It was about an hour later that Kwon Jeong-han, Cheon Sa-yeon, Woo Seo-hyuk, and Min Ah-rin, returned from the interrogation.
Kwon Jeong-han looked much better than in the morning, perhaps because the interrogation went smoothly this time. It was truly a relief.
Cheon Sa-yeon entered the living room and paused for a moment upon seeing me. Min Ah-rin, standing beside him, also wore a surprised expression.
"Oh, Yi-gyeol ssi."
"Why do you still have that appearance?"
It was a question I had expected, so I answered with an awkward smile.
"Since this form doesn't put a strain on my body, I decided to maintain it as an experiment."
"Is it really alright? You were told not to use your energy recklessly."
"As long as I don't use my intervention ability, my energy isn't affected. Maintaining this form does not consume energy."
"Hmm...."
Even though I'd given a proper explanation, Cheon Sa-yeon did not seem particularly convinced. His dark eyes staring at me felt as if they could see right through me, so I deliberately averted my gaze.
"Well, if you like that look, I won't stop you."
"...."
Cheon Sa-yeon's following words felt like a thorn that had pierced my heart. I turned my head away from him and looked down at my scarred hand.
The clothes Park Geon-ho packed for me were a bit big, just as he had expected, but they were definitely more comfortable than Han Yi-gyeol's. However, my heart felt incomparably more uncomfortable than when I was wearing Han Yi-gyeol's clothes.
Why was that? If I were to compare Han Yi-gyeol and Kwon Se-hyun, shouldn't Kwon Se-hyun naturally feel more comfortable? Because, after all, I... am Kwon Se-hyun.
Even though my life as Kwon Se-hyun ended and I've since entered Han Yi-gyeol's body, I was still Kwon Se-hyun. The only reason I accepted my life as Han Yi-gyeol was because I had no other choice.
If I had been able to choose between Han Yi-gyeol's body and Kwon Se-hyun's the moment I first crossed over to this world, I would have chosen my original body without hesitation. Therefore, it was right to be happy about this moment where I'd finally become Kwon Se-hyun again without any issues.
'That should be right…'
What on earth is the cause of this endless, uneasy feeling? I'd been wondering for the past hour since I changed into Park Geon-ho's clothes, but despite mulling it over the whole time, I haven't come up with a clear answer.
'…I don't know.'
Dealing with the Praus Cult alone is already enough to drive me crazy. Clicking my tongue, I decided to bring up the most important matter first.
"How did the interrogation go?"
"We did find out something. Though there are a lot of unsettling parts."
Frowning at the unsatisfactory answer, Min Ah-rin added an explanation to Kwon Jeong-han's words.
"We've obtained a clue to track the movements of the Praus cult. However… the details are a bit…"
Cheon Sa-yeon and Woo Seo-hyuk, who were present at the interrogation, also showed signs of agreeing with the same opinion.
"You mean there's a possibility that this is a trap set by the Praus Cult."
I accurately grasped the meaning of what Min Ah-rin was trying to say. A trap. I had kept that in mind ever since we devised the plan to bring in the cult member.
"However, even if it is a trap, it cannot be avoided."
It wasn't much different from the art museum invitation I had received before.
If the Praus Cult had set a trap and was waiting for us, we had no choice but to walk into it on our own accord. That was the only way to catch the Praus Cult by the tail and drag them out.
"Do you think they've anticipated that we'd interrogate their members to extract information?"
Kwon Jeong-han's words made me think of Samael. Along with Cheon Je-heon's cruel and cunning personality hidden behind that inhumanely, pure white mask.
"…Since they're aware of my abilities now, it's entirely possible."
If the Praus Cult was unaware of my true form and ability to intervene, the likelihood of this being a trap would be low. However, since both were exposed during the Gwanghwamun incident... it was best to abandon any hope that it wasn't a trap early on.
I spoke firmly to my team members.
"We have already lost once in the battle at Gwanghwamun. The one with the upper hand right now is the Praus Cult."
It was practically the same as Samael throwing a member of the cult as bait to lure us in. And yet we… were in such a dire situation that we had to grab onto even such an obvious bait.
"Then we'll have to make even stronger preparations as well."
Kwon Jeong-han let out a low sigh and opened his mouth.
"Getting back to the interrogation results… the location that he'd revealed to us was at the west end of the United States."
"West end of the States?"
"To be precise, it is a gate in Nevada."
Following Kwon Jeong-han's words, Woo Seo-hyuk handed over a tablet. Content related to Nevada was displayed on the screen, presumably because he had already looked up the details during the interrogation.
"This is Gate AF137, located in the middle of Route 95 in Nevada, USA. It is a newly established Class A facility."
I examined the photo attached to the materials closely. A road wide enough for cars to pass through had been laid out in the middle of a vast, barren wasteland, and next to it stood a warning sign indicating the entrance to a gate.
"Since it is a desert area, there is nothing else there other than the road and the gate."
"I see. So, is the Praus Cult at this Gate?"
"Well, to be precise, they said a man named Samael stayed there for a few days."
Kwon Jeong-han frowned, looking perplexed.
"I found out that Samael doesn't seem to tell even the members of the cult what he's been up to. So, even though they know he went there, they don't know what he did there."
I shifted my gaze to Cheon Sa-yeon. Meeting my eyes, Cheon Sa-yeon calmly nodded.
"Considering Samael's personality, it makes perfect sense. Above all, Samael was always the only one who met Kali face-to-face."
"Are you saying only Samael… has met Kali? What about Azazel or Abel?"
"As far as I know, they couldn't have possibly met her unless Kali made the first move. That means Samael must know the most. And that's why he will be moving even more cautiously."
If that was true, it explained why Samael had not rashly revealed his actions even to official members of the cult. Then, I raised the most important question.
"Where is the Praus Cult's hideout?"
"This one's a bit strange, too."
Kwon Jeong-han, blinking slowly as if recalling the answer he had heard during the interrogation, continued speaking.
"Apparently, their original base was in Beijing, China. In fact, new members of the believers would stay there, and Samael and Azazel reportedly visited frequently as well. However, they say they cleared that place out about two weeks ago."
"Cleared it out…?"
"Yes. He says they burned the building to the ground and completely wiped it off the map so that not even a single trace remained. The Gwanghwamun Incident broke out right after that. Since all the cult members were taken to the Guild Management Headquarters before they could find a new base… ultimately, they don't have a place that could be called a base right now."
The timing was too perfect to be a coincidence. Samael's intentions were so blatantly obvious that it was absurd.
"So he's telling us to come to the gate in Nevada."
He destroyed every piece of evidence except for this one. His plan was clear.
So that's why the four who'd come back from the interrogation showed such an uneasy reaction. I would have reacted the same way.
'Even if it's a trap…'
We had to go. As I told my teammates, we had no choice. It was truly bitter to be in such an ironic situation where we had to go even though we knew full well it was a trap.
"I guess we should start by finding the fastest route to the U.S. first."
I let out a sigh, and for some reason, I found myself laughing. Not only were we walking into danger of our own accord, but we actually had to find the fastest way to get there.
My mouth tasted indescribably bitter.
***
The meeting held in the room did not end until late at night. Much was said regarding the route to the United States, countermeasures for a potential clash with the Praus Cult, and the disposition of the cult member we'd brought in.
From when Ha Tae-heon had returned in the afternoon until the meeting ended, I did not revert back to being Han Yi-gyeol and maintained the appearance of Kwon Se-hyun the entire time.
It was only after the meeting ended and everyone had gone home that the bustling room finally became quiet. Holding the fox, who was yawning widely as if exhausted, I checked the time and found it was already well past midnight.
I laid the dozing fox down on the bed so it could sleep comfortably and entered the bathroom. As I stood with my hands on the sink, an exhausted sigh escaped me involuntarily.
"...."
I lifted my gaze up to the mirror. The mirror, which would normally have shown Han Yi-gyeol's face, reflected a tired-looking man with jet-black hair.
It felt very unfamiliar. Or rather, was it familiar? I cautiously reached out and touched the mirror.
Kwon Se-hyun, reflected in the mirror, stared directly at me. His dark eyes, holding countless emotions, particularly caught my eye.
'I'm....'
I was Kwon Se-hyun. But Kwon Se-hyun died. I had no intention of continuing Kwon Se-hyun's foolish life any longer.
Then, have I become Han Yi-gyeol now? Elohim said that Han Yi-gyeol still remained inside the body. Han Yi-gyeol's soul, which was on the verge of fading away and disappearing during the process of Kali repeating Cheon Sa-yeon's time, was barely able to hold on when I entered.
Elohim said that Han Yi-gyeol and I saved each other, but I'm not so sure. Did Han Yi-gyeol really want to survive, too? Even to the point of handing his body over to someone else?
As I thought that far, my heart became incredibly conflicted. Unable to face the miserably distorted face of Kwon Se-hyun in the mirror, I lowered my head. Not knowing what the right answer was, or what to think, in the end I still couldn't decide what kind of appearance I should maintain.
I had been standing in front of the mirror for quite a while before I heard a brief knocking sound at the front door. Quickly composing myself, I left the bathroom and walked toward the entrance.
"…Cheon Sa-yeon?"
"As expected, I knew you weren't asleep."
Since it hadn't been long since the team members left, I thought it would be one of them, but I never imagined it would be Cheon Sa-yeon.
"What's the matter?"
Cheon Sa-yeon, who had carefully scanned my surprised expression, slightly raised the corners of his mouth.
"If you let me in, I'll tell you."
At that brazen answer, I glanced behind Cheon Sa-yeon just in case, but unusually, he hadn't brought anyone with him; he was alone.
"Come in."
Although I was surprised, Cheon Sa-yeon wouldn't have come for no reason, so I stepped aside to let him in. As Cheon Sa-yeon walked past me into the living room, he acted as naturally as if he were entering his own home.
"Should I turn on the lights?"
I'd been about to go to bed, so aside from a small lamp, all the living room lights were off. Cheon Sayeon glanced at the lamp on the side table next to the sofa and shook his head.
"No need. The atmosphere is nice as it is"
I wasn't sure about the atmosphere, but since he'd refused and there was no need to go out of my way to turn the lights on, I followed Cheon Sa-yeon and sat down on the sofa.