"Nicely done," Mr. Dickson said. The trio were invited to Mr. Dickson's office after he was caught. "I bet you guys have tons of questions. Sit down," Empty cups levitated from a miniature storage portal in mid-air. "Coffee or tea?" He asked. "Coffee," Kenneth answered. Fray and Cathy followed suit. They sat across Mr. Dickson's desk while enjoying their drinks. The outlines of the buildings and trees became clearer as light breached the veil of darkness. The trio were exhausted from chasing the elusive feline throughout the night. "You must be wondering why I did all these. The purpose of the Midnight Tail." Mr. Dickson laid his mug down. "It was the least we can do for Madame Cornelia so that her legacy lives on." "What has this got to do with her?" Cathy asked. "The committee had decided that this old building needs to be renovated along with the garden compound. There were no objections at first. In fact, it was a wise decision, until they decided it was necessary to remove the Corona Fountain in the center of the garden. It was one of the many actions the committee took to erase her legacy of defending the sovereignty of Idan and her residents." Mr. Dickson answered. "And why would the committee wanted to do that?" Kenneth asked. "Because she stood in the way of the Gospel of the Light. She was always seen as a symbol of religious freedom in her defiance against religious zealots. In her opinion, the Great War is the result of uncontrolled proselytization - something that could have been prevented."
"According to her, if the current Council of Light is left unchecked as it is, it won't be long before they evoke the next Great War. Like Narakiya, Madame Cornelia was a victim of religious prosecutions. Her entire family was butchered in front of her when she was a child. But unlike Narakiya, she chose to fight for the freedom instead of vengeance. Her firm resolve was what kept Idan from zealots of the Light and also the Darkness. Because of that, she was given the honorable position as the Head of Security for Idan. It was because of her, many innocence lives were saved in the aftermath of the Great War." Mr. Dickson explained. "Those were dark days when the members of the Council of Light would just slaughter anyone that were even remotely related to Narakiya and his forces. Many of my family members were victims of their senseless killings." Fray added. "Same here," Cathy said. Mr. Dickson paused for a moment to enjoy his coffee. Kenneth never knew Madame Cornelia was that big of a heroine since none of her contributions were publicly acknowledged or mentioned in history of Idan, not that Kenneth was aware of. "Pardon me for saying this. If she was that great of a public figure, how come her name was not on the Idan Magus?" Kenneth asked. "For political reasons." Mr. Dickson answered. "Do you know why Idan was so isolated technologically from the outside world? When I said technologically, I didn't meant lightsaber or computers; I meant common things like television, radio and cellphones. These people didn't even know what those were." "Isn't it always like that? With magic, you don't really need those gadgets anymore." Kenneth pointed out. "You're not wrong but things weren't always like this,"
"After Alsa was obliterated by the Lenox Desolator, Idan was the next biggest population of Magic-wielding community. Idan was open to free trade with the outside world prior to the embargo placed by the Council of Light on the entire Magical community. It was the direct result of Madame Cornelia's action." Mr. Dickson said. "That is sounding more and more like some conspiracy theory." Kenneth pointed out. "It was made to look like one by the committee." "And why would they wanna do that?" "Because it would put the Council of Light directly at fault and make them look bad." "It still doesn't explain why the committee need to do that." "It's because of gold!" Cathy interrupted the rapid question & answer session between the two. "The embargo caused the Nobles a big fortune. And the committee are powerless without the financial support from the Nobles. I think you can work up the rest from there." Cathy said. "That makes more sense." Kenneth nodded. "But that's not all there is, Mr. Dickson?" Miss Rowena who was silent the entire time finally spoke. "Right," Mr. Dickson adjusted his spectacles. "The black cat garnered enough attention that the committee finally decided to scrap the idea of removing Corona Fountain. At that time, I decided to stop playing the elusive cat since my objective have been completed." "But the cat never stop showing up!" "So there was another feller disguising as the black cat?" "Not that I'm aware of. Only me, Miss Rowena and Miss Malar were in on this. I doubt anyone else benefits from disguising as the Midnight Tail." Mr. Dickson answered. "The herbalist is on this too?" Kenneth said. "We all have our reasons," Miss Rowena replied.
Their meeting with Mr. Dickson ended shortly after the break of dawn. The next day, the trio visited the Knight's Club after class. They got the contact from Mr. Dickson. He was the sole eyewitness when Mr. Dickson wasn't disguising as the Midnight Tail. Their search led them to a handsome young lad with dark brown hair, neatly combed to the side. He was practising with his sword when the trio approached him. He put aside his weapon and greeted them in a deep Austrian accent. "What can I do for you lot?" "You're Marcel Johnson is it?" Cathy asked. "That's me. Anything I can help you with?" He wiped his sweaty face with a wet towel. "It's about the Midnight Tail. We wanted to know of your encounter with it." Fray said. His brows furrowed after he heard Fray mentioned the Midnight Tail. "How did you know?" Marcel said in an undertone. "Mr. Dickson told us." Kenneth answered. "We'll talk inside," Marcel pointed to a room opposite where they were standing. The four of them entered a small lounge completed with Medieval furniture and rags. "Mr. Dickson told me you were coming. What do you want to know about the dreaded cat?" Marcel rest on one of the sofas in the center of the lounge. "Tell us about your encounter with it." Cathy started. "It was a double moon night when I faced the black devil. Like everyone else at that time, I was after the gold. I found the cat with its back facing me, under the bright moon light. There I thought it must have been my lucky day. I jumped onto the cat trying to grab it. As expected, the cat dodged the moment I made my move. But I was prepared. The moment the cat landed, I grounded it with my petrifying spell." "Did you managed to catch it then?" Kenneth interrupted. "Patience, I was getting there. The cat's feet began turning into stones when I approached it. I was too excited and let my guard down. The cat suddenly transformed into a large black panther, breaking free from my spell! I should have retreated but the reward got the better of me. And this was the result!" Marcel loosened his shirt and showed the trio three extensive scars across his chest. "Its claws slashed through my magic shield. I barely escaped with my life." They noticed Marcel trembled as he recalled the incident.
"I don't think that's Mr. Dickson," Fray said as the trio returned to their club room. "Me either," Cathy followed. "Whoever or whatever it was, it was powerful." Kenneth said. "Marcel might not be the strongest magic knight, he is above average in his magic skills and strength. It was not a small feat to break free of a petrifying spell of his level." "It sounds dangerous to go after this cat," Cathy said. "Not if we keep our distance," Fray pointed out. "I agree. We should not engage it like we did with Mr. Dickson." Kenneth nodded. However, the trio never managed to find the cat after two long weeks of stake-out. Mr. Dickson had decided to lay off the cat act for a month in order to avoid confusion for the Detective Club. Throughout the two weeks, there were no signs of the black feline anywhere. Even the Midnight Tail enthusiasts threw in the towel after a fruitless week.
"Are you sure he's telling the truth?" Cathy flipped through the evidences again. "Even the Midnight Hunters gave up on their search," Fray added. "I don't think Marcel is lying, judging from his reactions. Maybe we should talk to him again," Kenneth said. The other two just nodded, they were too tired from their week-long of sleepless nights. They went searching for Marcel again after their fruitless stake-outs. And again, they were being told the exact same story. "Are you sure it was a black cat you saw?" Cathy asked. "I know what I saw! Besides, what do you think I have to gain from lying?" Marcel sounded annoyed. "Where was it that you saw the cat again?" Kenneth asked. "It was down by the Corona Fountain where I saw it." "What?!" Fray erupted. All the while they were only searching inside the old Southern Wing and never even bothered to look outside. Kenneth buried his face between his palms and said "So we wasted two whole weeks for nothing!" "Why didn't you tell us that earlier?" Cathy raised her voice. "You never asked!" Marcel was equally irritated.