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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: A Messed-Up Family Tree
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"My head hurts."
The moment consciousness returned, a throbbing pain seized my head. I clutched it.
The terrible agony churned through my mind, making it impossible to even open my eyes, let alone move for a while.
This is why I hated using my ability.
The moment I used it, I'd lose consciousness and remember nothing of what I'd done.
On top of that, once its duration ended, I'd struggle to move for a long time.
No matter how much I used it, I never seemed to get used to it. Maybe I never would, not in my whole life.
After clutching my head for a long time, the headache finally subsided a bit.
...It felt even more painful than usual, though.
"Are you awake? Does it hurt?"
"Ah, Arte? No, it still hurts..."
"Hmm, I suppose it would. I was so surprised, you know. I didn't expect it to become *that* strong. You'll be shocked when you see it for yourself."
"What? What do you mean..."
I gave a vague answer to Arte's voice and was about to lie back down, but her voice, laced with admiration, made me instinctively open my eyes.
And the sight that greeted them made me understand why Arte had said such a thing.
"What? Where am I?"
"Where else? You're right where you used your ability!"
"...This ruin?"
"Yes!"
Buildings that had been perfectly fine, if a little dirty, were now on the verge of collapse.
"...I did this? No way, that can't be right?"
Yes, there was no way.
My ability wasn't as versatile as Arte's, nor as strong as an Investigator's.
It wasn't even an excellent ability that could be used at any time, like Yu Siwoo's, which I'd heard about before.
...It was just an ability that made me go wild for a bit, then collapse from exhaustion. That was all.
I'd heard that I wouldn't even feel pain if attacked while rampaging, but ultimately, it was still my body, so I couldn't unleash this much destructive power.
And yet, I did this?
"It would have been difficult normally, but you took something, didn't you?"
"Took something?"
"The pill. Wow, it was really scary!"
I instinctively touched my lips.
Now that she mentioned it, I *had* taken something like that.
The fangs I'd felt before losing consciousness were now gone.
"It's great that your ability got stronger!"
"...Yeah, well. It's great."
"It was an ancestral regression pill, you know, one that inherits the power of your ancestors. I was so surprised! To think Miss Laila's ancestor was a werewolf."
"I see. My ancestor was a werewolf... Wait, what?"
There it was again.
I couldn't even remember how many bombshells I'd heard today, but this was another one.
What? My ancestor was... what did she say?
"The moment you used your ability, you turned into a werewolf and went on a rampage! Wow, it was incredible."
"R-really...?"
"Yes. Look, can you see those claw marks on the wall? You did that."
Where Arte pointed, there were long claw marks, just as she'd said.
Menacing marks, as if etched by a ferocious beast. ...I did that?
"It seems your ability mutated. It wasn't just a berserk rampage, but more like going wild while borrowing your ancestor's power? It might have been even stronger today because it's a full moon!"
Arte's chattering voice reached my ears, but I barely registered it.
...So, according to Arte, I turned into a werewolf?
And that was the effect of the pill Arte gave me? And that pill granted ancestral powers...
It was shocking.
Even if I'd been told my mother was originally my father, it wouldn't have been this shocking.
Because, it's a *werewolf*! A dangerous beast straight out of textbooks!
That monster with intelligence similar to humans, capable of blending into society, but goes wild every full moon!
...That's my ancestor?
"Th-then..."
"Miss Laila's ancestor must have had unique tastes!"
"..."
I spewed contemptuous words towards an ancestor I didn't even know.
It seemed my ancestor must have been truly insane.
To think they'd... *do that*... with a werewolf, which had almost nothing in common with humans except for walking on two legs?
"My ancestor, just what in the..."
"It's a true 'dog's family tree,' isn't it!"
"Will you please shut up?"
Seeing the heavily built corpse lying far away made me even sadder.
As if to confirm Arte's words, there were wounds that looked like a wolf had bitten and torn at it.
I never imagined it was *this kind* of pill.
Even though it was the person who attacked me, I felt pity for them.
Surely, they wouldn't have wanted this kind of pill either...
"Ah, since you've had a tough time, how about steak for dinner tonight?"
I was about to get annoyed, thinking Arte was making fun of me, but then I saw her expression and realized.
This woman, she knew I'd been chased by a cow just moments ago, and she thought nothing of it.
"...A cow is a bit much, so make it pork instead."
"Understood. Hmm, what should I get?"
Humming to herself as she walked, Arte looked like any other girl her age.
Except for the heavy scent of blood clinging to her, and the blood splattered all over what looked like new clothes.
The gap between her normal appearance and the extraordinary situation created a sense of incongruity.
It made me feel as if Arte was an outsider, not truly accepted by this world.
***
"Hey, did you hear?"
"Heard what? Who *doesn't* know about that these days?"
"Right?"
The students' chatter echoed through the classroom.
It wasn't just the boys gathered there.
The girls huddled together, the few students chattering in the hallway, even the teachers.
Everyone was talking about the news.
"...Haa."
"Arachne appeared again. This time, it's estimated around 800 people, right?"
"That's a lot. Why are there so many villains in this small city?"
"Beats me."
Siwoo sighed.
He wasn't in the mood to properly attend class at all. The school atmosphere was like that too.
...Perhaps that's why the teacher sighed and declared self-study. It probably meant they could chat freely until the next class, then focus.
"This incident, they say several people attacked a villain organization all at once. The number of people is estimated to be around four."
"...Four people."
"Yeah. The killing methods suggest about four individuals."
The information Amelia casually tossed out, as if it were nothing, was actually incredibly valuable.
Because the news only reported that "Arachne massacred villains again"... that kind of information.
"Hey, Yu Siwoo."
"Hm?"
"...You know? Let's give up, slowly."
"..."
I had a good idea of what Amelia was talking about.
The ultimate goal that Amelia and I desired. She must be talking about stopping Arte.
More precisely, not stopping her, but talking about *how* to stop her.
"No matter how I think about it, directly apprehending Arte is impossible."
"B-but..."
"But what? It's already 1,600 people. We're talking thousands. ...I never imagined there'd be this many villains, seriously."
"..."
Amelia didn't tell me directly.
But what she wanted was clear.
...She wanted to give up on subduing Arte and focus on seducing her instead.
"Do we really have to do that?"
"Then what? Can't you see we're slowly drifting further away? It was probably impossible from the start."
"Haa..."
There wasn't a single thing wrong with Amelia's words.
I had thought that to stop Arte, I only needed to stop her alone, but that wasn't the case.
The truth was, Arte was a member of an organization, and that organization was a group capable of slaughtering thousands of other villain organizations.
The difficulty level was far, far higher than what I had originally aimed for.
"There's no other way."
"...Hoo."
In contrast, the difficulty of seducing Arte was always constant.
For Amelia, who prioritized efficiency, she probably couldn't understand at all why I was hesitating.
...But, but. Just think about it.
"Isn't thinking I can seduce Arte arrogant in itself?"
"What nonsense are you spouting now? Your face is tolerable, so just do as you're told."
"Y-yes..."
It didn't work.
Ultimately, with Amelia's enthusiastic support, the Anti-Arte Alliance (a two-person group) decided to change its policy towards Arte.
From the Arte-stopping route to the Arte-seducing route.
"...So what are we going to do?"
"Hmm, if we go by the book, it's just repeatedly going on dates..."
Arte probably wouldn't respond to the conventional approach, Amelia mused, beginning to ponder.
Indeed, I thought so too.
When the very reason she showed interest in me was a mystery, trying to seduce her conventionally?
...Well, I've never even been on a date, but I don't think I'd get a good reaction.
My dating experience was absolutely nonexistent to begin with. Even if Arte felt uncomfortable, I wouldn't know how to tell.
"First, let's go with the 'drizzling rain wets your clothes' approach."
"Drizzling rain wets your clothes?"
"It's a strategy where a classmate becomes a friend, a friend becomes an older brother, an older brother becomes a darling, and a darling becomes a dad."
"?"
What on earth was Amelia talking about...?
She was clearly speaking the same language as me, yet I spent a long time trying to figure out what I'd just heard.
"Tomorrow's the start of vacation, right?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"When you think of summer vacation, what comes to mind?"
"...I don't know?"
"The beach! The beach!"
I looked at Amelia, who was gesturing excitedly at me, and thought.
...Actually, maybe Amelia didn't care at all?
While I was always agonizing over what to do, perhaps Amelia was always just enjoying herself?
Just as that question arose, Amelia spoke to me.
"It's hard to meet Arte during vacation! ...But we're in the same club! It's not like there's no way to meet!"
"So, why the beach?"
"Let's go on a trip to the beach."
"A trip?"
"Yeah. As a bonding trip, just us going to hang out. What do you think?"
I was surprised.
Because, for Amelia, it was a surprisingly normal suggestion.
Going on a trip to the beach wasn't that strange of an idea.
Amelia had normal thoughts too...
"And then you'll pounce on Arte when she's in her swimsuit... Then Arte won't have any clothes on, so she won't be able to resist...!"
Cancel that.
She wasn't in her right mind after all.
Of course.
"No, maybe there's a way to just shove you into the changing room...?"
"...Amelia. Are you really trying to seduce Arte, or are you trying to kill me?"
I sighed, watching Amelia spout nonsense.
Tomorrow was already the start of vacation.
With the break so close, I, too, found my spirits beginning to lift.