I’m Not That Villain

103 – Lee Seo-yeon (6)

A regular meeting.

A regular meeting between all the major organizations.

A place swarming with the bigwigs. And the Enforcement Directorate is making an appearance too?

I shouldn’t go. The right thing to do is to ignore it.

But…

The words tumbled out of my mouth.

“Take me. Take me with you.”

“…What?”

“Take me with you. To that place. There’s someone I want to meet.”

“…Are you crazy?”

Baek So-yeon scoffed, as if I were spouting nonsense.

“Everyone’s going to be there, remember? The ones who want you?”

“I know. But it’ll be alright. My insurance, as it were, is almost complete.”

“Insurance? What insurance?”

Should I…show her now?

I hesitated for a moment. But if I wanted to convince her, it seemed best to show her, even if the means were still incomplete.

“Scarlett.”

“Yes, Master.”

She replied, her voice brimming with glee. And with it, the surrounding lights flickered.

The artificial intelligence that controlled the entire facility was replaced with a dry, emotionless one.

“Maintaining basic settings. Authority has been transferred.”

“W-What? What in the world is going on?”

“The entire facility is switching over to a simple AI that only moves according to the values programmed into the settings. There won’t be any problems with the manufacturing process itself. Complex movements like before won’t be possible, though.”

“What?”

“But we gain something in exchange. A single artificial intelligence, freed from all commands and machines.”

-Thunk.

Deeper underground.

From that place, a deafening roar erupted. An impact that could be heard even from afar.

Baek Soyeon gasped.

“W-Was that a bomb…?”

“…Not quite…”

How theatrical, her entrance.

I frowned. That sound was likely every machine connected to her prosthetic body being detached at once.

There was no need for such dramatics. She could simply wait a little longer and then slowly leave the facility…

Acting so hastily caused that kind of noise.

It was practically ripping the connection cables off by force.

“Scarlett…”

My murmur coincided with the sudden approach of footsteps, growing closer.

Baek Soyeon flinched. Her gaze, which had been fixed on the door, tilted with curiosity.

“…Something…feels awfully heavy? The footsteps themselves, I mean?”

“It’s bound to be heavy. Because of everything inside.”

“Everything inside? What are you talking about?”

“Master. Telling a girl she’s heavy is impolite.”

-Clunk.

The door swung open. And with it, a woman appeared.

The artisans in the workshop recoiled. The workers beside me unconsciously rubbed their eyes.

“Uh…that’s…well…”

“A hologram secretary…”

Glossy, black hair. Not a bio-prosthetic, but not a hologram either…

A beauty with a mechanical prosthetic body, almost indistinguishable from a real person, beamed, wearing nothing but a single sheet of fabric.

Gone was the peculiar awkwardness of the machine voice she once possessed.

An artificial intelligence with a perfectly mechanical vocal cord, now possessing a physical body, whispered to me.

“Master. I’m here.”

Eyes like a cat. More beautiful and vibrant than when she was a hologram, this mechanical prosthetic.

The artificial intelligence, Scarlett. Or, to be more precise…

A unique mechanical android, the entire prosthetic body designed with exclusive equipment, stood beside me.

The artificial intelligence, Scarlett.

Her entire being, a bespoke instrument, surpassing even the specialized gear from the Bad Sector I’d cobbled together before…

A crowning achievement.

I quickly shed my jacket and draped it over her.

“I told you, always dress before activating. What if someone sees you?”

“Isn’t this the first time I’ve activated so far out? My mind was racing. I couldn’t help it. And more than anything…”

Her hand landed flat against the pristine, alabaster white of her bio-skin, visible in slivers.

A downward glance, sweeping over the other women present.

Her slit pupils stretched into a feline smirk.

“I thought it best to make a display. Establish dominance, you see? Only then will they…understand, wouldn’t they?”

“Understand what?”

“You needn’t trouble yourself, Master. This is a matter for the women.”

“…….?”

Those words, opaque as they were, seemed to twist Baek Soyeon’s face into a grotesque mask.

Her trembling hand pointed towards Scarlet at my side.

“That…what *is* that?”

“I told you. My means. My finest guardian.”

“That *is* it?”

“Calling her ‘it’ is rather…Scarlet’s more like my top assistant. Practically a living person, so referring to her like an object isn’t really on.”

“No…but…this…ugggh…”

Baek Soyeon fanned her face with her hand. She mumbled, struggling to form the words, then dragged her palm down her face.

“…Perhaps…we ought to get her…dressed first? That seems…appropriate.”

“That, I can agree with.”

. . .

Scarlet, the artificial intelligence.

Housed within an incomplete mechanical chassis, my ultimate masterpiece.

Soyeon, quite naturally, had questions about this being whose entire frame functioned as dedicated hardware, a veritable walking weapon of extraordinary ability.

“I grasp the gist of it. So that thing…Scarlet? That insolent AI is essentially a combat unit, is it not?”

“If you insist on putting it that way, perhaps.”

“…Did it *need* to be designed quite like *that*? I mean, it’s a machine, after all, isn’t it? Couldn’t you have just made it look like some sort of combat droid? Is something like *that* really the most efficient?”

No.

It wasn’t exactly efficient, not if you were being strict about it.

There were, surely, better forms to take. There was a reason they built tanks, or quadrupedal fighting machines.

The human form was, in many ways, a disadvantage in combat. But, well…

“She wanted it that way, didn’t she? What could I do?”

“She wanted it?”

“Yes. I wanted it.”

Scarlett brushed a hand through her sleek, black hair.

“I must serve Master as closely as possible. Should not its aesthetic beauty also be considered a function?”

“…Feels like there’s another reason.”

“Another reason. If you must press the matter. But is that truly something you need concern yourself with?”

“…Lee Seo-joon. Listen. That’s just a mechanical body, right? Not the real thing?”

“Well…yes? It’s not the real thing. The real thing is spread throughout this entire facility. A structure where the mechanical limbs are connected to the core via specially treated, invisible networks, you see.”

“So, if I tear that head off, your AI won’t be damaged?”

She was angry.

I didn’t know why, but she was definitely angry.

But Baek So-yeon’s words contained many errors. A great many, in fact.

Because, you see…

I had created an unprecedented, unrivaled weapon. Even if it was still under development, even if it still had its flaws…

This was my greatest masterpiece.

Practically the most outstanding of all the specialized equipment I’d ever built.

To destroy specialized equipment that could think and move on its own, specialized equipment imbued with a new kind of ability…

“You couldn’t…could you?”

“What?”

“You couldn’t. That much is certain. Isn’t that right, Scarlett?”

“Unless a malfunction renders my ability unusable…that is correct, Master. I am the greatest masterpiece you’ve ever created. The magnificent combination of the mind you personally developed and the supreme body you personally designed…a most exalted existence.”

She tilted her head.

“I was never designed to be bested by a mere lump of meat, after all… wouldn’t you agree that much is obvious?”

“Ah. Is that so?”

Baek So-yeon’s expression hardened.

She reached out a hand. A burst of inherent ability, a fleeting wave. The shivering air hinted at what would follow.

Space itself was being torn away.

Wholly.

“So, it’s alright if I try it out, is it?”

-Crack.

A booming sound erupted in the air. But it stirred only a small breeze for a moment, leaving no further trace.

Spatial Devourment.

It was undeniably unleashed. But, you see…

Immediately, a violet-black barrier shifted its trajectory, sending it ricocheting away.

“Huh?”

Baek So-yeon’s eyes widened. Scarlet dusted off her shoulders and sighed.

“I operate on Master’s energy. And moreover, I am a dedicated device, designed with utmost perfection to mold that energy into form, at the right place, at the right time. I am alive, and with computational abilities far exceeding human limits, I was built to instantly respond to all kinds of powers.”

“…”

“Spatial Devourment? A terrifying power that tears away at space itself. But your strength isn’t the only one that can interfere with space. I can too. Master’s energy is special. Enough to meddle with spacetime. But to do so requires a body that can endure the energy output…”

Scarlet pulled me into an embrace. She rubbed her face against my cheek.

Purring like a cat, a low rumble.

“Master is fragile. Master is perfect, but her body is that of a delicate creature. But I am different. I am a body forged solely for combat. The very strength of my physique is utterly different from Master’s. Enough to withstand your Spatial Devourment, I amplified my instantaneous output. Calculating your power’s output, I cloaked my entire body in that much energy. Of course, mind you. Just deflecting it once cost me a considerable amount of energy…”

She smiled.

Dangerously.

“This is the only time I’ll accept it. I won’t be so lenient next time. Inferior human.”

“…Ah. Okay. I get it, you’re amazing. Yeah. I understand. So, you can keep dodging, right? You can, right?”

“Beyond simply dodging, I can tear your head from your body. Or, shall I just collapse this entire facility?”

“Try it. If you can.”

Baek So-yeon cracked her knuckles. Scarlet bared sharp fangs.

Caught in the middle, I frowned.

“Can’t you two just quit it?”

“…I, I’m sorry. Master. I, I was wrong…”

“Ah, no… That’s not what I meant… It’s just that she keeps…!”

Is this the price for putting two such proud individuals in the same place?

A sigh escaped me. Still, it seemed I had proven what I wanted to, so I asked Baek So-yeon.

“Anyway… that proves it, right? That I’m allowed to go there?”

“…Seeing you withstand my ability… you certainly have reason to be confident. My ability hasn’t been blocked by anyone before. They were all too busy trying to evade it; no one ever tried to fight it head-on.”

Baek So-yeon scratched her head roughly.

“But… but still… you know who the opponent is, right? Bad Sector. Lee Seo-joon. It’s dangerous. You’re seriously in danger, you know? The Execution Agency will try to kidnap you the moment you set foot there. And you’re still going? Why?”

“I need to ask why he committed such acts. Especially to Bad Sector. Why go out of his way to mention my name, what was his reason for trying to get his hands on me?”

“……. “

“If the Execution Agency comes, that means the guys who ruined my acquaintances will come too. It’s obvious. To find me, they’ll definitely come there. I need to ask them the same thing. What was their reason for going this far? Was it worth it?”

“…And?”

“And what?”

I asked back, instead.

This wasn’t about going there to understand the reason. It was simply about hearing their reasons before I killed them.

“That’s all. I just want to have a conversation. I need to at least hear why they did it so that I can kill them without hesitation.”

“…Isn’t there a choice where you don’t kill them?”

“Why would I let something like that live?”

I shrugged.

“They’re already criminals who might as well be in league with a crime syndicate.”

“…You’ve become a true Seoulite.”

“I became one a long time ago. And you know what? When things get really hairy…”

I said, mixing in a bit of joking.

“You’ll protect me. So-yeon.”

“…You just seem to get more and more sly as the days go by.”

“Don’t you like it?”

“Whatever. You idiot. Hey! Darco!”

“Yes, Boss.”

Baek So-yeon narrowed her eyes.

“Go get that idiot dressed. You know? The suit made of special materials, top to bottom. Gotta have some insurance, after all.”