"So... you're telling me Arcia was electrocuted by a cat?" Everyone in the room stared at Sennia in disbelief. A cat that could turn into a human and shoot electricity? It sounded ridiculous. But after inspecting Arcia's wounded arm, Nordhausen had to admit the injuries looked very much like electrical burns.
"Where exactly did you encounter this cat?"
Being the oldest and most experienced among them, Nordhausen remained the calmest.
"Near the supply depot. The first time I saw it, it transformed from a boy into a cat. Later, I think it turned into a man and stole the duty roster. I didn't see the transformation that time, but the man vanished in seconds, and the cat appeared right after."
The room fell silent. It was the kind of story that pushed the limits of their understanding.
"That's just... insane..." Edwin collapsed onto a bench, visibly agitated and at a loss.
"What's done is done. I'll request medical support from HQ. As for the duty roster... Nordhausen, can you handle it alone?"
"No problem."
Otto stayed level-headed and quickly made the necessary arrangements. Then he turned to Sennia:
"Sennia, take care of Arcia for now."
"Understood."
...
Night fell once again.
Lying quietly in bed, Hielaina couldn't stop thinking about what had happened. She'd read books on ancient history, explored ruins left by forgotten civilizations, and even heard tales of that mysterious magical kingdom up north—but she had never seen real magic with her own eyes.
Clatter!
A noise by the window jolted her upright.
"Don't be scared. It's me."
Shatiel eased open the window and carefully leapt from the ledge to the side of Arcia's bed.
"What are you doing here?!"
Hielaina kept her voice low, worried someone might hear.
"What you girls ran into was so weird, I got worried you might be targeted again. Just came to check on you."
"It's not that serious..."
Hielaina pulled Shatiel over to sit on her bed, and the two began to whisper.
"What do you make of all this?"
"Honestly... I'm not sure."
Shatiel looked uneasy, her eyes scanning every corner of the room.
"Feels like we brushed up against something... truly mysterious."
Hielaina sighed. Magic still gave her a bit of a thrill. After all, she'd grown up on fantastical stories of enchanted lands. And maybe, just maybe, real magic—the kind that bends the world with words and wands—did exist.
"Do you remember that ancient ruin we visited in Priaek?"
A sudden thought lit up her face.
"Yeah."
Shatiel's response was lukewarm, clearly distracted. But Hielaina went on anyway.
"I remember reading an old engineering record. But instead of standard terms, it used phrases like 'spellcraft' and 'sorcery.' Stuff like 'antigravity incantation failed; mountain cannot be relocated.' At first, I thought it was just a weird translation. But now... maybe that power was real."
For thousands of years, no one in the southern continent had seen real magic. Most people thought it was a myth—a lie invented by that overzealous northern church. Only a few believed the old records might hold a grain of truth.
...
Shatiel still didn't speak. She stood and started walking around, inspecting the room with a strangely focused gaze.
"Shatiel?"
Hielaina found her behavior odd. She got up too, a sense of unease rising in her gut.
"There's one thing I can tell you for sure."
Shatiel suddenly turned to face her. Their eyes met—but something in Shatiel's eyes had gone cold.
"Magic is very real~~"
Her voice distorted unnaturally. A long tail emerged from behind her, curling upward with a wickedly curved dagger clenched in its grip.
"You're... you're not Shatiel!"
Realizing what was happening, Hielaina lunged for the weapon stashed under her bed—but the creature now wearing Shatiel's face was faster. It tackled her to the ground.
"Disguising myself like this was a genius move."
It pinned her arms to the floor, tail swinging the dagger dangerously close to her face.
"Relax. Let's make a deal. Tell me what valuables your family has, and I'll let you go."
Her face and body began to morph, like soft clay melting into a new shape—until she was a perfect copy of Hielaina.
"You're...!!"
Her pupils shrank as it all clicked. The cat.
"Well? Any treasures in the house? Spill it, or I might leave a scar on that pretty face."
Hielaina suddenly felt... underwhelmed.
"Wait... you're just here to steal stuff?"
Images of the boy being chased, the stolen roster—it all started to connect.
"Hey, I gotta make a living. Now hurry up before I get impatient."
The dagger, coiled like a snake, suddenly pressed against her cheek.
"Try the room across the hall. Maybe there's something you'll like there."
That room was where Nordhausen and the others slept. She could only hope her battle-hardened comrades would sense something was wrong...
"Oh please. I'm not that dumb. That room stinks of man. You little brat, trying to trick me..."
Now!
Hielaina jammed a vial of Compound No.3 into the imposter's thigh and injected the entire dose. Then she twisted her body and kneed the shapeshifter off her.
Arcia had once said Compound No.3 could poison an ordinary person. Hopefully, it would work on this creature.
"You little..."
The imposter writhed on the floor, the dagger clattering to the ground. Her face contorted in fury, but she still managed to scramble up and leap through the window before Hielaina could stop her.
"What happened?!"
Nordhausen and Otto were the first to arrive, drawn by the noise. They found a shattered window, shards of glass on Arcia's bed, and curtains billowing in the wind.
"That cat!"
Sennia pointed to the window. Nordhausen and Otto leapt through without hesitation.
"There she is!"
Nordhausen scaled the wall to the rooftop and saw the fleeing figure—and Shatiel nearby.
"Stop her!"
He shouted without caring who heard. Shatiel reacted instantly, regardless of the imposter's familiar appearance.
"Crap crap crap..."
The imposter dodged Shatiel's first thrust. But Shatiel spun, slicing in a wide arc. Missed again.
Still, the shapeshifter was clearly slowing down. Shatiel's strikes grew fiercer, faster. Finally, as her blade swung toward the imposter's neck—she dropped to her knees.
"Spare me! I surrender!"
Shatiel froze, baffled by the sudden capitulation. But she quickly pinned the imposter to the ground and restrained her hands.
"Ow! Easy! That hurts!"
It all happened in seconds. By the time Nordhausen and Otto arrived, Shatiel had her secured.
"Nice work..."
Nordhausen gave her a meaningful look. Shatiel, expressionless, handed over the bound catgirl.
"Is she... really a cat?"
Otto stared, visibly disturbed. She looked human enough—but had cat ears, fully dilated feline eyes in the dark, and a limp tail trailing behind her.
"Let's take her back."
Carrying the bound girl, Nordhausen jumped down from the rooftop and returned to the safe house