Episode 07
Billy’s face paled as he was abruptly introduced to the leader of the Black Iron Knights, known as the Grim Reaper of the battlefield.
“Uh, h-hello…? Thank you for helping…?”
Billy stammered out a greeting.
Cassius merely stared at him silently.
Worried that the guild member they’d just rescued might die of a heart attack, Rosalyn stepped in.
“Sir Cassius, thank you so much for helping with this—”
“Withdraw.”
Before she could finish, Cassius turned away.
Leaving a stunned Rosalyn behind, the knights departed in an instant.
They even took the captured Redvor operatives with them.
“Wow… wow…”
Words failed her, but there was no one left to hear.
A sense of déjà vu hit her.
He ignored me and left the first time he came to the guild, too, didn’t he?
Flabbergasted, Rosalyn shouted, “What’s so great about being the Black Iron Knights’ commander?! Who does that?!”
The guild members pretended not to notice their leader, who had just called the knight commander “the coolest and most righteous,” now hurling insults at him.
* * *
“Billy’s back!”
“Wooo!”
Rosalyn’s announcement was met with cheers loud enough to shake the guild building.
“How does it feel to be back alive?”
“I… I…”
Billy, who had been resolute in the warehouse about sacrificing his life for the Guild Leader, choked up upon returning to the guild.
“Aw, the Guild Leader made him cry.”
“It’s the Guild Leader’s fault.”
“You brats!”
As the guild members teased in unison, Rosalyn snapped back.
The atmosphere quickly turned lively again.
It was the guild members’ way of lightening the mood for Billy, who was grappling with complex emotions.
Billy, aware of their consideration, smiled through his teary face.
“Don’t badmouth our Guild Leader, you jerks! She went out of her way to save a nobody like me, sniff, like me…”
His tears finally burst forth.
No one mocked Billy as he cried like a child, even with snot running down his face.
A comrade they thought was dead had returned alive.
For the tightly knit Hyde guild members, this was no small matter.
After letting Billy cry for a while and sending him to rest, Rosalyn called an executive meeting.
“You all must have felt a lot from this.”
Everyone seated at the round table nodded solemnly.
“We’ve always avoided the Black Iron Knights because of our roots, but things are different now.”
Rosalyn leaned on the table with a resolute expression.
“Before the Black Code came in, Sir Cassius explained that the interpretation of my sentence was complete. Starting now, I’ll be commuting to the Knights every other day.”
“Commuting?”
“What about the guild?”
The same doubts Rosalyn had voiced were echoed by the executives.
“They wanted me to come every day, but since I have guild work, I negotiated for every other day. If you miss me that much, you’d better find a way to nullify the sentence quickly, right?”
“Hmm, every other day doesn’t sound too bad.”
Rosalyn’s brow furrowed at the quick retort to her half-joking comment.
“What, should I go every day then? Even if I went daily, it’d take three or four months to complete the 1,000 hours. Want to have fun without your Guild Leader?”
“No way, you know the guild can’t function without you.”
Only then did Rosalyn’s expression soften.
“As I said, our goal is to gather information on the Knights from both inside and out, but we need an escape route ready at all times.”
The executives nodded in agreement.
Being forced to complete 1,000 hours was entirely different from voluntarily engaging with the Knights for a purpose while keeping an exit strategy.
“It wouldn’t hurt to build a foundation for cooperation like we did this time.”
“Wow, as expected of our Guild Leader! You’d scam Satan himself in hell!”
“That’s a weird compliment.”
The half-compliment, half-joke made Rosalyn exaggerate a frown, and laughter erupted in the meeting room.
Thanks to Billy’s safe return, the mood was warm and cheerful.
“So, anyone find anything new?”
She was referring to the investigation into Cassius she’d assigned yesterday.
Contrary to her expectations, the executives shook their heads.
“You know we only started investigating yesterday.”
Information on Cassius, the renowned young Duke Eindehart and leader of the Black Iron Knights, already filled a thick stack of documents.
Digging up more would naturally take time.
But Rosalyn wasn’t having it.
“The Knights finished their legal interpretation in one night, and you’re telling me a so-called information guild couldn’t find anything in a day?”
“One night, what?”
“I wasn’t going to compare to spare your pride…”
As Rosalyn deliberately stoked their competitive spirit, Zion, the deputy guild leader, cut in.
“Hyde.”
His gentle face bore a soft smile.
“No sleep until the ‘Cassius Report’ is complete.”
Despite the terrifying declaration, the executives around the table looked resolute.
“Leave it to us.”
“By sunrise tomorrow, we’ll have documents stacked as tall as that commander!”
Rosalyn was taken aback by the sudden surge of discipline among the executives.
I meant to fire them up, but isn’t this too effective…?
As they fidgeted, ready to hit the ground running, Zion spoke on their behalf.
“Guild Leader, anything else to say?”
“Uh? No? I’m done—”
“Then we’re dismissed. Everyone, get to work.”
The dismissal, usually Rosalyn’s role, came from Zion’s mouth.
No one objected, standing up and leaving the meeting room in a flash.
Rosalyn was bewildered by their departure, which felt oddly familiar.
Did they plan this? What’s with everyone lately?
Just then, Zion, who had stayed behind while the others left, spoke.
“Rosalyn.”
Being called by her name, not her title, made her tense.
Zion was her longest-standing guild member.
Back in the day, they’d been casual with each other, but after founding the guild, Zion insisted on maintaining her authority as Guild Leader and rarely used her name.
Unless he was angry or it was a special occasion.
“Y-Yeah? What’s up?”
Is he mad? She gauged his mood, but Zion’s usual gentle smile was gone, replaced by an expressionless face.
“You seemed to have some resentment toward the Black Iron Knights’ commander.”
“Cassius? Don’t get me started. He’s so infuriating—”
Before she could vent her frustrations from the past two days, Zion cut her off.
“You should thank him.”
“Huh?”
“The guild will express official gratitude, but he helped because of his personal connection to you. Make sure to thank him personally.”
Expecting a scolding, Rosalyn was thrown off by the odd atmosphere and mumbled, “…I was going to, even if you didn’t say anything.”
As she dodged his gaze, Zion stared at her steadily.
“Saying thanks while asking if he has enemies and offering information isn’t gratitude.”
Rosalyn bristled at the jab.
“What’s wrong with that? Isn’t offering something practical, like information he can use, more sincere than empty words? A guy in his position must have a few enemies.”
Zion replied calmly, “Someone like him would value a genuine thank-you more.”
“…”
Deep down, Rosalyn agreed.
He’s the principled type, after all.
But knowing it in her head was different from feeling it in her heart.
Pouting and avoiding his gaze, she heard Zion continue.
“Our guild and someone like him were never going to get along. This was an exception. But he could be useful to you, Rosalyn.”
“Useful how?”
“You always say your goal is to live well and prosper, but I know you have another goal you haven’t told anyone. If all you cared about was money, you wouldn’t bother with every single guild member like you do.”
What was he talking about?
Unlike Zion’s calm tone, Rosalyn had to suppress her panic.
My goal really is just to live well and prosper…
Perplexed, she listened as Zion continued seriously.
“If you haven’t even told me, it must be something difficult or dangerous. I don’t know what your true goal is, but the Black Iron Knights’ commander could help.”
I don’t have some grand goal!
Rosalyn had no clue where this misunderstanding came from.
Is it not just Zion? Does everyone think this? I really don’t have some lofty ambition…
The reasons for the misunderstanding were plentiful.
In a world where class distinctions were the norm, treating back-alley folks like ordinary people and helping them was highly unusual.
Her dedication to growing the guild stemmed from being a workaholic.
And despite earning piles of money, she didn’t indulge in lavish extravagance because…
I’m too busy working to have time for that. I planned to live luxuriously after retiring…
It was all a huge misunderstanding.
But seeing the deep trust and faith in Zion’s eyes, Rosalyn couldn’t bring herself to say it was a mistake.
“Uh, well… thanks for thinking of me, Zion.”
Mumbling vaguely, she saw Zion nod as if she’d confirmed his suspicions.
No, that’s not it!
“I’m always on your side, Rosalyn. Since the day you saved me.”
That was just me running full speed with stolen bread, and the rock-hard loaf accidentally hit that guy’s vitals…
The loyalty and trust born from that misunderstanding were now too deep to correct.
Rosalyn gave an awkward smile.
“I’m always grateful for you too, Zion.”
It was great that the boy she’d saved from the streets turned out to be so capable.
But in moments like this, even Rosalyn felt her conscience pricking her.
