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Chapter 15 - Inaya

"What a disgrace... The enemy made it into our home, and I didn't even notice..."

Angry words echoed from the hallway. The door burst open as Edwin stormed into the room.

"Where is he?"

He scanned the room the moment he entered. Just then, Nordhausen followed behind at a more composed pace.

"It's 'she,' not 'he.'"

Otto and Sennia stood beside the intruder. Her head hung low, hands tied behind the back of the chair, her ankles bound as well. A thick rope secured her tightly to the seat.

"She?"

Edwin looked puzzled. When he turned and finally laid eyes on the girl tied to the chair, he looked even more confused.

"This is... the cat you were talking about?"

He glanced back at Sennia, still skeptical.

"I'm fairly certain."

Sennia nodded slightly. Edwin turned back to examine the little black cat girl.

"So what exactly is this creature..."

The girl wore a tattered black dress, frayed and dirty. Her long legs, bare shoulders, and arms were all smeared with dark grime. But what caught Edwin's attention the most were the black cat ears on her head, and the restless tail twitching behind her.

He crouched down slowly, lifting her chin with his right hand. Her lifeless eyes stared at the floor; she looked utterly drained. The No. 3 serum had taken a toll on her—though surprisingly, she already seemed to be recovering.

Perhaps sensing Edwin's gaze, she finally shifted her eyes to him—then, without warning, she sank her teeth into the hand holding her chin.

"Do what you want—kill me, torture me—but don't expect me to surrender."

Said the same person who went down on her knees begging when Shatiel had her pinned…

"This one really is a wild cat..."

Edwin pulled his hand back in pain, revealing a neat row of bloody bite marks across his palm.

"We never said we'd hurt you. Let's start simple—what's your name?"

Otto dragged over a stool and sat down in front of the girl. Interrogations were his forte—next to Nordhausen, of course.

"Inaya."

The girl answered reluctantly.

"Inaya. That's a lovely name."

Otto nodded politely, then his tone sharpened.

"But as you've seen, we're not exactly ordinary people. We need more information about you before deciding what to do. Your answers will determine your fate. Are you ready?"

"..."

Inaya remained silent. Otto gave it a moment, then began the questioning anyway.

"First off—how did you find this place?"

"...I followed her here last night."

She hesitated briefly but seemed to resolve herself, no longer resisting.

"You were followed last night?"

Edwin nudged Sennia with his elbow, who looked just as surprised.

"And what were you planning to do, following her here?"

Otto pressed on.

"They looked rich. I figured they might have something worth stealing."

"Oh? So you're a thief?"

"People die if they don't eat, right...?"

Inaya rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed.

"You guys are something else. Catching a thief and tying them up like this? And yesterday—it was just a loaf of bread, but half the city was chasing me. I seriously don't get you people..."

Do you seriously not get it?

Otto didn't seem too bothered. He looked back at Sennia, seeking confirmation.

"She's not lying. When she barged into my room, she said herself she was here to steal."

Satisfied, Otto nodded and continued.

"Then can you explain your ears? Last I checked, humans don't grow cat ears."

"..."

Inaya fell silent again, staying quiet for a long time.

"If you really don't want to say, that's fine," Otto said. "But it puts us in a difficult position. We may have to assume the worst."

"..."

Still nothing.

Just as Otto stood up, ready to abandon the conversation, Inaya finally spoke.

"It was the High Lexomancer."

Everyone in the room immediately focused on her, but that term—her voice had been so quiet, they weren't sure they'd heard her correctly.

"The what?"

Otto, who was closest, voiced the question on everyone's mind.

"You probably wouldn't know. Lexomancers are senior clergy of the Church. They know many spells and rituals."

"The Church?"

Everyone's eyes widened in shock.

"You came from the North?"

That bombshell nearly threw Otto off, but he kept himself steady.

"Yeah. I escaped from Aimlenico."

Aimlenico—a name none of them had heard before. The Southern countries knew almost nothing about the mysterious Church in the North. The Church rarely interacted with the South, and their territories were heavily guarded. No one could easily cross the Church's fortified border, much less survive the desolate Mutmesa Desert. The sea routes were blocked too, and even Church envoys usually traveled by ship, not overland.

"So how did you make it to the South?"

"Walked. Through the desert. Didn't have a boat."

"Alone?"

"Alone."

"..."

Otto was momentarily lost for words. The sheer amount of information was overwhelming. Fortunately, they had time.

"Can you tell me more about this Lexomancer?"

"That guy…"

Inaya paused.

"He was my employer. Taught me spells. I worked for him. That's all."

"And what kind of work did you do?"

"Petty stuff—dealing with 'heretics,' gathering intel, running errands. You've seen my disguise spell—that's one of his. In return, I had to work for him."

"And your… cat features? Where do those come from?"

"He wanted to use me for experiments. These are the results. But later he noticed I had a knack for magic, so he started teaching me."

"Was that lightning attack a spell too?"

This time, Sennia asked.

"Yep."

"..."

They were really dealing with something extraordinary.

"By the way..." Nordhausen suddenly spoke. "Isn't magic unusable in the South?"

"I dunno why. But ever since I got here, I can still use some spells—just not all of them."

Now that was significant. The Church had tried invading the South before, but without magic, their armies were just ordinary soldiers. The Southern nations had united and beaten them back. Even so, the Church had managed to establish a puppet state called the Holy State of Davole in the southwest of the desert. If magic had returned to the South—even in part—it could mean major upheaval.

"Any more questions?"

Noticing everyone had gone silent, Inaya was the one to speak up this time.

"Uh... how long have you been in the South?"

"How long... About a month? But I only got to this city two days ago."

Just a month? Otto thought to himself.

"Your cities are weird. Lots of stuff I've never seen before in Aimlenico. And your clothes too—this is the first time I've seen people dressed like this."

A glimmer of curiosity shone in her eyes.

"So why did you come here?"

Another crucial question. Everyone leaned in.

"I've wanted to visit the South for a long time. Life under the Church is stifling and dull. I got sick of all the lies and filth. So I came."

"...Weren't you afraid of the dangers along the way?"

Otto now sounded more like a border inspector than an interrogator.

"I figured, if I died, I died. Anything was better than that life."

"..."

Everyone glanced at each other—Sociology +1.

"Well then... I guess there's nothing more to ask for now..."

Otto let out a long breath and stood up, looking at Nordhausen and Edwin.

"For now, lock her in the second-floor storage room. Check on her every two hours."

After all, even Inaya herself admitted she could use magic. It would be dangerous not to watch her.

"Wait—what about the other girl?"

Inaya suddenly asked.

"Arcia? She's still unconscious, recovering."

"If you trust me, I can try helping. I know a few healing spells."

Again, everyone exchanged glances.

"Let her try," Nordhausen said at last.

The four of them brought Inaya to Arcia's bedside.

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