Recently, within the Demon Emperor’s nation, a secret human organization known as Familie has reemerged and begun covert activities.
The organization, overwhelmingly supported by humans within the empire, naturally became the top priority target of the Security Bureau.
Particularly concerning was their current slogan, the survival theory of Kaiser, the hero who died 20 years ago—a nonsensical claim that managed to provoke not only the upper echelons of the Bureau but even the royal family itself.
Naturally, every department within the Bureau was desperate to capture any trace of these individuals.
However, as if mocking their efforts, the organization cleverly expanded its area of activity across the entire nation, eventually extending its filthy reach even to the sacred capital.
A few weeks ago, in the outskirts of the capital, a group of humans was discovered engaging in collective worship.
The subject of their worship was revealed to be Kaiser, and information soon surfaced that the infamous Familie was orchestrating the entire event.
This intelligence was enough to throw the capital’s Security Headquarters into turmoil.
Unfortunately, there were quite a few witnesses near the scene, forcing the Bureau to mobilize all available resources to cover up the incident.
The Bureau barely managed to fabricate the truth of the event as “foolish humans mourning a dead hero.” While this bought some time, the root cause of the issue remained unresolved, leaving them unable to stand idly by.
***
At this worst possible timing, the task of resolving the situation was assigned to none other than the Third Team of the Bureau’s Secret Division, led by Maxwell.
Their mission: to eliminate any remnants of Familie that had already infiltrated the capital, and to completely eradicate the faith in Kaiser instilled in the humans within the city.
The latter would naturally resolve itself if the former was achieved, but the former presented the greatest challenge.
Finding individuals determined to remain hidden within the vast Trasion capital was akin to searching for a needle in a haystack.
Even with the Secret Division’s reputation for excellence surpassing other departments, this mission was on an entirely different level.
With no concrete leads, beginning an investigation based solely on the assumption that their targets were human was an exercise in futility.
Furthermore, capturing humans suspected of contact with Familie was no easy task.
The key instigator of the worship ritual had completely vanished, and even those they had managed to apprehend chose to commit suicide the moment they realized there was no hope.
The secretive nature of humans and their tendency to live in elusive places made the Bureau’s task even harder, and thus, it was no surprise that little progress had been made.
As usual, the upper echelons of the Bureau failed to understand the difficulties on the ground, showering Maxwell with rebukes for the lack of progress and constant demands for results.
To make matters worse, Maxwell was issued an ultimatum: if no significant results were achieved by next week, the command of the investigation would be transferred to another team, and he would be forced to join them in a collaborative investigation.
To Maxwell, this was a devastating blow to his pride.
Losing command of the investigation and being placed under another team’s jurisdiction would essentially mean that the higher-ups no longer trusted the abilities of his Third Team.
For someone on an elite career path, it was nothing short of a death sentence.
However, amidst all this despair, a glimmer of hope appeared.
Whether through his desperate pleas or sheer luck, the Bureau had recruited an external expert—one they claimed was the best of the best—to resolve the case swiftly.
Just a few hours ago, Maxwell had been brimming with gratitude for what seemed like divine intervention, eagerly anticipating the arrival of this extraordinary individual.
***
Now, as he returned to the present moment after his lengthy reflection, Maxwell could only sink into despair, unable to believe the reality before him.
The “expert” officially recognized by the upper echelons of the Bureau was supposed to be an elite demon with an impressive record of solving numerous high-profile cases.
Instead, what stood before him was a young woman of the Black Cat Tribe—a race often considered inferior—and her origins were entirely unknown.
Even this much could have been overlooked, but the real issue lay elsewhere: no matter how hard he searched, Maxwell could find no trace of her past accomplishments or career.
From her unremarkable appearance to her lack of credentials, Maxwell’s trust in her had hit rock bottom shortly after their first meeting.
He had even double-checked with the Bureau to confirm whether there had been an administrative error, but the reality before him remained unchanged.
For Maxwell, who already held a strong sense of demon superiority and discriminatory views toward other races, the current situation felt increasingly hopeless.
The final nail in the coffin came when the woman made her first statement:
“…So, Riel, let me confirm this again. Are you saying you want us to hand over all authority for this investigation to you?”
“Hah… I feel like I’ve been repeating myself for a while now. Is this really so hard to understand?”
She sighed and continued, “I’ve reviewed the investigation records before coming here. With no results for weeks and no progress in sight, introducing a new approach seems like a perfectly reasonable decision, don’t you think?”
This mysterious woman insisted on taking full control of the investigation to handle it her way.
Instead of trying to establish trust by explaining her expertise or past achievements, she abruptly delivered this absurd ultimatum.
This, coupled with the complete lack of progress in their conversation over the past few hours, left Maxwell thoroughly exasperated.
While he had initially considered giving her a chance, as she was handpicked by the upper echelons, her overbearing attitude and outright dismissal of the Bureau’s efforts were infuriating.
Maxwell seethed as she made several offensive remarks, implying that everything the Secret Division had done thus far was useless.
For someone like him, a proud member of the elite Bureau and a demon supremacist, being insulted by a member of the Black Cat Tribe—a race closely resembling humans—was beyond humiliating.
Though he longed to crush her smug face beneath his boot, Maxwell barely managed to suppress his rage, inwardly chanting the word “patience” as he clenched his fists.
There was no point in losing his temper and driving the woman out—it wouldn’t change anything.
If anything, doing so would only worsen the situation.
Maxwell, who knew this better than anyone, took a deep breath to calm himself.
Then, forcing the brightest smile he could muster, he finally spoke.
“…Alright. We’ll provide you with the fullest support we can offer. However, that’s only if you agree to work under the command of my Third Team in the Secret Division. This is the best compromise I can offer you.”
“And one piece of advice: no matter how much the upper echelons recommended you, you are still an outsider and a collaborator. That doesn’t mean the Secret Division belongs to you. I sincerely hope you’ll act with caution and avoid making reckless decisions.”
‘This Secret Division is not your toy to manipulate as you please,’ Maxwell thought. ‘I don’t know what gives you the confidence to act so arrogant, but if you keep this attitude, it won’t end well for you.’
This was a clear warning.
To emphasize his point, Maxwell flashed a sharp glare filled with faint killing intent and dark energy.
The atmosphere in the room instantly turned frigid, and a chilling sense of dread filled the air.
The mysterious Black Cat woman—Riel—seemed to notice the shift, as her expression stiffened slightly.
As the intense battle of wills between them continued without either side backing down, Maxwell observed her closely.
Judging by her demeanor, he assumed she would finally relent and compromise.
But his relief was short-lived.
Unfortunately, the next words that came out of Riel’s mouth were entirely beyond his expectations.
“As I thought, it has come to this. Well, it can’t be helped. I’ll take this as the end of our negotiations and excuse myself.”
“What… What are you doing right now?”
“If you’re not willing to give me full authority, I’ll simply work independently. Frankly, that suits me better anyway. I dislike being under someone else’s control. Besides, if we can’t find common ground, wouldn’t it be more efficient to sever ties rather than dragging this out pointlessly? Just provide me with a temporary title as a secret marshal and enough funding for the investigation. I’ll handle the rest on my own.”
Riel stood up from her seat without hesitation, leaving Maxwell wide-eyed and speechless.
He stared at her in disbelief, unable to hide his astonishment.
‘Is this woman even in her right mind?’ Maxwell thought, his expression a masterpiece of utter bewilderment.
Anyone else in his position would likely feel the same.
Even seasoned secret marshals, equipped with extensive intelligence networks and exceptional investigative skills, were struggling with this case.
Yet, here was an outsider, not even a native of the capital, declaring she would handle the investigation alone.
To Maxwell, her statement was no different from outright abandoning the case.
As his patience finally ran out, Maxwell’s face twisted in anger.
Resorting to his last option, he threatened to report every single one of Riel’s actions and attitudes to the upper echelons if she walked out that door.
Although he had refrained from doing so until now to preserve cooperation, Maxwell saw no reason to hold back anymore.
But even in the face of his final warning, Riel remained unfazed.
She walked calmly toward the door, her voice carrying a tone of boredom as she responded without looking back.
“Just to clarify, the upper echelons instructed me to resolve this case by any means necessary. Whether or not I work with you is entirely my choice. After all, what they want isn’t the process—it’s the clear, tangible results.”
Her words were filled with unwavering confidence, asserting that she could solve the case on her own without their help.
By this point, Maxwell, completely resigned, leaned back in his chair and let out a deep sigh, watching Riel’s swaying black tail as she gradually disappeared from view.
He finally realized something: the woman before him was an incomprehensible enigma, utterly beyond the bounds of reason.
As Riel reached the door, she turned slightly, her emerald-green eyes sparkling mischievously.
With a dazzling smile, she spoke one last time.
“And after all, a wolf cannot bow to a dog, can it? But don’t worry too much. I’ll make sure all the credit for this case goes to you.”
Creak—Click.
With that, the mysterious Black Cat woman disappeared entirely.
***
Left alone, Maxwell let out another deep sigh, as if trying to swallow his frustration.
He crumpled the document in his hand with all his strength.
‘What on earth was the upper management thinking when they brought in such a reckless and untrustworthy lunatic?’
His thoughts swirled with endless questions and grievances as he stared into the void, overwhelmed by pure exasperation.