs at a considerably fast pace, and it seemed not bad for simply building stamina.
[Stamina increases by 0.1.]
With an additional 0.1, my stamina was now 4.6. To avoid being carried during tactical training, I would need at least 8. I took a short break and picked up the water bottle next to me. Then, I made eye contact with the group of cadets who had been chattering about the Phantom Thief just moments ago, and a rather ominous atmosphere emanated from their disdainful sneers. Sure enough, they started openly badmouthing me.
“That bastard got extorted by local thugs.”
“Oh, the Countdown? Some trashy thing is just disgracing Hero Prep.”
“That's what social care beneficiaries are like. Anyway, if you listen to the seniors, all the social care beneficiaries drop out in the first semester.”
“But that bastard has quite a lot of points. Frankly speaking, even if all of us combined, we wouldn't beat him.”
“What? What kind of bastard is he, anyway?”
“Hey, what's wrong with collecting points and attending for one or two more semesters? He'll just end up as a Guard, serving Hunters anyway. Tell him to practice shooting hard while he's still wearing a cadet uniform.”
“He doesn't hold a gun.”
“...What? Does he use magic, despite himself?”
“No, he's taking Weaponry Skills; he uses a sword.”
“This is crazy! What kind of hybrid is he?”
A Guard who serves Hunters. In this world, it was a common derogatory term for the most useless Awakened beings. Because Hunters would have no need for Guards. I didn't care what they chattered about. They were just cute little characters existing in my story. Of course, if given the chance, I would mercilessly deal with them.
“Shall I run again?”
I quenched my thirst and got back on the stepmill machine. But at that moment, my smartwatch vibrated.
-Investigation Division Do Minyeong: You didn't forget we're doing our group assignment at White Bottle today, did you?
“...”
There was no way I could forget. It had just been pushed aside by other thoughts for a moment. I had about 30 minutes until the meeting time. I ended up packing my bags and heading to the shower room, but then my smartwatch vibrated again.
-Count 5: ‘70205’s external activities and award records were fabricated.
It was the fifth Countdown. This time, the content of the exposure was the same as in the original story. It was an exposure that would prick the conscience of some of Hero Prep's well-bred children, but it wasn't a matter for me to care about. It wasn't a matter to care about, yet...
Suddenly, an unsettling sensation crawled up my spine, and then my wrist vibrated once more.
-Combat Division Cha Yeri: Cooperation call. Convenience store in front of the main gate. Right now.
***
Two days ago, the convenience store in front of the main gate where Cha Yeri and I had our secret conversation. As I opened the door and entered, Cha Yeri greeted me with a slightly displeased expression. To be precise, she was leaning against a table by the window in a slouchy manner, with a lollipop in her mouth.
“You came quickly.”
She usually maintained a concept like a noble young lady within the school... No, she was indeed a noble young lady. Anyway, it was a deadly sight to be caught by other cadets. Cha Yeri, the heir of Hyeonseong Group, with junk food in her mouth, standing with one leg bent, and cursing with her eyes? Anyone who followed her would probably have a seizure if they saw her. Well, it was Saturday, when most people went off-campus, and the convenience store was usually quiet anyway, so she seemed to be letting her guard down.
“Yeah, someone rushed me.”
I naturally took out a sparkling coffee from the beverage section and paid for it.
CLICK.
FIZZZ.
The subtly addictive sound of carbonation. I then took a sip of the pungent drink from the can and approached Cha Yeri.
“Ugh, first time seeing that.”
“What?”
“Someone drinking that.”
What was that bug-like expression?
“...Why don't you get to the point instead of looking for trouble?”
“Before that, there's something I want to ask you.”
Cha Yeri placed her smartphone on the table. Immediately, light radiated from the screen, and photos of Park Chaeshin's bunker interior, taken after the Golem was hunted, were displayed.
“Even nominally, if you're an Investigation cadet, you'd know. Where does this look like a murder scene?”
“If you want to argue, go argue with Dispel.”
“Weren't you with Park Chaeshin until the end? Considering the Psychic Mafia's activity time, it's physically impossible for the culprit to have cleaned the interior and escaped with the corpse.”
She was persistent. Clearly, if I couldn't convince her with a plausible reason, she would continue to press me.
“That senior might have left the bunker. Dispel might have found clues outside the bunker.”
“You know yourself that's nonsense, don't you?”
“What are you trying to say? Are you implying I did something to Park Chaeshin?”
“Thinking that...”
Cha Yeri unnaturally stopped speaking. A look in her eyes suggested she had something to say. She then maintained silence by putting the candy she was holding back into her mouth.
“...”
In the silence, she stared intently at me. As if she was interrogating me.
“Why?”
“Nothing, I just want to open your head and peek into your thoughts.”
“That's creepy.”
“I'm serious.”
For a moment, the unsettling feeling I had earlier crawled up my spine again. So, that's what it was, huh? A 'what if' scenario I had forgotten suddenly resurfaced. Cha Yeri might know that I was the Phantom Thief. Given her excessively quick wit as a character, it wouldn't be strange if she already knew.
However, the reason she wasn't making it public bothered me. The incident at the exhibition, for example. And this incident too. Was she trying to get leverage over me?
It was in her nature to get what she wanted by bringing up others' weaknesses. But then again, maybe it was a simple reason. The existence of the inventory. She probably hadn't found physical evidence of how I hid the cloak and sword. Whatever it was, the fact that I was under Cha Yeri's surveillance wouldn't change.
I deliberately composed my face to make an excuse. But Cha Yeri's lollipop left her lips first.
“Never mind, given your personality, you wouldn't answer easily anyway.”
“...I'm not answering because there's nothing to answer.”
Cha Yeri ignored my words and operated her smartphone. Then, several photos reappeared. It was a scene from Outdoor Shooting Range No. 2. The place where Park Oseok and Lee Eunho had an intense battle during the entrance ceremony.
“In the current situation, it's highly likely that someone on campus who has Park Oseok's smartwatch is the exposer.”
“Seems so.”
“There are blind spots in the shooting range, so there are variables, but the person who picked up the smartwatch among the entrants would be the exposer.”
“That would be right.”
Cha Yeri brought up and magnified the shooting range entry log from the photos.
“A total of 431 people entered Outdoor Shooting Range No. 2 after the entrance ceremony. I've filtered out those who might have had a motive for the exposure, in my own way. Roughly 30 people.”
“You're not suggesting we monitor those people during the few remaining days, are you?”
“Do you have a better method?”
“Everyone's talking about the Phantom Thief; wouldn't this kind of exposure be forgotten quickly?”
“Don't say such convenient things. Do you want to keep being ridiculed for getting beaten up by delinquents?”
I had no response. For Cha Yeri, who valued her reputation above all else, this matter was incredibly important.
“But what about the Student Council President and Lee Eunho?”
“Press interviews, regarding yesterday's incident.”
“...Why are you here, then? I was unconscious all along, but you weren't.”
“I fled, because there's something more important. No need to ramble on about the Phantom Thief either.”
“...”
Was she continually bringing up the Phantom Thief to test me? Enthralled by the Phantom Thief to the point of buying an MA6, yet saying there was no need to talk about it. Cha Yeri picked up her smartphone and continued.
“Anyway, let me know how things progress.”
“Wait, you're not telling me to do this alone, are you?”
“I am. I can't move, can I?”
“Why? We're already short on time.”
“Well, if I move, it's like admitting to the exposure.”
“Then what about me?”
“You don't seem to have much to lose.”
“...”
She was brazenly ordering me around... I had momentarily forgotten. Cha Yeri was the overlord of overlords in this Seoul. She subtly smirked, as if mocking my sullen expression.
“Then I'll leave it to you, Cadet Ji Seokhyeon.”