1

Just a bridge from the last chapter—technically, it’s a new one now.

"Uh, so you're saying you're an assassin from the Empire, here to kill me?"

Yeah, but I got knocked flat by my lady sister.

Ange had snuck out of bed a few times at night, sure—but she couldn’t have been fending off assassins every single time, could she?

I glance at Ange, and she gives a little smile.

Adorable... no, don’t fall for it!

"Ange, am I really in that much danger from assassins?"

"Five times it’s been assassination. Seven others came just to make it look like a done deal."

More things are just… already done, I guess.

For a maid from the common folk, Eld’s the best kind of person there is.

Common-born, noble by title, Guard Knight to a princess. If you could get your hands on someone like that, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more promising prospect. But does that mean you go for what’s already set in stone? Especially since I’m already married to Ange?

“Was my marriage to Ange not enough of a deterrent?”

“Think it was? But Eld’s technically a noble, so I suppose they figured a mistress wouldn’t hurt.”

“Ah. So that’s why you kept fending them off every time.”

“Hey, that’s part of being a good wife, right?”

“Honestly, you’re a lifesaver.”

Ange gives a thumbs-up and strikes a pose. All I can do is shake my head and smile wryly.

Well, whatever. Being targeted by someone close is terrifying enough. But right now, the real problem’s the assassin in front of me.

“So, you’ve just exposed yourself as an imperial assassin. What’s your plan from here?”

I don’t get it at all. Honestly, I can’t figure out what’s going on in this kid’s head.

If you’re an assassin, shouldn’t you just kill yourself if the job goes south? Or am I overthinking it—maybe they’ll just let me walk away if I fail? No way that’s how it works.

We’re at war, after all.

“Hmm, I want to stay by my lady’s side. I’ll do anything for that.”

“So that means you’ll tell me everything you know about the Empire?”

“Possibly. But I don’t know much. I was raised from the start to be an assassin. They only taught me the bare minimum—guess so.”

“Still fine. Tell me everything you know. Then we’ll decide what to do with you.”

“Understood.”

Eise gave a single nod and began speaking—every scrap of what she’d learned, from her earliest days.

I scribbled notes as I listened.

Eise herself was apparently an orphan to begin with. The Empire took her in and raised her up as an assassin.

Her unit doesn’t officially exist in the records—but there are currently twelve assassins in it, and Eise is the eighth. Hence the name she goes by. They don’t even bother with names, just numbers. Like she’s not even a person—just a tool. Well, I suppose that’s what you’d expect when you’re making assassins.

Her unit’s supposed to be close to the Emperor himself, among the innermost circles of the Empire. Only the Emperor can give orders to them. They’ve even been used for internal purges—Eise herself has slipped into noble estates more than once, killed the master of the house.

And this mission? Naturally, it’s straight from the Emperor. If Camentria falls, she’s supposed to infiltrate the kingdom’s side disguised as a prisoner. My death is the goal.

Guess I’ve got the Emperor’s eye, huh.

But then… does the Emperor really trust the Eight General Knights that much? Sending one of the empire’s strongest eight, and still putting a backup plan in place?

“Eis, you know anything about the Eight General Knights?”

“Not much. Just a few scraps a regular citizen might’ve heard.”

“Fine. Tell me.”

I’ll take every scrap I can get. Gonna need it if I end up fighting one of those Eight someday.

“The Eight General Knights… well, one’s dead now, so seven left. Kazas’s strength is at the bottom of the group. Up to the fourth rank, he’s not too far behind, but the top three? They’re a whole different breed.”

“Who said that?”

“The one who’s been watching us. They said if we piss them off, we’ll be killed like trash. So we’re supposed to keep our distance.”

“Ah… I see.”

Seems like a prickly bunch, those ones.

“Can you tell if they’re armed?”

“Not exactly. But they weren’t anything like Lord Kansas—specialized, like him. He was a rare one even among the Eight Knight Generals.”

Kansas always pushed his subordinates forward, liked fighting in groups.

But this time, he must’ve known his men would just be wasting their lives—so he came in small, fighting solo. Probably why he had that partner, Rizet, around.

“Huh. Well, guess that’s about it?”

I checked my notes—seemed like I’d covered everything I needed to.

Anything more? Nah. Only the real experts’d catch that. For now, I’ll just run it by the princess. She’s cooperative enough, and I doubt we’ll get ‘discovered and executed’ right away.

I glanced at Eise—Eise tilted his head, curious.

Her deep blue hair swayed softly.

“Ange, can I leave watching Eise to you? I’m gonna go tell the princess about this.”

“Got it.”

“Then I’m counting on you.”

I stepped out of my tent and headed toward the princess’s.

“My knight, you’re quite the troublemaker, aren’t you?”

“Nah, nothing like the princess herself.”

She chuckled, eyes sharp with amusement. She’d been up past midnight—woken early, not in the best mood. Her clothes were hastily pulled on, and a few strands of hair still stuck up where she’d slept.

“Anyway, I’ve got the gist. That assassin—how strong is he, really?”

“Ange says it might be a bit much for a regular support maid. But if she’s in the upper ranks, she could handle it. She bragged she could suppress the situation on the spot if she were a top-tier graduate.”

“Then it must be true, since Ange managed it.”

“The real issue is how we handle her. She was sent in as an assassin, after all.”

“She’s cooperative, isn’t she?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Then we could treat her as a refugee.”

Ah. That’d work. If we treat her as a refugee from the Empire, we just hand over the intel and keep a light watch on her. No need to lock her down tight.

That watch’ll probably fall to me and Ange, though. She’s glued to Ange, so that’s likely.

“Shall we handle it that way?”

"Wait. We can't just toss him into exile right off the bat. He's an assassin, after all. We can't be sure he's truly reformed. He'll be staying in prison for a bit, I'm afraid."

"Ah, well, that's just how it goes."

The info we've got might not be lies. Until we can verify the truth, keeping him locked up is safest. But where the hell are we supposed to put him?

"Where exactly are we using for the prison? Definitely not Camentria's place, right?"

The cell the Ais group was held in? The whole thing's falling apart, looks like it'll collapse any minute. Can't possibly put someone there, not with the risk of a roof falling on them. And a tent? Too easy to slip out of. They did it before, after all.

"Only option's the Delta Block base. For now, Ange and the others will keep an eye on him. I'll send support, don't worry."

"Understood. Vacation’s looking pretty far off, huh."

"Oh, I suppose I could let you take him along. If you're certain you can be trusted."

"Always with the complicated stuff..."

You can't figure out someone's true intentions without spending ages poking around, can you?

Besides, how are we supposed to go on vacation while keeping an eye on him? No, wait—Eis was glued to Ange anyway. If we move, he'll just tag along. But then I won't get any time alone with Ange. What's the point of family time if we're all stuck together like this!?

"Well, either way, we won't be moving anytime soon—got to check the base and all. So I guess we're stuck with my knights keeping watch."

"Guess we'll just have to go with that, then. For now, let's settle on monitoring him."

"Please do. Well then, I'm off to catch some more sleep."

"Sorry for waking you so early."

"Can't really blame you for that, not after the assassination attempt."

The princess shuffled back toward the curtained-off space behind the partition, her hand waving lazily as she went.

I was nudged along by the attendants and left the tent sooner than I’d planned.

Back at my own tent, I told the two of them about the conversation with the princess.

Ange looked a bit put out. Well, it’s not like I’d expect her to be thrilled—she’s stuck with the very person who tried to kill me. And she’s probably annoyed about her vacation getting ruined, too.

On the other hand, Leon seemed downright cheerful. Whether or not assassins could show emotion, he wasn’t smiling—but the air around him practically shimmered with happiness.

If he had a tail, it’d be wagging like mad.

“Support should be here by tomorrow. That’s about it for now.”

“Hmph. Can’t help it, I guess.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t trouble the elder princesses. I’ll stay right by her side, always.”

Leon squeezed Ange’s arm tight, right there beside him.

Ange accepted it with a face worn thin from exhaustion.

“Not resisting, huh.”

“Just wears me out. I mean, you’ve been trying to latch onto me nonstop since a moment ago! We’ve gotta find some middle ground, or I’ll be done in.”

“Ah, I see.”

All the skills of an assassin, honed from birth, all poured into that clingy embrace.

Damn, she really is smitten.

But why so smitten?

“Eis.”

“Huh?”

“What’s so special about Ange?”

“You were beautiful. The way you looked when you defeated me—so graceful, so striking. Anyone who saw that moment couldn’t help but fall for you.”

“S-so, is that how it is…”

Some world I can’t even begin to understand.

"Anyway, that's settled. Ais will be under our watch as a refugee. It’ll be a bit cramped, I suppose, but if they’re deemed cooperative, the movement restrictions and surveillance will be lifted soon enough."

"Fine by me. In fact, I’d show everything to my elder sister. Hell, I’d even strip right here."

"No way!"

The moment Ais reached for his clothes, Ange pinned his hands down.

Then she glared at me.

"Eld-kun."

"Looking at me like that won’t change anything... Ais wouldn’t ask for that kind of thing, so just stay normal, alright?"

"Got it."

Ais reluctantly pulled his hands away from his clothes, looking a little disappointed. Ange exhaled, shoulders relaxing.

This is going to take a lot out of her. Gotta figure out how to handle Ais sooner rather than later—gotta shift her mindset before it wears her thin.

This is it, then. Well, I’d better get the gear and tent stuff inside for Ais, then go explain things to Orell and the others. I’ll handle the arrangements—Ange, you take care of breakfast.

We’re going to be watching over them, so we’ll be seeing Orell’s lot more often. Gotta explain the basics before it gets too much.

Got it.

Sister, I’ll help too.

No, no—just stay put. I’m the one who cooks for Eld, after all!

Well, I guess.

Watching Ais practically melt into our side like she’s already one of us, I let out a long, slow sigh.

◇

We pressed east from Camentria, passed through the buffer zone between the two nations, and reached imperial territory by the end of the first day. There, we found an imperial unit, battered and torn. Their steps were heavy—very heavy.

Of course. The unit that fled from the abandoned base, fighting a desperate rear-guard action, had already lost nearly half their numbers to the Kingdom Army’s onslaught.

Even now, they’re only holding on because of the suicide squad.

That fact made the Empire soldiers’ steps even heavier.

At the very end of that weary column stood Rizet’s mercenary company.

“Captain, it’s really dark out here.”

“Yeah, well, that’s expected. Took such a beating. Their confidence, their pride—shattered.”

Rizet answered the squad member who’d spoken, her voice a little weary.

She’d fought hard herself during the breakout, shielding her troops every step of the way. Marching like this, drained from battle, was exhausting.

But still, her heart felt just a little lighter than it had back at the base.

“Captain, we’re almost there.”

“I know. You’re really sure about this, huh?”

Rozet gave a single nod to Lieutenant Teresena’s words, then checked one last time with her subordinates.

Her men grinned and nodded in reply.

“Of course.”

“Our captain’s made the call.”

“We believe in her, you know!”

“If there’s a man around, we’ll follow anywhere!”

“Honestly, you bunch of fools.”

She had such dependable subordinates.

Then why not let them enjoy themselves to their heart’s content, and do exactly what she wanted too?

Ever since she’d made that decision that night, her heart had felt lighter. And here, where the kingdom’s pursuit hadn’t reached, she’d finally begun the plan.

“Then let’s go. We’re alive for pleasure, aren’t we?”

She steered the unit off the march.

The wagon her troops rode in pulled out of formation alongside her.

Then, the Armunale unit that had been keeping watch at the rear noticed the shift.

“Hey—where do you think you’re going?”

“I’m stepping out of this unit. Our job’s done, that’s all.”

“You think that’s gonna fly?!”

“Oh, it will. The Empire allows mercenaries to leave whenever they like—just not during combat. It’s right there in the contract, see?”

“But….”

As a matter of contract, a knight can’t push too hard. Mercenary contracts are direct with the Empire. To challenge it? That’s the same as challenging the Empire’s own will.

“Relax. I’m not gonna come after you for the reward later. And I’ve no plans to side with the Kingdom. They’re the ones I’m after, remember?”

“Then why leave? You’d have better odds staying with the unit.”

Fighting solo with Armunale’s that kind of risk—fuel, ammo, extra armor, the list goes on. That’s why mercenaries stick with the Empire, to cover all that.

“Maybe. But I wanna fight straight from my gut. And come on—Camentria’s nearly wrecked, isn’t it? So if the Kingdom’s gonna come next, it won’t be here.”

“Wait, you think they’ll come from somewhere else? The Kingdom hasn’t crossed the buffer zone into our lands in decades.”

“Back then was back then. This is now. The king’s dead, isn’t he? Change the top, change the thinking. Besides… I don’t think he’d stop here.”

The one that comes to mind is the one-armed Armunale. Even with all those precautions, it was only just barely defeated by Kansas, who blew themselves up doing it. But the pilot’s still alive—confirmed that much.

I can’t imagine that opponent stopping here.

I’m the one who’ll kill the one-armed one.

Hmph, do whatever you want.

The knight gave up on trying to convince Rizet and walked back to the line.

Rizet kept walking down the road, watching it on the monitor.

One day out from the troop—Rizett and the others were making good time along the road.

The destination’s a town called Boar’s Ridge—about a day’s ride away. No big forts or supply hubs, sure, but it’s a proper town. Plenty big enough to stock up on food and such.

And more than anything else, it’s a town that leads right into the buffer zone.

Rizet planned to wait here for a spell, then launch when the kingdom’s forces attacked.

"Captain, stop!"

It was one of her subordinates, riding ahead on horseback for reconnaissance.

Even though they were mercenaries, their movements were hardly different from those of the Armunale unit. Naturally, there were scouts ahead of Armunale, gathering intel first.

"What is it?"

If the scout was telling her to halt, something was up ahead.

Rizet brought her machine to a stop.

"Found two Armunale units a little further on."

"Two? Here? In this place?"

"Yes. They were black, so I think they’re from a different mercenary group. But two units together… that means they’re moving as a team, right? Smells like trouble, honestly."

"Hm. I see."

Mercenary groups do sometimes team up for a job or two. But honestly, I can’t imagine needing two Armunale units on this road.

If it’s real, that’s a proper headache. Just getting involved might force us to scrap the whole plan.

What do we do? Change course?

Yeah... no, I'm afraid we missed it.

Lizing was about to agree with the scout’s opinion—then let out a sigh and gave up.

I zoomed in on the monitor, peering ahead down the road.

I wonder if it’s stuck on yet…

“Liar! I didn’t think they’d notice…”

"Wasn’t it the scout ahead who spotted us?"

Ugh, sorry...

Can't be helped. Now then, which mercenary company’s our opponent?

Rizet squinted at the enlarged monitor, checking the opponent’s machine.

The mercenary unit’s machines don’t have that neat, uniform look like the nation’s gear. They’re all cobbled together—junk parts, custom upgrades—so each one’s got its own odd silhouette.

Still, you can tell a bit about their fighting spirit just by looking at the machine and its gear—

“That one.”

Rizet recognized one of the two Armunale units.

And then, from that machine, a voice came through.

“Hey, long time no see. The pleasure-seeking Rizet.”

“Battle maniac Forze.”

No flashy extras. Just basic armor, slightly modified, no major overhaul—simple, clean, almost plain.

But the presence radiating from it? Unnervingly dangerous.

“So that one next to it—”

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Rayla.”

“You’re the traitor princess they’ve been talking about.”

“I hate that nickname.”

“Sounds perfect to me.”

“Wanna pick a fight? I’ll take you on.”

Rayla’s hand settles on the hilt of her sword. Rizet reaches for her own blade, but Folzé stops her.

“We didn’t come here to fight, did we? Captain’ll have our heads.”

“Fine, fine.”

“So, what’s this little gathering about? The battle at Camentria ended with the Empire’s defeat, you know.”

“Yeah, I know. That’s exactly why we’ve got a proposal for you.”

“A proposal?”

“Lost an arm, didn’t you?”

“Huh. You’re pretty well-informed.”

The retreat’s still underway—far too early for word to reach the backline mercenary squad like ours. So why does she know this? Rizet frowns, caught off guard.

“Sure I do. We’ve always prioritized intel on the One-Armed one. Ever since he showed up in Kreuzl, we’ve been tracking him—every scrap of info. So yeah, I know you lost. I know Kansas is dead.”

Folz’s words made Rizet tighten her grip on the control stick without thinking.

“Only-Arm’s my prey. But you want revenge on the Pleasure, right? If I fight him, that chance vanishes. So here’s a deal. Come with us. Then I’ll fight him first—before I go up against you.”

“That’s….”

“You left your unit just for this, didn’t you?”

“You really figured that out?”

Rizet hesitated for just a second. Then she answered.

“Fine. I’ll tag along with you. Take me to Elshard.”

“Knew you’d say that.”

In the pilot’s seat, Forze’s lips curled into a smirk as he took in Rizet’s answer.