I am weak.

My mana, my energy arts, my other skills. At best, they merely exist.

Dry, bitter tree bark might not taste good, but if asked whether it has a taste at all, you can only answer yes. Bitter and dry is still a taste.

My abilities fall into exactly that category.

Present, but hardly palatable.

Mediocre talents that, even scraped together with every ounce of effort, could never surpass an ordinary human with a little practice.

But there is a saying.

It is not the strong who survive, but those who survive who are strong.

“Neru. Are you that desperate for information?”

And one way to survive...

Is to pretend I am stronger than anyone else.

Pretend I have an ace up my sleeve, pretend I am someone extraordinary. All that bluster, when what I actually do is use mind reading to sow discord and egg people on.

Without lifting a hand myself or revealing my strength, I move other people to get what I want. That is how a mind reader survives in the back alleys.

“Let me warn you first. Can you handle it?”

Neru grinned and picked up on my words.

“Handle it? Darling, can I take that to mean you know what this taboo is?”

“There’s exactly one thing that comes to mind.”

With their extra ears and tails, beastkin had twice the hearing and sense of balance of everyone else. What did that mean?

They were perfectly suited to sneaking in and secretly eavesdropping.

Perhaps that was why I, who obtained information forthrightly through mind reading, found their underhanded ways so hard to understand.

“But are you sure you’re all right with this?”

“Hmm? Is there any reason I shouldn’t be?”

Neru was an irritating paparazzo who snuck around digging up secrets at all hours. Add editor-in-chief of a private magazine to that, and her introduction alone made her sound like the Military State’s natural enemy.

But there was one thing to remember. All the overly curious cats were already dead. The private magazine Black Cat dug up all sorts of gossip, but never once defied the Military State itself. Instead, it cooperated with the state by exposing corruption and scandals.

Would the people it exposed retaliate? Not a chance.

Let’s not forget. This was the Military State. If allegations of corruption proved true, anyone below general officer rank would lose their head. Literally.

A bite from Black Cat might not kill you, but once the iron hammer of military law fell on top of it, not even a trace of you would remain. A black cat that truly brought death.

That was why becoming a soldier did not mean you could lord it over everyone.

“The moment you learn this, both you and your magazine could be in danger, you know.”

But could she remain so composed knowing that hammer of the law hung over her own head?

“Danger, coming from the magician? Oh my, how frightening.”

“You’d better not take this as a joke. You might faint from shock when you hear it. You’ll have some serious agonizing to do. Whether you can print this in your magazine, whether someone might get hurt. Your fur will stand on end with fear at every single letter you write. I don’t know whether the pen is mightier than the sword, but you’ll certainly have to wield it with a heavier hand.”

She flinched. Her swaying tail stopped for a moment. My threats had frightened her a little.

‘A bluff? Or is it really something that serious...? The magician and the Shadow. Just what do they know?’

It was a bluff.

A taboo? If I knew a taboo that could sway the Military State, I would have used it already. Why give it to someone else?

‘It seems the magician doesn’t want to give me that information. If the Military State caught and tortured me, of course I’d inform on him, and their surveillance network would turn straight toward him...’

Not even the slightest intention of withstanding torture and keeping the secret, huh?

See if I ever give you people information again.

‘But we can’t back down now. Uncle Meckelin is dead, and Chateau is unconscious. To avenge our family—no, if only to stop this from happening again... we have to learn their plans.’

Neru gritted her teeth and forced a smile.

The weak were the first to be exposed to indiscriminate violence. Beastkin in particular, with their poor public reputation, were vulnerable to organized, collective crime.

The Family existed to prevent that, but their opponent happened to be a secret organization dating back to the old Kingdom. Defeated in a contest of force and driven back, the Family had begun preparing for them before any of the other organizations.

‘We will survive. Whatever it takes.’

Neru was an information broker, and information brokers had their own way of fighting. Her resolve firm, she put on a false smile that crinkled her eye.

“Darling, you’re being awfully cooperative today.”

“I’ve always been cooperative.”

“Hmm. Liar. Before I mentioned the captain, you said even condolence money would be a waste.”

‘The captain. I don’t know her unit, but the magician seems quite protective of her. Enough to let her into his own home. Hehe. I can put this to good use.’

Until now, Black Cat had been an excellent straw, processing information nicely and delivering it right to my mouth.

But perhaps because she was growing desperate, the instincts inherited from her distant ancestors were starting to show. I showed the slightest sign of caring, and here she was, batting at me with her forepaw.

Humans were to blame. Yes, humans were to blame. If only we hadn’t become the dominant species on land, beastkin would never have been born.

Sigh. What now? Should I leak some classified information that really would blow up in her face if she touched it?

While I was considering that...

I spotted a uniformed silhouette in the distance. It was the captain. She was walking straight down the middle of the angular concrete alley, her movements precise.

Neru recognized her too and casually remarked,

“Speak of the devil. How did she know to come here?”

“Hold on.”

Good question. How had she known? Sure, we were sitting at a table outside, but this was a quiet alley with hardly any passersby.

Let’s read her thoughts.

‘Target located. Disconnecting.’

Now, let me get this straight.

She had synchronized with the golems scattered throughout the Military State and searched through them one by one until she found me?

... Was this the power of a communications officer?

What? How long had I been under surveillance? A single individual could locate me without my detecting her? And from that far away?

In a sense, wasn’t she a straight upgrade over me?

While I was questioning the very point of a mind reader’s existence, the captain came straight toward me. She looked between Neru and me, then headed directly over to me.

“I request your cooperation.”

Captain AB was the one who had suddenly interrupted, but a captain was still a captain. Scheming behind her back was one thing; openly defying her was another. Hiding her displeasure, Neru addressed her.

“My, someone as distinguished as you in a place as humble as this, Captain! Could you wait just a moment? I’ll wrap up our conversation quickly and let you have him.”

Flexibility was an information broker’s virtue. She spoke gently, entirely unruffled by the captain’s arrival.

Unfortunately, though this captain might be a pushover, she was also a soldier more rigidly by-the-book than anyone.

“I am on official business. My apologies, but I ask that you postpone your matter for the time being.”

Rigidity inevitably led to collisions. Neru furrowed her brow.

“Just a moment, Captain. You need to wait your turn. We had a prior appointment, you know?”

“Official business takes precedence over everything.”

“Official business? What kind?”

“Classified.”

I’d never had much trouble with it, since I could read her thoughts, but hearing it again now, I realized her way of speaking was surprisingly well suited to making people angry.

As demonstrated by Neru snapping at her.

“Are you kidding me?”

“I do not kid.”

Normally, Neru would have simply backed off and waited for another day, but the unsettled state of affairs had left her blind to everything else.

Oh, that was absolutely not an insult to the visually impaired. What would be the point of insulting a beastkin’s poor eyesight? If anything, it was a compliment.

“He agreed to sell me information. Please wait until we’re finished.”

“Information?”

This time, the captain reacted.

“You mean you are buying information from him?”

“Yes. Why, is there a problem?”

“Negative. There are no regulations concerning the commercialization of information. Trade in non-luxury goods is unrestricted. However...”

Communications officers were themselves top secret. The captain, whose very existence was classified information, glanced at me.

‘Surely you would not sell the fact that I am a communications officer. I trust you... But that does not mean I can neglect surveillance.’

The captain went to the neighboring table and sat bolt upright. Facing us and listening intently, she said,

“In that case, I will observe from here until the transaction is complete. Please continue your business.”

“What is she talking about? Darling, that woman is strange.”

She was strange. But for some reason this felt wonderfully satisfying, so she was on my side.

“Now, now! Calling our captain strange when she works tirelessly for our sake! Shame on you! A mere paparazzo—if you have no conscience, you should at least have some shame!”

“If the information is so disreputable that you cannot voice it in my presence, I have no choice but to suspect that the information itself may be unlawful, quite apart from its sale.”

Caught between the captain’s authority and my common sense, Neru raised her eyes in apparent irritation.

“Look at you two, working in perfect sync. Are you dating or something?”

“Negative! Stop making groundless accusations and conclude your business at once!”

Hmm. Whatever the captain’s situation, Neru was currently cornered on several fronts. Without information to match that, she wouldn’t move as I wanted.

But as she’d said, this wasn’t something I could easily discuss in front of the captain. I should send her home first, then finish the conversation.

“Do not think of shaking me off. I will not move from this spot until your conversation is finished.”

But how could I send this stubborn captain home?

Ah, right. What had Neru just said? Should I try that?

“All right, Bee. I’m going to tell her now.”

“...? Why are you seeking my consent?”

‘Are you about to reveal that I am a communications officer...? I cannot permit that. The moment you do, I will have to eliminate the witness, even if it takes every golem I can mobilize.’

How frightening. If she made up her mind to do that, I wouldn’t even be able to read her thoughts to respond.

Don’t worry. That’s not it.

I beckoned to the captain. Tilting her head, she nevertheless strode over to me.

Once she was standing beside me, I pulled her toward me. Before she knew what was happening, she was sitting on my lap.

‘...? Query. What are you doing?’

With the thoroughly puzzled captain on my lap, I gave a seemingly awkward smile and spoke.

“You’re right, Neru. The truth is, Bee and I are in a serious relationship.”

“...?!?!”

‘This is the first I have heard of it?!’

Of course it was. I’d only just said it for the first time.