“So you think you’re going off to die.”

Calix asked Selina in a voice that had sunk heavily.

At the question, Selina paused to consider whether there had been something wrong with her wording just now. Perhaps calling it a final farewell had bothered him.

‘But Calix doesn’t seem like the type to care about something like that.’

Even when she thought back to when he was Callios, she had the same impression of him. He was the kind of person who wouldn’t bat an eyelid if something happened to her.

So Selina answered without attaching any special meaning to it.

“You said it was dangerous enough that I could die. I think so too.”

She wanted to convey that, having been entrusted with such a grave task, she was prepared to stake her life on it.

But something about that displeased Calix. Narrowing his eyes, he replied.

“That doesn’t mean I’m telling you to die.”

“I don’t intend to die either. I just meant that I’m prepared—”

“Since you don’t seem to understand, I’ll make it clear.”

Cutting her off, Calix strode toward her. He bent his knees and met her gaze.

When his ash-gray eyes locked with hers, Selina grew flustered, unsure where to look.

‘It would be stranger to avoid his gaze now.’

In the end, she stood still and met his gaze directly.

Looking at him, it was hard to fathom how she had failed to recognize him as Calix, despite him wearing Callios’s face. His features were entirely different, yet everything else was the same:

The slight tilt of his brows whenever something displeased him. The cold, weighty intensity that settled into his eyes. The faint lift at the corners of his mouth — so subtle that it was impossible to tell whether he was smiling or angry.

These characteristics overlapped so perfectly with Calix’s that it nearly made her laugh in disbelief.

After staring coldly at Selina for a long moment, he finally spoke.

“You said you’d give me your trust.”

Then he added briefly.

“Then survive.”

She was left speechless for a moment.

The person she had thought wanted her dead more than anyone else had told her to survive. Although brief, their words seemed sincere.

‘Is it just my imagination?’

Perhaps, standing so close to death, she was simply hearing what she wanted to hear. But still—

Staring at him blankly, Selina let out a hollow laugh.

“Yes. I will.”

It didn’t matter if it was just an illusion created by circumstances. In that moment, it was the greatest motivation she could have wished for.

“Then I’ll be going.”

Selina bowed to Calix, then made her way over to the group assembled for Alter’s rescue. Shortly afterwards, she set off for Holchester Prison.

Meanwhile, Calix stood there, unable to take his eyes off Selina as she walked away.

“Hey.”

Someone came up beside him and tugged at his clothes. It was Calliope.

She glanced around busily, then asked Calix.

“Didn’t you see the letter?”

“The letter?”

“Yeah. I got it yesterday, but I can’t find where it went.”

Calix was momentarily at a loss for words. What letter from yesterday—and why was she looking for it here?

“It’s probably where you left it. Look for it properly.”

“I—I already looked everywhere and couldn’t find it…”

“It’s probably missing because you didn’t look carefully enough. Go back and search thoroughly.”

He responded curtly and turned his head back towards where Selina had been standing.

But she was already gone. The presence that had been there only moments before had vanished without a trace.

For some reason, his heart refused to settle, even though he knew nothing would happen.

While Calix prepared to retake the Grand Ducal Castle, Selina’s group lay in ambush along a mountain path. This was the route used by supply wagons transporting prisoners to Holchester Prison on the island.

As today was the scheduled transfer day, the plan was to lie in wait at this narrow pass and intercept the wagon.

To conceal their identities, Selina and the others put on long robes that covered them from head to toe, then concealed themselves in the bushes and waited for the wagon to appear.

Clatter, clatter.

Soon, the sound of horses’ hooves and the rattle of a prison wagon echoed through the mountain pass.

“The number of guards won’t be large. The prisoners are restrained anyway, so subduing them won’t be difficult. The first thing we need to do is—”

Selina began issuing instructions to the group.

The plan itself was simple. Although there were few guards escorting the prisoners, a frontal *ssault would still be dangerous, so it was best to avoid confrontation if possible.

Once the wagon reached the narrowest part of the path, the attack would begin.

Caught completely off guard, the escorts would have little chance to resist. After swiftly subduing the guards, they would bind them together with the prisoners inside the wagon.

This mountain path was rarely used, so even if they were left there, it would probably be the next day before anyone came across them.

‘In the meantime, we just need to act as though we’re the ones escorting the prisoners.’

Soon, everything unfolded exactly as she had planned.

“P-please, spare our lives!”

“P-please, spare our lives!”

They weren’t transporting gold or valuables, just prisoners. Yet the ambushed escorts trembled and begged for their lives.

Subduing them after they dropped their weapons at the outset was easy.

There were seven prisoners in the wagon, which was far too many for Selina’s group to impersonate convincingly.

“Wouldn’t it be better to take a few of them along?”

Someone suggested it, thinking that too small a number might draw attention.

“No. If another group gets mixed in, it’ll disrupt the plan. It would make moving more difficult as well.”

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Selina began to strip one of the prisoners and one of the guards of their clothes.

She handed the prisoner’s clothes to the others.

Entering Holchester Prison as prisoners being transported under guard would mark the successful completion of the first stage of their plan.

Selina swiftly changed into an escort’s uniform and seated the others, now disguised as prisoners, at the back of the supply wagon.

“Now we need to get to the dock. It’s not far from here, so we’ll arrive soon.”

With that, she drove the horses towards the dock by the shore.

To reach Holchester Prison, they had to pass through three gates.

First, they travelled in a wagon and disguised themselves as prisoners.

Second, they boarded a raft at the dock and travelled to the prison.

The third step was to slip inside the prison without being noticed by the guards.

‘We managed the first somehow, but can we get through the rest safely…?’

She told herself that she would be able to, but she couldn’t stop her hands from trembling.

Soon, the wagon arrived at the dock.

Ahead of them, a middle-aged man was waiting, rowing a large raft.

Pretending to be calm, Selina helped the others, who were disguised as prisoners, down from the wagon. The man narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked them over.

‘Did he notice because the number is so small?’

Her tension spiked, but—

“You’re a bit late today.”

Thankfully, he said nothing more and helped them onto the raft.

The island on which Holchester Prison was located was not far from the dock. Although it was visible, it was still quite a distance away by raft.

The group sat in silence, waiting to arrive. Selina, arms folded, was waiting too — for them to reach the island safely.

But something bothered her.

‘He keeps glancing around more than usual.’

Her gaze was fixed on the boatman.

The middle-aged man rowed calmly, yet his eyes moved restlessly. He examined the prisoners, then glanced around the prison and its surroundings. Even the way he handled the oars seemed hurried, as though he wanted to escape this situation as quickly as possible.

‘Could it be…?’

What if the boatman had noticed everything and was just pretending not to?

If he had been particularly observant and remembered the escorts who came each time, he might have realized that something was amiss.

Most prisoner transports only happened once every few months, and the escorts often changed even then. That was why she had assumed he wouldn’t remember them.

‘Come to think of it, when he first saw us, he said we were late.’

If he remembered the time escorts usually arrived, that also meant he might remember the faces of the people who came last time.

‘So we thought we got through it, when it was actually the opposite.’

Selina narrowed her eyes as she studied the boatman.

He was probably moving his hands so quickly because he wanted to hand the fake prisoners over to the prison authorities as soon as possible. Taking them aboard while pretending not to notice must have been because he was outnumbered — he was alone against many — and any mistake could have put his life at risk.

‘He’s quick to read a situation.’

If that was the case, it would actually make talking to him easier.

“Hey.”

Selina called out to the boatman.

Just as she expected, he flinched, reacting as though startled.

She stepped closer and spoke.

“Isn’t it boring to spend your whole life just rowing a boat? Besides, you don’t make much money from it anyway.”

“Well—even so, I think of this as my trade.”

“I see.”

He kept up the pretense until the very end. Under different circumstances, she might have admired his dedication, but not now.

The raft was steadily drawing closer to the prison. Just a little further and they would reach the island. If the boatman revealed their identities now, the whole plan would be ruined.

“You might be able to try a new trade if you sold this, you know.”

Selina took out a piece of jewelry that she kept for emergencies and gave it to the man.

Since joining the Knights of the Sun, unpredictable situations had become the norm. Through these situations, she had learned that an appropriate bribe could turn a situation out far more favorably.

“What do you think? Don’t you want to live the rest of your life a little more meaningfully?”

By then, the raft had reached the island.

“Is that all the prisoners for today?”

A guard who had been watching the boat’s arrival asked the boatman.

The boatman pretended not to notice the jewelry Selina had offered and opened his mouth.