The Black Cat's Trail
As the auto-tracking could simply be left to the AI once the target's appearance was specified, her plan had only been to check the footage briefly. But contrary to that intention, the figure in the video kept vanishing like a mirage before reappearing, opening doors and windows without ever touching them. The possibility of overtime was steadily rising.
"This is..."
The footage before her showed no sign of letting her go anytime soon.
"Should I call the Field Team Leader first...?"
"I already contacted her, knowing it would come to this."
"Ah, thank you for— Hiiik!"
Startled by the voice right beside her ear, the Response Team Leader nearly toppled over. She was caught by the hand of the very person who had frightened her and managed to stay upright. Eyes wide, she looked up to see the Management Team Leader, the owner of that unpleasant voice, standing there and cheerfully tilting her head.
"...I won't be saying thank you."
"No need to be so formal."
Settling properly back into her chair, the Response Team Leader pointed at the paused screen, where a black cat with two tails stood alone in the corridor. The Management Team Leader's reaction, however, was indifferent—as if she had expected nothing less.
"As expected, the corridor was empty. I came here because I felt something was off as well."
"...Then please make some noise when you approach next time."
"Hmm. The situation does seem rather serious, though."
Her tone remained light despite the scolding, but her words were anything but casual.
"Are you going to tell Woong?"
"You should address him as Counselor."
"..."
The mismatched formality made the Response Team Leader's stomach twist. Could the cat Woong had been raising really be... among all the cats in the world, the one that had escaped the nest they cleaned last time?
"This one... It's the same cat that fled from the nest we cleared before, isn't it? Now that I see it clearly, I understand. I can't believe I only realized it now."
"The Alchemist's literal soulmate—the only one we couldn't execute and had to detain on the sixth floor. We've finally found it."
The Management Team Leader nodded, recalling how the Field Team Leader had mentioned catching an unfamiliar scent near the entrance during the dinner gathering at the Counselor's house. She was certain now.
Click.
At the exact moment the Management Team Leader confirmed the black cat's identity, the door swung open without a knock. The Field Team Leader stepped inside, her golden eyes faintly glowing in the dark room. She was already dressed in the bike suit she favored for fieldwork, as though she had anticipated the reason for the summons.
"You called me here, so this must be fieldwork, right?"
"Wait, wait—Management Team Leader, if it comes to this...!"
The Response Team Leader whipped her head toward the Field Team Leader, who had arrived far sooner than expected, then desperately looked to the only person she could rely on. But the clown mask no longer nodded in amusement.
"Observer has already confirmed it. While the Counselor did not infiltrate the facility with malicious intent, the fact remains that he maintained close ties with them. Per protocol, we will detain him immediately."
"But—"
"Did you not hear me? Assemble a team at once and begin tracking with the field unit. I will personally apprehend the Counselor."
"...Understood."
The Response Team Leader could not guess why the Management Team Leader was reacting so harshly, but she knew one thing for certain. Six months ago, after they had finished cleaning the so-called "nest"—the pigeons' former base—the Management Team Leader had always shown excessive hostility toward anything related to them. It was different from the Field Team Leader's straightforward "destroy first, ask later" approach. The President seemed content to overlook it, though the reason remained unknown. Fearing that the Counselor might receive unnecessarily severe treatment this time as well, the Response Team Leader quietly pressed a second keyboard beneath her chair—without even looking—and sent a message somewhere.
The marble floor evoked an ancient temple, lined with intricately carved pillars. Frescoes adorned the ceiling. The entire structure radiated an archaic dignity that felt utterly out of place in the modern world, stirring a sense of reverence in anyone who beheld it. Following the rows of pillars deeper inside revealed the answer to whom this grand edifice had been built for. At its center stood not an altar, but a massive bed draped in lace canopy. Around it, countless devotees stood in silent attendance, holding large fans, baskets of fruit, or towels, ready to serve their master.
Beyond the thin canopy, a single silhouette revealed elegant curves that could only belong to a woman. It was clear this vast structure and all its comforts existed solely for her. Yet two things felt conspicuously out of place. A short distance from the bed, two figures knelt on one knee, heads bowed, awaiting orders. One was a woman with fiery red hair cascading down her back. The other was a petite girl with short, dark-purple hair. Their clothing made them stand out: the woman wore a black tactical uniform reminiscent of special forces, while the girl was dressed in tattered prisoner rags, a crude metal collar still dangling a broken chain around her neck.
They remained perfectly still for a long while. The silence grew so deep that one might wonder if they had been forgotten, but eventually the awaited voice drifted from beyond the canopy.
"Scarlet."
Though it was only her name, the heavenly voice resonated to her very bones. Trembling with an emotion that was not fear, the red-haired woman forced strength into her voice to avoid any hint of disrespect.
"Please, tell me your will."
Satisfied by the loyalty—bordering on worship—pouring from her tone, the figure beyond the canopy gave a soft laugh before speaking as Scarlet desired. Yet what pleased her most was not Scarlet's attitude, but the way she had phrased it as "your will" rather than some greater purpose.
"Hehe. This time I shall send that child with you. Do not disappoint me."
Thud...!
Scarlet grabbed the dazed girl's head and slammed it against the hard marble floor.
"Guhh..."
Paying no mind to the girl's pained groan, Scarlet pressed her own forehead to the floor and answered with utmost sincerity.
"We, the Heresy Inquisition of the Vatican Papacy, are the earthly executors of divine punishment. We shall deliver the mercy of repentance to all who dare defy your will!"
"It is not solely my will, however."
"I... I will be careful."
Despite her fierce appearance and the violent act she had just committed against the young-looking girl, Scarlet reacted to every word from beyond the canopy as though struck by a blade. She knew full well that a single utterance from that woman could drive a searing-hot knife straight into her body.
"Then take your leave. I hope your answer reaches me not only through words, but through results."
"It shall be done...!"
Clank!
Whether from kneeling too long or from fear of the woman's pointed words, Scarlet's legs trembled as she rose. She roughly seized the short chain dangling from the girl's collar and began retreating backward, head still bowed, dragging the girl like luggage along the path they had come.
Once they were gone, a slender, beautiful hand emerged from the canopy and beckoned. Without needing to be told, a devotee brought a basket of fruit close. The woman plucked a single grape, placed it in her mouth, then wiped her hand on a towel offered by another attendant before reclining languidly on the bed. Alone, she murmured to herself.
"I wonder if she is doing well by now... Hehe."