"Duke Kashchey, may I ask why you would lower yourself to visit the slums?"
"Heh… What's this? Have I somehow violated Lungmen's laws?"
"…Of course not. However, it's already quite late. The official from the Censorate is resting now. Lord Wei requests that you visit again tomorrow morning."
"And if I insist on going now?"
"…Then, please allow us to accompany you."
"By all means, I don't mind."
As long as that Censorate official isn't there.
After all, Wei Yenwu… you wouldn't want your jealous little brother to find out that you once deceived him, would you?
In Yan, that's a crime against the Emperor… punishable by beheading~
---
"Dusk, I need to step out for a while… could you watch over this body for me?"
"…What are you planning to do?"
"I intend to retrieve the corpse of a Draco that Wei Yenwu's been hiding in the slums. Then, I'll stir up some trouble in Victoria."
"…Since when did you stop hiding your intentions?"
Dusk's brush paused for a moment, but soon resumed its smooth, precise strokes.
"You're my friend. Why would I lie to you?"
Zhu Jiuyin set aside his own brush, having just finished imitating one of Dusk's paintings.
"Besides, you're a hermit. You wouldn't care about these worldly affairs you claim to despise, anyway."
"…Get lost."
"Alright, alright. My thanks~ Maybe soon, I'll even find a way to fix your insomnia."
Zhu Jiuyin sat cross-legged as countless shadowy serpents slithered out from his body, crawling swiftly toward the edge of the painted world.
Dusk glanced once at Zhu Jiuyin's motionless, statue-like shell, then sighed softly.
…You insufferable worm.
---
"Sorry, Ino, Sasha… but I'll need the two of you to come with me."
Skullshatter spoke apologetically to the two beside him. They were roughly the same age, and as fellow officers of Reunion, shared some level of comradeship.
"It's fine, really."
Mephisto waved it off, slapping Skullshatter on the shoulder with his usual careless grin.
Faust, ever the quiet one, said nothing—but his sharp gaze scanning their surroundings showed he was taking things seriously.
None of them had brought their subordinates.
After all, Reunion's position was still delicate. A large movement within Lungmen would attract too much attention.
Frostnova and Patriot remained behind to oversee the camp outside the city.
As for Alina—she wanted to help, but her health no longer allowed it.
And the Crownslayer…
The moment she'd heard the news, she'd already gone ahead of them.
"You know, the Crownslayer looks terrifying, but she's actually pretty nice."
Mephisto commented casually.
"…We're all members of Reunion. Helping each other should be natural."
Even Faust, who rarely spoke, agreed.
"…"
Skullshatter stayed silent.
He still couldn't bring himself to tell them that his sister might not be an Infected.
…Sister, where are you?
---
Meanwhile—
A hooded figure, body fully wrapped and concealed, silently observed a scene before them.
A white-haired Ursus girl, her worn black clothes smudged with dust, knelt beside a group of children, gently comforting them.
The children clutched canned food in their little hands, eating happily.
"…Miss Misha, I'm afraid we'll have to ask you to come with us."
The Doctor's tone was still as calm and mechanical as ever—but there was, faintly, a trace of warmth in it.
"…Thank you, for taking care of these children."
Misha looked uneasily at the heavily armed operators surrounding the Doctor—each one radiating danger.
"Ahaha, Liskarm, you're scaring her."
"…Franka, we're on assignment. Please, shut your mouth."
The Doctor ignored the two Blacksteel mercenaries' bickering entirely.
He simply reached out his hand toward Misha.
"..."
Just as Misha was about to take the Doctor's hand—
An unexpected guest arrived.
"Doctor, how have you been lately?"
A white-haired Phidia man approached leisurely from afar, his steps slow and unhurried.
Behind him followed five figures clad in Shadow Guards.
"You haven't forgotten your old friend… have you?"
---
Oh~ Sergei's daughter.
Kashchey's eyes fell upon Misha, who was trembling and hiding behind the Doctor.
Ah, well… I suppose it can't be helped. Wei Yenwu's shadow guards are far less approachable than my investigators ever were.
He tried offering Misha a friendly smile, but she only shrank back further.
…What an unpleasant little thing.
Kashchey knew of Sergei.
He had taken notice of him back when Kal'tsit was serving as a scientist at an Ursus research institute.
To uncover her true purpose without alerting her, he secretly dispatched his Snake Scale to observe the facility.
Of course, it was impossible to hide such a thing from Kal'tsit's sharp eyes—but as long as they merely observed the other researchers, it was permissible.
Kashchey knew much—perhaps too much.
And when Sergei, for the sake of his children, was forced to betray the institute, Kashchey merely watched in silence.
In the end, concealing the truth out of fear that Ursus might weaponize the sarcophagus was, no matter how one framed it, an act of treason.
Kashchey despised traitors.
In time, he also came to understand Kal'tsit's motive.
To prevent Ursus from misusing the sarcophagus and bringing about disaster.
So, Kal'tsit… you know quite a lot, don't you?
Could it be… you have ties to the ancient civilization?
A mere staff member, when the secret police stormed the institute, had only raised his hands and awaited his fate.
After his death, none noticed a small black snake slither from his corpse and coil itself around one of the officers.
Sergei, you truly were a great father…
But an utterly rotten colleague.
---
During the events at Chernobog, the Snake Scale uncovered something rather interesting.
The Reunion officers—Mephisto and Skullshatterer—were suspected of having killed Chernobog's chief scientist: Sergei.
…How ironic.
---
"..."
The Doctor stared silently at Kashchey.
He couldn't recall what sort of relationship he once had with this man—
but something about him felt strangely familiar.
As Kashchey studied the Doctor's silence with amusement, Amiya finally broke the tense stillness.
"Um… Duke Kashchey, may I ask what brings you here?" she said cautiously.
The Rhodes Island operators had already taken up defensive positions, wary of both Kashchey and the five cloaked figures behind him—
though to Amiya's senses, something felt… off.
Those cloaked ones aren't guarding against us…
Her ring grew faintly warm.
They're guarding against Kashchey?
Just as the air grew thick with tension, Kashchey spoke again:
"It seems… you've forgotten me."
He wore a pained expression, though his tone was almost playful.
"We were once such close partners, yet you've cast aside the friendship we shared."
"Doctor… how heartless of you~"