---

Edgar lay back in the lodging, staring at the unusually dark night sky.

It wasn’t that the moon was hidden or the stars were few; the sky just felt gloomy.

Even with clouds, it wouldn’t be this dark.

“Edgar, are you here?”

As he stared blankly out the window with his legs crossed, a booming voice echoed in his ear.

Edgar tilted his head slightly, and Leonel appeared, panting like he was in a hurry.

“What’s up, Leo?”

“I was going to play cards with Enya. Want to join?”

“Cards?”

It seemed Leonel didn’t want to play alone, as it would be boring with just the two of them.

He would prefer to let Leonel and Enya play together without intruding, but then again, refusing to join would look a bit strange.

Plus, he felt oddly uneasy, so joining them might help him forget.

“Sure, let’s go.”

“Awesome! You need three for a real card game!”

Leonel cheered and dashed off, high-fiving his way to Enya’s room.

Edgar, chuckling at Leonel’s back, got up and followed him.

As he passed through the central hallway, he spotted Creed entering the lodging.

When Edgar asked where he’d been, Creed shrugged and managed a wry smile.

“I just met someone.”

At this late hour?

Edgar felt a strange vibe and asked with a teasing tone, “Oh, is it a lover?”

“Don’t be an idiot. If I had a lover, would I be stuck in a place like this?”

“Oh, sorry about that…”

Thinking back, Edgar had never seen Creed talk about women at all.

Did he just not care? By his age, he could easily have a few kids under his wing.

‘Well, there must be a reason.’

Otherwise, a former captain of the Royal Knights wouldn’t be stuck here playing babysitter, even in a noble family’s lap.

It might not be a topic that he wanted to be asked about. It was polite to back off in such cases.

“Speaking of which, where are you headed? The kitchen?”

“Leonel suggested playing cards. Since you’re not around, I guess he came looking for me.”

“Cards, huh? Sounds good. I’ll wrap up and head over.”

Creed surprisingly loved hanging out with kids despite his robust size.

Before Edgar arrived, Leonel and Enya must’ve felt quite lonely, thanks to Creed.

Usually, adults might find it bothersome to tag along, but the fact that he willingly came over without being asked showed his kind nature.

Though he might be just a bit bored himself.

“Should I wait for you?”

“Wait? Nah, you guys go ahead. I’ll bring some snacks.”

“Such kindness!”

He was already feeling peckish, and the timing couldn’t be better.

Plus, Creed’s cooking was already renowned among everyone residing here.

He was the one who prepared their meals every morning.

From what Edgar heard, he had been cooking as a hobby since his time in the Royal Knights.

For some reason, Edgar had thought a few times that Creed’s cooking was better than the chefs back at his family home.

If only it tasted even better, but it was definitely not bad.

Watching Creed head to his room, Edgar made his way to Enya’s room, where the two were already waiting for him.

When Leonel asked if he was hungry, Edgar grinned and shared the exciting news he’d just heard.

“Creed’s bringing snacks!”

“Really!? Enya said she’s hungry too; that’s a relief!”

“L-Leo… that’s kinda embarrassing…”

They seemed like an odd pair but somehow made sense together.

With a warm heart, Edgar moved slowly to the window to check the night sky once more.

After all, he’d meet them tomorrow, so there was no need to worry too much.

He couldn’t spend the night staring with a nagging sense of déjà vu.

Now was the time to enjoy card games with friends and forget about it all.

He drew the curtains and stepped away from the window, joining his friends on the floor.

They decided on poker, and soon enough, Leonel deftly dealt the cards.

The first card Edgar received was a four of a kind.

His grip on the cards tightened.

* * * * * * *

Understanding.

A sharp dagger pierced the neck of a patrolling guard and sank into the shadows.

The exquisite throwing technique, utilizing the blind spot, was a basic skill of an assassin, and this man was no exception.

Thunk.

He dully withdrew the dagger from the fallen guard’s neck and stabbed at his heart.

Having seen several corpses until now, he knew at a glance that the guard was dead, but thoroughness was required in such tasks.

‘This should do.’

While searching for a place to hide the body, he moved it behind a large tree nearby, leaning it against the trunk.

It was dark enough tonight that this would suffice.

Moreover, it was an area where patrolling guards wouldn’t easily notice, so even when morning came, the body would likely stay hidden.

Crimes like this were always better discovered late.

‘There’s the spot.’

While he stealthily approached a shadow between the castle’s eaves, he spotted a balcony.

That was the room where the young lady of the Robeheim Family was sleeping.

She must have been quite at ease, as the curtains fluttered beyond the open window.

In order to sneak in without a trace, even opening such a window would usually be quite tricky, but today seemed to favor him.

Though for the young lady, it would be misfortune.

‘Just two. The guard is definitely lax.’

Even with the barriers in place, it was laughable how careless they seemed.

While personally grateful, it made the task all the easier.

Stealthily, he moved to the corner and concealed himself behind the wall.

In the castle’s backyard, he could see a few buildings like the annex where the servants resided, but they didn’t seem worth worrying about.

The only concern was if he whisked the target away, someone from that annex might spot him…

‘Time is on my side.’

Once he crossed over to the castle walls from here, the likelihood of being pursued would drop significantly.

Despite being comparatively weaker in combat since he couldn’t use magical power, it gave him the advantage of being harder to trace once it entered a chase stage.

He had primarily taken on information-gathering missions rather than assassination types for this very reason.

Though, the two before him were quite daunting.

If he failed to take down both at once, the remaining one would surely call for the others, and then things would spiral out of control.

Yet if he tried to sneak by in the shadows, the light spilling from the buildings would give him away.

How on earth could he breakthrough this situation?

“Hey! Come over here for a second!”

“What’s up?”

While he was deeply lost in thought, a sudden voice came from across the way.

Peering out from behind the wall, he could make out a guard with a lamp waving the other two over.

Curiously wondering if an intruder had shown up, the two guards dashed toward him, and the man seized that fleeting chance.

‘Today is truly my lucky day.’

Who would have thought everything would fall into place so smoothly? It felt like it was his moment of fortune.

He was filled with anticipation of accomplishing his mission when he finally managed to calm his emotions and pulled something from his robe.

It was a thin rope with a hook at the end.

Although it looked like it would snap under a single cut, without magical power, it would be hard to sever even with a fine blade.

He tied a weight to the hook and threw it up with all his might.

Creak.

‘Got it.’

It seemed to have caught onto the balcony railing.

With a content smile, he tested to see if the hook was secured by pulling on it gently.

No matter how much force he applied, the rope stayed taut.

He held onto the rope with one hand and began to climb the building, keeping his foot pressed against the wall.

Climbing was quite a taxing task, but having nearly reached the halfway point, he was breathing heavily, yet he pushed on.

Now was the prime opportunity to seize the moment while diverting the guards’ attention. There was no time to waste.

‘So far, so good.’

As he finally passed over the balcony railing, he found himself gazing down into the castle’s backyard.

The guards had evidently headed in the opposite direction and had yet to return.

If he could quietly take away the young lady still fast asleep, nobody would know anything had happened in this dark night.

Swoosh. Swoosh.

The breeze ruffled the curtains against his face but he paid it no mind as he stepped inside.

Just as he expected, a girl lay sleeping soundly on the bed.

Though still young, he had heard tales of her considerable magical prowess.

If he accidentally woke her and she released an attack spell, it would jeopardize the whole mission.

He had to act without a hint of carelessness.

As he reached for the item he had brought for such an occasion,

“……!?”

Suddenly sensing danger from behind, he hastily drew his dagger from his waist in defense.

Clang.

The sound of clashing metal echoed ominously through the previously silent room, revealing a boy with black hair standing before him.

Caught off guard, he managed to deflect the strike and put some distance between them, retreating to the door.

‘How is he here?’

They clearly were not just friends but possibly a guard.

Otherwise, how could he step into a high noble’s chamber at such a late hour?

No, even if he were a guard, it was still highly unlikely.

In which case, this boy must have infiltrated and waited for the moment to strike.

But how could he have bypassed the barriers?

Regardless, what mattered now wasn’t that.

It was that an unexpected disruption had entered his otherwise smooth plan.

And dismissing the boy simply for being young would be a grave mistake, as he was exuding an impressive aura.

Huff. Huff.

Surprised by this unforeseen duel, his heart raced as he gasped for breath.

The boy, observing him carefully, took a step forward, sword aimed at his throat, and menacingly warned,

“Be quiet; you’ll wake her.”

Realizing the boy’s statement carried serious intent, the man recognized how foolish he had been moments ago to think he was having such a lucky day.

 

---