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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Maneuvering
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"…Ah, what should I do?"
"What's wrong?"
"You know, Author. The Übermensch."
"Ah… Right. You said we needed to reduce their numbers…"
A sigh escaped me.
I had no idea how to approach this.
The Übermensch—I needed to reduce their numbers to just four.
…How was I supposed to do that?
Time was running out. The closing ceremony was just around the corner.
Exactly four.
Four should be enough.
Dorothy, Yoo Si-woo, Amelia, and me.
It would be best if each of us could handle one.
"…No matter what, will the attack happen during the closing ceremony?"
"Yes! That's the plan! Hmm, though, how strong the villains will be is still undecided."
"Hmm…"
What should I do?
…No, is it even right to kill them all before the closing ceremony?
"Author. Do you have any other villains in mind besides them?"
"No?"
"…"
I asked for nothing.
I already knew the Author didn't think much about these things.
Even if the Author said this, villains would inevitably be added.
Although the number of villain groups was too large, forcing us to prune some, we were only halfway through the first year.
To advance the plot, new obstacles needed to be created.
As I said before, academy novels are a genre where readers feel catharsis watching the protagonist overcome trials.
Of course, if I somehow kept those guys alive, I could use them later, but then the Author's readers would throw a fit.
Why did you let the enemy live instead of killing them?
If such a fuss erupted, would the Author's mental state remain intact?
…I was pessimistic. The Author I had seen so far didn't seem capable of enduring something like that.
"Why don't you just kill them all like last time, without overthinking it?"
"If it were as easy as it sounds, I would have done it already."
The Author's stance was that there would be no problem if I just killed them all and left, like last time.
But it wasn't that simple.
Everyone's eyes and ears were already focused on the villain group, Arachne.
"Investigator Lee Ha-yul, can I kill them?"
"Ugh, that's a waste… An investigator chasing villains, that's cool… Do…do we really have to kill them?"
See?
The Author didn't want to kill the investigator. It was probably because they fit the Author's taste perfectly or something.
Well, I could understand. There's always something that catches your eye.
…The problem was, Investigator Lee Ha-yul seemed like they would get in the way.
Killing them would be the fastest solution. Anyway, they were just a supporting character, not even appearing in the main story.
I didn't need to care about characters who couldn't get on the puppet stage, but…
If it was someone the Author cherished, that was a different story. It would be meaningless to even tell the Author that I *had* to kill them.
Even if I somehow eliminated them, my relationship with the Author would become incredibly strained.
…If that happened, what would become of me?
A sudden chill ran down my spine, and I stopped thinking. Don't think. Don't think…
Unconsciously, I pressed a contact saved on my phone and made a call.
"Call answered."
"It's me."
"Arte-nim…! Please wait a moment!"
A clatter.
Such sounds seemed to come from beyond the phone.
…I didn't dial the wrong number, did I?
I raised my phone and checked the contact again.
It was correct. Association Executive.
"They're certainly efficient."
"Ahem! That's all thanks to my competence!"
"…"
Co-competence…?
No, they *were* competent.
The reason why a high-ranking official of the Association was acting so subserviently was because of the Author.
A setting that Investigator Lee Ha-yul, annoyed, had inserted: 'Arachne is deeply infiltrated within the Association.'
It was just a random setting, but I never thought I'd use it like this.
"Please tell me. We are ready. Do you intend to purge all the villains?"
"…Ah, no. I just had a question."
"I-is that so? Please ask anything!"
What's with these guys?
They were supposed to be Arachne's puppets, traitors within the Association.
The sound of breathing from beyond the phone wasn't just one person. There were several. Did they just bring them in?
I thought it would only be one person, but why are there so many?
…I'll have to probe a bit. It seemed the empty background due to the setting had naturally changed.
"By the way, it feels strange. The Association, which hates villains, having a conversation with one like this."
"…A villain, you say? You go too far."
"But the Association designated them as villains, didn't they? Villain organization, Arachne. Highly dangerous."
"That is an unavoidable action as the Association, but you know very well that we do not consider the organization merely a villain organization."
The middle-aged man's voice naturally grew louder, as if he were proud.
"The system of society cannot kill villains. Because of the law. As a result, citizens suffer, and criminals, even if caught, only rot in prison for life!
Most are even given opportunities to go free due to plea bargains! All for the sole reason of a lack of personnel!"
"…That's right. Though most fail and die on the battlefield."
"Scum of society have no such thing as human rights. Those bastards forfeited their own rights! Isn't it laughable for them to claim their rights after infringing on others' rights?
We cannot accept it! Do such people really deserve human rights?! Those bastards are not human!
…But the law cannot punish them, and the suffering of citizens would only increase day by day. If Arachne didn't exist!"
Hoo, hoo…
Amidst the agitated voice, there was a brief commotion on the other end of the phone, and then the voice changed.
This time, it was also the voice of someone quite old. It was natural, given they had risen to executive.
"That is why we support you, Arachne.
The law is always imperfect, and it takes too long to improve. At least until all the demonic beasts are dealt with.
Should we inconvenience those who volunteer to be society's cleaners? So, tell us. What do you want?"
…Ah, I see.
I generally understood.
To fill in the setting that 'Arachne and the Association have a close relationship,' it seemed the high-ranking officials of the Association were set to hate villains.
Since the Association often directly clashed with villains, they must have seen a lot of dirty things.
Therefore, the longer high-ranking officials served in the Association, the deeper their hatred for villains. …Couldn't I interpret it that way?
To such executives, Arachne would be the cleaners. The cleaners who would thoroughly wash away the dirty city.
"The investigator who was chasing Arachne. What is Investigator Lee Ha-yul doing now?"
"That person is currently on vacation. The shock of having their duties suspended due to external pressure is significant. They should be resting well."
"Hmm…"
Resting, my foot.
This was someone who continued to be suspicious even when I had a clear alibi that I wasn't the culprit.
Such a person wouldn't easily yield to external pressure. They would chase me even if it meant turning their back on the Association.
If I couldn't kill such a bothersome leech, and couldn't drive them away…
Couldn't I just stick them to another side?
"Recall them. Tell them Arachne has appeared, and that their strength is needed."
"Excuse me? What do you mean…?"
"We've located the Übermensch. Their remaining forces are half, with four executives."
"…!"
It was a lie, actually.
Location, my foot. I knew nothing.
But there was nothing to worry about. This world was the Author's puppet show. I just had to ask the Author.
If there were too many props behind the puppet show, the number needed to be adjusted appropriately.
"Their goal is to retrieve a certain item hidden within the academy."
"That means…"
"They'll probably attack the academy someday. Since that's their objective."
"…We will strengthen security."
"Stop. How do you know when they'll attack? Raising vigilance too high will only make it harder to pinpoint them."
It was a lie.
In fact, I knew exactly when they would attack and how many people there would be.
They would attack on the closing ceremony day, no matter what.
…But I had no obligation to tell them that. It was an event Yoo Si-woo needed to experience to undergo trials and grow.
It was enough for the puppets who couldn't even get on the stage to just watch.
"Reduce their numbers just enough for them to feel uneasy but still think it's possible, and the rest…"
"…Understood. A necessary sacrifice, then."
"Something like that."
"We'll take care of what you mentioned right away. Then."
"Thank you for your cooperation."
I unilaterally hung up the phone.
There was nothing more to discuss.
"Ah, this really is… tough!"
"Y-you were so cool! A cool villain who wipes out an evil organization from behind the scenes!"
"Cool, my foot… I'm not a villain, nor an evil organization, you know?"
I casually brushed off the Author's nonsense.
What evil organization am I?
A secret society, maybe.
…By the way, I'm looking forward to this.
The longer one stayed in the Association, the deeper their hatred for villains became.
How would the investigator feel about villains, I wonder?
They were the one who had seen, more directly than anyone, what villains did and how they acted.
Perhaps, as the Author said, there was no need to kill them after all.
I felt good.
***
"…Crazy."
"H-heek… It's a good thing I knelt and begged!"
Laira and Spira were terrified.
They couldn't believe what they had heard was true.
"…You and I heard the same thing, right?"
"Our master is involved with the Association…?"
"Crazy… We heard it clearly."
They hadn't heard everything.
But they had clearly heard Arte giving orders to high-ranking officials in the Association.
And what's more?
"Half of the Übermensch will disappear…"
"…"
Laira let out a sigh of relief.
It was a relief that the rotten rope snapped quickly, even though she had grabbed it.
If she had held onto that rope and kept climbing, what would have happened to her?
She almost turned into cube steak.