Episode 08
A bright, sunny morning.
“Nothing came up?”
At Rosalyn’s question, the executives, their eyes sunken from an all-nighter, looked like defeated soldiers.
“Well, it happens. Why’s everyone so down? I know gathering intel isn’t easy.”
Her reassuring tone made the executives slowly lift their bowed heads.
“Though I’m heading to the Knights today, I might end up empty-handed.”
If words could take form, her statement would have stabbed them like a blade.
Rosalyn stood with a radiant smile.
“Get some sleep and get back to work. If you collapse, I won’t be going to the Knights empty-handed the day after tomorrow, will I?”
“Just yell at us…”
Despite her telling them to rest, the executives slumped onto the table one by one. Rosalyn chuckled.
“Want me to yell?”
The collapsed executives sprang up like jack-in-the-boxes.
“No, no! We’ll definitely find a weakness by the day after tomorrow.”
“Take care, Guild Leader!”
“Yeah, don’t overdo it! See you tonight.”
Nothing was scarier than “see you later.”
As Rosalyn left, the sound of the executives swallowing hard echoed clearly behind her.
* * *
Perhaps because it was her first “commute,” two knights came to escort her.
The atmosphere felt oddly chilly.
“See you again?”
She greeted them warmly, recognizing their faces from Billy’s rescue, but their gazes were far from friendly.
Yup, that’s the look of people staring at the cause of their overtime.
It made sense.
Overtime, extended shifts, night shifts.
She was the culprit behind their three worst nightmares.
“Knights, do you know what time I get off?”
Rosalyn asked with her most harmless expression, but they ignored her.
Guess my presence doesn’t help their timely clock-outs…
Feeling a pang of guilt, she gave up trying to talk and followed quietly.
The trip to the Knights’ headquarters was quite a trek.
Ugh, it’s so far.
She knew it was outside the capital due to its size, but experiencing it firsthand was no joke.
Like her guild members, Rosalyn had avoided entanglement with the Black Iron Knights, so this was her first time at their headquarters.
When the headquarters came into view, she couldn’t keep her mouth shut.
“Wow.”
The towering walls were practically a fortress, stretching endlessly on both sides.
With a moat surrounding it, it was essentially a castle.
No wonder they’re the empire’s top knights.
It looked impossible to invade or sneak out of.
A drawbridge lowered over the moat, and Rosalyn followed the knights inside.
Stepping off the horse, she gasped again.
“Wow.”
The interior matched the imposing exterior.
Well-maintained roads for large groups, various buildings, and training grounds made it feel like a small city.
Except everyone walking around carried swords and exuded a menacing aura.
I should let the guild see this.
As the saying goes, to win, you must know your enemy thoroughly.
Not that the Knights were enemies.
But there’s definitely a rivalry.
From the Knights’ perspective, Hyde Guild, which danced on the edge of legality, was a nuisance.
From the guild’s perspective, the Knights were a thorn in their side, always interfering with their plans.
Glancing at the disciplined knights, she arrived at a grand building.
The main headquarters of the Black Iron Knights.
Inside, an intimidating lobby greeted her.
The ceiling was so high she had to crane her neck to see it.
A massive banner hung on the front wall, emblazoned with the Black Iron Knights’ emblem: two crossed swords wrapped in black wings against a deep blue background.
The wings were said to belong to Darva, the mythical bird of war, and the banner’s sheer size inspired awe.
Climbing the central staircase under the banner, they reached their destination.
A heavy door opened to reveal the commander’s office.
Cassius was at his desk, reviewing documents.
“Rosalyn Hayes has been brought.”
“Good work.”
Cassius responded curtly without looking up.
As the two knights left, only Rosalyn and Cassius remained.
Scritch, scratch.
Despite her arrival, Cassius didn’t lift his eyes from his papers, his pen moving steadily.
Busy with urgent documents? He’s not even acknowledging me.
As the head of an organization, he was probably swamped, so she waited patiently.
Paperwork was never light.
But even after setting one document aside, his pen didn’t stop.
Finally, Rosalyn spoke up.
“Uh, Sir Cassius?”
Still, he kept writing.
Forgetting the tension from her journey, irritation began to rise.
You call me here and do this? Think you’re the only busy one? I’m busy too!
With no tasks assigned, she couldn’t even snoop around.
Considering wandering off on her own, she opened her mouth to say she’d leave if there was nothing for her.
“Ink.”
Finally, Cassius spoke.
Excuse me?
“What?”
He lifted his pen, inspecting its dry tip.
“The ink’s run out.”
Peering over the stack of documents, she saw an empty ink bottle.
“…And?”
What was she supposed to do about it?
Cassius finally looked up.
“Get some.”
“Me?”
Was he seriously sending her on an ink errand?
Rosalyn, used to guild members scurrying to fulfill her every gesture, found this absurd.
“Is there anyone else here?”
She slowly looked around.
No one.
Her wandering gaze returned to Cassius.
“…Where is it?”
“The supply room.”
“Where’s the supply room— Never mind. I’ll figure it out.”
Sighing at the absurdity, she realized something.
I should’ve known when he said “assist.”
She was on grunt duty.
Sighing heavily, she turned to leave when a voice called out.
“Find Sir Jimmy. He’ll guide you.”
And where was she supposed to find this Sir Jimmy?
With a deep sigh, Rosalyn replied, “Yes, yes. Sir Jimmy, ink. Be right back.”
Her first task at the Knights gave her a sinking feeling this wouldn’t be easy.
Ugh, I’m pulling off something big before I leave.
Whether it was a deal with the Knights or uncovering a secret.
She couldn’t let this humiliation stand.
* * *
Finding Sir Jimmy was easier than expected.
Down in the lobby, she asked someone, and luckily, he was in the same building. Plus, his large frame stood out.
But above all, this man was an angel.
“Here’s the supply room. Let’s see where the ink is…”
“I can look for it.”
“No, it’s faster if I do it since you don’t know where things are.”
Look at that. In this cold, dismissive Knights’ headquarters, he spoke to her politely.
To have such a kind subordinate under that boss.
“Here it should be… Just a moment.”
Jimmy didn’t hesitate to crouch and rummage through the bottom shelf.
Feeling a bit guilty, Rosalyn spoke warmly.
“You can talk casually to me. I’m a commoner.”
“It’s fine. I’m a commoner too.”
“What?”
“Found it.”
Jimmy held out not one but four ink bottles in his large hands.
“Is this right?”
“Oh, yes. Thank you.”
Taking the bottles in both hands, Jimmy straightened up and said, “The commander took a liking to me, so I made it to senior knight, but I’m a commoner. My wife is too.”
“You’re a commoner?”
Rosalyn’s eyes widened.
Commoner knights were rare, and senior knights were almost always nobles.
Yet Jimmy was a senior knight.
“I earned some merits in the war, and it just happened.”
He scratched the back of his head with a shy smile, looking utterly approachable.
How many merits did he earn…?
Her gaze drifted to the sword at his side.
He looked like the guy next door who’d play with village kids.
Leaving the supply room, Jimmy spoke.
“The commander assigned me to guide you, right? I’ll show you around the headquarters.”
“Now? But the ink…”
She held up the bottles, and Jimmy smiled.
“He’s got spares. The commander hates running out of supplies.”
…Didn’t Cassius tell her to get it immediately?
“Then why’d he tell me to fetch it?”
“To restock the spares. He won’t use a whole bottle today, so there’s no rush.”
“Is that okay?”
Flustered, she asked, and Jimmy replied confidently, “Yes. Assigning me to guide you means he wants me to show you around.”
How did that logic work?
But since he seemed to know Cassius well, she figured he was right.
Why doesn’t that guy just say what he means? Just tell me to tour the headquarters and grab ink on the way.
Sure, whatever.
Grumbling about Cassius internally while following Jimmy, a voice suddenly called out.
