Left panel: μ_l as a function of H - K_s, used as an extinction proxy. Error bars indicate the uncertainties for each data point. Grey and orange points show the results obtained by Nogueras-Lara et al. (2023a) along the line of sight towards the nuclear star cluster (NSC; see the legend). Right panel: interpolated values and associated uncertainties. The vertical lines mark the H - K_s values at which the μ_l of the cloud regions differ by 3σ from that of the control field. The black arrow shows the direction of increasing extinction with H - K_s.