A guy who clings to me like this and absolutely refuses to let go—how is he supposed to live once I’m gone someday? What am I supposed to do about this kind, gentle, painfully lonely man who smiles with his eyes every time our gazes meet?
Half worried, half frustrated, I stare up at him, and of course, he smiles with his eyes again. In the end, I let out a long, heavy sigh while looking at his face.
I can’t stop worrying about him. It sticks in my mind too much. I worry.
I tap my patron’s chest a couple of times with my front paw, then hop lightly down to the floor. After taking a few steps toward the door, I turn back and speak to him.
Nyaang—
Lyx, I’m going out for a bit, so you have to behave and play by yourself, okay?
My patron’s eyes narrow slightly. He clearly doesn’t like that. But it can’t be helped. I have an important mission. Turning my body, I head out the door.
By now, Bondre should be letting his guard down, so it’s time to start tailing him. I absolutely must uncover and crush this massive conspiracy in its entirety. There’s no way my gentle, kind patron has even imagined something this terrifying. That’s why a smart guy like me has to protect him. No matter what.
Just as I thought. My intuition was right.
Once again, Bondre breaks off from the group and heads alone toward the palace where the Emperor lives. Tucked inside his clothes is definitely something that carries that disgusting smell. He’ll hand it off to someone working in the Imperial Palace, and that person will feed it to the Emperor. There’s no doubt about it. The reason the Emperor has been bedridden and unable to move all this time—it’s because of a conspiracy like this.
Because of that bastard, my patron hasn’t been able to rest at all, buried in piles of paperwork every single day. If the Emperor had been healthy, he would’ve done only a little work and spent the whole day rolling around and playing with me. There’s nothing more infuriating than that.
I follow him quietly, while also rolling my body around in the dirt along the way. I took off my necklace before leaving, so once I’m sufficiently filthy and disguised, no one will recognize me.
One basic principle of being an intelligence agent.
When infiltrating enemy territory, disguise yourself so your identity won’t be exposed.
A grimy cat covered in dirt with no necklace—people will probably just think I’m some passing stray thief cat. Heh.
Just like before, as soon as Bondre arrives, a human comes out through a side door.
Without watching their secret exchange, I lower my body and dash toward the side door. The plan is to slip inside before the human finishes the deal, goes back in, and locks it.
Inside the side entrance, there are humans bustling about everywhere. This place seems to be where various supplies for the Imperial Palace are organized. I curl up in a corner not far from the side door and wait for the human to return.
Not long after, the human slips back inside.
Judging by his appearance, he looks utterly ordinary. An unremarkable appearance is the lifeblood of a spy—and this guy was born with spy-worthy looks.
Perhaps because of the crime he’s committed, his face is slightly stiff as he glances around before walking deeper into the building. I stick close to the corner of the path, practically crawling as I follow him.
Just how enormous is the shadow lurking behind this conspiracy?
I realized long ago that this was no ordinary plot, but the more I uncover, the more that seems true.
I’m already tailing the fourth human now.
The first human who made contact with Bondre passed the item to the next one naturally while walking down the corridor. If not for my sharp senses, I might have missed it entirely—it was that seamless. It continued being passed along like that, and now this human is already the fourth.
The first human looked like he held the lowest rank, and with each step, their clothing became more refined. To be in a position close enough to approach the Emperor, you’d have to be at least a noble. Anyone who stays right by the imperial family—even simple attendants or maids—are usually children of noble houses. Take our pretty Julia, for example—she’s a noble lady as well.
In any case, if this many people can be used so effortlessly, it’s reasonable to assume the Imperial Palace has already been completely seized by the hidden power behind the scenes. It’s possible my patron’s palace isn’t any different. I start to worry about him, but I force it down. Solving what’s happening here is the only way to ensure my patron’s safety too.
This place is…
I narrow my eyes and scan my surroundings.
The destination of the fourth human is none other than the food preparation area. Not the place where food is cooked, but the final checkpoint—where prepared food passes through just before being served. He’s planning to tamper with the food here.
I watch the human’s movements with tense focus.
He begins pushing a tray topped with a steaming bowl of soup and a few simple dishes. It looks like it’s headed straight for the Emperor. As I follow, he suddenly stops in a quiet spot and slips a hand into his clothes. I tense my entire body, concentrating on his every movement.
To expose a conspiracy, you need evidence. I absolutely have to grab that item and escape safely.
I fix my gaze on the human’s hand as it slowly emerges and count silently in my head.
Three. Two. One.
Now—!!!!
I kick off the ground and launch myself forward. I snatch the item from the human’s hand with my mouth as I fly past, then land cleanly. The human gasps in shock and stares at me. I shoot him a nasty grin with my eyes alone and sprint like mad back the way I came.
Patron! I did it!
Ugh. I’m dying.
I drop what I’d been holding in my mouth and flop onto the dirt floor. The ground is filthy, and my mouth is soaked with drool from running with it clenched between my teeth, but I don’t even have the energy to care. As I lie there completely sprawled out, panting, the breath that had climbed all the way up my throat gradually settles. I roll my eyes toward the item lying on the ground.
It’s a small glass bottle.
Small enough to fit in my mouth—so it’s definitely tiny. Inside the transparent bottle is a powder of a bizarre color.
What the hell is this?
I tap the glass bottle with my front paw, rolling it around as I think.
This isn’t what I expected. I was sure it would contain a sleeping potion made by the old witch. The moment I heard about the Emperor’s condition, that idea had flashed through my mind. But the witch’s potion—as I’d personally witnessed—was a slightly viscous liquid. This is just powder.
When I sniff it carefully, the smell is definitely the same as the scent that used to cling to my patron’s hands. Thinking back, it’s not certain, but it does resemble the smell of the witch’s potion a little.
I sit up and begin rolling the glass bottle back and forth between my front paws. Each time it rolls, the powder inside shifts and swirls.
Even if this isn’t the witch’s potion itself, it’s clearly something suspicious. And this must be the reason the Emperor can’t wake up.
Maybe this is one of the ingredients used to make the witch’s potion? That would explain the similar color and smell. I kicked the witch and knocked her out that day, so they wouldn’t have been able to obtain the actual potion. It’s entirely possible they’re using one ingredient with similar properties as a substitute. But since it’s not the real potion, feeding it once wouldn’t have any effect. That’s why Bondre keeps coming to the Imperial Palace from time to time to deliver it.
…Am I not insanely smart?
I stop the rolling bottle upright with my paw and smile.
Code name 00K, mission complete.
***
Nyaaaah—
The boy looks up at me, wide-eyed and alert. Sitting primly with his chest puffed out, he looks proud beyond measure. Calyx looks down at the item the boy has placed on top of the paperwork on his desk, right in front of him.
It’s a small glass bottle.
When Calyx looks back at the boy, the kid lets out another long nyaaah—.
“…Is this for me?”
When he asks, the boy nudges the glass bottle closer with a tiny black paw, tapping it lightly. Then he cries nyaah— again.
Those bright, unblinking eyes overflow not only with confidence, but with pride he can’t possibly hide. The boy is offering up the spoils he obtained with all his strength, handing them over without reservation. Feeling an overwhelming fondness—along with a strange, indescribable emotion—Calyx picks up the glass bottle the boy brought him.
Inside the small bottle is a modest amount of finely ground powder. Its dull, murky color gives off an ominous feeling at a glance. Along the narrow neck of the bottle are numerous scratch marks. They must be from the boy’s teeth, from carrying it all the way here in his small mouth.
Holding the glass bottle, Calyx looks at the boy.
