"It's not always possible to do what we want to do, but it's important to believe in something before you actually do it."
—Might Guy (Naruto)
...
"What!"
Dick was shocked and quickly turned to Alfred.
"I-I didn't know about this... How is Barbara now? Why didn't she ask for my help?"
Looking at Dick's guilty expression, Alfred spoke softly.
"Master Richard, we only found out about this recently as well. Barbara was attacked by the 'Bat Monster' last night. She just regained consciousness today and called Wayne Manor to explain the situation. Luckily, The injuries weren't too serious."
"Commissioner Gordon requested that the media not report this incident because if even the Police Commissioner's own daughter can't protect herself, it would cause a huge panic and make other people feel very unsafe."
Alfred sighed and continued, "He must be feeling terrible, but for the sake of maintaining the city's stability, Commissioner Gordon had to hide what happened to Barbara."
"So... is Bruce actually blaming me for not helping Barbara in time?"
Dick lowered his head, his expression complicated.
Seeing Dick's expression, Alfred knew what he was thinking and patted his shoulder.
"It's more likely that he is blaming himself for not coming back sooner."
Alfred said softly, "Don't be too hard on Master Bruce. What he told you might not be how he really feels. He just doesn't know how to express his feelings."
"I know, Alfred. I've always known. But Bruce isn't entirely wrong."
Dick nodded, and his gaze became determined.
"Lately, I've been too focused on Phantom Thief and ignored other potential threats that could be more dangerous."
"Barbara actually told me before that she was going to investigate the Bat Monster murder case. At that time, the least I should have done was to investigate with her or at least provide her with some assistance. But I was completely focused on Phantom Thief and never even considered the real possibility of a Bat Monster's existence."
"Although I know that Phantom Thief wouldn't harm others, even if he stole something, he would also return it. The actual threat he causes is less than that of regular robbers in the streets. I should have prioritized him lower on the list."
Dick shook his head with a wry smile.
"No one has all the answers. There are countless things you can't predict. In the beginning, no one would believe the 'Bat Monster' was real—including me. Don't blame yourself, Master Richard, and Barbara won't blame you either."
Alfred's voice remained gentle.
"Alright, now you should go to the Batcave. Don't keep Master Bruce waiting too long. I hope you can find that Bat Monster and give it a good beating."
"Thank you, Alfred. Your words always manage to improve my mood."
Dick smiled as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
He turned and walked out of the room, heading towards the secret passage from Wayne Manor to the Batcave.
After descending into the Batcave, Dick saw Bruce watching some video on the Batcomputer while he was sitting in front of it.
He was already suited up in his Batman suit, except for his helmet.
"You're too late. One of the worst things about being a soldier is being late."
Bruce's gaze remained fixed on the monitor as he spoke without looking back.
Dick was already used to Bruce's attitude and didn't take it to heart.
But the emotional tone in the question from earlier was a bit unusual for Bruce, making Dick feel a bit uncomfortable.
He approached the Batcomputer without saying a word and saw on the screen a huge bat-like monster that stood over two meters tall, with wings stretching out to almost four meters in length.
The monster had legs that were somewhat similar to a human's, except that the feet had turned into claws.
It even wore pants, although they were old and ripped apart.
Its hands and stomach were also quite human-like, but between the arms and the flank of the body were huge bat wings.
Its hands had turned as sharp as claws, similar to its feet.
As for the head, like its wings, it was the most bat-like part of its body, as if the bat's head were enlarged to be as big as a human's head.
Rather than calling it a humanoid bat monster, it seemed more accurate to describe it as a Man-Bat monster.
"So, this is the 'Bat Monster' that hurt Barbara?"
"Barbara sent me this footage."
Bruce's tone was calm.
Dick looked at the monster in the footage with a strange expression.
"Why do I feel like this monster looks too oddly human?"
"Perhaps... it is a human."
Bruce replied with a meaningful gaze as he continued to stare at the footage.
...
Meanwhile, at Gotham City Public Library...
Dean didn't immediately go home after school. Instead, he made his way to the library.
It wasn't because he needed a new topic for his crime notices. After all, Dean had just completed a successful crime of a "big gem".
It would be some time before his next notice, and even a thief like Dean needed a vacation.
But even if he didn't need a theme for notice, Dean often found himself at the library. It had become a habit for him, and he would visit at least once a week.
Dean wanted to perform advanced magic tricks that needed a deep understanding of psychology, physics, and even chemistry.
Information is just as important to magic as anything else.
It is difficult for Dean to gain the knowledge that he needs simply by studying in high school, so he has to go to the library to study by himself.
It wasn't too difficult, as he didn't aim to become a scientist. He just needed to know the principles and how to apply them.
Dean finished school at four in the afternoon, and the library closed at eight in the evening.
This gave him plenty of time to learn new things.
Upon entering the library, Dean found a few books on the relevant shelves and settled down in a secluded spot.
He didn't like having too many people around when he read. That's why he always chose a quiet spot whenever he visited the library.
In Gotham, there were usually very few people who came to the library to read. There were plenty of empty seats, so Dean never had to worry about being disturbed by anyone.
Clank!
However, just as Dean had sat down and opened a book, the sound of a chair being moved came from across the table.
Immediately after, there was a thud as something was placed on the table.
"Huh?"
Dean raised his head in surprise.
In front of him sat a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old girl with black hair and black eyes. Her face and skin tone seemed to be Asian, which gave Dean an odd sense of familiarity.
She was holding an incredibly thick black leather book, so thick that it couldn't be held with just one hand.
The sound from earlier was the book being placed on the table.
As for the title of the book, it was "Complete Guide to World Languages Vocabulary"...
...
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