IPMPBB 25

Chapter 25

“If it’s the ceremonial sword…”

“You know, the one I left at the blackjack table after I lost all my money. I pawned it in a hurry.”

“……”

“You didn’t lose the client’s collateral, did you?”

I shot a sharp remark at Murdin, who was trying to feign ignorance.

“If it’s money you need, I’ll pay. Just bring me the ceremonial sword.”

Back then, I didn’t think retrieving the sword would be difficult.

After all, Elia had only pawned it because she didn’t have cash at the time, and she hadn’t come back for it just to mess with Carlos.

So, I figured as long as I paid properly, I’d get it back right away.

…But Murdin’s reaction was strange.

“W-well, the thing is…”

Murdin’s face turned pale as a sheet.

“What is it?”

I narrowed my eyes and pressed him for an answer.

Murdin nervously glanced at Carlos beside him.

‘Looks like Carlos still scares him more than I do.’

It didn’t matter if Murdin feared Carlos more.

“Murdin, you’d better speak clearly. I’m a reformed scoundrel now.”

But I wouldn’t tolerate being underestimated, so I lowered my voice to draw his attention.

“A reformed scoundrel exposing corruption in a gambling den… Sounds like a great story, doesn’t it?”

Threatening to blow the whistle on the gambling house made Murdin turn pale.

“I’m sorry!”

With nowhere left to run, Murdin dropped to his knees and clasped his hands together.

“Sorry for what? Say it clearly.”

“I’m sorry. I thought Lady Elia wouldn’t come back for it, so I sold the ceremonial sword!”

“…You sold it?”

“There just happened to be someone offering a good price…”

“Someone actually wanted to buy that?”

I stood up in alarm, bringing my face close to Murdin’s.

“Well, it’s expensive…”

“That’s not what I’m asking.”

Sure, the sword was embedded with gold and jewels, making it a luxury item.

But as Murdin said, it belonged to the Imperial Knights. Only someone reckless would dare deal in such items.

“Who was the buyer?”

That was the most urgent information.

“Th-that, I don’t know…”

“…But I do have one solid piece of information!”

Seeing my glare grow fiercer, Murdin shouted in panic.

“Speak. Now.”

“That sword… it’ll be up for auction today.”

“Auction?”

Carlos, who had been silently listening, cut in with a sharp voice.

“A gambling house holds auctions?”

“W-well…”

Carlos pressed further, and Murdin looked like he might cry.

He turned pleading eyes to me.

I shook my head and ordered him to tell the truth.

“It… it’s an illegal auction.”

Murdin shut his eyes tightly as he confessed.

“Unbelievable.”

Carlos furrowed his brow and raked his hair back with his hand.

“Captain, you used to frequent a gambling house that holds illegal auctions?”

“I regret it. That’s why I came with you—to shut it down.”

I replied quickly.

Carlos looked at me with a complex expression.

“What’s done is done. We just have to clean this up. I won’t set foot in a place like this again—unless it’s for a raid.”

Worried that wasn’t enough, I even made a vow.

“Sigh…”

Carlos stared at me for a long time before sighing.

“First, we focus on retrieving the sword and shutting down the auction.”

“But I will hold you accountable later.”

He added firmly, even as I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Got it. Thanks.”

Grateful for his willingness to help, I smiled brightly.

“……!”

Carlos suddenly pressed his lips shut and turned his head quickly.

His ears turned red again.

‘Is that because of me?’

I wasn’t sure, but there was no time to dwell on it.

We had a lot to prepare to infiltrate the illegal auction and retrieve the sword.

Carlos and I grilled Murdin for information, disguised ourselves as VIP guests, and obtained tickets to the auction.

“Just having the tickets doesn’t mean we’re in the clear,” Carlos warned as he saw me examining the ticket curiously.

“There’ll be a guest list too. Even though we borrowed identities, our faces don’t match the real ticket holders.”

“Right. That’s why I’m wearing a veil, and Sir Ivach is wearing a hat.”

I replied, slipping out of my uniform and into a dress.

Carlos wore a gentleman’s suit.

Since the original ticket holders were a married couple, we had to pose as one.

“Let’s do our best tonight.”

I extended my hand toward Carlos.

He shook it with a reluctant expression.

At first, I felt nothing strange.

But as time passed, pretending to be a couple started to feel weird.

It was fine during strategy discussions—we were too busy planning how to secure the sword and meet up with backup.

But as the auction drew closer, and the need to act like a couple increased, the atmosphere began to shift.

“Please place your hand on my arm.”

It began when Carlos offered his arm to escort me.

I placed my hand on it absentmindedly.

Carlos raised one eyebrow.

“…Are you joking?”

“Huh? What? Did I do something wrong?”

Flustered, I asked.

Carlos sighed.

“Captain, have you never been escorted before?”

He asked, and I quickly rifled through my memories.

Of course, I hadn’t been escorted in my previous life—I was just a regular student preparing for exams.

‘Wait… even Elia’s never been escorted before?’

It seemed odd at first, but I quickly realized it made sense.

Elia had been a knight since she could walk.

With her genius, she rose quickly through the ranks—no one dared to escort her.

Escorting carries connotations of protection as well as respect.

Who could dare “protect” the greatest sword genius of the century?

Even after her injury, Elia rejected any escort attempts with irritation.

She couldn’t bear the idea of seeming weak.

“Yeah, I’ve never been escorted before.”

Carlos’s expression softened slightly.

He finally realized I wasn’t joking—I really was inexperienced.

“When escorting, especially as a couple, you shouldn’t just rest your hand limply like that.”

Carlos grabbed my hand and pulled me toward him.

“You need to be closer.”

He pressed me tightly against him.

“L-like this close?”

I asked, flustered.

Carlos remained calm.

“This is a mission. If you don’t want the raid to fail, act more convincingly.”

He even offered that as professional advice.

Right. This was an operation.

Time to act like a pro.

Thanks to Carlos’s guidance, I composed myself and leaned in.

The hem of my dress brushed his pant leg.

“Is this good enough?”

“It’ll do.”

Carlos replied, and we headed out toward the auction.

By now, evening had fallen, and the gambling house was in full swing.

All the chandeliers blazed brightly, with electric lights and glass decorations adding even more glamour.

Gamblers crowded the tables, rolling dice and playing cards.

Carlos and I followed Murdin down a dark stairway beneath the gambling house.

“This way, please.”

Murdin opened a large wooden door.

With a creak of the hinges—

An entirely unfamiliar sight unfolded before my eyes.