Episode 06
Azra Temple, Main Entrance.
A carriage stopped, cutting through the bustling crowd of passersby.
A young noble couple stepped out.
Accompanied by their escort knights, they entered the temple, where a priest hurriedly came to greet them.
“What brings you here?”
The noblewoman, her blonde hair elegantly pinned up, tilted her chin haughtily and replied, “We’re here to inspect the temple for our wedding ceremony.”
“Oh, you’ve come to the right place! Azra Temple has long been cherished as a wedding venue. Allow me to guide you.”
A noble wedding meant astronomical expenses.
The priest’s face lit up with a broad smile at the prospect of such a high-profile client.
As the priest led them, boasting about the temple’s virtues, the noblewoman—Rosalyn—whispered softly to the man beside her.
“Told you it’d work.”
Despite her smug remark, the man—Cassius—remained expressionless.
Posing as an engaged couple scouting a wedding venue was Rosalyn’s idea.
The temple was a place where people of all statuses came and went.
It was perfect for sneaking in unnoticed, but arriving in knightly attire, openly displaying their status, would ruin the operation.
The moment word spread that the Knights were here, the target would flee.
“The temple is truly beautiful. What’s that area used for?”
“Oh, that’s…”
As Rosalyn deliberately peppered the priest with questions, the escort knights gradually blended into the crowd and vanished.
Like Cassius and Rosalyn, the knights were dressed plainly, as if they belonged to a noble household.
Not only the Black Iron Knights but also Hyde guild members mingled among the visitors, posing as ordinary guests.
Their mission was singular.
To catch Redvor’s operatives in the act of their rendezvous.
“Hmm, this path would look nice with white fabric draped over it. And roses on both sides. What do you think, darling?”
Clinging to Cassius’s arm, Rosalyn pressed herself close, causing the priest to avert his eyes awkwardly at the young couple’s display of affection.
Noticing Cassius’s silence, she nudged his side with her elbow.
Only then did he speak.
“Not white. Another color would be better.”
“Why?”
“Bloodstains would stand out too much.”
Wow. She’d thought he was far from an actor…
Caught off guard by his unexpected reasoning, Rosalyn struggled to maintain her composure.
“Honestly, darling. Why would there be blood at a wedding? You’ll scare the priest.”
Though today might indeed see blood, that was beside the point.
They were here as an engaged couple scouting a wedding venue, so talk of blood was inappropriate.
“Come on, let’s check over there.”
Rosalyn tugged Cassius’s arm, leading him elsewhere.
Please, let us find him.
Her role was to draw attention.
Finding Billy was up to her subordinates.
Though she smiled outwardly, the hand gripping Cassius’s arm trembled faintly with anxiety.
* * *
“Hmm, maybe draping fabric from up there would look pretty. Or would it be too tacky…?”
Rosalyn showcased an impressive feat, prattling on about decorations for three hours straight.
That meant three hours without progress on the mission.
Have we already missed him…?
As her anxiety peaked, Cassius suddenly grabbed her hand.
In an instant, he turned her to face him.
“You’re frail and pushing yourself too hard.”
His seemingly affectionate tone made Rosalyn’s eyes widen.
What’s with him all of a sudden… Oh!
He was asking if she could keep going, given her pale complexion.
Three hours of high tension would do that.
I didn’t expect him to care.
It was surprising.
His stoic, cold demeanor made such concern unthinkable.
“I still want to see everything while we’re here.”
Pretending it was typical fiancé banter, Rosalyn conveyed her resolve to continue.
At that moment, a disguised knight approached and whispered to Cassius.
Her mouth went dry with anticipation.
Did they find him? Please!
Cassius, after receiving the report, looked at Rosalyn.
His gaze was different now.
“Yellow would suit that area.”
His low voice shifted her expression.
The color he mentioned was a temporary code they’d set for the operation.
Yellow meant found.
“Great. Let’s go with yellow.”
Rosalyn, who had been stalling, spoke decisively. The priest, yawning from boredom, quickly interjected.
“If you’ve decided, I can assist with booking—”
“Oh, goodness, look at the time! We’ll be late for our dinner. Let’s go, darling.”
Rosalyn linked arms with Cassius and spun around.
“Sorry, Father! We’re in a rush, but we’ll come back next time!”
Winking at the priest, who was likely disappointed to lose such a big client, Rosalyn and Cassius vanished.
She felt a twinge of guilt for him.
But saving a life—surely Azra’s god will forgive me!
Rosalyn gave herself a mental indulgence.
* * *
Though the temple was ideal for a rendezvous, it wasn’t suited for bloodshed. As it turned out, it was only a midpoint.
A guild member had spotted Billy from a distance, sent to the temple to receive directions to the real meeting point, and followed him.
By the time Rosalyn and Cassius reached the actual rendezvous—a rundown warehouse—the situation was already resolved.
“Billy!”
Seeing the youthful face of a boy barely out of his teens, Rosalyn rushed forward and enveloped him in a tight hug.
A flustered voice responded, “Guild Leader! How did this…?”
In contrast to the emotional reunion, one wall of the warehouse held several bound Redvor operatives kneeling, each with a sharp blade at their throat.
“You okay? Any injuries?”
“I’m fine. I thought today was my last day under the sun…”
Releasing Billy, Rosalyn checked him for injuries and only relaxed when she confirmed he was unharmed.
“What happened? I thought things were going well. Do you know how shocked I was when I heard the Black Code?”
“I thought so too, but I heard they were going to execute a ‘rat’ as an example. It fit my situation perfectly, so I thought I’d been found out…”
Rosalyn scanned the warehouse again.
The old, blood-caked tools and filthy surroundings hardly seemed like a place for meeting higher-ups.
“Then you should’ve bolted! I told you to run if it got dangerous.”
“But if I misjudged, I’d be throwing away a chance to reach the higher-ups. I know how important this mission is to you, Guild Leader…”
“You idiot! No mission is more important than your life!”
Dealing in information was inherently dangerous.
Risking one’s life for secrets was common.
Rosalyn had known this since deciding to start an information guild.
Still, she always hoped not a single guild member would die.
Even if it was contradictory, that’s how human hearts worked.
“…Thank you for saying that, Guild Leader.”
Billy bowed his head.
Swallowing his emotions, he looked up again.
“But even if it wasn’t me, any guild member would’ve made the same choice.”
“What?”
“You’re the one who gave value to our worthless lives.”
Rosalyn froze at the unexpected words.
“No one else in the back alleys ever called our lives important. For you, Guild Leader, every one of us is ready to lay down our lives.”
The surrounding guild members nodded in agreement.
Rosalyn’s face crumpled.
That’s not why I took you in…
She’d only needed people to work with to live well and prosper.
Feeling strange, Rosalyn bit her lip.
“…Idiots.”
As she turned her gaze aside, a deep voice cut through.
“Finished?”
Rosalyn realized she’d forgotten about Cassius.
Turning sheepishly, she saw him standing by the door, arms crossed.
“Yes. Let’s head back.”
Their business here was done.
The cleanup and handling of the captured operatives were the Knights’ responsibility.
“Um, Guild Leader… Why are the C—the Knights here? Am I getting arrested?”
Billy caught himself before saying “Crows.”
Rosalyn grinned.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. They’re the good guys who came to help us.”
The knights, who hadn’t flinched when Billy nearly said “Crows,” showed subtle shifts in expression.
Unfazed, Rosalyn spread her palm toward Cassius.
“Say hello. This is the coolest and most righteous leader of the Black Iron Knights.”
