Chapter 38: Interrogation, Torture, and Questions

The only way to escape this situation was the [Hoshikawa-ryu Battoujutsu].

“But—”

“There’s no other way!”

Shouting at the hesitant Himari, Ruah reached out and deactivated the safety device on the sword. Even as she did so, the log they were on swayed wildly due to the wind generated by the Mega Wasps’ wings.

—Buzz…

Circling in the air, the wasps swarmed and then charged fiercely towards Himari and Ruah. Himari bit her lip and lowered her stance.

“I’ll try…!”

Ruah tried to stabilize the log by clinging to it with her whole body, but it was no use.

The wasps were getting closer, and Himari’s stance was still unstable.

“Himari.”

Himari glanced back slightly at Ruah’s voice.

“I believe in you.”

“…!”

—Buzz!

At that moment, Himari kicked off the log with all her might.

‘What’s she doing?!’

Ruah’s eyes widened. But it was too late to turn back. The swarm of wasps was right in front of them, and Himari was airborne.

As Ruah clung tightly to the log, Himari’s movements seemed to play out in slow motion.

Himari, with her hand on the hilt of her sword, curled her body in midair, and

At the moment the leading wasp lunged forward with its sharp stinger Ruah’s vision split in two.

“…!”

The swarm of Mega Wasps, the log, the ravine, everything Ruah was looking at was sliced diagonally, just like the ice wall earlier.

—Thump!

The sound arrived a moment later.

Along with it, the severed bodies of the wasps began to rain down. Even the wasps that weren’t caught in the trajectory of the Battoujutsu were knocked unconscious by the ensuing shockwave.

Himari, having flawlessly executed the [Hoshikawa-ryu Battoujutsu] in midair, landed unsteadily on the log.

“Ugh!”

“Come here, Himari! [Healing]!”

Amidst the shower of wasp corpses, Ruah quickly healed Himari’s left ring finger. Himari clung to the log, gasping for breath.

“Ha… ha… T-Teacher.”

“Yes, Himari!”

“I… I did it. Although not on a platform.”

Despite her exhausted expression, a smile touched her lips.

“Well done. Truly.”

If they had been attacked by that many Mega Wasps, neither Ruah nor Himari would have survived unscathed.

“It’s thanks to you, Teacher.”

Himari stood up first and then helped Ruah up.

“It was possible because you believed in me.”

“I always believe in you, Himari.”

“…Thank you.”

Himari carried Ruah on her back, leaping across the now-clear logs and reaching stable ground.

“Okay, we’re safe here.”

“Himari, I’d love to praise you more, but I have something to do right now.”

Ruah checked Park Haengsin’s previous location with the High-Performance Telescope. She saw his back as he quickly disappeared beyond the entrance.

“We have to catch him!”

“Yes, it was a success. It caused more chaos than expected.”

Park Haengsin reported to his client while walking briskly.

“The video will be all over the place soon. News, XTube, SNS, you can watch it wherever you want.”

He had already deleted the CCTV footage of him switching the styrofoam balls with Mega Wasp eggs. He had bribed all the relevant personnel, and his alibi was solid.

‘I’ll probably get fired because of this… but whatever.’

The money the client was going to pay him was more than enough to live comfortably abroad for a while. He didn’t regret leaving his job at the Academy one bit.

“Yes, then please send the payment.”

—Click!

Ending the call, Park Haengsin descended the stairs leading to the basement. He planned to leave before the chaos subsided.

However, the moment he stepped onto the last step—

“—S-Stop right there!”

Along with those words, he felt a jolt in his side.

“Ugh…”

Park Haengsin’s body stiffened, and he collapsed unconscious.

In the basement of the stadium, inside the winter gear storage room.

No one came here during spring, summer, or fall, but today, there were three visitors.

—Flick!

As Ruah flipped the switch, Park Haengsin, sitting in a chair, winced and opened his eyes. His limbs were tightly bound to the chair. Of course, Himari and Ruah had done this while he was unconscious.

“Ugh… what is this? Untie me!”

Park Haengsin struggled.

“P-Please… stay still.”

He looked up at Ruah’s voice. His eyes were sharp.

“Who are you!”

“Eek!”

—Crackle!

[Crackle] shot out from Ruah’s index finger and hit Park Haengsin. The Hunter flinched and lost consciousness again.

“Teacher, what are you doing, knocking him out again?”

Ruah scratched her head at Himari’s words.

“I-I was scared, so I did it without thinking.”

The [Crackle] she received as a quest reward was a trivial skill used to ignite fireworks, but it was surprisingly useful for self-defense. Using it on a person caused a brief stun and paralysis effect.

“I’ll wake him up again.”

Himari tilted a water bottle and gently poured some water over Park Haengsin’s head. As the water trickled down his neck, he woke up with a start.

“What the hell! You! I’ll kill you!”

“Kyaaa!”

—Crackle!

“Teacher.”

“S-Sorry! I did it again without thinking…!”

Himari put a comforting hand on Ruah’s shoulder. She didn’t feel any sympathy for the culprit who ruined the Sports Festival, but they wouldn’t get any information if this continued.

“Let’s try again.”

—Splash.

“Uwaaaah!”

Park Haengsin woke up with a start. Ruah, still timid, approached him slightly.

“Y-You’re awake?”

“Who are you? Why did you tie me up!”

—Slowly.

As Ruah’s index finger approached, fear flickered in Park Haengsin’s eyes.

“Who are you! Why did you tie me up!”

“Now you seem ready to talk.”

Himari pulled a chair over so Ruah could sit facing him. Ruah composed herself and looked directly into Park Haengsin’s eyes.

“Oh, now that I look at you, I remember seeing you at the hearing. You’re the school nurse, right? Is this how we treat fellow Academy staff?”

Trying to appear brave, Ruah spoke.

“I know everything.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You caused this incident, didn’t you, Mr. Park Haengsin?”

The Hunter’s expression contorted.

“…Why would you assume that, Nurse?”

“I h-heard you talking on the phone after the last hearing.”

“…”

“You were instructed by someone to switch the C-rank slime with a B-rank one during the monster research class… and this time, you deliberately brought Mega Wasp eggs and hatched them.”

Park Haengsin narrowed his eyes, listening to Ruah’s words.

“Tell me who ordered you to do this. Then I won’t tell the Academy.”

Ruah’s goal was to find out why the story had gone off track. Punishing Park Haengsin was secondary.

“…Do you have any proof that I did it?”

“Um, me saying I won’t tell the Academy means this will be kept a secret.”

Ruah hesitantly raised her index finger. [Crackle] crackled around its tip.

“If you fall asleep and wake up a few more times, there might be some… evidence.”

“…”

Park Haengsin’s face paled. Even for a professional Hunter accustomed to pain, repeatedly being knocked unconscious and waking up was not a pleasant experience.

“S-So, let’s do this nicely, so the questions don’t become torture. Hehe.”

It wasn’t something one would say while blushing with embarrassment.

“I’ll ask again. This person here…”

Ruah held up Park Haengsin’s phone, which she had brought with her. The number of the person listed as ‘Boss’ was displayed in the recent call log.

“Who is this?”

“…”

“Should I call this number?”

Ruah pressed the call button. After a few rings, an automated voice responded.

[The number you have dialed is an international call. Press # to continue the call and international call charges will apply.]

“…Is this person a foreigner?”

Even at Ruah’s words, Park Haengsin just rolled his eyes, seemingly calculating his options.

“Confess. If you have any conscience left.”

Apparently displeased with his attitude, Himari, who was standing behind him, spoke in a low voice.

“Though I doubt someone who put so many people in danger has any left.”

“Hoshikawa Himari…”

Park Haengsin turned to look at Himari and snorted.

“My, my.”

“…?”

“You already know, and yet you want to hear it from me? Hahahaha!”

Park Haengsin burst into sudden laughter. Ruah and Himari were bewildered.

“What are you talking about? What do you mean we already know?”

Ruah frowned.

“The one pretending not to know is you, not me.”

“…?”

Ruah quickly racked her brain.

Someone wealthy enough to bribe Park Haengsin, someone who required an international call to be contacted, someone who said ‘You already know’ as soon as they saw Himari—

“—No way.”

“Wait! You!”

Himari moved first. She rushed towards Park Haengsin, grabbed his jacket with both hands, and ripped open his shirt, exposing his bare skin.

“…!”

“This is a bit embarrassing.”

There was a black snake tattoo on Park Haengsin’s stomach.

The same tattoo Himari had tried to confirm on Ruah before. The mark of a Hoshikawa family collaborator.

‘Which means, Park Haengsin’s client is—’

—Hoshikawa Toshio.

Himari’s father.