Chapter 62

62.

***

Elsewhere.

At the same moment Cain was teaching Nia and Rani a painful lesson.

In the southern district of the capital, Palamtiar, the miscellaneous goods street.

A man was deftly weaving his way through a large crowd.

Short brown hair and a plain face typical of the Western Continent. A coarse tunic with simple patterns, the kind worn by commoners, and an unremarkable presence that blended with the surroundings.

Yet, as though he might bump shoulders with someone…

The man skillfully navigated the flow of people and came to a stop in front of a shop.

From within the shop came bursts of loud laughter.

Sounds of cups clinking or tables being tapped. The man unhesitatingly stepped inside the bustling shop filled with noise.

Creak-

The squeaky old door’s sound spread through the noisy shop.

At the sound that irritated the ears, people turned their heads toward the entrance, but upon seeing the familiar figure stopping by early in the day for a drink, they smiled and raised their cups.

After taking their interest away from the newly arrived customer, they resumed their conversations, while the man quietly took a seat on a chair inside the shop.

Behind the table stood the hefty shop owner sorting through the tableware. Above the shelves lined up countless bottles of liquor.

With a nonchalant gaze, the shop owner glanced at the man who then spoke.

“This place is as raucous as the night. My preference is for quiet.”

“…A tavern’s always like this. It’s so loud you can barely hear conversations. So, what’s your order?”

“Two whiskies. Is that possible?”

“Looks like you’re in luck. We just got a fresh shipment.”

The shop owner quickly served up two glasses of whiskey.

The tender crimson liquid swayed gently. The man took one glass toward himself and extended the other toward the shop owner.

“My group might be a bit late. Consider this my treat, would you care to keep me company with some conversation?”

Carefully collecting the attached note along with the glass, the shop owner nodded.

“With free alcohol, how can I refuse?”

Clunk.

The glasses lightly clinked together and, without a word, the alcohol was drained.

The two exchanged small talk while drinking, and the man with the empty glass nonchalantly left the shop.

Not long after the man disappeared, an armored mercenary woman entered the shop.

“…Owner. My companions said they’d move ahead and meet here. Have you seen them?”

“I know. He had a drink a while ago and then left for somewhere. This glass was ordered in advance.”

Swiftly-

The shop owner slid a glass of whiskey toward the woman.

Glancing briefly at the note stuck beneath the glass, the woman heartily drained the drink and left the shop to find her companions.

Having collected the note, the woman moved through the crowd toward a food stall.

While inquiring about the whereabouts of her group and casually selecting some dry meat, a maid approached her.

“looks like you’re acquiring long-distance travel food. Heading west?”

“Not too far, but I am heading west. I have some business nearby.”

“I know a bit about traveling. Let me give you some advice. I’ve learned a lot from inn guests.”

Thus, conversing, the woman passed the note to the maid.

Carrying the food supplies and the note, the maid entered a certain inn, after which a man in navy blue uniform emerged, holding the note, from the inn.

Wearing his navy uniform, the man confidently passed through the South Gate of the Inner Wall and headed toward an exclusive clothing shop.

Inside the clothing shop lined with formal gowns favored by nobles and the finest fabrics worn by their staff.

The uniformed man approached an old man examining the fabric.

“Your butler mentioned you’ve lost something. It’s been found.”

“Seeing how promptly you’ve responded to this request, I’m very grateful. Allow me to convey this small token of gratitude from the master.”

“Why go to all the trouble… Ahem.”

Carefully handing over the note, the old man accepted a purse of silver coins and took the note as well.

“If there’s more work, feel free to reach out.”

With a satisfied expression, the uniformed man left the shop.

After the elder quickly tied up his ongoing work, he stepped outside.

The back view of the old man swiftly moving away from the clothing shop, heading to some undisclosed location.

Watching everything unfold without flaw was someone.

Atop the tallest building in the palace complex, the Huieyue Pavilion, stood Charles, fluttering his maid’s uniform gently as he tracked the old man’s movements with a calm gaze.

The old man visited a few more places after leaving the clothing shop, seemingly to erase his traces before finally…

he entered the manor of a certain noble family.

“Hmm…”

At that point, Charles ceased his tracking and pulled out a piece of paper, writing:

“Max Kendler. Verification complete. Target for disposal.”

She also recorded additional movements and information about other Central Intelligence Agency agents before slipping the paper into her bosom.

After safeguarding the essential report for Cain, Charles pulled out a smaller piece of paper and began to write with her quill.

“Primary surveillance subject: Intelligence Bureau Chief Max Kendler, First Division Jimmy Soilein. Recruitment consideration: Second Division Retina Florence, Third Division Andre…”

Spaces on the paper quickly filled with codes exchanged between the shadow operatives.

After writing down the contact location and date, Charles brought her finger to her mouth and blew a sharp whistle.

Whistle-

A high, crisp whistle spread across the air.

A bird swooped in like lightning and lightly alighted on Charles’s arm.

Gugugoo.

After gently stroking the bird’s head and blinking, she fastened the note penned earlier on its leg.

“Take care.”

Gugugoo.

As the bird disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, Charles followed its flight with her eyes for a moment before turning her gaze.

From the vantage point atop the Huieyue Pavilion, the expansive cityscape of Palamtiar sprawled before her. Her eyes, now reaching their new limits, spotted secret agents wandering the streets and members of the Central Intelligence Agency covertly tracking them.

Secret operatives moving inconspicuously with agents of the intelligence office in pursuit. From a side alley, where someone had vanished moments before, an agent arrived late and spat before leaving.

An invisible battle with consequences spiraling endlessly.

As the capital buzzed with preparations for the festival on the surface, the underground realm of the city was equally bustling with its own festival preparations.

‘Noisy.’

As Charles observed the corpse whose neck had been severed by an intelligence officer in a lower district’s alley, her thoughts turned to her new master.

After submitting the intelligence files and Max’s departure from the Audience Chamber,

Cain, who had briefly perused the file, issued an order.

“Look into Max further.”

With a definitive instruction, Charles tilted her head.

Sensing her curiosity, Cain elaborated.

“There’s nothing special. It’s just that most of the time, when something’s wrong, hitting the top yields the answer.”

Even if someone appears completely incorruptible or problem-free, that may not necessarily be true.

Given this department’s exposure to external influences, thorough management is essential.

If the top is corrupt, the whole rots. If the top is clear, the lower will eventually purify itself, albeit slowly.

The intelligence bureau is losing its former power rapidly. No matter how broken an organization may be, collapsing this quickly isn’t easy.

This signifies an environment conducive to failure, and it’s highly likely the cause lies with the leaders and those in agreement with them.

Having finished his explanation, Cain smirked.

“If Max is innocent, and a confirmed loyal figure to the empire, well, we should support him in that case.”

Staring dazedly at Cain’s face, Charles unwittingly spoke.

“If he’s working as a double agent…”

“Then what?”

Cain, gazing out the window, replied calmly.

“He’ll quietly disappear, in the manner of a shadow.”

After finishing her contemplation, Charles slowly closed her eyes with the gentle breeze brushing against her.

With the vision fading into darkness, Cain’s image naturally popped up.

The first time she met Cain was on the rooftop of the eastern district.

Back then, she had approached him as someone targeting Iris. If things didn’t work out, she’d be ruthlessly killed at the hands of the central nobility anyway.

So, she slipped among the assassins intending just to intimidate lightly, but…

‘…How did he notice?’

Even though she had completely masked her presence, behaving like a dead person…

The brown-haired kid detected her ambush, and Cain immediately reacted, dodging her attack.

With an arm broken after granting him a strike despite not being a mana user, her return to the Imperial Palace was filled with indescribable feelings.

Afterward.

Cain shattered various schemes of the central nobility and finally passed the selection ceremony, ascending to the rank of Duke.

Cain’s rise, witnessed and analyzed by Charles alongside her comrades in the Black Crows, was significantly unconventional. At the very least, it was clear that his actions were for Iris’s sake.

‘…Besides, he’s powerful.’

Even without using mana, he was strong.

When facing the monstrous creature that appeared in the northern district, he cleanly severed its body with a single swing.

Unhesitatingly executing corrupt nobles and bureaucrats, and even defeating a mana-empowered warrior.

Although his way of life was closer to that of an over-zealous mercenary, he also mastered noble etiquette.

A truly unfathomable existence. And he’s only twenty-one years old.

He occasionally references imperial law, showing that his intelligence isn’t lacking either.

Despite having only managed the small village of Ruben in the past, he handles administrative work, issues commands smoothly, and even suggests resolutions.

He’s a far cry from how a young inexperienced noble might behave.

With such a strange person emerging suddenly…

It’s no wonder the central nobility found themselves dragged around by Cain.

While Altains might not be familiar with it, the name of the Black-haired Duke has quietly begun circulating through various rumors.

Not to mention, wasn’t he chosen by the Divine Sword Calion?

Among children and aspiring knights, there were those who swooned over Iris and Cain, comparing them to the legendary founding emperor Jian Gong and his empress Yi Xiaoqing.

‘…Not an inaccurate comparison.’

Even Charles, before joining the Black Crows, used to read tales of the silver-haired maiden and the young knight often.

“…”

She recalled the scene inside the Audience Chamber where Cain had cornered her.

The oppressive weight of his superior build pressing her down.

Being in an extreme situation where it felt like her breath was blocked, along with the haze that accompanied that state.

Her body, immobilized as if under a magic spell, no matter how she tried to resist.

And the strong, masculine scent she felt when he pressed in close.

“Ahem.”

Even her assassin-trained, cold mind rippled with the remembrance.

By that point, Charles interrupted her thoughts.

As her slightly elevated body temperature cooled, she dramatically flapped her maid’s uniform to lower her temperature further.

Realizing it was time to assist Iris, she spread her arms wide and leaped into the sky.