Contrary to my worries, the fox returned safely very early the next morning.
Peeek! Peek!
"Great job."
As soon as he returned, he burrowed into my arms and chattered excitedly, so I stroked its back.
The fox, who had made it abundantly clear he didn't want to go, lifted his chin and looked quite proud after he successfully completed the mission. How cute.
Cheon Sa-yeon, who had been in constant contact with Choi Mi-jin on my behalf, also came to my room just as Fox arrived. Woo Seo-hyuk was with him as well.
"I hear they managed to get them out safely without any other problems. The cultists they captured are currently being transported this way in Choi Mi-jin's car."
"That's a relief."
It would have been a shame if we had failed after so many of us worked hard until late at night. Choi Mi-jin, who was bringing the cult members at this early hour, as well as Cheon Sa-yeon and Woo Seo-hyuk, who stayed behind waiting instead of going home, all worked incredibly hard, just as Fox had.
"As soon as they arrive, we'll lock them up and start interrogating them when Kwon Jeong-han gets here in the morning. I'll let you know the results once the interrogation is over, so don't leave the room."
"Why are you acting like this even inside the guild building? I think me being there during the interrogation should be fine."
I asked out of concern for Kwon Jeong-han, who had to confront and interrogate the believers of Samael which we'd personally brought in, but Cheon Sa-yeon's response was firm.
"No. Kwon Jeong-han will take care of things just fine even without you, so don't you come out of this room."
Looking for a second opinion, I glanced at Woo Seo-hyuk standing behind me, but he quietly shook his head, as if he shared Cheon Sa-yeon's opinion. So that's how it is.
I know the reason why my team members, including Cheon Sa-yeon and Woo Seo-hyuk, are being so protective.
Since Samael possessed powerful mind control abilities, everyone within the Requiem Guild was essentially a potential threat. If he set his mind to it, he could use an ordinary guild member to approach me.
I understood this rationally, but seeing everyone else bustling about during such a critical situation while I was stuck in a room, unable to do anything, made me feel increasingly anxious.
"…Please, don't be too frustrated about this."
It was at that moment Cheon Sa-yeon, who had been looking at me with an unreadable gaze, was just about to speak, but Woo Seo-hyuk spoke up first.
"Everyone has their own role to play. Han Yi-gyeol ssi. You have been working excessively hard lately, so it would be better for you to rest a little."
I let out a tight smile at the calmly delivered words of comfort. I must have shown my anxiety without realizing it.
"Is that so?"
Woo Seo-hyuk was right. Until now, I had gotten involved in everything happening around me, but it wasn't easy to do so anymore. The presence of the Praus Cult targeting me was one problem, and the fact that 'Kwon Se-hyun's' identity had become known was another.
"...."
It was then. Cheon Sa-yeon, who had been glancing back and forth between me and Woo Seo-hyuk with narrowed eyes, grabbed my arm and pressed his body close to mine.
"My head hurts."
"Huh?"
What's going on now? I asked back reflexively, and Cheon Sa-yeon slumped his shoulders and whined.
"Working until this late, waiting for a call. I haven't even had a chance to rest."
"…So what?"
"Once Kwon Jeong-han gets to work, I'll have to get back to work too. There aren't even four hours left."
A sense of dread was slowly creeping in. I always hated it when Cheon Sa-yeon acted so pitiful. Perhaps not noticing my uncomfortable expression, Cheon Sa-yeon continued to pester me.
"Don't you feel sorry for me? Even if I leave now, I won't get more than three hours of rest before I have to go back to work."
"So? What do you want me to do about it?"
"I'm going to sleep here."
This idiot is talking nonsense again.
"Why don't you sleep in the executive office?"
"Let me rest here for a while."
"The executive office has a bathroom and a sofa, doesn't it?"
"Are you telling someone who worked until this late at night to sleep uncomfortably on a sofa? How can you be so heartless… You wouldn't shed a single drop of blood even if you were stabbed with a knife."
Cheon Sa-yeon pretended to wipe away tears and began pleading in earnest. It was I who was flustered by Cheon Sa-yeon's unexpected stubbornness.
'This....'
I was incredibly self-conscious about Woo Seo-hyuk, who was staring at me and Cheon Sa-yeon with a blank expression. I'd worried before that Woo Seo-hyuk might catch on to Cheon Sa-yeon's feelings, but now I was even more on edge for a different reason.
I felt as though Woo Seo-hyuk's dark eyes were accusing me, so I hurriedly pushed Cheon Sa-yeon away, but as expected, this damn SS-rank didn't budge.
"Anyway, my room is absolutely off-limits, so stop talking nonsense and let go."
"Why? You let me and Ha Tae-heon sleep over last time."
"...!"
Why would you bring that up now! Cheon Sa-yeon, grinning slyly at my horrified expression, then added.
"In the same bed."
"That's...!"
I opened my mouth in surprise, but I couldn't bring myself to finish my sentence. Sweating profusely, I glanced at Woo Seo-hyuk. Even though I knew in my head that I hadn't done anything wrong and didn't need to be on edge, my gaze kept drifting to him, worried that he might get hurt.
Woo Seo-hyuk and I were unable to reach a proper conclusion regarding what happened in the reception room the day before yesterday, and the matter had been left unresolved.
As it was, I'd been so busy dealing with the Praus Cult that I hadn't exchanged a single word with Woo Se-hyuk and we'd been keeping our distance, but now this brat, Cheon Sa-yeon, had basically poured oil on the fire.
'This is driving me crazy, seriously.'
It might have been different if Woo Seo-hyuk wasn't there, but as things were now, I couldn't let Cheon Sa-yeon into the bedroom. Just as I barely managed to swallow a sigh and was seriously about to kick Cheon Sa-yeon out.
Woo Seo-hyuk opened his mouth in a calm voice.
"Then I'll stay the night as well."
"Huh?"
"As the Master's closest aide, I don't think I can be the only one to leave work."
"What are you talking about? Not you too, Woo Seo-hyuk ssi…"
I was so dumbfounded that I let out a hollow laugh. Cheon Sa-yeon shrugged his shoulders at me, who was standing there in disbelief.
"Look at that brazen attitude. There's no helping him."
Look who's talking.
Since neither of them would suffer any real consequences from going without sleep for a day. Rubbing my throbbing forehead, I said,
"I have no intention of letting you sleep here, so both of you please leave."
***
Later that morning, all the team members except for Kwon Jeong-han, Cheon Sa-yeon, and Woo Seo-hyuk gathered in my room.
It was to hold a meeting based on the information obtained as soon as the interrogation on the Praus Cult member—who had been safely transferred to the Requiem Guild at dawn with Choi Mi-jin's help—was finished.
Kwon Jeong-han would interrogate the cult member accompanied by Cheon Sa-yeon and Woo Seo-hyuk, to find out where the Cult was currently operating and what their objectives were.
However, the plan did not go smoothly and hit a roadblock right from the start.
"I'm sorry, Hyung."
Kwon Jeong-han lowered his eyes and showed a look of genuine remorse, not as a joke.
"Why are you apologizing?"
Bringing in the cult member had been a success. And just as Cheon Sa-yeon had suspected, he was not under mind control; but he was engaging in the Cult's activities of his own free will.
However, a new problem emerged that we had not anticipated.
No matter how much Kwon Jeong-han tried to manipulate his emotions, the cult member attempted to take his own life whenever information related to the Praus Cult was about to come out of his mouth.
The methods varied, ranging from biting his tongue, to forcing himself to stop breathing. During the two hours that Kwon Jeong-han was interrogating him, the cult member made countless suicide attempts.
If it weren't for Kwon Jeong-han, who quickly noticed what was happening and prevented the attempts, the cult member who took so much effort to be brought in might have died in vain.
"It's not your fault. Don't apologize."
I could accept biting his tongue as a sign of high loyalty to Samael and Kali. However, holding his breath was impossible to do with loyalty alone. It was by no means an easy task to suffocate without having your nose or mouth covered.
There was only one reason. The cult member was under the influence of a mental ability so powerful, it could even suppress the body's natural instincts.
Out of curiosity, I looked back at Cheon Sa-yeon. However, he replied in a way that made it clear my assumption was wrong.
"Samael's mind control ability cannot be used like that. You know that well, Han Yi-gyeol."
I, too, have encountered those who fell victim to Samael's mind control abilities many times.
People who unconditionally to Samael's command with emotionless faces, as if they were puppets. The cult member brought in this time though, showed none of those signs.
'So does that really mean… there's another psychic besides Samael? Or is this another effect from an item infused with Kali's blood?'
If it were the latter, it would be better. But if it were the former… things would get complicated. We'd have to confront the Praus Cult head-on from now on, and to believe that there might be a hidden psychic ability user besides Samael... the mere thought of it was suffocating.
"What should we do? The hostage we went through all that trouble to bring here is useless now."
I answered Min Ah-rin, who wore a worried expression in the now heavy air.
Peek, amidst the gloomy atmosphere, the fox in my arms also let out a weary cry.
"…No. It's too early to give up."
I glanced at my teammates watching me, then lowered my gaze. Ha Tae-heon narrowed his eyes, noticing something about my gaze on my raised hand as I clenched my fist tightly.
"Han Yi-gyeol, surely not...."
"Yes. I can use my Intervention ability to check it out myself."
Whether it was another ability user using mind control or an item, using my intervention ability was advantageous in many ways. It would allow me to cut the threads of energy while simultaneously identifying the nature of the ability.
"No, Han Yi-gyeol. That… person named Elohim told you not to use it."
Behind Kim Woo-jin, who hurriedly stepped in front of me, the other team members also looked reluctant.
"He didn't say not to use it at all. My Intervention ability is meant for situations like this."
"...."
I turned my gaze away from Kim Woo-jin and tried to persuade the team members.
"There is no other way, is there?"
Cheon Sa-yeon let out a low sigh, seeming to be in deep thought for a long time with his arms crossed and his brow furrowed.
"Can we verify the root of the problem from here?"
"Yes. When I used it at Gwanghwamun, it severed the energy of every item in the vicinity. It should certainly work for people in the same building."
"I guess we have no choice."
Cheon Sa-yeon gave a weary smile and agreed with my opinion.
"If you could, Han Yi-gyeol."
'If I could'? This was exactly what I'd been hoping for.
I closed my eyes and slowly drew up the energy of Kwon Se-hyun, which was lying low, deep within. As if it had been waiting for this moment, an eerie, icy energy—far more intense than Han Yi-gyeol's—began to surge upward at a rapid pace, overflowing.
"Hu, uh...."
I couldn't stop Kwon Se-hyun's energy spreading to every corner of my body. My fingertips trembled involuntarily, and my upper body hunched over. When I opened my tightly closed eyes, I saw my original hand, bony and covered in scars.
"Ha...."
It was incredibly fast compared to before. As I, now Kwon Se-hyun, staggered, Kim Woo-jin, who was standing beside me, quickly came to my aid.
As I swept back the black hair which was slightly obscuring my vision, I looked up and saw my teammates staring at me with strange expressions.