"To the palace. You'll meet the team today."
"Alright."
"So… about how many people are there going to be?"
Miyeon was curious about how many people he'd be working with.
"There will be around five."
"Around? What is that supposed to mean?"
At his question, Nephthys let out a sigh before answering, clearly to put his doubts to rest.
"Well, officially there are only five people I chose for this mission. But there's always one annoying person who likes to butt in."
From the look on Miyeon's face, he could tell that whoever that person was, they were definitely giving her a hard time.
For the rest of the trip, Miyeon decided not to ask any more questions.
**
They arrived at the palace gates. Naturally, Miyeon reached for his identification card—only to pause.
Something was wrong.
Nephthys kept walking straight ahead, showing no intention of presenting anything. To his surprise, the guards immediately stepped aside, making way for her.
"What are you doing? Are you not coming?"
Nephthys asked, noticing Miyeon still standing there.
As if snapped out of a trance, Miyeon hurried after her, following closely behind.
After some time, they reached their destination.
"This is the team,"
Nephthys said, gesturing toward the people present.
"Team, this is Miyeon."
Then she introduced Miyeon to her teammates.
"..."
Interesting way of handling introductions.
"I'm sure you can introduce yourselves later,"
she added, sensing the awkward atmosphere.
"Now, everyone sit down. We have a lot to do."
They all obeyed immediately.
"I'm dividing you into separate teams, each with a different task."
"Carrin, Austin—you're Team A. You'll be stationed at the gate, checking all guests. Make sure everyone is accounted for."
"Sophie, Lydia, Jericho—you're Team B. Guard the exits. Make sure nobody leaves."
"Miyeon and I will be Team C. Our task is to identify everyone with a tattoo."
"The ball will be phase one. Phase two is surveillance. Each of you will be assigned your own group of suspects. You will observe them closely and report every movement to me."
"Then we'll move on to phase three—capture. We will—"
Nephthys suddenly stopped speaking.
Her teammates immediately understood why.
Only Miyeon was confused.
Bang.
The door swung open.
Everyone in the room bowed deeply as the presence entered.
"Long live the Emperor!"
They all shouted in unison.
All except one person.
The Emperor's expression was stormy, and his anger was clearly directed at Nephthys. While everyone else appeared unfazed, Miyeon grew deeply concerned for her.
"YOU!"
The Emperor pointed furiously at Nephthys.
"HOW DARE YOU?!"
He marched toward her, closing the distance rapidly—and then did the unthinkable.
Miyeon's mouth fell open in utter shock.
The Emperor pinched her cheeks.
"How can you be so cold-hearted? Not visiting me even once—and when you finally do, you don't even tell me you're here?"
He scolded her relentlessly, never once releasing her cheeks.
Miyeon's face turned deathly pale.
Then he fainted.
Bang.
The sound of his collapse drew everyone's attention—including the Emperor's. He finally let go of Nephthys and turned toward Miyeon.
"What's wrong with him?"
He asked her calmly.
Nephthys glanced at the Emperor before replying.
"I don't know."
Despite someone having just passed out, no one reacted with any urgency. They simply stared at Miyeon's unmoving body—no one even checking if he was breathing.
Miyeon slowly opened his eyes.
He immediately regretted it.
The first thing he saw was a group of people staring down at him—Nephthys, the team, the Emperor, and even the guards.
He didn't move. Just stared back.
"If you're alright, stand up."
Nephthys finally broke the silence.
At her command, Miyeon stood.
The people around him stepped aside to give him space, but they continued staring for a few moments longer—making him increasingly uncomfortable.
"Alright, that's enough."
At Nephthys' order, their attention finally shifted away. Miyeon could breathe again.
"You may discuss matters without me for a while. I'll be right back."
She gave the order, then turned to the Emperor.
"Let's go, Your Majesty."
***
"I've eliminated nearly every monster. The villages are safe as long as people stay out of the forest. My barrier keeps the monsters inside, but it won't stop humans from entering. You must ensure that people have the necessities they need so they won't risk their lives."
Nephthys spoke methodically.
"You know that even with laws forbidding entry into the forest, people will still do anything to survive. Right now, monsters aren't humanity's greatest threat."
She met his gaze.
"Humanity itself is."
"I intend to eliminate every threat to peace. So you have nothing to worry about."
She finished delivering her protocol.
The Emperor, however, looked dissatisfied.
"Sigh… my child, that is not why I summoned you."