It’s not like it’s a sweet potato field, but after catching one scammer, information about some nonsensical pseudo-organization comes pouring out…… This was really giving me a massive headache.

Just looking at the surface, it seemed like a ridiculous group claiming things like immortality, but the more you dug into it, the bigger this organization turned out to be.

Despite investigating intensively for a short period, we didn’t find out much about ‘Messiah’.

Outwardly, it appeared to be a religious group doing a lot of charity work, but while seeming like a loose collective, it wasn’t easy to access internal information.

If we officially announced an investigation, it would only give power to make the pseudo-group look impressive, so we couldn’t easily take action.

Knight felt like his head was about to spin out of control.

“…Well, I mean. It’s immortality. How can believing in such stupid talk about immortality make any sense?”

Yeonju nodded as well.

“But they showed miracles worthy of that claim.”

“Just from what I’ve heard, it sounds like something a high-rank hunter could do. How is that a miracle?”

“Anyway, it was enough to captivate people. And that’s not what’s important right now. What Suji wanted was just one scammer, so no matter how the money was used, we just need to hand him over. Don’t think too deeply about it.”

“…Right.”

Seunghwan fingered the locket in his pocket.

It was a memento he had cherished for a very long time, one he could no longer bring himself to open.

Suji was a child who rarely ever asked for anything. She had always been that way.

That’s why he wanted to help her properly, even if only in this way, to reach a proper conclusion.

“It’s just that the conclusion being some pseudo-group doesn’t look good.”

“You just need to take good care of her from now on. What’s the use of looking good with something like this?”

“No, it’s not exactly that… It’s just, you know.”

Seunghwan ran his hand through his short hair, let out a long sigh, and turned his gaze.

In the spacious conference room sat Yeonju, Seunghwan, and the perpetrator of this incident.

Seunghwan glared at the frail figure sitting at the very end with arms bound behind, head lowered, and shook his head again as if displeased.

Just then, a radio message came through Seunghwan’s earpiece that Daphne had been sent up from the first floor.

Soon after, with the sound of the elevator opening, two hunters in Oriental attire walked in with leisurely steps.

As Yeonju had said, Suji’s expression was a bit better than usual.

Those gloomy eyes that once seemed ready to die without regret upon meeting her mother’s killer now had a glimmer of vitality.

Seunghwan approached first and extended his hand.

“You’ve come a long way, Daphne.”

“It was close by. Long time no see, Knight.”

Knowing that ‘It was close by’ was sincere, Seunghwan offered her a seat without further comment.

As Suji sat down, she quickly scanned the room.

Though they hadn’t met often, it wasn’t difficult to recognize Zero sitting next to Knight.

How should I beat up this scammer to feel a bit better?

With various thoughts running through her mind, she first addressed Knight.

“Uncle, your face looks quite worn out.”

“Does it?”

“You must have a lot on your mind, right?”

“Yeah, well.”

“I heard that after the first Wave, the crime rate increased so much. Looks like there are more scammers too.”

The man who looked a couple of years older than Suji, with his arms tied behind his back and head bowed low, glanced at her at those words.

“There are a lot of scammers indeed. But no one who values their life dares to scam a top-tier.”

“That’s a bit strange. There was one recently.”

“Maybe they didn’t value their life?”

“I think so too. Still, I was planning to handle it myself… but since you took care of it, thank you.”

“No, this is something we should have managed, so I’m sorry instead. So? How would you like it handled? We’ll dispose of it as you wish.”

It was quite a harsh conversation to have in front of the person in question.

Anyone listening might think the scammer being mentioned wasn’t here.

But neither Yeonju nor Elaine made any attempt to stop them.

Suji didn’t even look back at Zero, who was staring at her, but she had already noticed his condition when entering the room.

He seemed fine outwardly, perhaps due to using a potion, but judging by the fear in his eyes, it was clear he had already endured much torture.

But she felt no pity.

“If I ask you to kill him, will you do it?”

At Suji’s frosty voice, Seunghwan shrugged his shoulders.

“While they say private revenge isn’t allowed in a country ruled by law… unfortunately, you never know what might happen inside a gate, right?”

Zero, who had been quietly listening to the conversation flow, pleaded with his bound hands in disbelief.

“I’m, I’m sorry. Miss Daphne. Please forgive me just this once. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

Begging, huh? Did he think Suji would naturally show leniency because she was just a 19-year-old girl?

But this wasn’t a crime targeting her personally; it was a scam that could have cost the entire team’s lives. The nature of the crime was too severe.

“You didn’t mean for this to happen? You were preparing to flee overseas when you committed the act, so it wasn’t impulsive, was it?”

“I’m sorry. There were circumstances… I’m truly sorry.”

Suji pressed on.

“Circumstances? What were they?”

Zero, with his gaunt face, nervously darted his eyes back and forth, then, as if pushed by the chilling silence filling the room, reluctantly spoke.

[This is the timeline separator]

“You… won’t understand. Miss Daphne, who has everything she wants thanks to her innate talent.”

Suji stared blankly at Zero, who was bowing his head before her.

She had never thought of herself that way.

Having everything she wanted? Her?

Well, in this era, power is absolute wealth. In a way, it could be seen like that.

But being treated like some born with a silver spoon made her blood boil.

In the past, she would have just silently endured even if she felt upset, but now she realized that if she didn’t speak up, no one would understand her feelings.

Suji spoke as if spitting out the words.

“…Right. I don’t understand.”

As she spoke boldly, Zero looked surprised instead.

“I don’t understand. I don’t want to understand either. You’re incredibly shameless. To think I tried so hard to save someone like you. Aren’t you sorry to my mother?”

“…I’m sorry. No matter how much I apologize, it won’t be enough. I’m ashamed.”

“But why did you do it?”

“Being from Peneios’ foundation but without any talent, hearing every day that I was just scraping by, wastefully spending money, I guess I just snapped. I wanted to become useful and repay Peneios for his kindness. I know it sounds foolish. I’m truly sorry.”

Suji narrowed her eyes.

The more she listened, the stranger it seemed.

The context didn’t make sense.

After committing fraud, becoming a useful person?

She glanced at Yeonju, who then operated the terminal in front of Suji’s table.

The screen displayed some of the data Seunghwan had investigated but hadn’t yet passed on to Suji.

[Excerpt from Zero’s testimony regarding the pseudo-religious group ‘Messiah’

‘Actually, I don’t wish for immortality. Immortality is good, of course. But what I want most is a power different from what I have now.

They said they would give that to me.’]

Suji couldn’t quite understand even after reading it, so she exchanged glances with Elaine.

They said they would give ‘a power different from now’. How on earth?

“It doesn’t seem like you’d say that for just one or two decent items. What kind of power did you receive?”

The moment ‘power’ was mentioned, a strange light flickered in Zero’s lifeless eyes.

Zero lifted his head abruptly and opened his mouth.

“That power is from another world, not easily revealed to the public, but if you open the Akashic box where the universe and all things begin, you can encounter it. It’s like a privilege bestowed upon the members of ‘Messiah’.”

Staring intently into Daphne’s eyes and speaking without taking a breath, he truly looked like a cult follower.

As Suji was thinking that she was starting to feel uncomfortable, Elaine briefly covered and uncovered her ears.

That simple action made her feel much better.

When she glanced at Elaine with a questioning look, he repositioned his chair as if nothing had happened.

Suji let out a small sigh.

It seemed that talking more with Zero like this would neither yield proper answers nor do anything but make her feel frustrated.

“That’s enough of that now. From what I’ve heard, it doesn’t seem like you planned 100% of this yourself. Who came up with the plan?”

“That was…”

Zero opened his mouth reflexively.

Just as he was about to pronounce someone’s name.

Suddenly, Zero’s body began to burn.

[This is the timeline separator]