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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: An Irresistible Offer
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"...This is it."
Hayul looked at the deserted alleyway.
An alley so dark, not only was there no sign of life, but she could barely see what was in front of her. A world apart from the city whose dazzling nightscape stung her eyes in the distance. She stepped into such a place, questioning it.
"Why is no one here? The place is strange. ...What is this?"
This was definitely the place.
The place she'd been sent to, even having her urgently granted vacation recalled by her superiors due to an urgent matter.
They'd given her a vacation specifically to keep her away from the field, only to call her back. Her irritation was about to explode, but she managed to suppress it and came to the designated location, only to find this.
There was nothing, not even a single soul. Shouldn't there be someone to explain things?
...She had a hunch. Something was here.
"Huuuu... Haaah..."
To calm her mind and body, she pulled out a cigarette and put it to her lips.
From her experience dealing with countless superhuman crimes, if she suddenly felt uneasy, she always had to be thoroughly prepared. Even if there was something she hadn't consciously noticed, it meant her subconscious had picked up on something suspicious through past experiences.
"To feel such an unsettling sensation at a location designated by headquarters. What on earth..."
"As expected of an investigator, your instincts are sharp, aren't they? You remind me of Siwoo."
"?!"
There had definitely been no sign of anyone!
The moment she heard the voice, Hayul pushed off with her legs and took a deep breath, ready to escape the place. Whoever it was, to speak to her in such a place, without a single trace of their presence... it was utterly suspicious.
She had to subdue them immediately and find out what was going on...!
"Oh dear, don't move. If you move any more... you'll die?"
"...Hah, damn it."
Cold sweat trickled down her back.
Through the smoke of the cigarette she was smoking, she saw thin threads. The threads were spread out as if to envelop her. To others, they would just look like ordinary threads.
But she knew. If she moved any more, she would truly die.
She had seen these threads many times. She had stared at them intently before her vacation, so there was no way she wouldn't remember.
They were Arachne's threads.
Damn it. If only she'd had a little more time!
Then these pathetic threads wouldn't even be able to touch her. It was clear that if she showed even the slightest hint of suspicion, her neck would be snapped in an instant.
...It's over.
"...Didn't Arachne only kill villains? Hah, this is why villains are like this. What can you expect from people who'll do anything if things go wrong..."
Was she an annoyance to them?
She had thought it would be dangerous to chase Arachne, but she hadn't expected retaliation to come when the pursuit had stopped.
Damn it, am I going to die here? Claire's voice, always nagging her, suddenly came to mind. She was always so noisy, telling her to stop doing dangerous things every day. She'd casually dismissed her worries that the incident where she lost her old colleague and friend might happen again, telling her not to worry.
...She'll cry her eyes out again. Damn it. She had promised not to make her cry anymore.
"Hello, Investigator. Long time no see?"
*Thump, thump.*
Because it was a silent, deserted alley, the footsteps sounded unusually loud. Her appearance, emerging from the dark alleyway and approaching her, was perhaps to be expected.
"...It was you after all, Arte Isis. You were the culprit."
The woman she had never stopped suspecting approached her, her ominous eyes slightly open. Her smile, combined with those ominous eyes, felt like she was mocking her.
"You were quite annoying, Investigator. To bother me even with an alibi."
"..."
"Would you like to guess what I'm going to do with you?"
It was obvious without even looking.
The desire to remove annoying obstacles is a human instinct, and in a way, a natural action. When it's a person, most people avoid them, try to correct them, or endure them...
Villains are different.
There's no need to make it difficult; they just get rid of them.
"You'll kill me. Damn it."
"No, I'm going to let you live."
"What?"
What was she talking about?
...She wouldn't kill her? Why?
"There's a good reason for everything. I have no intention of killing you."
"...Then why did you attack me?"
"Oh my, attack? Would you mind calling it subduing? You're not hurt anywhere."
Her brusque manner was infuriating. In the end, this one was a villain too. Although she was still alive, it must be part of some plan. Her mood plummeted, feeling as if her life was being held hostage by a villain.
"...Well, it's nothing much. I just want to make you an offer."
"An offer?"
"Yes, an offer. It's not difficult."
*Whoosh.*
In an instant, the threads floating around her wrapped around her body, forcing her to stand up.
"?!"
"Oh, you shouldn't move, alright? I'm not used to this, so if I make a mistake, your muscles might tear, you know."
*If you don't want to end up in the hospital, it's best to stay still.*
At Arte's words, she completely relaxed her body. Resistance was futile. It was clear that resisting in this situation would achieve nothing. The thought of dying, or experiencing a time so painful it felt like death, swirled in her mind.
"What kind of offer?"
"...It's not difficult, alright? Come on, let's go together."
She didn't even want to think about what happened next.
A terrible sensation.
It was as if her body wasn't her own. Like walking on clouds in a dream. Hayul clearly realized how unpleasant it was to have her entire body entrusted to another.
She felt like a puppet tied to a puppeteer's strings.
No, was it even different? She really was tied by threads and forcibly dragged along. To entrust her life, which even her trusted colleagues wouldn't be enough to protect, to a villain. What a truly tragic fate.
"Alright, we've arrived. This is it."
"Where is this?"
"The outskirts of Übermensch's hideout. It's where half of their remaining remnants are."
"..."
She didn't know what she intended to do, but Hayul could easily imagine what would happen here. The horrific scene at the mountain lodge, which had been the catalyst for her first Arachne case, suddenly came to mind.
"Alright, look over there. Those are villains."
"...Villains? What are they doing right now?"
"What do you mean? You can see for yourself, can't you?"
What on earth was she trying to show her?
It was too dark to see clearly, so she unconsciously squinted, and only realized after her eyes adjusted to the darkness. A disgusting act was unfolding.
"Why are you showing me this? I've seen countless things like that before. If you were trying to shock me..."
"No, it's not about shock. ...Those people, if it were you, what would you do to them?"
"What?"
"If it were you, what would you do to them?"
"You're asking strange things. Obviously, arrest them..."
"And after the arrest?"
Suddenly.
Her eyes, which had been taking in the disgusting sight, now met Arte's ominous eyes, which obscured the crime scene. As if an devil's whisper, she whispered to her.
"If they're arrested, they'll go to prison, won't they?"
"Of course. If they commit a crime, they must pay for it."
"Are the victims satisfied?"
"What?"
"The victims who suffered at the hands of villains. What do they and their families say?"
"Th-that..."
At her question, the grievances of countless victims she had met seemed to echo in her ears. It wasn't just one or two. Everyone she had met until now had pleaded with her.
*Why was the sentence so light? Why were they released on bail?*
*Why, why, why, why.*
The words of countless victims swirled in her ears.
"Haven't you also had an experience where someone close to you was greatly harmed by villains? ...Perhaps a colleague died?"
"You, how could you know that...!"
"If you've been an investigator for over ten years, it's only natural, isn't it? That villain who harmed someone close to you, what are they doing now?"
"They're serving their sentence. Why would you ask that...!"
"Ah, I see. ...Really?"
"What are you trying to say!"
"Doesn't that person look familiar somehow?"
She was about to shout something at Arte, but she had no choice but to close her mouth.
...The villain playing with the already lifeless victim, his face looked familiar.
"N-no way..."
"Serving their sentence? Ahahaha. Then who do you suppose that person over there is?"
"Th-that's impossible. It can't be. He killed an Association investigator! He's a criminal who killed a superhuman!"
"You know, don't you? That villains can return to society."
"..."
She knew.
The fact that after surviving an extremely low survival rate and serving a certain period on the front lines, they could return to society.
But, no way. No way, really...!
"The criminal who killed your old colleague is committing crimes again. This time, as part of a much larger criminal organization."
"..."
"Ah, but what to do? Even if a villain is captured, if they're lucky, they might return to society again. Since they survived once, the second time will be even easier, won't it?"
"..."
"Poor victims will only increase, and the citizens' suffering will reach the heavens!"
The horrific scene before her eyes and the horrific scene etched in her mind overlapped. The victims were different. But the perpetrator was the same.
The monster who had killed people and openly laughed was released back into society and repeating the same actions.
"...What in the world are you trying to say?"
"Ahahaha, ahahahaha! Have you finally decided to listen?"
"Tell me! Hurry! What do you want to say!"
Arte, who had been laughing so loudly that it seemed the villains in the distance might hear her, suddenly stopped laughing and spoke to her.
"Investigator Lee Hayul."
"..."
"I'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse."
The threads slowly unwound.
Even though the threads on her arms and legs had loosened, allowing her to escape, she stood rooted to the spot as if nailed down. Even when the threads around her neck, which had forced her to stare at the horrific sight, loosened, she continued to watch that scene.
"Arachne wants you."
"...You, me?"
"Won't you join us in cleaning up society's trash?"