Chapter 49: Someone Was Watching Yuki—So Rhea Sent Me Into Ferrera

Kael turned his head.

He looked directly at Rhea.

"Mistress, are you looking at me when you say ’a rogue member of our own House’?"

"Kael. I’m not looking at you specifically. I’m listing possibilities."

"Mistress, then answer me directly. Did I send someone to watch the reincarnated one’s human?"

"I’m asking you."

"No, Mistress. I didn’t send anyone."

"..."

"However, Mistress."

"Kael."

"However, Mistress, if you had asked me the day before yesterday whether I considered it strategically appropriate to monitor the human, I would have said yes. The human is a vulnerability for the reincarnated one. An unmonitored vulnerability is an uncontrolled vulnerability. Yes, I believe she should be watched. But I was not the one who initiated the current surveillance."

Silence.

Rhea held Kael’s gaze for exactly three seconds.

Kael didn’t look away.

"Kael."

"Yes, Mistress?"

"I believe you."

"Thank you, Mistress."

"But I need you to understand one thing."

"I’m listening."

"From this moment forward, surveillance of the human Amasawa falls under official House protocol. I decide who watches her. I decide how. I decide when. If you, or any other member of the retinue, feels the need to handle the matter independently, you consult me first. Understood?"

"Understood, Mistress."

"Good."

Rhea turned toward Lira.

"Lira."

"Mistress."

"You entered into a deal with Vega this morning without my prior authorization."

"Mistress, with all due respect, I made a deal with Vega because Vega asked me to, and because making that deal benefited me. I didn’t require your authorization because Vega is a familiar of the House, not an outside House. Internal agreements between familiars do not require the Mistress’s authorization. Standard protocol. You can confirm it with Silvano."

Silvano nodded.

"She’s right, Mistress."

"...I know she’s right. I’m pointing out that strategically, it was opportunistic. Vega was emotionally vulnerable. You appeared knowing he was in that state. You offered him a protection service with an open-ended price."

"Mistress, I didn’t force him to agree. I offered. He accepted. Free will."

"Lira."

"Mistress."

"I’m speaking to you as your Mistress, not as an ally. What unspecified favor are you planning to collect from him?"

Lira smiled very faintly.

She took a sip of tea.

"Mistress, do you really want me to tell you with Vega in the room?"

"Lira."

"Fine. As you wish. I’m going to use the favor to gain official access to the human Amasawa. With the reincarnated one’s prior permission, exactly as stipulated in the second term of our agreement. When the time comes."

Adrián straightened in his chair.

"...Lira, wait—"

"Darling, be quiet. You agreed to this in writing. Well, through a binding agreement. Same thing."

"Yeah, but why do you want to get close to Yuki—"

"Vega," Rhea cut in. "Be quiet. That conversation is between you and Lira. We’re not having it now. Right now, we’re discussing operations. Focus."

Adrián closed his mouth.

Rhea turned back toward Lira.

"Lira. You will personally handle protective surveillance of the human Amasawa. Starting tonight. Coordinate with Nikita so you don’t cross paths with the external observers. Report daily. Do you accept?"

"Gladly, Mistress."

"And Lira."

"Yes, Mistress?"

"If at any point I notice that you’re using the surveillance to get close to Yuki before the appropriate time under your agreement with Vega, I will personally revoke the favor and nullify the deal. I don’t care what the regulations say. Understood?"

Lira looked at her.

Very intently.

No smile this time.

"Understood, Mistress."

"Good."

Rhea sat down again.

She ran a hand over her face.

"Silvano."

"Yes, Mistress?"

"You’ll coordinate the investigation into the pulse’s sensory signature. I need to know exactly how many Houses detected it, how accurately they located it, and what they’re planning. You’ll work with Nikita."

"Yes, Mistress."

"Nikita."

"Yes, Mistress," Nikita said without looking up from her tablet.

"Expand the informal contact network. I need rumors. I need gossip. I need to know what the other retinues are saying about House Alastor."

"Yes, Mistress. I started last night."

"Good."

Rhea turned back toward the center of the meeting.

"Now. Second matter of the day. The pharmaceutical operation."

Kael straightened.

"Mistress, is the mission still happening?"

"The mission is still happening, Kael. With changes."

"..."

"I’ll explain."

---

Rhea turned her chair toward the window.

She stood.

Walked to the tall cabinet in the corner, took out a folded map, and spread it across the desk.

A map of the city.

With red markings at several locations.

"Vega. Come here. The rest of you too."

The four of them approached the desk.

Adrián recognized the map.

His neighborhood.

The university district.

Mercier Street.

And the five red marks were the five disappearances that had occurred during new moons.

There was also a new mark—blue, not red—in the northern industrial district, far from downtown.

Rhea placed a finger over the blue mark.

"This. The pharmaceutical company."

"..."

"Official name: Ferrera Central Pharmaceutical Distribution. A legally licensed human company with a physical headquarters and human employees. No apparent supernatural connection. It supplies more than seventy businesses throughout the university district, including all five locations connected to the five victims."

"Okay."

"Yesterday, after the pulse, I canceled the mission because we didn’t consider it safe for Vega to leave the building. But after this morning’s report regarding the surveillance of the human Amasawa, my assessment has changed."

"..."

"If someone is putting pressure on Vega through the human Amasawa, that means someone knows Vega is investigating something connected to Ferrera. And if they know that, then Ferrera is sensitive. And if Ferrera is sensitive, we’re on the right track."

Kael frowned.

"Mistress, with all due respect, that conclusion relies on several assumptions."

"Kael. I know. But it’s the conclusion I’m making. And I’m going to act on it."

"..."

"The mission proceeds tomorrow. At dawn. Before the external observers from the other Houses become active. Listen carefully to the terms."

All four straightened.

"Mission team: Adrián Vega, Kael Vandragh, Ishtar Alastor, and Silvano Marchetti. I remain here to coordinate."

Adrián looked up.

"Rhea."

"Yes, Vega?"

"...You could come too."

Rhea held his gaze.

"Vega. I’m the Mistress. I don’t go on reconnaissance missions. That’s protocol. I send people. I don’t go with them."

"...Okay."

"Besides, if I leave, the entirety of House Alastor is left without its Mistress in the building during the critical post-pulse window. The other Houses will interpret that as weakness. I can’t do it."

"I understand."

"Good."

"Roles," Rhea continued. "Kael leads the team. He has the most experience in offensive operations, and his Emperor Talent reinforces allies during combat. Ishtar is second in command for the mission. Her speed is our primary asset if we need to escape quickly. Silvano coordinates infiltration. His Hermit allows him to isolate an area from the rest of the world for short periods, which will be useful if we need to do something without leaving a trace. Vega is the actual objective of the mission."

Adrián frowned.

"...The objective?"

"The objective, Vega. You’re the one who needs to see the facility. You’re the one who can sense things the others can’t. You’re the one who triggered the five victims’ relevance when you connected the pattern. The Thief’s Mask gives you enhanced senses. And Copy allows you to absorb Talents if there’s anything supernatural inside worth taking."

"..."

"The others will keep you alive while you observe. This is your investigation. They’re your escort."

Beside him, Kael nodded slowly.

"Mistress, understood. Permitted level of contact?"

"No direct contact with Ferrera’s human personnel if possible. Silent infiltration. Observation. If you detect supernatural activity inside, withdraw immediately and report. No confrontation is authorized during this mission. This is reconnaissance."

"Understood."

"Ishtar."

"Yes, Sister?"

"You stay glued to Vega for the entire operation. Physically. If Vega gets more than three meters away from you, that is considered a serious failure."

"Understood, Sister."

"Silvano."

"Yes, Mistress."

"You maintain the isolation bubble over the area for the entire infiltration. If you lose concentration, if you become distracted, if anything happens to you, the operation is considered a failure. That responsibility is yours alone."

"Understood, Mistress."

"You leave at five in the morning. Maximum return time, eleven. If you aren’t back by eleven, I send reinforcements. If you aren’t back by noon, the House enters a state of internal emergency."

Silence.

All four nodded.

"Questions?"

Kael raised his hand.

"Yes, Kael."

"Mistress, what do we do if we find clear evidence of the harvests inside the pharmaceutical facility? What’s the protocol?"

Rhea placed both hands on the desk.

She looked down at the map.

And remained silent for several seconds, thinking.