A dark alley in Lindebrune.
Lindebrune—city of tourism, filled with beautiful architecture. But that didn’t mean every part of the city had been built equally.
The stronger the light shines, the darker the shadow becomes.
Though not on the same level as Rederbelk, Lindebrune still had its own share of dingy backstreets.
Leo came to a stop in front of a run-down house at the end of one such alley.
“Tch. Hoo.”
After taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door. As if someone had been waiting, a reaction came from within.
Clack.
A small sliding window set into the iron door opened, and a pair of eyes appeared.
The eyes scanned the area before lowering to spot Leo standing there.
Clunk!
The sliding panel shut, and the door swung open.
“You’re late.”
The man wore simple trousers and a cotton shirt.
He looked like any ordinary laborer—but the subtle, sharp pressure radiating from him made it clear he was anything but.
Karl, an intelligence agent of the Liberation Army.
He gave Leo a sharp nod of his chin.
“Are we talking inside?”
“I’m busy. Let’s do it here.”
Leo’s curt answer carried a clear message.
By refusing to step inside, Leo was drawing a firm line.
I’m not one of you.
Karl frowned at that.
“You’ve got ears, don’t you?”
“You think I didn’t notice this spot was chosen because no one ever comes around here?”
“That was true a while ago. But lately, the imperial scouts have been a lot sharper. And today—”
“I know. The Nightcrawler Knights and Cold Steel have both shown up.”
Of the two, the Nightcrawlers were practically a symbol of fear for Liberation Army operatives working in the Empire.
“Exactly. It’s a dangerous situation—we could be exposed.”
“That’s why you called me out separately. I’m the only one you guys infiltrated as a student at Seorn. You figured that made me safe to contact.”
“......”
Karl's lips twitched.
Leo hadn’t said a single thing that was wrong.
“No point dragging this out. If you want to finish quickly, then say what you came to say.”
“...What’s the route for the Seorn students?”
“What are you going to do with that?”
“The plan is going ahead as scheduled.”
“What?”
Leo’s brow shot up.
“Are you insane? You’re going to go through with the plan in this situation?”
“Insane? No. This is a noble act.”
“A noble act? Strapping on bombs and charging into a crowd to blow yourself up—that’s what you call noble?”
“If one of us sacrifices our life to eliminate a corrupt ruler, countless of our people can live better lives.”
“You really think the world runs on that kind of simple math?”
Leo glared at him, but Karl's expression didn’t budge. He truly believed in what he was saying.
Leo felt a headache coming on.
No amount of logic was going to work here.
“...The Nightcrawler Knights and Cold Steel are all over the place right now. It’s not the time to act—we should be hiding, regrouping.”
“That’s exactly why now is the time. The enemy expects us to cower and retreat. If we strike instead, they’ll be caught off guard.”
“That might work on second-rate guards, but you’re talking about units ranked among the Empire’s top three knight orders. They’re elite. You think they’ll panic just because of a surprise attack? Wake up.”
Leo had to stop this madness.
Honestly, he didn’t care if a few Liberation Army members got themselves killed.
He’d been forced into this role anyway—there was no camaraderie to speak of.
But if they launched the attack regardless, Leo wouldn’t be able to stay uninvolved.
A terrorist attack, in a city swarming with knights?
Sure, the damage would be far less than originally planned.
But it wouldn’t be zero.
And if one of the casualties ended up being Aidan, or Taishy, or Iona...
Leo would never be able to forgive himself.
Still, he couldn’t appeal to Karl by begging him not to hurt his friends.
Partly because that just wasn’t the kind of thing Leo could bring himself to say, and mostly because it wouldn’t work on a guy like Karl.
“Besides, the students are all with their mentors right now.”
“Then that makes them even better targets.”
“You have no idea. Most of the mentors are 5th-circle mages. This time, some of the most powerful 6th-circle mages have also gathered. They’re Lexuror-class. Each one is a walking strategic weapon. Don’t tell me you don’t know what that means.”
“......”
For the first time, Karl didn’t respond.
Even if you charged in with righteous conviction, facing a 6th-circle mage was a completely different matter.
Leo saw his chance.
“Their [Silence of Fire] spell alone will render your explosives completely useless. This is suicide. Throwing eggs at a boulder. Just stop—don’t do anything and—”
“No. We’re going through with it.”
Leo scowled.
“What part of what I said didn’t you understand?”
“I understood it all. But this isn’t my decision to make. HQ already gave the order. The plan is happening. So you cooperate.”
“What? Don’t make me laugh! You think I’m just going to obey?”
“You might want to, for your family’s sake.”
“......”
Leo fell silent at Karl's words.
“I know you’re not cooperative. But you should know this much—your family’s safety depends on us.”
Grit.
Leo clenched his teeth, glaring at Karl.
But Karl showed no hint of guilt or remorse.
He even seemed proud—like he’d done what was necessary.
“...You’re really going to throw people into a furnace like that?”
“We have the strength and ability to do it.”
“You—”
You lunatics, Leo was about to say, but suddenly stopped.
He sensed something.
“Anyway, we’re done here. The operation will proceed as planned. So cough up the information.”
“Wait. I don’t know every route. The groups have already scattered—I can’t track them all.”
Leo gave a realistic excuse, pretending it was difficult to answer.
He was stalling.
Karl, knowing exactly what Leo was doing, smirked.
“Leo. You didn’t seriously think we were relying solely on the intel you provide, did you?”
“...What?”
“You were never our main source.”
Leo’s eyes widened.
He clenched his teeth in shock, while Karl continued with a mocking grin.
“You’re an excellent informant, sure. But just because someone’s useful doesn’t mean we fully trust them.”
“You...!”
“Go ahead and report us if you want. But do you think they’ll believe you? More likely, they’ll assume you’re one of us.”
Karl chuckled.
“Besides, we can’t promise your family’s safety if you don’t play along—so you’ll comply, whether you like it or not.”
“......”
“Well then, off you go. I trust you understand what happens if you make the wrong move.”
With that, Karl slammed the door shut.
Left alone, Leo stood there, staring at the door for a long time—then finally turned and began to walk, his steps heavy.
His thoughts were in disarray.
If he didn’t follow their orders, his family would be in danger.
But if he did go along with it, not only he—but his friends too—might die.
‘No matter how blinded by hatred they are, the Liberation Army isn’t stupid enough to throw themselves at an impossible task. With how confident Karl was... they must have something I don’t know about.’
Leo suddenly understood something.
He didn’t belong to either side—Seorn or the Liberation Army.
He was just... discarded.
A drifting piece of debris, floating endlessly on the water.
Even if he had the will to move—he lacked the strength.
Carried away by the current with no way to resist.
A piece of drifting debris.
‘I....’
How long had he been walking so helplessly like that?
Leo came to a halt when he saw the person standing before him.
“...Leo.”
“Aidan?”
Leo had intended to ask what Aidan was doing here—but the moment he saw Aidan’s expression, the words caught in his throat.
The friend who always smiled so innocently now wore no such smile.
Instead, his eyes were filled with a mix of shock and concern as he looked at Leo.
And in that moment, Leo understood.
Aidan had found out—everything about his identity and the current situation.
* * *
“So then, what do you plan to do from here on out, Sir?”
“Let’s drop the ‘sir’ business first.”
Ludger spoke curtly, responding to Passius’s use of an odd title.
Passius nodded as if to say he understood.
The two, having exited the imperial palace, were walking through the streets as they spoke.
“Haha. My apologies. It’s just that I was too curious. You’re the one who came before me, after all.”
“...Strange to see a Royal Guard involved in such dirty work.”
Usually, those who made it to the Royal Guard were driven by loyalty, but they were also supposed to be knights who upheld honor.
To them, swordsmanship was essential, but so was the chivalry that matched it.
It was for this reason that Terrina Lionhowl, despite having the skill to join the Royal Guard, had refused the position.
As the commander of the Nightcrawler Knights, she engaged in work unfitting for a knight.
She did it so the filth of such tasks wouldn’t tarnish the name of the Royal Guard.
And yet, to think that the Princess’s shadowy dagger turned out to be a Royal Guard...
If the other knights found out, they’d be appalled.
“That’s why it’s a secret. Only Her Highness and I know.”
“Well, I know now too.”
“We’re in the same boat anyway, aren’t we? And you were the dagger before me—it feels wrong to call you just a stranger.”
“Even so, I’d prefer it if you didn’t use the word ‘sir’ and just spoke like you used to.”
“Ah, you’re the shy type?”
“......”
“Understood. I’ll stop with the jokes.”
Ludger sighed and shook his head at Passius’s cheeky grin.
“So then, Professor Ludger. What’s your plan now? Are you going to head underground right away?”
“I have no hobby of poking beehives for fun. We don’t know what they’ve prepared down there. If we charge in first, we’ll be the ones bleeding.”
“That’s true.”
“We wait. My subordinate is already working hard to gather intel.”
“Are you sure it’s safe? You don’t even know what’s down there... I don’t see how you could be at ease sending your people in.”
“That’d be true if I had sent ordinary people.”
With that one sentence, Ludger made clear both the competence of his subordinates and the solid trust he had in them.
Since he spoke with such certainty, Passius didn’t press the matter any further.
“So you’re just going to wait for now?”
“......”
Faced with that question, Ludger looked directly at Passius.
Passius scratched his cheek with an awkward smile.
“Haha. Did I say something wrong?”
“I’d prefer you stop pretending not to know and fishing for answers.”
“Ah, caught me.”
Passius shrugged as if admitting guilt.
“If you want the answer you’re looking for, Sir Passius, then yes. I intend to patrol near the capital for now. The places they’re likely to target are places where students frequent. I’ll focus on those areas and search the surroundings. Something should turn up.”
“I agree. Not all of them will be holed up underground. I’m sure there are still agents out there relaying messages from somewhere in the city.”
“Yes. But since the Nightcrawler Knights and Cold Steel Order have already mobilized, they’ll be treading carefully.”
“Which will make them harder to find.”
“Then all we have to do is search more attentively.”
It wasn’t going to be as easy as he made it sound, but because Ludger said it like that, Passius couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of confidence.
‘Hmm. As expected, Her Highness didn’t choose him at random.’
Seven years ago, Passius hadn’t been a Royal Guard.
He had some talent, but with that came arrogance.
Then came the day he heard of the coup d’état—and learned that the Imperial Family he was sworn to protect had been in danger.
The fact that he, a supposed guardian knight, had been completely unaware even as the empire stood on the brink of collapse... it struck him like a blow.
And even more shocking was the fact that the coup had not been stopped by the reigning, incompetent Emperor, but by the First Princess, Aileen.
That beautiful yet seemingly frail woman had left the palace herself, roamed the empire, and personally safeguarded it from ruin.
In that moment, Passius had pledged his loyalty to Aileen von Exilion.
Through tireless effort, he rose to the ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) rank of Royal Guard and became her right hand.
And because she trusted him, Aileen eventually told him the truth about that day.
About the man who had helped her during the coup.
A man who could have claimed all the glory, yet chose to vanish into the shadows.
And now—
Passius was walking side by side with the very man he’d only ever heard about in stories.
The saying “You never know what life will bring” had never felt more apt.
At that moment, Ludger suddenly stopped walking. Passius also came to a reflexive halt.
“What is it, Professor Ludger?”
Passius asked, but Ludger didn’t respond.
He simply stared straight ahead in silence. Curious, Passius turned his gaze to follow Ludger’s line of sight.
And then he saw it.
Across the street, students were approaching—alongside a mentor.
Casey Selmore.
She stopped when she spotted Ludger standing on the opposite side of the street.
Her face was awash with a whirlwind of complex emotions.
