Chapter 153: A Common Enemy, An Enemy Within (10)

It felt like I was being drawn into the white cat’s blue eyes.

A trap? Hypnosis...?

But within five seconds, I relaxed again. The cat transformed into a human woman, and the glow in her blue eyes gradually faded.

"What... is this...?"

The white cat, now fully human, slowly opened her mouth. "There doesn’t seem to be any malice. You know the Path of Freedom, I suppose it’s safe to let you go."

Path of Freedom? Was she talking about a secret route?

Just then, Naneow, leaning against one of the walls, let out a quiet chuckle. "The Seer has confirmed it, so no objections, right?"

"Naneow, you know no one’s as picky as the Seer in the first place."

"Exactly."

There was no hostility.

I helped pull Rena up from below.

Tap.

When Rena set foot in the stone chamber, Naneow poked the black-haired man in the back with her finger. "Hey, current one."

"Whoa!"

The man we had met in the cave hunched his shoulders forward.

"Don’t pretend to be surprised. You do it, Pershan."

"

Erm...

right, right!"

The man pushed forward and slowly opened his mouth.

"Let me formally introduce myself. I’m Pershan, the seventh Guildmaster of T&T. The others here are guild officers from the Empire and Ember who support Naneow..."

So that guy was the T&T Guildmaster?

I glanced at Rena. She didn’t seem surprised and remained calm. Well, he was casually joking around with the Founder, Naneow. Even if that was just the culture of T&T, it was clear he wasn’t an ordinary human.

"

Ahem

." The Guildmaster cleared his throat and continued. "This is the secret headquarters in the imperial capital. It’s the basement of a large three-story tavern. If you head outside, you’ll find yourself on first Garnet Street."

"Garnet... Street?"

"Yeah. Welcome to the most expensive street in the Empire, friends."

First Garnet Street.

That name shocked me again. Of all the place names in the imperial capital, that was the only one familiar to me.

It’s where Marquis Leandro’s funeral procession begins, isn’t it?

According to the information I had obtained from Daliac, the procession was said to start from First Garnet Street. But the Guildmaster seemed to interpret my shock differently.

He nodded and said, "That’s right. It’s the street where the imperial palace lies to the Northwest. I didn’t expect you to know so much about the human world. Do you remember anything from when you were alive?"

Uncomfortable with the attention, I waved my hand. "Not really. I just heard some things. Can you tell me the time right now?"

"It’s midnight. The perfect time for drumming up business over in the east district. Why, you planning to head out?"

Midnight.

That meant I still had time before the funeral procession. According to Daliac’s documents, the procession would begin around midday tomorrow.

"I’m not going out right now, but..."

"Good. I’d like you to stick around for a bit. We’re just about to start discussing something relevant to you. Alright, then..."

Tap tap.

The Guildmaster tapped the table twice with a small stone.

"From now on, we’ll begin the T&T officers’ meeting. As Guildmaster, I will present the first agenda item."

At those words, all the officers seated in the stone chamber turned their attention to Rena, who had just exited the tunnel. There was no need for further discussion—everything seemed to have been settled already.

The Guildmaster continued. "As you all know, the agenda is Rena... she hasn’t registered a family name on the member list, but do you have one?"

Rena shook her head. "No."

"Good. Then this is the proposal to promote Rena to branch chief, in accordance with the rulebook. If anyone objects, please speak now."

Silence. No one objected. A few soft voices muttered, "No objections."

I caught sight of Naneow smiling from where she leaned against the wall.

The black-haired Guildmaster spoke again. "Alright. Promotion of this T&T member to branch chief is approved. Now, which branch should we assign her to?"

Gulp.

Rena’s swallowing sound echoed clearly.

Is it over? Just like this?

The scene in front of me was astonishing. This was the third time. Promoting her to T&T branch chief was a task that had cost me my life three times. I hadn’t imagined it would be accomplished this easily. But Rena’s gulp only held the room for a brief moment.

"I want her!"

"Assign her to Catapest branch!"

"Please come to Enarde..."

"I can’t manage alone anymore. Sibinas branch is falling apart!"

All the T&T officers around the table raised their hands, loudly asserting their needs. What a complete reversal in attitude. I couldn’t believe the same people who had been silent and withdrawn moments ago.

"What the... is this...?"

I stared dumbfounded at Pershan. The black-haired Guildmaster grinned.

"There’s a manpower shortage lately."

"Manpower... shortage? The branches actually exist?"

The mage who had walked with us through the cave responded calmly. "Don’t worry about that. Those people there? All they know is how to fight, but they have the titles. The problem is they can’t find any reliable members."

The officers wanted Rena, who had nothing to do with Purson, to be under their direct command. I looked around the room.

Naneow, the Guildmaster, and the mage had all stepped back from the table, leaving the others to compete. But aside from those three, the rest were fiercely lobbying for Rena.

The Catwoman, who had first looked at me seriously, spoke up. "I need her the most. I’m constantly traveling between Ember and here, managing two distant branches. I need someone I can rely on."

Then, a man with red leather bracers on his wrists shook his head. He had the edgy look of someone who’d casually pickpocket strangers in broad daylight.

"I need a competent assistant... Every reliable person is either an idiot or has already sided with Purson’s followers."

"Hey here, look. Everyone here’s the same, right?"

A man with a cross-shaped scar on his face and a chiseled look cut in. He looked more like someone suited for a combat guild than an intel guild, but there was no reason to question his presence here.

With a voice full of youthful energy, he shouted, "Duel! Let’s settle this with a duel!"

"..."

Everyone gave him a pitiful look. It was complete disregard. No one even bothered to tell him to shut up.

"Well then..."

The Guildmaster continued the meeting, but as time passed, no one showed any sign of yielding.

I think I’m starting to get it now...

The more I listened, the more I understood why they were fighting so fiercely over Rena. These people weren’t capable of political calculations. Despite calling themselves an intel guild, they were laughably weak when it came to schemes, plots, or even business.

They had abandoned the guild and spent centuries researching Lurium alongside Naneow. The reason was simple. They were like her.

Good grief...

By the end of the meeting, six out of ten had stepped back, but the remaining four insisted on their claims to the end. A rather reasonable conclusion was reached.

"We’ll confirm it now. We’ll leave the decision to Rena herself. Would you take a look at these people?"

"

Hmm...

"

"You’ve heard everything discussed so far. Please choose one of the four."

\

Shhhh.

The woman who had said it was inconvenient traveling between Ember and the Imperial capital suddenly began to transform. Contrary to her earlier appearance, her human form shifted into a small white cat.

"Seer..??"

"Hey, Sharunian!"

"Don’t tell me you’re..."

"Quiet."

Hop.

The white cat jumped over the stone table and crouched in front of Rena.

What is she doing...?

Then, she lowered her fluffy head beneath Rena’s hand.

"You may pet me."

"Really?"

"Yes. But you must choose my branch."

What’s going on...?

The white cat curled up tightly.

"

Purrrrr....

"

"Is that even allowed?"

"Guildmaster, isn’t that cheating?"

"Damn..."

"

Hm

... I’ll allow each person to appeal as they wish. It’s fair."

But surprisingly, Rena didn’t pet the cat.

I thought she liked animals...

Instead, she stroked Acorn, who was stiff with nerves in this unfamiliar place, and asked the cat, "You’re in charge of this place, right?"

"Yes. I’m Sharunian."

Though a little hurt that Rena hadn’t touched her, the cat nodded as if scouting talent took priority.

"Are you coming with me?"

Everyone perked up at Rena’s response.

"Yes. Guildmaster? I choose her."

The white cat began wagging her fluffy tail side to side—only to abruptly stop, perhaps mindful of her dignity.

"

Haa...

"

"Oh no..."

Sighs of disappointment slipped out from all around the table. As if to seal the deal, the cat explained her branch details to Rena.

"It’s a big three-story tavern. Lots of intel flows in. Honestly, just running the place is hard enough, so I haven’t been able to keep up with organizing things..."

Guildmaster Pershan reconfirmed Rena and the cat’s intentions and continued, "We’ll hold the formal appointment ceremony in one week. But as of this moment, I officially announce that Rena is now in charge of T&T’s Imperial seventh Branch."

Tap, tap.

The sound of the stone striking the table rang low and long through the basement, burying all the restless days spent waiting for Rena’s scenario to be cleared. Just as the last echo faded away—

Ding!

[Rena has been promoted to Branch Chief of T&T.]

[You have cleared B-Rank Scenario: Rena’s Story.]

[Rena has now gained the ability to exert real influence within T&T.]

It finally came! I calmly read each word of the message.

[A New Title: has been granted to Rena.]

[— If you maintain a high enough Affection with Rena, you can directly utilize her influence.

— Criminal collaborations, requests, and various activities become available.]

Even without all this, I had no intention of doing anything to lower her Affection.

[Scenario Ally in the Shadows has been activated.]

[This is a continuously active scenario. If Rena’s influence continues to grow, related events will be generated.]

No rank or clear objectives are shown.

So there’s no set goal, huh...?

[You have gained 1 additional scenario slot.]

[Current Slots: 2/3]

[Assimilation Rate is decreasing.]

[74.3%...]

The Assimilation Rate dropped. My head grew hot, and my vision wavered again. The messages didn’t end there.

[Scenario cleared. Confirming change of current path.]

The letters that appeared in the air were written in a font I had never seen before. They filled the air with an eerie tension.

"

Hmm

? %%#@ Bark!!% &&$@?"

"Thoughts *#$&@# lost in #!$@$."

I heard people talking around me. But their voices felt distant—nothing more than faint noise.

"#ster? Master...?"

A voice I could actually register reached me. Through the translucent message floating in the air, I looked at Rena—the very real, living Rena who had been by my side all this time. Instead of confessing the wave of emotions I felt for her, I said something else.

"I’ll head out now."