Chapter 89 : Chapter 89
Chapter 89
Tuesday.
In the storage lockers on the first-floor lobby, which I checked before leaving the dormitory, the Phantom Thief’s cloak had been placed inside.
Of course, Cha Yeri must have put it there, but I still had no way of knowing what she was thinking.
If she were acting like her original character, she should have been showing me hostility and trying to get revenge somehow……
Why was she suddenly doing something like this?
Had she voluntarily paid up before I found it myself?
“She is not the type to feel pressured by something like that.”
Inside the locker, there was also a pile of letters.
Every single one of them was either asking to interview me or trying to recruit me for some kind of media appearance.
Considering that a probationary investigator of the Special Affairs Division and a Hero Prep cadet with the Demonic Eye kept making incidents wherever he went, it made sense that I had become a spectacle.
For once, I felt grateful for the shelter called Hero Prep.
“Interest in this world tends to be poison most of the time.”
In any case, I dragged my disheveled body—made a mess by training with An Hwigom—to lectures.
Tuesday was the day of tactical training class.
Normally, it was the lecture I dreaded the most, but today would be the last time I had to suffer through it.
Because the semester would end next week.
“As I announced last time, the schedule for next week’s end-of-semester tactical evaluation has been finalized.”
After class ended, Shooting Instructor Oh Hyeokmin gathered the cadets and made the announcement.
As usual, he was raising his voice with earnest enthusiasm.
As an aside, if there was anyone in this setting who seemed utterly unbothered by the world, it might have been Oh Hyeokmin.
“We leave on Monday, and due to the itinerary, it will end on Thursday. As you all know, the end-of-semester tactical evaluation is a substitute assignment for the end-of-semester evaluation. It is also a stage where you prove in practice what you have honed throughout the semester. Therefore, the team that achieves the best results in training will receive an enormous number of points. And the opposite, of course, will be the worst outcome.”
At the phrase “an enormous number of points,” my head turned toward Do Minyeong, who was sitting far away.
Sure enough, she looked quite serious.
It was not as though earning points would matter with her record blocked, but in the original work, Do Minyeong took first place in this tactical evaluation and, for some reason, secured her record.
Well, strictly speaking, she ended up in the same team as Lee Eunho and essentially “had the victory taken” by him.
“The day after training ends, on Friday, the closing ceremony is scheduled. If you do not have enough points to register for next semester by then, you will be expelled according to regulations. So treat this tactical evaluation as your last chance and throw yourselves into it.”
I had more than enough points.
I had collected a tidy sum early in the semester through the Mystery Club.
“Lastly, I will announce the randomly assigned team composition. Everyone, check your smartwatches.”
At Oh Hyeokmin’s words, my wrist buzzed.
Along with the other cadets, I lowered my head and checked the message that appeared.
Team 78: Ji Seokhyeon (Team Leader), Do Minyeong, Gwon Chihun
A combination that promised a brutal journey.
The problem was that Do Minyeong was here, even though she should have been on the same team as Lee Eunho, and the team leader who had to keep those two in line was me.
“I am screwed.”
***
Dispel Headquarters in Seoul's District 2.
Today, a commendation ceremony was scheduled for the students who had distinguished themselves in last weekend’s expedition incident.
Representative students from each academy that had participated in the expedition gathered at headquarters, and as expected, Hero Prep was represented by Lee Eunho.
“There is still some time before the ceremony begins, so please wait here for the moment.”
By the consideration of a headquarters staff member, Lee Eunho was given a waiting room to himself.
Part of him thought it might not be bad to mingle with students from other academies, but it was not as though he disliked this consideration either.
It was simply burdensome, because it was obvious that everyone was putting on a performance just to leave an impression on him.
‘Did I come a bit early?’
Rather than sitting on the sofa, Lee Eunho paced around the waiting room, sinking into thought.
When he was alone, he tended to spend long stretches lost in idle contemplation.
Hero Preparatory School, the incident in Gangneung thirteen years ago, the Demonic Being Gen he had recently made contact with, and Ji Seokhyeon…….
Among those, the one who plagued him the most was, as always, Ji Seokhyeon.
He had known Ji Seokhyeon possessed the Demonic Eye, but he had never imagined that he had become a probationary investigator of the Special Affairs Division.
It did make Ji Seokhyeon’s suspicious behavior up to now easier to accept, yet Lee Eunho still could not understand what he was truly after.
‘What on earth is he hiding?’
While Lee Eunho was absorbed in thought, someone knocked lightly on the waiting room door.
“May I come in?”
The person who opened the door and entered was the same headquarters staff member who had guided him to the room earlier.
In the staff member’s hands was a tray holding drinks.
It seemed they were distributing beverages to the students who were waiting.
As expected, the staff member asked Lee Eunho what he wanted to drink, and Lee Eunho answered flatly.
“Anything.”
The staff member set a can down on the table and did not move.
As if there was something he wanted to say.
Lee Eunho looked at the staff member, then his gaze dropped to the can on the table.
It was carbonated coffee—so unpopular that it was not even sold for business use.
“…….”
Even more surprising was that the can’s ring pull had already been twisted open.
Lee Eunho turned his eyes back to the staff member, half on guard.
But the staff member was gone, and in his place stood someone with a face identical to Lee Eunho’s.
“Anything, you say…… What this body demanded was not just anything. It was the mana of Investigation Cadet Ji Seokhyeon.”
Not only the appearance, but even the voice was identical.
Lee Eunho instinctively stepped back and clenched a dagger-sized mass of electricity in his hand.
“Gen……!”
Only then did he understand what the empty can of carbonated coffee meant.
Last weekend, instead of Ji Seokhyeon’s mana, he had handed Gen’s Ghoul a can filled with his own mana.
Lee Eunho had always viewed Demonic Beings negatively, so he had never intended to engage in a real deal.
From the start, he had planned to take the information and then cut ties.
He had simply needed to hand over someone’s mana to deceive the other party, and in keeping with his nature, he had offered his own.
If he had known Gen could change forms, he would not have attempted it at all, but it was too late for regret.
“Since you came to Dispel Headquarters on your own feet, you will not complain even if you die like this.”
“You greet someone who came to report a defect in the delivered goods with such an attitude.”
“As if I would care about business ethics in a deal with a Demonic Being.”
“Well, I have not been dealing with humans for just a day or two. I expected this much. Still, you are the milder kind. Thanks to this, I now know exactly what sort of person you are, so it is not as though I lost everything.”
“What……?”
“Besides, if I meant to punish you, I did not need to come all the way here. I already have that body in my hands.”
“…….”
Gen’s imitation of Lee Eunho’s appearance was nearly perfect.
If he caused trouble while wearing Lee Eunho’s face, Lee Eunho might have ended up staying in Muspel rather than standing in Dispel Headquarters.
“I came here to make you a proposal. If you handle one task properly, I will tell you everything about what happened in Gangneung, without leaving out a single detail.”
“I said I have no interest in dealing with a Demonic Being.”
“It is not a deal. It is a one-sided request. It will not be bad for you either.”
Lee Eunho hesitated.
Not because he was wavering about Gen’s condition, but because he was debating how to deal with Gen.
Would it be better to paralyze him with electricity and hand him over to the Special Affairs Division?
Or should he burn the body away right here?
Either way, stripping that face off and revealing the true form came first.
Lee Eunho began releasing the electricity he held in a violent surge.
A voltage that would leave most awakened beings unable to recover even their bones the moment it touched the skin……
As Lee Eunho measured the distance with his eyes, Gen spoke a sentence he had never expected.
“I want you to kill a Demonic Being.”
***
Camellia, the Psychic Mafia composed of members from East Asia.
And the “big house,” the base where Camellia’s boss, Ooyama Jiro, stayed.
The mansion-like building of Camellia, located on the outskirts of Seoul, was commonly called the big house.
There was no special meaning. It was simply because it was a big building, and because Boss Ooyama referred to himself as a “big brother,” so the name stuck.
All the mafia under Big Brother Ooyama were his “little brothers,” and there was no strict hierarchy like a set of formal ranks.
Rather, influence within the organization was determined by how long one had been in the group, how great one’s achievements were, or how devoted one was to supporting Ooyama.
Thus, a rolling stone like the Demonic Being Allie could become Ooyama’s right hand, and an elder mafia who had dedicated his entire life to the organization could lose his head over a single mistake.
One might expect the mafia within the organization to resent such a flexible hierarchy, but instead, blinded by the hope that they could seize power in a short time, they often displayed remarkable loyalty.
That, too, was only possible because of Big Brother Ooyama’s overwhelming strength and because there were no factions within the organization……
“Hmm, so Hero Prep is leaving for the tactical evaluation?”
The Demonic Being Allie’s honeyed words were gradually creating cracks within Camellia.
“Yes. It will be a perfect opportunity to pay them back for what we suffered in District 27.”
“That is right, Allie. Even if we cannot catch the Phantom Thief, we can deal with the little rats from Hero Prep who ruined things back then.”
The operation to capture the alchemist Park Chaeshin in District 27.
At the time, because the Phantom Thief had appeared out of nowhere and brought down the Poisonous Golem, they had been forced to swallow massive losses.
“Their names were probably…….”
“Yu Hyeonjeong, Lee Eunho, Cha Yeri, and Ji Seokhyeon.”
“Ah, yes. That flashy one was the most troublesome. If we leave him alone, he will surely grow into something big later. It would not be bad to cut him down while we have the chance.”
The place where Ooyama and Allie were speaking was a large conference room.
Today was the day of the organization’s regular meeting, where important decisions were made, and the mafia members already holding key roles were kneeling around Ooyama, listening.
Because only those two were speaking unilaterally, no one could cut in, but one mafia member who found Allie’s insistence displeasing cautiously raised his voice.
“Big Brother…….”
“Hm.”
“No matter what, would it not be too much to attack Hero Prep directly?”
“What?”
“Revenge is fine, but I thought we should also read the room. Among those cadets, there is Hyeonseong Group's heir, and even if he is only a probationary investigator, there is a Special Affairs Division investigator as well. And since the garage incident became such a topic, even the businesses that were barely running have closed their doors…….”
The mafia member hurriedly stopped speaking when Ooyama’s expression turned sour.
If one followed the political situation of awakened society, the mafia member was correct, but it was advice unworthy of Ooyama’s pride.
“So you are saying I should cower and watch those bastards’ faces!”
“I-I am sorry! I spoke out of turn!”
The conference room’s mood turned vicious in an instant.
Ever since Allie had appeared within Camellia, meetings had proceeded like this every time.
The mafia added commentary, Ooyama exploded, and in the end, everything was decided according to Allie’s will—meetings rendered meaningless.
Most of the mafia members resented it, but they could not express it properly.
Not only because they feared Ooyama, but because they had realized that Allie was a more cunning figure than he was.
“Do not get so angry. It is not entirely wrong.”
“What? Allie, even you…….”
“It is true that now is a time to catch our breath. But I do not think we need to shrink back completely. If we act too meek, will not Dispel and the other mafias look down on us?”
“Yes! That is exactly what I mean!”
“And besides, all we have to do is make sure no one finds out it was us, do we not?”
Allie looked toward the mafia member who had spoken and continued.
“The incident at the garage happened only because the black box was found, right? If it were not for such a basic mistake, who would have expected that we were the ones behind it?”
“Yes. If not for some idiots making a mistake like that.”
“Leave this to me. I will produce results worthy of Camellia’s reputation.”
To Ooyama’s ears, it was a deeply satisfying proposal.
Instead of nodding, he answered by threatening the mafia members looking up at him.
“Now you understand, so back off! If anyone dares to interfere with Allie over something ridiculous, you will pay the price!”
A threat like the roar of a massive beast.
Ooyama rose from his seat and turned his back on the mafia.
Allie followed immediately, and the mafia members filled with resentment stared at Allie’s back.
In that razor-edged atmosphere of biting and being bitten, a young mafia member suddenly spoke.
“E-excuse me!”
A voice that held not even a fistful of the grit one expected from a mafia member.
Ooyama turned his head sharply in irritation.
Then he saw the owner of the voice.
“I want to…… participate in this plan.”
It was Choi Jaejin, the mafia member from Hero Prep.