The Vatican's Trap
"I don't think this incident is simply the work of a hostile special entity."
".. So you're saying someone deliberately orchestrated it?"
As if confirming those exact words, the Team Leader nodded with her arms crossed.
"Cases that erupt without warning in densely populated urban centers and produce multiple disappearances within just a few days aren't all that common. We assess a high probability that this is a Vatican trap."
The Vatican's Inquisition. Merely recalling it summoned vivid memories of that dizzying plane crash. The explosion's shockwave rattling my entire body and the thick, scorching stench of aviation fuel still seemed to linger deep inside my nostrils whenever I thought of that moment.
"Given that the culprit likely possesses spatial interference abilities or skills specialized in coordinate setting and tracking—as we tentatively concluded from the previous terror—we cannot rule out any connection to the spatial abilities observed this time."
"I.. understand. Part of it is that I really don't want to go to the scene, but more than that, I'm not sure I'd actually be any help."
Honestly, fear was natural, and after watching that footage, who in their right mind would want to step into that unidentified place? But the real issue was whether a mere counselor like me could contribute anything at the actual site.
I wondered if the Team Leader knew something about a new potential of mine that even I wasn't aware of..
"You probably won't be much help at all. It would be fortunate if you don't become a hindrance."
"..."
The words "Then why on earth are you trying to drag me along?" rose all the way to my throat, but I barely managed to swallow them back down.
"If this really is a trap they've prepared, we're concerned there could be direct angelic interference this time. Assuming they haven't forgotten their crushing defeat during the last nest cleanup like complete idiots."
I was clearly being treated as the Team Leader's secret weapon against angels, yet I still had no clear idea how my abilities would actually prove useful in a fight against them. Since she said so, I supposed I had to accept it.. but the worry weighed heavier.
"I haven't sensed any sign of them setting foot on this land yet, but we don't know the full extent of spatial abilities. If they suddenly open a gate and summon angels to reinforce them, even I would be in trouble."
I was nothing more than insurance against that kind of unforeseen situation.
Then I suddenly thought of Founder, whom the President had assigned as my escort. If I asked her properly, maybe she could help?
".. What if we received help from Founder—"
"Out of the question. Those are the rules. Being permitted to remain in one location under the facility's protection while occasionally receiving useful items is already excessive assistance. Asking for more would be dangerous."
The Team Leader cut me off before I could even finish, declaring it impossible without the slightest room for negotiation. Not just refusing, but calling it dangerous made me wonder, yet for some reason my head nodded on its own.
"Until the angels appear, Ung-ssi simply needs to keep me company so I don't get bored. If they don't show up, that's fine. Just think of it as visiting a horror attraction at a theme park and follow along."
"Even so, how could I possibly follow with such a light heart.."
This time I couldn't hold back and grabbed onto the end of her sentence, but it didn't seem to carry any weight.
"Don't worry. I'll take full responsibility for your safety. Trust me—the former field team leader."
Former field team leader..?
"Huh?"
Before I could ask anything more, the Team Leader seized my wrist tightly and pulled me into the hallway. Leaving behind Yerin's timid, apologetic wave for failing to stop us, I was crammed into a black van packed with fully armed field team members and transported straight to the scene.
I'm not particularly short, but these people had intimidating builds from the very start.
"The field team members will enter first to draw the target's attention. We'll stop briefly at the base camp before following them in."
".. I'll be counting on you."
"..."
Watching the field team members sit in silence while gripping their firearms, I eventually dropped my awkward smile and stayed still, pretending to be calm. The facility rule prohibiting private conversations had just come to mind.
Because the location was close, the vehicle stopped soon after. I could see with my own eyes the scene cordoned off by brightly colored police tape and under strict control.
Even in broad daylight, the abandoned building exuded an eerie atmosphere. It had already swallowed more than ten missing persons yet maintained an unsettling silence.
.. Was it just my imagination that the air itself felt heavy?
"Ung-ssi, have you ever fired a pistol? I heard you completed your military service."
"A pistol is.."
"Oh, now that I think about it, you have."
When..? Ah, that time.. when I was bewitched by Rav..
"Your shooting skills back then were fine based on what I experienced directly, but handing a firearm to someone without proper field training is another matter—especially at a scene where civilian missing persons are also presumed present."
She brought up the incident where I'd shot her in the chest, forcing me to recall it again. With that old debt still hanging over me, my mouth stayed firmly shut and I had no choice but to follow obediently.
"Welcome, Management Team Leader. The command post is this way."
"Yes, it's been a while."
"After checking the surrounding cameras, we confirmed seven civilians entered the building and never came out."
A field team member who had rushed over recognized the Team Leader and delivered a quick report. I quietly followed behind toward the white tent.
There were quite a few people outside, and even more inside the tent. Since I rarely encountered other team members inside the facility except when helping Arachne in the kitchen, this crowded situation felt unfamiliar.
"The first 'Tail' that entered, along with the field team leader, went inside and still haven't come out. The leader of the second 'Tail' that entered also.."
"What was the difference between Tail One and Tail Two?"
".. Pardon?"
"Think about it. If someone vanished right in front of them, the members of Tail Two would have stopped in place like the others. But Tail One disappeared together, all at once."
The field commander who had been briefing pondered the sudden question before answering.
".. We presume it was due to physical contact. When first entering a space where singularities and anomalies have been detected, we've trained them to place one hand on the shoulder of the person in front and advance in a line to prepare for doll extraction. The leader of Tail Two was holding the extremely long camera issued this time, so he went ahead alone."
"Hmm. Spatial abilities seem to retain their usual characteristics. Please bring a vest and helmet for the Counselor here."
"Understood!"
Amid the bustling crowd of people having serious discussions while staring at screens filled with graphs and numbers on various unidentified machines, I felt strangely detached as I awkwardly donned the bulletproof vest and helmet handed to me. These expensive-looking black pieces, covered in multi-purpose pockets, body cams, and countless attachments, were completely different from the shabby military gear I was used to. As I struggled to put them on, the Team Leader approached and helped finish the job.
Tap. Tap.
She tapped my helmet a couple of times, then—before I could even finish thanking her—delivered words like a final sentence.
"We can't confirm anything for certain just by standing around talking. We'll depart for the scene now."
*
"... Cough.. Cough, cough.."
Thud, thud, crack.. plop..
In the middle of a dark, dust-covered room, a small shadow that had collapsed and vomited thick blood had no time to wipe its mouth before peeking through a gap in space and adjusting the "pit."
Startled..!
Then, seeing the white-haired woman who had been crossing the dark corridor like the wind suddenly turn her head and stare directly at the tiny gap where only her eyes peeked out, the shadow hurriedly closed the opening, frightened by those ominous ruby-like pupils.
Unlike the others who had entered here, she had already spent far too much mental strength and stamina trying to drive the woman deeper, yet the white-haired figure kept approaching without any sign of giving up.
"Khack, cough.. cough..! Kuaaagh..!!"
If I died from overexertion like this, I wouldn't have to suffer or struggle anymore, I thought. But even for harboring such irreverent thoughts, the stigma immediately delivered punishment.
"Kuhuk.. It's.. hot.. It hurts.. Hah.. Hak.. Grace.. Grace.."
Already pushed to her mental and physical limits, the added stinging punishment made her finally sense she had reached her breaking point. She frantically groped across the dark floor.
Crackle.. zap..
Each time, thin shards of glass clinked as they embedded into her tender palms, tearing skin and drawing blood. Yet she finally found an unbroken glass bottle and picked it up.
"Aah, your grace.."
Without even trying to open it properly, she immediately bit down on the bottle with her teeth. After gulping down the unidentified liquid mixed with her own blood and glass fragments, she soon wore an ecstatic expression as black blood streamed from her nose.
When she opened the gap in space once more, her body overflowed with energy—completely unlike before, when she had been dying.