Chapter 128: The Blue Roses (３)

****

Tracking down the Blue Roses is our goal.

As much as I hate the sight of them, if the Foundation wants to produce concrete results, going to that bastard is the fastest way. That’s also why he’s still alive.

“Well, well, you’ve come. Head of Support, Head of Recovery — you’re both useless, just convening pointless meetings without helping or producing results, aren’t you?”

Lee Seah leaned askew against the cat tower in the corner of the Director’s Office. A moment later, one of the Popos crawled up onto her head.

“Well… it’s not quite that bad.”

True.

“I’ll take care of it. First, there must be some commonality among the Blue Rose series anomalies. Whether it’s genetic, physicochemical, a frequency, or something traceable through sympathetic magic and psychometry.”

I looked at Lee Seah.

“A commonality?”

“If the Blue Roses share a specific frequency or molecule, we can track that. Even if not, we can use sympathetic magic to trace them through anomalous means.”

Sympathetic magic, or sympathetic sorcery.

A type of magic that forms a magical link between two targets based on their similarity, then changes the state of one to affect the other.

Voodoo is the most famous example.

You make a doll in the likeness of the target you want to attack, put the target’s blood or hair inside to form a sorcerous link, then harm the voodoo doll to harm the target.

“That’s a good idea. But a target with enough commonality to form a link with the Blue Roses, who’ve gone and hidden underground—”

Ah. Lee Seah looked at me.

“Well… I won’t state the obvious. There’s Blue Rose-0, the original, on Jeju Island, and if you dig through the Foundation’s samples, you might find fragments of Blue Rose-0 somewhere.”

I nodded.

“Honestly. You lot wrestled with Ihwa and those idiots for ages, and the moment I show up, everything gets sorted out, doesn’t it?”

One of the Popos bit Lee Seah’s arm.

“Eek!”

If it had bitten properly, her wrist would be on the floor by now. Or maybe not — she’s so reinforced that a bite from Popo wouldn’t hurt her?

****

Surveillance teams were deployed at Poi Station, Dongmajang Station, and Sogong-dong Station. A special team was assembled to track the Blue Roses.

The hunter-killer team’s composition was as follows. Hasti, wearing a collar, plus three handlers. Foundation soldiers, an engineer, and a medic.

“Is this really a good idea? I could track them. You don’t have to use Hasti.”

I shook my head.

“Miss Hasti needs a chance to prove herself too. We made promises to Hasti as well. We need to keep them.”

“Hmm.”

Dr. Chae thought it over for a moment.

“You don’t like the labyrinth, do you, Director? You don’t want to commit Foundation personnel to it either.”

“How could that be. I just don’t intend to send Foundation teams into that living hell without knowing anything.”

“Anyway. The task force has declared they’ll send a four-person team into Dongmajang Station. Using a beacon chain, intermittent communication should be possible.”

A piece of equipment I’d never heard of.

“Beacon chain?”

“Radio waves might not reach that deep underground, and dragging a comms line in is awkward.”

“Right.”

“If you drop beacons every few dozen meters periodically, they relay between each other, so communication can reach underground. It’s a method often used in cave exploration.”

Well, that’s that.

I do need to stop micromanaging. If the middle managers’ position is to send in the task force, I need to respect it.

“Understood. Let me know when there are results. Keep the punishment battalion team on standby.”

Dr. Chae bowed her head.

****

The Foundation’s Psychometry Team.

All of the Seoul Branch’s mages had gathered in this workshop. Hasti, wearing surveillance equipment, Cosmos, dozing off, Dr. Chae, holding her staff, and even Yumiko, the Research Department’s Section Chief of Curses and Incantations.

Eight out of ten people gathered here were women. I guess the saying that only women can become witches wasn’t an empty claim.

“Hello, I’m Oculus, Team Leader of the Support Department’s Psychometry Team. Today I plan to conduct the information tracking myself.”

Oculus is, of course, a codename.

Dr. Chae spoke up.

“Psychometry is less magic and more psychic ability. It relies on animalistic senses. The risk is lower. Constructing a connection through any form of sympathetic sorcery is dangerous.”

Hasti raised her hand.

“Well… there’s no fundamental difference between magic and psychic ability. It’s just a matter of the caster’s method of expression, aptitude, intelligence, and constitution.”

This time it was Yumiko.

Perhaps because she needed to use sorcery, she was wearing that strange-looking mask on her head. Her black hair was tied up neatly. For some reason, she gave off an impression of looking incredibly young.

I don’t know if there’s any ritualistic significance to it, but she’s a total cosplayer. She came in wearing something like a yukata.

“If casting magic directly is too burdensome, we could also consider a method of exerting supernatural influence on events that appear random on the surface, adjusting the output values. Like scattering salt on a map to divine a location.”

Even Cosmos.

“If you have information about the target, remote viewing is possible. The more the better, and if there’s a target with a direct connection, even better.”

All good suggestions, but.

“Do your best.”

I plucked out a few strands of hair and handed them to Oculus. Oculus closed her eyes.

****

Oculus muttered to herself for a long while.

“I see… the sea.”

“The sea?”

“The waves are rough. A massive chain is binding me. Seven chains, bound by accursed beings who would not grant even death to one who cannot die.”

Why the sea, out of nowhere? The Blue Roses should all be underground. Is there a Blue Rose sunk off Jeju Island? Is this the memory of that Blue Rose?

“Ah. It desires only one thing: liberation.”

“…”

An unpleasant thought crossed my mind.

“Is it in human form?”

“No.”

Project Blue Rose. A study conducted to contain a god within a human-shaped vessel… but there is a Blue Rose instance that is not in human form.

Blue Rose-0.

The monster of the Gulf of Aden, and the source of the divine power Project Blue Rose sought to contain in human form. I’m not sure that thing deserves to be called divine power, but theoretically, that’s what it is.

The Blue Roses received their power from Blue Rose-0 and were created with the aid of various Groups of Interest.

“So… the psychometry result only picks up the sea? What if you tried shifting your focus a bit?”

Oculus answered with her eyes still closed.

“The sound of the waves, and the roar of the monster beneath them, is too loud. I’ll do my best, but… I doubt I’ll be able to catch anything.”

So Blue Rose-0 is still alive.

Well, that was what they were experimenting with on Jeju Island, after all.

If Blue Rose-0 is alive, then on the astral plane, Blue Rose-0’s voice would be so loud that no one else’s could be heard. Is that why magical tracking doesn’t work?

Foundation HQ’s position was that Blue Rose-0, killed in the Gulf of Aden, was being reassembled — and it looks like they succeeded. In assembling and creating Blue Rose-0.

“Section Chief?”

“Uh, they’re at City Hall Station.”

Shit. I got up from my seat.

“Prepare for combat! Everyone, move to the command room immediately and track enemy movements in real time. I’m going to the field.”

The Foundation’s mages stared at me.

****

I don’t know if the enemy is really at City Hall Station.

I don’t think so. If Blue Roses had actually appeared at City Hall Station, they would have been detected long ago. It’s probably the abandoned Sogong-dong Station.

Nanami was waiting at the helipad.

“We’re heading out, Dr. Geum.”

“I’m coming with you.”

“Suit yourself.”

The helicopter’s engine roared to life, and I, Nanami, and a few Foundation soldiers hastily climbed aboard. The rotors began to spin—

****

Sogong-dong Station.

Blue Rose-11, Spade, had fallen.

“I think we’ve been detected.”

“By the Foundation?”

“Yes.”

Spade dusted off their black coat. In the abandoned subway station, dust lay piled up like a carpet.

“Well… if we keep huddling like this, we’ll die huddled together. Everyone splits up. Regroup at Dongmajang Station before sunrise tomorrow.”

“What about fighting?”

“What’s the point of fighting? Haven’t you seen the Seoul Branch humans fight on Jeju Island?”

Contrabass let out a sigh.

“This isn’t the time to squabble. Scatter now and head to Dongmajang Station. And don’t gather even there—spread out and hide.”

The Blue Roses voiced their agreement. Survival came before everything else. After all, without survival, nothing else was possible.

“And once we’re at Dongmajang Station?”

“We abandon this place since it’s exposed, and from there we prepare resistance. Scatter, and tie up the enemy’s feet as much as possible. Dongmajang Station is far more complex, so it’ll be better for fighting.”

The six Blue Roses scattered in an instant.

There was no telling when or where the Foundation’s soldiers would come crashing in. And they couldn’t wander endlessly through a labyrinth where they couldn’t see an inch ahead.

For now, survive today.

Tomorrow’s problems can wait for tomorrow.