Catacombs (2)
Flan surveyed the room with her usual expressionless face. Several people had gathered in the dim chamber. Some yawned indifferently, while others scribbled notes with glasses glinting. Meeting. Only a select few who knew the secret of the True Ancestor vampire, Ar, could attend. To the others, it was simply a story of some villain who had infiltrated the Association and escaped. Ar’s information had been omitted.
Though she had been assigned as a hero, she couldn’t head straight to the Catacombs. “Is everyone here?” Flan’s eyes flashed as she spoke in a cold voice. A heavy silence settled over the conference room. The girl who had been yawning flinched, her eyes widening like a student caught slacking off.
A-class, Covert Agent. Mad Hunt. Flan fixed her sunken gaze on the girl. Mad Hunt quickly lowered her eyes. Tap, tap. The sound of thick stacks of documents being straightened.
“I won’t hold anyone personally responsible for this incident.”
“That’s unusual,” the man with glasses remarked indifferently. Whatever he had been doing, his notebook was already filled with dense writing. The darkness made it hard to read, and she had no interest anyway. Flan regarded him with a puzzled look.
“What is?”
“The fact that a villain managed to penetrate so deep, and that you, Association President, aren’t holding anyone accountable.”
The man’s sharp eyes seemed to ask, Isn’t that right?
“Correct. Do you require a detailed explanation?”
“Yes. I’d like to know why you simply let that villain go.”
“…”
Flan stared at him blankly. The others looked flustered. Association President Flan held immense authority. No one dared oppose her. Within days of taking office, she had cut away everything she deemed useless, and when resentment came her way, she faced it head-on. In every sense, she was iron-blooded.
The man paid no mind to their reactions. He simply gazed at her calmly.
“I like that attitude,” Flan said with a chilly smile. Mad Hunt shuddered, letting out a low groan as if creeped out.
Other opinions need to be heard. Only by voicing them like this can the Association function properly. Flan genuinely thought the man was acceptable. His question was rational. She didn’t know what evidence he had, but he had hit the truth.
“What’s your reason?”
“The fact that you moved late. The fact that you didn’t pursue the villain as aggressively as usual despite the threat level. And your movements that day.”
“Correct.” Flan nodded and snapped her fingers. A prepared presentation appeared on the screen. True to her personality, it was clean, easy to read, and free of unnecessary design flourishes.
“Due to this villain’s attack, the True Ancestor vampire Ar has escaped the Association building. Her danger rating is the highest priority, same as the villain’s.”
“Whoa… highest priority?” Mad Hunt let out a disbelieving laugh.
“The True Ancestor vampire Ar’s abilities: [Kin Bestowal] and [Bloodsucking]. Let’s start with the first—[Kin Bestowal].” Flan’s brow furrowed slightly in displeasure. “To put it simply, even an ordinary person who becomes a proper kin gains abilities comparable to a C-class hunter. Kin can create more kin… up to two each.”
“…!” Those already in the know sighed and nodded, but those who only knew of Ar’s existence widened their eyes.
“That’s insane!”
“C-class hunter level ability. The villain group Blood Queen that attacked the Association has already had their kin status revoked. If a well-trained hero receives it… their abilities would surge dramatically. According to measurements, the stronger Ar recovers, the stronger they become. We can’t get an exact reading.”
“Kin creating more kin?”
“Kin become vampires. Their eyes turn red when following Ar’s orders, and when they create more kin, the power of lower kin noticeably decreases.”
“…”
The room fell silent. No need to mention Lee Kang-woo. Spreading unnecessary chaos would be… irrational. Flan clasped her hands behind her back and continued.
“I allowed this incident to happen. It’s only right that I take responsibility. However, the Catacombs, though weakened, remains a dangerous place with Merpin in charge. I will personally retrieve Ar. And… Mad Hunt?”
“Y-yeah!” Startled at being called, Mad Hunt immediately raised her hand.
“Covert Agent. Are you available for deployment?”
Mad Hunt grinned confidently. With a sharp shing, four syringes appeared between her fingers. “Of course.”
…
I passed through a tunnel-like passage and entered the interior. The inside of the Catacombs was far more organized than I had expected. It felt more like a massive underground warehouse. The only odd thing about this vast concrete space was the office-like area right next to the storage section.
As I followed Merpin, I casually remarked, “…The Catacombs has changed a lot.”
“Yeah. It’s been a long time since the war. Compared to its reputation… tch.” Merpin suddenly clicked her tongue in irritation and glared at me. I met her resentful crimson eyes without flinching.
What… does she want to pick a fight? Merpin glanced down at Ar, who was tightly holding my hand, and smirked.
“Our dear Hypnotist seems to have changed quite a bit too. The Association’s lapdog showing up with a kid in tow.”
“Time is cruel like that.”
“Back when you were flying around the battlefield, you were really…” Merpin sighed and shook her head, as if she didn’t even want to imagine it. Back then, I had been nothing special. Of course I had been running disruption operations with my mental abilities. I had been carrying out plans to collapse the villain alliance from within.
Hmm… I frowned slightly. Merpin snipped the tip of her cigar with a cutter and put it in her mouth. She lit it, glancing sideways at Ar, then chuckled.
“Yeah, things have changed. That’s why I agreed to let you stay here. The Catacombs isn’t worth the Association’s effort to dismantle anymore, so your presence here must really piss you off.”
“Maybe. You’re not wrong.”
“Besides, I could tell just by watching you openly use your ability on me.” Merpin shrugged. Following her, we arrived at what looked like an office. Once inside, Ar hesitated before mumbling, “Mister… I…”
“Hm?” I looked at her questioningly. Ar was trembling. She couldn’t focus her gaze, breathing roughly as if anxious.
“What’s wrong?”
“N-no… it’s not that…” Ar pointed with a shaking hand. I followed her gaze to a glass window beside the office. Behind it, people in lab coats were working on something.
“Ah…!” I immediately drew the curtain over the glass.
Trauma? I bit my lip. I should have noticed Ar’s face stiffening the moment she saw the lab coats!
“What’s going on?” Merpin, seated in an armchair with her legs propped on the table, looked at me in confusion.
Are they still conducting experiments? I quickly knelt and checked on Ar. Her breathing was slowly returning to normal, though her eyes darted around anxiously.
“Calm down. It’s okay. They won’t touch you anyway.” I placed my hands on her shoulders and spoke. They were trembling. She took a deep breath and nodded.
“O-okay…”
“…Wait here. I need to talk with Merpin for a bit. If you’re scared, just say so. I’ll protect you.”
“Got it…” Ar answered in a shaky voice and hid behind me. Merpin blinked, looking puzzled.
“What are you doing?”
“They were still running experiments. Let’s get to the point.” There was no need to reveal Ar’s weakness. I slammed my hand on the table with a bang before Merpin could take interest. She let out a thoughtful hum, glanced at Ar with interest, then grinned.
“That kid must be important to you?”
“…None of your business.” I spoke in a low voice. Merpin smiled slyly and replied leisurely.
“Heh, is that so? Shall I tell you what we want first?”
“Go ahead.” I nodded. This was a negotiation. What I wanted wasn’t the Association’s downfall, but its reform. As long as heroes existed, the Association was necessary.
Probably information from the Association, and my cooperation. The Catacombs wanted the Association’s collapse. They also wanted to return to the golden age of the old villains. We just needed to find a suitable compromise.
Merpin exhaled a long plume of smoke. “What I want is…”
“…”
“To eliminate our rivals in the Catacombs. The New Villain Coalition.”
“What?”