“The current was rough, so we were a bit late.”

He had chosen to accept the jewel Selina offered.

The guard, apparently noticing nothing amiss, helped escort the prisoners.

‘That’s it. We made it through.’

As Selina stepped off the boat, she glanced briefly at the boatman. Without the guard noticing, he quietly slipped the jewel into his pocket.

Having turned a blind eye to suspicious passengers in the past, he would probably no longer be allowed to work as a boatman. At worst, he might be forced to flee with his family.

However, thanks to the jewel he had taken, he would be able to live comfortably wherever he chose to go.

Selina had survived because of his decision, too, so it was not a losing exchange for either of them.

She met his gaze gratefully, then stepped away from the boat.

“There are fewer prisoners than usual today.”

The guard tilted his head in puzzlement.

Selina had been worried that he might have been informed in advance of the number of prisoners expected, but fortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case.

Selina replied in a calm voice.

“Perhaps the world has become a little easier to live in.”

“Hah. As if. Do you have any idea how much is being wasted on war expenses because those Thalia bastards don’t know their place and keep resisting?”

The guard’s sneering reply sparked a barrage of ridicule and condemnation aimed at the Thalians.

He complained that the Thalia remnants were stubbornly holding out in a war they couldn’t possibly win, and that all Thalia prisoners were hot-headed.

The insults continued for quite some time, creating a heavy atmosphere around the group that had come with Selina.

They were all from Thalia.

No one would be pleased to hear their own country being mocked.

Sensing the shift in mood, the guard let out a derisive laugh and muttered.

“What’s this? The mood’s gone cold all of a sudden. Don’t tell me these prisoners are Thalia trash too?”

“They’re just ordinary imperial folk.”

Selina quickly cut in with her reply. Revealing their Thalian origins would alert the guards and put them in danger. Once inside the prison, they would need to escape unnoticed by blending in as ordinary prisoners.

Clang.

But a sound shattered that plan completely.

A pocket knife had fallen from the clothes of one of their companions, who was disguised as a prisoner.

‘We can’t let this be noticed.’

Selina stretched out her foot, trying to step on the knife and hide it.

“What’s this?”

Unfortunately, the knife had fallen closer to the guard.

The guard bent down to inspect the fallen object, his expression twisting.

“You dare hide a knife when you’re nothing but a criminal?”

“I—I’m sorry. I failed to search them properly—”

Selina tried to smooth things over, but she was never given the chance to finish her sentence.

The man who had dropped the knife loosened the rope binding him, grabbed the blade from the guard’s hand, and stabbed him in a vital spot.

“Ghk!”

Struck without warning, the guard collapsed on the spot, blood spilling from his mouth.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

Furious, Selina grabbed the man by the collar.

“Because of you, everything’s been thrown off. Now there’s no chance of getting inside legitimately. Do you understand that?”

Unless something unforeseen occurred, everything was supposed to happen exactly as planned. This was a mission that demanded they risk their lives — one reckless move by even a single person could jeopardize not only Alter’s rescue, but also the lives of those fighting to reclaim the Grand Ducal Castle.

Yet the man dispatched by Count Hollein had ruined everything.

From the outset, he had behaved as though he were pursuing an entirely different goal, constantly out of step with the rest of the group.

“Why not just kill everyone in the prison?”

He had repeatedly spoken as though he simply wanted to kill people, regardless of the fate of the forces retaking the Grand Ducal Castle — a deeply unsettling prospect.

Yet he actually went and did something like this.

“Sorry I killed him. But—”

He flicked the blood-soaked knife about playfully, his tongue slipping out.

“This bastard was the one who got on my nerves first.”

“…You killed someone for that reason?”

“Do you need some grand reason to kill a person? What reason did the Empire have for killing Thalians?”

“Now isn’t the time to argue about that. We needed this man to get inside the prison without friction.”

“Oh.”

The man nodded, then nudged the fallen guard’s body with his foot. He kicked it a few times, but when it didn’t move at all, he shrugged.

“He’s not getting up. He’s already dead—what can you do?”

“Haa…”

Selina could barely contain the anger she wanted to unleash.

The others were thrown into confusion by the sudden violence and stood around in a panic, unsure of what to do. The situation was already dangerous enough — she couldn’t let things get any worse.

“Getting inside quietly is no longer an option. Then we’ll have to find another way in, no matter what.”

Selina unfolded a map of Holchester Prison’s interior.

Based on her memories of her long stay there, it was an accurate representation — since the prison’s structure was identical to that of a monastery, she remembered it in detail.

“Alter is being held in the cell at the far left. Find a route that allows us to infiltrate that area directly.”

Everyone nodded at Selina’s instructions.

“It’s not that difficult.”

But the man sent by Hollein shook the map back and forth, clearly unconvinced.

“So what are you planning to do in the meantime?”

His tone was openly dissatisfied, steeped in distrust toward Selina.

She hadn’t liked him from the start, but she hadn’t expected him to pick a fight even in a situation like this.

Letting out a quiet sigh, she asked.

“What’s your name?”

“And why would Lady Selina Ilios Axell be curious about my name?”

“Don’t try to start a fight on purpose. The more we clash, the more others will suffer.”

“Hm.”

The man who had kept dodging the issue finally spoke his name, as if conceding.

“Sion. It’s Sion.”

“All right, Sion. While the others secure an infiltration route, I’ll deal with what you caused.”

“Oh? And how exactly do you plan to do that?”

Keenly observing her every move, Sion watched as Selina walked over to the fallen guard.

She dragged the body towards the sea. The ocean had been churned up by high waves, but the tide had now receded, the water slowly pulling back from the shore. Gripping the body, which was easily twice her size, she tied a heavy stone to the guard’s leg.

“Either way, it’s only a matter of time before they realize a guard is dead. So we need to delay that discovery for as long as possible.”

With that, she pushed the body into the water, hoping the sea would carry the evidence far away.

“…Hm.”

Sion watched Selina with clear fascination.

“What are you staring at?”

She snapped at him curtly.

“Go find the infiltration route while I clean up the blood.”

***

Dealing with the unexpected incident took a full hour.

‘I tried to handle it as quickly as possible, but it still took too long.’

Selina bit down on her lip.

The more time that passed, the greater the chance the plan would go awry. And if the plan fell apart, their chances of survival would drop even further.

“Over there, it looks like they’ve got prisoners doing forced labor.”

At least one thing worked in their favor—perhaps realizing the gravity of what he had done, Sion had managed to find a viable infiltration route.

“It seems the labor’s about to end. If we put on prison uniforms and blend in quietly, it should work.”

“…Good thing I brought an extra set of prison clothes, just in case.”

Selina quickly pulled out the prison uniform she had prepared in advance, ready to change.

“Wait. You’re not seriously planning to change clothes right in front of me, are you?”

“Is there a problem?”

“Well—aren’t you a noble lady? I was just wondering if it’s really fine for you to do that anywhere, like an apple rolling around on a street stall.”

“This is an urgent situation. Are you going to find me a changing room?”

“Well. Don’t really have time for that.”

Sion raised both hands playfully and turned his head away.

By the time Selina had finished changing, the rest of the group had come back as well. They had all taken different routes, but it was clear that Sion’s was the best.

“We’ll quietly blend in among the laborers. There’s only one guard watching right now, so slipping in shouldn’t be difficult.”

After explaining the plan going forward, Selina handed over keys that could be used to remove restraints.

“These were intended to release Alter’s restraints, but I brought spares just in case. Once labor is over, everyone will be fitted with restraints on their arms. Hide them in your sleeves in advance and undo them when the time is right.”

After that, she assigned roles — securing an escape route, keeping watch nearby, and so on — then finally turned to Sion with a reminder.”

“To rescue Alter, we’ll need the key to open the cell. That means your role is extremely important.”

“So without me, this operation falls apart?”

Selina gave a wry smile and nodded.

“…You could say that.”

“Then I’ll do my best.”

He smiled with satisfaction, like a cat.

At first, she had thought he would be difficult to handle. However, given how pleased he was by a little praise, he might actually be the easiest person here to manage after all.

“Then—good luck, everyone.”

Once the discussion was over, the group dispersed.

Left alone, Selina observed the guard carefully before blending unobtrusively into the group of laborers.

Despite the arrival of a new person, none of them reacted much — they seemed to have lost all willpower.

She let out a quiet sigh of relief.

At that very moment—pheeeeeet!

The guard suddenly jumped to his feet and blew his whistle.