This chapter is brought to you by 絆ノ奇跡 (Kizuna no Kiseki) by MAN WITH A MISSION & milet.

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"He's back!"

The newly formed Cat Retrieval Unit went into action.

On the other side of the city walls, they could see Tobus riding toward the gate with two others flanking his sides.

"Dreamer, report."

Venus' voice rang through the communication stone.

"Cat is escorting unknown figures toward the entrance."

"I have the visuals," Pluto informed him, "They are not Mantle agents."

His hand fell on his whip. He met the eyes of two of the Calypto mercenaries who had joined him--Lark and Wren. "Permission to apprehend?"

"Negative. Your objective is to secure Cat and bring him to the Tower immediately," said Venus.

They were handling this joke of a mission like Tobus was a criminal.

Mercury had no illusion they would win if Tobus went rogue and decided to fight them.

He could kill his way out of the city and be done with them if that were to happen, and the city would no doubt be divided by his actions.

He had too many admirers, and his kittens, that brood of children he brought with him when he first stepped foot into Vesna, would follow him to the end of the world.

Hence none of Tobus' siblings were informed of the matter, yet.

All the crazy theories sprouted in his head like weeds, and Mercury couldn't stop thinking about the worst scenario possible.

From a young age, he was taught to be wary and suspicious, and not to be too trustworthy of others. A city lord who ruled over a city of mercenaries was not a noble and wise ruler, but a fair and perceptive one.

His duty was to protect the Houses within Vesna... and in doing so, he was protecting the people of the Empire.

Tobus rode up to the gate while his companions stood a little distance away.

When he spotted their unit and recognized them, his eyes narrowed with interest and a hint of concern.

"Has something happened?"

Mercury shouldn't have been surprised that the first thing Tobus asked concerned the well-being of what was essentially the city and its inhabitants, but he was.

The evidence from the investigation was so damning, but Mercury knew in his heart it couldn't be true.

Tobus was not a person who was capable of brewing such complicated schemes. He would be the last person in the city charged with conspiracy because everyone knew he would rather solve his problems with brute force.

And yet--!

Protocol dictated they needed to handle the situation like he was a suspect.

Mercury swallowed and showed him the emblem of the Tower of Truth.

"You have been summoned to the interrogation cells under the orders of the city lord. Please remain quiet and don't resist. I will be your escort."

There was a hushed silence as everyone awaited Tobus' reaction.

He cocked his head, and then slowly, he stepped down from his horse and came forward.

Mercury observed that his complexion was not good. Exhaustion lined his face, and his posture was rigid.

Post-mission adrenaline, perhaps?

But then, when he stepped closer to Tobus, he caught the scent of medicine and froze.

"... You were injured?"

Tobus paused. He blinked, and then he shook his head.

"Debrief later."

And then he walked past Mercury to be "taken into custody" by Lark and Wren.

"Hold on," one of Tobus' companions stopped him. "What about the alliance? Who would process that?"

The other companion turned to Mercury.

"We're agents of Padova city. Our city lord has sent us to form an alliance with Vesna."

Padova? The new hidden city?

Mercury wasn't sure whether or not they were lying.

The dandelion yellow cloaks were nothing like he'd ever seen before, yet he saw an emblem that had similar designs to that of Vesna and Mantle, indicating that the Imperial Family had agreed to Padova's existence.

Mantle was also a legally sanctioned mercenary city, but that didn't stop one of their agents from breaking into Vesna...

Mercury couldn't trust the Padova agents not to cause trouble, not with the current security risks they were dealing with.

But if they were truly seeking an alliance...

"I am unable to--"

"Uncle says yes. Bring them inside."

"--express how happy I am to invite you all into our city. Please, come on inside and make yourself at home--"

"Not like that thought."

"--but don't. Don't get too comfortable while you're here."

"Excellent work, Dreamer. Ten-out-of-ten."

And this was why Mercury was heir.

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Lark saw the gleam of sweat across Cat's brow and instantly knew he was injured.

If it wasn't for the scent of medicine he wore, or the taut gait, it was the sweat on his brow and the impeccably timed shallow breaths the young man took as he walked.

Lark shared a look with Wren.

Cat had only just recovered from his injuries at the hands of the Mantle agent, and now, coming back from a classified mission, he was injured once more.

They knew he was human, and everyone made mistakes, but Cat hardly ever did.

Even when he was twelve, tiny and scrawny, with tinier hands and smaller daggers, he had faced guards and combative targets with nothing more than a scratch.

"What happened?" Wren asked, his voice low with caution.

Cat blinked. His hand pressed discreetly to his hip, hinting at the injury he sustained.

"Intel leak. There was an interference with the mission."

They didn't pry for any more information, but Cat's words gave them pause.

There was a leak? And someone had interfered with Cat's mission?

Lark didn't want to speculate, but the coincidences were piling up ridiculously.

Someone was targeting Cat.

But why?

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Venus monitored the interrogation cell where the prisoner sat.

The Mantle agent had become quiet after a grueling session of sense-deprivation.

They had blindfolded him and cast a noise-canceling spell inside the room.

He was much more docile than twelve hours ago.

"Any changes?" Pluto asked, coming to stand next to Venus.

Venus looked at the papers in his arms and sighed.

"Not yet. Heart rate is steady, and he hasn't broken yet."

Pluto hummed. "Lark and Wren brought back Tobus."

"Where is he?"

"Healer's ward. Someone stabbed him with an arrow."

Venus frowned.

"Ambush?"

"According to the debrief, the target was dead by the time he arrived. Mantle agents showed up and chased him for a while."

What?

Pluto pursed his lips when he met his gaze. Venus didn't know what expression he was making, but it must have been severe if his cousin hesitated to continue.

"He engaged them in combat, interrogated them, and then killed them."

Everything on Tobus' side lined up with the investigation on their end.

It was obvious what was happening.

A Mantle agent in the city to act as a distraction, an ambush during a classified mission, an intelligence leak, and--

"The Padova agents," Venus muttered. He glanced at Pluto. "They are here for an alliance."

"Uncle will approve if they sincerity. Mercury already placed them in one of the conference rooms."

Venus shook his head. "I'm not talking about that. It's..." his eyes widened with realization.

"Why is there a Padova city?"

Pluto crossed his arms and looked at him with a confused expression.

Venus made his way over to the investigation board and stared at all the pieces they gathered.

"In Cat's previous debrief, he mentioned two Mantle agents who he suspects might have gone rogue after his encounter with them during the Paudu Birthday mission. That was the first mention of Padova."

Venus gestured to the center of the board, which was the encounter in the Calypto state between Mercury and their current prisoner.

"Ines spoke about Padova with Mercury, but we didn't interrogate him further on the information--"

"Because we were too focused on him getting through the barrier." A look of realization dawned on Pluto.

The cousins stared at each other for a moment, and then they quickly looked back at their prisoner.

Behind the glass, they could see his lips turning into a cheerful smile.

He gave them a wave.

But wait, wasn't he tied to the chair--

"Get down!"

Venus pulled Pluto to the ground just as the window shattered.

The Mantle agent stood up and stretched.

"Gods, you Vesna people really are prudes, huh? Your rope tying is not sexy at all."

Venus looked at the man in horror.

Nervous, easy to fluster, and a bit naive--was what the psyche eval had reported.

Yet--

Ines smirked at them.

"Well, this has been fun and all, but I'm a little busy at the moment. Can you tell Mercury he was pretty hot with that whip? Would love to see it again--"

"Okay, stop. Ew. That's my brother," Venus interrupted despite the fear and adrenaline. He clutched Pluto tighter to him and glared at the man.

Ines blinked in surprise.

"Just..." Venus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His hand touched the wall behind him and he found a stone that stuck out in a particular way. He pressed it.

The wall beside him opened, revealing an emergency exit.

"Go," he said.

Ines leaned over and saw a flock of birds flying past.

"... This is the tenth floor."

"Yes."

The man had no choice but to climb down.

Once he was out, Venus closed the exit.

He had no illusions that Ines would fall to his death. He was a Mantle agent, after all. One that managed to break into their city.

"Why did you let him go?" Pluto asked after a few moments of silence.

Venus stood up and offered his hand.

"Couldn't risk him killing us. The psyche evaluation was wrong, and according to Mercury, he's a soldier. It's better to let him be hunted within the city."

Pluto seemed to soak in the information, and while he did that, Mercury went over to another wall and activated the alert signal charm.

There was a blare of noise throughout the Tower, and then red flashing lights.

Pluto's eyes were blown wide with panic.

"What are you--"

"Let's go," Venus barked, tugging him by the arm.

If his deductions were correct, then the safety of Vesna was at risk.

A lone Mantle agent wandering into the city? Why? Two Padova agents looking for an alliance? Why?

Why was there a new city? Why was Tobus being involved?

Several questions were falling into place.

Venus found his answer.

"Mantle City has gone rogue. We must alert the city lord. They have betrayed their oaths, and they have betrayed the crown."

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End of Part VI

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The author has something to say:

I didn't know what to call the cities other than that they're "hidden," and I've just come to the realization that they sound awfully like Naruto's hidden villages orz. Am I writing off-brand Naruto???