Convict Unit: Black Parade

The girl standing before him, Dia Kim, was none other than the client from Jae-hee’s very first mission: the “Patissier Rescue Operation.”

So the bread-freak who got the Patissier thrown in here with a snap of her fingers… is her?

As Jae-hee broke out in a cold sweat, Dia crossed her arms and let out a sigh.

“The outcome of my last request was hardly satisfactory, so I had a word with Commander Seo…”

Hae-eun immediately went into full-on grovel mode. The President’s daughter offered a prim little smile.

“She promised to grant me one more request—whatever I wanted. And since there was something I’ve been dying to do, I decided to pay a visit in person.”

Jae-hee asked cautiously, “And what is it… that you wanted to do?”

Dia’s reply was instant. “I want to experience a Gate!”

“…Excuse me?”

Experience a what?

Jae-hee blinked. Had he heard that right? It sounded like a combination of words that had absolutely no business being together.

While everyone else looked on in astonishment, the President’s daughter boldly declared her wish once more.

“Yours truly wishes to step inside a Gate, personally!”

“Uh, hold on, just a minute.”

After an uncomfortable silence, Jae-hee mustered his courage and voiced his opinion. “Gates are super dangerous. They’re not places you can go on a field trip. You could actually get killed—”

“Shhh!” Hae-eun was suddenly at his side, pressing a finger to his lips.

“Hahahaha! My, my, this young man just enlisted, so he doesn’t know much about Gates yet! A field trip? Of course it’s possible, miss.”

After flashing a brilliant smile at Dia, Hae-eun spun back to Jae-hee, her face contorted into a vicious snarl.

“She’s the daughter of the most powerful person in Korea, so just play along! Show some sense!” she hissed.

Jae-hee’s eyes darted around nervously before he whispered, “But… isn’t the Republic of Korea a democracy?”

“Huh?”

“That means there’s no class system, right? No one can be ‘higher’ than anyone else…”

“Come now! Tsk! Ahem!”

Hae-eun smacked Jae-hee’s arm repeatedly, then broke into a nervous sweat as she felt Dia’s steady gaze on them.

“My apologies, miss. This kid never even finished grade school, so he’s a bit slow on the uptake…”

“Oh-ho-ho, it’s quite all right. He’s not technically wrong, after all.”

Covering her mouth, Dia let out a prim little giggle and looked Jae-hee straight in the eye.

“But you should know this, Agent Boy.”

The girl’s smile was brimming with confidence, her belief in her own actions absolute.

“All people start equal, but some take a bigger share of that equality.”

“…!”

“That’s just the way the world is. Some are born into wealth, some are born tall, some are blessed with good parents… The world has never been a fair place.”

As the President’s daughter, she was a girl who could have anything she wanted.

Dia finished with another delicate “oh-ho-ho,” then trailed off.

“And… some people Awaken, while others do not…”

Suddenly, she muttered with a trace of bitterness, “Unfair, isn’t it? Truly.”

As Jae-hee blinked in confusion, Dia wagged a finger at him.

“As the daughter of His Excellency the President, I wish to properly understand the real threats our citizens face—Gates and monsters.”

A steely resolve filled her face.

“So I will need all of your cooperation!”

***

Dia Kim went to rest for a bit at the most luxurious café in the 9th Deck’s shopping arcade.

After waving her off, Hae-eun heaved a great sigh and turned to glare at Jae-hee.

“Come on, Jae-hee! You’re usually so sharp and quick-witted. What’s with you today? Whatever she says, you just go with it!”

Jae-hee shrank back and protested weakly, “But being the President’s daughter has nothing to do with going into a Gate…”

“What do you mean, nothing to do with it? It has everything to do with it.”

“Huh? It does?”

“She is a person who matters. And when a person who matters wants something, it becomes a matter for us!”

Jae-hee’s jaw dropped at the atrocious wordplay.

Hae-eun continued, “All we have to do is take her to some piddling little Gate, let her play house for a bit, and bring her back. Who said anything about a real Gate? About killing a Lord and bringing back its Core? No! We just take her somewhere, let her get a little peek at a monster’s face, and escort her back safely.”

Ghost broke her silence with a sigh. “Is she someone we need to impress?”

“Of course we do. They say the President dotes on her, does anything she says. We absolutely have to get on her good side. Things have been getting pretty tight around here lately, you know? We desperately need the support.”

Hae-eun pulled out her tablet and began to input the mission parameters.

“Anyway, since you two handled the ‘Patissier Rescue Operation’ that our little air-headed princess ordered last time, you’re both confirmed for this one, too.”

Jae-hee asked, just in case, “Does that mean Mr. Patissier is coming, too?”

“Do you want to bring along a guy whose power is turning on an oven in his palms? Besides, he’s on her bad side for messing up the Fried Soboro Bread. He’s out.”

“Well, that’s a relief…”

“The other three have already been decided, actually. Looks like they’re here now. Come in!”

A knock sounded at the commander’s office door. It opened, and a convict entered.

Hae-eun introduced him. “This is Callsign: Shield Bearer.”

He was a tall, thin man with lanky arms and legs, a build reminiscent of a water strider.

“An A-Rank convict. He’s the best defense specialist we have, and an expert in escort missions.”

Shield Bearer mimed raising a shield and declared in a solemn voice, “You~ shall not pass~”

“Ooh, that’s so cool.”

Jae-hee was impressed. From his stance alone, you could tell the man was a true master of the shield.

Hae-eun also nodded, satisfied. “Shield Bearer, you’ll stick close to the President’s daughter and provide close-quarters protection.”

“Leave it to me~”

His habit of drawing out the end of his sentences was a little weird, but for a VIP escort mission like this, a defense specialist like Shield Bearer was a reassuring presence.

The next person to enter was a familiar face to Jae-hee.

“Callsign: Doctor. I’m sure you all know her, yes?”

It was the Doctor who ran the clinic on the 10th Deck Rooftop.

She was wearing her usual getup: lab goggles, a mask, and a lab coat over her slender frame.

A lock of curly hair had escaped from beside her goggles, looking a little greasier than usual, as if she’d been dragged away from her work before she could even wash her hair.

“…You want me to go on a mission?” she asked, clearly displeased.

Hae-eun shot her a wink. “Doctor is our medical officer, just in case. The rest of you can all die, but the President’s daughter has to live. Got it?”

She said this with the rest of them standing right there.

Doctor nodded reluctantly. “Fine…”

“Good. And now… for the final member.”

The door opened and the last convict entered the office.

Jae-hee turned, let out a yelp, and leaped into the air.

He’d seen that face once before. Just once, but…

Hae-eun smiled brightly as she called out the last member’s callsign.

“Callsign: Rabid Dog.”

“…Grrrrrr…”

In came a dog the size of a man, its brownish-gold fur matted with filth.

It was the Therianthrope from the 1st Deck, the one who occupied a two-person cell all by himself.

Rabid Dog crawled into the office on all fours, his head whipping around viciously as he began to bark like a maniac.

“Grrruff, ruff-ruff-woof!”

“Whoaaagh he’s terrifying!” A startled Jae-hee dove behind Ghost.

Meanwhile, Doctor reached out a hand. “There now, good boy.”

She expertly stroked Rabid Dog’s head.

Jae-hee was about to shout a warning, but the sight that followed was even more astounding.

Whimpering, Rabid Dog instantly calmed down and accepted Doctor’s touch!

Under her gentle petting, the massive dog tucked its tail and lay quietly on the floor.

Witnessing this miracle, Jae-hee was so amazed he started clapping like a seal. “Holy moly, what kinda magic is this? How’d you do that?!”

“Oh, I’m not actually a medical doctor. I’m a veterinarian. Good with animals. Rabid Dog and I see each other often.”

“Sorry what?”

Jae-hee’s brain short-circuited. “A v-veterinarian? But you operated on that guy, Razor, and you pricked my finger when I had indigestion…?”

Doctor shrugged nonchalantly. “I don’t have a license to practice on humans, but… convicts and critters are pretty much the same. They even start with the same letter.”

“What does that even—Eh? You’re right. Huh…”

Hae-eun added placidly, “A vet’s still a doctor, right? Just for a different species. Besides, humans are animals, aren’t we? As long as the patient gets treated, that’s all that matters. No?”

“I mean… uh? I guess? Huh?”

Ghost clicked her tongue as she watched Jae-hee get so easily persuaded. How is this kid so gullible?

“And as for Rabid Dog, he’s usually a vicious beast that will bite anyone.” Hae-eun gestured toward the dog with her chin. “But when he’s with Doctor, he becomes an obedient, loyal companion.”

Rabid Dog was now sprawled out on his back, panting happily while exposing his belly. Doctor began to scratch him with a practiced hand.

“In particular, he has a genius-level talent for threat detection. Bombs, drugs, terrorists—he can find them all, no exceptions.”

“For that kind of thing, wouldn’t it be better to just bring a police dog…?”

“There’s no one better to guard Doctor. He’ll tear apart anything that threatens someone he recognizes as his ‘master.’”

“…”

“And Doctor? She’ll be sticking right next to the President’s daughter. Which means? We get a reliable, two-layered escort!”

Jae-hee looked up at the ceiling, sweating profusely. I guess it makes sense… but still, is this really okay?

“Alright. The members are confirmed.”

Hae-eun clapped her hands together. “It’s a very easy mission, but I’ll make sure the rewards are extra generous for the difficulty level. All of you, take the President’s daughter on a nice little picnic. Oh, and as for the mission name…”

Hae-eun glanced at the President’s daughter’s helicopter parked outside, then took the mission name from the insignia painted on its side.

“It’s ‘Secret Service.’”

And so, for Mission: Secret Service, the five participating agents were confirmed.

[A-Rank] Shield Bearer

[A-Rank] Doctor

[B-Rank] Rabid Dog

[AA-Rank] Boy

[■■■■] Ghost

“Shield Bearer is team leader. This is an escort mission, and you’re the expert, so I’m counting on you.”

“Just leave it to me~”

“Doctor is the emergency medic, Rabid Dog is on threat detection, Boy will use his speed to keep an eye on the missy, and Ghost… well, you’ll figure something out.”

After assigning their roles, Hae-eun beamed and held up a finger. “Now then, everyone… give good service, and good service to the very end!”

Jae-hee sized up the mission’s roster, his lips pursed.

Well… I guess it should be fine…?

But even the Boy was starting to realize the truth.

A mission for the Black Parade had never once been “fine.”

And it probably never would be…