“Stay here.”

“Alright.”

Resolving not to move a single finger, she gave a firm nod.

Right. Trying to step in and do something at a time like this would only be a more significant burden.

She was curious about what exactly was happening, but the metallic stench of blood creeping in beneath her mask quickly extinguished that curiosity.

Of course, just because she stayed put didn’t mean she was safe from getting dragged into the chaos.

So, if it came down to it, she would need to rely on this…

She took a deep breath and pulled out the gun from inside her coat.

The familiar grip against her palm steadied her, yet she couldn’t shake off a subtle feeling that something was missing.

Without realizing it, Raylin blankly stared at her now-empty other hand before clenching and unclenching the one that had just been interlaced with his.

After Aiger left her side, the loud noises ceased.

The enemies fighting against him hadn’t even been given the chance to curse before they fell at the mere flick of his hand.

Though it had felt much longer, in reality, the situation was resolved within mere minutes.

“Ugh, my aching body. Cutting loose after so long feels good, but I can’t ignore my age.”

“You’re not even thirty. What ‘age’ are you talking about?”

Even in dim lighting, Aiger could see as clearly as broad daylight. He waved a hand dismissively at his subordinate, who was twirling his blood-splattered curved blade.

“Yes, yes, I’ll do as you command. Wait—no, I should go up first. Please, take your time.”

Smirking, the subordinate swiftly disappeared up to the third floor.

Aiger briefly considered grabbing him by the nape and physically correcting his insolent behavior.

But instead, he turned on his heel and stood directly before Raylin.

“Is it over?”

“Yeah.”

He scanned her from head to toe, confirming that she was completely unharmed, then extended his hand.

The second time is always easier than the first.

Raylin naturally interlaced her fingers with Aiger’s once more.

Feeling the strange, previously missing piece click into place, she tilted her head slightly—before giving a nod of understanding.

‘Hmm… Of course. Aiger feels much more reliable and stable than a gun.’

Raylin, who had easily drawn a conclusion about the sudden sense of fulfillment without a hint of doubt, followed in his footsteps just as she had on the first floor, ascending to the third floor.

Standing at the top of the stairs, Raylin tilted her head when she saw the subordinate standing still just a step away from her, despite having gone up several minutes earlier.

“Ah, you’re here. Well, this is embarrassing, but I couldn’t handle it alone.”

The subordinate scratched his cheek awkwardly and pointed with his curved sword toward the innermost room on the third floor.

“I can see that.”

Even before arriving on the third floor, Aiger had sensed far more refined presences in that direction compared to the unruly scoundrels gathered on the second floor.

‘One, two… A total of five, it seemed.’

It was unlikely they were lurking to protect a woman discarded for having no market value.

They must have felt threatened by all the commotion around them.

Yet, Aiger felt neither a dry chuckle nor the urge to scoff.

‘How utterly laughable.’

The sanctuary of criminals throughout the entire empire.

The most wicked and ruthless backstreets on the continent, where an outsider could literally have their nose cut off in the blink of an eye.

But to him, it was nothing more than the petty squabbles of insignificant riffraff.

The crown prince, who had survived the emperor’s assassination plots, stood at the forefront of a war with another nation at twelve years old and returned with great merit.

Even if every major force in these backstreets banded together against him, they couldn’t put a single scratch on him.

More than anything, such so-called underworlds existed at the mercy of the imperial family. If the palace so willed, they would be as fleeting as a candle in the wind.

For now, they were merely kept in check and trained as necessary.

“Shall I do it?”

As he asked, the subordinate adjusted his grip on the curved sword, but Aiger merely looked at him without answering.

“That’s too much! If you look at me like that, I’ll be hurt! If I steel myself for death, those guys are nothing—”

Irritated, the subordinate grumbled, and Aiger willingly kicked him in the rear.

“Fine. You go in first.”

“Ugh! Huh? Seriously? By myself?”

The subordinate, who had switched his stance briefly, tried to back away, but Aiger was merciless.

Without speaking, Aiger gestured toward the inner room with his chin. From the beginning, he had never intended to leave the subordinate behind.

“You should stay here.”

Because he planned to leave Raylin here.

“By myself? If we go together—”

Before she could finish speaking, Aiger shook his head.

“There’s a window inside.”

It was an entirely different answer from the expected ones, like ‘It’s safe here’ or ‘Just wait a little while.’ However, Raylin immediately understood what he meant.

All the blood-soaked battles so far had taken place within dimly lit buildings.

As a result, she had rarely witnessed any gruesome sights. But if the inner room had an open window, and it was still bright daylight, she would soon see the carnage unfold before her eyes.

Even if no blood was shed, watching a living person collapse into a corpse on the floor was not something pleasant to witness.

“I understand.”

Raylin agreed without hesitation.

Wars existed, knights carried swords daily, and she had seen bloodied gladiator battles. Yet, such things still unsettled her.

She had resolved to shoot anyone who tried to harm her, but that didn’t mean she wished to seek out the sight of blood.

So, as much as she was worried about Kertan’s younger sister, it was only right to follow Aiger’s words here.

It was an entirely rational decision based purely on logic.

It had nothing to do with the heavy sense of ‘concern’ that had surfaced beside him.

Aiger unconsciously reached out toward Raylin’s head, only to retract his hand.

He had sensed an intensely unpleasant gaze.

Noticing the sudden shift in his mood, the subordinate quickly dashed toward the inner room.

“I’ll go in first!”

Naturally, Aiger, who lightly kicked off the ground, caught up with him and kicked him in the rear once again.

As a result, the subordinate tumbled forward, practically crashing through the door.

And the moment he did, waiting sword blades rained down upon him.

Clang! Clang, clank!

Kagagak! Boom! Crack!

Standing at the stair landing, Raylin did not avert her gaze from the source of the resounding noise.

She knew nothing would happen.

The idea that mere backstreet thugs could defeat Aiger was as absurd as claiming the sun wouldn’t rise in the east.

And yet, her heart pounded, and her palms were damp with tension.

There was no reason, yet she couldn’t understand why she was so worried.

Unconsciously, she leaned forward, straining her ears.

At least she hadn’t taken a step forward—that much resulted from her utmost self-control.

How much time had passed when each second felt like a year?

The noise from the inner room had vanished, leaving a chilling silence in its wake.

‘Was it finally over?’

Just as Raylin loosened her grip on the gun and took a step forward—

Someone grabbed her ankle.

Before she could even scream, her head instinctively snapped down, and all she saw was a dark mass. In that fleeting moment, her body was yanked downward.

She landed on the floor with a harsh thud, her ankle still caught. Then, a man’s voice, tinged with a metallic rasp, stabbed into her ears.

“You too! You have to die too! I can’t be the only one who—!”

It was an eerie, inhuman voice.

The bloodstained hand clutching her ankle slithered upward like a snake, creeping toward her calf.

Her mind went blank, and her vision blurred, but her fingers had already drawn the gun. Without hesitation, she pulled the trigger.

Bang! Bang, bang!

Hearing the rapid gunfire, Aiger’s eyes flashed dangerously.

At this time, in this place, there was only one person who would fire a gun—Raylin.

In the blink of an eye, his figure vanished, leaving behind a subordinate who flailed his arms and gasped dramatically.

“Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa! My god, it’s real? Spring has finally come for our prince!”

Had Aiger heard that remark, he would have kicked the man for spouting nonsense. Fortunately, he hadn’t, so the subordinate’s face remained alight with amusement, savoring the newfound teasing material.

Click, click, click-click-click.

Raylin’s hands trembled as she kept pulling the trigger, even though the cylinder was empty.

She wasn’t even thinking about killing her opponent anymore.

She acted on instinct, doing what she had always done—aiming and pulling the trigger repeatedly.

The silence was deafening, broken only by the hollow sound of the firing pin striking an empty chamber.

Then—

“Enough.”

The dead man’s hand, which had coiled around her ankle like a shackle, loosened its grip.

At the same time, a warm presence enveloped her from behind, and a low voice rumbled against her back.

Aiger had wrapped his arms around Raylin, covering her eyes with his palm as he whispered again.

“Breathe. Slowly.”