“An intruder! Catch them!”

“Huh?”

An intruder? Mail turned her head toward the direction of the noise. Though she couldn’t see anything from here, it seemed like something was happening in the corridor beyond the garden.

“The palace is quite noisy.”

“Looks like they found someone suspicious. They must be pretty skilled to make it this far inside before getting caught.”

They exchanged a few words when suddenly, a figure dressed entirely in black came rushing toward them from a distance. The intruder came to a sudden stop upon seeing the two of them, surprised to find anyone there. Mail was even more shocked.

“An intruder!”

It had only been a few seconds since the shout had gone up, and now the culprit was here.

The intruder was the very definition of an intruder. Dressed in all black from head to toe, with a matching black mask covering his face, there was no mistaking it. If this wasn’t an intruder, then no one in the world could claim to be one.

Mail couldn’t help but feel a strange admiration. How did he make it all the way to the inner palace looking like that? I have to give you credit for your skill, intruder.

“They went into the garden!”

“Divide the forces! Block the other exits!”

“Damn.”

The intruder, who had hesitated at the unexpected encounter, quickly made up his mind upon hearing the shouts outside. He must have realized that if all the exits were blocked, he’d end up cornered.

In situations like this, the classic solution works best: taking a hostage. Without hesitation, he chose Mail as his target.

‘Yikes! Self-defense moves probably won’t cut it here, right?’

As the intruder rushed toward her, Mail, though shocked, tightened her grip on the utensils in her hand, ready to swing them if necessary. But before she could act, Rohayden moved.

“Ugh!”

It happened in the blink of an eye. Stepping in front of Mail, Rohayden dodged the dagger the intruder swung at him by lowering his body, then swiftly tripped the attacker, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Even while off balance, the intruder quickly rolled away to widen the distance between them. Rohayden clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“Tch. What a nuisance.”

“…Wow, master. You’re really good at this.”

Mail spoke her thoughts honestly. She released the grip on her utensils, which had been tight enough to make her knuckles stand out. Her master’s movements were truly lightning-fast. And on top of that, they were clean and precise. If the situation had been a little less urgent and had nothing to do with her, Mail might have applauded.

The intruder, who had backed off, hesitated instead of attacking again. Although he had been caught off guard, it had been too easy. He wasn’t confident that he could overpower his opponent. After some hesitation, he finally pulled out another dagger from his coat.

“I was only going to wound you and take you both as hostages… but now I have no choice.”

Holding two daggers, the intruder’s demeanor suddenly changed. Mail tilted her head at the confidence he now exuded. What was this? Does wielding two weapons double your fighting ability? At that moment, the intruder slammed the ground and charged.

“Ahhh!”

Mail, who had been watching, swallowed a scream. The dagger narrowly missed Rohayden’s body, grazing his clothing but not injuring him.

It was then that Mail realized the source of the intruder’s confidence. The torn fabric was changing color, transforming into something strange. The daggers were likely poisoned or enchanted with magic.

“That’s dirty!”

Mail shouted, but the intruder didn’t respond. Mail racked her brain, trying to come up with an even sharper taunt. If she could provoke him into making a mistake, it would help her master, even just a little. As if reading her mind, Rohayden chuckled and stopped her.

“No need for that. Whether he’s got poisoned daggers or a national treasure, he’s no match for me.”

“You’re right, it seems I don’t need to.”

He’s got the taunting down just fine. As Mail thought that, the intruder attacked again. He slashed, Rohayden dodged, he thrust, Rohayden dodged again.

Since it wasn’t just a stranger’s problem anymore—if her master fell, she was next—Mail watched with growing anxiety.

‘Come on, master! You can do it!’

As Rohayden dodged another dagger strike, he closed the distance between himself and the intruder and landed a solid punch to the intruder’s solar plexus.

‘Thud!’

“Ugh.”

It was a heavy blow. The intruder dropped both daggers and collapsed. This time, Mail clapped her hands in genuine applause.

“That was amazing.”

“This much is nothing.”

“You took him down with a single hit.”

Mail remembered the confidence the intruder had shown when he had drawn his daggers. Why did she feel embarrassed on his behalf?

Rohayden picked up both daggers and slipped them into the intruder’s belt before grabbing the unconscious man’s collar, apparently ready to drag him away.

Mail, watching him, suddenly realized something. Up until now, the situation had been so urgent that she hadn’t fully processed it. Fixing her gaze on Rohayden’s left hip, she asked,

“Master, by the way…”

“Hmm?”

“You usually use a sword, don’t you?”

Rohayden had a sword hanging from his hip, positioned for easy access if needed. It could have been for intimidation purposes, but Mail didn’t think so.

She had seen his hands up close on several occasions, and they were the hands of a swordsman—hardened with calluses from practice. Sure enough, Rohayden nodded in affirmation.

“That’s right.”

“Then why didn’t you draw it? The other guy had two daggers.”

Facing an armed opponent barehanded is generally a reckless thing to do. Especially when it wasn’t a desperate situation, and he had a weapon on him. Anyone hearing about this would think it was foolish.

Rohayden replied casually, as if it were nothing.

“If I had drawn my sword, blood might’ve splattered everywhere. I can’t have this place sullied with the smell of blood. Not in the garden.”

For the garden.

He hadn’t drawn his sword to avoid tainting the sacred garden. Even though his opponent had fought dirty with special weapons.

As Rohayden dragged the unconscious intruder away, he bid farewell to Mail.

“I’ll deal with this guy. Enjoy the rest of your meal.”

But his words didn’t really register with Mail. Even after Rohayden and the intruder had disappeared from the garden, she remained sitting there in a daze, blinking slowly.

He fought a fully armed enemy barehanded for the sake of the garden. He risked injury to protect the garden. He valued the garden more than his own body.

“…Huh?”

Mail fanned herself with her hand. Her face was getting warm for some reason. She had no idea why.

***

Proud imperial guard Kalga Bangpier’s heart had shrunk to one-third its normal size.

First, he had failed to catch the intruder before he fled into the inner palace. Second, he had also failed to apprehend the intruder even after he fled into the emperor’s garden. And third, the emperor himself was now in the garden.

Kalga stood frozen at a distance, watching the emperor personally deal with the intruder. Once the emperor had stepped in, there was no place for Kalga to intervene—doing so would only bring further reprimand. Moreover, when the emperor wore his mask, no one was supposed to acknowledge him. It was an unspoken rule.

A short while later, the emperor dragged the intruder out and tossed him to Kalga, who received him politely.

“Interrogate him and find out who sent him. Dispose of the daggers—they’ve been tampered with.”

“Understood.”

“As for the punishment you’ll be receiving, I trust I don’t need to elaborate.”

Of course. No need to explain.

Six months’ pay docked.

“Naturally. My deepest apologies.” Kalga lowered his head deeply, tears of blood welling up in his eyes.

‘This was all because of this wretched intruder. Damn the intruder. The intruder is scum.’

Proud imperial guard Kalga Bangpier vowed that today he would rebirth himself as a ruthless interrogation expert, without mercy or leniency.