Chapter 105
Seeing the other person unconsciously raise their head, their bright red eyes flashing with a fierce light, as if they wanted to interrogate, yet also seemed to yearn for something... Patriot's gaze flickered back and forth between Nana and FrostNova, but in the end, surprisingly, he remained silent...
Caught in the grip of fate, yet simultaneously hoping for the salvation of his last remaining loved ones... the warrior, realizing the immense contradictions within himself, ultimately said nothing.
Seeing this, Nana simply nodded in understanding.
"You seem quite conflicted... But then again... Perhaps to a warrior like you, the choice I'm giving you might just make you a deserter... Do you think that's abandoning the other the Infected, a concession to fate?"
"Well... don't look at me like that. FrostNova calls you an old stubborn person, so I can guess what you're thinking... What I want to say is that I agree with you... Whether it's continuing to fight or leading your current comrades to choose a new path, both require keen decisiveness... If you can't make up your mind, then sticking to the existing path to the end is also an option..."
"However, if you change your mind later, you'll need to discuss it with Medic, the leader of the Rhodes Island field team... I need to continue investigating the 'Pollution' issue."
Looking at Sankta's carefree demeanor, Patriot subconsciously glanced at the traditional Kazdel aristocratic attire peeking out from under her black robe, and belatedly uttered a sound of doubt:
"... You're leaving? And Medic is...?"
"Haven't you seen her before? She's the team leader, a black-haired Feline."
"... No, from beginning to end we've only ever seen... that little white Little Cat... isn't she your strongest member?"
Hearing Patriot's question, Nana, feeling that things were going even more smoothly than she had imagined, smiled and said cheerfully:
"Who knows? Perhaps the garrison on this island has even stronger members... As for Medic, you'll probably meet him after we've treated those who need first aid..."
At this point, Nana stepped onto the external escalator, but as she was about to leave, the SilverAsh- haired Sankta seemed to remember something:
"By the way, your Oripathy seems pretty severe too... Logically speaking, you should be among those who urgently need treatment... Don't forget to get in line; Medic hates people who don't value their lives."
After saying that, Nana flipped over the escalator and fell suddenly like the setting sun. By the time FrostNova reacted and ran over to check, the halo spread outwards from directly below, covering the entire Snowfield to the horizon. The White Rabbit did not see any bright spot similar to the Sankta Halo.
This hairstyle made the White Rabbit turn around in horror to look at her well-informed adoptive father:
"... Old stubborn man, she really did climb over here, didn't she? How high is it?"
"... between thirty and fifty meters... this is not a height that can be easily ignored..."
"She's just leaving us here like this? Didn't you two finish discussing Pollution? What about the cooperation within the Reunion Movement?"
Patriot glanced at his dim-witted daughter, who seemed to have listened to the whole thing but remembered nothing. He wondered if she had been affected by Demons influence that had impaired her intelligence, or if she simply hadn't remembered anything due to the overwhelming amount of information... After some thought, the tall Wendigo decided to follow the Sankta's advice and take FrostNova to treat her Oripathy first...
Perhaps Rhodes Island's special medicine can prevent FrostNova from having her brain folds smoothed out by Originium?
Perfect timing! He also wanted to see if the captain who could command that kind of Little Cat team was comparable to Demons with a thousand hands and a hundred eyes.
Of course, it's just jumping over a hurdle; Nana definitely won't die.
Putting aside Nana's own skills and abilities, Cole's mere presence allowed Nana to maintain a certain degree of levitation, much like Rosemary... While FrostNova thought this was some rare Originium Arts, Nana was actually simply being gently lowered by Mrs. Cole onto the floor where the door had been opened beforehand.
FrostNova might not yet understand what it means to have the most absurd scam—using the simplest methods to accomplish something that no one would normally do.
As their own vehicle, Nana was far more familiar with the locations of the key entrances and exits than the newly arrived the Guerrillas... With Jessica, who had been notified in advance by Little Cat to come and meet them, Nana was finally able to rejoin the team.
"Nana..."
He nodded to Jessica, who seemed quite pleased. The girl had been under a lot of pressure lately, having to act as 'Captain' and frequently making eye contact with Patriot during daily activities.
Nana, with a smile, habitually patted Jessica's little head. Now our adorable (one) Lin Yiqi Si V Jiu Si Jiu's tearful cat head could finally relax and let its cat ears droop to the sides. Wife
"Everyone, you've all worked hard lately... But things aren't over yet... Is Little Cat the member who registered for emergency handling on the third floor? How's the progress?"
"Dr. Su Sulo has seen several urgent internal and external injury cases and has already begun treatment... Dr. Folinic is preparing the interventional treatment procedure for Oripathy. You will then lead us to formally meet with the Reunion Movement members."
As they talked, they took off their clothes, wearing the same style but different colors of Liquid Fabric. Jessica quickly put on her casual clothes with the Blacksteel logo, while Nana folded up the white gauze dress and put on Jessica's Medic uniform piece by piece.
"... This is the first time 'Medic' has met with them... I just discovered it on the top floor... and they were previously harassed by the Kazdel Military Council... Thank you for managing to delay them for so long under these circumstances."
Hearing Nana's praise, Jessica scratched her head shyly:
"No, you're the one who's had a hard time... I had no idea that cleaning up the mess would be so troublesome. And now I'll turn back into 'myself'... Even though my power has decreased, that oppressive feeling of having everyone's lives in my hands has also disappeared."
While saying seemingly irresponsible things, Jessica was surprised to find that Nana had no intention of blaming or lecturing her. As the SilverAsh -haired girl removed her extensions, her hair color returned to jet black as the Witchcraft dissipated. The assassin, now with cat ears and a cat tail again, revealed a lonely smile that surprised Jessica.
"... Perhaps, I'm more relaxed when I'm wearing the Rhodes Island uniform... who knows?"
Saying something that didn't fit the identity of 'Agent No. 77' but was very much in line with 'Rhodes Island Medical Operator Medic', Nana looked at the 'medium' she had been using recently and was probably never going to throw away. After thinking for a moment, she waved her hand... and the hair that originally belonged to Eileen was evenly distributed and attached to Nana own tail.
The originally slender Feline tail now looks fluffy and has grown much larger. At first glance, it no longer looks like Feline, but rather like Lupo's tail.
The originally beautiful SilverAsh quickly turned pure black, just like Nana's hair, due to the uncontrolled Witchcraft. Nana shook her tail, which had become slightly heavier, out of habit. Then, while putting on her small accessories, she began to hypnotize herself into a transformation.
Now, Rhodes Island's Sankta agent named 'Nana' has begun her investigation into the 'The Unspeakable' deep into the Snowfield.
Medic then takes over Nana's previous work and begins the collaboration between Rhodes Island and the Snowfield Guerrillas...
This collaboration itself cannot be made public, as it could easily incur the wrath of the Ursus Nobility... Therefore, in public statements, the Rhodes Island Exploration Vehicle's deviation from its course was attributed to being hijacked by the Snowfield Guerrillas.
Providing humanitarian aid is a valid reason, and the outside world won't deny Rhodes Island's achievements simply because they did so. What Nana herself needs to pay attention to is the handover of duties between the identities of 'Medic' and 'Nana'.
First, regarding the Sarkaz, the White Emperor's followers, represented by Ah Fu, need to know that 'Nana' has not abandoned them. These people, who are trustworthy in the future, may be invited by Nana to join the ICA or even the Security Bureau as her assistants... At worst, they will live a life of leisure and comfort on Rhodes Island... This is to prevent them from leaking information about Rhodes Island's destruction of the Ursus warship.
Then there are the Sarkaz Mercenaries. W is essentially a follower of the White Emperor, and she will be meeting Kal'tsit with him later, so putting aside her subordinates, W herself needs to know the relationship between 'Nana' and 'Medic'.
On the contrary, Nana has no intention of letting FrostNova and Patriot, along with their team, know where 'she' is.
This is partly related to Nana's character development of the 'Kazdel pursuers' and the 'instigators of the Ursus shipwreck', and partly because Nana wants the Reunion Movement to focus its attention on Rhodes Island.
Compared to the Human Resources Special Operations Team, which only had a dozen or so people, the Reunion Movement, which could form its own settlement, was still too large an organization... The Exploration Vehicle itself, Rhodes Island's medicines and supplies... any one of these was extremely attractive to them.
With only so many people in their own team, as cooperation deepens, their true strength will easily be revealed. And without warnings or threats from outsiders, the risky actions of a minority cannot be ignored.
Now, Medic needs 'Nana' to be the fictitious deterrent against the Reunion Movement, and that applies to Ursus and even Kazdel.
The assassin hoped they could focus all their efforts on investigating the dangerous Bloodfiend & Sankta.
Anything that Rhodes Island's 'Medic' isn't suited for can be handed over to Agent 'Nana'... While enjoying the benefits of being a member of a large organization, she also possesses the flexible and adaptable qualities of a covert operation... The Kitty Killer is well-versed in this.
Although Ursus's operations were far from the city, Nana's skills seemed to be reduced to sheer brute force... but if we delve into the logic of her actions, there are always some things that can be understood by analogy.
After putting his own shoulder bag back on, the agent's poker face completely disappeared.
Medic once again wore the warm smile befitting a healer, the unwavering courage of Catastrophe Messengers, and perhaps her expression still held a hint of doting affection for her own child and tenderness towards her friends... In short, the legendary the Infected employee known as the 'Light of Ticarondo,' Medic, has returned to her post.
She activated the combat recorder hanging on her cat ears and then joined Rhodes Island's communications. Nana's voice, which had been absent for a long time, reappeared in everyone's ears:
[Now, Rhodes Island's Human Resources Department will officially begin meeting with Reunion Movement executives... In addition to frontline combat personnel, medical operator Folinic, please also join me...]
After thinking for a moment, the assassin added another sentence in the internal channel:
[Remember, don't say the name 'Nana' anymore... just call me by my code name.]
Finally recalling 'Nana's' physical characteristics, Medic put down his rifle case, mainly because carrying a shoulder bag made it inconvenient to carry a weapon case... Nana regretfully put her Guardian Gun back into the armory.
Then, looking at her companions who had gathered behind her, Nana smiled and led them away:
"Alright, let's go and officially meet the Guerrillas of the Snowfield Yiling Three O'Clock."
P. S.: To prevent confusion about why Nana has two identities, I've provided an explanation of 77's behavioral logic... However, this explanation doesn't quite connect well to the subsequent plot, so this break in the chapter serves as a necessary transition. (Facepalm)
PS2: All this detail is to prevent people from thinking that Nana will have a mental breakdown later... and from making comments like "[She's so strong, but she... X1 (Part 2) Mio Sugi O Oshiki 8 XXXX]"...
Nana is very clear and restrained about what she should do based on her identity; this is part of her professional ethics, and everyone should remember this underlying logic.
PS3: But as I expected, the transformation process itself wasn't described in many words... Just over four thousand words is indeed a bit short in terms of plot progression... I'll try to write more later, since the difficult turning point is over.
PS4: Meow Meow Cat
4th Crimson Warm Winter: 111 This Land. jpg
The sun had set about half an hour earlier, and before that, the lights had been turned on with a soft, slightly electronic announcement.
Mercenaries, Yeti, Shieldguards... They, who outwardly call themselves the 'Reunion Movement,' are now experiencing the beauty of civilization in the bright interior of the vehicle.
A square camera with a red operating indicator light scanned the surroundings, while the vehicle's PRTS subsystem monitored the situation inside the vehicle. Just like the Oripathy who initially needed emergency treatment, the PRTS also had the responsibility of explaining the situation to the waiting crowd.
"... Aren't the Rhodes Island people here yet? It's been forty minutes already..."
As she spoke, she rubbed her forearm, which was suspended in the triangle, feeling uncomfortable. Because Nana had disappeared halfway through, no one continued to maintain the anti-inflammatory spell. W felt that her hand was swollen like a floating corpse, and when she secretly lifted the gauze, it looked more like braised meat.
After realizing that this was a question directed at her, the PRTS camera turned around and began to answer in a calm, female voice:
[We apologize for the long wait. Medic Captain is currently checking on the condition of the emergency the Infected. Our team was not assigned to community-scale treatment operations due to mission limitations, so at present...]
"So everyone on Rhodes Island is busy right now; you said that half an hour ago."
Seeing W clutching his hand and grimacing, Patriot and FrostNova, who had recently returned from the rooftop to the third-floor cafeteria—this 'temporary meeting place'—came over:
"W, are you alright?"
"... Before, with the help of that Rhodes Island guy treating me every now and then, I didn't pay much attention. After all, I didn't even use much medicine, so I thought it wasn't a serious injury... But now I realize it hurts like hell... So where is Nana? What happened to our ally? I suggest you either give me a whack on the head or a whack on the hand... I'm going to die..."
Although it was unclear whether W was delirious from pain or simply going crazy, the voice, clearly out of place with its surroundings, still attracted a lot of attention... Aside from the concerned or slightly gloating glances from the 'Reunion Movement' comrades, the Little Cat who had been with the Sarkaz, who were dressed differently from the Mercenaries, and who had been squatting beside a bed made of tables watching the blonde 'Sankta' twins, also noticed them.
Rosemary is currently the only member wearing Rhodes Island uniform. However, through the Shieldguards's certification and the word-of-mouth reports in this short period of time, everyone has been impressed by the little guy's experience of almost causing the entire Shieldguards to fly into the sky.
"What happened?"
Watching the White Cat swishing its tail, whether out of impatience or curiosity, the entire Reunion Movement around W, except for the two executives, vanished without a trace.
"Ugh... I'm in so much pain... Nana said she'd help heal me... Do you know where she is?"
"... Nana is on a mission... she's not here..."
As it spoke, the Little Cat's ears twitched twice to the sides, but then Little Cat realized it shouldn't be so cold to them, so it leaned closer and asked:
"Does it hurt a lot? The captain sent out a notice that any member showing signs of pain will be marked as needing emergency care... Shall we set up a few tables so you can lie down?"
"Um... I shouldn't be the same as that 'emergency room'... Well, how about some painkillers?"
"... I don't have any medicine... but I can give you some bear-shaped cookies..."
As she spoke, Rosemary took out a small packet of cookies from her pocket, wrapped in a paper bag and seemingly still warm, decorated with a pretty ribbon.
"The captain said there are little girls here, this is for them... but they're sleeping right now, so if you feel pain, you can have it too..."
Seeing W's twitching lips, Rosemary held up the packaging:
"It's sweet; it'll cheer you up."
Upon hearing the words of this Rhodes Island child laborer, W instinctively wanted to hurl a string of insults... but first, she remembered the description of 'Super Little Cat' that Shieldguards had been discussing with his subordinates.
Then, Rosemary's innocent charm made W swallow back all the things the Little Cat couldn't hear. Amid FrostNova's curious exclamations, W, who in everyone's eyes was a madman who killed indiscriminately regardless of age or gender, actually seemed to become shy.
Although it was only a small amount, it was enough to amaze the members of the Reunion Movement.
Well, considering that she still had one hand that could move, W accepted the Little Cat's kindness with a smile. The Mercenaries, who had been active in Kazdel for many years, was able to eat a proper dessert again after a long time... And according to W's skill, the last time she ate something similar was... in... the tower... and it was also handed to her by a white person.
Even W couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself. No matter what his memories were... it seemed that as long as they contained some positive elements, he was inextricably linked to His Highness... Perhaps that was why he couldn't accept the failure of the Babel and leave completely disheartened like most of His Highness's followers.
Just as W was reminiscing, a sweet cookie was offered to him. Turning his head, he saw it was the Little Cat handing it to him.
"... Your emotions have stabilized, that's effective, so... eat more?"
Watching the Little Cat finish one biscuit, it seemed to be chasing something and swallowed two more. When the other fed it again, W mischievously ate a small handful of biscuits from the Little Cat's hand in one gulp... that is, three whole biscuits. The white Little Cat's eyes immediately filled with tears.
As W chewed on the biscuit, his mood suddenly improved, and the pain in his wound seemed to lessen.
Just as FrostNova took two steps forward and tapped W on the head, Patriot silently watched as another Dead Soul from the Feline clan smiled and patted the little guy on the back... The Dead Soul, seemingly of the same bloodline, said for a while, "Work hard!" and "I'll teach you how to make cookies later!" before the Little Cat held back the tears that were about to fall.
Just as Patriot was watching to see whether W would be slapped away or buried in the ground by the Little Cat, the Little Cat's next move surprised Patriot.
This child, who seemed to possess only power, didn't actually vent her discontent like a child would. She merely glared at W, then looked resentfully at the two little 'Sankta' being cared for by Ah Fu and the maid among the Sarkaz refugees:
"... The cookies... are all gone... So, the snacks that will stop the pain are gone too..."
Seeing the Little Cat with its eyes closed as if deep in thought, W, who only realized after being tapped on the head by FrostNova that the other person wasn't Theresa but an ordinary ten-year-old child, scratched the back of his head and said with a grin:
"Then, Little Cat, do you have any other way to relieve the pain?"
"... Yes, Mom taught me a ritual to make wounds stop hurting..."
As he spoke, the Little Cat stuffed the cookie bag back into his pocket, wiped the cookie crumbs from his mouth, and then solemnly clasped his hands together... Anyone present who had some knowledge of Sarkaz Sorcery could see the strong traces of Witchcraft on the Little Cat... As the Little Cat spoke earnestly, many people who knew a little about Witchcraft and its 'cost' quickly stood up and retreated. Even Patriot unconsciously stepped forward nervously, shielding his subordinates and allies behind him.
The Little Cat's hands hovered above W's bandaged left hand, and then it said in a childish voice:
"The pain is gone!"
As the Little Cat spoke, it fanned itself with its little paws. While everyone else froze in place or even fell off their stools, the Little Cat performed the 'ritual' three times.
When Patriot finally reacted, seeing his adopted daughter and the unknown Dead Soul laughing uncontrollably, even W was stunned for a while... It wasn't until the Little Cat's emerald eyes were almost right in front of W that the mischievous Sarkaz showed a slight discomfort amidst the laughter of his comrades.
"Does it still hurt? Mom's 'ritual' actually includes touching your head, but my hands are too small, I need both hands to fan out the wind... But we can do the head touching now. Also, that horn on the top of your head... it seems inconvenient to touch... Sister Xia did say we could disguise it as cat ears... do you want to try that too?"