HIFH | Chapter 17

Episode 17

“Do you think I’ll just answer your questions if you ask?”

“Of course not!”

The child crossed his arms confidently, as if he had anticipated my response.

“Agent… no, uh, what should I call you?”

“Charles.”

“Yes! Anyway, Sir Charles is an outstanding person, so how could I come empty-handed and just take information?”

Well, look at that.

I found myself growing fond of the child, who now seemed a little more like a proper agent than before.

I smirked and gestured with my chin.

“So? What did you bring?”

The child grinned as well and lifted his chin proudly.

“Sir Charles, you’ve been away from Catacle for quite a while, haven’t you?”

Then, he raised his index finger in front of his eye and gave me a playful wink.

“Aren’t you curious about what’s been happening in Catacle during that time?”

Oh-ho.

As it happened, I was curious.

“I can tell you everything.”

The child held out his hand to me, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

He was probably hoping to learn more about Vice Captain Henry.

I narrowed my eyes and smirked.

“Deal.”

And with that, we shook hands.

***

The child’s name was Pinky.

He had rather messy orange hair and bright yellow eyes.

His skin, though fair, bore signs of sun exposure, making the scattered freckles on his face stand out even more.

“Oh! This is so good!”

Pinky exclaimed after sipping his yuzu smoothie.

We had gone into a nearby cafeteria—after all, we couldn’t exactly have this conversation in the middle of the street.

I took a sip of my iced coffee and gestured with my chin.

“So, what’s the information you have for me?”

“First, I need to check if you already know what I’m curious about.”

Pinky spoke while keeping the straw in his mouth. I let out a small chuckle.

“You’re curious about Vice Captain Henry, aren’t you?”

“Oh! That’s right!”

Pinky leaned forward and whispered.

“The Vice Captain has gone missing.”

Oh…

The moment I heard the word missing, a chill ran down my spine.

‘It’s not just a disappearance.’

Most likely—no, almost certainly—he was dead.

After all, the Captain never tolerated traitors.

“Well, I figure he’s probably dead. But officially, he’s listed as missing.”

“I see. And?”

“I’m curious about how his betrayal was discovered.”

That was thanks to the trap Adrian had set.

But before I shared that information, I had something to confirm.

“Before that, let me ask you something.”

I met Pinky’s gaze and asked,

“Are there many traitors within Catacle?”

Pinky hesitated slightly, then slowly nodded.

“A lot has happened while you were gone, Sir Charles.”

I nodded, signaling for him to continue. Pinky went on.

“For starters, the Empress has begun directly interfering with Catacle’s affairs.”

“The Empress?”

I frowned.

Catacle was an organization that reported directly to the Emperor.

However, Baylor had taken a different approach from traditional Catacle leaders, causing a rift between the organization and the imperial family.

And now the Empress was getting involved?

“As you know, the Captain wants to distance himself from the imperial family. So, naturally, he opposed the Empress’s interference. But some people have sided with her.”

So there was internal division within Catacle.

I furrowed my brows.

“Who?”

“I don’t know.”

Pinky shook his head regretfully.

“Of course, since I worked under Vice Captain Henry, I knew about his betrayal, but beyond that, I don’t have much information.”

That made sense.

Catacle was a highly structured organization.

Other than Captain Baylor himself, even the vice captains had no access to details about other teams’ missions.

While secret meetings might have taken place behind the scenes, there was no official record of them, making it difficult to identify traitors.

“That’s why it’s strange that Vice Captain Henry went missing.”

I could understand Pinky’s confusion all too well, so I nodded.

“It’s actually quite simple.”

I finished the last of my coffee in one gulp and answered.

“It was a trap.”

The way Catacle—or rather, Baylor—identified traitors was simple.

They deliberately leaked different information about sacred relics to each vice captain.

Then, by tracking who acted on that information and who approached the targeted individuals without Baylor’s authorization, they pinpointed the traitors.

‘Themis was on Vice Captain Henry’s side.’

But I still didn’t understand why Themis had been targeted.

If they had truly intended to distribute modified auras, they wouldn’t have killed him.

“Why did they kill Themis…?”

I murmured to myself.

Pinky slumped his shoulders and replied regretfully,

“That, I don’t know.”

I figured as much.

Pinky wasn’t yet an agent who was privy to internal affairs.

“In any case, there must be more traps in place…”

There were likely other traps set to weed out traitors within Catacle.

And each time someone got caught in one, another Catacle agent would disappear.

‘That doesn’t sit right with me.’

Seriously, why did they have to go and betray the organization?

Sigh.

I let out a deep breath and placed my coffee cup down.

“Anyway, a bloodbath is coming. Be careful.”

“Well, I’m just a rookie, so there’s nothing for me to be afraid of yet.”

Pinky replied as he sipped the last of his smoothie through the straw.

“So?”

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Why are you telling me this? And why are you so curious?”

A sly smile crept onto Pinky’s face.

He set his cup aside, interlocked his fingers, and rested his hands on the table.

“My role has always been as an informant. I was the one who gathered the intel that Vice Captain Henry asked for. Since only he and I knew about those tasks, he made sure to pay me separately.”

He blinked once before continuing.

“But now that the Vice Captain is missing, I’ve basically lost my source of income.”

I could already guess what he was about to say next.

“How about hiring me?”

He was suggesting that I use him as an informant.

Since I had anticipated this, I didn’t answer right away.

When receiving offers like this, pretending to deliberate always worked better for negotiations.

“I can provide you with the fastest updates on Catacle’s internal affairs. Trust me.”

I smirked.

“It’ll be dangerous.”

“A real man has to take risks, don’t you think?”

“No, I mean I will be the one in danger.”

“Ah.”

Pinky nodded, as if he finally understood.

It was risky, after all. A full-fledged agent like me using a rookie to dig into Catacle’s internal affairs? That could easily backfire.

However…

While searching for the whereabouts of the sacred relic, I couldn’t afford to be hindered by Catacle’s internal strife.

As someone who had to prioritize Baylor’s orders, I had no room for unnecessary distractions.

That was why I needed to keep an eye on the situation.

‘Even if Baylor finds out later, he’ll understand.’

With that thought in mind, I turned back to Pinky.

“So, how much for your intel?”

“Just one gold coin per report.”

“That’s expensive!”

But Pinky remained firm.

“Sir Charles, think about it. I’m risking my life for this job. If one gold coin is the price of a life, isn’t that pretty cheap?”

Well, he had a point.

As I recalled the gold gathering dust in my bank vault, I eventually nodded.

“Twice a month. Meet me when the crescent moon and the new moon appear. But if you don’t have solid intel, you won’t get paid.”

Pinky’s face lit up.

“Leave it to me! I’ll work hard!”

“Don’t just work hard—do it well.”

“Yes, sir!”

As I watched his eager response, I paused for a moment to think.

What was the most crucial information I needed to know right now?

It was…

“Look into Adrian for me.”