* * *

Hyeonyul did not know why they were laughing, but he continued his explanation.

<I captured them a little while ago. There were no ordinary people nearby, only five villains.>

It would have been nice if there had been more. Hyeonyul waited for a message as he thought this.

<I'm sure you handled it well, but what did you do about the CCTV?>

Sinu asked. Hyeonyul, too, knew they must not do anything that could expose them now.

<I destroyed it.>

<That's great, isn't it? They're watching us through the cameras in our rooms right now, aren't they? They couldn't suspect us even if they wanted to.>

Jihwan's message appeared.

<For your information, they were holding a drug.>

As Hyeonyul silently mouthed the words, Nayun's message appeared.

<You mean a hallucinogen?>

<No.>

<Not a hallucinogen? Then did it look like some other kind of narcotic? Or maybe truth serum?>

Hyeonyul rejected the suggestions in Nayun's rapidly arriving message.

<None of those.>

<... Hmm. I keep getting a bad feeling about this.>

Jihwan's message was cautious. Apparently, he had guessed what it was. Hyeonyul told them without delay.

<This drug temporarily gives powers to the powerless. It was used in experiments on test subjects and was discarded because its side effects were extremely severe. Everyone injected with it dies, sooner or later.>

<... No. That's, that's...>

Nayun could not finish, and Sinu's long sigh appeared as a message.

<I don't know his name, but the man who handed Mr. Ye Jihwan that trash earlier smelled very strongly of blood. It could have come from disposing of bodies, but he seems to have been directly involved in some incident.>

<Wait, Bro. What do you mean, trash? What I got was gold. Do you know how hard my heart was pounding?>

<That's right. It was definitely gold. Didn't you see it wrong, Hyeonyul? I saw it clearly.>

Nayun's message followed Jihwan's.

<It looked that way to me, too.>

Sinu's message suggested he had seen the same thing. Hyeonyul thought for a moment.

<No. It looked like trash to me. A hallucination must have taken effect in the meantime.>

There was no other way to explain it. Would they believe him? Hyeonyul waited for a message.

<Then doesn't that mean he's a key figure? Hyeonyul wouldn't have seen it wrong.>

Jihwan posted a message after Nayun's.

<Bro, your mental resistance is incredibly high. ... Ah, thank goodness. I really thought it was gold and that I was in big trouble. Thanks, Bro.>

<We'll find out tonight whether he's really a key figure or just pretending to be one. Either way, I agree we should keep an eye on him. If all three of us saw the same thing, his power must be tremendous.>

Sinu was referring to the man's mental power.

<Now, where should I send the five men I captured?>

Having finished his report, Hyeonyul raised the question he most wanted answered.

He had confined them inside the darkness. One could also call it the shadows. There were seas of space where countless spaces tangled together; left there any longer, they might go mad.

Above all, their mere presence was more than unpleasant—it made him nauseous. It felt as though his mouth were full of all kinds of filth.

<I've confined them in my darkness, but if I leave them there any longer, they may go mad and become unable even to testify.>

<Wait, wait!>

Sinu hurriedly posted a message.

<Calm down, Baek Sinu. Hyeonyul, I'll check with the Team Leader to see whether we can send an eagle. The managers will get an emergency message, too.>

<I am calm. Jihwan, check for a good place to launch an eagle and let me know. Hyeonyul, I'll come over, so just play along.>

Sinu's message followed Nayun's.

<Yes. That's what I do best.>

No more messages arrived after Jihwan's. Hyeonyul pulled the blanket up again.

The mention of the White Sparrows reminded him of the White Sparrow who had come here with them. The man had been on his mind all along.

'Let's check.'

There was no harm in checking. Suspicion and vigilance would keep him from being stabbed in the back. Hyeonyul sent his eyes and ears toward the White Sparrow, whose shadow he had already marked.

Someone else was there, too.

'Is he a White Sparrow?'

They each held a paper cup, perhaps drinking coffee.

“Did you know there are still mosquitoes in this weather?”

The other man spoke first.

“What? No wonder. I've been bitten, too.”

“I wonder when they'll all disappear.”

“We've got electric mosquito swatters, so they'll disappear. Right?”

It might sound like an ordinary conversation, but winter was only just giving way to spring. What mosquitoes would there be in this cold?

'Ah.'

Assuming the other man was also a White Sparrow, in their conversation “mosquitoes” seemed to mean “villains,” and “electric mosquito swatters” meant “Black Eagles.”

“True. Oh, are there any flies buzzing around?”

SLURP

He asked very carefully as he drank his coffee.

'Do flies mean traitors?'

Hyeonyul listened, drawing his own conclusions. The answer did not come quickly.

“I thought I saw a few, but there weren't any.”

“All right. It's cold. I'm going in.”

The White Sparrow raised his coffee and left first. The White Sparrow who had come with Hyeonyul watched him go. As Hyeonyul watched as well, he felt a vibration.

KNOCK KNOCK

“Chandae. Want to go for a walk?”

Sinu spoke, but his words did not reach Hyeonyul's ears. Only after checking something did Hyeonyul get up and open the door.

[What's going on?]

After holding out his phone, he quietly clenched a fist and tapped his forehead a couple of times.

Emergency.

Sinu's expression faltered at the sight. An emergency? What had he seen this time?

But Sinu steadied his voice and said, “I said, let's go for a walk.”

[Okay.]

[You're not bringing anyone else, are you?]

[If you do, you're a traitor.]

A traitor. Sinu swallowed hard at the word Hyeonyul was conveying.

'Who...?'

The first person who came to mind here was the White Sparrow.

“Why would I bring someone we're not even close to?”

[Do we have to go out with that mister from earlier?]

Hyeonyul singled him out.

Just before Sinu entered, he had clearly seen it.

「Saint. The Black Eagles are currently unaware that there is a traitor among them.」

'As I thought, no matter how mentally strong you are, there's nothing you can do if you're continually exposed to a stronger power.'

Could this really be the only time something like this had happened? Hyeonyul simply wondered.

Frankly, for villains obsessed with expanding their influence, even if they knew Black Eagles were among them, it was better to pretend they did not. If they quietly fed the Eagles a single branch, as though sacrificing just one finger, the Black Eagles would feel they had accomplished something. The villains could then exploit that situation to blind and deafen the Black Eagles while expanding into places the Eagles had never anticipated.

Looking at Hyeonyul's impassive expression, Sinu realized anew that this was real.

'... The information leaked. His mind has been infiltrated.'

Sinu thought quickly.

“Get ready. I'll go get ready, too.”

[Okay.]

After Sinu left, Hyeonyul read the messages that appeared.

<The White Sparrow accompanying us has had his mind infiltrated.>

<What...?>

Nayun sent a message, apparently startled.

<Nayun, tell the Team Leader. Jihwan, keep working on what you were doing earlier.>

<Understood.>

Jihwan posted a message as well.

They all seemed rushed, but Hyeonyul simply pondered.

Who was the leader?

* * *

Sinu and Hyeonyul walked outside with the White Sparrow. Matching buildings lined both sides of a road wide enough for buses. There were decorated spots here and there, but none of them paid those any attention.

“... It's safe outside.”

The White Sparrow whispered into the continuing silence. But Sinu did not lower his guard.

Their first priority was to restore this White Sparrow's mind and check whether any other White Sparrows had been brainwashed.

'They didn't catch this even with a mental assessment. Things must be in an uproar back at headquarters.'

Sinu was at a loss. Once again, Hyeonyul was caught up in something involving the White Sparrows. And wasn't this the very White Sparrow who had even apologized to him? After all those assurances that things were fine, this had happened again.

'Will Hyeonyul be able to trust the White Sparrows now?'

It worried Sinu.

Hyeonyul tapped Sinu with a finger, then held out his phone.

[Why do you keep looking at me?]

“... No reason.”

Sinu smiled awkwardly.

'Is it because of the White Sparrow?'

Hyeonyul looked at the White Sparrow. Were the White Sparrows competent? He could answer yes to that. Their competence was separate from the incidents involving him.

[Don't worry about it.]

Hyeonyul did his best to convey his thoughts on the current situation. Something had gone wrong with the White Sparrow, but this incident had to be considered separately. The other side's power had simply been stronger. He had no intention of blaming him for something unforeseen.

Honestly, his greatest difficulty right now was the text he had to type on his phone. Just trying to decide what to write was enough to give him a headache.

As he moved forward, Hyeonyul stopped at the sight of a formula.

Here.

It was Jihwan's magic. Hyeonyul immediately turned right.

“Chandae. Where are you going?”

[I want to go this way.]

It was a gap between buildings. It certainly seemed like a place without CCTV.

Sinu stepped cautiously inside. Checking their surroundings, he readied what Haeryeon had given him: medicine that could break mental control. It had to be swallowed or injected, but they had no syringe prepared. That left only making the man drink it.

Sinu kept aware of what was behind him. A glance showed the White Sparrow following them. Hyeonyul extended a hand and moved his fingers.

One.

Two.

Three.

The instant he gave the signal, only black smoke remained where Hyeonyul had stood. He appeared behind the White Sparrow. The man had already taken out his phone and was composing a message.

'He's certainly quick.'

Hyeonyul raised his darkness and first snatched the phone from the White Sparrow's hand. Startled, the man looked up to see Sinu approaching. Hyeonyul gripped his face from behind, and Sinu opened the bottle and fed him the medicine.

GULP

Even after the White Sparrow swallowed the medicine, Hyeonyul did not let go. He waited for it to take effect.

“...!”

The White Sparrow stared at them with startled eyes. Memories flooded back, and he exhaled. His breathing quickly grew ragged. The look he directed at Sinu changed.

“Are you coming to your senses?” Sinu asked.

“... I'm sorry—”

The White Sparrow broke off, his eyes wavering wildly. All kinds of emotions surged in with the returning memories. He could not finish.

What had he been doing all this time? Despair engulfed him, followed by the urge to vomit.

“More importantly, tell us how far this involvement goes.”

Hyeonyul tightened his grip on the White Sparrow's face as he spoke. The situation had to take precedence over emotions now. They needed to know how far the connections extended, and how, to respond.

“You must be precise. Who has been placed under mental control?”

“Three people... including me.”

“Are you certain?”

“I'm certain.”

“Give them this to drink.”

Hyeonyul handed the White Sparrow the spare doses he had received just in case. The man nodded. He had to accomplish this, no matter what.

“It was that man from earlier, wasn't it?”

At Sinu's cautious question, the White Sparrow nodded again. Sinu had felt it earlier, and still thought now that the man was no ordinary opponent. Was he the leader?

“How much did you learn? How much do you know?”

Hyeonyul thought personal questions were unnecessary. They had no time now.

“I know how many villains there are.”

The White Sparrow retained the memories of when his mind had been controlled. He steeled his resolve.

“How many?” Sunu asked.

“Forty-five.”

That was more than expected. They had seen eight, which meant thirty-seven remained.

“At a suitable time before dinner, can you take one of our teammates around the places where they're likely to be? Any excuse for going together will do. It should be enough to give a rough description of their appearances as you go.”

Sinu trusted Nayun's power. With even a description, she could work with Jihwan to mark them properly. Holding his breath, the White Sparrow nodded. Right now, all he could do was follow their instructions.

“I'll do it. I'll do it, no matter what.”

The White Sparrow firmly suppressed the emotions surging through him.

“Oh, and may we call an eagle?”

Sinu had not forgotten the villains Hyeonyul had captured.

* * *

“... Wait just a little longer, and a delicious meal will be served. We didn't know what you Morning Stars liked, so we prepared plenty of things.”

Myeongja clapped her hands as she spoke. She was overjoyed, as though it were her own celebration.

Four seats stood in a row, with a long table in front of them. The floor facing the seats was crowded with people. All of them knelt, murmuring prayers.

Anyone could see this was a strange gathering. Yet not one member of Team Three wore an uneasy expression. They simply smiled as though drugged.

Amid the murmuring, a man approached. He smiled in apparent satisfaction at the four seated side by side.

“My apologies. There was a listening device installed in your rooms.”

As though setting everything in motion, the man began wagging his tongue.