༺ Black Cat Nehru ༻

The back alleys of District 14 were always filled with acrid smoke.

The wind blew from the west to the east. Humans wading through the air were not free from this flow. The stench, dust, and all the indescribable filth exhaled by humans flow eastward, outward, with the wind.

The large incinerator in District 14 was the collection point for all this refuse.

When large automaton carriages laden with garbage entered, they followed the road and eventually dumped their load into a large pit. Then, laborers, appearing indistinguishable from the trash, burned what needed burning and buried what needed burning, before loading the rest into containers on the Meta Conveyor Belt.

Sometimes, when a battered corpse appeared in the hill of garbage, the laborers, despite retching, sent it into the incinerator.

The reason was simple; bodies were able to be burned.

About 45 minutes later, amid the black stench, a scent of roasting meat intermingled.

The drop of clear liquid at the end of the laborer’s mouth – was it drool or was it gastric acid?

It was the noxious cigarette smoked by Amitengrad, worn out by the wave of winds, as well as the harsh exhalation of this massive, bulky city.

In a building overlooking the incinerator, where once brilliant glory and sparkling dreams were cruelly and equitably reduced to ash…

Umbra, Wolfen, sat in a chair, muttering gloomily.

“…This Umbra has seen the true darkness.”

Wolfen Fenshtein.

The evil of the past, hidden in the shadow of the Military State, murmured in a far more somber tone.

“Be humble. We are the Shadow. Light is our enemy and true darkness will swallow even shadows. As such, we must know our place and tread carefully.”

At his words, the Seventh Penumbra stood up abruptly and exclaimed.

“Oh, Umbra! How could you, who should be leading us, be so frightened?!”

Wolfen looked at the Seventh with a cloudy gaze. The Seventh Penumbra, with ears and tail stiffly erect, spoke out.

“While you were gone, we fell into internal strife. Just because your heart did not stop, we, having lost our center, could not unite and gradually withered away! Now that you have returned, you must reward our patience!”

“What do you wish this Umbra to reward you with?”

“Unite the Penumbras. Formulate a plan and regain our former glory! Oh, Umbra, only you can and only you must do this!”

His booming voice echoed in the empty meeting room.

Was it a forthright statement, honest advice of loyalty, or just venting years of pent-up frustration? The Seventh, having boldly criticized the Umbra, panted for breath, swept up in his emotions.

Yet, Wolfen remained unangered, unshaken, merely looking at the Seventh with dull eyes.

“Seventh. Have you seen Tantalus?”

“…I have not. But at most, is it not just a prison made by the Military State?”

“No. Tantalus is not merely a prison.”

The Seventh shivered, seeing Wolfen’s emotionless eyes.

In his days as the Shadow of the Kingdom, Wolfen was a heartless devil that seemed to shed neither blood nor tears.

Reigning as a tyrant of the back alleys, he would annihilate a family without even a hint of change in his expression. He had assassinated prominent knights simply because they had reneged on contracts.

However, no one could stop him.

Wolfen was a shadow. When night fell and the Kingdom was engulfed in darkness, he was nowhere, and at the same time, was everywhere. The Penumbras dared not doubt his power and submitted to him.

After being captured by the State and imprisoned in Tantalus, that fear had eroded over time, but….

“That place…was a battleground of devils, collecting only beings that could not be contained anywhere but the Abyss. This Umbra’s blood was not his own, nor was the darkness on this Umbra’s side. Neither was power, weapons, life, or will. Even faith betrayed this Umbra…It was a horrific space where common sense was twisted and strength was intertwined.”

Now, he seemed like a spiritually enlightened man. And because of this, the Seventh felt fear of this heterogeneity.

Different from mere horror, it was fear and awe of a being reborn as something unknown.

“In Tantalus, this Umbra saw himself for who he is. How trivial and insignificant this Umbra is compared to real monsters. In essence, I, the Umbra, realized where I stand among true monsters.”

His eyes seemed clear and transparent, as if he had submerged all his malignancy and venom during his 20 years imprisoned in Tantalus.

However, it was merely separated between above and below. In the deeper recesses of Wolfen’s heart, a stickier, denser evil swirled.

“The red-haired devil made an offer to join him. He said he would give a chance to change the world. But this Umbra…chose to be the head of a cat rather than the tail of a tiger. This Umbra rejected his offer and returned here…This Umbra shall be content as the ruler of this insignificant city.”

The Seventh couldn’t hold back any longer and slammed the desk.

“Oh, Umbra! Watch your words. Are you saying we are no better than cats?!”

“We are less than even that, Seventh.”

The Seventh startled briefly.

It was because the voice that had been coming from the chair at the head of the table until just a moment ago was suddenly right in his ear.

Alarmed, the Seventh was about to raise his arm when a blade, painted pitch-black, burst through the darkness.

Stab.

The blade, springing from the shadows, tore open the chest of the Seventh. A dry, terse sound was heard. The Seventh’s eyes widened.

“Seventh. It seems a lot of time has passed. Where has your body, dried with hatred, gone? Now, only a fat beast remains….How about it? Does your family welcome you?”

“Keugh…! W-Why?”

Wolfen answered the Seventh.

“This Umbra has discovered that you, the Seventh, have joined Family. Are you perhaps worried about them? Afraid that this Umbra might attack them now that he has become somewhat human? Did they really become your family?

The eyes of the Seventh widened even further. Simultaneously, his ears and tail stood on end, showing a horror that transcended pain and dread.

“N-No, it can’t be. Umbra, did you…to me….”

“A single day of shadowing is more than enough….”

“N…o.”

“There’s nothing that can’t be done. In this world, nothing is impossible. ‘Impossible’ is just a line drawn arbitrarily by those in power. We shadows have no reason to adhere to it.”

Schluk.

The sound of the blade entering was dry, but when it was pulled out, it was moist. Red soaked the darkness. The Seventh looked at the wound in his chest and staggered backward.

As he gradually lost his strength, swaying and about to collapse…

The Seventh suddenly lunged at Wolfen, shining with malefic intent. Blood flowed freely from his chest, but he attacked fiercely, completely disregarding it.

“KERRRRGH-!”

Sharp claws tore at Wolfen. Not satisfied with just that, the Seventh, spewing maleficence, swung his arms repeatedly, as if to tear Wolfen into pieces.

Chairs shattered and desks split and collapsed in the face of his attacks’ trajectories. Overwhelming and powerful force overturned the meeting room.

However…

“Truly a beast. How foolish you are.”

The blade sprang forth again toward the chest of the Seventh.

Was it because of a mortal wound or the result of an attack that had expended all his strength? The Seventh Penumbra, unable to resist further, gushed blood from the hole in his chest.

Stealth that even the keenly sensitive beastkin could not detect.

Wolfen pulled out the dagger. The Seventh finally knelt. Melted into the shadows, Wolfen reappeared in front of the Seventh and muttered.

“Fade away into the darkness, Seventh. Do not worry. The blade of the Shadow will not harm your family….”

Muttering, Wolfen left the meeting room without even a glance at the Seventh. Despite walking on hard concrete, his footsteps were as silent as if he were walking on a carpet.

“…Since this nation, that has uncovered the Taboo instead of this Umbra, will trample them.”

Creak.

As the vitality of the deceased ebbed away, the door closed with a metallic sound.

***

As the kingdom fell and the Military State took over, the beastkin harbored great expectations. The hope that the old evils of the would vanish and the beastkin would be treated as equals made their ears perk up in anticipation.

However, reality only proved that people’s perceptions were harder to change than nations.

Even as the remnants of the kingdom disappeared and the State extended its power, discrimination against beastkin persisted. As people still shunned beastkin, the crime rate among them was higher compared to non-beastkin.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Did they commit crimes, thus losing trust, or were they cornered for no reason, thus having no alternative but to resort to crime?

Regardless of the reason, beastkin banded together to resist this oppression.

That was the backstory behind the formation of an organization called Family, composed only of beastkin.

“…The brother we sent in to infiltrate was found dead.”

Ears and tail that were no different in color to black hair. Dark circles sank heavily under one eye. The other was covered with an eyepatch, accentuating the decadent aspect of her feline features typical of a black cat.

Among Family, composed only of beastkin, she inherited the most prominent beast-like traits, serving as both an Enforcer and the face of the organization.

The Editor-in-Chief of ‘Black Cat’, one of the few private magazines in the Military State, a paparazzi digging only into gossip. Additionally, a loyal informant to the State.

Nehru, dressed in a one-piece dress, sat opposite me, sipping fruit juice.

“He was quite the strong brother, you know. Hmmm. It really is a pity. What do you think, Darling?”

So, what she was saying was that their hidden power was exposed and killed, huh?

I made up my mind.

“Wow. So Scary. I should run away. Well then, bye.”

“Darling, where do you think you’re going?”

Just as I showed my intention to stand up and leave, Nehru immediately raised her sharp claws and grabbed the hem of my clothes. A hole was made in my sleeves that were on the table and sharp claws pulled at my trousers underneath.

Is this her way of gathering new material or is this a threat?

“Darling. If you’ve heard the information, you need to pay a price for it, don’t you?”

“I never asked to be told, though.”

I already read all your thoughts the moment you sat down in front of me, okay?

Your comrade, who was once affiliated with the Shadow of the Kingdom and joined Family after the fall of the kingdom, was killed by a bad guy, yeah?

From reading your thoughts, he was said to be a strong fighter, even achieving the realm of Heaven and Earth. So how could such a person die without any chance to resist?

How strong even was this Wolfen, the escapee from Tantalus? What kind of monsters lived in Tantalus, huh?

Tch. I don’t want to fight.

I’m weak in one-on-one fights, you know?

For reference, I was a novice in one-against-many fights and my pride didn’t allow many-against-one fights.

So, there was nothing I could do.

I was about to run away quickly because I was scared, but Nehru forcibly held me and wouldn’t let go.

Nehru replied with a sly smile.

“I know. However, the Magician doesn’t exchange information unless it’s like this, right?”

“You call this an exchange? You forced it onto me, practically stuffing it down my throat, before making me throw it all up.”

“That is what we call an exchange.”

The reason behind the negative perception of beastkin was definitely affected by these bastards. At least I especially was. Today, my disdain for beastkin rose again.

Anyway, since I was also using Family, I couldn’t completely reject them. I sighed and sat back down.

“To be honest, I don’t know anything. I’ve only been back in Amitengrad for three days.”

It was my third day in Amitengrad; basically, I was as knowledgeable as a baby born three days ago….

I meant it in that sense, but Nehru seemed to show interest in something different because of my words, her one eye twinkling.

“Ah, that’s also one of the common questions in our Family. Darling, how did you get dragged off by the Military Police? Was there ever a time that even monkeys fell off trees?”

“You roughly know already. That bastard Anton betrayed me. I was caught without being able to do anything.”

“That’s not what I mean. Wouldn’t it have been possible for you to escape in the middle with your abilities?”

What a joke.

Two Military Policemen guarded me and normally, I had to wear a straightjacket. The only time I could take it off was in a courtroom filled with soldiers.

Even if I had Mind Reading and a bit of skill when it came to sleight of hand, I was just an ordinary person in terms of my physical abilities. I couldn’t take off the straightjacket by myself and I most definitely did not have the power to beat all those soldiers. So, it was obvious that I would be caught.

But if I told the truth as it was, it would make me look weak and undervaluing myself was an act that shortened my own life.

As such, I bluffed as much as I could.

“If I escaped, I would immediately be wanted as a felon. Since life would get tough if I become one, I just decided to take it as rotten luck and pay off my crimes through labor.”

“Hiyaaaa, wow. The Magician really is different, huh? Won’t you look at that?”

｢Hoohoo. As expected, a big shot is a big shot. He talks as if he could easily escape if he wanted.｣

Are you serious? If it were that easy, I would have done it many times over. You really think that would work?

Escape tricks weren’t performed with both hands tied and eyes blindfolded. Magicians were humans too. It was not that I was incompetent, but that the Military State was far too great of an opponent.

Was it because I boasted too much? Nehru, her head filled with silly ideas, flattered me excessively.

“Did you know? Right when you were caught, a jailbreak happened in Tantalus. When I first heard the news, I thought the Military Nation had finally gone mad and thrown you into Tantalus. Honestly, you were the only one I could think of who could incite the prisoners of Tantalus to escape.”

“Don’t say such nonsense. The timeline doesn’t match at all.”

“Hoohoo. Right. You were caught after the Tantalus jailbreak. Unfortunately, you lost the opportunity to present an escape performance from Tantalus.”

“I don’t even want that.”

I was being completely sincere about this.

I tried escaping once and almost died, after all. Do you even know about battles where the ground flips, the sky splits, and mountains of corpses collapse? If I did that twice, there was no way I would survive.

｢Hmm. So, as expected, flattery doesn’t work, huh?｣

It wasn’t about the flattery; it was just the wisdom of someone who already experienced it.

Don’t ever go into Tantalus. Please. It’s never worth it.

“So. Is that all you wanted to ask?”

“Of course not. That was just the appetizer. The real question is…this.”

Thud.

Nehra placed a short note on the table. The brief words were written on the edge of a small handkerchief, like embroidery.

-Taboo of the Military State. Trying to search. Need investigation.

“That was his last message. After this, contact was cut off and upon checking, he was found dead in a building in District 14.”

“I offer my condolences.”

“Thanks, but could you offer your condolences with payment? Specifically, I’d like to be paid in the form of information.”

Tch, she didn’t fall for it.

“What information?”

Nehru asked with an enchanting smile.

“Taboo of the Military State.”

“Taboo of the Military State?”

“How about it? Do you know anything, Darling?”

“Well….”

I dragged out my response.

Because I didn’t know? No. It was because I know too much.

This damned country had so many Taboos that last night, a walking Taboo even slept in my house. She was such a secretive taboo that someone just knowing her identity meant she was duty-bound to kill herself.

Even the Abyss was part of the Taboo. It seemed like it was going to be used as a trigger for war or something. That was probably why they were so serious about controlling information.

Knowing too much could be troublesome too. Even if it was a Taboo, I needed to know what she was talking about to answer.

It was a dilemma of information trading.

“Haa. Darling doesn’t know either?”

“It’s hard to pick just one.”

“I wish you would tell me everything, though.”

“Then the costs and benefits wouldn’t be balanced. Far less profitable for me.”

“Look at you being so stingy. Is that how it is between us?”

“Ah, you’re right. We weren’t close at all, were we? Now that I think about it, there’s no need for me to pay condolences. Goodbye.”

Whoosh, thud.

This time, I read the trajectories of Nehru’s extended hand and feet in advance, shaking them off. I flipped my arm to push her hand away and stepped on her rising foot a half-beat earlier.

In that state, I quickly stood up from my seat, intending to leave without further ado. I had read everything with my Mind Reading, so there was nothing more to see.

I’m saying you’ve lost all your appeal to me.

“Darling, I heard you’re living with an officer these days?”

At least that was the case before she said that.

When I slowly turned my head, Nehru was smiling brightly, as if she had caught some weakness.