As the sweltering summer passed, a cool breeze heralded the arrival of autumn.
With the end of summer, lumi's honey-like vacation also came to a close,
and she returned to her hero duties with a changed body and mindset from before.
'There's no big change in my weight… it just feels like my chest and hip size have gotten a little bigger.'
Thanks to evolving one step further as Si-yoon's female, her body was more voluptuous in various places,
but fortunately, it seemed there were no major problems with wearing her hero uniform.
"Greetings."
lumi stood before a middle-aged man with an attractive neat beard and neatly combed-back white hair.
"Hoo… You came exactly on time."
Director Yoon, one of the executives of the Hero Alliance's Operation Command Department, who had been watching over lumi since she first became a hero and her direct superior.
He is often referred to as 'Black Eyes' for commanding numerous secret operations of the Alliance.
"Did you have a good vacation? Miss lumi."
He asks, smiling like a father to lumi, who is saluting in a stiff, machine-like posture.
"I've told you several times not to call me by my name."
"Haha! Even after enjoying a vacation, that rigid attitude remains the same."
Director Yoon chuckled, as if he was rather pleased with lumi's unchanged cold attitude.
"I'm sorry to ask you to take on a mission as soon as you return… but there's something I'd like you to take care of."
"There's no need to apologize. That's my job."
"Right. The villain you subdued some time ago. Do you remember?"
'How could I forget? He's the one who brought Si-yoon and me together.'
Executioner, a high-ranking villain of Dark Knights.
For lumi, he was one of the powerful villains who had pushed her to the brink of death,
and also a strange benefactor who somehow connected her with Si-yoon.
"Yes, I remember."
"He woke up yesterday.
The ice you froze him in is slowly melting."
lumi's ability, 'Freezing,' melts away like normal ice depending on the temperature,
unless she is concentrating on the ability after freezing the target.
The ice that froze Executioner, who could be considered a giant, was quite large,
so it seemed to have taken almost ten days to melt.
"Other interrogation specialists are too scared.
I'd like you to interrogate him directly. What do you think?"
When the Hero Alliance captures villains, they usually investigate many things, starting with the villain's motivation,
detailed stories about their abilities, and illegal acts committed while living as a villain.
If it was possible to interrogate a big-shot villain like Executioner, highly valuable information would come out,
and it would be possible to learn about the Dark Knights' Kaiser leader and other executive-level villains.
However, it seemed that not only the Alliance employees in charge of interrogation,
but even some of the heroes that Director Yoon had asked, had given up on the interrogation, scared.
"If you entrust it to me, I can certainly do it."
"Yes. I thought you would."
Director Yoon opened a desk drawer and rummaged through it,
then handed her a black card with the Hero Alliance's symbol on it.
"You'll need this card to enter the villain detention facility.
It's not issued to heroes or general employees, only to executives."
"Can I enter the detention facility with this?"
"You should present it together with your Alliance member card.
I've already told the detention facility that I'm sending you, so there shouldn't be any problems."
lumi received the executive-only access card in her hand,
and put it in the inner pocket of her uniform where her Alliance member card was.
"Are there any other instructions you need to give?"
"The other remnants are still being pursued.
We're closely chasing the guy who uses chains and the bomber villain…
but we can't even get a grasp on the other two."
Crazy Chain, who had completely turned the hero 'Punch Lady' into a corpse,
and Firecracker, who uses explosive abilities, were being closely pursued.
However, they did not even know the whereabouts of Kaiser leader and Trickster.
"I understand. Then I'll be on my way first."
"Ah! Just a moment."
"Yes? What's wrong."
Just as she bowed to Director Yoon and was about to leave the office,
he called lumi for a moment and stopped her.
"Have you… had anything good happen to you lately?"
"Yes? What do you mean?"
"No… it's just that your expression seems a bit better than before."
He looked closely at lumi's face and said that something seemed different,
asking if anything good had happened.
"Perhaps… Did you meet someone while on vacation? Huh?
When you get to my age… you can see all those things."
"Nothing like that happened."
However, lumi made an even colder and more chilling expression,
cutting off Director Yoon's prediction with a single stroke.
"Tsk tsk… How cold…!
Well… that's what our Hero Ice Queen should be like. Haha!"
However, Director Yoon was used to lumi's cold reaction to his trivial jokes.
"I'll be on my way now."
"Alright! Report immediately if any problems arise."
***
As soon as lumi came out of Director Yoon's office, she used the Alliance's special transport vehicle,
and arrived at the detention facility to resolve the interrogation of Executioner that he had requested.
'This is my first time coming here. I've only subdued villains…'
During her time as a hero, she had subdued nearly hundreds of villains,
but it was also her first time coming to the detention facility to do things like interrogate them after that.
As she stood in front of the large door that read 'Heinous Villain Detention Facility,'
a heavily armed guard with firearms rushed towards her.
"What's going on?"
"I'm here for the villain interrogation."
lumi took out the executive-only access card and her Alliance member card from the pocket inside her uniform,
and handed them to the guard who was wary of her.
"Ah! You're the hero Director Yoon mentioned. This way."
The guard who recognized lumi after seeing her access card and Alliance member card lowered his gun,
and guided her into the detention facility.
'It's all… gray walls.'
The interior of the detention facility was entirely blocked off by specially treated gray walls and electrified fences,
and especially the place where heinous villains were detained had several armed guards stationed.
"Here it is. Villain Executioner. Real name is Park Kyu-hyun."
After passing through several thick iron doors that did not even show the outside,
she stood in front of the door with villain Executioner's real name, 'Park Kyu-hyun,' and his prison number written on it.
"When you go inside, there will be a layer of transparent partition made of special material.
You can speak against that wall and your voice will be fully conveyed to him, so you can interrogate him comfortably."
"I understand."
The guard moved the specially designed locking device here and there,
and with a ding, the locking device was released and a very thick iron door opened.
"Hey! A hero has come to interrogate you!"
Executioner, who was lying on the narrow floor, raised his face,
blocked by a strong and thick transparent wall like a cage in a zoo or an aquarium.
"Another annoying guy has come."
"Our guards will open the door and come in exactly 30 minutes.
You can interrogate him until then. Then I'll be on my way."
The guard set up a simple chair for her to sit on,
took off his hat, greeted lumi, and closed the door.
"I have no intention of answering any questions. Go back."
Executioner, seeing lumi's face, turned his body towards the wall as if annoyed.
"It's been a while. I remember meeting you at the rest stop then."
"Rest stop…?"
Executioner turned his body again as if something came to mind at the word 'rest stop,'
and stared at lumi's face with narrowed eyes.
"Is that the bitch? Who attacked me."
"I came here today to interrogate you.
I hope you will answer the questions I ask as sincerely as possible from now on."
"There's no need to waste your effort. I have nothing to say anyway."
"Nothing will change just because you take such a stubborn attitude.
Eventually, all of your colleagues will be subdued before long."
- Thumpㅡ!
Executioner seemed angry at lumi's continued attempts at interrogation, frowned heavily,
then slammed his head against the transparent wall, swinging his seaweed-like long hair.
'He's really uncooperative… What should I do.'
It seemed that other interrogation specialists and heroes had been intimidated by his attitude and actions,
but lumi was more concerned with how to continue the interrogation rather than being intimidated.
"I don't know anything. I don't know where the other guys went…
I don't know where the leader is either.
Then why… Why do you keep bothering me?"
"This is something we must do and is our duty.
You are a heinous villain who has committed organized crime among villains."
"I thought you were a pretty good bitch…
but it seems that you're no different from the Alliance's hunting dogs after all."
Executioner praised lumi's skills but said words as if he was disappointed,
then turned his body back and lay down, looking at the wall.